mysecretsoul

Oh, the Reply series! Those are the ones with the major shipping wars, right? I genuinely have no idea how I'd react to the couples, since I usually like "the nice guy"/whomever is older. It'd be funny to get angry enough to drop a score, though. XD I've never actually done it out of anger before, though good feelings can bump up a score easily.

I forget if I've asked, but did you find yourself angry at the outcome?

Funnily enough, I'd have answered this message sooner, but I went off in search of food. Between chatting about food and looking at food-related dramas, it was too much. My next K-drama is looking to either be Kimchi Family or Gourmet... so the tread mill and I shall be reacquainted for the next week or so. XD

Haha! So they're divorcing, but each is trying to keep the house? Did they remake that recently? I think they tried it with Jennifer Aniston, for some reason.

That sounds intriguing. Controversial endings are usually my favorite, since I find myself enjoying those that have others dropping their overall score. Soredemo's looking good after Ashita; my next Korean drama will likely be a food or family oriented one, so I'll have ample "heart padding." XD Just dry those eyes with kimchi.

Right? It's a great title. Ah! You've finally gotten me on a classic film. I've never seen The War of the Roses. Is it a divorce-centric story? Because that's an incredible title, too. XD

Ashida Mana is incredible. Like, I'm sincerely blown away. There are veterans actresses way older than her that are much, much worse. If she continues working, I've got a feeling she'll be some kind of mega-actress. I'll keep you posted on the drama itself; apparently, some changes were made in the middle, so....

That would be the one with Yoon Sang Hyun right? I believe there was a very similar one called "The Sasaki Couple's Merciless Battle," with Inagaki Goro. Watched that one many years ago, but never added it to my list (as I barely remember it XD). Those type of dramas really do require a certain mind set.

Oh, right? Dramas like Moteki probably make more sense than most romances, though I wouldn't mind having a moteki myself. XD

Yup! I decided to go with Ashita, Mama Ga Inai. It's a little different than what I expected; with all the controversy, I'd expected something darker and more realistic. But it's only the first episode, so who knows what will happen.

Ah! Soredemo Ikite Yuku... I confess I planned to watch it soon, but had heard it's quite sad. I'm not sure I can handle that level of sad again just yet. With the cast involved, I've no doubt it's as good as everyone says, though.

It does seem like the majority of K-dramas can't find a happy medium between fish kisses and crazy aggressive ones. I must agree about Lee Sung Min, though after Brain, it was difficult to adjust to him being a romantic character anyway. When he went for the kiss, my mind went back to the attempted smooch on Shin Ha Kyun (which was hilarious, haha).

In two cases (Bad Guy, Incarnation of Money), I'm waiting for a time I'm more patient to complete them. If my viewer's conscience allowed it, these are two that would have been dropped. With Saengchori and Fabulous Boys, the mood wasn't right just yet, but they're fine.

As to White Tower and Three Kingdoms, both are completely to my taste, but I'm waiting to complete them with a friend. She went off on a British drama binge some time ago, haha. I might go forward on White Tower soon, though. Nothing can keep me from my Myung Min fixes. XD

Right? After a couple, it makes one curious about the personal lives of Korean scriptwriters everywhere. I find it more fun to pretend things turn out as they do in King of Dramas though, where they all get to date Kim Myung Min at the end. That would make dramas much more calm. XD

There are too few, certainly. Another thing which has started getting on my nerves is the dreaded "love polygon." Dating never felt like a problem to me, but I can't remember a time when 2-3 men swarmed me at any given point. It would be a lot of fun to see a one on one romance, with plain-old relationship issues. >_<

While I found UTW and Eugene's kissing decent for the most part, near the end, there were two instances where it was more like "Wait, what?" There was a little *too* much, though the script seemed to try to portray a passionate couple ->

Definitely. That subtle approach made the feelings seem more tangible, too; not at all like the "forced-down-the-throat" style of many other dramas. What you described (hysterics and wailing) instantly brings to mind One Warm Word. If half the cast wasn't moping, the other half was screaming to high heaven. I still cannot believe that's what people called realistic when it comes to relationships o_o Or maybe I'm mistaken, too. XD

Haha, of course. I wish the title worked better in English, now that you mention it. That silliness adds some of Hana Yori Dango's charm. Something about that situation seems cute, though: "Oh, gosh, why is she watching that bad show? Let's not let that stand." XD

Argh, speaking of recommendations, I'm currently looking for a new K-drama to replace Comrades, but I'm not sure that'll go well.... *_*

He really did lose everything, though at least Private Jeong was spared (to some extent). As beautiful as it was, it makes me sad the last shot of Lee we get is him walking along with new recruits...likely toward the last big battle at the 38th parallel. But any other ending, even knowing his ultimate fate, would probably detract from the impact of the story.

On one hand, it's hard to call anything which centers on war anything *but* male-oriented. Yet Comrades also focuses on the female side of war, as women frequently participated in the Korean conflict. The honest exhibition of emotion would definitely appeal to women too, but as you said, western men are often taught to conceal their own. Somehow, I feel like this drama has wide appeal.

Haha, so you met some drama watchers from overseas? Were they mostly male or a mix? Perhaps it really is just a difference in societal values.

You know, that's true. I suppose what we lose in some sectors we gain in others. There are several male oriented dramas and I confess I've never liked them much; yet even if I didn't, there were always a bevvy of others to select from.

Though, I'm not sure how the Asian men themselves react. It does seem like many of them do watch the dramas, but the standards of masculinity for east and east are somewhat different....

Ah, this is an interesting topic. Somehow I hadn't considered it at all.

*Hands over a box of tissues.* It's awful, right? When writing "you might sob your guts out" in that review, I primarily meant those last few episodes. What makes all the death marginally worse is that most of it happened when Sergeant Lee was not present. It really hits home then how much he'd been protecting the boys. You can see the guilt and agony in Soo Jong's acting, which is just major ouch for viewers haha. ;-;

Oh, gosh, the deserter! Another example of the South being dodgy after that inquisition about the POW camp. >_< His last words, and Sergeant Lee's cradling him after the shots... I actually had to pause after that scene. It was just too much.

Were you able to see the BTS recording at the very end? When the actors are singing the theme together? It's cute, but CSJ seems to be conducting them, even through the music XD ->

Haha, thanks so much. Just do yourself one service: do not watch Comrades directly after Friend, Our Legend. Definitely pad down Friend with some light-hearted stories first. XD

But Sergeant Park just breaks my heart every time I think of him. Much of what happened to him was either uncontrollable or misunderstood, yet he keeps blaming himself for it. I think that's why when they say he used to be amazingly kind, his situation becomes twice as sad. Nobody suffers more than a gentle heart. ;-;

Ah, my feelings about this show are still so raw. XD

Thanks so much for the heads up. It's best to know when such things are present when going into a film or series. Being taken unawares by a disturbing scene usually makes it twice as bad. The friendship story, though, certainly sounds very appealing.

I agree. Sometimes it even seems "boy" shows are geared more toward women in the first place. A good example would be Katekyo Hitman Reborn, where things appear very shounen anime but everyone's a total bishounen. Though if taken in a feminist skew, such gender coding by the creators is slightly offensive to begin with. It reminds me very much of the western video game industry, where they often ignore female gamers in favor of the male >_< Not as bad, of course.

Oh, right? You're near the end now, too. What's remarkable about Lee is that his indomitable spirit seems born out of love; to protect his boys, he can do anything. ->

Oh! Is that the one also called "Rainbow"? How disturbing are the particular scenes? When I watched more anime people often talked about it, but at that time felt a little wary of graphic scenes. By the way, do you find yourself more drawn to stories which are targeted toward males? I've started thinking that perhaps my taste runs a little more masculine at times. Then again, that wouldn't be surprising with the volume of men in my family XD

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend Friend right away. It's probably best to watch rack up light-hearted stories before and after watching. At first I didn't believe it could possibly be *that* bad, but it really, really is. There are probably many empathetic viewers that couldn't handle it all the way through.

Very true. Plus, for every goofy translation there are dozens of great ones.

Oh, Sergeant Park/Kim Roe Ha? He looks to have had lots of decent-sized supporting roles. Is it perhaps The King's Daughter? They have him listed as a character named Ddol-Dae.

Right? Comrades totally redefined what I can call a great onscreen friendship from now, because these were just such touching bonds. I just wish there could be more K-dramas like this. Though, I've noticed each time I think I'll never see something quite as good again, I find something like Friend, Our Legend or Comrades. XD

Pff! "I consent to falling in love cosplay." Truth be told, I was drinking something when I read that, and almost obliterated my screen with a spit take. XD

Ah, you've gotten to the POW camp.... I loved Sergeant Park, too. He started so rough and hateful, but when you come to understand his reasoning, it's actually terribly sweet. Kim Roe Ha is a pretty great actor, too, so that probably helps.

Thanks so much for reading it! Though I could never do this excellent show justice. I'd love to hear your thoughts when you do see it. :)

But places like MBC and Dramafever really make me feel grateful. Now it's easier for me to watch them on various devices, including my television when I've got time. Plus, the decent subs. :,)

Ah, thanks for saying that, haha. :) Actually, thinking about things now, I'd be a little too selfish to sub. I do need my own generous drama intake, especially if it's a year like this where I can have Uhm Tae Woong, Kim Myung Min, and Choi Soo Jong one after another. XD

Oh! That final cave sequence was incredible, great action and emotiona all at once. When Sergeant Baek? I think it was, had to drag him away from Sugyeong, ;A; What got me about the Guerilla scene was also way the dead child was placed next to Lee In Hye's character. It all seemed too cruel in that moment, since they just wanted to live peacefully. >_<

And how about the escape from the beach? When 1st Squad looks back at Sergeant Lee, and that Chinguyeo song starts. ;A; That song will be the end of me.

I'm a little glad to wait for Wonderful Days, then. Can't stand illegibility, so my pick would have to be KBS. I remember trying to watch Special Affairs Team TEN on Viki, and the last episodes are 100% gibberish. They had this line, which ought to have been "She pretended to be dead so that she might survive the attack," but it was something like "she pretended death for attack" O_o >

Oh, definitely! Sergeant Lee's major flaw might be how much he cares about all his boys. >_< Almost too much.

Weren't they? It's too bad many preferred the "fast food" subs to waiting a bit. Decent subbers remain, though, so it's not too bad. Several years ago, them leaving might have been more devastating. I'm still a little torn up about TimelesSubs, who worked on many very good Japanese dramas with beautiful results.

Ah! I didn't notice that. Her role in Comrades was great, and she's also quite the beauty on top of it. I'll keep hope out for it, then. If nothing else, perhaps somebody who likes Ryu Jin will want to sub it for others. XD

I'm actually returning to school to strengthen my Japanese this fall. Though it's only partially intertwined with wanting to watch my dramas, I could use subbing to practice at that point. Might not be a bad idea with all the abandoned shows. >_<

Right? Actually, you're probably lucky you didn't see Two Weeks. Perhaps it was the weepy nature of the character, but that drama single-handedly knocked down my opinion of Lee Jun Ki a peg. Well, his acting anyway. I've become picky these days though. #_# Now that you mention it, I might sneak past Three Days too. Action thrillers have never quite been my genre, either.

It's awful, right?! XD Worst part is that because I find Tae Woong attractive and their faces are incredibly similar, whenever I see Jung Hwa in films I almost find her cute too. There must be some kind of syndrome for liking siblings. The Uhm Virus! XD

I have a feeling that people who like Ha Ji Won have been catching that lately too. Her handsome little brother was in one of the popular long sageuks recently, getting lots of attention.