gongyoyo

I'm also on the fence as to whether Dong Hae was a jerk or not, he seemed so "light" compared to all others on the list. I guess my biggest beef is that he was keeping Panda away from Papa Gu (whom I had crushed fiercely on recently). But he won me over quickly, too. I love Panda as well, I don't know why so many people dislike it. I guess it's just because it is slow, simple, and sweet. Must be boring for some because there's very little drama and a lot of love. I was ready for some of that for a change.

And probably never will… then you'll have to take it out on your own boyfriend/husband, poor things ;)

Seung Jo, huh… he really does fit in the jerk category, but not the type I like… for some reason he bored me to death, so I would not fit him in the jerks I hate to love category. I wish I felt this way with all jerks!
Shining Inheritance is totally recommended for the category, Lee Seung Gi plays the biggest jerk of all his career in this one. I guarantee you, you will bloody hate his guts for the entire first half of the drama, no matter how much you love him coming in. And then he really manages to turn it around and you go and fall for it. He really is king of lovable jerks.

Hi… just sent you a friend request. I started with doramas for the same reason, and HanaDan is in my top dramas of all times even though I thought I'd hate it--I loved the manga so much. Also, Tampopo is one of my favorite movies, Japanese or otherwise. So I thought we might want to keep tabs on each other :)

@angelito, I guess Howl does fit in the spellbinding jerk category. I love him! Although I favor Totoro, I mean, it has a catbus...

I really think there's also our insecurities to blame. Someone changing the jerk makes us feel special, and specially loved. All great in dramaland, not in real life.

The insidious, totally flawed thought pattern:

1. Guy is a jerk. (so far, so good)
2. If I can change jerk, that proves I must be cool, or pretty, or amazing in some other way… right? (wrong. it may just be boobs. jerks, too, can confuse desire with love in a long-lasting, character-changing way. that is, in real life)
3. If total a**hole that has never loved anyone cares for me and makes a 180, that means it is true love and it will last forever (out of dramaland: wrong… his goodness will probably last all of two months, until he realizes how hard it is to keep from being a jerk all the time, especially if he already got you in bed)

So much for changing the jerk...

That happens sooner or later ;)

Excellent points.

I love your current new crush. He is one of mine too. Looking forward to his next projects...

Not just you, most of us! that's why so many series have them, why those series always strike gold, why teenage girls invariably get their hearts broken, and why good guys in real life hardly ever get a girl until they're in their twenties. There must be something wrong with having two X chromosomes. This falling for the bad boy thinking they'll change for us is so WRONG. But it is still quite fun to enjoy it vicariously on TV ;)

I couldn't agree more, I hated being a teenager in Spain and having no choice but to tag along drunk friends unless I wanted to stay home and read my books (which I did plenty often, anyway). I've never drank much myself but it sure sucked until we grew up some and it became easier to find sober mates to hang with. But visiting Japan I did see those meetings of coworkers + boss getting totally hammered. It did not fit into my controlled and clean image of Japan, but I suppose every culture needs to give room for people to go wild, and we each give the room in a different area of life. That's one of the things I love about dramas… even if they are not true to real life in the country where the story happens, they at least make you think about your own by comparison.

Was he? Must watch!

LOVE THIS! Very important topic, since I hardly ever like a drama without its main jerk in it. My personal faves:

#1 GOLD Domyoji (Hana Yori Dango), the kid was a bloody sociopath and an idiot (as in mentally delayed) to boot, but I loved him anyway… WTF???
#2 SILVER Kim Joo-won (Secret Garden), what a pompous, self-righteous p*** he was! And who was he to criticise anyone with the clothes he went around wearing, anyway?
#3 BRONZE Your pick of Lee Seung Gi horrid full-of-themselves immature morons that turned into loving puppies--from K2H to Shining Inheritance passing through my girlfriend is a Gumiho.

Looking forward to part deux, trois, and as many others as may come. Meanwhile I guess we should start looking for some therapist that can offer us a good fee as a group, because how we keep on liking these men totally beats me <3

The only one I miss in this list is Gong Yoo, he looks like such a happy kid when he smiles it brightens up my day. Nevertheless I heart all of the above :)

I wonder how it is in Korea, in Japan getting drunk together is part of networking in your career. It is odd to me, in Spain it is part of socializing but strictly in your personal life, you are supposed to get drunk with your friends (I hate it). But one would never do it with the boss and co-workers… It's why I love dramas, you see such diversity across cultures.

Staples that make me really hungry and frustrated during drama watching… aarrgh!!! Cup ramen does not cut it!

Well, poor people in Spain do have the smartphone. It is because it is cheaper for them to get the cellphone contract and not have a landline, and the company gives away the phone if you commit to a 2 year contract. So it may be possible to have a super-dooper cell and not be able to gather the $150 you need for glasses, which you cannot pay in installments or be given as part of a contract. Who knows how it is in Korea, though.

This is true, but overused? Even half the people in Spain are carrying the Samsung Galaxy during this insane economic crisis, I really think this is just a reality. Cellphones have become our lives, and Korea is (according to studies) the most connected country in the world. You're nobody without the smartphone. Unlimited battery, however, does get abused quite a bit, LOL.

This is funny…
Another thing that comes to mind are those phone straps (bought/made just as a gift or as a matching pair). They appear quite often. I guess they're declining now with the bigger smartphones, but they're in so many series! Koizora and Cheongdamdong Alice come to mind, but there's gotta be a million other series where phone charms play a role out there...

I agree, lots more… only I've been through so many I'm running out of candidates! And I watched panda when i was stranded with viki this summer in spain, where the choices for viki are really limited ;) I'll check your list see what you're up to, hehe.