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thedramafilesblog-blog · 7 years

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We’re not a blog that reviews music or KPOP, but because we both absolutely adore BTS and their music, we decided to do a memo-style review of their new album.

***If this is your first time browsing the Drama Files, please read The Rules on how our Memo-style reviews work***

***This song and music video really resonated with us and we felt compelled to share our theories about what they could possibly signify, as there has been some speculation as to what it could mean. Our views are simply theories.***

Memo

Dear Reader,

There have been some questions regarding the recent release of BTS’s latest album, Wings: You Never Walk Alone, particularly:

(1) Whether BTS’s two songs, “Spring Day” and “Supplemental Story: You Never Walk Alone”, had personal references; and

(2) Whether the four new songs were cohesive.

Conclusion

(1) BTS’s two songs, “Spring Day” and “Supplemental Story: You Never Walk Alone”, very likely are very personal and very likely involve a death of a friend.

(2) There is a sense of cohesiveness between the four songs. However, the two songs, Not Today and Outro: Wings, seem more related to each other and the other two songs, Spring Day and Supplemental Story: You Never Walk Alone, seem more connected to one another content-wise.

Analysis

(1) BTS’s two songs, “Spring Day” and “Supplemental Story: You Never Walk Alone”, very likely are very personal and very likely involve a death of a friend.

“Spring Day” and its music video (MV) likely mean a death of a friend, possibly from suicide. The lyrics, themselves, hint that a friend passed away or committed suicide: “Yeah I hate you. You left but there was not a day I ever forgot about you.” Why would you hate a person who passed away? Likely because the person chose to end his/her life or somehow experiencing an unfair death.This reaction is quite plausible because anyone who has experienced the untimely passing of a loved one, experiences anger as a stage of grief. Other verses include: “You know it all. You’re my best friend. Morning will come again” and “Will you stay a little longer?”

The MV supports the notion that the friend has chosen to end his life. The MV opens with the “friend” who is portrayed by Jungkook in a white turtle neck sweater with black striped sleeves on one train, and Rapmonster on a different train. This could be symbolizing that they are on two different paths.

Jungkook playing the “friend”

Rapmonster on a different train

Rapmonster then heads out of his train and to a place called “Omelas”. Omelas is very likely alluding to the short story written by Ursula K Le Guin; “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas“. In brief, the story is about a place that’s like paradise, but to achieve that paradise, one child has to be subject to suffering and darkness. Later the citizens find out the truth about the suffering child, but some are afraid of change and choose to stay in Omelas while a few choose to leave. (That’s important for later) After Rapmonster arrives at Omelas and meets a few other BTS members, we see Rapmonster walking by the “friend” who is still on his train. The lyrics also match because Rapmonster sings that he wants to “get to the other side of the earth holding your hand” but obviously he can’t because they’re on different paths.

See the shadow? That’s Rapmonster walking by the “friend”.

After walking past Rapmonster’s friend and heading out of a train, Rapmonster has a crown which could symbolize success. Everything is great because everyone is having fun at Omelas. You see the boys throwing cake and partying hard. However, to have this sort of paradise, there must be some sacrifice per the Omelas ideal. Hence, again we see Jin acting as the “friend” who seems trapped at the bottom of the stairwell and can only watch as the boys walk around him and climb up the stairs to more success.

If you notice carefully, Jin is wearing the same type shirt with the same design as Jungkook who acted as the friend on the train. None of the other boys wear the exact same design with the black stripes on the sleeves on a white sweater. This likely alludes to the idea that Jin must also be playing the part of the “friend.” The “friend” is also stuck in a barren place all by himself (See Jungkook by the blue rundown carousel), while the other boys are missing him and still in Omelas.

The boys continue their mundane, everyday life like brushing their teeth, getting their ears pierced, doing laundry, etc. Life goes on, but the “friend” is still on the train and all by himself heading somewhere else.

Life moves on again as we see more everyday scenes, but there’s always a hint of sadness. You see Rapmonster and V laughing, but you can tell that there’s some forced laughter. There’s a birthday celebration with Jungkook (not playing the friend anymore), and he is not very happy either. (In this MV, Jungkook seems to play two roles: one as himself and the other as the ‘friend’. When Jungkook is not wearing the white turtleneck, he plays himself.)

At the laundromat, we see that there are mountains behind Jin. Mountains in this MV likely symbolize “death”. (In an interview with Christian Boltanski, the artist of the mountain of clothes piece, he revealed that the mountain of clothes represented death)

Sad Jin looking to the mountains

Then the mountains lead to the scene with Suga being on a pile of clothes which is probably a reference to Christian Boltanski’s “No Man’s Land” which features a mountain of clothes and a crane beside it. (The link explains more in detail; there’s also this interview that gives more details about this.) The pile of clothes represents “an eternal afterlife of sorts”.

At this point, it’s likely symbolizing that the “friend” has actually passed away. Suga raps that he missed the friend, but he’ll erase him because it hurts less than to blame them. That also seems to suggest that the friend committed suicide (arguably because there’s no point in blaming someone who died unless he/she chose to die. At least that’s our take on it).

We see that the boys keep trying to find this “friend”. J-Hope is on top of the train, but obviously he can’t get inside. The boys are circulating around the “friend” who notices them and moves away to follow the boys. Notice how this scene is where the “friend” is in perpetual darkness with only the lights being behind him. An alternative theory that a friend pointed out is that the yellow ribbons likely signify the Sewol ferry tragedy. Alternatively, then it could be inferred that the “friend” may have unfortunately passed away from that tragedy (which moves away from our possible suicide approach, but i’s an alternative proposition). It’s more likely that the friend has joined the dead which includes those that passed away from the Sewol ferry tragedy.

It’s only after the “friend” joins the boys does the scene cut to Jungkook looking frantically for the other boys as if he has suddenly realized the truth about the suffering child/friend and wants to break free from this “paradise” in Omelas. The other BTS members walk out with Jungkook and they all have genuine smiles on their faces. (Notice how Jungkook is dressed in different clothing and has a more boyish haircut. He looks a bit older with the turtleneck as he is acting as the “friend”.)

All of BTS is set to find the “friend”. They’re running out of Omelas and towards the train that the “friend” has been on trying to get to him. (This is why I also say Jungkook is playing 2 roles in this MV because Jungkook sees the “friend”.)

But the friend is on a path that they cannot get to, as the train whizzes past them. The sad scenes that follow likely showcase mourning with the passing of the friend. Rapmonster is sadly staring on his train going in another direction from the friend’s. All the guys are sitting in the dark room and are watching as the match they light really doesn’t really light up the darkness they’re in. That action seems to symbolize their attempt to possibly understand their friend’s plight of having been the suffering child, or maybe even their own feelings of grief and loss.

The scenes following also show them on a mountain of clothes, which again, symbolizes death based on the art installation of Christian Boltanski, possibly reiterating the friend’s passing. The scene changes to Jungkook back to playing the “friend” again (he’s in the turtleneck sweater again), but this time he’s surrounded by all the guys on this train. This part was confusing. However, it’s likely that this is the deceased “friend” dreaming that his friends are actually with him on this journey. There is also the possibility that this scene represents how the BTS members feel. They would want the “friend” to feel that they are with him on this journey.

After getting off the train, they walk through a wintery expanse to a tree. It’s possible at this point that the two story lines are concurrent as we see that Jungkook is still wearing that sweater. This implies that he is the “friend” who is walking with them towards the tree. Another explanation is that they want to memorialize the “friend” and are hoping that he would be walking with them in that instance.

Jimin placing the shoes (tied shoes being strung on objects in urban mythology can have a range of meanings, some meaning death) on the tree probably symbolizes the finality of the friend’s journey and their coming to terms with his passing as the tree with the shoes stands in memory of their lost friend.

(2) The four new songs were generally cohesive.

It seems that there is more cohesiveness between “Not Today” and “Outro: Wings”. The two songs are about underdogs trying to prove to the world that they will succeed. On the other hand, the other two songs, “Spring Day” and “Supplemental Story: You Never Walk Alone” seem more linked together. “Spring Day” speaks to missing a deceased friend and wanting to see the friend again. “Supplemental Story” talks about sacrificing a friend to gain success and believing that the friend is also behind their success.

It seems like “Not Today” and “Outro: Wings” were written much earlier than the other two songs. Its quite possible that the incident with the deceased friend happened after these two songs were written. Plus, Rapmonster did reveal in the V Live Preview Show that “Spring Day” was written based on his and Suga’s personal experiences, and that the lyrics express their feelings. This is possibly a big hint that this song really was personal.

BTS did do a decent job trying to tie “Spring Day” and “Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone” with “Not Today” and “Outro: Wings”. There’s a reference to “wings” within the lyrics of “Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone”. It’s as if the friend is helping BTS fight to be successful. The friend has helped BTS have “wings”. Though we aren’t music experts, we did feel like there were traces of “Outro: Wings” in “Supplemental Story: You Never Walk Alone”. It was as if the latter song was an extension/remix of “Outro: Wings” in some ways. Moreover, the two have a faster tempo and a more upbeat/pop vibe.

Finally, the order of the songs in this album helped tie everything together. “Spring Day” plays before “Not Today”. Then, “Outro: Wings” plays and the album finishes with “Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone”. There’s sadness that comes with “Spring Day”, but “Not Today” reminds us to keep going and fighting. “Outro: Wings” continues that message of a fighting spirit. Finally, the “Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone” reminds us that we are all not alone and that the friend is also with them.

Here are some lyrics from “Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone”: (Credits goes to here for the translation)

At the end of this road you walk alone ….. That’s okay, I am by your side If you and I could be together I can smile

It’s as if BTS is telling the “friend” that even though the “friend” is alone, BTS will always be by the friend’s side.

I want to fly but I don’t have wings BUT your hand Becomes my wing

Your hand seems to reference the “friend”. The friend has helped BTS fly to success.

This is a sin I committed Even if all the lives Are the price of My punishment

We feel like this might also be a personal reference that goes back to the death of the “friend”.

Ayy I never walk alone If you and I can be together, I can laugh Ayy You never walk alone If you and I can be together, I can laugh If you and I can be together, I can laugh

In BTS’ mind, the friend and they are not alone anymore. BTS will be there.

The songs, although they seem to have been written at different at different points in time, do blend well together to create an overall cohesiveness with the themes of life, loss, temptation, and success.

Alternatively, this whole song could also be directed at fans supporting them. (LOL!)

BTS have really been stellar at creating music away from the traditional love song route by focusing on issues that people in different stages in their lives experience. Its because their music is so relatable that makes it amazing!

Re: BTS Wings: You Never Walk Alone Album We're not a blog that reviews music or KPOP, but because we both absolutely adore…

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berrysjournalsph · 7 years

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For fourteen years Malia was trained as the warrior that will free the last remaining tribe of the wolves in the deep mountains. During the day, she worked hard to fulfill the promise of her bloodline. However, the night was hers to look at the moon and think of the world beyond the prophesy. 🔥🌕💫 For stories please check the link in the bio! 🔝 🐼 . #stories #wanderingberries #series #lalunasangre #roseberrysjournals #tvrecaps #dramarecaps #follow #followtrain #follow4follow #followforfollow

#followtrain #roseberrysjournals #stories #follow4follow #dramarecaps #series #tvrecaps #follow #followforfollow #lalunasangre #wanderingberries

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thedramafilesblog-blog · 7 years

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Welcome to our ‘End of Year Review/Awards’ post. Yes it’s in January because we’re doing it in line with Chinese New Year! So Happy New Year Everyone!

RedRosette J: Hey Everyone! we were really behind on the end of year reviews and awards posts that everyone was doing at the end of 2016, so we decided to do it in line with Chinese New Year because technically 2016 just ended (LOL)! We came up with random categories based on what we thought was deserving of a best/worst/whatever award. We also are basing this list off the dramas that we watched this year (we have not watched some of them so those aren’t included in this list). So….Enjoy!

Jubiemon J: We had this idea a while back but remembered it now! Yes, Chinese New Year ended recently. This is probably going to be a savage post, so let’s hope you’ll like this!

Best Couple

RR: So it’s really hard to say which couple is THE best, but there are a few strong contenders in the running for best couple. I wouldn’t award this title to one particular couple per se, but would award it to a few couples because I think that they were all ‘best’ in their own way. My picks for Best Couple are: Shopping King Louie, Descendants of the Sun, and Oh Hae Young Again. All of these couples had redeeming qualities. SKL was really all about their devotion to each other and the cuteness, DOTS was about two people who learned to be with each other while still remaining very much a part of their own established lives and OHYA was about two people overcoming their insecurities to be with each other (sort of). At least that’s what I got out of them. These are all qualities that a ‘best couple’ should have so, I’m choosing to award this title as a combo award!

Worst Couple

RR: I think the Worst Couple title should go to IU and Lee Jun Ki in Scarlet Heart Ryeo. If anyone is curious as to why we’re awarding this, please read our reviews on this drama. We go on ad nauseum about how badly these two are as a couple.

JM: Yes, the Worst Couple award goes to these two. I still think IU and Kang Haneul had more going on…. *face palm* Yes, we did extensive reviews about their relationship, so please check out those posts!

Other Contenders for the Title: Kim Woo Bin and Suzy in Uncontrollaby Fond and Hye Ri and Ji Sung in The Entertainer.

Cringiest Drama

RR: Scarlet Hear Ryeo. Ugh. Again for reasons see previous review posts.

JM: Agreed! Especially the awful editing and multiple versions floating around and . . . well, check our reviews.

Drama “that had shit going on and then shit hit the fan and everything died” Award

RR: This category was created specifically for W – Two Worlds because when it started out it was amazing and we were all glued to our screens and freaking out and yelling and gasping and it was awesome. Then episode 6 or 7 happened and everything just went south. All of a sudden, none of it made sense and it just became a hot mess so it gets its own special category.

JM: The title of that award came from me, just saying. ;) Sorry for the long-ass title, but I think it summed up W very well. We didn’t review this drama because we hadn’t started our blog yet. However, both of us watched it and like RR said we were literally SO into this drama INITIALLY. Then . . . he kept dying, reliving, the dad also kept dying, reliving, etc. Oh my god. No.

Worst Legal Drama

RR: If you’ve been following us, you will know how we feel about this drama….Woman With A Suitcase! It was so awful that we had to stop reviewing it halfway. If you decide to do a legal drama, make sure you have a legal consultant is all I have to say for this drama.

JM: I think what made Woman with a Suitcase awful was that the lawyers solved the legal problems in a very similar fashion for each case. More details can be found in our reviews.

Most Ridiculous Action Drama

RR: This is also a special category that we created for The K2 because it was just completely ridiculous. The plot was a big mess and consisted of ridiculously long action scenes, Yoona acting like an infantilized Bambi, and the evil Mother lady directing everyone from her secret supercomputer in an even more secret underground lair. Seriously? (We actually reviewed this whole drama too -_-)

JM: I have to be frank. I watched the first episode and saw that she was running for 90% of the ep. I knew that this action drama would be a mess. I don’t know how RR stuck with this drama. I fast-forwarded through the first episode and finished it in less than 10 minutes. All I got from it was this: she ran.

Most Pointless Adaptation from US TV Shows

RR: Entourage gets this award. Unlike the other adaptions which got better reviews (I didn’t watch those so I can’t comment on those), this was just an excuse to have penis jokes and watch dudes walking around in their underwear. The characters apart from Jo Jin Woong and Park Min Jung really fell flat and didn’t really do anything much. Most of the time the 60 minutes felt really long and pointless, hence it deserves this award.

JM: Ah, I tried to watch this drama too but then dropped it after the first few episodes. We were really looking forward to potentially reviewing this, but . . . no. The first few episodes were just the guys talking and talking and talking. Nothing really happened. *Yawns*

Most Underrated Drama

RR: When Age of Youth started out, I honestly didn’t see it going the way it did. I really liked the way it portrayed the girls’ friendships and individual struggles. They were all really relatable. Maybe it’s because I’m also a twenty-something struggling through trying to figure out life, but it really resonated with me. I liked how this drama also left the ending very broad and open, as if to say that the characters struggles continue on and it’s not something that can get wrapped up neatly in a bow at the end as how it is with life in reality. It was definitely the most underrated drama of 2016 in my opinion.

JM: Jesus, Age of Youth is SO underrated. I wished we had started this blog earlier so that we could review this drama. I have to say the ending was kind of rushed and could have had more, but overall I still really enjoyed watching this drama. There was just the right amount of suspense, gossip, mystery, friendship, love, and drama. This drama is perfect for those going into their late teens to mid twenties. So many of the problems that the characters face are realistic and interesting.

Best Remake

RR: Being a huge fan of the original drama, I was a little skeptical about the remake but 1% of Something really delivered and is totally deserving of this title. Ha Seok Jin and Jeon So Min were the perfect Lee Jae In and Kim Da Hyun. It was the perfect contract dating love story, and I think that’s where the perfection lies: in its predictability and normality. Plus Ha Seok Jin had much better hair than Kang Dong Won in the original. It was a really good remake. I’d recommend watching it if anyone hasn’t already.

Best Reverse Harem Drama

RR: I would award this title to Cinderella and the Four Knights. It was a bit all over the place and Ahn Jae Hyun spent most of it brooding over Son Na Eun‘s dull as ditch water character and Jung Il Woo was an ass for most it. But once you get over it and focus on the cutesies, it’s not awful. Its still a lot better than the reverse harem nightmare in Scarlet Heart Ryeo so I will give it that!

JM: Personally, I couldn’t get into this drama so much. Maybe in the end . . . where there were more cute fluffy scenes and I wanted to watch some cuteness. But yeah . . . this drama was kind of stereotypical? I did like the character who was the musician.

Worst Web Drama

RR: So I actually gave up watching Seven First Kisses after the Lee Jun Ki episode. NO ONE KISSED ANYONE!!! WTF?!?! How is this okay? You get all these hot guys and no one is kissing anyone? The title of this show is the epitome of misrepresentation! -_-

JM: This was the drama I watched when there was nothing else to do and I needed to pass around 10 mins of my time. I watched the whole thing because I wanted to know whether she would get kissed. I mean, the actors and the actress really got it easy for their roles. They didn’t even have to KISS each other. Even as an advertisement, this failed. I still have no idea what Lotte Duty Free is selling. A lifestyle? A romance? A fantasy that will never be fulfilled?

Contenders for Best Web Drama: High End Crush and The Miracle

Worst Character – The One You Most Want To Push Off A Cliff

RR: If I absolutely HAD to pick one character, I’d choose……IU’s character on Scarlet Heart Ryeo. I just couldn’t deal with the wishy washy-ness going between Kang Ha Neul and Lee Jun Ki and just her attitude in general. Ugh. Off the cliff you go!

JM: Soo from SHR. Yup. She was super weak, flat, stupid, selfish and more. How could she not So even be with his daughter? Huh? That really boggles my mind. Guh.

Worst Mom

RR: Hands down the Mom in Scarlet Heart Ryeo is the worst drama Mom of 2016. I’m guessing that EVERYONE has seen this drama so it warrants no further explanation. If you don’t know what I’m talking about watch this train wreck and you’ll see.

JM: Oh dear. I forgot about her until RR mentioned her. LOL. I guess she was such a bad mom that I had to blank her out. I still don’t understand why she hated So. LOL.

a) Evilest Mother in Law

RR: As a sub-category under Worst Mom we’re doing the ‘Evilest Mother in Law’. This title goes to…….the Mother in Law in Happy Home who used emotional and psychological terrorism to subjugate the daughter in law. It was frankly quite terrifying to watch. Honourable mentions in this category should also be: Do Kyung’s mom (the money stealing mom) in Oh Hae Young Again, the whole in-law family (they killed the daughter-in-law’s mother and father) in My Daughter Geum Sa Wol and Gab Dol’s mom (abusive mother in law) in Our Gab Soon (this one is still airing though so it doesn’t technically count).

Second Leads:

a) Who Should Be First Leads

RR: Hands down this title goes to Baek In Ho in Cheese in the Trap, although arguably this did happen for like half a second so…..But he gave us all the feels with the moping….

Other Contenders for the Title: Ryu Jun Yeol’s character in Reply 1988 and Lee Joon’s character in Woman With A Suitcase.

b) Best Male Second Lead

RR: The adorable Gong Myung’s puppy character with the crush on Park Ha Sun‘s character on Drinking Solo was by far the best second lead. And because you know that he can never be the equivalent of a first lead, it really was the one character that gave you a real case of Second Lead Syndrome.

Other Contenders for the Title: Go Kyung Po’s character in Jealousy Incarnate, and Ohn Joo Wan’s character in Beautiful Gong Shim.

c) Best Female Second Lead

RR: I honestly can’t think of any second leads who are decent and not absolutely horrible people. Except maybe Shin Hye Sun’s character on Legend of the Blue Sea (but technically its not included as 2016 drama because it ended in 2017 so it doesn’t count)

d) Bitchiest Second Leads

RR: Most female second leads are by default absolute bitches so it’s really really hard to pick one particular character. For this reason, I’m going with a combo award again. I’m choosing Seo Hyo Rim (the sister) in Beautiful Gong Shim, Jeon Hye Bin (the sister) in Woman With A Suitcase, Park Se Young (the adopted sister) in My Daughter Geum Sa Wol, and Lee Sung Kyung (the twin sister) in Cheese in the Trap for the Bitchiest Second Lead title. Is anyone else sensing a trend with the evil sister thing in 2016?

JM: I concur. Bitchiest everywhere. Man.

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Worst Actor-Please Go Back to Acting Class Award

RR: By far the Worst Actor title goes to Baekhyun on Scarlet Heart Ryeo. It was just terrible. Too much of everything. Please. Go back and get some acting lessons.

JM: I think they made him do aegyo WAY too much. I get that his character is supposed to be really innocent and cheerful, but . . . yeah. If he does pursue acting, I agree that he should take more acting lessons!

Candiest Candy

RR: I absolutely love Gong Hyo Jin, but her character on Jealousy Incarnate was the Candiest Candy character of 2016. Candy characters annoy me but oddly, I didn’t hate her version of Pyo Na Ri which I think is the point. She was dogged and clingy but not in a creepy or desperate way. Also, her fashion in this drama was absolutely on point so….Kudos girl!

Worst Kiss

RR: OMG. These were the absolute worst kisses in the 2016 dramaverse. The IU and Lee Jun Ki kiss on Scarlet Heart Ryeo (they were all horrible so you can choose which one you hate more) and the Park Shin Hye and Kim Rae Won in Doctors (also known as the ‘Dancing In The Rain Kiss’). These were all equally horrible in their own right. Mostly because a) the kissing was bad and because b) it was super awkwardly positioned. Ugh. How hard is it to mess up a kiss scene?

JM: SHR for me. RR actually showed the “better” kiss scene from SHR. I’m telling you, the worst kiss in that drama has to be the initial forced kiss from So. The director even filmed the kiss upside down so you couldn’t see much of the action at all. The kiss was reflected from a pond. LOL. (Yes I know LJK has said in an interview that he hasn’t been that good with kiss scenes in the past, so I was kind of looking forward to seeing some improvement on his hand for SHR. Unfortunately, those scenes didn’t show . . . much. I wished they had created better kiss scenes.)

Best Kiss

RR: Hands down, the best kiss of 2016 goes to……Seo Hyun Jin and Eric (also known as the ‘Wall Kiss’) in Oh Hae Young Again. This kiss is totally deserving of this title. It was very much what you would expect a real kiss to be; all the tongues and hands and feelings. So very realistic. An honourable mention should also go to Gong Hyo Jin and Jo Jung Seok (also known as the ‘Locker Room Kiss’) on Jealousy Incarnate. *fans face*

Best Makjang (Or worst depending on your approach to Makjangs)

RR: I would award this title to…..My Daughter Geum Sa Wol! It had a little bit of everything; fires, death, birth switches, birth secrets, love affairs, awful in-laws, noble idiocy, poverty, a Romeo-Juliet-esque love story etc etc. It was all super intense and very much in your face all the time and made you want to scream and/or pull your hair out. It was great.

a) Best Family Drama

RR: In line with the Makjang is the Best Family Drama title. I would award this to Five Children. It’s all about a blended family coming together and their extended family drama. If nothing else, the scene stealing Sung Hoon and Shin Hye Sun put this drama on the map with their super awkward ‘Supremely Obnoxious Jock Falls For Nerdy School Teacher’ love story!

Best Costumes

RR: The costumes in Moonlight Drawn by Clouds were absolutely beautiful!

JM: Yes. So pretty.

Worst Costumes

RR: The outfits and style choices in Lucky Romance were absolutely atrocious. They made Hwang Jung Eum look like some New York city bag lady. It was absolutely terrible! An honourable mention for worst costumes also goes to…..Hwarang: Poet Warrior Youth for its god awful drowned rat hair! (it’s technically still airing so it doesn’t count but I think it deserves to be included twice in this category for both 2016 and 17!)

Worst Script

RR: I mean there is no contest for this……Scarlet Heart Ryeo (If you want to know the reasons why please read our review posts on this)

JM: SHR!!!!! They had a NOVEL and a Chinese script to work with. Things shouldn’t have gone wrong.

Worst Editing

RR: Again, no contest….Scarlet Heart Ryeo

JM: SHR. Cutting off the actor/actress’s speech before the scene ended? Having multiple versions going on? What? No.

Worst Manhwa Adaptation

RR: When you basically make the Male Lead disappear and replace him with the Second Lead for half the show which is totally not what is in the Webtoon, you deserve this title. Cheese in the Trap, I’m talking to you!

JM: My God. The webtoon is SO MUCH BETTER. Guys just read the webtoon and ignore this drama. What a waste of Park Hae Jin. He’s a really good actor. (Watch him in Bad Guys).

Most Underused Talent Award

RR: Talk about a waste of talent. This title goes to Ji Sung in The Entertainer. This whole drama was pointless in the first place, but to cast Ji Sung and then have him do barely anything and give him have an awkward love line with Hye Ri? Really? That’s the best you could do? -_-

Actor Who Did A 180 Award

RR: Honestly, I didn’t see this coming. When UEE was cast in Marriage Contract, I must admit that I was less than excited. But, she totally proved me wrong by really killing it in the role. Oh My God. She gave me all the feelings. It was a job very well done. *applause*

Rising Star Award

RR: I didn’t really notice any newbies that really took my breath away in 2016 except maybe Kim Min Suk who was Private Kim Ki Bum and Jin Goo’s little ‘brother’ character on Descendants of the Sun. He also went on to play a cute doctor on Doctors later in the year as well. He’s doing quite well playing resident puppy roles. Keep it up!

Best Drama

RR: For me, this year’s Best Drama Award should go to Descendants of the Sun. In spite of some of its cheesiness, what I really liked best about this show was the characters’ dedication to their own lives and careers and choice to be with each other without giving these up. They remained very much their own person until the very end and were not willing to compromise things that made them, them. This is often not the case with most drama characters, so it was really refreshing to see a love story being portrayed in such a way. Its really the twenty-something struggle (love vs career) and these two really figured it out amidst the landmines and natural disasters.

JM: For me, the best drama goes to SIGNAL. If I could vote Signal for everything, I could try to squeeze it in for anything. ;) I’m sort of biased because I adore watching murder mysteries. I find the suspense to be fascinating. All of the actors were great. However, the younger male police lead (Lee Je Hoon) . . . he was decent but still not as skilled as the veteran actors. The cases were also very interesting and I heard they were based on real cases which makes the drama even more fascinating. I think the drama also brings on some social issues to light which is great. BRING ON A SEQUEL or another wonderful murder mystery drama for 2017. PLEASE.

RR: That’s it for our 2016 wrap up! Goodbye 2016! You will not be missed!

End of Year Drama Awards – 2016 Welcome to our 'End of Year Review/Awards' post. Yes it's in January because we're doing it in line with Chinese New Year!

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Appearing before the Dramacourt: Hwarang: Poet Warrior Youth Ep 08

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

Issues:

Whether Ban Ryu came out of nowhere and stole everyone’s hearts?

Whether it’s realistic that they are able to keep track of time (i.e. meet at 3am)?

Whether getting punished together also leads to some bonding?

Whether Han Sung is that one character who keeps wanting to join the popular kids?

Whether the dance number is really necessary?

The Rule(s):

Absolutely. It’s happening week after week. Those smiles are so precious.

Not really. Considering that they didn’t have watches at the time.

Totally. Getting barfed on can lead to some serious bonding.

It seems that way. At least Han Sung isn’t pushy and annoying.

Yes. Especially as it involves super manly guys doing a ridiculous sword dance.

Application:

RedRosette J: I laughed. A lot. I think this episode has been my favourite one so far. There was the right amount of comedy and bromance. There was very little focus on the Sun Woo-Aro romantic plot and even the Ji Dwi-Aro plot was more comic than serious so it was tolerable. I just could not deal with the political drama so I skipped all that. I’m not here for that so I really don’t care whether or not the Queen dies or doesn’t die or whatever. Jubiemon and I were talking about this and it seems that the drama advertised Taehyung’s character as an important one, but it really doesn’t seem to be that way. I almost feel like we were misled after having watched 8 episodes. Then again, I’m not really complaining because Do Ji Han is really stepping up his game so I’m all good (I’m officially a Do Ji Han fan! <3).

Ugh

When you have regrets from ‘last night’

Literally no one cares about this plot line

When you’re shopping and the merchandise speaks to you

Don’t taking dating advice from the guy who’s been single forever man…

When the teacher says this…

…And the class reacts like this

Issue 1: Whether Ban Ryu came out of nowhere and stole everyone’s hearts?

RedRosette J: He totally did! I did not see this coming at all. I have mentioned in previous posts that Ban Ryu’s story arc was the most compelling and the best acted character, and this week he’s been continuing to prove us right. All of a sudden we get this character who’s been dead set on being against the whole regime, start to see chips in his armour. I think at this point, he actually likes the guys and wants to be friends with them. Soo Yeon coming into his life is probably going to make things worse for him. I love how he was trying so hard to avoid Soo Ho and go to lengths to make sure that he didn’t find out about the previous night’s butt incident. We see him trying in this episode and it’s totally heartbreaking when the evil dad sends the letter asking him to destroy Hwarang and Soo Yeon sends him the letter asking him to do really well. What a conundrum! I’m waiting to see how Do Ji Han pulls off the “torn apart” emotional range. I would argue that he’s the better actor of the lot and the character comes off more three dimensional than the others. Anyway, he came out of nowhere and definitely stole my heart at least!

I want them to be best friends!

Trying to avoid being caught

When you tryna Romeo-Juliet some stuff

The many faces of Ban Ryu

How cute is this? Mr Grumpypants and Ms Sunshine. So cute

So sad….

When you’re in denial about being part of the gang

RedRosette J Aside: OMG the smiles. I swear this drama is trying to kill me with the smiles. First Minho’s infectious smile and now Do Ji Han’s ‘I’m in denial’ smiles. *sigh*

Issue 2: Whether it’s realistic that they are able to keep track of time (i.e. meet at 3am)?

RedRosette J: This seems highly unrealistic to me. They didn’t have watches at the time and I’m pretty sure that you can’t use moonlight to read a sundial. I haven’t looked into how time was kept during this time, but this just seems a bit much.

You have no time piece. This is not possible.

Worst King Ever. LOLZ!

Issue 3: Whether getting punished together also leads to some bonding?

RedRosette J: This seems quite fitting in light of our previous post where we talked about bonding through rule breaking. If that is the case, it only stands to reason that getting punished together also leads to some serious bonding. I’m pretty sure that getting barfed on while carrying a palanquin is right up there with serious punishments. It’s seriously gross and you can see the guys totally commiserate in this situation. Not to mention, it also meant some serious shower scenes so thank you for that!

This is a terrible punishment

OMG so nastyyy

Oooh La La!!

LOL!

Issue 4: Whether Han Sung is that one character who keeps wanting to join the popular kids?

RedRosette J: Honestly, the way that they marketed this drama was really as if Han Sung was going to play an important and pivotal character but what is this? He barely has any lines, he’s been relegated to the school gossip and the role of the cutesy bunny. He’s not even part of the main gang! Come on people! At least he’s not as annoying as Baekhyun’s character was in Scarlet Heart Ryeo. The aegyo, even though it comes off as cringey at times, Taehyung tries to make it work so points for effort. But still, I’m just disappointed really.

Forever asking questions

And spreading rumours

*gasp*

Enough with the questions already!

Thank God he’s cute if not its super annoying

It probably also helps to have a super expressive face

*starstruck*

When you show up wanting to snuggle

When you’re so cute that it’s impossible to kick you out

Issue 5: Whether the dance number is really necessary?

RedRosette J: OMG if the practice montage promises anything at all, its going to be super funny! I love love love how the super manly guys (read Sun Woo and Ban Ryu) are so out of their depths with this but at the same time trying so hard. It’s absolutely adorable. I can’t wait to watch the whole thing.

Hilarious!

The extras in this drama are stellar!

RedRosette J Aside: Did you guys also notice how the Idols were in the front for that performance? LOL jokes!

Idols up front!

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed.

Rating: 4 = I’ll Give You A Cookie (Only because they upped the comedy in this episode and it was all hilarious)

File No: Hwarang: Poet-Warrior-Youth-EP-08 Appearing before the Dramacourt: Hwarang: Poet Warrior Youth Ep 08 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

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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…)

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Appearing before the Dramacourt: Hwarang: Poet Warrior Youth Ep 06

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

Issues:

Whether doing chores makes you a better person?

Whether putting a bunch of people who hate each other’s guts into one room and making them do things together is a good way of dealing with the animosity?

Whether anyone is buying this brother-sister act?

Whether the Ji Dwi/Aro scenes were convincing?

The Rule(s):

Yes. 100%

Possibly. That, or they’ll just end up killing each other.

Literally no one is buying this act. Including the characters themselves.

*sigh* We’ve been over this. There’s like zero chemistry between these two.

Application:

RedRosette J: I think I liked this episode. Not sure. I kind of watched it while in a cold medication induced haze (keep warm everyone. This winter sucks). What I got from it was that this was the “adjustment” episode. Basically all the new personalities and beefs trying to sort themselves out in the Hwarang House. Some of it felt very scripted and difficult to believe and felt a bit forced, but the others were quite convincing. If anything I’m very convinced about Ban Ryu’s agenda. He’s the best developed side character and Do Ji Han is doing a really good job of portraying the angsty-ness of his character (makes me wanna watch more of his work). The fight just felt like it was a scripted excuse to have Aro come and live in the Hwarang House. -_- We also finally got to see more of Taehyung in this episode, although his acting might have been a tad cringey. They should have just told him to be basically be himself because he’s hilarious and awesome when he’s being himself and because he’s similar to the character in real life (or at least from what we see in the Bangtan goofing around in videos) it would have translated well. I’m still (im)patiently waiting for the bromances. Come on, come on already.

You think?

So much angst

So much brooding

RedRosette J Aside: Here’s a bunch of shots of Taehyung (because he finally got some screen time):

Issue 1: Whether doing chores makes you a better person?

RedRosette J: Yes. Totally. I’m a huge believer that experiencing hardships makes a person better. For a bunch of rich spoiled brats, making them do laundry and cleaning up horse poop is probably as hard as its going to get. I think that eventually they’ll learn discipline and respect for people that do these hard jobs, and I think that that’s the point that the crazy teacher was trying to get across. The huge contrast between Sun Woo and the spoiled brats was so evident as they did chores and everyone can see that Sun Woo is by far the better person of the lot so far. Keep up the good work boys, you’ll be better people soon!

Rich brats doing laundry

So glad we don’t have to clean horse poop all day these days

When you’re forced to wake up at the crack of dawn

LOL!

Issue 2: Whether putting a bunch of people who hate each other’s guts into one room and making them do things together is a good way of dealing with the animosity?

RedRosette J: To be honest, I don’t know if this strategy is a good thing. I keep thinking that if this happened to me, I’d just end up even more annoyed at the person being constantly in my face all the time. I think the point was that they would eventually transcend their differences by understanding each other or even just commiserating in their misery. The jury is still out for me as to whether this strategy is good or not, but it did lead to some stellar shots of hot guys in a shower together and lots of abs. So, thank you for that. And the eventual fight is the boiling point of putting all these personalities together. I saw it coming a mile away.

When you wake up to your nemesis

You tell ’em

All dem abs ;)

When you lose your cool

Issue 3: Whether anyone is buying this brother-sister act?

RedRosette J: I was talking to Jubiemon about this and we agreed that no brother and sister ever act the way that these two do. Honestly, some of the stuff is just ridiculous. Why did they have to take this route? It feels really unnecessary. Was this really the only way to throw them into a romantic situation? It’s just weird now. Not to mention, none of the characters are buying this act. Ji Dwi is the first one to be like ‘oh hell no’. I’m with him on that. Ugh.

Ugh

Said no real brother ever

The assignment was an excuse for these two to have bonding time

When the 2nd lead crashes the romance and actually has more chemisty with the male lead

Issue 4: Whether the Ji Dwi/Aro scenes were convincing?

RedRosette J: We’ve been over this countless times in previous posts. These two are just not convincing. Ji Dwi has literally gone from jealous to obsessive now. That kiss? Uhhh I’m sorry but its not romantic when she’s backing away from him in actual fear. Again, it’s not romantic. As much as I’m a Hyungsik fan, Sorry. This scene was just disturbing. Dramas need to stop with the forced kissing. You could argue that it was a different time and that historically women were treated this way or whatever but it’s still really sending the wrong message to modern viewers because this is supposed to be a light-hearted comedy and not some historical epic that reflects what actually happened at the time. So please, stop doing it!

Still not getting the whole ‘sleep’ thing

*boop*

Look at her face: that is FEAR

Not romantic

RedRosette J Aside: Can this drama try NOT to do ALL the drama-verse tropes in one go? We don’t need a birth secret. Ugh. I’m betting that Sun Woo ends up being the late King’s secret love child or something. -_-

Seriously? -_-

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed.

Rating: 3 = MM. Okay. Fine. (Only because there was a lot more Taehyung and some of the stuff was funny)

File No: Hwarang: Poet-Warrior-Youth-EP-06 Appearing before the Dramacourt: Hwarang: Poet Warrior Youth Ep 06 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

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Appearing before the Dramacourt: Hwarang: Poet Warrior Youth Ep 18

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

Issues:

Whether the Won Hwa story line should be better explained

Whether Han Sung’s death was necessary

Whether they realized that they only had 2 episodes left and was scrambling to tie up loose ends by introducing so many developments in this episode

Whether Han Sung, as a character, was poorly written

The Rule(s):

Yes. It is super confusing and there has been no explanation as to what their specific role is.

Yes. In a way.

Yes. *scrambles*

Yes!

Application:

RedRosette J: So, having watched this episode, I am immediately regretting switching to the regular episode post format. This episode was just terrible and I had to struggle to think of problems in it (that were not going to be as repetitive as 17). At this point, I’m totally convinced that this drama has just become a shitty makjang drama. The biggest difference in this episode was the Taehyung was on screen probably the most since he’s been on the whole drama because they had to kill him off. *eyeroll* The cutest part of this drama was Ban Ryu and Soo Yeon getting back together (again, it looks like Ban Ryu’s internal drama was resolved off screen in the last episode, which is such a pity because Do Ji Han such a good actor and could have really brought some substance to this shit show at this point). I honestly have no real thoughts about this episode because at this point I have completely given up. This show should have been 16 episodes. I’m so glad next week is the finale week. I don’t know if I can take more of this. -.-

Jubiemon J: I think there were actually too many big picture problems that all fell under issue three which we’ve listed. I can’t believe that this drama was pre-produced. The writing should have been better in that case and . . . I’m surprised to learn that this is from the same network that pre-produced Descendants. Anyway, this episode clearly focused on Hansung and as we all probably know, he dies in this episode. (I’m starting to suspect that they had to kill him off b/c of his idol commitments. I’m trying to rationalize the reason for his character’s death because that whole conflict with his grandpa being faced with issues from Banryu’s evil uncle or whatever came out of nowhere.) We’re close to the end, yet we also haven’t seen Yeowool’s story. The actor playing Yeowool does a great job with what he has, but it’s a shame that we can’t learn more about Yeowool. It also seems like JiDwi gave up on Aro out of nowhere? I wished that they had some emotional talk where she rejected him firmly and properly.

Issue 1: Whether the Won Hwa story line should be better explained?

RedRosette J: Okay. This show is not sophisticated enough to have no exposition for the viewers. It’s not some superbly written masterpiece which doesn’t infantlize the viewers and expects them to keep up. No. This is a very badly written script and in a badly written script, when there is no exposition, the viewers get left behind and have no idea what the hell is going on! So please, if you’re going to introduce a new concept, begin by explaining what on earth it is! [My bad if they did explain and somehow it got mistranslated and I missed it. If so, disregard this issue] Even if they’ve been mentioned the Won Hwa for a few episodes, it hasn’t really been a huge part of the plot until now so it might have been useful to have a nice refresher of what it actually means. The Queen keep saying that she is going to turn the women into Won Hwa or whatever and that they will be the ones to lead Hwarang and that they get tossed aside (read: killed) when the Royal Family is done with them. That’s all fine. That just makes it sound like a job posting with a badly written job description but without the actual job title being listed. I keep thinking that they are Super Concubines or something because logically, it stands to reason that if they are to lead Hwarang, they need to be like trained in combat and what not, and then given the flashback to Sun Woo’s mom (*gasp* spoiler) being pregnant with the Prince’s baby aka Sun Woo (*gasp* double spoiler), it seems like she might have also been a concubine. I don’t know. I’m just guessing because they won’t tell us what it is! You need to tell the viewers what their exact role is!

Jubiemon J: I got SO confused with Won Hwa that I had to do a bit of Googling. The drama like RedRosette hadn’t explained Won Hwa properly. Plus that term came out of nowhere. I don’t recall Won Hwa being an issue or a thing during the previous episodes. I really think bringing back the Won Hwa wouldn’t do much at all? The Queen really is on her crazy mode where she wants a female and a male harem.

RedRosette J Aside: Okay fine Jubiemon googled it and the wiki page says that they are actually warriors led by two women, and then one of them murdered someone and the Won Hwa was disbanded and gave way to the Hwarang. Still. The Won Hwa plot line could have been introduced better!

Neither do we!!!!

Is this the job?

Okay but how?

Is this job related too??

Issue 2: Whether Han Sung’s death was necessary

RedRosette J: Okay who else knew that this was coming? (There were spoilers/rumours when the show first started that Taehyung’s character might die) The issue is that it was written so poorly, that the whole thing just felt so comical and fell drastically short of the emotional impact that it should have had. To be honest, even though I knew that Han Sung was going to die, I totally didn’t expect them to introduce the death plot line the way they did. It just felt forced and there was absolutely no build up to it at all. It was so sudden and just really wasn’t cohesive in the grand scheme of the plot.

The only saving grace was that the boys’ actual bromance (which exists off screen) kicked in as they mourned his death which wasn’t awful to watch. Taehyung, to his credit, did an adequate job as Han Sung. I might add though, that the death scene was so cringey and super ridiculous that I was actually laughing. Out loud. Which I doubt was the intended viewer reaction. Taehyung’s acting was not close to being anything great, but even as a total noob, he was leagues better than Baekhyun in Scarlet Heart Ryeo. But, sweetie, so back to acting class. Really. I love his goofy, weirdo personality with the other Bangtan guys and I think that’s what saved his acting and his character for me, because I kept seeing Taehyung as himself in it. Essentially, Han Sung had to die to bring the guys together and stand on their own and stop being led by their dads and moms and grandpas. Hopefully this lets them become a force of their own, but realistically, Han Sung’s death could have been written and acted much, much better.

Jubiemon J: I also think this death was written very poorly. We never saw Han Sung fanboying over Sunwoo this hard until this episode. (I really think Han Sung was in love with Sunwoo for this episode.) I didn’t get emotional over his death because I just thought how idiotic it was for him to die. We never had news of Hansung’s grandfather facing problems and then bam . . .this episode he was like a slave to Banryu’s evil uncle/father. Sure his sacrifice was supposed to make Sunwoo/Ji Dwi be more determined to be King and set things straight, but I just don’t think Hansung’s death made such an impact. I think it should have been Aro who was sacrificed instead to affect the two of them. Hansung barely had any screen time to show that he was really, really close with the boys. Heck, he didn’t even dorm with the guys till far, far later. Sure, Aro did an arrow to her heart, but she’ll live . . . so . . . meh. Finally, did Sunwoo really have to carry Hansung’s dead body . . . to a class full of students? He should have called for help immediately. That scene was just so . . . ugh.

Ugh

Oh come on! Really?!?!

Poor Han Sungie!!

Ok but why would you bring him to your classroom?!?

Damn straight!

RedRosette J Aside: Although I will miss these two:

Issue 3: Whether they realized that they only had 2 episodes left and was scrambling to tie up loose ends by introducing so many developments in this episode

RedRosette J: They definitely did. All of a sudden, all the leftover issues were just crammed into one episode and the viewers were expected to just deal with it. We got a paternity reveal, birth mom reveal, secret history reveal, death reveal, and a King reveal. That’s a lot of reveals to take in in 60 minutes. It just felt way too sloppy and the production was bad too. *sigh* I can only hope that next week, when it crashes and burns in the finale, it does so with only a small bang.

Jubiemon J: For sure, they decided to put everything together. How easy is it for Sunwoo to find his father all of a sudden? Plus wasn’t his father supposed to be banished or at least in hiding, yet he can just come in and out of the palace so easily? And that whole dialogue totally reminded me of Star Wars: “Luke, I am your father.” I think Luke had it worse though. Then we had that Wonhwa thing going on just so that Aro can be in danger again. Trust me that girl is always placed in the most bizarre scenes where she has to be rescued somehow. She never does the rescuing and just has to suffer from the Damsel in Distress syndrome. In all honesty, what evil character aka the Queen would just tell one of the good guys all of her plans? I’m talking about that scene where the Queen warned Aro that she’d kill Aro once her use as a Wonhwa was over. I seriously laughed at that dialogue. It’s just ridiculous. If you wanted the Queen to be super evil, you might as well started her plotting far, far earlier and made her much smarter. Then the writer took the easy way out and decided to kill of Hansung to explain why Sunwo/Ji Dwi would step up to their game. *Rolls eyes*

Reveal 1

Reveal 2

Reveal 3

Issue 4: Whether Hansung, as a character, was poorly written

Jubiemon J: Hansung, as a character, was poorly written and probably used only as a marketing ploy. When I watched the interviews with the cast, they all suggested that Hansung was a very important character. I assumed that he’d have more scenes and more character development. Surprisingly, Banryu and Sooho had more air time. I did like those two characters and enjoyed their character development and bond. However, I expected Hansung and Yeowool to have had a similar level of development. The writer tried to portray Hansung as an innocent, sweet kid, and we did see that coming from Taehyung.

The writer also failed to show Hansung as someone who struggled with his role and his relationship with his brother. There were a few choppy scenes that hinted that perhaps Hansung had an inferior complex towards his brother and felt out of place or burdened with his responsibilities. However, those weren’t explored well at all.

Unfortunately, the writer made Taehyung’s job as a first-time actor harder with a poor character. Having a poor character probably means that the bulk of the work must lie on the actor alongside the director to try to give more depth to the character. Taehyung is not as experienced as an actor as Do Jihan or Jo Yoonwo to be able to show hints of frustration or burden. Taehyung does a wonderful job playing the happy-go-lucky, cute character because that is how he is like as a BTS member. However, I’ve found that he does struggle with more emotionally charged, deeper scenes which is likely due to his inexperience.

Jo Yoonwo as Yeowool has minimal scenes, but throughout the drama I was convinced of his bond with Hansung. Thus I only felt sad when I saw Yeowool’s reaction to Hansung’s death. Do Jihan, on the other hand, doesn’t have that many scenes either, but I was convinced with his character’s conflict between doing what he thinks is right and maintaining his family’s reputation. Do Jihan is great at expressing through his eyes or other little actions like making his face all tense when his character has to force himself to stay calm.

I also didn’t like how Hansung, as a character, seemed to be written as stupid. Being innocent does not mean that one is stupid. Hansung’s death was totally preventable. I found it hard to believe that Hansung had seen the “must kill” message addressed to his brother and didn’t even think it was sketchy. He didn’t even question his brother when he passed that gift to him. During the few scenes that Hansung is in, he often asks a lot of questions or at least has some inquisitive nature (ie ep 17 at the cafeteria where Sunwoo joins Hansung and Yeowool for lunch). Then it was only after he saw his brother fighting with Sunwoo did it all click to him? Seriously? No. That just made him seem so stupid and took away the sadness of his character’s death.

Conclusion: Appeal Dismissed.

Rating: 2 = Yell At Everyone -.-

File No: Hwan: POET-WARRIOR-Youth-Ep-18 Appearing before the Dramacourt: Hwarang: Poet Warrior Youth Ep 18 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

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Appearing before The Dramacourt: While You Were Sleeping Eps 9 and 10

***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 the mother-daughter relationship is believable.

Whether you can charge someone as abetting driving under the influence (DUI).

Whether the best way to get a coworker to take over your night shift is to offer to set them up on a blind date.

Whether Woo Tak’s theory makes sense.

The Rule(s):

Totally.

Maybe. It depends on the facts of the case.

Depends on how desperate the coworker is.

Yes. Its totally logical and makes sense.

Analysis:

RedRosette J: This episode was really really slow and was totally filler. Honestly, there was no need spend an hour on resolving Hong Joo’s “should I or should I not got back to work” issue. It could have been resolved in 30 minutes or less. What I did like about this episode was how it showed that the characters are all intertwined in some way. The coffee shop girl to the chicken shop guy (who is Kang Ki Young in an awesome cameo as the “Chicken Killer”) to our lead characters. It’s a weird six degrees of separation situation. Other than Hong Joo’s work issue, Woo Tak desperately trying to figure out the connection between the Dream Scooby Gang, the introduction of the Chicken Killer, and a super creative way to include a Subway PPL, nothing else of much significance really happened.

Seeing your death may be pretty scary

Trying to convince your brother to do something like…

…and it doesn’t work

When you are dead serious about getting your money’s worth of chicken

Starring: Kang Ki Young as the “Chicken Killer”

When you’re questioning your life choices

When you a boss and you know it

The curse of the night shift

Something is wrong in this scenario

RedRosette J: There were some romantic moments where Jae Chan decided that he was going to be there for Hong Joo and there was some hugging and stuff but honestly, I’m still not sold on the romance and it seemed like he was just waiting for it to end. Also, Yoo Beom is back to being a lawyer as if none of his reprehensible acts from last week happened (Ugh!). At least the previews for the next episodes were a little bit more exciting: read courtroom drama.

Changing the future like…

What’s the point of ties if not to wipe of smudged eye makeup?

Romantic?

Yup. Still an ass.

Issue 1: Whether the mother-daughter relationship is believable.

RedRosette J: One of the most believable things in this drama is the mother-daughter relationship between Hong Joo and her mother. They are BFFs in addition to being mother and daughter and I love that she believes that her mother is her rock and her safe space. Her mother, likewise, stands and watches guard over Hong Joo. I love that she’s a very observant character and only intervenes when she feels like there is a genuine threat to her daughter. I think this type of relationship is really believable and really legit. I love these two! #motherdaughtergoals

Issue 2: Whether you can charge someone as abetting driving under the influence (DUI).

RedRosette J: This issue that the prosecutors were arguing about is a bit tedious. In Canadian law, there isn’t really “abetting DUIs” that someone can be charged with. I’m not sure whether the Korean Penal Code has something like this, but according to Canadian law, something that they might charge this person under might be Criminal Negligence. Section 219 of the Canadian Criminal Code states that a person can be charged for doing something or even omitting to do something which shows a “wanton or reckless disregard for the lives or safety of other persons.” This would likely mean that some sort of argument would have to be made to say that the fact that the person who gave the driver the keys and told him how to avoid the cops is behaviour that amounts to this “wanton or reckless disregard”. Obviously, other facts will have to be assessed such as a the casualties resulting from the accident and such.

However, the Chief Prosecutor’s argument that charging this person would be too harsh because he was far too removed from the causal chain of events is not likely to hold up: i.e. he didn’t even drive and all he did was give the guy the keys. In a test for negligence, you have to ask “if not for the acts of someone, would the outcome have occurred?” Arguably in this case, if not for the guy giving the keys over, the accident might not have happened. I’m not too sure if this was an issue of the translation, but Jae Chan tries to describe the same remoteness issue (the whole if not for thing…) to Hong Joo when she asks him whether he decided to vote on the issue or not. He says something like it was because he did such a trivial thing that such an awful outcome came about. As to whether this argument would work requires a deeper examination of the facts and events that happened and its all very complex.

Issue 3: Whether the best way to get a coworker to take over your night shift is to offer to st them up on a blind date.

RedRosette J: If they are desperate enough, this seems like the best incentive. I really really want to see Jae Chan follow through on this and watch his awkward and weird coworker go on this blind date LOL!

#desperatevibes

Issue 4: Whether Woo Tak’s theory makes sense.

RedRosette J: This was not the theory that I was leaning towards, but it works. It also made a lot of sense in the way that Woo Tak explained it. Feelings of extreme gratitude and indebtedness caused them to have dreams about the person who saved them so that they would be able to repay the debt by saving that person’s life. Makes total sense if you follow the chain of logic. Hong Joo saved Jae Chan so he dreams about her and Jae Chan saved Woo Tak so he dreams about him. The bigger question now is whether the coffee shop girl is going to start dreaming about Hong Joo too because she saved her and she felt the burning (even though she didn’t actually burn). Hmmmmm…..

You sure it wasn’t a girl who saved you brah?

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

Conclusion: Appeal Dismissed.

Rating: 3 = MM. Okay. Fine (Too draggy. Please stop with Hong Joo’s pity party)

File No: While-You-Were-Sleeping-EPS-9&10 Appearing before The Dramacourt: While You Were Sleeping Eps 9 and 10 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read

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thedramafilesblog-blog · 7 years

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Appearing before The Dramacourt: While You Were Sleeping Eps 5 and 6

***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 Seung Won actually killed So Yoon’s Dad in the dreams.

Whether we are going to end up having Second Lead Syndrome.

Whether all low level employees are terrified of being summoned to the Boss’s office.

Whether the justification for why the other prosecutor didn’t indict So Yoon’s Dad makes sense.

Whether Woo Tak and Jae Chan should totally have a bromance.

The Rule(s):

It’s complicated.

Second Lead Syndrome is going to be upon us! Bring on the tears and tissues!

100% Petrified.

Absolutely not!

Yes please!

Analysis:

RedRosette J: So this episode begins with the race to save Seung Won’s fate from unfolding and in the process we learn many things about other characters. I really like how this drama portrays cause and effect and how it shows that each person’s actions can have a knock-on effect onto someone else. We find out that the policeman who Jae Chan saved, Han Woo Tak (played by Jang Hae In), is also having dream premonitions connected to our duo. It’ll be interesting to see his role in preventing future catastrophes. I do like that each person who sees these visions brings something specific to being able to stop it from happening. In Jae Chan’s case, the fact that he has control over whether or not someone will be prosecuted which sets into motion a chain of events that might prevent something else from happening. Woo Tak plays a similar role as a policeman by being able to actively get involved in preventing a course of action.

Jubiemon J: I quite like this cause and effect too. I also do like that twist where Han Woo Tak is able to dream too! I think this drama forces you to want to do something about a situation. Often, we just walk by things or ignore them when may be something could have been done. I think this happens a lot in some Asian cultures, where it’s better not to stick out and go with the crowd and keep the harmony. It’s nice that Jae Chan has that dilemma too, but I think he went on far too long with his debate….just prosecute the guy, okay? =-=’

Sleeping on the job like…

Why is it that shady shit always seems to go down in fancy living rooms?

Dude! Where did you come from? You’re so cute!

RedRosette J: I’m also interested in how the premonitions themselves work, because it seems like each person dreams or sees a different point of view of the same events. They each seem to dream information that the other person doesn’t have. I’m curious to see how our Three Musketeers start playing their “future-bad-situation-preventing” roles.

Preventing disasters like…

Saving people like…

LOOOL!

This guy and his upset stomach tho….

When you see the future unfold before your eyes

RedRosette J: Just as how we got some insight into Hong Joo’s past last week, in these episodes we saw Jae Chan’s past and his relationship with his father. As it turns out, he lost his father to the same soldier who blew up the bus with Hong Joo’s dad in it. (I totally called this btw! I knew it had something to do with the soldier!). I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Woo Tak also had some past connection to the soldier incident. So we’re starting to see the characters’ backstories evolve into this complex narrative in the past where their fates were intertwined on that same day, and maybe this is what caused the premonition-effect.

Getting kicked out with Dad like…

One-on-Ones with Dad

This guy tho. ugh.

Tragedies

RedRosette J: On the other hand, the change in the brothers’ dynamic is also important for Jae Chan’s character growth. I think he needs to hear that he’s copping-out from his little brother, and I think that Jae Chan gained a real sense of the consequences of his “copping-out” after seeing poor Seung Won’s fate in his dreams. Hong Joo also took some steps forward in her relationship with Jae Chan and we see how much he needs someone to believe in him as much as his father did. Hong Joo and her pushy self seems to be a good fit for this role.

Arguing with your brother like…

Dreaming like…

This bus stop tho.

Trying to save your girl from hard labour like…

RedRosette J Aside: Here are some funny moments from the episode just for kicks.

Issue 1: Whether Seung Won actually killed So Yoon’s Dad in the dreams.

RedRosette J: Tbh, this whole scene moved really fast and it seemed like Seung Won didn’t actually do anything except duck or something when the dad came at him with the golf club. Even if he had pushed him over the balcony, I’m sure that a defense could have been made based on self-defense. The guy was obviously attacking everyone including Seung Won and he was just defending himself. Either way, I doubt that Seung Won was a real “murderer” in the sense that the show put it.

Nooooooooooo

Thank God this is just a dream

Issue 2: Whether we are going to end up having Second Lead Syndrome.

RedRosette J: Okay OMG its happening. I can see it happening. Second Lead Syndrome is coming. At first I thought Lee Sang Yeob was the second lead, but he’s just the evil bad guy, so OMG cutie Jang Hae In is probably the second lead. Is it just me or did anyone else get vibes that he’s going to end up crushing on Hong Joo? Also, he’s just super adorable trying to be friends with Jae Chan and I can’t wait for him to part of our crime fighting trio. I swear this guy came out of nowhere, but he’s actually been around since 2014. He was the famous “Tae Hee Oppa” in Goblin that Gong Yoo was super jealous of. Who knew? I can feel the syndrome and the tears starting to kick in!!

Not the Second Lead

Total Second Lead vibes

Issue 3: Whether all low level employees are terrified of being summoned to the Boss’s office.

RedRosette J: Yes. This is a universal thing. Anyone working as a low level employee is petrified of losing their job and being called into the Boss’s office. Having worked in several intern roles, every time I had to go see my Boss I was absolutely terrified. I totally feel poor Jae Chan’s fear when he’s asked to see his Boss. Hang in there man. You won’t be low level forever.

When your Boss scary af…

…and you scared af

Issue 4: Whether the justification for why the other prosecutor didn’t indict So Yoon’s Dad makes sense.

RedRosette J: Unless I’m missing something based on the translation, the female prosecutor made it sound like she chose to make indictments based on the victim’s situation. She talks about how in most domestic abuse cases the perpetrator is the breadwinner and if you remove the breadwinner, the victim is in a worse situation because they’ll have to struggle to survive, so the prosecution should not indict the perpetrator based on this. I disagree with this very strongly. Justice is justice. There is no justice with a caveat; if someone commits a crime they are answerable to it and should be punished justly. The prosecution can’t be going around being all “oh yea, he abused her but she’s going to have to go out and get a job to survive without him, so we’re just not going to do anything about it and leave him unpunished because it makes her life harder if we do”. Uhhh No. Her life is already hard. He committed a crime, and should be indicted, regardless of whether or not the victim is going to have a harder life because of said indictment. I think even if the victim were to struggle financially, it would better than suffering repeated emotional and physical abuse. This approach is an extremely victim-blaming one and this mentality should have no place in the justice system.

Trying to decide what kind of person you want to be

Having a crisis of faith

Trying to sort out existential problems like…

Issue 5: Whether Woo Tak and Jae Chan should totally have a bromance.

RedRosette J: Yes please. These two are going to be so cute!!! I can’t wait to watch them prevent their dream-futures from coming true! Give us more of Woo Tak being cute and Jae Chan being crotchety while swatting him away!!

Yes! BFFs!!!!

“The Three Flying Dragons”

“Maybe its fate” LOL!

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed.

Rating: 4 = I’ll Give You A Cookie (This was a good plot)

File No: While-You-Were-Sleeping-EPS-5&6 Appearing before The Dramacourt: While You Were Sleeping Eps 5 and 6 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read

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thedramafilesblog-blog · 7 years

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It has been a year since Jubiemon and I decided to start The Drama Files! Time has flown by so fast! So much so that it feels like just yesterday we were getting all set up for this blog. We thought about what we wanted to do for a special “One Year Anniversary Post” and we decided to write about our Kdrama blogging journey. It has been quite an experience and some strange things have happened to us in this virtual reality since starting this blog ranging from getting hated on on Twitter for our “unpopular” opinions to discovering that fangirls come in all kind of shapes and sizes and can be found in the unlikeliest of places! So, we decided to answer some questions about what this year of blogging has been like for us.

Actual footage of Jubiemon and RedRosette making plans

Why did we start this blog?

RedRosette J: This is such a funny question to me. This blog was born out of Jubiemon and I’s constant bitching and complaining about how awful Scarlet Heart Ryeo was. We found ourselves with so many thoughts and opinions about it that we felt maybe others would share and decided to start a “drama review blog”. We really wanted it to be a unique blog where we didn’t filter our opinions and thoughts to please the masses. We wanted it to be real and uncensored opinions about dramas by real people. We decided on a “law-themed” reviewing system because we are law students and live and breathe these structures everyday. It was definitely more fun to apply these techniques that we were learning in school to reviewing dramas than it was to doing actual school work!

Jubiemon J: I think we were sitting in a boring class as well when we were complaining about Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Then we suddenly went, “Why don’t we blog about this but make it a bit more interesting by taking it through a legal writing point of view?” Obviously, we comforted ourselves by saying that we were practicing our writing. Hahaha. Ironically, I think it did push us to be more concise and to focus on areas where we were lacking. Later, we wanted to point out some issues in legal dramas so people aren’t misinformed. Sadly, there haven’t been any interesting legal dramas going on nowadays. We’re still waiting for the next hit legal drama!

Us thinking about blogging like…

What expectations did we have about blogging?

RedRosette J: I have blogged sporadically before so I wasn’t a complete newbie to blogging but I did have certain expectations of what blogging would be like. I thought it would be quick and take up little time. I mean how hard is it to type stuff up on a page and hit publish right? I also thought that doing screenshots of dramas takes little to no time and that I would have tons of time left. All in all, in my head, blogging seemed like an afterthought rather than an actual thing that you do as a hobby.

Jubiemon J: I had a few blogs here and there; however, I was never committed to any of them. I got bored of them very easily and found that other parts of my life took over. Oddly, this blog has kept going. I think it’s because RedRosette is there too so it’s easier when there’s two of us! Two = better than one!

I don’t think I’ve ever had expectations for any of the projects that I’ve been through. I’ve always been the sort to jump into it and do things!

RedRosette J: I agree with Jubiemon. Doing this blog together really makes a difference!

Us thinking that blogging would be a piece of cake

What was the reality of blogging like?

RedRosette J: The reality of blogging is so different from my expectations of what blogging is actually like. I spent an obscene amount of time take screenshots while watching dramas. Sometimes I’d end up spending about 2 hours on a 45 minute drama! It took even longer to edit the screenshots. I was not expecting that. I was also not expecting to spend so much time writing. Although we have been a bit slow with posts in the past few months, mostly because a) Jubiemon and I had real life commitments and b) the dramas have been such crap and not worth writing about, at the beginning of the blog, getting used to writing all the time took a really long time. I was spending most of my downtime during school writing for The Drama Files. It became my hobby and turned into something totally fun to do when I wasn’t worrying about school!

Us trying to balance school and blogging like…

Jubiemon J: The reality of blogging . . . is a lot more hard work and dedication than I thought like RedRosette mentioned.

It’s funny. I never time my posts, probably because I’d freak out on how long it takes me to complete a post. I think, generally, it takes a good one to three hours to pump out a post; this doesn’t include taking screenshots and watching the clip. If RedRosette is there to help out with the post, then the time gets reduced. If the post has a lot of deep/philosophical concepts, then sometimes I might dedicate at least half a day to three days to the post (i.e. the Boku no Unmei no Hito desu posts and the BTS posts).

I think the toughest posts I’ve made have been related to BTS’s “Blood, Sweat & Tears” Japanese MV because I had to not only read “Demian” and scholarly articles about the concepts within “Demian“, but also think about how all the past BTS MVs relate to “Blood, Sweat & Tears”. I even had a little diagram I made to figure out what each character represented.

What I didn’t expect was how I worked, in terms of blogging. I end up being the sort that would have to sit down and plough through everything in one go without any breaks. If I take a break, then I lose my train of thought and then I get lazy and don’t feel like writing.

Us when we finish reviewing a drama

Why did we decide to branch out to reviewing Kpop?

RedRosette J: If you guys follow us you will know that the only Kpop we review is related to BTS. I think its because a) we (and by that I mostly mean Jubiemon ;)) are huge fans and b) BTS has content in their music that is most of the time not shallow, pretty philosophical and engages with issues that impact young adults. On an intellectual level, BTS provides excellent blogging fodder!

Jubiemon J: The other backstory was that for the “Spring Day” post (our first BTS review), RedRosette and I both felt that this song was about reminiscing a friend who had disappeared/committed suicide, but then we didn’t see any theories about this. RedRosette suggested that I could start a post, so I did. That post surprisingly . . . led to far more views than I expected and I had a lot of fun analyzing the song and the MV.

Yes, we’re both fans of BTS because of their music, talent, and personalities. I love anything that makes my brain work and like RedRosette mentioned, BTS’ music and MVs intellectually stimulate us.

What impact has Kdrama blogging had on our real lives?

RedRosette J: I think for me, it became an outlet to share my thoughts about the dramas that I was watching and that I really enjoyed. My close friends (with the exception of Jubiemon) and family do not watch dramas, so for me, it was a nice way to talk about what I enjoyed with others who like dramas as well. It is also very nice to have a hobby that is completely unrelated to the things you do in real life in most ways LOL!

Jubiemon J: I grew up in a household where I watched dramas as a hobby. It’d be the reward my mom would let me have after I finished homework. I started off watching mostly J-dramas and Chinese dramas. Later, I started watching K-dramas too. However, we never really talked about the dramas in detail, so blogging became a good outlet!

Us, pre-Drama Files

Has blogging changed our perception of Kdramas?

RedRosette J: I think it has. After starting the blog, I realized that I was looking for themes and content in dramas more than I had before. I was also constantly looking for cute shots that I could capture for screenshots for the blog, even if we weren’t reviewing the drama LOL! In the grand scheme of things, my thoughts about Kdramas haven’t really changed though. I still love makjang dramas even though they are absolute trash and I could rip them to shreds in a blog post. I do however feel often that I don’t want to review a drama that I enjoy watching because I find that if I had to review it, I’d end up taking it apart and nit-picking and end up not liking it as much. So in that sense, dramas changed for me.

Jubiemon J: I think nowadays, Redrosette and I will always think . . . is this new drama going to be something that we’d review? Like Redrosette, I’d always think more about themes and symbols now.

Us, trying to think of themes 10 seconds into a drama

Why did we decide to branch out to J-dramas?

Jubiemon J: I was watching Boku no Unmei no Hito desu and I remembered telling RedRosette how great this drama was and how I’d love to review it. RedRosette encouraged me to do a review and I just went all out. This was also the first time I did a drama series review by myself, so I realized how much dedication and time RedRosette has put into screen shotting. (She usually takes care of screenshots when the two of us review and generally, I’m the one that starts the post and adds the tags.)

What drama did you enjoy reviewing?

Jubiemon J: I really, really enjoyed reviewing Boku Unmei no Hito desu, even when the ending was kind of disappointing. The drama had a lot of interesting symbols and themes, which I loved analyzing.

RedRosette J: I really enjoyed reviewing The K2. Mostly because it was an absolute shit show (ramen dancing, underground super computers and incessant running) and awesomely fun to review. It was also the first drama that I reviewed on my own so it was fun to learn about blogging through this drama.

Sidenote: I also really enjoyed reviewing Shopping King Louie because I loved how every 10 seconds was something super cute. I remember constantly whining to Jubiemon about how I had way too many screenshots for this drama LOL!

What do we hope to do in the future on the Drama Files?

RedRosette J: We want to keep reviewing dramas and BTS Kpop and we hope that people will continue to read out mish-mashed thoughts on it. Although time has become an issue this year, we hope to review as many dramas as we can in our available time. Huge thanks to everyone who has been following us and reading our posts too! ❤

Jubiemon J: I’m hoping to review a few more J-dramas if I find one that really captures my attention. I’ve been thinking about doing movie reviews as well, but not sure when that’ll happen. Of course, I will continue on reviewing the BTS MVs and albums!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DRAMA FILES!

THE DRAMA FILES CELEBRATES ONE YEAR! It has been a year since Jubiemon and I decided to start The Drama Files! Time has flown by so fast!

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thedramafilesblog-blog · 7 years

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Appearing before the Dramacourt: Mystery Queen 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.

Issues:

Whether the Mother-in-Law Sleuth Squad is far more efficient than the cops.

Whether Seol Ok’s civilian consultant role is realistic.

Whether the Detective + Ajumma premise works out.

Whether faking constipation is the best excuse to escape your Mother-in-Law.

Whether Lee Won Geun is an absolute cutie.

The Rule(s):

Totally.

Yes. Cops often use civilian consultants based on areas of expertise.

Yes? It sounded a bit crazy in the plot description, but somehow it works in this drama.

100% It’s the most effective excuse!

Absolutely. Let’s face it, half of us are watching this drama for his cute smile!

Analysis:

RedRosette J: I wasn’t planning on watching or even reviewing this drama, but then exam time procrastination kicked in and I found myself watching this and liking it! So much so that I decided to do a special review on it. Initially the premised seemed totally wacky and I wrote it off, but I think that’s the exact reason that drew me to the show. I really liked how it’s set in a small neighborhood and the story revolves around these quirky characters who live there and the local police station. It’s totally cute. Choi Kang Hee is the queen of quirky characters (if anyone has not watched Heart to Heart and Protect The Boss, you need to watch them), and she’s absolutely hilarious. So her portrayal of an ignored housewife secretly wanting to be a detective is totally believable. I love that she’s so observant that she’s a mentalist of sorts and uses her skills to do basic ajumma things like figuring out where the grocery store is going to have its flash sale. I love how they filmed the scenarios of her explanations of the crime scene as she changed them. It was super quirky and funny. I also loved her hilarious attempts to lie to her mother in law and act like nothing is going on: that scene with the fish. I’m dead. So funny.

When you notice things other people don’t

The Ajumma Batcave

That dude’s face says it all LOLOLOL!

This girl is hilarious!

The other characters are equally endearing. There’s the bitchy(?) Mother in law who actually really likes Seol Ok but pretends to be difficult to live up to the Mother in law expectations. She’s totally adorable. She even defends Seol Ok when her friends are convinced that she’s cheating. I also especially liked how we weren’t introduced to the husband character yet. He takes a back seat which is better for Seol Ok’s character development. The sister in law also has some drama going on which I am excited for (that making out in the car thing and the blackmailing). And as always there’s the lovely best friend who goes above and beyond and has the best resting stank face! <3

Trying not to get catty about the food

What’s the bet this dude is married?

Being blackmailed like…

The main character Wan Seung played by Kwon Sang Woo is your typical tough guy who is actually a plushie on the inside and has a sad, heartbreaking back story. I’ll be honest, I didn’t really care so much for the gang back story and the fighting, because I’m more interested in Seol Ok’s dynamic with the family and Lee Won Geun’s character, so I didn’t really bother to pay that much attention to it. I especially liked how the drama used the two introductory episodes to show the same event, but from the POVs of the two leads. It created a nice synergy which explained a lot of what was going on and made the first meeting of the two leads organic. There isn’t a forced, in-your-face kind of romantic chemistry between the leads, but there’s a little something something there. I can’t wait for the show to explore it further and perhaps throw a wrench in it when the husband shows up!

Looking totally sketch

When unplanned shit goes down!

How did you guys first meet? Uhhh….

And then there’s Lee Won Geun’s Officer Hong who is this totally adorable newbie on the job and totally awed by Seol Ok’s sleuthing skills. Their dynamic is so cute and its adorable how he hangs on every word she says. OMG. I can’t wait for more!

So cute!

Issue 1: Whether the Mother-in-Law Sleuth Squad is far more efficient than the cops.

RedRosette J: We need to talk about how this particular Sleuth Squad is super effective! The Mother in law and Co meet at their “seminar” and instantly its all gossip about Seol Ok that each one has heard and/or seen. Read: having an affair with the cute young police chief at the local station. LOL! The stealth by which they go around trying to catch her in the “act” is absolutely hilarious. They are quite possibly more effective than the cops. Too bad they are foiled by Seol Ok being one step ahead of them. Its funny how in their own ways the characters are all solving mysteries in this drama. Please give us more of the Mother in Law Sleuth Squad. Thanks.

When you’re busy at a ‘”seminar”

Tryna be stealth like…

Gathering intel

Sleuthing is a tough job

When you tryna be cool but your friends have no chill

Bonus: Ajummas shoving ddeok down this boy’s pants LOL!

Issue 2: Whether Seol Ok’s civilian consultant role is realistic.

RedRosette J: It is realistic for cops to have civilians assist on cases. It’s not always considered an obstruction of justice or whatever Wan Seung accuses Seol Ok of. Sometimes, civilians have more expertise on a subject area that the police might need help with and they can bring them in as consultants. This is what I think Seol Ok’s role is with Officer Hong. She just goes around the crime scenes with him and helps him deduce what happened. The only problem is that she’s an ajumma with no specific expertise per se. I think this is what makes it hard for Wan Seung to wrap his head around LOL! He’s convinced that she’s just a bored housewife and is just being nosy. I’ve been trying to predict how her role with the police will change in the next few episodes and it’s a tough call. This drama is quite well written (as opposed to that garbage Whisper where you can pretty much predict everything that’s going on).

Consulting

More consulting..

Issue 3: Whether the Detective + Ajumma premise works out.

RedRosette J: Honestly, I wasn’t sold on this. But oddly, I can kind of see it working out well. I think it might be because the casting is very well done. Choi Kang Hee and Kwon Sang Woo are the perfect people to play these roles. The comedy in this show is not forced and slapstick and comes across very well. Its all about the subtleties and I’m sure that going forward as more ridiculous antics ensue, its going to keep being funny. The clash of the two worlds is what makes this premise work out. The housewife and the detective teaming up to solve local crimes. I like that this show is focusing it small scale so that we see the housewife’s familiarity with the neighborhood and the people coming together to help the detectives’ larger operations. All in all, odd as it might be, it works.

With these two it works

When you tryna take the pain like a boss

What a lovely way to arrest someone LOL!

Issue 4: Whether faking constipation is the best excuse to escape your Mother-in-Law.

RedRosette J: This was hilarious. The best part is that she went around telling everyone that she used constipation as an excuse to escape her Mother in Law: the detectives, the 911 guys etc. It’s also so funny how she manages to get their help to avoid the Mother in Law being suspicious! Who knew constipation could be so effective?

Trying to be stealthy while pretending to be constipated part 1

Trying to be stealthy while pretending to be constipated part 2

When you should be at home constipated but you doing dangerous things instead…

Faking constipation like…

Issue 5: Whether Lee Won Geun is an absolute cutie.

RedRosette J: So remember how earlier I said I wasn’t planning on watching this drama? Yes, I mostly decided to watch it because I found out that Lee Won Geun was in it. OMG. How can someone have such smiley eyes? How is this possible? The cuteness is unending. He’s like a walking smiley emoji! OMG. I can’t wait to keep seeing him twice a week! Super excited! Who else is here because of him? ;)

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed.

Rating: 4 = I’ll Give You A Cookie (These episodes were very well written and well produced! The cast is also on point! Keep on going this way!)

Special File No: Mystery-Queen-EPs-01-&-02 Appearing before the Dramacourt: Mystery Queen 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***

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thedramafilesblog-blog · 7 years

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Appearing before the Dramacourt: The Universe’s Star EP 03

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

Issues:

Whether date montages should include time sequenced trips to the beach and junk food.

Whether the “what happened to Byul” plot line makes sense.

Whether the stabbing incident was realistic.

Whether holding a guerrilla concert after your agency screws you over is a reasonable thing to do.

Whether Woo Joo and Byul’s backstory is believable.

Whether it makes sense to make a “life-for-a-life” deal with a Reaper.

The Rule(s):

Absolutely. Especially when the cinematography is a great as in this drama.

Yes. It makes sense. It’s also kind of nice how the drama didn’t vilify the guy who killed her but gave him a chance to redeem himself.

Ehhh….For dramatic value and plot development it makes sense, but it was grasping at straws in terms of realism.

Totally. It’s like a giant “F U” to the agency.

Maybe? Not sure tbh.

In a way yes it does. If, to restore balance to the universe, a life has to “go up” then it doesn’t matter which goes up as long as one goes right?

Analysis:

RedRosette J: Okay. So we’re at the last episode already (these episodes might actually have been segmented into smaller ones too…it really depends on which sites you watch on). I’m not gonna lie: I cried. (*sniffles*) And it has been A WHILE since a drama made me cry. And then I just sat there not knowing what to do with myself after it ended. This drama has really been exceeding expectations and really hitting all the points. The previous episode was a bit slow, but I think that this episode really did a nice wrap up. There were certain things that were a bit WTF? but in the grand scheme of things, those can be overlooked. I think what I liked most about this drama overall was how well the characters were written. Everyone actually had a reason for being there and they all got their endings nicely wrapped up and resolved. It was very well written. I was actually just gushing to Jubiemon about how pretty the whole episode was too and that I was having trouble deciding what to screenshot! Absolutely beautiful and the OST was very well done, not too overpowering and at just the right amount to give you all the feels. Suho, to his credit, I think tried his best to convey a dude haplessly in love, but again, fell a bit flat to me. But honestly, it didn’t even matter because the bulk of the drama was carried by the female lead Jiwoo anyway.

Jubiemon J: Okay, I cried too! I agree that I haven’t cried for a drama in a while, but the ending here was so bittersweet. I did like how they showed their couple life quickly and didn’t bore us with unnecessary romantic scenes or random rivals showing up! I also overall enjoyed how everyone was connected in some way and that’s partly why she showed up as a human. As Redrosette mentioned, the OST and cinematography were great. The director/writer (they were both the same in this case) has a very distinct way of filming and I loved it. It was very artistic and beautiful to watch. I agree too that Suho probably needs more experience in acting as a guy who is crazily in love. However, at least it seemed like there was “some” chemistry between the two leads.

All about dem awkward love confessions

How pretty is this?

How cute were these two?

When you know your girlfriend well LOL!

Blessed friendships

Issue 1: Whether date montages should include time sequenced trips to the beach and junk food.

RedRosette J: There’s just something about the beach that really does it for me. Date montages should always be at the beach. I loved how this particular montage used the natural backdrop to its best. There was a sunset shot, night time shot and a daybreak shot, which is really when a beach is at its best. Absolutely beautiful and really created a nostalgic vibe. Its the best. I mean who doesn’t want to run around the beach and eat junk food with the guy they’re in love with? This drama though…really catering to fan fantasies….

Jubiemon J: I’m personally not a super big beach fan, so whether or not a shot is shown at a beach doesn’t affect me much. The eating junk food at the beach was cute! Although practically speaking, I think eating stuff at the beach can be gross. Sand getting on your food? Wind blowing harshly on your face? Seagulls coming at you for your food? Sand getting on your clothes even with a towel underneath your bottom? Getting crazy cold at night? We all know how beaches can get so cold at night. I’m probably one of the minority that thinks this way. Speaking from a viewer’s POV while watching this scene, it was nicely done.

Sunset

Night

Dawn

How cute is this?

Awww

Issue 2: Whether the “what happened to Byul” plot line makes sense.

RedRosette J: I saw it coming a mile away, so it wasn’t a huge shocker to me but I think it makes sense. Guy accidentally kills girl, Guy feels so bad, Guy takes care of girl’s sick mother and becomes a paramedic to save lives. The viewers were also fed tidbits of this plot and I liked how the whole thing wasn’t shoved in your face in the last minute in a desperate attempt to wrap things up (*cough* Hwarang *cough*). I liked how they didn’t vilify the paramedic guy and gave him a chance to redeem himself. The whole thing was just an unfortunate accident, so to me the plot line makes sense. I also liked how the drama focused on this incident (Byul’s death) and how it impacted so many people in different ways: the mother, the paramedic, the doctor etc, and used a cause and effect angle to tell the story. To me, it was a believable plot line.

Jubiemon J: Yes, I think the drama dropped many good hints for us to know what really happened. I agree that this was done well and so we were convinced of the fantasy element too. I did also like how Byul at first couldn’t forgive the paramedic guy. That’s realistic! The guy did kill you! Her unforgiving nature does make her character more believable. Usually she’s shown as that type that gives her all to her friends and lover. Later, it was nice that she had some closure and realized that hating wasn’t the way to go. I’m also happy that the paramedic found closure too.

Nooo poor mom!!!

Forgiveness is hard

Issue 3: Whether the stabbing incident was realistic.

RedRosette J: We’ve already explored the sassaeng situation in the previous reviews of this drama, so based off that, the stabbing incident could be a little realistic? I mean I’ve heard of celebrities getting threats and stuff from obsessive stalker fans so it makes sense, but I think in this case, it was a last ditch attempt to move the plot forward. It does make sense that Woo Joo had to get stabbed/die/be injured seriously so that Byul could make a deal for his life, but I just wish they’d thought of something a little bit more interesting. I do think that it lacked a bit of realism though…

Jubiemon J: I agree that the stabbing was a bit unrealistic? I really don’t think security would be so relaxed these days. However, seeing how there’s a fantasy element where they are grim reapers, then perhaps they are able to fool security somehow? I’m probably stretching it, but I agree that the stabbing incident could have been replaced with something else.

When you know shit is about to go down…

*gasp*

Issue 4: Whether holding a guerrilla concert after your agency screws you over is a reasonable thing to do.

RedRosette J: Totally. I mean we already know that Woo Joo has a huge fan following so even if the agency totally screwed him over, this is a totally plausible outcome. Not sure if it had to be in her junkyard, but still quite realistic. Guerrilla concerts are actually quite commonly used as marketing things so this part was totally realistic.

Bureaucracy can suck it!

Issue 5: Whether Woo Joo and Byul’s backstory is believable.

RedRosette J: This backstory felt a bit unnecessary tbh. It’s like when dramas are doing a perfectly fine job of having the characters fall in love with each other and then go ahead and introduce the pointless childhood connection. I mean, did we really need to know that Byul was his #1 fan when he was starting out and that he was responding to her letters and wanted to date her? I don’t know if that part is believable at all. Also, her letter was super creepy. I doubt any pop star wannabes are going to go date the person who proposes marriage to them in a fan letter. That’s just weird tbh. This part, the drama could have done without.

Jubiemon J: I think the drama did want to explain how the two actually fell for each other, so it didn’t seem like she loved him out of nowhere and he too. However, I did feel like this connection was out of the blue like RedRosette mentioned. It would have been nicer if they had been introduced as classmates or what not instead of her being his number one fan. Perhaps they were always chatting online? That’s likely given technology these days. Falling for someone online and then meeting them? I’m just not sure about the fan letter thing and him falling for her because of that.

Issue 6: Whether it makes sense to make a “life-for-a-life” deal with a Reaper.

RedRosette J: This drama bested me with this. I didn’t see it coming. The whole the Reaper dude’s daughter being the one that Byul “saved” thing. It was an interesting take on the “trading a life” situation. I think it made sense for the character to trade her time for the girl’s time because she was dead either way and had nothing to lose. It was interesting how all the characters were tied to each other in some way too and I liked how this drama did it without making it too cliche (especially how her Reaper boss man was the paramedic’s dad). I’m not a huge fan of sad endings so this really came out of nowhere for me. I was expecting them to resolve it and for her and Woo Joo to live happily ever after. Oddly though her having to leave seven years later without any regrets seemed like a much better ending than a happy one. It’s very reflective of the realities of life and how you don’t always get a happily ever after…but at least they had that time together. (*sniffles*)

Jubiemon J: I should have suspected that the little girl she saw was going to make some impact! Like Redrosette, I didn’t see this twist coming. I did like how you can’t have that perfect ending and there are some trade-offs that you must make. Byul came back to life when she wasn’t supposed to and to extend that, she’d have to do something in return. I understand that this ending becomes bittersweet, but I guess that’s life. The one part I didn’t really enjoy was how Woo Joo seemed to know about her being a grim reaper and what not without any explanation? It was like he was psychic and understood everything?!?! I wished they had a scene where he and she had a good chat. That part was a bit lacking.

Literally making life or death deals

*hugsies*

Such a cute proposal

Sealed with a kiss!

Bye Bye Puppy :(

Cute kid.

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed.

Rating: 4 = I’ll Give You A Hug (Yes. It’s getting hugs over cookies because it’s just so sad and totally deserves a hug and because everyone did such a good job on it!)

File No: The-Universe’s-Star-EP-03 Appearing before the Dramacourt: The Universe’s Star EP 03 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

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thedramafilesblog-blog · 7 years

Text

Appearing before the Dramacourt: Hwarang: Poet Warrior Youth Eps 19 and 20 (we’re doing a combo post for the finale because we are just so done with this drama!)

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

Issues:

Whether Jwi Dwi and Sun Woo had a bromance at all.

Whether the Hwarang was actually a cameo in EP 19.

Whether Sun Woo’s Dad’s motivation for leaving him is believable.

Whether the whole (non) fight for the throne was believable.

The Rule(s):

No, I don’t think so! At least not to the extent of Soo Ho and Ban Ryu.

Probably

No!

Not really.

Application:

RedRosette J: Oh thank god this is over now. Jubiemon and I are actually so so thankful that this drama is over. As expected the wrap up was done very very poorly with some seriously sloppy writing and production. Episode 19 was basically a waste of time. Even if it hadn’t been there and you had just watched episode 20, it would have made sense. They were basically talking about the same things as they had in the last five episodes. To sum it up in one sentence, it’s basically everyone freaking out that Ji Dwi was the real King. Ok? Don’t waste your time watching it. Episode 20 was an even bigger shit show. I feel like because the writing was so sloppy, a lot of the characters had their issues resolved off screen for them to get to the end. Ban Ryu’s personal dilemmas with his father were resolved off screen, the characters mourning Han Sung’s death was resolved off screen, Dan Se becoming an official Hwarang was done off screen. What is this? Anyone can write dramas like this. Ugh. Even in the final few moments, the wrap up was so so sloppy. I was not excited that Ji Dwi forgave his mother so quickly and they never even really discussed what wrong she had done him. I was so mad that Ban Ryu and Soo Yeon’s story never really got their “happy ending” and like no one cares about Aro so whatever.

Jubiemon J: I think this drama is one of those rare one where you feel like nothing significant has happened throughout the whole drama. At the end of the day, I don’t really remember many highlights. The only highlights were some bromance between Banryu and Sooho and Banryu’s romantic relationship with Aro’s friend. Episode 19 . . . I can barely remember what that was about; that’s how bad it was. Episode 20 was super, super rushed to get to some happy ending. The sudden twist for Sunwoo to be King and then him giving it up all in one episode? Such a waste of time. Everything was just so, so rushed for ep 20!

Yes. Everyone knows this.

Yes, yes, please move on already.

Clothes maketh a man

Why leave us hanging? -.-

When did this happen?

Issue 1: Whether Jwi Dwi and Sun Woo had a bromance at all.

RedRosette J: Not really. They tried to become friends but the whole “are you king or not?” situation got in the way and I feel like they never really overcame that, unlike Soo Ho and Ban Ryu who actually did of lot of positive work towards overcoming their problems. I found it difficult to get on board their bromance, especially since it had taken a back seat in the last few episodes. So, no I don’t think they had a bromance. They might have had a friendship-adjacent situation, but definitely not a bromance.

Jubiemon J: No. I really don’t think so. I felt like Banryu and Soo Ho had a deeper friendship and even Yeowool and Hansung had a more believable one. They bickered here and there and then Ji Dwi was kind of nice to Sunwoo because Ji Dwi liked Aro. Then they got into more arguments and what? Nothing much at all. (I have to say for the last episode when Sunwoo cut off Ji Dwi’s bracelet, Ji Dwi was sobbing as if he had been dumped by a girlfriend. Actually I feel like he wasn’t that upset when he realized Aro liked Sunwoo. His crying was kind of funny in this case.)

Not really a bromance

Issue 2: Whether the Hwarang was actually a cameo in EP 19

RedRosette J: So remember how this drama was about the Hwarang boys? Yea in the past few episodes this drama became the “Let’s talk about what it means to be King” drama and the Hwarang took a literal back seat. No I mean literally. They must have had about 2 or 3 minutes of the Hwarang guys in this episode. Not to mention, Minho probably had some scheduling issues, so he was basically non-existent in these two episodes and we never really got to see him and Ban Ryu fully makeup. It’s sad really that the writers got so caught up discussing Kingship that they missed out on important screen time for character development with the amazing supporting cast. What a waste.

Jubiemon J: Yes. We barely saw the other boys and their issues were mostly resolved off screen. Ugh.

Only in it as a grapevine

Issue 3: Whether Sun Woo’s Dad’s motivation for leaving him is believable

RedRosette J: This is just one of those situations where you sit there for a good ten minutes being all “Huh?” Yea. His justification for leaving Sun Woo made absolutely no sense. Like why couldn’t you give the kid a name? It’s not like dumbass Queen who was too busy knowingly drinking poisoned tea would have started a witch hunt to figure out what this kid’s name was! Not to mention, I don’t even think that she knew the kid was alive. They basically cut him out of his dead mother in the physician’s hut. I mean come on! Then he goes on to say that he did it because he didn’t want him to go through the horrible life of a Royal and literally turns around and goes “Yea but now you have to.” What? What was the point of putting the kid through hell and leaving him nameless if you were just going to do to the kid what would have happened had he lived with you? This makes absolutely no sense at all. They should have just not included this birth secret. -_-

Jubiemon J: I always find it hilarious how Sunwoo’s biological father could just parade around the palace and eat great food while the Queen is super shocked how he could get in. The security at the palace . . . so, so questionable. I never really understood why his dad even have to leave when he wasn’t killed the first time he got into the palace. So stupid.

Dumbest reason why. Ugh.

Issue 4: Whether the whole (non) fight for the throne was believable

RedRosette J: I just feel like this whole conflict came out of nowhere. All of sudden, everyone hates Ji Dwi and I just didn’t like how they resolved the problem. He kidnapped Aro, to keep her safe from Ban Ryu’s dad and the story went nowhere. It all felt so stagnant and Sun Woo’s move to #TeamJiDwi was never really explained. I mean, yea he was all for changing the kingdom and what not but I just felt like if they had at least tried to show the character’s progression towards that in the last few episodes it might have been better rather than having it in the last 15 minutes of the show. I just fell flat and seemed like an excuse to end the drama all dramatically. Whatever. I’m just glad its over. I wish I could ask for all these hours I wasted on this drama back……

Jubiemon J: That flashback to explain how Sunwoo decided that Ji Dwi should be King was super confusing. In the beginning we saw that Sunwoo cut off Ji Dwi’s bracelet which led to Ji Dwi sobbing his heart out. Okay . . . then the flashback showed Sunwoo agreeing that he’d support Ji Dwi as King. So that made me wonder why Ji Dwi was even crying at all? At the very end of the drama, the two are “friends”. Okay. So all that Ji Dwi crying really doesn’t make sense! Just what the heck is going on?

Uhhh okayyy…

She gave up? Just like that?

Cool robes brah

This happened.

As did this.

Finally.

Conclusion: Appeal Dismissed.

Rating: 2 = Yell At Everyone Involved (All of them needed to get their act together. This was an epic pre-production fail)

FILE NO: HWARANG: POET-WARRIOR-YOUTH-EPS-19-AND-20 (Final) Appearing before the Dramacourt: Hwarang: Poet Warrior Youth Eps 19 and 20 (we're doing a combo post for the finale because we are just so done with this drama!)

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