NinaJade82

King2Hearts was not that well received in South Korea because of the implications of a union with North Korea. The problem is not about peace, it boils down to political views. South Korea and North Korea were once one country, it got divided between the communist and the anti-communist. South Korea is called The Republic of Korea because the government is a constitutional republic. As long as North Korea is ruled by a communist government (scratch that and replace with DICTATORSHIP) South Korea won't be joining with them.
As far as allies; US has troops in South Korea because the South Korean government allows it. Of course there is bound to be a general negative opinion about this, and there are many things we can say about it that won't end in this comment, but truth is the government allows it, US didn't take over South Korea. So they are allies, yes, this would apply.

No. If Im not too interested at the moment I try them, I put them on hold for later. You know one is not always in the mood to watch all the dramas. Like the Japanese drama LIFE which is very interesting, but it is very sad as well, and I do want to watch it but Im waiting for when my mood is not as sensitive as it has been lately. -_-
I wish I could watch all the dramas at the same time too hahahaha but I can't. :3

I will. You know I try everything you recommend, and even if its not my style I give it a try ^ ^
Ill add it to my list. <3

My Chingunessa! (dont ask me what that means lol)
Take all your time, Ill be here for you when you get back. ;)
And you have to tell me how the exhibit went. It sounds very exciting and tiring as well, hope you rest at least because you need to be all energized for our discussion LOL.

Photophobia has me intrigued. Is it photos, paintings...? It sounds like its about photos from the title, damn I sound dumb. Nway, I'm just curious. ^ ^

Hey, hey, hey, heeeeeey... how are things? Been busy these days? *sniff, sniff* miss our conversations.

Hi Bladey, its been a while. How are you? I have been doing okay. Been busy these days with family visiting over, but things are fun here ^ ^
Well Golden Empire is by far one of the best dramas I have watched. It is the best drama I have watched this year, and it is the best written drama I have ever watched. So I don't know how else to tell you that it is a must watch, but it all depends on your taste for dramas and whether you have liked other things I have recommend before, it can be tricky hahaha. But please give it a try and let me know what you think of it. ^ ^
Thanks for stopping by... I never forget our conversations. :)

A GREAT analysis! Much of which I agree with, but I also have a different perspective regarding Tæ-joo's right to the Group & what (I believe) really led him astray. <--- hmmm... interesting, curious to know what it you think led him astray. Now that I think about it, I never really thought of what could have led him astray. I think he set out to do something and started doing it the wrong way... revenge is never the answer to anything, so just because he thought it was I think this consumed him.

I know I said I was going to bed and I am hahaha... I just read your message and thought of this, and could not help myself. LOL.

Alright my chingu, talk to you tomorrow, probably night for you. ;)

Jezzy mi amiga, I did like Secret Garden up until episode 19 hahahaha. I know it sounds crazy, but I didn't like the last two episodes. Now that said, it has nothing to do with why it isn't on my list.

I miss you and our crazy exchange of eye-candy! ^ ^

Forgive all grammatical errors... jeez the beginning of this sentence was like this: forgibe all dramatical erros... <--- see? I need to go to bed. :p

Ill be back for more discussion. I know it won't end here. Hahaha.

All in all, the ending was weak compared to the whole drama. But it was not without it's sense despite being a bit weird. If they would have done the suicide scene differently then it might have made more sense. Still, I think his last call going to Seo Yoon tells us that despite him hating her and her family, he couldn't help but be attracted to her like a freaking magnet (and Im not implying love, although I would love for that to happen as well) I think there were lots of layers to their relationship that were left undeveloped due to number of episodes. But, I'll leave it here... I have to go to bed.

I did give it a 10 even though I would love a stronger ending, and I do think that it is one of the best dramas I have ever watched in my whole life. It teaches so much about life and the human nature, it is impossible for someone to say it's not worth watching. ;)

The actor who did Min Jae is awesome. I love that guy hahahaha.

So, like I said, from the start Tae Joo is dark, negative, anti-hero... he is not going to end well.
My idea of Tae Joo winning would have been for him to go to jail and face having become the very man he hated up till the end. Would have been, Tae Joo telling Sul Hee how much he cares for her as a person and because she did all she did (stupid idiot) for him, but that he truly doesn't love her. Not from the depths of his twisted heart. Would have been Tae Joo going back to Seo Yoon and telling her how much he admired her as a woman and that all the nasty things he said to her was just because he felt intimidated by her and angry that she could see right through him and bring out all his weakness when he was trying so hard to hide them. Like when she pointed out how he claimed to be doing all that for his father yet he was so embarrassed to even look at his father's portrait every year. Why? Because he knew he had diverted from the path of good, and was no longer doing something for his father's honor. It would have been Tae Joo setting out (after years in jail) to do what he wants to do, from the beginning, from scratch (with legality or not) but with the right to say he is not taking anything from anyone, but building everything himself. That would have been a slap in the face for Seo Yoon and her family. That would have been true vengeance for his father's death. That would have been honorable. Tae Joo had so much potential to be a hero, but all he became was a miserable soul. Yet, I still rooted for him. Why? Because he is the main character of this story. It is his life, his point of view, his dream... that is why. And Go Soo nailed it. He just took Tae Joo and turned him into someone real. No other words can describe it better.

I don't wish to get into politics, but I always tend to go there. I guess being Cuban and having lived communism in its prime, and having experienced what is like to be under a directatorship, I just can't help myself.

This drama is not just about bussiness, this drama is to show people what happens to presidents when they get in power and become dictators. The transition from having a dream (revolution) to actually obtaining it, and it being not enough (because revolution is too pretty but it never wins) so that in the end, you become a power hungry prostitute like Min Jae, and like Tae Joo eventually became.
Killing himself seemed like Tae Joo, although knowing he had lost his soul to the devil, still was able to look back and see whom he was and why it all started and he was able to put things back to how they were; hence, Seo Yoon keeps the group, and Sul Hee gets to be pretty decorative furniture with money again lol. However, his heart was too consumed by greed and power to turn back 100% because he already taste what it was to be on the very top and rule others, so he is not going to jail, he is not stepping down and facing it, he is taking the coward way out, he is killing himself. A true dictator.

When Tae Joo marries Seo Yoon while Sul Hee (the woman he had any sort of inclinations to love, but I doubt he did love her, more like respected her) goes to jail for HIS crime, he has already become the same man as Seo Yoon's father. The man he hates so much, the man he started all this revenge for because lets face it, his father would have never wanted him to do what he did and Tae Joo knows this, so his "revenge" was not for his father, but for his own ease of mind since he felt guilty he did not warn him of the demolition. He felt so much quilt for being ashamed of his father and for not preventing his death, he has a dream in which his dad tells him to win, to not be like him, a looser. But winning in life is not going off to take over someone else company just because they are the bad guys and deserve to be left with nothing, so you decide you should be the one to take over the job of slapping them to oblivion and taking over their company. Right. Whatever happened to not judging others? He wants to be the judge of his own destiny but he wants to be the judge of Min Jae's and Seo Yoon's as well. And this is my problem with Tae Joo. While he started from nothing and showed he had the makings of a true leader, he also becomes a tyrant, a dictator. He wants to rule the world. EVERYTHING. He doesn't care what it takes anymore, and still he is pointing fingers at Seo Yoon and her father. This I spit on. I hate hypocrisy. It drives me insane.

Yay I was able to post a long comment. Okay continuing:

Tae Joo could have prevent his father's death (he said it himself) and he was embarrassed of his father for being a goody-two-shoes. So here we have a character who is not really under the arc of the "hero" but he is some sort of anti-hero right from the start. He is negative as a character because he is ashamed of his father who is a good man, from a writer's point of view I immediately know he is not ending well. Add to that the drama starts by showing you the worst version of Tae Joo: when he told Sul Hee to take the crime for him. Tsk, tsk. When you love someone, I don't care who you are, you just don't push them in the fire. But... I'll continue... So Tae Joo was good, yes, he was. But he was walking on the dark side, and was heading to hell head first. Only we don't see this on the surface because we want him to win in the end, so we root for him and tend to oversee the small details that tells us he is just not going to ever STOP! After the group (if he would have gotten it) he was not going to STOP.

Again could not post a long message. :(

First let me clarified the end for you, because it seems you have been reading too much into it. One thing is that the words he says at the end aren't said in a "possible" future with Sul hee, he had already told her that once before when he was married to Seo Yoon. I believe it was right after Sul hee comes out of jail. Two, I did think the boat was going to safe him, but when I watched it a second time I realized that Tae Joo wanted to die, so he did. I think that boat might have not even been part of the production LOL.

Okay, now we can move on. Tae Joo's father was a man of poor means, and very humble. He bowed his head to all the big bosses because he was not powerful and had no drive to be either way. He was certainly not a leader, but he was rightful and honorable. And knowing he would never have the power to rule his own destiny, he at least kept his dignity and honor. Which served him for nothing in the end as he died... still, this is what the writers are trying to say, Tae Joo took his father's life experiences and together with the corruption of Min Jae and money, he became the worst version of himself.

Trying to see if I can post long comments.

Don't pout my chingu. I'm sorry I wasn't here. I love being with my father, and I'm happy he has come to visit, but at the same time, it has turned my life upside down and while I do seem to be lots of fun (LMBO... I don't have grandmas no more) I don't like it when my routine is meddled with.

Well, I loved Tae Joo. I didn't hate him exactly, I had a love hate relationship with him. I wanted him to win at the end at all cost, but not by winning the Chair to the group. Why? Because it was never his to begin with. This drama delivers a very strong and simple message that many of us take for granted; and that is to be thankful for what we do have at present, and live by what we preach. Simple. Yet, it is one of the hardest things to accomplish in life. We often want more than what we have/need, and judge others for doing exactly what we do.
Last time it didnt let me post a long message.

SG? Secret Garden? Which list? Mi amiga you know Im slow to catch things hahahahaha. Miss you too. <3

I havent watched yet. I have to get up to date, but my dad is here visiting from Cuba and I have my days full now.
How are you Aki-chan? <3

I just checked and yep. It is the book by Kobo Abe. So there is a movie about this book... hmmm, interesting. I didnt read this book, but I read The Ruined Map and I just saw there is also a movie for this one hahaha. I have got my weekend movie full now. ^ ^

Well My long and detailed message did not post!!! I'm beyond p*&^%$... Ill come back tomorrow and write you again chingu. Sorry.
BTW Woman in the Dunes is that a movie based on a book by Kobo Abe? Because it sounds like it... there is also my favorite of him, The Face of Another and a film of this book was also made. Pretty frightening stuff... ^ ^