Hooked

This past weekend, I decided to give "가족끼리 왜이래" another chance, ultimately because the younger cast appeared on "Happy Together" and I got to see my baes Park Hyung Shik and Seo Kang Joon. ;)

And now I have been officially hooked. I can't stop, and will not until I catch up to the current number of episodes aired, 13. I'm on episode 10 right now. ^^

Marriage Not Dating

This drama has been the highlight of my drama watching for the past three weeks, ever since it first aired. It's my love~ ♥

Finishing

Hello, it's been a long time. This post is just to talk about the dramas I've started, but never got to finish. Some of them I dropped because they were just getting too boring or disappointing, and/or because I just didn't feel like watching them anymore. And a few of them, I dropped, but really want to finish them sometime in the future, whether it's because people said they were good, or just for the sake of completing them. Here are the dramas that are on my list of "to finish":

• My Name Is Kim Sam Soon
• Delightful Girl Choon Hyang
• Bad Guy
• That Winter, The Wind Blows
• Time Between Dog and Wolf
• High School King of Savvy
• Fated to Love You
• Discovery of Romance

2013 Dramas To Watch

It's already 2014, and I'm currently looking back on the dramas that aired last year, the ones that I've heard were good, but never managed to catch them. Here's my list of dramas to watch that aired in 2013:

1. Nine
2. Cruel Palace
3. End of the World
4. The Virus
5. Let's Eat

November

It's November! October flew by so fast... Thankfully, "Heirs" has gotten so much better over the past week, at least for me. I'm in love with "Mi Rae's Choice," I'm so glad that all four leads are likable. I'm keeping along with "Unemployed Romance," it has been a fun, light watch. I'm going to try to pick up "Heartless City" over this weekend. Apparently, "Basketball" and "Reply 1994" has been all the rage, but I have too much on my plate already. Maybe I'll check them out during winter break...

Hey...

This is what I'm doing right now. 'Nuff said.

Heartless City

It's been a while, right? I've been kind of busy at the other blog. Sorry, but it seems I've almost completely transferred to Wordpress. It's just that, sometimes I miss how easy and comfortable it is to post in Blogger. Anyway, I've suddenly gotten the desire to watch "Heartless City." Apparently, it's very good. And, Jung Kyung Ho is attracting me. LOL. We'll see how that goes... There's never enough time!

Current Dramas

Now, as for the currently-airing dramas I'm watching, this week will be the finale of "Two Weeks." Can't wait. Also, only 16 more days till "Heirs" premieres, can you believe it?

Bali

I've been re-watching "What Happened in Bali" with my mom and grandma. We just happen to have the whole drama on videotape at home, when we borrowed them from the local Korean grocery store. Nine years ago, my mom, grandma, and I watched this drama when it was airing in Korea, and yet it still probably one of my favorites of all time. I can't stop but be amazed at how good it is. As of now, we have two more episodes to watch, and we'll be done!

Summer Movies

Now that the beginning of school is fast approaching, I must watch the movies that have been on my to-watch list for a long time. Meaning, "Wolf Boy," "The Jackal Is Coming," and "26 Years." I will try to watch them this week, since things are getting kind of busy...

Finale Week

In less than a day, the final two episodes of "I Hear Your Voice" will start airing... I'm so excited! But the realization that some of the law processes featured in the drama are flawed has kind of lessened my excitement... It's okay, I'm still looking forward to how it ends. Let's see, how did episode 16 end? Oh right, Soo Ha gets a call from Min Joon Gook, who has Hye Sung. Woo, so suspenseful! XD

Heirs Hype

The main casting for upcoming drama "Heirs" has been finalized, and am I excited about this drama. Just thinking about the love triangle between Lee Min Ho, Park Shin Hye, and Kim Woo Bin makes me so giddy inside, I feel like such a fangirl (which I am). The addition of Park Hyung Shik just makes this even better, 100% worth watching. Ah, this drama is overflowing with eye candy, I think I might not be able to take it... No, I can. :D

CANNOT WAIT FOR OCTOBER TO COME!!!

Upcoming Dramas

With the coming of summer, more and more dramas seem to be premiering or are preparing for premiere. Among this vast and growing list, I pick the ones that are on my radar, that I'm looking forward to.

Goddess of Fire, Jung Yi (불의 여신, 정이)
Stars: Moon Geun Young, Lee Sang Yoon, Kim Bum, Lee Kwang Soo
Production: MBC
Airs: July 1, 2013

Master of the Sun (주군의 태양)
Stars: So Ji Sub, Gong Hyo Jin, Seo In Gook
Production: SBS
Airs: July 31, 2013

Green Scalpel (그린 메스)
Stars: Joo Won, Moon Chae Won, Joo Sang Wook
Production: KBS
Airs: August 2013

Two Weeks
Stars: Lee Jun Ki, Kim So Yeon, Song Jae Rim, Park Ha Sun
Production: MBC
Airs: August 2013

Heirs (상속자들)
Stars: Lee Min Ho, Park Shin Hye, Kim Woo Bin, Choi Jin Hyuk, Krystal
Production: SBS
Airs: October 2013

New Plans

You know how things don't always turn out the way you plan? Well, it's happening right now. So long ago, I'd wanted to check out "Nine" and compare the two most recent epidemic dramas (on cable), but I'm stuck on a very different path. Right now, I want to finish "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho," which I started a week ago, and maybe continue with "Syndrome." I still have the second season of "Special Affairs Team TEN" waiting on my list, but I kind of don't feel like watching it right now, and it'll be fairly easy to finish it within a day or two.

Also, some things have been catching my eye lately. I want to watch "Story of a Man," which stars the late Park Yong Ha, someone I've gotten to know more about through my recent obsession with So Ji Sub. Also, with the (very late) appearance of Jae Hee in "Jang Ok Jung," I've become intrigued with this actor, and kind of want to watch "Witch Yoo Hee" and/or "Delightful Girl Choon Hyang" just for him. Then, there's No Min Woo, who looks so different in "Gumiho." Maybe it was the hair, but I didn't really find him attractive in "Full House Take 2," which is the first project I've seen him in. But his role in "Gumiho" as the second male lead, and that normal hairstyle has really made him very hot in my eyes. I'm not sure if his acting is good, but man, I get why he has so many fans despite the fact that he's not really a top star.

Also, I just started rewatching "The Greatest Love" today, for no particular reason. I just suddenly needed a romantic comedy fix. The story has been on my mind throughout the whole day, so my attention has temporarily diverged from "Gumiho." Not sure if I'll feel like picking it back up soon.

To Watch List

My "To Watch" list is getting bigger and bigger, so much that I can't even put it on my Drama List. So, I'm going to put it here.

늑대소년
자칼이 온다
나의 P.S. 파트너
연애의 온도
7번방의 선물
26년

To Do

1. Marathon "Nine."
2. Watch "The Virus" and "The End of the World," and compare them.
3. Finish "That Winter, The Wind Blows."
4. "King of Dramas"
5. "Can We Get Married"

Special Affairs Team TEN

Mad Soul Child - "숨결"


So, starting on Thursday, I've been actively watching the drama, "Special Affairs Team TEN," or 특수 사건전담반 TEN. It's just my cup of coffee, or it nicely suits my tastes. After watching "Ghost," I knew I was attracted to crime-thriller dramas, but I've fully realized my love for them through this drama. Although some parts are really gory and scary, the psychological effect this drama has on me is what I love best. In honor of this spectacular drama, I'm writing a post dedicated to its 6th episode, or the team's fifth case.

This particular case was a really sad one, I think the episode where I sympathized (and cried) the most for the criminal/offender. It opens up a wide range of discussions, questions about the ways of people. In this case, the offender turns out to be Park Jong Suk (played by Go In Bum, the only celebrity I met in Korea), the father of Min Ji, the victim of a stabbing incident five years ago, in 2006. The story of Min Ji and her dad is a really heartbreaking one, where she was the troublemaker daughter who he put at a distance and therefore, didn't have many memories with, and upon Min Ji's pregnancy, he denounced her as his daughter, and that was the last thing he said to her before she died so cruelly. Soon after their last encounter, a random (I think) guy drags Min Ji around in the streets, her begging for help from the bystanders who do nothing but watch as she is stabbed multiple times right out in public. What's particularly heartbreaking is that minutes before her death, she was setting up a bank account dedicated to her dad (although I'm not sure exactly why, maybe to show him that she is going to be more responsible, especially for the baby). [I just checked Dramabeans, and it seems that this was the bank account that Soo Young, the main victim of the case, added a 0 to, which made her end up transferring to another bank branch.] This is the part where the tears just couldn't stop.

However, the main thing that got me to write this post is the justice of it all. I fully understand why Park Jong Suk had to (or wanted to, at least) kill the bystanders that refused to help Min Ji, not only was this a part of the so-called "bystander effect," the people that were nearby turned a blind eye to the whole situation. What really frustrates (and saddens) me is that not one person called the police, or at least, in the video, no one was shown doing that. Even though I would probably not have the courage to go right up and try to pull Min Ji away from the attacker's hands, I would at least try to do something, something to prevent or stop "it" from happening. They didn't even looked like they were terrified for Min Ji, they were too busy being scared for themselves, and some people even thought the incident to be a thrilling sight for filming. Yes, I'm looking at you, the final victim of Jong Suk, who I kind of wanted to be put out of his trembling misery, or at least, I wouldn't have cared if he'd been killed.

I actually felt sad for Jo Soo Young, where, even though she was the main person who refused to help Min Ji, she felt terribly guilty about it afterwards, and tried to change her way of life. At least she tried to become a better person, she even threw herself before a robber to prevent him from hurting a child, thereby winning the Brave Citizens' Award. She also had the heart to try to give him back the bank account book. From my point of view, she is what represents the innocent victim in this particular case, where, despite the offender's understandable motive (and the injustice and wrongs that he faced), killing is still wrong. I think that there could've been a few ways Jong Suk achieved justice for himself and Min Ji, such as uploading the video and exposing the bystanders' identities on the Internet, for all the world to see, in a shaming sort of way. Sure, he wouldn't be able to show each and every one of the bystanders the kind of fear and terror Min Ji felt before she died, but they would suffer the pressure of the public's eye and judgment (hopefully, in the right direction,  of pure disgust). He could've even done his whole hunting thing, but not kill them at the last moment. Would that be legal, at least?

I was kind of troubled by Ye Ri's comment that it was pure coincidence, that those people just happened to be the bystanders that did nothing. It brings up the question of whether things would've been different if another group of people were there at the scene of the crime. With different people, would they have reacted differently to the situation at hand? Would at least one person try to help Min Ji this time? Such thoughts pop in mind after watching this particular episode of TEN.

To Watch

I recently found several dramas that people keep on recommending, as well as those that I just want to check out. Here's a list of the ones I particularly want to watch, in order of desire:

1. Que Sera Sera
2. Deep-Rooted Tree
3. Joseon X-Files
4. Bittersweet Life
5. Padam Padam
6. Evasive Inquiry Agency
7. Soulmate

Update

I know, I haven't posted in this blog for a while. I was just lazy, I didn't feel like it...

Anyhow, since the last post, I finished "History of the Salaryman." It was pretty good, kind of like a shortened version of "Giant," which I'm probably not going to finish. Also, these past few days, I got to check out the premiere of "Gu Family Book" and "Jang Ok Jung, Live In Love." I really like the latter, but despite its popularity, "Gu" doesn't seem to suit me. I think I'm going to keep watching "Jang."

I kind of feel like finishing another drama, and although I tried to watch "Jejoongwon," some other dramas are catching my eye recently. "Padam Padam" is looking pretty good, and I just found out that "The World They Live In," starring Hyun Bin and Song Hye Gyo, premiered on my birthday, in 2008. Now I must watch that, right? Coincidentally, they're both written by the famous drama writer, Noh Hee Kyung. On other more current news, I kind of want to finish "That Winter, The Wind Blows," but my laziness won't let me! I've heard that the ending was really disappointing...

That's all! Toodles!

My Drama Challenge

I'm very lazy and impatient, so I've decided to do whatever I want to with the challenge that I found more than a month ago. I can't seem to get past numbers 7-10, so I'll start with #25. What the heck.

25. Your first Korean drama.
I was just thinking about this yesterday, determining in my mind what was the oldest drama I've ever seen. And, I came to a conclusion. It was "Dangerous Love," or 위험함 사랑. In the year of 2005, when I was ten years old, my parents and I (and sometimes my 7-year-old brother) watched the drama through KBS's website. I don't remember much from the drama, except the very ominous-sounding title. Then, soon after that, we picked up "Golden Apple," or 황금사과, which I almost fully remember, with the whole "경숙아~" and Ji Hyun Woo's "오빠, 화났다." I also remember Kim Ji Hoon's face, and the leading lady's face well. Finally, my third drama was "Pure 19," or 열아홉 순정, which I remember very well. I remember falling in love with Seo Ji Suk, and even having dreams about him, lol. Go Gwang Man is a famous character in my family, where my dad named one of our neighbors this, who has a wife that works and stays at home all day, tending to his family's house. "Pure 19" will remain a very memorable drama from my childhood, where I got to spend some great times with my parents, watching Korean dramas, the ultimate Korean pastime. Ah, the good old times...