#2017 kdrama recap

[youranemicvampire]

My favorite shows and movies I’ve watched in 2020

Not a professional critic or film girl, jus wanna recommend some good stuff. Random order. 

Russian doll (2019-)

Natasha Lyonne is a genius. A death loop that gets deeper and more creative every episode and it has only 8 so you can binge it and be satisfied. 

The good place (2016-2020)

Comedy and Philosophy? This is the one. It’s one of the shows that i would recommend to every person on the planet so we can all be better people without reading those incomprehensible and inaccessible philosophy books. 

The disastrous life of Saiki K. / “” Reawakened (2012-)

The most hilarious anime i’ve seen! And i can’t even explain why. It’s just about a psychic and idk how they made it that funny every single episode. Effortless and Random. 

Sex Education (2019-)

America should take notes. Still about s*x, but it’s closer to reality than most American teen shows + It breaks stereotypes. idk how to describe it., this show is cliche, but in a refreshing way?? Weird. It’s good. 

Pose (2018-)

Now, This is how you do it. I’ve seen a lot of music/dance-themed shows and movies and most of them are mediocre and inauthentic. Pose has a heart, passion and it stayed true to their culture while casting real gay men and transwomen. Overall, It’s realistic and hopeful at the same time. 

Diary of a prosecutor (2020)

A comedy depicting the daily lives of prosecutors. Freaking hilarious. The situations they’ve been, everyone’s comedic timing and reality of being a prosecutor are on point. 

Swing kids (2018)

About Korean kids with dreams and passion for tap dancing in a middle of senseless war and divide. A dance movie with an actual good story.

SKY castle (2019)

If you watched Parasite and hyped the f out it, you should do the same with SKY castle. It highlighted greed, Korea’s educational system and mental health by using satire, drama and suspense. A masterpiece. Literally the best Kdrama i’ve watched. I know it’s the 2nd highly-rated show in Korea, but Internationally, very underrated. So watch it! NOW! It’s on Netflix!

Nobody Knows (2020)

Bias included, I watched it for Kim Seo Hyung (The same actress from SKY castle who just won top excellence award for this so you better give her flowers) and stayed for the story. It’s a mystery drama about a cult, importance of good adults in life and empathy. Slow-paced, but never had a dull moment. Full thoughts without spoilers here.  

Disclosure (2020)

Watch this so you’ll know representation is not just a “woke” shit. It’s fucking important! It shapes how you perceive reality. 

But i'm a cheerleader (1999)

A QUEER FILM CLASSIC. Seriously. It’s on the top of the list of films new queers should first watch. It’s a satire about a lesbian cheerleader in a conversion camp. Funny, cute, entertaining, relatable and happy. Yes, HAPPY! Done with tragic ones.

Black lightning (2018-2021)

Not even a superhero fan, but it gave me adrenaline rush, and made me think. What i also love about this is the parallels with reality. I get it that it’s sci-fi, but isn’t it more engaging if you can imagine it possibly happening in real life. +They treated the wlw storyline as a normal thing as it is. 

The L word (2004-2009) / The L word: Generation Q (2019-)

Ok this is not the best show in the world. It’s too white and got A LOT of issues, BUT i’m still gonna recommend it to “new” lesbians like me (R18+) especially when you experience this isolation stage. It’ll make you feel normal. If you don’t wanna watch the original one, i think you can skip to Gen Q because it’s more diverse, has a better treatment of transmen and transwomen and got a lighter tone so far, just watch a summary/recap of the OG.

More recommendations:

2019

2018

2017

[thedramafilesblog-blog]

Appearing before The Dramacourt: While You Were Sleeping Eps 7 and 8

***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

***Disclaimer***: This analysis based on Canadian law. This is also NOT LEGAL ADVICE for anyone and this drama is FICTIONAL.

Issues:

Whether Defense counsel can go around threatening victims.

Whether the representation of Jae Chan working is an actual representation of what a litigator’s work is like.

Whether being too smart for your own good can lead to your downfall.

Whether Seung Won finally got the girl.

The Rule(s):

Hell No!

Totally.

Yes.

Yes. Finally!!

Analysis:

RedRosette J: This episode opens with the events at the restaurant happening from Woo Tak’s point of view. I really like that we are getting multi dimensional points of view of these dream scenarios. It’s also interesting to see how the characters change things based on what information they have from their dreams. The plot is also written interestingly, so when things are happening, you don’t really feel like skipping. It’s only when the plot gets into the obligatory romantic flashback dreams that it feels super draggy and forces you to skip.

When you’re a piece of trash human and everyone knows it

Trying to solve problems like…

Sticking together like…

How Woo Tak’s dream showed it…

…and how it actually played out

Becoming friends like…

RedRosette J: I am totally obsessed with Jan Hae In. He is sooooooooo adorable and I swear I had to stop every time he was on screen to screen shot his cute face! He’s super cute. I also love how his character is very bubbly and upbeat and positive. And he has a cute chubby doggy OMG this guy is super adorable!!!! *calms down* I also like that he is going to be a positive influence in Jae Chan’s life because these two are going to become good friends whether Jae Chan likes it or not. I also love how the writers revealed Woo Tak’s ability to see the future in dreams very quickly to Hong Joo and Jae Chan and they almost immediately became this weird “Dream Scooby Gang”! Can we please get more of him???

Look! It’s a cute boy and a dog!

Waking up from a nightmare like…

Complaining that your friend didn’t buy you enough food

When you realize that shit just got real

When you realize you and your friends are a special kind of Avengers

RedRosette J Aside: Here are more pics of Jang Hae In’s cute face:

RedRosette J: I’m glad they resolved So Yoon’s Dad’s case because that was taking too long and I’m glad Kim So Hyun’s cameo is over because her character was starting to become annoying to me. I did like how Woo Tak and Hong Joo dreamed two very different outcomes for this case, and how them choosing to change the present based on the positive outcome in Woo Tak’s dream, changed the course of events. I think it seems like Jae Chan is the person who can change the outcome of events and Woo Tak and Hong Joo dream the different variations of the future. It’s a really interesting concept and I’m excited to see how it plays out later.

When you’re full of shit and everyone knows it

RedRosette J: Interestingly, both Hong Joo and Jae Chan had the same flower petals kiss dream, but the outcome changed because Jae Chan didn’t act on it. Again, it proves that Jae Chan is the actor in changing the course of events. In terms of the development of the romance, I’m still not sold on Suzy and Lee Jong Suk having chemistry and to me it just feels like two people who are being forced to behave romantically. I keep getting platonic vibes off the two of them. Even the kisses feel forced and unromantic. I mean, if you want a real comparison, compare Lee Jong Suk and Park Shin Hye’s twinkle lights kiss in Pinocchio and Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo’s prison kiss in W: Two Worlds with the flower petals kiss in this drama and you will see what I’m talking about…

What is that hairstyle honestly?

This is supposed to be romantic

Chaebal “over” hajima seyo 

This just seems painfully awkward

Sorry, not feeling it.

Issue 1: Whether Defense counsel can go around threatening victims.

RedRosette J: I think this issue came up in another post we did, but I’m talking about it again because this is not “lawyering” and this is not what being a lawyer is about. You can’t go around and threaten victims not to sue and not to press charges and stuff because that it ILLEGAL and you could be disbarred! Please. Stop doing this. Although, Lee Sang Yeob is doing a fabulous job as this awful lawyer who thinks he’s unstoppable.

You’re killing it in this role dude!

Issue 2: Whether the representation of Jae Chan working is an actual representation of what a litigator’s work is like.

RedRosette J: Cut to: the montage of Jae Chan working like a crazy person and living off ramen noodles and coffee for days, and a major lack of sleep. I’ve been told that this is exactly what a litigator’s life is like right before a trial. The immense workload and time that is required for trial prep requires long, long sleepless nights and an inhuman amount of coffee. I worked for one litigator who, during trial time, according to his wife, walked around like a zombie and barely had time to come home. Sounds super intense right? So yea, I think this is an actual representation of what a litigator’s work is like right around trial time.

So embarrassing…

Crashing like…

Discovery for days…

Issue 3: Whether being too smart for your own good can lead to your downfall.

RedRosette J: The problem with being too smart is that some times you can be outsmarted in the most basic ways and that can lead to your downfall. I loved how this episode portrayed this. Yoo Beom, having gone to extreme lengths to tamper with evidence and falsify medical reports etc forgot that sometimes its the most basic human reactions that can make or break a case. In this case, having all that insurmountable “evidence” proving that So Yoon’s Dad didn’t abuse her mother barely held up against his reaction to her fainting on the stage. I loved that the investigator picked up on that and dragged out a confession. When someone you love faints, its not an appropriate reaction to say “I didn’t do it” unless you actually did do it and were desperate to cover it up. The normal reaction, as Jae Chan said, would be to say “are you okay” or to ask for help. In this sense, I think the Yoo Beom, in failing to account for this most basic human reaction, sabotaged his own case. I think that given the evidence tampering and falsifying documents, Yoo Beom should be severely reprimanded and disbarred as well. I’m not okay with how the show glosses over that fact and keeps going as if its business as usual. Generally, getting caught doing that pretty much means the end of your career as a lawyer.

When you walk in with a big plan

But end up losing because of something simple

Issue 4: Whether Seung Won finally got the girl.

RedRosette J: So remember how in a previous post I said that poor Shin Jae Ha was not going to get Kim So Hyun in this drama either? Well my bad, because congratulations to Seung Won who finally finally got the girl! I just had to write about it because its just so adorable and I’m finally happy about it LOL!

When you’re about to get an “I Told You So” from your brother

Hiding with your potential girlfriend like…

Awww Seung Won! All the Feels!

When breakfast is a lifestyle

When the girl you like says she’s going to text you everyday

Yes! Finally! #TeamSeungWon!

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed.

Rating: 4 = I’ll Give You A Cookie (Mostly because of Jang Hae In’s smiling face)

File No: While-You-Were-Sleeping-EPS-7&8 Appearing before The Dramacourt: While You Were Sleeping Eps 7 and 8 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read…

[apgujeon]

do you watch dramas? if so can you rec some ones that you liked? thank you!

i used to watch a lot of dramas but stopped watching them in recent years, so i’m unable to rec you any dramas from 2017 onward ;;; 

however, i can still list a few OG ones and new-ish ones that i enjoyed: 

descendants of the sun (2016) - the no. 1 kdrama romcom must watch

school 2013 (2013) - slice of life story with heartwarming friendships & bromance but it’s angsty so prepare tissues.. one of my faves

weightlifting fairy kim bokjoo (2016) - another must watch, one of the cutest and sweetest dramas with a good balance of friendship & romance!

reply 1997 (2012) - an oldie but a goodie. also one of my faves, very nostalgic and sweet.

city hunter (2011) - lee min ho. assassin. enough said.

the lonely shining goblin (2016) - very cool storyline. tbh i never finished this but it’s highly rated by like, everyone.

shut up flower boy band (2012) - coming-of-age story starring boys with eyeliner and feelings.. so, more bromance that’ll make you cry

49 days (2011) - unique storyline about afterlife (also made me cry a lot)

if you’re interested in more og ones.. hmu cos i got a tonne of those but i don’t wanna rec too many older ones. also, check out dramabeans for kdrama reveiws, recaps and ratings. i’ve been using that site since 2010 :)

[uppoompat]

2017 Drama Recap

sooo i originally wanted to do one of the gif memes for my 2017 dramas but i didn’t have the energy so i figured i’d just do little text post recap of the amount of dramas i completed, my favorites overall, fave male characters, fave female characters, the dramas that didn’t quite do it for me, etc.

So in 2017 I completed a total of:

31 Dramas

3 Drama Specials

2 Movies

And I have 7 dramas on my currently watching list.

My top 5 Kdramas of 2017 are:

Chicago Typewriter

School 2017

Suspicious Partner

Lookout

20th Century Boy and Girl

Top 5 Male Kdrama Characters of 2017:

Hyun Tae (S)Woon (School 2017)

Yoo Jin Oh (Chicago Typewriter)

No Ji Wook (Suspicious Partner)

Eun Hwan Gi (Introverted Boss)

Go Dong Man (Fight My Way)

Top 5 Female Kdrama Characters of 2017:

Ra Bong Hee (Missing 9)

Eun Bong Hee (Suspicious Partner)

Jo Soo Ji (Lookout)

The Ladies of the 4 Bongos (20 Century Boy and Girl)

Jwa Yoon Yi (Jugglers)

5 Dramas That Didn’t Quite Do It For Me (aka dramas I dropped or put on an indefinite hold):

Criminal Minds

Man To Man

The King Loves

Revolutionary Love

7 Day Queen

Non-Korean Dramas That Captured My Heart:

Together With Me The Series (Thailand)

Sotus & Sotus S The Series (Thailand)

2 Moons The Series (Thailand)

A Love So Beautiful (China)

Overall, it was a good year for dramas in my opinion. I watched a lot of stuff that I really enjoyed. Also, I think I really just gave in and embraced kdramas on this blog. I changed my url, started using kdrama related icons, allowed myself to post kdramas as much as I wanted (without trying to limit/space out the posts), and of course, I joined the incredible @kdramanetwork which has connected me to so many amazing new friends and mutuals! I can’t wait to crying and scream and rant about more dramas with them in 2018!

Feel free to discuss any of your faves with me, ask me about any of my faves, etc.

[kjtamuser]

Lookout Review

Lookout is a 16 episode revenge kdrama (2017) about a group of “under the radar” individuals who work together to garner justice for their murdered loved ones. They are led by a mystery boss who directs their activities. We watch their unit form, function, and be tested as they search for the truth. Will the fugitive police detective Soo Ji be able to find closure and catch the murderer of her young daughter? Will hacker Kyun Soo determine what happened to his missing mother? Will reclusive Bo Mi find out why her family was murdered? Will the boss reveal himself and his motivations? Will the evil perpetrators be caught? Will justice be served?

Pros:

Corruption of personal ethics for goals of power, money, and revenge was the thread that bound all the characters. The evil duo of father, Prosecutor Yoon, and son, Shi Wan, were classic sociopaths. “Four percent of ordinary people are sociopaths, an often undetected mental disorder, the chief symptom is that the person possesses no conscience. They have no ability whatsoever to feel shame, guilt, or remorse. One in 25 everyday people is secretly a sociopath. They could be your colleague, your neighbor, even family. And they can do literally anything at all and feel absolutely no guilt”. The evil duo had an alliance of enablers, people who bent or broke their personal ethics for money, power, or to avoid their past sins being exposed. Even our justice team had to face whether they were willing to act against their ethics for the overarching goal of catching those that had wronged their loved ones. In the end, every character explored whether or not they would uphold or compromise their ethics, sometimes in extreme situations.

Cons:

Logic gaps throughout the drama. I don’t like being aware that a plot point is contradictory, not feasible, or ill thought out. It takes me out of the viewing experience. While Lookout was often gripping, there were multiple times I wanted to ask what Writer Kim was thinking behind certain plot decisions.

Characters that worked for me:

Jo Soo Ji (Lee Si Young). Her child was cruelly killed without a clear reason other than jealousy of the happy mother and daughter. Soo Ji KNEW Shi Wan killed her daughter but couldn’t prove it. He knew it and relished laughing in her face (literally) every chance he got. When she decided to take matters into her own hands and get justice at the point of a gun, she was captured, escaped and became a fugitive for the justice team. She was the muscle of the justice team. She was a bad-ass bare knuckle fighter effectively using gravity and surprise to disarm her male opponents. The first two episodes of the drama revolved around Soo Ji. The death of her daughter was riveting delivered an emotional punch that demanded justice and made her path understandable. I loved her friendship with former boss Team Lead Lee Soon Ae (Kim Sun Young). There wasn’t any “women issues” e.g. jealousy, sniping, etc. between these two. They supported each other no matter what.

Jang Do Han (Kim Young Kwang). This was a flawed and flamboyant character. His smile, his swagger, his belief that he would beat the evil duo was a driving force of this series. His secrets were slow to be revealed as the drama focused on the other members of the justice team. In his pursuit of vengeance, he crossed ethical boundaries, and trampled on others. Initially he was able to effectively manipulate and juggle the forces at play. But it spun out of control. His carefully laid plans went up in smoke. Do Han struggled to find a way to achieve justice. I approved of his choice to rectify his wrongs. Shout out to his “annoying brother” relationship with Prosecutor Kim.

Kong Kyung Soo (Key). This hacker saved the team multiple times with his just in time solutions eked out by his nimble fingers. Over time he developed a romantic interest the other justice team member Bo Mi. He was sweetly supportive as she struggled to overcome her challenges. She did the same for him. They blossomed with the glow of a new relationship.

Seo Bo Mi (Kim Seul Gi). This reclusive CCTV monitoring justice team member was the eyes of the team. Her demons had to be fought and it wasn’t easy. Her budding relationship with Kyung Soo was a bright spot in a drama that often was mired in the battle against corrupted power. I liked that Seul Gi was considered pretty in this series. Many times the comedian/actress has not been tagged as pretty in her roles.

Father Lee (Shin Dong Wook). This quiet priest was Do Han’s half-brother and understood what drove Do Han better than anyone else. He was a touch stone for Do Han. He was calm and supportive regardless. He helped others face themselves without judgement.

Shi Wan (Park Solomon). I didn’t like this character. His brand of sociopath evil was more compelling than his evil father. He killed Soo Ji’s lovely young daughter and laughed in Soo Ji’s face every chance he could because she couldn’t prove it and his powerful parents protected him. Park Solomon did a great job bringing this sweet looking evil monster to life.

Writer Ruminations: Writer Kim (Kim Soo Eun) has no other kdrama credits. Writer Kim won an honorable mention with the script in an open contest held by MBC in 2016. The kdrama industry must wear down writers because I’ve watched several dramas this year from new writers (Voice, My Sassy Girl). Writer Kim’s initial episodes were strong. Then there were ups and down before settling into solid episodes until the end. My ranking chart is below:

Would I recommend this series?

Yes. Lookout was often gripping. At the end of the drama I was fully vested in obtaining justice and defeating the evil father and son duo. The flawed flamboyant male lead and justice seeking tough female lead was a winning combination. Lookout wasn’t perfect but it was enjoyable ride.

OST:

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Lookout has released a 6 song OST. I’m hoping a complete OST is released as there were other songs I enjoyed.

The playlist includes a superb fan video that captures the essence of Do Han and is embedded below or check it out via the link.

Recaps/Reviews:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Series

Lookout Review Lookout Review Lookout is a 16 episode revenge kdrama (2017) about a group of "under the radar" individuals who work together to garner justice for their murdered loved ones.

[leopauldelr]

Recap time this Children's Day. #ほぼ日手帳 #こどもの日 #bulletjournaling #usa #news #ニャン魔女 #妖怪ウォッチ #yokaiwatch #水瀬伊織 #水瀬伊織生誕祭2017 #水瀬伊織生誕祭 #アイドルマスター #idolmaster #idolmasterkr #anime #kdrama #GW #ゴールデンウィーク (at Seattle, Washington)

[hellokpop]

K-Drama Review: "Witch's Court" Brews Feisty Legal Drama Powered By Witty Heroine http://www.hellokpop.com/review/k-drama-witch-court/

[boston2seoul]

I’m not sure how I feel about this; realistically I think they’ll be unable to duplicate the crack factor of kdramas. ….and I’m speaking as a veteran of massive longterm ‘TV fail’ here in the states.

[hallyu-noona]

Hello and welcome to Hallyu Noona! The blog where your internet Noona or 누나 will review/recap Korean Dramas and KPop MVs. 🙂 The website is still a work in progress so please bear with me as I work out the kinks.

I’m on Instagram @hallyu.noona  Please follow for updates!

I first fell in love with KDrama around 2010/2011 when a friend at the time mentioned the Korean TV Show ‘Boys Over Flowers’. She told me how good the show was, how hot the guys were, and I thought why not? I started it, but didn’t really finish as life seemed to get in the way.

It wasn’t until 2012 I finally sat down during my stint as a SAHM and binge-watched ‘Boys Over Flowers’ in about a week. I was hooked. Lee Min Ho- Check, Drama- Check, Kim Bum- Double Check. I started to look into watching KDramas seriously, though I didn’t think to review them, and I certainly hadn’t really found the KDrama or KWave fandom yet, so I didn’t have anyone to fangirl over the show with either. I felt kind of lost, and tried to learn Hangul letters (but I didn’t take it seriously, and thus never really learned).

Life once again got in the way, and 2015 I discovered that there was a KDrama TV Show based on one of my favorite Japanese Mangas- “Hana Kimi”. I devoured ‘To The Beautiful You’ in less than a week, and I was hooked all over again. I mentally slapped myself. Why did I ever stop? Life again, college, kids, took priority, and I had to put it aside.

2016. A couple mom friends who watched KDrama told me to try watching ‘Uncontrollably Fond’. That launched me back into KDrama and suddenly in the world of KPop as well. ‘Uncontrollably Fond’ was brutal. Addicting, sad and so so good.

From there I watched my first BTS video (“Dope”) and threw myself wholeheartedly into the world of KDrama and KPop.

In 2017 I watched:

Lovely Love Lie, Who Are You, Coffee Prince, Cinderella and Four Knights, Strong Woman: Do Bong Soon, The Bride of the Water God, My Love From Another Star, Fight My Way, Oh My Ghostess, Chinese Drama- Love 020, and Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo.

I also became a really huge fan of BTS, Big Bang, EXO, and 2PM.

My world was changed.

So far in 2018 I’ve watched:

To The Beautiful You (Again), I’m Not A Robot, Jealousy Incarnate.

Please join me as I share my love and excitement for KDrama and KPop. Sit down and listen to your Noona 🙂

-Noona A

[thedramafilesblog-blog]

File No: Just-Between-Lovers-EPS-7-&-8

Appearing before The Dramacourt: Just Between Lovers Eps 7 and 8 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system*** (more…)

[aitheriios]

Group 5

Mod:  Saquib Syed

Scribe: Jessica Do, Jordan Wollenman

Archivist/Uploader: Mei Sulistio

QC: Alexis Edwards

Photographer: Jessica Do

Artist Statement: For our transformative work we decided to imitate the format of the recaps to answer the questions. We put together the answers during our discussion and put it together along with reactions photos and photos of our reaction to those photos to make it a little more ~authentic~.

 H E W W O and welcome to group 5’s recap of this week’s questions! *:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆

 honestly loveeee this screen shot lmao (￣ω￣)

This video was super helpful to our understanding of Kdrama. They start off the video with a few questions from their audience and then move onto the main topic of the video. While speaking about the cross dressing trope javabeans clarified, “Korean Dramas are far from the only ones to do this” (20:20). This is true, as most people have encountered tropes here and there. I mean, come on, they’re everywhere in the media: the popular guy falling for the wallflower, the love-at-first-sight, so on and so forth. But javabeans and girlfriday helps us explore trope formulas that are uniquely Kdrama. The video contextualizes Kdramas by using well-known tropes. This allows people to understand what Kdramas are about while keeping the subject focused on Kdrama itself. Two of our team members didn’t have any exposures to Kdrama and found it reaaaally great to watch this video and be able to understand more about the patterns and plotlines in Kdramas.

 Recapping the Kdrama requires a lottttt of work. More so than just being fluent in both Korean and English, it is essential to know the slang and culture surrounding the drama too. Take for example Dhobi ki Kutti’s fic. If you simply Google translate the characters, it’s going to give you words like “vegetation” for पुरवाई (Syed kindly informed our group that this word meant “Easterly wind”. Phew. That’s one less question on our mind). Google translate won’t give you the double meanings and context. In that fic, this aspect highlighted how knowing the language is not enough to understand cultural references. Fansubbers and fandubbers must be able to understand these references and contexts to make the Kdrama understandable for English-speaking audiences (aka the Blind-Idiot Translation trope).

                  As far as why fans do this and the “why”? Oh, why does van Gogh paint? For the love and passion, if nothing else. Well, that, and exposure of their favorite forms of media. Since Kdramas are kind of a niche interest, it’s always the desire of fans to create more fans. This creates a fan gift economy, as mentioned by Turk and Hellekson (◕‿◕)

 In terms of aspects of U.S. feminism seen in both recaps, as a group, we felt that the recap for Gaksital was very by-the-book, as in, the recap relayed the happenings of the episode. There were opinions from javabeans, but it wasn’t much related to feminism. (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ)

The lead in Sungkyunkwan is feminist in that she’s doing what she can to better herself instead of simply accepting society’s or culture’s expectations as a woman. Some of the ideas that girlfriday references are echoing ideas in U.S. feminism. For example, she says, “Sun-joon sneaks a peek in the red book of hetero-normative instincts, and his eyeballs nearly pop out”. This idea of heteronormativity stems from U.S. feminism terms. In another place, girlfriday reference an idea of sex that is reflected in U.S. feminism, too.

“I love how in dramas people always freak out about a man and a woman being locked in a place overnight, because “something” might happen. It’s the funniest euphemism to me, because they always make it sound like sex is a “thing” that happens to people, like catching a cold or something. It’s hilarious. Can’t two people just choose to have sexy fun times?”

This idea that sex should be able to be a fun choice is reminiscent of U.S. sex-positivity. Girlfriday also made comments throughout about the tropes found in the episode, and a lot of those tropes stem from U.S. feminist media studies. (✧ω✧)

Having a guide explaining Kdrama can be a double-edged sword; it all depends on the skills and intents of the guide that determines whether it is a decolonizing or Orientalizing experience. In the recaps that we read for this discussion, we were agreed in that it was primarily a decolonizing experience. For example, javabeans’ summary of Gaksital begins with several paragraphs describing the Japanese occupation of Korea in the early part of the 20th century, not only from a historical context, but from the cultural context of a people resisting a foreign power. “Gaksital is set in the 1930s, the independence movement in full swing. We can see how rich the tableau is, with our main character being born into the occupation and having a different perspective on it than, say, his father’s generation, who lived through the early movement and gave it life.” (javabeans). Javabeans and girlfriday both did well in performing not only a plot-by-plot recap, but also the meaning of a character’s reaction as it pertains to the Korean culture of the time. By making these experiences relatable, this served as a decolonizing experience because it maintains the important aspects of Korean culture, rather than gloss them over or try to erase (or colonize) them. This relatability helps minimize making these reactions and other aspects from seeming “foreign” or the “otherness” that characterizes an Orientalizing experience.

We also touched upon the kind of recappers that would make the action Orientalizing instead of decolonizing. It seems that the three members of our group familiar with Kdramas and Kfandoms agree that when someone who has no prior knowledge of the culture and media do a react or recap, it is Orientalizing because they’re just trying to profit off the exoticism and hype. *sighssss* (￣︿￣)

 Works Cited:

dramabeans. “7 of Our Favorite K-drama Tropes” YouTube, girlfriday and javabeans, 21 Nov. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK6jqakqh0M

javabeans. “Gaksital (Bridal Mask): Episode 1 » Dramabeans Korean Drama Recaps.” Dramabeans, 30 Jan. 2012, www.dramabeans.com/2012/05/gaksital-bridal-mask-episode-1/.

girlfriday. “Sungkyunkwan Scandal: Episode 12 » Dramabeans Korean Drama Recaps.” Dramabeans, 12 Oct. 2010, www.dramabeans.com/2010/10/sungkyunkwan-scandal-episode-12/.

Hellekson, Karen. 2009. “A Fannish Field of Value.” Cinema Journal 48 No 4. 113-118. Turk, Tisha. 2014. "Fan Work: Labor, Worth, and Participation in Fandom's Gift Economy." In "Fandom and/as Labor," edited by Mel Stanfill and Megan Condis, special issue, Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 15. http://dx.doi.org/10.3983/twc.2014.0518

Photos Included:

Spool, Ari. “Confused Mr. Krabs / When You Wake Up From a Nap.” Know Your Meme, 19 Jan. 2018, knowyourmeme.com/memes/confused-mr-krabs-when-you-wake-up-from-a-nap.

Vindaz. “Creepy Condescending Wonka” imgflip, Meme Generator, January 2016, https://imgflip.com/i/w6ldf

“HD Mspaint | Thinking Face Emoji 🤔.” Know Your Meme, 14 Jan. 2018, knowyourmeme.com/photos/1256183-thinking-face-emoji-%F0%9F%A4%94.

javabeans. “Gaksital (Bridal Mask): Episode 1 » Dramabeans Korean Drama Recaps.” Dramabeans, 30 Jan. 2012, www.dramabeans.com/2012/05/gaksital-bridal-mask-episode-1/.

girlfriday. “Sungkyunkwan Scandal: Episode 12 » Dramabeans Korean Drama Recaps.” Dramabeans, 12 Oct. 2010, www.dramabeans.com/2010/10/sungkyunkwan-scandal-episode-12/

Best_of_Grindr. “Every time [user] and I bump into each other 👯”* Instagram, 3 June, 2016. www.instagram.com/p/BGNJMT3BtzM/.

 Group Evaluation: Everyone did a great job at communicating as well as editing all responses. We appreciated how everyone was able to guide one another through answers as well as specifications since not all of us were very familiar with Korean dramas and some of the material was harder to get for some of us than others. We felt as if everyone did their part in collaborated greatly! There was a great amount of collective creativity and everything was put together with virtually no trouble. Special thanks to Jessica for the cool idea of taking pictures of us throughout our collab session and us reacting to screen grabs!

[luckeykhan-blog]

Bad Thief, Good Thief Ep 30 Eng Sub Korean Drama

Bad Thief, Good Thief Ep 30 Eng Sub Korean Drama

Korean Drama Bad Thief, Good Thief Ep 30 English Sub Bad Thief, Good Thief Episode30 Full Episode Kdrama Related Search Terms: bad thief good thief synopsis, bad thief good thief drama, bad thief good thief review, bad thief good thief recap, bad thief good thief dramabean, bad thief good thief episode, bad thief good thief kissasian, bad thief good thief cast,

[nolongertuesday]

[entry] my type might change in the future, who knows..

I am writing this as my other monitor is playing “Jang Bo-Ri is Here”, and let me tell you how this series is making me grin like a maniac while at the same time continuously giving me cancer.

Anyway, I am not really a good reviewer – my parents’ kdrama watchlist is mine as well and I have been well fed with 막장 so I am not really exposed to what people consider as good dramas whatsoever.

By the way, who knows I have been able to confirm the type of guy that I really like from binge-watching this series by myself even after I have returned to my dorm room. Turns out, a person whose heart is easily fluttered at small kindness has a specific guy that she really adores.

It is not easy to explain what kind of person I am in the first place. People might deem me as the happy-go-lucky type but I do have my worries that I do not reveal in public – that kind of cliché.

Therefore, not only because Lee Jae-Hwa (Kim Ji-Hoon) is such a good-looking 아재 but I also find his cutesy and uber friendly approach towards Do Bo-Ri (Oh Yeon-Seo) is strongly tugging my heartstrings. Even if that kind of someone suddenly shows up in my life and ends up as my friend, I wouldn’t mind maintaining it even as a normal friendship because such treatment is really therapeutic to me.

I want to find my own guy who wears sneakers with suits teehee.

(I’d probably do a proper recap of my thoughts towards the drama once I am done with it :3)

––– 2017/06/13

[thedramafilesblog-blog]

File No: Just-Between-Lovers-EPS-1-&-2

Appearing before The Dramacourt: Just Between Lovers Eps 1 and 2 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system*** (more…)

[thedramafilesblog-blog]

Appearing before The Dramacourt: 20th Century Boy and Girl Eps 29 to 32 (Final)

***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

Issues:

Whether Young Shim’s character developed at all.

Whether the sudden love line between Anthony and the Director was necessary.

Whether the Lawyer Boss is still super awkward.

Whether Ah Reum’s “break up” with Woo Sung made sense.

Whether Young Shim’s Mom should have got a divorce.

Whether Ji Won not going to meet the ex is the best way to deal with the ex.

Whether Jin Jin and Ji Won are #relationshipgoals

The Rule(s):

Not really. We think she had the least character development of the lot.

Not at all.

Yes!!

No. Why all this angst at the last minute?

Definitely.

100%! This is exactly how exes should be dealt with.

Absolutely!

Analysis:

RedRosette J: IT’S OVER!!!!!! Now I have to go back to hating Mondays. Ugh. But real talk: overall, I thought the drama did very well is definitely in my top five dramas of 2017. The only problems that I had in these last few episodes were with the side characters and not really Jin Jin and Ji Won. It just feels like the writer spent all this time creating the perfect main leads and then scrambled at the last minute to finish the side characters so it felt a bit messy and all over the place. The biggest plot point that I wanted wrapped up was Jin Jin and her sister Ho Sung making amends. We did get a scene with Jin Jin at Ho Sung’s and I think that was the first step in them rebuilding their relationship. Everything worked out well for the other smaller characters too like Mi Dal and Assistant Boy who got married (!!) and Jin Jin’s little brother Min Ho who got rid of his pink hair and got a real job (LOL!).

Jubiemon J: Overall, I did enjoy this drama a lot, mostly due to the girls’ strong friendship and the cuteness between Jin Jin and Jiwon! Jiwon and Jin Jin seriously are relationship goals. I haven’t seen such a mature couple in a Korean drama for a while, so their dynamics were refreshing!

Like RedRosette said, there are still a few issues with how things wrapped up for the other characters. The biggest mystery of all is related to Ho Sung and her husband. At the end of the day, I still don’t understand why the family was so against Ho Sung and her husband. I wished that that had been explored in a deeper level. I also really didn’t like how stunted Young Shim’s character turned out to be. She seemed to be growing as seen from her attempts at punctuality and her standing up for her mother. Then . . . she just showed that nothing had really changed in the last episode. She suggested that her mother get a divorce and then later get all mad at her mother for wanting to go through with it. Like what? How immature are you? You’re not a middle school student or some kid anywhere. You’re already 36…. -0-‘

Making amends like…

When you aren’t buying whatever scheme your friend is trying to sell…

Such cuties

Super adorbs ❤

RedRosette J: I only wish that Jin Jin’s parents hadn’t found out about Ji Won and Jin Jin through the news like everyone else. It would have been nicer if they had just told them (but Min Ho’s horrified reactions made up for it so I’m not all that mad about it). Dad’s reaction bugged me a little but then again, I guess it can be disturbing for a parent to find out their “pseudo-son” is seeing their daughter LOL! I’m glad we also got some explanation as to why Jin Jin and Ji Won lasted all of three seconds together back in high school! Spoiler: Dad caught them kissing in the elevator!!

Jubiemon J: I was really confused about the dad’s reaction to Jin Jin and Ji Won. In previous episodes, he seemed to have noticed something between them and was all supportive and what not. Then when he really confirmed that they were together, he even threw out Ji Won’s shoes and started going all aggressive at him. Okay . . . Jin Jin is already 36 years old; she’s no longer a baby. It’s not like Ji Won is some criminal . . .

*cringe*

Hugs solve all problems

When your family finds out you’re dating someone…

This is what horrified looks like

Dealing with scandals head on

  Happy family 🙂

Issue 1: Whether Young Shim’s character developed at all

RedRosette J:  Young Shim’s character was the least well written. Her mousy, pushover persona didn’t change at all throughout the show. It would have been nice to see some character growth with her because she needed to change to stand up to her father and to be better at work. Although there was some change in her relationship with her father, there really wasn’t any change in her attitude or behaviour. But then again, in real life, people don’t really change all that much and maybe that’s what she represents.

Jubiemon J: I sort of alluded to this issue in the beginning of this post, so the short answer here is this: No, she did not develop at all as a character. I have to mention it again. I really was irritated when she told her mom to have a divorce and then the next day when she found out her mom wanted one, she got all angry at her mom. Okay . . . you’re the one that pitched the idea so own up to it.

Girl, you need to change.

Issue 2: Whether the sudden love line between Anthony and the Director was necessary

RedRosette J: OMG where did this come from? This whole Anthony ❤ Director Lady was done for “jokes” because actress Kim So Yeon who played the Director Lady is Lee Sang Woo’s real life wife. What the hell? It wasn’t even funny or cute and tbh there was like zero chemistry between the two of them anyway. This Anthony story line would have been so much better if he had retired from acting gracefully, got a real job doing something much better, the manager girl found a real actor for her agency, and if he went and found a normal girl and called it a day. Either that or if I was the writer, I would have sent Anthony on a Eat, Pray, Love style “self-discovery” journey abroad and called it day. Anthony seriously needed to get his priorities straight. Ugh.

Jubiemon J: The last part was totally unnecessary. I think the writer wanted everyone to have his/her happy ending, but life isn’t like that. Not everyone needs to be in a relationship to be content, okay? Not everyone gets together at the same time period, all right? I also don’t think it was fitting that somehow Anthony had some happy ending. He, as a character, didn’t develop much either. Sure, he did try his best to act, but . . . there didn’t seem like a difference. He also still liked to play the hero. So ugh.

Issue 3: Whether the Lawyer Boss is still super awkward

RedRosette J: Every week I keep hoping for him not to be awkward, and every week he ends up becoming more awkward. I can’t. I’m done with him.

Jubiemon J: The awkwardness is born within him. That random “you can hold my hand” scene made me laugh so hard and cringe on his behalf.

  Issue 4: Whether Ah Reum’s “break up” with Woo Sung made sense

RedRosette J: I really didn’t understand why Ah Reum wanted to break up with Woo Sung. It seemed like she was afraid of the person she was becoming in front of her potential in-laws but that hardly seems like a reason to break up. She talked about how she just wanted to married and didn’t really think about what marriage actually entails and then maybe I missed something but somehow all of that got resolved and there she was getting back together with him. Huh? And girl, you can’t be doing this to the poor guy. Breaking up and getting back together with him whenever you want; that’s some serious emotional mind games girl. Honestly, Ah Reum seriously needed to grow up. She was constantly behaving like a teenager and come to think of it, she didn’t really change much either.

Jubiemon J: I think Ah Reum just got cold feet with all the seriousness of what a marriage entails. Getting married doesn’t just mean marrying the guy; it’s about marrying the family too. I think she was also super worried that her own lifestyle would be changed and just wasn’t ready to face that. Her idea of marriage had always been this super idealized, albeit Disney version of this. Then when she met those sisters, reality sort of sunk in more and she probably got scared and thought everything would be better if she were single. I wished she had dealt with her fear better and talked to Woo Sung about her worries instead of running away from her fears. That made me feel like Ah Reum, as a character, had fallen flat.

Issue 5: Whether Young Shim’s Mom should have got a divorce

RedRosette J: Absolutely she should have got a divorce! She lived in actual fear in her own home! Young Shim’s Dad may not have hurt her physically, but he was emotionally abusive to her to the point where she was afraid to eat in her own home. What the hell? that’s not a good environment to be in. At the end, we do see Young Shim’s Mom fighting back by not responding to every demand the Dad makes but it hasn’t lessened his barking at her at all.  Ideally, she should have actually gone through with the divorce. However, the reality is that for many women like Young Shim’s Mom, divorce would leave them with no real way of supporting themselves financially, so this means that many women like her end up staying in toxic relationships.

Jubiemon J: I think it’s hard to say whether or not she should have gotten a divorce because divorce is really a sensitive/personal topic. I, personally, don’t feel comfortable saying directly whether someone should have divorced/not in this case. I can see why she chose not to and I’ll list them here. First, her mother has no source of income and doesn’t seem to have much money saved in her own account, and so she is very dependent on her husband. Second, her mother doesn’t seem to be the type that is strong enough to just start living independently and to find any type of work by herself. Third, Young Shim showed that she was against this divorce, so the mother might have felt that and was influenced by Young Shim’s behaviour. Fourth, perhaps Young Shim’s mother is scared of being alone.

RedRosette J Aside: Also Young Shim giving advice to her Mom regarding her divorce in a professional capacity is a no-no because there’s a huge conflict of interest when it comes to family and is generally not recommended.

Get someone else to help.

Issue 6: Whether Ji Won not going to meet the ex is the best way to deal with the ex

Jubiemon J: I am so happy that Ji Won didn’t go off to meet his ex and resolved this situation over the phone. I think Ji Won is one of the more developed characters in this drama. He realizes that he can’t keep dwelling on the past and to move on, he has to directly respond to his ex. The only thing that I wished he had done was to tell Jin Jin about his ex, instead of Jin Jin confronting him. Jin Jin was seriously super kind and open minded to not get mad at Ji Won for hiding this past of his.

RedRosette J:  I agree. I really wish more drama male characters would make choices like Ji Won. It was enough to resolve his issue with the ex over the phone. All it required was an honest conversation and didn’t require a face o face meeting. Also, calling your ex under the pretense of returning old shoes? Really? Does she honestly think that Ji Won was born yesterday? What a snake! I also agree with Jubiemon that Ji Won should have told Jin Jin about the ex first. She’s already so open minded and accepting, its the least he could have done. And honestly how refreshing was it to see two drama characters talk about the ex in a mature, logical way instead of behaving like hormonal pre-teens?

That’s right. Don’t be meeting your snake of an ex!

Issue 7: Whether Jin Jin and Ji Won are #relationshipgoals

RedRosette J: These two have been by far my favourite kdrama couple of 2017. It’s rare to see a mature, loving relationship with two well written characters and these guys are definitely #relationshipgoals.

The feels…

Awwww

Cake Proposal: simple yet super romantic

When you wanted to go out but he takes you to your usual hangout…

Did it just get hot in here? *fans face*

#goals

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed.

Rating: 5 = KYAH! ❤ (We absolutely loved this drama and it will be sorely missed!)

File No: 20th-Century-Boy-and-Girl-EPS-29-to-32 (Final) Appearing before The Dramacourt: 20th Century Boy and Girl Eps 29 to 32 (Final) ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read 

[thedramafilesblog-blog]

Special File No: School-2017-EPs-1-&-2

Appearing before the Dramacourt: School 2017 Eps 01 & 02 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system*** This is a one-time special review. We will not be reviewing the whole show. (more…)