#jang seung gil

[namjhyun]

MOVIE REVIEW | Dream (2023)

In this film about broken dreams and second chances, a professional football player finds himself in a difficult position due to a mix of bad decisions and bad luck. He also has no real support system in his mother (who is on the run for scamming people) and his agency wants him to quit the sport to become a celebrity.

Is in this moment of his life that to rehabilitate his image he is forced to become the coach of a football team conformed by homeless men that will compete on a charity tournament.

Reluctantly, he learns the reasons why these men found themselves living in the streets. Addiction, bad decisions, abandonment, grief, among other motives. What they all have in common is that through this tournament they are looking to become a better version of themselves.

To record every moment of their journey, a documentary director (deep in student debt and stress) needs to find the right angle to have this film be a success for her and them.

It’s through teamwork and sharing their problems, that this team of odd men out find -perhaps for the first time in their lives- a real support system and even a family.

Dream is a solid comedy with really touching moments that brought some tears to my eyes. The film tries to shed some light on current social issues in South Korea through the housing problem these men are going through.

Park Seo Joon gives a good performance going from disheartened to finding a new dream and people to fight for. His chemistry with IU is hilarious to watch as they play entirely platonic teammates throwing jabs at each other, even long after they start to get along.

IU’s character as the documentary director who is forced to believe in herself into success is both fun and oh, so real.

The heart of the film, however, is Heo Joon Seok, whose character never lost hope and fought from beginning to end so the team could achieve their dream. The rest of the actors bring some emotions though the respective stories that makes the comedy more grounded.

Overall, I enjoyed this film.

[kpopscatterbrain]

Kdramas/Movies with strong female characters

Dramas

Eve (2022): Lee La-El (Seo Yea-Ji) When Lee La-El was little, her father died unexpectedly. Powerful people were responsible for his death. After her family was destroyed, Lee La-El prepared for the next 13 years to take revenge. Starting by targeting Kang Yoon-gyeom, one of the main culprits who orchestrated the death of her father. Along the way she becomes torn between her desire for revenge and her feelings for Yoon-gyeom.

It's Okay To Not Be Okay (2020): Ko Moon-Young (Seo Yea-Ji) Ko Moon-Young is a popular children's book author with antisocial personality disorder. She had a troubled childhood and a turbulent relationship with her parents. She develops romantic feelings for a psychiatric caregiver after a coincidental encounter and often goes to extreme lengths to get his attention.

Hotel Del Luna (2019): Jang Man-Wol (IU) Jang Man-Wol is the moody owner of Hotel del Luna. The hotel catering to the dead has been bound to her soul in order to atone for the sins she committed 1,300 years ago. Through the new manager Gu Chan-sung, the mysteries and the secrets behind the hotel and its owner are revealed

My Name (2021): Yoon Ji-Woo (Han So-Hee) Yoon Ji-Woo’s father gets murdered suddenly. She wants to desperately take revenge on whoever is responsible for her father's death. She starts working for a drug crime ring that her father was a part of. Ji-Woo joins the police department as a mole for the drug ring.

Vagabond (2019): Go Hae-Ri (Bae Suzy) Go Hae-Ri is an NIS agent and is currently working undercover at the Korean embassy in Morocco. She is tasked to help the bereaved families of a fatal flight. She helps Cha Dal-Geon whose nephew was on the flight uncover a darker and more sinister conspiracy than they expected.

Sisyphus: The Myth (2021): Gang Seo-Hae (Park Shin-Hye) Gang Seo-Hae is an elite warrior. She can take down the biggest men with just her bare hands. She is a sharpshooter and a bombmaker. She learned these skills to survive in a world that is dominated by gangsters and military cliques. One day she time travels to save a genius engineer.

Mr. Sunshine (2018): Go Ae-Shin (Kim Tae-Ri) Go Ae-Shin is an orphaned noblewoman and a member of the Righteous Army. Her parents were independence fighters who died in Japan due to their colleague's betrayal. She trains as a sniper. An american soldier Eugene meets and falls in love with Go Ae-shin. 

The Glory (2022): Moon Dong-Eun (Song Hye-Kyo) Moon Dong-Eun was a victim of high school violence. She waited for the bully ring leader get married and have a child. Now she is the homeroom teacher of her tormentor's child. Her cruel revenge plot begins.

Tomorrow (2022): Koo Ryeon (Kim Hee-Seon) Grim reaper Koo Ryeon is the leader of a crisis management team. The teams objective is to save suicidal people. Choi Jun-Woong (Ro Woon) is a young job seeker who is unable to secure a job. One night, he accidentally becomes a new member of the crisis management team.

Remarriage & Desires (2022): Seo Hye-Seung (Kim Hee-Seon) Seo Hye-seung who lost everything in an instant after her husbands affair and su*cide. She signs up to a matchmaking company Rex for the upper class, and participates in the race of her desires for her revenge.

Under The Queen's Umbrella (2022): Queen Hwaryeong (Kim Hye-Soo) Queen Hwaryeong is supposed to act with grace and dignity, but she has troublemaker sons. The queen decides to abandon strict protocols to transform her sons into deserving princes through education and personal growth, all while navigating the complexities of motherhood and royal life.

Juvenile Justice (2022): Sim Eun-Seok (Kim Hye-Soo) Sim Eun-Seok is an elite judge with a personality that seems unfriendly to others. She hates juvenile criminals and gets assigned to a local juvenile court. There, she breaks custom and administers her own ways of punishing the offenders.

K-Movies

Kill Boksoon (2023): Gil Bok-Soon (Jeon Do-Yeon) Gil Bok-Soon is a single mother and a contract killer working for M. K. Ent. Highly regarded by her peers, she has a 100% success rate and is one of a few killers rated "A" by her company. Right before Gil Bok-Soon is set to renew her contract, she gets involved in a kill or be killed confrontation.

Ballerina (2023): Jang Ok-Ju (Jun Jong-Seo) Ok-Ju used to work as a bodyguard. Ok-Ju is friends with Min-Hee, who is a ballerina. Min-Hee asks Ok-Ju for a favor. She wants Ok-Ju to take revenge.

The Witch: Subversion (2018): Ja-Yoon (Kim Da-Mi) A young girl escapes from a mysterious laboratory where she was trained to become a murder weapon. 10 years later, the girl, named Ja-yoon, is living a normal life, apparently without any memory of her past, she becomes involved in a crime.

Special Delivery (2022): Eun-Ha (Park So-Dam) Eun-Ha is a special driver for deliveries. She delivers anything or anyone for the right price. Her success rate is 100%, but she gets involved in an unexpected delivery accident.

Brave Citizen (2023): So Shi-Min (Shin Hae-Sun) So Shi-Min used to be a boxer in her student days. She now works as a contract teacher at a high school. She confronts a school bully, who frequently torments other students.

[elderflowergin]

Hey hey! I don't know if can articulate it as well as you. But, My Dearest has endeared me to him quite a bit(a lot). I am in the rabbit hole at this point, currently on episode 12 of Hot Stove League, and it is so weird to see him so demure(?) compared to his other roles where he does use his full body quite a lot to express himself. Here, he gets shoved around and startled, and it's a far cry from the sword wielding warrior he is in My Dearest. But he does it so well, I kinda want to cradle his face in my hands and until he sees himself the way I see him, which is 😍😍( when he held a baby for the first time). I also stopped One Dollar Lawyer for similar reasons and The Veil. However, I did spend some time on Falsify(a hidden gem, truly). Him and Oh Junge Se are brothers, journalists, and it delves into the world of journalism and the responsibility of media in shaping public opinion etc, I haven't finished but he's so good at, I don't what to call him, to put it simply, a man who is angry at what has been 'done' to his brother and by extension him. By the way, any hopes or expectations for the 2nd part of My Dearest, for the characters and the story? I kinda don't want to create any illusions of what is to come, and just enjoy the story for it is but ahh, the situation looks so dire. Thanks for welcoming me into your inbox.

Hi again Anon! I completely get you. I loved how different he was in Hot Stove League - it’s such a restrained performance. The character of Baek Seung-soo is interesting to me because he feels like a cold and distant person when you see him, and you realise how principled and generous he is only through his actions. It’s a challenge for any actor, and I love that he did it well and was such a good foil for both Park Eun-bin and Oh Jung-se. I don’t wish to cradle his face (I’m afraid I’d break it) but I did want to put him in my pocket and carry him everywhere.

Sadly Falsify doesn’t seem to be on any of my services, so I will have to wait until the coming Namgoong Minaissance encourages someone to carry it. I didn’t check it out so I didn’t know he plays Oh Jung-se’s brother, which is fascinating to me since I loved their arc in Hot Stove League. Thank you for telling me more about this show!

As for Namgoong Min in My Dearest: he is so expressive and I absolutely love that about watching him.

I could go on and on (and I will!) but I’ll talk about one scene in particular: the one where he carries Ahn Eun-jin across the riverbed which rewired my brain. She’s being carried by him, which must be a novel sensation, since she’s alive to his body in a way the other girls were not. She sees the perspiration on his face, and you can see how it makes her feel, how she’s overwhelmed by — not handsomeness, really, but pure attraction and want. She’s almost entranced, and she touches his face, his sweat, which is, yes, gross, but deeply intimate, like blood. And he notices; how can he not when she touches his temple? He could probably feel her gaze from a mile away, let alone a physical touch. And so he turns and looks at her, and that face says so much, reflecting so much possession, want and banked desire.

Both actors are so subtle and wonderful, and yet convey the undeniable attraction between the characters. For two people who talk nonstop at each other and deny their feelings throughout it all, their true feelings reveal themselves with surprising ease in other ways. I love that so much.)

As for season 2: I didn’t like how their arc ended at the last episode of part 1, but I don’t think it was inconsistent with Jang Hyeon’s character or bad writing necessarily. I’m ultimately glad Gil-Chae stayed with her family. I hope Gil-chae and Ryang Eum become besties. I hope Gil-chae continues to be the successful businesswoman that she is. I hope her friends remain by her side. I think Jang Hyeon has a lot of work and growing up to do. I get that the storyline needs them back together, so for what it’s worth I hope he grovels and begs and is a repentant, changed man when he returns to her.

(I understand that this isn’t a prevalent opinion about them as a couple, and I’m fine with that! I also get that all of this is unlikely to happen, so I’m not resting my hopes on it :’().

Thank you Anon for letting me go on and on about this. Happy watching Namgoong Min and I hope Oct 13th gets here soon! ❤️

[kdrama-movies-more]

Timeline

1940, Feb 14th: Jung Ui-hwan is born (inquiry report)

1965, Apr 28th : Ha Seong-min born

1966, May 18th : Jung Mi-ok was born (case file)

1966, Nov 4th : Cha Ju-man born (inquiry report; "google" info)

1977, Oct 13 : Park Jong-bae was born

~1977 : Jeon Gwang-sik was born

1978, Apr 18 : Hong Mi-yeon(Park Jong-bae's wife) was born

1988, Sept 6th : Bong Ye Bun was born

1990, Nov 28th : Kim Seon-woo's birthday (presumably, inquiry report)

1993 : Hyeon-ok's 21-25 fencing diary's year

2002, Jan : Assemblyman Yoon's Mujin redevelopment fraud file(Mi-ok's news) 2002 till 2005

2002, Mar 25 : Cha Ju-man's last address change/moved in to Mujin(inquiry report)

2005, Nov 13 (11:15?) : dod/tod(estd.) Jung Mi-ok (aged 40) [place: Mujin Port]

2005, Nov 14 (13:04) : Car and body of Jung Mi-ok recovered (ep 1 first scene)

2007, Jan 17th : Bong Ye-bun gets into Veterinary school

2007 : Jungsan Daily(newspaper Bong's mom wrote for) ceases publication

2012, Feb 1st : Bong Ye-bun gets veterinary license

2014 : The 7 years later in the vet office we see in episode 1 before it cuts to another 8 years(=15 years)

2015, Jul 12 : Justin(Park Kang-jun) is born

2015, Sep 15 : Cho Ae-ran gets into debt with Kim Seon-hwa of the Mujin Coffee Shop

~2016 : Jang-yeol meets Seung-gil (17th b'day)

~2017 : Seung-gil's 18th birthday

~2018 : Seung-gil's 19th birthday

2019, Sept 23rd : Cha Ju-man's lecture at Hankuk University

2019 : Kim Seon-woo drops out of Hankuk University after Cha Ju-man's lecture

~2020 : Bae Deok-hee joins the police department

2021, Sept 6: Ok-hui's memory of Ye-bun drunkenly dancing in front of a police car

2022, Sept 6 : Bong Ye-bun turns 35

2022, Sept 20: Kim Seon-woo's last address change date(as in the report)

2022, Sept 25 : dod Kim Si-a (aged 24) [place: Mujin Beach]

2022, Oct 6th : dod Park Seung-gil (aged 23) [place: Mujin General Hospital]

2022, Oct 20th : dod Lee Ji-suk (aged 27) [place: Road near fishing spot]

2022, Oct 20th : Cha Ju-man is elected

2022, Oct 21st : Cho Ae-ran's debt is paid off

2022, Nov 1 : dod Cha Ju-man(57) is murdered, Jung Ui-hwan framed

2022, ~Nov : Jung Ui-hwan(83) dies of his injury

2022, Nov 6th : Cha Ju-man's corruption is published about; day1/2 of Ui-hwan's funeral

2022, Nov 20 : dod Jeon Gwang-sik(45)

2022, Nov 28 : Kim Seon-woo officially turns 33

~2022, Nov 30 : dod Kim Seon-woo(33)

(ages might be in Korean system)

The Mujin Raincoat killer victims

Cho Ae-ran

Jung Ui-hwan

Jung Mi-ok

Bong Ye-bun

Kim Seon-woo

Cha Ju-man; has a spouse and a son; official birthplace is given in Incheon

[consumeronionbulletin]

Something in the Rain (2018)

This show feels like a very long indie romance movie. I loved the performances, the writing made very few mistakes (with the romance part at least), and this is one of my new favorite shows. However, I think it would have been even better as an ensemble...

The first 10-12 episodes are an excellent and touching look at the early stages of romance and intimacy. While I did not completely understand the cultural nuances that are the drive behind some of the obstacles to their romance, I still wanted to be there for the characters, which is all you can ask for.

If there are any flaws, it's that they invested so much in the romance, that they didn't give other potential viewers anywhere else to go to. Which is why I think it would have made a much better ensemble (similar to Romance is a Bonus Book).

The Performances

Son Ye-jin as Yoon Jin-ah the first lead. She did an amazing job making this character come alive. I feel like the direction for alot of scenes was just "put Son Ye-jin and Jung Hae-in together in a room and let them play around until we have enough footage." And it worked because of the chemistry and the talent of the two leads.

Jung Hae-in as Seo Joon-hee the other lead. This guy knows how to play a male lead in a romance. He's able to just look at his screen partner and let the audience see her the way that his character sees her. And I enjoyed watching every minute of it. He also did a fabulous job with pretty much every other actor he worked with. Just charming as hell.

Jang So-yeon as Seo Kyung-seon, Joon-hee's sister and Jin-ah's best friend. Her interactions were great and I never got tired of seeing Kyung-seon and Jin-ah together in a scene. I feel like the writers could have done so much more with the character though (which is one reason why this show needed to be an ensemble).

Wi Ha-joon as Yoon Seung-ho, Jin-ah's brother and Joon-hee's best friend. Having seen Ha-joon in other roles, I can say for certain that they should have given him more to work with. He did great as a side character, but cutting back on some of the romance (and the scenes with Jin-ah's mother) and giving him a few scenes as the main character would have been much better.

Gil Hae-yeon as Kim Mi-yeon, Jin-ah's mother. This character legitimately has a personality disorder and the real tragedy is that no one in the family wants to talk about it. The actress did a good job where she needed to, but it got tedious after awhile (which is also realistic). Her parts where especially hard to watch if—like me—you aren't spacing the episodes out a week or so at a time.

Jung Yoo-jin as Kang Se-young, Jin-ah's coworker and kind-of rival. Having seen the actress in a better role (Romance is a Bonus Book), I feel like the writers kind of did her a disservice. The character was a good foil in many ways, but they could have brought more nuance to her instead of just making her a total b--.

Joo Min-kyung as Geum Bo-ra, Jin-ah's coworker and eventually her good friend. This was kind of a standout role as the character could have been very bland as written. Some of that was just good casting / chemistry with Min-kyung and Ye-jin, but I would have loved to see her given more to work with, especially in the office drama.

Kim Chang-wan as Joon-hee's father. This guy is a national treasure and they probably couldn't afford him for a whole series, but he made the (at times tedious) family drama arc more compelling just by the way he played the character.

Seo Jeong-yeon as Jung Young-in the woman in charge of HR. If I'm being honest, most of the male characters in the office drama were good at playing sleazy, but felt really interchangeable. I fast-forwarded through alot of that stuff. But if Jeong-yeon was in the scene, I knew it would be good. I enjoyed watching her maneuver through this messy scandal. Some of it was the writing, but alot of it was the performance as well.

TL; DR:

This show really got under my skin and didn't let go. I know it's not perfect and not everyone will love it, but the parts that worked, really worked. I can think of a dozen ways this could have been better, and a hundred ways that the people making it could have screwed it up. But they didn't screw it up, and instead, they made something very special.

[kstarvibes]

5 Heart-Wrenching Moments In Episodes 13-14 Of “My Dearest” That Had Us In Tears

“My Dearest” continues to pull hearts out of our chests this week as we lead up to the most painful reunion imaginable. Lee Jang Hyun (Namgoong Min) has yearned for Yoo Gil Chae (Ahn Eun Jin) despite knowing that she’s Goo Won Moo’s (Ji Seung Hyun’s) wife now. His only consolation is his hope that she’s happier this way without him. But little does he know that she’s been dragged into a hell she…

[latestflix]

Kill Boksoon

Release Date: March 31, 2023 | Netflix 

SYNOPSIS: 

At work, she's a renowned assassin. At home, she's a single mom to a teenage girl. Killing is easy. It's parenting that's the hard part. 

REVIEW: 

Gil Boksoon is one of the top killers at an 'assassin agency' in Korea. She tries to balance her murder contracts with raising her rebellious teenage daughter. Whilst the action sequences are reminiscent of John Wick there is enough interaction between mother and daughter to engage the audience and set this aside from just being a capricious action film. There are suitable references between Gil's childhood and her teen daughter Jaeyoung to see that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. 

There are great action sequences such as the initial confrontation on Seoul’s Dongha Bridge and the Vladivostok saloon to name a few, and you'd think that the last thing we need is another John Wick wannabe, but there is enough substance to make it stand apart from the crowd and hold its head up high. 

CAST: Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Kim Si-a, Esom, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Seung-o, Lee Yeon, Choi Byung-mo, Kim Ki-cheon, Park Kwang-jae, Jang In-sub

[solplparty]

[MV] Honey Pepper(허니페퍼) - Life Goes On https://youtu.be/PdNuUjSdkLo Artist : Honey Pepper(허니페퍼) Album Title : Life Goes On Release Date : 2022-10-27 Genre : 락, 인디 #ROCK #인디 #허니페퍼 ■ Mirrorball Music http://mirrorballmusic.co.kr/ https://www.facebook.com/mirrorballmusic https://twitter.com/mirrorballmusic https://www.instagram.com/mirrorballmusic_official/ [ABOUT] ���중한 존재가 우리의 곁을 떠났을 때, 그 빈자리는 남겨진 사람들의 몫이 된다. 부정, 슬픔, 분노, 추억, 인정 등 사람에 따라 다르게 시간들을 보내지만 결국 우리들의 시간은 동일하게 흘러간다. 그리고 살아지고, 살아 나아간다. 2022년 드러머 윤주원의 합류 후 새로운 걸음의 신호탄. 밴드 허니페퍼의 3년만에 발매되는 디지털 싱글 [Life Goes On]은 피할 수 없이 존재했던, 존재하는, 존재할 남겨진 우리들을 위한 응원가이다. 나아지지 않는 시간들을 버텨내는 모든 우리들에게 위로가 되길 바란다. [CREDIT] Band Honey Pepper - Myung Gil Chi(Guitar), Kyung Joon Kim(Vocal), Seok Ju Jang(Bass), Joon Ho Park(Guitar), Joo Won Yun(Drums) Produced by Honey Pepper Music by Kyung Joon Kim, Joon Ho Park Lyrics by Kyung Joon Kim Instrument Recorded by Honey Pepper at Orca Music Studio Instrument Recording Supervisor Tae Bong An (Orca Music Studio) Vocal Recorded by Tae Bong An (Orca Music Studio) Vocal Edited by Jung Hoon Seo (Orca Music Studio) Mixed by Tae Bong An (Orca Music Studio) Mastered by Seung Hee Kang (Sonic Korea) Album Cover Designed by PLUSMINUS20 미러볼 뮤직 - Mirrorball Music

[afza147]

my comeback drama for end2018

not in the mood to do review..coz busying update on instagram

but i think i will make time to upload some moments on tumblr

MY LIST OF DRAMA FOR END 2018:

1.Encounter/boyfriend

2.Clean with passion for now

3.my strange hero,kang bok su

4.flutering warning (”drop)sorry not very great at ep5/6 and i drop

[k-star-holic]

Lee Seung-gi Lee Da-in marriage is real? public couple - 'new bride' Jang Na-ra also suffered marriage theory

[drivingsideways]

2021 Kdrama Year in Review

2021 has been a very mixed year for me as far as drama watching goes. I started by watching at least 3 shows simultaneously and now I'm ending with watching maybe 1 episode a week, if I remember to. (Wheel of Time, in case you're wondering :D) .

On the kdrama side, I think I've probably dropped more dramas than I finished, especially ones that aired this year. I didn't get past two episodes of Sisyphyus: The Myth (sob!my Cho Seung-woo loving heart is a desert) and I dropped Jirisan post episode 10 (more sobbing for Kim Eun-hee nim and the Jujubes); Reflection of You seemed like a promising lesbian-arthouse drama, but poisoned itself with heterosexuality early on, and I had to drop it despite Shin Hyun-been's prodigious, chameleon-like talent and Go Hyun-jung's everything.

I discovered, binged on and loved 2020's Hospital Playlist season 1 this year, and then was incredibly disappointed by the lacklustre season 2 (except by the music, Let's Forget It is my top song of the year).

Another "oldie" that I watched this year was 2019's "Melo is my Nature" which I've written about here, and which really is THE perfect rom com, and in conjunction with 2021's Run On made me think that kdrama romances needn't suck. But the sensibilities of these two and 2020's Into the Ring (reviewed here) are more the exception than the rule in this genre, I've found.

For reasons that don't need explaining at this juncture, around mid-year, I decided that kdrama romances and the associated fandom were Very Much Not For Me, which basically put about 60% of what gets aired and is accessible to me out of my to-watch list; in a move I can only describe as a self-goal, I then went ahead and watched twenty hours of 2014's Fated to Love You anyway. On the plus side, this definitely cured any lingering temptation to watch kdrama romance while also making me root for the Jang (squared) Heist-Romance drama that surely somebody, somewhere is writing the script for even at this moment. The power of the Jangs cannot and should not be denied. (as an aside, someday I should probably write the meta on the line between Jang Na Ra's character in FTLY and Kim Shin-ah's character in Chief of Staff as a meditation on the more-things-change-the-more-they-stay-the-same on the merry-go-round of misogyny)

I thought Move to Heaven and Squid Game existed on a continuum of butter-smooth Netflix era kdrama: easy to consume and easy to forget; Hellbound, later in the year, was more of the same. I've forgiven The Silent Sea a lot of its, hmm, gonna go with lack-of-smartness, for the incomparable Bae Doona, which is obviously entirely reasonable of me; but if you're going to watch a space themed Korean media product for the year, please let it be the ridiculously fun and marshmallow-soft movie Space Sweepers. (KIM TAE RI, KIM TAE RI, KIM TAE RI etc)

In the crime/ thriller/ political genre, which became my go-to dramas once I factored out romance, I found two of the year's biggest hits Beyond Evil and The Devil Judge banal in their world view and mediocre-to-bad on almost every other count- script, editing, performances. If you must pick one to watch, Beyond Evil is better by leaps and bounds, not the least because it does have outstanding performances- Gil Hae-yeon as a corrupt, abusive councilwoman and Choi Dae-hoon as her traumatized son; Choi Seung-un is a star and I hope I will get to see her in something good really soon!

I really enjoyed 2020's Nobody Knows, not the least because Kim Seo-hyung in turtle-necks and long coats is clearly our reward for surviving this life. If you're catching up with Lee Jung-jae's filmography post Squid Game, 2019's Chief of Staff isn't bad as a political drama, though Lee Jung-jae's stardom quite obviously warped the entire thing, in the same way that it did Squid Game's ending.

So! Best dramas of 2021?

In the order that I watched them:

Run On

This is a series I became more fond of in hindsight than while I was actually watching it! I think that's because the entire plotless, feelings-only vibe is a bit difficult to sustain in a continuously engaging way over 16 episodes; a lot of the quirkiness of the series relied on its dialogue, which I think, didn't always translate well into English (no shade on the translators, who are obviously doing the best they can in demanding circumstances). Some of my tension with the series came from a ham-handed Schrödinger's lesbian subplot for one of the characters- that part dimmed my enjoyment of a series that was, I thought ,fundamentally queer in its worldview. But! once it was done, I was able to savour its ambition and its main conceit- pulling off a "rom com" that's actually about two people falling in love with themselves as much as each other, while avoiding the pitfall of navel-gazing whinginess in the characters. This is a show that's got a very soft heart, and doesn't mind showing it: what else is life for, it seems to ask, if not for choosing to be kind to ourselves as much as others, if not to show our love and revel in giving and receiving it?

Mine

I've written a long-ish review here about everything that I loved about this genre-defying series, and I don't have anything more to add to that, except to say, watch it and thank me later!

Deserter Pursuit

This is probably the most obviously hard to watch, given its subject matter. I think what I essentially enjoyed about the show is that it knew what it wanted to say and said it well. It's not experimental in aesthetics or story structure and its emotional beats are predictable. But the familiarity of these things doesn't detract from your emotional and intellectual experience of the story- a trick that Squid Game didn't quite pull off, imho-instead it allows you to have just enough of a safety net that allows you to separate the fictional from the factual; the show offers you catharsis without absolution- a pretty difficult thing to pull off, usually, in stories about war. Jung Hae-in is currently in some kind of drama jail for Snowdrop, I think (?) but I enjoyed him in this; though the real revelation for me was Koo Kyo-hwan who should clearly be in all of the things, all of the time.

Inspector Koo

I've been resisting writing a review of this, because I...don't know how to? Inspector Koo's charm lies partly in its outlandish premise and plot, it's zany, theater-esque screenplay and performances, and mostly in its self-aware, utterly joyful enjoyment of its own absurdity. It's a show that's deeply painful but also absolutely hilarious; a show about being women in a post Me Too, post truth, post-everything world; when our species is hurtling towards its inevitable end, is there any point to an individual pulling themselves out of a landfill? And that too, for some arguably quaint- perhaps even archaic- idea of justice? Koo Kyung-yi (Lee Young-ae) and Song Yi-kyung (Kim Hye-jun) are harlequins in our late-capitalist theatre; beneath their comedy is unspeakable tragedy, truth that's only palatable if you approach it sideways, or in secret, private places, in dark woods, or in dreams where you throw yourself from a moving car or face it with a shotgun, (like Kim Hae-sook in a mindblowing performance as Director Yong). "Rookie" writer team Chung So-yi and director Lee Jung-hyeum barely make a misstep in the show; the performances are uniformly engaging, with a special shout out to Kim Hye-jun who's an actual movie star; Lee Young-ae's years of experience show in her equal parts-wacky-yet-restrained and deeply emotional performance, and oh, yes, my fave fave fave Kwak Sun-young gets to shine as Koo Kyung-yi's best friend, co-conspirator, sometimes-betrayer and love interest (fight me!). In short- if there's one kdrama you're going to watch in the last three days of this year, let it be this one!

[elderflowergin]

Heya, me again! Thank you for getting into it with me. I finished Hot Stove League, what a fun and learning time. I honestly do not find baseball to be at all interesting but this one made me sit through it, and enjoy learning! I agree about Mr Bark and Mr Kwon here, I think they would have, at some point, loved to pulverize eachother from the face of the earth, but in the end came together for Dreams! And Park EunBin! I adore her so much, too much. AHH, what a delight, how amazing is she!

About JangHyun, I am looking forward to his growth. I think Part 1 was about GilChae's growth and part 2 will be his, I'm looking forward to seeing him unlock all of that trauma from his body and release it. Their parting was so horrible horrible horrible. I'm glad I wasn't online much after watching ep10, just so I could l figure out my own feelings about that ending without the many voices getting into my head.

Anyway, I think he will repent.

I'm so team GilHyun or JangChae that my assessment of both in the last EP is that they are both in the spectrum of the the five stages of grief, him: shock and her, maybe anger or somewhere further along the line. I hope I'm making sense. Because he returned to Joseon with the idea that he and GC will be talking about their future, he said they would when he 'proposed' to her before he left. And GC was probably overwhelmed when she saw him alive after thinking that he was dead for so long.(PS: what a horrific way to realise that you love someone). Maybe after a long time reflecting, he may, may, understand that he was asking far too much(the fact that YeonJun said things that make sense before Janghyun was able to see it says a lot.)

I'm very interested in how GC feels about RyangEum.

Extremely proud of GilChae( very sad that we have to keep emphasising this). I'm looking forward to their conversations in the future. To GilHyun or JangChae.🥂

Dearest Anon, I still don’t know how baseball is played but I’m glad that wasn’t necessary to enjoy the show.

I loved Park Eun-bin so much - she’s so smart and gutsy and hotheaded and full of love for her team. I deeply enjoyed her protecting Baek Seung-soo (and on occasion his one cheap suit) by throwing a shot glass at a player built like a tank. I enjoyed Oh Jung-se’s character very much as well - there’s a wonderful scene where he’s with his cousin who drops his key and waits for Oh Jung-se to pick it up - which of course Oh Jung-se does since this cousin will be his boss someday, and Baek Seung-soo observes this moment from his car. Lovely character work in that single thirty second scene.

Thank you for those amazing observations about Gil-chae and Jang Hyeon - it makes so much sense! I think they are deeply misaligned and I agree with you that they are also in two different stages of grief. I think Gil-chae tries to meet him in the middle, but Jang Hyeon didn’t wish to move at all (perhaps partly because he was in shock, as you pointed out). I hope like you do that he reflects on and regrets how he treated her. If there is one very sore point I have with the show, it is that they made Yeon-jun of all people (!!!) say the right thing to Jang-hyeon.

I think you were completely right to stay mostly offline for the post episode 10 discussions. I read very little and backed out. I think it’s just part of a larger cultural conversation that we tend to give men far more grace and leeway than we offer women. I find it ironic here because the characters literally live in an era where men had a lot of leeway to begin with and women had very little (and the show takes pains to address this too!), so it’s a real choice to place even higher expectations and tighter leeway on the women and doing the opposite for men. But this has been going on longer than the internet has been alive, I guess.

Anon, thank you so much for coming by and making these very cool and wise observations. As you progress in your Namgoong Min deep dive, please always know you can come hang out here, link arms virtually and tell me (and us!) all the Namgoong Min feelings. Here’s a hug if you’ll have one! 🫂

[kdrama-movies-more]

Choi Ji-hyeok(Park Seung-gil)

(google translate)

Rookie actor Choi Ji-hyuk recalled the moment he became “Seung-gil” in the JTBC drama “Hip” and said, “Is it a dream or reality?” Movie 'Ordinary Day' This was because it was the first big role given to him, who had dreamed of becoming an actor mainly through independent films and small roles. He said that it was only after he went to the set and stood in front of the camera that he realized that it was not a dream but reality.

-How did you join the project?

▶I joined after auditioning. I wasn't expecting anything. While I was on my way to work part-time, I received a phone call saying they had sent me a script and asked me to read it. I thought it was a passing role, but when I read the script, it turned out to be a huge role. If you didn't believe it at first, did you think it was a casting scam? I also thought about it. (Laughs) Because it is a very big role for me. I really, really like (director Kim Seok-yoon’s) 'My Liberation Journal' I couldn't believe I was appearing in the director's work. Is it a dream or is it real? (Laughs) I think it was only when I got to the scene that I realized it.

-How did you prepare?

▶I tried to sympathize more with the characters by imagining their pain and past stories that were not revealed in detail. I created my own behind-the-scenes story to think more about what it would be like to be in a relationship with senior Lee Min-ki (played by Jang Yeol) and to immerse myself in it. I became more immersed in the story, thinking about what kind of person Jang-yeol was to me, and that the older brother who had been nagging me who had beenabandoned by his parents and lived in a convent, actually cared for me a lot and was with me through difficult times. Jang-yeol was like an indispensable family member to Seung-gil.

-When you got to the scene, did you feel like you had a big role to play?

▶ While preparing, I was contacted by the make-up team and the costume team, and only then did I start to realize it little by little. (The director) allowed me to express my emotions a little more. I understand what the intention was, but I was very nervous because it was my first time on a scene like that. I think I expressed my preparations regretfully. Still, the coaches and seniors around me guided me well.

-How was your experience on set?

▶I was able to work comfortably on the independent film set because I was more familiar with it. It was my first time watching a drama. I thought I wasn't nervous, but when I got home, I felt really nervous, and only then did I realize how nervous I was. The scale was large and it felt like a professional venue. It was difficult to watch the storyboard and think about the movement line. The first scene was the bathhouse scene with Jang Yeol, and I tried not to be nervous, but I was nervous. This is my first time meeting senior Lee Min-ki as well as the staff. It was early in the morning and I remember feeling nervous.

-Were there any difficulties when acting? What did you feel after seeing your performance?

▶I felt sorry for myself. While acting 'squeak' There was a moment when she thought she had done it, but after that it felt like it wasn't working out. She was very worried. Watching the broadcast, I loved it, but at the same time I was nervous and disappointed. While watching, I thought about what the director said. It was a time of self-reflection. (Laughs) I received a lot of contact from people around me, and I felt proud at the same time. Since I saw my shortcomings, I thought about how I should improve in the future.

-My current concern is...

▶I don't have an agency and have to do everything on my own. I wonder if I am doing it. I want to be active a little more. If you do that, you might be able to meet a good company.

-For Choi Ji-hyuk, acting is.

▶For me, it is a resting place. While filming 'Hip-Hope', I felt that I really liked acting. Even if I filmed 2 to 3 minutes a day, I went to the scene an hour or two early. Even waiting was so much fun. Of course, I still have a lot to learn in terms of acting, and I feel stressed at that time, but I am working on it thinking of it as a process that will help me improve further in the future. It's so nice to go to the field.

-What kind of acting do you want to try?

▶'My Mister' 'Liberation Journal' is the drama of my life. I received a lot of comfort while watching this drama. I want to play a character like Jian. I think I can receive comfort through acting, and I also want to convey comfort through acting.

-You mostly filmed with Lee Min-ki, what did you talk about? ▶I was nervous. He tried to free him. When we meet for the first time 'You and I are brothers from now on, we should become friends starting today' He said. (Laughs) It was so difficult for me that I didn’t know what to say. (Laughs) He took great care of me. Senior Han Ji-min always smiled brightly, asked me if I had eaten, and even gave me a hot pack. I thought that when I become a senior, I should take care of my juniors like this. I also remember senior Suho welcoming me with a really bright smile. I remembered that they invited me to a musical so I went to see it and said hello. What I felt while watching my seniors was the power to immerse myself in a moment. The look in his eyes changed drastically. I learned a lot about immersing myself in my role. It was a time when I felt that I wanted to become a good senior. -Director Kim Seok-yoon's directing. ▶ (Director Kim Seok-yoon) 'My Liberation Journal I really, really like him; I couldn't believe I was appearing in the director's work. Is it a dream or is it real? (Laughs) I think that’s why it was more difficult on set. The director made me feel really comfortable. The director said it was okay to express more. They told me to be free, but that didn't work out. I guess I can't hear him well because I'm nervous. I answer, but when I actually film it, it doesn't go well, and when I go home, I say, 'Oh, that's it.' There was a lot of time to think.

Actor Choi Ji-hyuk / News1 ⓒ News1 Reporter Kwon Hyun-jin

-How did you dream of becoming an actor? ▶I became curious about acting after watching the movie 'The Attorney'. When she was in her third year of middle school, she was contemplating going on to higher education and told her parents that she wanted to pursue acting, which prompted her to start acting. At first, my parents were worried because they thought I was saying that because I didn't want to study. My older sister, who went into arts and physical education first, helped me a lot. After that, I studied acting while going to an arts high school and have always dreamed of becoming an actor. -What was it like trying acting? ▶I was really young when I was a student. The theory seemed boring. Then I started filming a short film, and it was so much fun to be in front of the camera. I thought a lot about why I want to act and why I do it. I thought about my goal. At first, acting seemed cool. Then, when I became an adult and went through a really difficult time, I realized how much I loved acting. I wanted to convey to others the comfort I felt while acting. I hope someone sees my acting and finds comfort. -What is the reaction of the family? ▶They love it so much. They watch me working hard. When I was going through a difficult time personally, my family was really worried. At that time, I didn't have time to look around. They couldn't even care about me. Now that I think about it, I feel very sorry. - I think it was a time when I matured a lot. At the same time, my desperation for acting also seems to have grown. ▶I was always desperate, but my attitude toward acting changed as I spent my early 20s. When I saw my colleagues working hard, I felt envious and impatient. But now, I guess I'm looking at my acting career for a longer period of time. I realized that acting itself is very important in order to make a living as an actor. I feel a lot more at ease. -Do you have any goals as an actor? If you imagine me 10 years from now. ▶I want to become an actor who doesn't settle. There are seniors I respect in terms of acting, and I learn a lot from watching them constantly act and improve without becoming complacent. I want to develop further and become an actor who can play all roles. Rather than saying, “Choi Ji-hyuk is acting,” I want to act in a way that makes me look like the role I’m playing. 10 years later, he was recognized for his acting skills and said, “That actor is good at acting.” I want to hear your evaluation.

[immortal-tale]

I'm actually weeping to these words, and my eyes were already painful when I watched "The Boy in Striped Pajamas" for the 3rd time.

The sentences to save Kim Dokja...

------------------------------------------------------‐

Han Su-Yeong always wanted to write certain sentences for people like that. To write sentences for those people who couldn’t say or write anything.

⸢The idiot that unquestioningly took the lemon candy offered as a joke and sucked on it.⸥

“Kim Dok-Ja!”

...

Mandalas were unfurled on both sides of her as she began loading her Fable. While wiping away the blood trickling down her nose, she smiled weakly.

“Dok-Ja-ssi.”

⸢The man who hid in the cabinet alone to read the ‘Ways of Survival’.⸥

...

“I shall hold onto the inside!”

“I’m on the left!”

Jeong Hui-Won and Yi Hyeon-Seong letting out a loud, spirited yell began clinging onto the circle as well.

⸢The man who silently listened to the boring stories from the military.⸥

Yi Hyeon-Seong yelling out unleashed his Fable, and Jeong Hui-Won next to him matched his timing.

⸢Stinking stubborn mull of a damned troublemaker.⸥

“Dok-Ja-ssi! Answer us! You can hear us, right??”

And now, Yi Seol-Hwa and Gong Pil-Du added their hands next.

⸢The man who searched for medicinal herbs throughout the night for the sake of his companions.⸥

⸢The bastard who stole all of my lands.⸥

“Ahjussi!”

“Hyung!”

The two kids also rushed in. The small hands of Shin Yu-Seung and Yi Gil-Yeong were placed on Han Su-Yeong’s one at a time.

⸢The man who always lied to reassure someone else.⸥

⸢However, the man who wasn’t very good at lying.⸥

Right behind them was Yi Ji-Hye wielding her sword. She used her fists to slam into the circle. She hit it, then hit it again and again.

“I can’t say something that cringy, anyway! So, just come out already!!”

⸢Squid ahjussi.⸥

Different memories of everyone from different time and place – all those sentences of every single moment gathered together and wished for one Kim Dok-Ja.

...

⸢Maybe it’s just our greed, wanting to save him?⸥

“Shut up!”

⸢Maybe, he’s not an existence needing to be saved?⸥

The companions also knew it – knew that this action of theirs could be a meaningless one.

That was why they wanted to know.

To ask.

To reach out, and confirm.

“Kim Dok-Ja! I know you’re in there!” Jang Ha-Yeong shouted out. “We talked about this, didn’t we?! Even if we can’t reach each other, even if we can’t meet, we gotta keep pounding on the wall until the end, right?? Even if the wall would never open up, we agreed to keep writing something on it, didn’t we?!”

Even if we can’t reach each other, even if we can’t meet each other, we should continue to pound away on each other’s walls.

Even if that wall would never open up, keep writing something on that wall, anyway.

“When we do that, then maybe, someone might end up seeing our words someday….!”

Then maybe, just maybe, you might finally want to come out of that place.

“Please! Say something! Anything! Please-!”

And so, Jang Ha-Yeong’s palm slammed into the full stop. And in the very next moment…

[dangermousie]

My Top Dozen anticipated kdramas, from most to least:

Island - I am a big fan of Kim Nam Gil and I like Lee Da Hee though ten eps and multiple seasons make me very very cautious.

Snow Drop - if the netizens don’t manage to get this canceled, that is. Fascinating time period and Jung Hae In is a really solid actor.

Tale of the Secret Royal Inspector and Jo Yi - am a sucker for a sageuk! Taec is charming in the right role and I love Kim Hae Yoon.

When Flowers Bloom I Think of the Moon - a story about the prohibition period in Korea is not the most exciting topic for tours truly, but Yoo Seung Ho has done an insane number of sageuks and has been wonderful in each one, so! Plus Hyeri is adorable!

Our Blues - that ensemble cast is insane (and yay for Kim Won Bin being back on my screen, pls stay healthy!) and Noh Hee Kyung is my favorite screenwriter so yes please.

Now We Are Breaking Up - noona romance with my faves Song Hye Kyo and Jang Ki Yong, mmmm!

Cliffhanger - dumb name but I love Joo Ji Hoon and Jeon Ji Hyun.

Taejong Yi Bang Won - a 36 episodes traditional sageuk about the founder of Joseon played by Mousie huge favorite, the insanely underrated Joo Sang Wook with an insanely good supporting cast. I have clearly been a very good girl and this is my reward.

Red Cuff of the Sleeve - Yi San’s angsty love life is on our screen yet again! Heh. Jun Ho is a rare idol who can act and Lee Se Young is wonderful in a sageuk and I love me some romantic tragedy!

Lovers of the Red Sky - not the world’s biggest fan of AHS (beautiful man, mediocre actor) but KYJ is beyond solid and female painter/blind prince set up is screaming my name at an insane volume!

Red Single Heart - not sure why the red theme, Jang Hyuk in a meaty sageuk!!!

Yeonmo - angsty love story, cross dressing heroine, bodyguard romance GIMMEEEEE

[tomorrowsdrama]

Top 5 Comfort Characters

Tagged by @what-breaks-my-heart

In no particular order

Domyouji Tsukasa from Hana Yori Dango as played by Matsujun - yeah so he starts off as a maladjusted violent bully but he’s also such an idiot in love who changes for the better on his own volition so that he, super rich heir to a major conglomerate, may be a human worthy of Tsukushi’s love. I just love his curly haired dumb ass.

Lee Gun from Fated to Love You as played by Jang Hyuk - so hot, so ridiculous, the gratuitous wet t shirt scene, that dumb laugh can brighten up anybody’s mood

Oska from Secret Garden as played by Yoon Sang Hyun - og kdrama himbo played by under-appreciated dilf Yoon Sang Hyun looking his finest. Lol I’m starting to sense a theme here

Minglan from The Story of Minglan as played by Zhao Liying - so smart and brave in her own way and one of the best fleshed out female characters in a drama I’ve seen so far. She’s super serious and proper but on the flip side, she’s also someone who just wants to sleep in, drink wine, and munch on late night snacks. Can totally relate.

Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon - one of my favorites growing up and will always have a place in my heart. Just a regular teenager who hates exams, wants to fall in love, loves food but wants to stay fit at same time, and fights for justice. One of the best portrayals of female friendship I’ve seen from a shoujo manga and elsewhere.

So I guess himbos and loyal girls who love to eat bring me comfort lol

Honorable mentions: Dokko Jin from The Best Love played by Cha Seung Won, Dae Gil from Chuno played by Jang Hyuk (ok he’s tragic but like, his always glistening abs give me comfort), Makino Tsukushi from HYD played by Inoue Mao, Honda Toru from Fruits Basket, Haruhi from Host Club

Tagging @dangermousie @orsuliya @arizona-trash-bag @rocknghorss