tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73871581231094011332024-03-15T16:27:55.839-07:00TelzeyTalksAbout Korean DramasTelzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-61888429604829613912024-03-15T16:27:00.000-07:002024-03-15T16:27:22.975-07:00Year Eleven<p>Here it is the Ides of March! I almost missed it but here we are, just in time. We are eleven years in, and are still watching more Japanese dramas than Korean ones. We watched one Chinese drama this year. We've also watched a lot of old British shows like <b>Jane Austin</b> miniseries, the original <b>All Creatures Great and Small</b>, the <b>Lord Peter Wimsey</b> miniseries, and <b>Call the Midwife</b>. </p><p> <b>KOREAN DRAMAS</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EMl5wcZB3m2v6BannmhHiVFUdwAhRIrmeWxWKgSDJ7nqgTMJQqJ6r3jTrb2lNgs8qHavDSbaf0gIjI3B0OAo9FsSqNbdrcXA_pnq2EeWMr97HdH9g05nxcCmBuLnprd2EcdlukGzhjOsckM8iEOzX2R20BS9oc1zIIXOfDQkSnMuwx23AsqNlBUkkYw/s842/DayoffPoster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="842" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EMl5wcZB3m2v6BannmhHiVFUdwAhRIrmeWxWKgSDJ7nqgTMJQqJ6r3jTrb2lNgs8qHavDSbaf0gIjI3B0OAo9FsSqNbdrcXA_pnq2EeWMr97HdH9g05nxcCmBuLnprd2EcdlukGzhjOsckM8iEOzX2R20BS9oc1zIIXOfDQkSnMuwx23AsqNlBUkkYw/s320/DayoffPoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b>One Day Off</b><p></p><p>This is an interesting show about a teacher who gets out of town on her days off to de-stress and experience something new. The places she goes and the people she meets start to change her, which you slowly realize as you see flashbacks to her youth and compare them to her present. It's good.</p><p><b>Delivery Man</b></p><p>Should have been called Ghost Taxi. It's about a Young man who can see ghosts and starts to give them rides and grant their wishes. mediocre.</p><p><b>Finland Papa</b></p><p>A young woman who is looking for a job interviews at a restaurant that seems strange. They eat a meal with her and tell her she's hired. No one seems to know who the owner is. It turns out to have something to do with a childhood friend. not so good.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3RoJsttrs-2EQsPJ62tmpZf759xzEetxsrb1r1LHiC5yGqcllGLYS_1In7qK7woFtoLXKbgTC42_uwVuTaV_16pTFDRKIjbxX0_E4PAZjNF3-z8vYrwmBJN7Sx_2DAIQ3kTHHB2smhF-8LwaLC9_brolqiGnEvOy64O4QXQrzs5jtKH_yJ9zQBEV8OM/s2178/WatermelonPoster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="2178" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3RoJsttrs-2EQsPJ62tmpZf759xzEetxsrb1r1LHiC5yGqcllGLYS_1In7qK7woFtoLXKbgTC42_uwVuTaV_16pTFDRKIjbxX0_E4PAZjNF3-z8vYrwmBJN7Sx_2DAIQ3kTHHB2smhF-8LwaLC9_brolqiGnEvOy64O4QXQrzs5jtKH_yJ9zQBEV8OM/s320/WatermelonPoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b>Twinkling Watermelon</b></p><p>The son of two deaf people, who is frustrated at always having to translate for them, gets sent back in time. He meets his parents as teenagers, plays in a band, and learns to assert himself. There is another person who time travels as well who keeps the story interesting. Very good show!</p><p><b>Unlock My Boss</b></p><p>A company president disappears. A young man who had applied to the company finds the president's smart phone, which claims that the president is trapped inside it, and coaches him how to take over and run the company. fun show.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9SO0vY7KtI4tN4LyRwp9N8_clBSAjQXfRLZlWOT0dXXTUt227zjArvd_U68We5cOqkuKDdlwOH0n_tkT8mWqbSgG2BcrqBRMk5p3zsmscT-ErEfPjPxxsBG8EMNgzdqVDbpKpgUZ3kPCSIUwGLbscwNQ9CFF2u-5fQRJqCWZ0kkfVLqx0QQpNN4izrQ/s1491/MatchPoster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1491" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9SO0vY7KtI4tN4LyRwp9N8_clBSAjQXfRLZlWOT0dXXTUt227zjArvd_U68We5cOqkuKDdlwOH0n_tkT8mWqbSgG2BcrqBRMk5p3zsmscT-ErEfPjPxxsBG8EMNgzdqVDbpKpgUZ3kPCSIUwGLbscwNQ9CFF2u-5fQRJqCWZ0kkfVLqx0QQpNN4izrQ/s320/MatchPoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b>The Matchmakers</b><p></p><p>This is a sageuk (historical drama) about a young widower and a widow who are tasked with arranging marriages for some women who have refused to marry. For political reasons. He is arrogant but awkward, and she is cheerful and confidant. As they get to know each other better they start to have feelings for each other, but by custom they are both forbidden to remarry. Excellent drama.</p><p><b>Stealer: the Treasure Keeper</b></p><p>A mismatched group including police and a vigilante try to retrieve heirlooms and cultural treasures that have been stolen by criminals. It's a little like Indiana Jones and a little like Healer. The first half was lots better than the second. </p><p><b>CHINESE DRAMA</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0oD9-0NKp8ck3stfz7gCw_84o10p9eIbNamqMAumG7XrkgIuD4ZHQfM2FW_3Zez_AI9Kza0mNuayxxS_3TV0PJyspv_TcqQhdzoMbUyzVhaD0vN1mWiJfR56z4vuMQdk6d0IGCEE3mdLaY7J0qqL3FbwNL7O2ion-9PIPdFzm2jMBj-x2ZfjB4BVZTU/s580/FakeItPoster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="580" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0oD9-0NKp8ck3stfz7gCw_84o10p9eIbNamqMAumG7XrkgIuD4ZHQfM2FW_3Zez_AI9Kza0mNuayxxS_3TV0PJyspv_TcqQhdzoMbUyzVhaD0vN1mWiJfR56z4vuMQdk6d0IGCEE3mdLaY7J0qqL3FbwNL7O2ion-9PIPdFzm2jMBj-x2ZfjB4BVZTU/s320/FakeItPoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Fake It Til You Make It</b></p><p>An office drama about a male investment banker and a female lawyer who meet by chance on a plane. They both have stressful jobs and difficulties in their private lives, and yet they strive to do their best and stay on top of the heap at work. They keep coming across each other because of their jobs and start to become friends. Very good drama.</p><p><b>JAPANESE DRAMAS</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSTvwULWwST9B8NmEPDxFolwWW_Crc3EjRbMbPDYXfxScJ2epFMPzy9lW0AwwKG-l2JgF0q_S1pgUA04Y1vUy6nC4p6PLaUGTC2CqITjrm_CpIAPNtKAv5HztbN_z7hg4vtZ__m2WVGjcoCj1y8XHSotylQI33-Y_ez6TmFbWYPGPpZuzcT-zqeAfXEQ/s1550/DeafStarry.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1550" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSTvwULWwST9B8NmEPDxFolwWW_Crc3EjRbMbPDYXfxScJ2epFMPzy9lW0AwwKG-l2JgF0q_S1pgUA04Y1vUy6nC4p6PLaUGTC2CqITjrm_CpIAPNtKAv5HztbN_z7hg4vtZ__m2WVGjcoCj1y8XHSotylQI33-Y_ez6TmFbWYPGPpZuzcT-zqeAfXEQ/s320/DeafStarry.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b>On a Starry Night</b></p><p>This was one of several dramas about deaf characters this year. In this one, a female obstetrician loses her job because of a patient who died. The patient's husband stalks her and makes trouble at her new job in a small town. She meets a deaf man who is younger than she is and really doesn't have a filter, but who cheers her up. average.</p><p><b>Unexpected - Love Story in Maison Ginseiso</b></p><p>A graphics designer loses his job the same day his wife divorces him. His sister gets him a new job as a housekeeper at a boarding house, where he tries to help out the people who live there. It is not very interesting, even when (or maybe especially when) his ex-wife shows up again. mediocre.</p><p><b>Animals</b></p><p>A woman who works for a popular tv show is overworked and falls asleep and get fired. She finds a new job at a make-up company called Animal Beauty. mediocre.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7doV4ZOvg-ecUZ8KlX45SYCibKFgA_K7ECg9RsGyHMb6522xtjjzHpPR9y4DlCfLr3o1Bi1vUmoeDQq6BNAkngc7xfFdzQzfanyvaQsnSwaKlyhT_vrSaOLOhzmVYCdBU1UOGdc0OCEwbIrDe6H1FzEoml4zmW7PUcQ88hD78XMlYP1zCX3jMhNNNew/s670/HandPoster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="670" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7doV4ZOvg-ecUZ8KlX45SYCibKFgA_K7ECg9RsGyHMb6522xtjjzHpPR9y4DlCfLr3o1Bi1vUmoeDQq6BNAkngc7xfFdzQzfanyvaQsnSwaKlyhT_vrSaOLOhzmVYCdBU1UOGdc0OCEwbIrDe6H1FzEoml4zmW7PUcQ88hD78XMlYP1zCX3jMhNNNew/s320/HandPoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b>Hold My Hand At Twilight</b></p><p>A girl goes to meet her boyfriend in Tokyo, but he immediately dumps her. She meets a struggling composer who helps her, and finds a new interest in high fashion. They both strive to do well and help each other succeed. low key but a very good show.</p><p><b>Is Love Sustainable</b></p><p>When her mother dies, a grown daughter moves in with her dad to help him. They both try to meet people and think about finding someone to marry. Mostly interesting, has a somewhat strange ending.</p><p><b>The Reason Why He Can't Marry</b></p><p>This is about a man who can't adjust to real life and always carries a doll around with him in a satchel. A woman kind of likes him and tries to help. I kept thinking it would improve but it really didn't. </p><p><b>A Warmed Up Love</b></p><p>A woman works part time at a convenience store and reviews sweets on her blog. She is hired by the company owner to develop more sweets for the entire store chain. It's kind of interesting seeing what she comes up with. Kind of cute show.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEd5ZiqMz0h9IdPkKelkiJDSQffvmvJM2g3A90DhtUhAAdlxI3OdHo39BeF0Kj8Y2WNolrNt-XuRRX-Edco-Mo-SXLujxvlQ_ODw3GZ1aXG8PmuLs5Sp-g0bqjYMR9sWhWtts7XOpbmwIXnRFv80k5NiLF1FTuRG0aSVXnvo2Kbcc0spF3L4rvaryGeY/s2504/MarryShin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1410" data-original-width="2504" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEd5ZiqMz0h9IdPkKelkiJDSQffvmvJM2g3A90DhtUhAAdlxI3OdHo39BeF0Kj8Y2WNolrNt-XuRRX-Edco-Mo-SXLujxvlQ_ODw3GZ1aXG8PmuLs5Sp-g0bqjYMR9sWhWtts7XOpbmwIXnRFv80k5NiLF1FTuRG0aSVXnvo2Kbcc0spF3L4rvaryGeY/s320/MarryShin.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>Marry Me</b><div>The government tries to take care of NEETs by arranging marriages with government employees. The most shy guy in the department gets assigned to be the first test case. He is teased by his coworkers, but gets a soft spot for the woman he is paired up with. They start becoming friends. Their families have a lot to do with how things turn out. A sweet show.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Marriage With Me? Seriously?</b></div><div>A woman in her thirties has a good job designing homes but decides it's time to marry. She meets a man at a match-up party, and he proposes. He turns out to be a wealthy company owner so she decides to give it a try. She is an interesting character and I liked her, but he was very bland. Ok show.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Don't Call It Mystery Special</b></div><div>This is a sequel to the drama Don't Call It Mystery, which was pretty good, so we tried it. It's about a college student with frizzy hair who solves mysteries better than the police can, so they start asking him for help. The first half was the same as the beginning of the original drama. The second half was new but not as good. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJRfo-mWIxFMAwcm1rJbTW5vrGCl7rNlA0-Kqxg91Oy8YF7_5ChiS7o1rn-bzkRknh8OGwAgZ3ILeY3ujgEv2zt-1SPanvHUCEbZZ5fonnHkUazZPMMHMUxLAXrb1sK-gLfSpHUZMfTP-g7j4_b6GQMNbP6n1X954hsRMwzCGDPxqz0gCwKGEzxh8G_o/s1658/LawyerPoster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="1658" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJRfo-mWIxFMAwcm1rJbTW5vrGCl7rNlA0-Kqxg91Oy8YF7_5ChiS7o1rn-bzkRknh8OGwAgZ3ILeY3ujgEv2zt-1SPanvHUCEbZZ5fonnHkUazZPMMHMUxLAXrb1sK-gLfSpHUZMfTP-g7j4_b6GQMNbP6n1X954hsRMwzCGDPxqz0gCwKGEzxh8G_o/s320/LawyerPoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><b>99.9: Criminal Lawyer</b></div><div>The owner of a prestigious law firm suddenly opens a criminal law department and hires an unusual young lawyer who has a huge drive to help defendants who are falsely accused. A senior lawyer is annoyed to be assigned to this department, as is an ambitious female lawyer. Very good show with lots of personality.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Why Didn't I Tell You a Million Times?</b></div><div>A woman reports that her boyfriend is missing and a detective realizes that he can see the boyfriend, and he is a ghost. The ghost talks to the detective and tries to help solve the mystery of how he died - because he can't remember. Very good show.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Restaurant From the Sky</b></div><div>This is a movie. It's about some organic farmers who try to produce the best vegetables, milk, and cheese, which they sell at a market. They get the idea to start a restaurant that features their food, but it proves difficult. We like the farmers, the one family that has a young daughter, and the older man who makes the cheese. It's partly heartwarming and partly sad. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0XLB4hOgPeBPlK27lgg_60es9wgZytlq6q1tUs2Yb5FmIwjXDJnOG1Z-UalgR3hRgmOtUwjEdo3rlGNtrvofbEDg6lbf2-XnC5YUyG1Bip-3v7F_odr6XHM8fc5Et6ATuVWvMzYXG-QM-y9F0rs2dbeWyFwnhuaeIxZhI4X0CrSVpAVLzrfaJvgbS-Ck/s1480/OneDayPoster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1480" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0XLB4hOgPeBPlK27lgg_60es9wgZytlq6q1tUs2Yb5FmIwjXDJnOG1Z-UalgR3hRgmOtUwjEdo3rlGNtrvofbEDg6lbf2-XnC5YUyG1Bip-3v7F_odr6XHM8fc5Et6ATuVWvMzYXG-QM-y9F0rs2dbeWyFwnhuaeIxZhI4X0CrSVpAVLzrfaJvgbS-Ck/s320/OneDayPoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><b>One Day - It's a Wonderful Christmas Ado</b></div><div>This is a drama about police who are trying to solve a shooting, news reporters who are trying to get the news on the air (when the manager wants music specials) and workers in a cafe where the suspect has been. It all takes place within twenty-four hours on Christmas Eve day. The different storylines came together at the end of the drama. Very good drama, good characters. </div><div><b><br /></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-42788492742006064302023-03-15T00:00:00.002-07:002023-03-15T00:10:47.557-07:00Ten Years!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmihABIlY_CijsG0F2OX4LnlakmVsYFO2TPkZwdtOpwk9G_n_O2pLMsO_kC07McoSi2jX_VDEeFbv7mITZ3M7klgR4wSiiReLqXzNIpH3-NRTHxsGed5X-COpAlH6iTTxGRUH8XRlFtQodarXezdV2zKQP7wHJgvsoI5Y9UzWP5HHrlmH1HaUb5qgu/s1886/AvengePoster.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="1886" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmihABIlY_CijsG0F2OX4LnlakmVsYFO2TPkZwdtOpwk9G_n_O2pLMsO_kC07McoSi2jX_VDEeFbv7mITZ3M7klgR4wSiiReLqXzNIpH3-NRTHxsGed5X-COpAlH6iTTxGRUH8XRlFtQodarXezdV2zKQP7wHJgvsoI5Y9UzWP5HHrlmH1HaUb5qgu/s320/AvengePoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Ten years of Korean dramas, and you'd think we would have watched a record amount for the anniversary. But no. We only watched six Korean dramas this year. It's a combination of having been through a difficult year and not feeling like watching anything stressful, and not coming across many Kdramas that appealed to me. We are not fond of romcoms with serial killers included, and we've been burned by dramas that started out well and then tanked halfway through. So, we tended to wait for a while to get the buzz on a show before we tried it.</p><p><b>Korean Dramas</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJJDtonlHmtpMEMufsn4MxqGzLGw5kUnvLyKXQETWjl_awUeq4WKemr8RIk-Wqh-7w0m0GMjN14v4LZTFCRx20CL01jy3HI5tNqR-w6C2iIJFfGU744kZTUykn_m85LvQH-M7LkqliZV05Vfe5rU2KJHLO1vx6U2zHF_G9LDGKC8UR1E1N8n2_ZwX/s2853/AvengeBucket.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1544" data-original-width="2853" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJJDtonlHmtpMEMufsn4MxqGzLGw5kUnvLyKXQETWjl_awUeq4WKemr8RIk-Wqh-7w0m0GMjN14v4LZTFCRx20CL01jy3HI5tNqR-w6C2iIJFfGU744kZTUykn_m85LvQH-M7LkqliZV05Vfe5rU2KJHLO1vx6U2zHF_G9LDGKC8UR1E1N8n2_ZwX/s320/AvengeBucket.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Avengers Social Club</b></p><p>Probably the Korean drama I enjoyed the most this year was one that originally aired five years ago, Avengers Social Club. It's about three women (and the stepson of one of them) who decide to avenge themselves of some rankling injustices. I'd heard that it was a fun show back when it aired, and now that it appeared on Youtube, I was happy to try it. Very fun, especially in the first half.</p><p><b>Twenty-Five Twenty-One</b></p><p>A story about a girl who becomes famous for fencing, and a boy who becomes a reporter. The main story is framed by a secondary story of the girl all grown up and her teenage daughter, which takes places in Covid times and everyone wears masks. The friendships all through were good but the ending was disappointing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOzABdfSkz8P8LcT1XNcssrY0XUGuahcaxwb8S_4UHla5tdsW5h1hMC0cdVldgp_EfdMnzEZW1TuBjB5zzYAUPf026z2WEZ4FsBlSZLO90UUB3f6sWEsJdgUBJZE4EzSowN3GL_o9NNOOWMgZv0qsK3aVzRd_XEqEMUzkLL_eSpEXMdn4UQuBKsaS/s2688/FaceArchae.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="2688" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOzABdfSkz8P8LcT1XNcssrY0XUGuahcaxwb8S_4UHla5tdsW5h1hMC0cdVldgp_EfdMnzEZW1TuBjB5zzYAUPf026z2WEZ4FsBlSZLO90UUB3f6sWEsJdgUBJZE4EzSowN3GL_o9NNOOWMgZv0qsK3aVzRd_XEqEMUzkLL_eSpEXMdn4UQuBKsaS/s320/FaceArchae.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Business Proposal</b></p><p>The code word for this show is "archaeopteryx." A chaebol heir is tired of the blind dates his grandfather arranges and decides to marry the next person he is set up with. The lady in question pays her best friend to take her place. The first part is very fun, especially the grandfather, who just wants grandchildren. But the last two episodes fall into some annoying tropes and are sadly lacking.</p><p><b>Lovers in Paris</b></p><p>The owner of a car dealership and his hapless nephew both fall in love with the same woman, who is working as his housekeeper to be able to afford to live in Paris. The humor is run through by the first five episodes, the rest is very soapy and drags badly. The ending is confusing, with two alternate versions being shown. </p><p><b>Reborn Rich</b></p><p>A loyal employee of a chaebol family is killed for political reasons and is reincarnated as the youngest grandson. He is smart and remembers a lot of important events from his life the first time around, and is able to make money big time. The boy who plays this character as a young teen was very good. The grandson interacting with his grandfather was the best part. </p><p><b>Tunnel</b></p><p>A detective chasing a serial killer runs through a tunnel and comes out thirty years in the future. The detective tries to figure out all his cases, which are still unsolved. Eventually he figures it out and goes back and forth several times. Show is well done but I kept a running count of all the dead bodies every episode. </p><p><b>Chinese Dramas</b></p><p>We watched only one of these this year, but it was maybe the best drama all year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXE1rlwBCJXFoylC7QXxoCEuCBK2TAUkDUunnuStaN9ixgKhAWaFgNihrVernCSp0sOy84K3mvirL3O1JBzYQ8G25n-f6SwYYB_sZk9f7sTeHmBB68kadpcb2iYuNTutZPQr-8b0H6Yqb1NiFJDxHhlHPsnhayY4t0dbKJDMb03KZGnpTfdx80IVS/s1619/ResetPoster.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1619" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXE1rlwBCJXFoylC7QXxoCEuCBK2TAUkDUunnuStaN9ixgKhAWaFgNihrVernCSp0sOy84K3mvirL3O1JBzYQ8G25n-f6SwYYB_sZk9f7sTeHmBB68kadpcb2iYuNTutZPQr-8b0H6Yqb1NiFJDxHhlHPsnhayY4t0dbKJDMb03KZGnpTfdx80IVS/s320/ResetPoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Reset</b></p><p>There's this bus. It explodes, and then time resets. It's like Groundhog Day, the two main characters are caught in a time loop. They use some of the time loops to figure out what is going on with all the passengers on the bus, and some of the loops to figure out how best to get help from the police. Very well acted, and tightly written. </p><p><b>Japanese Dramas</b></p><p>We watched fourteen Japanese dramas this year. Not all of them were really good, but they were at least relaxing and easy watches. Just what we needed this year.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjijz4vLrCi7JWUj8wX6dzWRRBan6ILvB0y3rbXawK-N_H8JL_dFgSIXwSx-s-MWsjBpqRK1O4UXgQdhyix8SNYZbpM4IuGWsTCDIR4Tv3h0YONeWbtXtDiufpwhzdI53p2pGZOA94Kwn5oerDnKYxgesIzs5YfUQ7gh6R-yitGVTLz4A6mXp9C2P/s1488/SleepPoster.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1488" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjijz4vLrCi7JWUj8wX6dzWRRBan6ILvB0y3rbXawK-N_H8JL_dFgSIXwSx-s-MWsjBpqRK1O4UXgQdhyix8SNYZbpM4IuGWsTCDIR4Tv3h0YONeWbtXtDiufpwhzdI53p2pGZOA94Kwn5oerDnKYxgesIzs5YfUQ7gh6R-yitGVTLz4A6mXp9C2P/s320/SleepPoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Sleeper Hit</b></p><p>Very fun drama about creating mangas. A woman who was an athlete training for the olympics is injured and has to change careers. She chooses to be an editor for a manga publisher. Her introduction to the CEO and her boss are priceless! Her supervisor with the man bun is the favorite character. She learns a lot from him as she copes with the artists of the mangas, some of whom have to be cajoled to do their jobs. </p><p><b>Only Just Married</b></p><p>A career woman suddenly needs a lot of money to help her grandmother, and agrees to a contract marriage to get it. The guy offering her 5 million yen is so nitpicky and such a neat freak, that she wonders if she can do it after all. He is covering up a case of unrequited love, but is quite clueless at how to interact with other people.</p><p><b>Rurouni Kenshin Origins</b></p><p>A movie about a samurai who has killed so many people he decides to not kill anyone anymore. He still fights, but holds his sword backwards so he hits people with the dull side. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQd1ALJ8DFUXnwylU7dPs2Qh5y0P3STtoXN6JIHjbRUky9jqH_aaK4VzLUMRXtqLrUhkzoE9D328fvhsj2VNAupKebjrFspLK24ofIdDe_zzegiA02UsYT8vvJ_gORZpiMzKIa1Wi8xMGadSDAqPMZcbPC2948Ya682G3j2PU0nbbwtYzjHge4Am_/s1518/DivorcePoster.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="1518" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQd1ALJ8DFUXnwylU7dPs2Qh5y0P3STtoXN6JIHjbRUky9jqH_aaK4VzLUMRXtqLrUhkzoE9D328fvhsj2VNAupKebjrFspLK24ofIdDe_zzegiA02UsYT8vvJ_gORZpiMzKIa1Wi8xMGadSDAqPMZcbPC2948Ya682G3j2PU0nbbwtYzjHge4Am_/s320/DivorcePoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>How to Get a Divorce for the Whole Family</b></div><p>An elegant fashion editor marries an ace member of an air force rescue squad, without really knowing each other very well. They have such different styles that they decide to divorce almost immediately, then discover that their parents are ready to split up as well. The man has a horrible harsh voice, but the two of them have great chemistry. It took a long time to get through the first couple of episodes, but we binged the rest on one Saturday.</p><p><b>A Girl and Three Sweethearts</b></p><p>A woman who is a skilled baker is laid off, and gets hired by a man she knows from school who runs a restaurant with his brothers. She seems to have crushes on different brothers at different times. One is friendly, and one is critical of her, and one is casual. A family secret is exposed and threatens the restaurant.</p><p><b>Oh My Boss Love Not Included</b></p><p>A woman applies for a job at a large company and is hired by the fashion department, which she knows nothing about. Her boss is like the boss lady in The Devil Wears Prada, very capable but hard to work for. Nevertheless, the fish-out-of-water girl starts to do well, and has two guys that like her. </p><p><b>Don't Call it Mystery</b></p><p>A university student (with a huge head of fluffy hair) is detained as a suspect in a murder. He proves to be so good at solving mysteries that the police start asking him for help in other cases. All he really wants to do is eat curry. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiTigqFay_S_mvp-TSgPJoe53oKhOn_C6O1YG4E_C3TVjjOXU-pNtol3UcmlqwYv9KuQrE36QRTD9Iu8lJI4V9cK0GrcB9YTu4atqdMPjdy3QJpwlok0nrdwRA6ew2LQ-fiEMwaySc8U_wSh6sezHky67H2PkyruyjctYftl84kIWiJ_gmjnVtpXm/s1488/ExchangePoster.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1488" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiTigqFay_S_mvp-TSgPJoe53oKhOn_C6O1YG4E_C3TVjjOXU-pNtol3UcmlqwYv9KuQrE36QRTD9Iu8lJI4V9cK0GrcB9YTu4atqdMPjdy3QJpwlok0nrdwRA6ew2LQ-fiEMwaySc8U_wSh6sezHky67H2PkyruyjctYftl84kIWiJ_gmjnVtpXm/s320/ExchangePoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b>Heaven and Hell Soul Exchange</b></p><p>A female detective investigates a serial killer and during a full moon the male suspect swaps bodies with her. He talks her into cooperating to an extent so they can solve both their problems. We have to get into a backstory to understand what is happening. Very well acted, very engrossing show.</p><p><b>Full-Time Wife Escapist Movie</b></p><p>A sequel to the drama on which it was based, which came out a year earlier. A couple who had a contract marriage rethinks their situation, but end up together. He is shy and she is outgoing. </p><p><b>Why I Dress Up for Love</b></p><p>This is about a group of people who live in a share-house. A woman is an Instagram influencer who is obsessed with making lots of posts wearing different outfits all the time. A man wanted to be a chef but now has a food truck. They both help a roommate who is an artist and having an exhibit.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmx68ZRaRGmO-8lONINSsPPdXXy1W45vsJ-kuPsdxKcIgvyaUHi9IweyzWQUHXoDzCcIUT00t-bRUpbOZyoptYjonatPE5hbSLVA9zpt1781GKzMx_SRVPUu2nwvjl7Bz--o08lwze4qqJ3vi0weUEB8eaKpn8JWXntEcINemswJvjdhIgVGEmyKnC/s1312/CutePoster.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1312" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmx68ZRaRGmO-8lONINSsPPdXXy1W45vsJ-kuPsdxKcIgvyaUHi9IweyzWQUHXoDzCcIUT00t-bRUpbOZyoptYjonatPE5hbSLVA9zpt1781GKzMx_SRVPUu2nwvjl7Bz--o08lwze4qqJ3vi0weUEB8eaKpn8JWXntEcINemswJvjdhIgVGEmyKnC/s320/CutePoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>My Cuteness is About to Expire</b></p><p>A man who trades on his cuteness to succeed at work and with his girlfriend, is told that he will soon lose his cuteness. The person telling him this is an unattractive man who claims to be himself from thirty years in the future. There is a love interest with a woman who is very stoic and never smiles.</p><p><b>Fight Song</b></p><p>A musician has written one song that was a big hit, but can't seem to come up with another one. A woman from a cleaning company tries to help him because his song has been a big encouragement for her over the years. She has an ear tumor and there is a possibility that an operation could leave her deaf. </p><p><b>Silent</b></p><p>A high school student is going deaf and tries to hide it from his friends, so he cuts all contact. Years later they come across him again. His old girlfriend has another boyfriend, but dumps him because she is is still interested in this guy. He slowly becomes more comfortable, but remains quite depressed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDH0HvN4Wqi8H_ZyI6rU77NHEJAE5FHiZRyiWE3_vYhZ5-35yQWYgODixweodLra15o4lgvV-0PweuQq5f4qDHITekqdtIOPD1a6BH-O6D2bal5qTk7Lsblg2r4zeRNi4mUsPsIweAcSXoiqRKB-oR-_syqy7cjqzG9pxLcaeB5wNGhth5COzDPUB/s978/HoldPoster.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="915" data-original-width="978" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDH0HvN4Wqi8H_ZyI6rU77NHEJAE5FHiZRyiWE3_vYhZ5-35yQWYgODixweodLra15o4lgvV-0PweuQq5f4qDHITekqdtIOPD1a6BH-O6D2bal5qTk7Lsblg2r4zeRNi4mUsPsIweAcSXoiqRKB-oR-_syqy7cjqzG9pxLcaeB5wNGhth5COzDPUB/s320/HoldPoster.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Hold Me Back</b></p><p>This is a movie about a woman who lives alone and talks to a voice in her head that give her advice when she doesn't know what to do. She starts to fall for a man she meets at work and worries about coming out of her comfort zone. There are story layers about loneliness, mental stress, and even magic that may be connected to folklore creatures called kappas. Very cute and thoughtful. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-54090165718974318272022-03-15T18:23:00.000-07:002022-03-15T18:23:09.618-07:00Nine, going on Ten!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwGE95wRjyXBiNOZNaXVdNZ8l6DesSCfJlq69d-Ih7dteErn9Ro1wl2Bx_MxL2AGLiNLRynuMj1U3qnHyM--SROULyHEn0RSq49xYXfW95Jf_eJFq88sSKZ64ia8gtgx7kVVpB1QeN_5Ti0z7co_KKhOZDEa1rjuRy9ZOl2XopTo1iv5OXbDJ6JB9v=s1004" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="842" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwGE95wRjyXBiNOZNaXVdNZ8l6DesSCfJlq69d-Ih7dteErn9Ro1wl2Bx_MxL2AGLiNLRynuMj1U3qnHyM--SROULyHEn0RSq49xYXfW95Jf_eJFq88sSKZ64ia8gtgx7kVVpB1QeN_5Ti0z7co_KKhOZDEa1rjuRy9ZOl2XopTo1iv5OXbDJ6JB9v=s320" width="268" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p> I knew there was another significant day in between Pi day and St. Patrick's. It's the Ides of March again already! This year we had a drama slump and watched a lot of old movies, but it may have been because many of the airing Korean dramas were dark or violent, and we prefer our shows to be cheerful. However, there is a new batch of fun shows, and now we are enjoying <b>Business Proposal</b> and <b>Twenty Five Twenty One. </b>I'll let you know how they turn out next year. This year we watched 13 Korean dramas (including a rewatch of Healer) and 9 Japanese dramas along with 5 Japanese movies. </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Korean Dramas</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaaqQQ1h-3ytmiyzQZlIB4t2Ynh5KwzvwgnM-Lbpx7UzuUzCmn5I2f37ObiRSd5y7r5oQEohottUkIIkGllUEWT0tYjnlLbKPPqu9AftOkFfXrS9aUqnAQf5Tzs53qMS_Ay2ZuPcwzKV9Lj-k48JZAAvwRIlNXOpc7EQtV7-OjP3KmfXtudOVRj9Xh=s521" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="521" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaaqQQ1h-3ytmiyzQZlIB4t2Ynh5KwzvwgnM-Lbpx7UzuUzCmn5I2f37ObiRSd5y7r5oQEohottUkIIkGllUEWT0tYjnlLbKPPqu9AftOkFfXrS9aUqnAQf5Tzs53qMS_Ay2ZuPcwzKV9Lj-k48JZAAvwRIlNXOpc7EQtV7-OjP3KmfXtudOVRj9Xh=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><b>Navillera</b> was a surprisingly touching show about a young male ballet dancer and a retired man who had always wanted to dance and was never allowed to. Now Grandpa wants to take lessons, and over the course of the story, he wins over his family as well as the young dancer and the audience at home. Very heartwarming, with some beautiful dance scenes. *****</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Suits</b> is a show from a few years ago. It's about a young man who couldn't go to college because of money problems but who studied law on his own. He gets a job even though he's not licensed, because of his knowledge and his perfect memory, and has to keep everyone from finding out. It's worth watching for Park Hyung Sik and Jang Dong Gun. **</div><div><br /></div><div><b>So I Married the Antifan</b> is one we watched because we liked Soo Young in<b> Run On</b> last year. It'a about a reporter who loses her job and gets talked into making a documentary with a pop star who she had clashed with, and it had made the headlines. Guess what? They slowly get to like each other. She was still fun, but the plot was lacking and the villain was way annoying. **</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hyena</b> is about a woman lawyer (Kim Hye Soo from Signal) who will go to any lengths to win a case. She is very smart, and gets hired by a big firm. They think they can use her as a scapegoat, but she has a big twist of her own she is hiding. The first part is better than the last. **</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Startup</b> is about young people trying to start their own tech companies. There is a contest where the winner will get help from a larger group. There is a genius guy (Nam Joo Hyuk), a scrappy girl (Suzy), and her grandma who helps another older guy (Kim Sun Ho) who makes it big first. Kim Sun Ho was much loved by the audience and fondly called Good Boy. ***</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijCGCGhzCt7oftgLkqMYeMU1TJiL9Rvc-prbvego1-XjjQjnazyBRwLMipQFnxhPGvKMgEpEN0tdKieJUchOy1VtkcrOv4ILdtKad31rh3oAoN3NNBkMza-thUFOSGIv-kO4zz0WQjxcd7iiAS8z2-QpTyWMuldD0eeJOTEdsr66blwJW9gV595msI=s1106" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijCGCGhzCt7oftgLkqMYeMU1TJiL9Rvc-prbvego1-XjjQjnazyBRwLMipQFnxhPGvKMgEpEN0tdKieJUchOy1VtkcrOv4ILdtKad31rh3oAoN3NNBkMza-thUFOSGIv-kO4zz0WQjxcd7iiAS8z2-QpTyWMuldD0eeJOTEdsr66blwJW9gV595msI=s320" width="296" /></a></div><br /><div><b>On the Verge of Insanity</b> was perhaps the best drama of the year. It's about a home appliance company that is doing poorly and laying off employees. The HR team leader (Moon So Ri) has to carry out the layoffs, and a senior engineer (Jung Jae Young) tries to keep his job as well as help all the development teams. Great characters, a lot of humor, and a dishwasher that catches on fire! *****</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hospital Playlist 2</b> was not as good as last year, but still fun to watch because of the characters we have become fond of. This season follows the love lives of our five doctors, with an especially cute storyline for Kim Dae Myung and Ahn Eun Jin. We also have a variety of weekly hospital cases. ****</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Kimchi Family</b> is an older drama we found, also known as <b>Fermentation Family.</b> It's about a family who runs a traditional restaurant on the outskirts of town, the father who disappears, and the two daughters who struggle to keep it going. They have an "uncle" who helps, and an ex-gang member who has childhood memories of the restaurant and tries to discover his past. ***</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hometown Cha Cha Cha</b> is a fluffy drama about a female dentist (Shin Min A) who loses her job and relocates to a small town on the sea. She and her hygienist meet colorful local characters such as a handyman with a secret past (Kim Sun Ho again), a shy policeman, and a spunky sushi restaurant owner. It is mostly just fun to watch for the small town and the scenery. ***</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3EJyCBlQ2pU0EREE5V26lcY1fxvLECrGTn5Oac_qO63RF-0ClXlEyw4kwT-x6HCvJyxy1OgsIAWz2NIQg6Z1bQFBy-yVtpHRmvKvJFmjrxATWAARrTJCOaLShkYXpVAi6Jl570Cleb4488anqSROJEpdD4hiMyHwo53XtIHDGPJTYfGqk3DVI63Fr=s2316" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1258" data-original-width="2316" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3EJyCBlQ2pU0EREE5V26lcY1fxvLECrGTn5Oac_qO63RF-0ClXlEyw4kwT-x6HCvJyxy1OgsIAWz2NIQg6Z1bQFBy-yVtpHRmvKvJFmjrxATWAARrTJCOaLShkYXpVAi6Jl570Cleb4488anqSROJEpdD4hiMyHwo53XtIHDGPJTYfGqk3DVI63Fr=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><b>One the Woman</b> is a comedy about a chaebol daughter-in-law and a crooked prosecutor who look alike and are mistaken for each other. Honey Lee is amazing in both parts, and also good in the fight scenes. The chaebol daughter-in-law disappears, there is a mystery, lots of shenanigans, and a little hand-waving to achieve a satisfactory ending. ****</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Healer</b> is a classic adventure show that is reminiscent of the Bourne movies, with parkour scenes and fights where the hero can beat up anybody. He gets involved in a mystery about some rebels from a generation ago, and a child who disappeared then and is now grown up. His sidekick, Hacker Ajumma, almost steals the show, and the now-grown-missing-child and her adoptive dad are heartwarming. Still excellent as a rewatch. *****</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Dali and Gamjatang </b>is one of those shows that forgets it's supposed to be a comedy but you keep watching because you want to know what happens to the characters. Dali is a woman from a rich family that suddenly loses its money. She inherits an art gallery and tries hard to keep it going while remaining polite and elegant. She tangles with a creditor who is from a lower-class family which suddenly became rich, and retained their loud vulgar ways. ***</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ghost Doctor</b> (picture at the top of the post) is about a genius but irritable doctor who goes into a coma and is able to take over the body of a slacker intern. They are played by Rain and Kim Beom, and they are hilarious together. There are other ghosts, pranks and tricks, some heartwarming side stories, and a satisfying conclusion. Very fun show. ****</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Japanese Dramas</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiC-oVQGKBX1Ez7ipaZZGx03FJ5N7sRo-WgtqlhIqSjbv8mW7JHnDzwyw_cTsxu6QHsAXDI9G1ZxBBDl3GZ6jQyI7Xet28ArfjWODVH-_mxMAbSlnI-REKGZDy-3c4RtIqRW5FVtZXfRIxBO3eObqHUG1YgFjgtElNHhsMdUkCF5VDuxDU1PcWXIelm=s1354" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1354" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiC-oVQGKBX1Ez7ipaZZGx03FJ5N7sRo-WgtqlhIqSjbv8mW7JHnDzwyw_cTsxu6QHsAXDI9G1ZxBBDl3GZ6jQyI7Xet28ArfjWODVH-_mxMAbSlnI-REKGZDy-3c4RtIqRW5FVtZXfRIxBO3eObqHUG1YgFjgtElNHhsMdUkCF5VDuxDU1PcWXIelm=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>In-House Marriage Honey </b>is a very sweet show about two people who get into a contract marriage for different reasons and unexpectedly find they work at the same company. While trying to keep that a secret, they grow to like each other, and it's very believable how their relationship moves ahead in a different way from people who are dating. ****<div><br /></div><div><b>Danger-less Detectives</b> is about a couple of detectives who try to slack off and stay away from danger, but keep accidentally coming across clues to their cases. Very silly and fun, a relaxing watch. ***</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Lock On Love</b> is a teen movie about a high school guy who is good-looking and thinks he is irresistible to girls, and yet the one girl he asks to be his girlfriend is not interested in him. Very cute, and with the nicest loan shark ever seen in a show. ***</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Kiseki - Sobito of the Day </b>is a movie about the real-life story of four dental students who become a popular singing group. They conceal their identities, at first to not upset their parents, and then to not jeopardize their dental degrees, or their dental practices. Still today their identities are not known. *****</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Heavenly Forest </b>is a movie about a man who meets a sweet, childlike woman in a forested area near town. For a while they go there a lot to take pictures and then they get separated. There is a mystery about her, and the ending is somewhat bittersweet. **</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWPibfFSS4baO0uQdoTW1dxY8GywFyZSjLD9TYhDrGmnm-4zLYR8k-OVPloUzfJ8TzFF1OZsFHitLFxs3xJJsYmKe_oq-Nd9upf0U6R9o5uMSF_2lBjoicnc2yFLzO0FzTxi6LP83i6ETosTmUanLTRr-uqhMoVqjiigeCsP38rP4ZttBqMtLjtMxi=s1353" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1353" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWPibfFSS4baO0uQdoTW1dxY8GywFyZSjLD9TYhDrGmnm-4zLYR8k-OVPloUzfJ8TzFF1OZsFHitLFxs3xJJsYmKe_oq-Nd9upf0U6R9o5uMSF_2lBjoicnc2yFLzO0FzTxi6LP83i6ETosTmUanLTRr-uqhMoVqjiigeCsP38rP4ZttBqMtLjtMxi=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>Again</b> is a wonderful movie about second chances. It's about a college student who helps her professor organize baseball games for adults who had played in high school and college. She is interested because her father had played baseball but has died. She tries to find out more about him by interviewing some of these ball players, who had been his friends. **** <div><br /></div><div><b>Fukuyadou Honpo: Kyoto Love Story</b> is about a family that has run a traditional sweet shop for 400 years, which is in danger of closing down because there are no sons to carry on the family line - or the family business. The mother tries to get the daughters to marry someone who can step in and keep the business going. The daughters object. Lots of nice pictures of the scenery around Kyoto and traditional activities. ***</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Tremble All You Want</b> is a movie about a girl who seems popular and friendly and has a crush on a boy. You think the story is going a certain way, and suddenly in the middle there is a twist that changes everything completely. It was getting a little dull until the twist, and then it was fascinating. ***</div><div><br /></div><div><b>One-Page Love</b> is a 6-episode drama about a teenage girl who falls in love with a guy who visits a vacation resort run by her family. He says he will return in four years but doesn't, and she goes to the city to try and find him. Turns out he works for a loan shark and things get kind of sketchy for a while - we almost dropped the show. Then it seems like there are three men who like her, and the story improves and ends ok. **</div><div><br /></div><div><b>An Incurable Case of Love</b> is a rather cheesy story about a girl who gets a crush on a doctor she sees once, and becomes a nurse so she can go find him and marry him. She gets a job at his hospital, and right away blurts out that she likes him. The staff all tease her about it; she makes lots of mistakes from nervousness. **</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_9sObtBwSoau0PHTHjUhb8xllTNgqMROdyxjyPlAF4nQ7oFWhh_C9rw5ysRMURel0hyJZnhDf-EVUfykjcfmKcaD9OGL_5PaHVEMSafKC25-1tF7C2Cf2jERTbJQsbkacekmxJE6r4XigLgSNozv5c0GUEVCQstcirOQRKhkSLEgHJxW1y_2Mn_KW=s1483" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1483" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_9sObtBwSoau0PHTHjUhb8xllTNgqMROdyxjyPlAF4nQ7oFWhh_C9rw5ysRMURel0hyJZnhDf-EVUfykjcfmKcaD9OGL_5PaHVEMSafKC25-1tF7C2Cf2jERTbJQsbkacekmxJE6r4XigLgSNozv5c0GUEVCQstcirOQRKhkSLEgHJxW1y_2Mn_KW=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><b>You, Me, and Bach </b>is a very heartwarming drama about three people who are all at a low point in their lives. At a mall they see a promotion for violin lessons, decide to change their lives by doing something new, and sign up for lessons. This unlikely group becomes friends when they get put in a class together, and support each other through learning to talk things out, keeping confidences, and deciding if a relationship is love or not. *****</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Super Rich</b> is about a woman from a wealthy family who loses everything when she starts her own company, and tries to make a comeback. Her employees admire her for different reasons, but some seem to be trying to pull a takeover. Rather disjointed story, unconvincing characters, lots of plot holes. **</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Three Star Bar in Nishi Ogikubo</b> is about three friends who are all at loose ends. One is an author with writer's block, one is a chef who lost his sense of taste, the other is unhappy with his job. One of them inherits a neighborhood pub and they decide to keep it going for a while at least. Different patrons come in each episode, with their own problems. Nice pleasant watch, 5 episodes.****</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Tokyo Noodle Factory</b> is a cute 6-episode show about a small cafe that is already short of staff when they get a new manager who doesn't know anything about food service. They have problems but make do, everyone pitches in, and things seem to be going better until we get an unconvincing ending. ***</div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Dropped</h2><div><b>Boring - </b>Sometime we drop shows because they are slow and boring, or just because there is something else on that interests us more. Secret Royal Inspector and Joy is one of these, and Would You Like a Cup of Coffee is another; we watched 4 or 5 episodes of each and just quit. Racquet Boys got one episode, and so did Yumi's Cells. Deliveries from the Heart got a couple. I don't know if Captivated By You was more boring or just didn't make sense. Sisyphus was perhaps more confusing than boring, but it was also annoying for things like the hero taking forever to program a car to start or to make bottle rockets, while the bad guys just stand around and wait. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Violent or suspenseful </b>- Usually I can tell by the synopsis whether a show is violent, and I'll just avoid it altogether. Sometimes I try it out and decide it's not for me, as with Alice in Borderland. As for Kairos - if there is a kidnapped child, I'm out. Vincenzo was one I dropped when a favorite character got killed off, but tried it again later and dropped again when I heard that the ending was very violent. The Silent Sea also got one episode, after watching that ship crash, and seeing Bae Doona stare down the stairs to creepy music.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Annoying -</b> I've had enough of villains that are evil just for the sake of a plot. I dropped Doctor Romantic 2 after a couple of episodes because we had gotten rid of a really annoying villain in the first season and they brought him back. Our Beloved Summer just recycled the main couple's spats, and neither one could talk things out. Forecasting Love and Weather had completely unlikeable people that fought all the time. The one Chinese drama we tried, Go Ahead, was dropped because of the awful mothers who deserted their families. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Racy</b> - I am more comfortable with family-friendly type shows. A lot of the Japanese dramas that show up on Viki are more racy than I like, such as LDK Two Loves Under One Roof. There are quite a few that pair a student with a teacher, like A Story to Read when you First Fall in Love. Some are just creepy, like My Fair Prince. Some try to make sexual harassment look romantic, like Love is Phantom and also Can't Run Away from Love. I screen them by the synopsis, try them out, and sometimes drop them in just a few minutes. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-33059035135857328512021-03-15T07:56:00.000-07:002021-03-15T07:56:10.547-07:00Who would have thought eight years?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29Eqqtt8hbaDMTbRtlwg3Y6mupckAT8BCOCOqArOb5VSF45LgLUmr0l1pDpaWEDQbW7mx2Jdedp93kZ2BN6ruYMAbT2u5BfaXGfjV1K_wB2mpTazX5NIlslOiZowDRZzXKydDPjgF7tY/s1280/Hospital.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29Eqqtt8hbaDMTbRtlwg3Y6mupckAT8BCOCOqArOb5VSF45LgLUmr0l1pDpaWEDQbW7mx2Jdedp93kZ2BN6ruYMAbT2u5BfaXGfjV1K_wB2mpTazX5NIlslOiZowDRZzXKydDPjgF7tY/s320/Hospital.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The Ides of March has come around again and it's time to take stock. It's hard to believe we've been watching Asian dramas for eight years. This year we finished 17 Korean dramas and 5 movies. We watched 7 Japanese dramas and 6 movies. And we saw 3 Chinese dramas. I must admit that we got a little tired and took a long break during Christmas to rewatch some of our favorite older movies. And lately we've been watching the Star Trek movies and Discovery. Some of the Short Treks were pretty cute, and germane to the plot. </p><p><b><u>Korean</u></b></p><p><b>Hospital Playlist</b> was maybe the best drama of the year. It's about five friends from medical school who all end up working at the same hospital. We get stories of their lives, and you haven't lived until you've seen Darth Vader walk into a hospital. It has a lot of heart, and we get both successes and failures of the patients. *****</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Spark</b> is a very forgettable mini drama about someone who is touched by a shooting star or something, and thereafter emits electric shocks to anyone who touches him. *</p><p><br /></p><p><b>I'll Go to You When the Weather is Nice </b>is a very slow drama that has Park Min Young and Seo Kang Joon living in a small town in the countryside. He has a bookstore and has a secret house on a nearby hill. She helps with her aunt's boardinghouse and discovers secrets about her mother's past. ***</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Reply 1988 </b>is an older show we luckily decided to watch. It's about the intertwined lives of the families in one neighborhood, and their five teenagers who are all friends. Crushes on each other come and go. Park Bo Gum is a professional Go player and Song Dong Il is everyone's favorite dad.Very strong show for most of its run, but with a weak ending. *****</p><p><br /></p><p><b>One Spring Night </b>is about a couple who meet when the woman stops at a pharmacy and finds she has forgotten her wallet. The pharmacist lets her take the items on the honor system and they slowly get to know each other after that. A little draggy. ***</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Champion </b>is a movie about a Korean-American who returns to Korea for an arm-wrestling contest. He gets tangled up in what is possibly his birth family and a couple of cute kids. Stars Ma Dong Seok and Han Ye Ri. Pretty good but not as engaging as I expected. ***</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjwXkiRMxkxMU2XIU4wx1hOQF7q5VMK-Yinb-A64Ct_nDmTVfdd3rzhNY4dPMWE4Nx1Hfyptz8q5nu_JYK0i87LJng8EGy_6sOtCkaJMZBZP34XA-mzAwJZyER94ljpZU4HQTAssIRfs/s640/KkondaePoster.png.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjwXkiRMxkxMU2XIU4wx1hOQF7q5VMK-Yinb-A64Ct_nDmTVfdd3rzhNY4dPMWE4Nx1Hfyptz8q5nu_JYK0i87LJng8EGy_6sOtCkaJMZBZP34XA-mzAwJZyER94ljpZU4HQTAssIRfs/s320/KkondaePoster.png.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>Kkondae Intern </b>stars Park Hae Jin and Kim Eung Soo as a young business manager and his previous boss who becomes an intern in his department. The previous boss had been very mean to him and he is sorely tempted to pay him back. Quite a cute show that peters out in the end. ***</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Train </b>is a sci-fi drama about parallel timelines. Yoon Shi Yoon is a successful detective in one timeline and a drunk cop in the other. A murderer gets rid of bodies by dropping them off of a train when it crosses occasionally into a different dimension. Interesting and suspenseful, holds up all the way through. ****</p><p><br /></p><p><b>My Unfamiliar Family</b> is about a family of mostly nice people who can't seem to quite get along. Han Ye Ri is the younger daughter who tries to please everyone. The parents are about to get divorced because of secrets they have been keeping for many years, and just can't trust each other. If they would just TALK! ***</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Hi Bye Mama</b> is a fantasy where Kim Tae Hee plays a ghost who keeps hanging around her family to watch her young daughter grow up. Starts cute but then wallows way too much in grief, which is very irritating. *</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Into the Ring</b> is a funny drama about a woman who makes so many citizen complaints to the city government that they cringe when they see her coming. And then she decides to run for city council. She is very energetic and is able to engage people in her projects, but of course has run-ins with the higher-ups. Stars Nana, *****</p><p><br /></p><p><b>#Alive</b> is a movie about zombies taking over Seoul. Yoo Ah In and Park Shin Hye are holed up in their apartments when they see each other across the courtyard and try to help each other escape. ****</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDch9dS3Fs_xbapS5GLUGwa2LBpvBZw0zGbnWhechAUkBu8Dvu043wYuZczpS3B2SCJEs3gcZDEuFwl1Ytxi9Ac54H5ISkkhQQxt8MnvnHh6iEV2IjEfruuyaqLpy-SMLDreAACUds6z8/s892/Stranger2Poster.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="892" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDch9dS3Fs_xbapS5GLUGwa2LBpvBZw0zGbnWhechAUkBu8Dvu043wYuZczpS3B2SCJEs3gcZDEuFwl1Ytxi9Ac54H5ISkkhQQxt8MnvnHh6iEV2IjEfruuyaqLpy-SMLDreAACUds6z8/s320/Stranger2Poster.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>Stranger 2 aka Forest of Secrets 2</b> is the return of Bae Doona and Cho Seung Woo as a warmhearted police detective and a prosecutor who can hardly connect with emotions at all. They try to cooperate in investigations when their departments are at odds, jockeying for position over each other and concealing evidence. Great sequel to a great original drama. *****<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><b>Mystic Pop-up Bar</b> features Hwang Jung Eum as a Joseon-era ghost who has to pay for her misdeeds by helping 100,000 people. She is still trying to finish this task in the present day, and runs a snack tent where she meets people who might be good subjects. She enters their dreams to give them ways to confront their problems. ****</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Reply 1994 </b>is the last of the Reply series we watched. It's about a family who runs a boarding house for college students. Go Ara plays the cheerful, energetic daughter who has a love triangle between athlete Yoo Yeon Seok and med student Jung Woo. My opinion, she chose the wrong one, but you could see it coming. *****</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Do Do Sol Sol La La Do</b> looked like a super cute drama, with Go Ara as a very cheerful pianist who makes friends with a mysterious neighbor played by Lee Jae Wook. The acting was good and the story was good too up until episode 12 when it tanked. Don't say I didn't warn you. Very bad ending. **</p><p><br /></p><p><b>War of Prosecutors aka Diary of a Prosecutor</b> is a slice of life drama about a prosecutors' office in a small town near the seacoast. Jung Ryeo Won plays an over-achieving new prosecutor who tries to take on everyone else's cases. Lee Sun Woong is the long-suffering, kindhearted, experienced prosecutor who has to live away from his family. Relaxing, low-stress drama with many good cases-of-the-week. *****</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Mister Zoo</b> is a movie that tries to be cute, with a person wearing a panda suit trying to stand in for a real panda that is stolen. Mostly inept shenanigans but probably good for kids. **</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Okay! Madam</b> is a hilarious movie featuring Uhm Jung Hwa, about a family that wins a free trip to Hawaii. On the plane are North Korean agents, a retired North Korean agent, a South Korean agent, a retired South Korean agent, a crew member who always wanted to be an agent, and a terrorist. Hijinks ensue. *****</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Your Honor </b>is a story about identical twin brothers, one of whom is a judge, and the other is a criminal. The judge suddenly disappears, and the criminal takes his place, trying to keep the office intern from finding out. Yoon Shi Yoon plays both brothers and Lee Yoo Young is the intern. It's really well done, and you can always tell the brothers apart by their mannerisms. The mother is a piece of work. ****</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Run On</b> is a cute, light drama with nice romances. There is a professional sprinter and a translator who does movie subtitles. They amazingly can always talk things out, but they are not as cute as the secondary couple. A businesswoman admires some paintings and wants to meet the artist. He is a sweet and trusting college student, and different from anyone else she knows. Im Si Won, Shin Se Kyung, Sooyoung, and Kang Tae Oh star. ****</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Space Sweepers </b>is a motion picture starring Song Joong Ki about people who collect space debris and sell it for recycling. They hear about a dangerous robot made to look like a little girl, and then find her on a derelict ship they haul in. Good special effects, and nice found family story. ****</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Japanese</u></b></p><p><br /></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZz0qZ5wfQd4yt3jJbu7c3_7-mDBQlljvR1HU7UtEfq7sJg3_BlGjprO16CIypox1ndcdInydbklEzUCj3cc9O1lDD4sbdgzXiRpS9dccSnO9YyE5wwjFSBh_nb2xJkPHihodIwxCdI34/s1354/JellyTitle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZz0qZ5wfQd4yt3jJbu7c3_7-mDBQlljvR1HU7UtEfq7sJg3_BlGjprO16CIypox1ndcdInydbklEzUCj3cc9O1lDD4sbdgzXiRpS9dccSnO9YyE5wwjFSBh_nb2xJkPHihodIwxCdI34/s320/JellyTitle.png" width="320" /></a></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Princess Jellyfish </b>is a cute drama about extreme fangirls who live together in a share house and try to raise money to keep it when the landlord decides to sell. Tsukimi designs a dress inspired by her favorite jellyfish, and they make more to try earn money. A fashion show put on by shy nerds and a crossdresser is a novelty. ****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Criminologist Himura and Mystery Writer Arisugawa</span> is an easygoing drama based on characters resembling Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The cases seem to be separate at first, but then they become interconnected. ***</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Is This Love Checkmate? </b>A shy salaryman meets an older woman who plays shogi. Fairly light except for the stalker storyline, that doesn't really fit in. **</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Under the Miracle Cherry Tree </b>is about a high school student who had died and reappears seven years later. His friends react in different ways, some with complacence, some with nostalgia or regret. Over time we find out why he came back. Very thoughtful and sweet. ****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">You Are My Destiny </span>is about a woman who is a doormat and people at the office put sticky notes on her for jobs they want her to do. She has a drunken one-night-stand with an heir to a big company, who encourages her to be more assertive but then leaves her. And she finds out she is pregnant. Very forgettable, unsatisfactory ending; I had to look it up to see what this was. *</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Choose Spouse by Lottery </span>is a drama inspired by the low birth rate in Japan. The government sets up blind dates for people, hoping for marriages and more babies. We get to know a core of people and problems they have that explain why they are still single, and would be difficult match up with a spouse. They are coping with Asperger's, overweight, shyness, over-high expectations, are stuck on someone they can't get, or are gay. This is very thoughtful actually, and has well-drawn characters. ****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ex-Enthusiasts </span>is about people who keep longing for their ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend. We get someone who is afraid to commit, one who longs for someone who married someone else, and one who gives up a relationship to move away for a better job. Some of these resolve and some don't. ***</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>My Retirement, My Life</b> is a movie about a widower who thinks he can veg out and relax when he retires, but his daughter is tired of taking care of him and has her own plans. He makes friends with people at a neighborhood exercise class, meets a pretty divorcee, and joins an odd-jobs group. Quietly entertaining, sometimes funny. ****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZ3fhdE1AhN0jzJe9lNPivNknGWLb2gJ5_3reN_jRJfSLTtQ_y2nMBsS_8LzFNEXOISXBni7aouTCbHgDbd8ObZr4WNzUq4Cg2RS9giaAaEvKW2t3UID_TArLQDZej-5pzAqRqJFXROs/s1351/ToriAirborne.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZ3fhdE1AhN0jzJe9lNPivNknGWLb2gJ5_3reN_jRJfSLTtQ_y2nMBsS_8LzFNEXOISXBni7aouTCbHgDbd8ObZr4WNzUq4Cg2RS9giaAaEvKW2t3UID_TArLQDZej-5pzAqRqJFXROs/s320/ToriAirborne.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Tori Girl </b>is a movie about a girl who joins her college human-powered flight club. They are competing with other colleges to fly over Lake Biwa, and they recruit her because she is a good cyclist. She is interested because of a cute boy in the club. Well done and amusing, sometimes exciting as well. ****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Today's Kira Kun </b>is a boring movie about a high school girl who is bullied and then befriended by a popular boy, who her parents don't want her to date because he has heart disease. The official synopsis is annoying because it touts a parrot who sits on her shoulder. There is no parrot. There is a cockatiel, but it doesn't sit on her shoulder either. I would've given more points for the parrot. **</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Till Death Do Us What </b>is a different sort of movie about a man whose wife has died, and he keeps seeing her everywhere, and even talks to her. He has written up their story in a blog, and she wants him to make it into a book and put more of her own viewpoint into it. Sweet and thoughtful. ****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>All of Them are Troublesome</b> is very irritating movie about a young male teacher who can't deal with some brash girls in his classes who flirt with him and try to get him into trouble. It is one of those genre of shows where the kids are smarter than the adults. *</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Anokono Toriko </b>is a movie about three childhood friends who promised they would become famous some day. By high school one of the boys is a popular actor and the girl is a professional model. The other boy has been too shy to accomplish anything, but he gets his chance in this story. The actor does a good job growing from quiet and shy to more confidant. The best actor here is Ishitani Goro, who played the director and was decisive and had great presence. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Chinese</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3Pne5SJpyXhsvt3TTA3tJGXvYBv_W2CWCHH_bP1oWuRVuhD_gjI43BJdu-8K-i60QJgEXTxbymYJQjyW8DypWtp0N-jbWKfNgsFLK7ofyYh_0ay66Kv7XE5TUQpMynyR8OfuAEc7JI8/s912/TigerSleep.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="912" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3Pne5SJpyXhsvt3TTA3tJGXvYBv_W2CWCHH_bP1oWuRVuhD_gjI43BJdu-8K-i60QJgEXTxbymYJQjyW8DypWtp0N-jbWKfNgsFLK7ofyYh_0ay66Kv7XE5TUQpMynyR8OfuAEc7JI8/s320/TigerSleep.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>The Romance of Tiger and Rose</b> is about a drama writer who wakes up one day to find herself in her own drama. She asks people what episode she is in, and keep saying that she knows what is going to happen because she wrote it herself. Very cute drama, very appealing characters, last third is slow. ****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>My Roommate is a Detective </b>is a fun, light drama about a really smart Sherlock Holmes type who gets hired by the police chief to help his solve cases. There is conflict between the Europeans, who run their "concession" areas, and the local Chinese criminal gangs. New story every couple of episodes. ****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Le Coup de Foudre </b>is a slice of life drama about some friends during their college and young married years. It is told in flashback style and it takes them a long time to realize they like each other. One of the men goes to school in England, and the woman follows him there to try to find him. ***</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div>These are the shows we watched and finished. There is a much longer list of shows that we watched one or two episode of and dropped. Or even watched 10 minutes of and dropped.That accounts for having so few low scores. <br /><u style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></u><p></p><p><b><u><br /></u></b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-59604925222762355232020-03-15T14:38:00.001-07:002020-03-15T14:38:23.117-07:00Veteran of Seven Years of Asian Dramas!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50QLHotS5EMbWpTiCp83S9_U6783nOmrXYzoeJM8-wAaKlU6ezENawYX-BnObZ-4lxiOR_FHWUTuiarS9wcd8ULxbEno2MlxNTr0rQ8oDDyXy64VjoonPDv-GLV7JHsA0lImWU8ljgIk/s1600/Spring2Spring.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50QLHotS5EMbWpTiCp83S9_U6783nOmrXYzoeJM8-wAaKlU6ezENawYX-BnObZ-4lxiOR_FHWUTuiarS9wcd8ULxbEno2MlxNTr0rQ8oDDyXy64VjoonPDv-GLV7JHsA0lImWU8ljgIk/s320/Spring2Spring.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring Turns to Spring</td></tr>
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It's the Ides of March again, and now it's been seven years of watching Asian dramas. This year it turned out to be 20 Korean dramas and 16 Japanese, with one Chinese movie. That doesn't count all the ones we tried and dropped! There were a lot of good ones this year.<br />
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<h2>
Korean Dramas</h2>
<b>Spring Turns to Spring: </b>Two women are given a drug that copies their DNA to each other. In effect, they turn into the other person. They try to keep this a secret and impersonate each other, which is hilarious because one is a shy retired actress, the other is an outgoing news anchor. The news anchor is one of three orphans who happened to come to an orphanage at the same time, and were named Il Bom, I Bom, and Sam Bom (One Spring, Two Spring, and Three Spring). Mostly very funny, drags a little in the last third. ****<br />
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<b>Romance is a Bonus Book:</b> A woman returning to work after a divorce is hired at a publishing company where one of the editors has had an unrequited crush on her since his teen years. She does well but gets in trouble for having pretended that she had no degree and been hired under a trainee program. I did not like her, partly because she seems selfish and partly because she has a child who she shipped off to boarding school and is never talked about again. ***<br />
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<b>Touch Your Heart: </b>An actress has a chance to play a lawyer in a drama if she works in a real law office for a few months. She seems to be a real ditz at first but then she improves. This is fun partly because it's a reunion of Yoo In Na and Lee Dong Wook, who were together in <b>Goblin</b>. Park Kyung Hye was a hit as a lawyer who specializes in divorces. ****<br />
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<b>Her Private Life: </b>This show starts as a cute love story between Park Min Young and Kim Jae Wook but disintegrates into a sad backstory in the last few episodes. She is a curator at an art gallery and a big fan of an idol singer in her off hours. He is an artist who has quit painting and now runs art galleries. Would have rated higher except for mopey ending. **<br />
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<b>My Fellow Citizens: </b>Choi Si Won plays a con man who marries a woman who is, unbeknownst to him, a police officer. He spends a lot of time trying to keep her from finding out. He has conned a loan shark whose daughter comes after him for revenge. Her big idea is to have him run for office so she can have a tame congressman. Kim Min Jung steals the show as the loan-shark daughter. *****<br />
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<b>Chief of Staff:</b> This came in two seasons. It started out good with the story of a man who is chief of staff for an assemblyman, and tries to get justice for the oppressed. But we got tired of the main plot of more and more people becoming corrupt. After watching a couple of episodes in Season 2, which starts by killing off one of our favorite characters and then recycles that main plot too many times, we skipped to the last episode to find out what happens in the end. **<br />
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<b>The Secret Life of my Secretary: </b>This should have been called The Secret Life of Veronica Park, because she was more interesting than the lead. The main plot is about a businessman who is face-blind, and his faithful secretary who helps him cope. There are waaay too many dramas about face-blindness. Veronica is a selfish rich girl with heart. ***<br />
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<b>Designated Survivor: 60 Days</b>: This is a remake of an American show of the same name. In an alternate universe, a terrorist bombs the main government building in Seoul and kills the president and all the senior officials. The only cabinet minister who is left, who has little political experience, becomes president. This had good suspense and good characters. We admired the newbie president, and Secretary Cha became a favorite. ****<br />
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<b>Rookie Historian Goo HaeRyung: </b>A saguk in an alternate universe in which a group of women become historians in the palace. One of them falls for the prince. The side stories about things like combatting smallpox lifted the tone of the drama. This was very watchable and the characters were<br />
likable. ***<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melo Is My Nature</td></tr>
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<b>Melo is my Nature: </b>A quiet, sometimes melancholy but very strong drama about three women friends who support each other through thick and thin. One is a drama scriptwriter who, we find out through little hints, is writing the drama we are watching. The second one arranges product placement for dramas and has a young son. The third is a producer who loses her husband and falls into a deep depression, so her brother and these two friends move in with her to help. Possibly the best drama of the year. *****<br />
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<b>Search:WWW:</b> Three women who were friends since school, work for search engine companies. The plot about the ethics of their business highlights the strength of these women. It is better than the side plot about the love stories, which only ends well for one of the women. Scarlett is awesome, and you need to see the scene with the baseball bats! ****<br />
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<b>Extra-ordinary You:</b> This is a story about high school students who discover that not only are they all characters in a manga, but they have been recycled from a previous saguk manga. It starts out great with a perky lead girl and some mystery. Some early scenes hilariously parody <b>Boys Over Flowers. </b>Unfortunately the story fell apart in the latter half and the ending was indeterminate. ***<br />
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<b>The Fiery Priest: </b>Kim Nam Gil is alternately awesome and hilarious in this story of a priest who had once been a special agent. The first episode is quite heavy ground to get over, as they kill off someone in order to bring the priest to the point of deciding to clean up the town. His fight scenes are great though! This is another contender for best drama of the year. *****<br />
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<b>The Tale of Nokdu:</b> This saguk starts out as a lighthearted story of a man dressing up as a women in order to investigate a suspicious widow's village. Halfway through, it morphs into a political story of murder and revolt against the king. Still interesting, but not what we signed up for. Kim So Hyun does well as the archer girl, and Jang Dong Yoon wows us with his fan dance. ***<br />
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<b>Hotel del Luna: </b>This story about a hotel for ghosts had a hard time getting up to speed, but the world building was great and IU with an attitude and an amazing wardrobe was stunning. At the hotel, the ghosts are supposed to rest and let go of their resentments and regrets and be ready to pass on to the next life. Some ghosts learn to forgive, but those who can't manage that get dissolved into sparks by the Reaper. I thought about this theme a lot after I finished the drama. The bell-hop and the half-ghost girl were cute. *****<br />
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<b>Live Up to Your Name:</b> This is a time-travel saguk in which a Joseon-era doctor appears suddenly in modern times and gets to know a female surgeon. They cross over the time periods several times and come across a mystery of another time traveler. He learns that there are as many corrupt rich people in modern times as in his own, and she comes to appreciate his traditional methods. ****<br />
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<b>My Holo Love:</b> This is quite a successful story about the limitations and worth of artificial humans. A woman gets to be the beta-tester of special glasses that let you interact with a holographic companion. The hologram is kind and helpful and of course she falls for him. The genius designer of this program is hard-nosed at first, but she softens him up. They run into seemingly insurmountable difficulties, but pull it out of the fire and give us a good ending. ***<br />
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<b>Crash Landing on You:</b> Son Ye Jin plays a super-rich South Korean woman who goes hang-gliding and gets swept over the border into North Korea by a freak storm. Very freak. Hyun Bin, as a North Korean soldier, discovers her and tries to get her home again. Our favorite characters are the village ahjummas who support each other through thick and thin, and the squad of soldiers who can take anyone on in a hand-to-hand fight but are terrible shots . ****<br />
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<b>Stove League:</b> An off-season look at professional baseball in Korea. A new general manager tries to deal with the problems of the last-place team, while the owners are secretly trying to get rid of the team and throw all kinds of stumbling blocks in their way. Namgung Min outsmarts everyone as he copes with bribery, bullying, money shortages, and army service issues. The story stays strong most of the way through but has a weak last episode. ****<br />
<h2>
Japanese Dramas</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sumika Sumire</td></tr>
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<b>Sumika Sumire:</b> A magical cat (who can turn into a man) befriends a 65-year-old woman who has never been allowed to make her own decisions. He turns her 25 again and helps her realize her lifelong dreams. They run into troubles and hard decisions (and another magical cat). Very cute. ****<br />
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<b>Time Taxi: </b>A magical taxi takes its passengers back in time - for a fee. The first episode is a giant shock, the second is rather dull. The rest are pretty cute, some humorous, some more serious. At first they are episodic and then the stories begin to link together. A fun watch. ****</div>
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<b>Osaka Loop Line: </b>This is an anthology of stories about things that happen along the rail line in Osaka. There are three seasons; we saw the first. Some are mildly interesting, most not so much. **</div>
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<b>Stay Tuned:</b> A radio station in Hokkaido hires an inept girl just to see how creative she is and if she can shake things up. She does, more than they expected. Made for the anniversary of a real-life station, and shows the workings of the radio station. Entertaining. ***</div>
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<b>May I Blackmail You?</b> People who have been wronged and can't get redress in a normal way, hire a blackmailer to get their money back or get revenge. We dropped this one at the end of Episode 3 because it ended in an illogical way, but picked it up again later. It proved to be interesting as we got to the underlying plot of what's up with the family of the rich girl who has offered to give out money if people bypass the blackmailer. We also discover the backstory and goals of the blackmailer. ****</div>
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<b>Good-by, Enari-kun: </b>A goblin follows a woman around and possesses the bodies of various men who date her and causes them to be complete jerks. She learns to recognize this, and is able to sprinkle the goblin with salt and make him leave. *</div>
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<b>Your Home is My Business: </b>A slightly obsessed real estate agent claims that she can sell any house, and can find a house for any customer. The case she handles in the first episode doesn't make sense, but the others are engaging. She copes with difficult customers as well as slacker staff, and often surprises everyone with her solutions. ***</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Time With You</td></tr>
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<b>In TimeWith You:</b> A man and a woman who have been friends since high school make a bet about which of them will marry first. They start out both interested in different people and then start to realize they actually like each other. Pretty cute show except it drags on too long and has rather an open ending. ***<br />
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<b>Takane and Hana:</b> A woman refuses to go to an arranged marriage meeting, so her high-school age sister takes her place. The man in question is intrigued by her because she's the first girl he's met who didn't pander to him for his money. Hana is spunky and keeps thinking she's gotten rid of Takane, but he keeps turning up! ***</div>
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<b>Erased: </b>When dangerous events occur around him, a man involuntarily jumps back in time a few minutes, which allows him to prevent it from happening. Finally one day when his mother is attacked, he jumps back 18 years to his childhood, where a series of child murders is going on in his town. This is well done but quite dark and suspenseful. ***</div>
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<b>Tuna Girl:</b> This is a movie about an intern at a scientific institute trying to devise a way to breed tuna commercially. She is clumsy and inept at first, but slowly learns what she is doing. This is kind of like a documentary and kind of like a Disney film for kids. **</div>
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<b>Ramen Shop: </b>A Japanese chef whose mother had died when he was a child, travels to Singapore to find out more about her family. He locates his grandmother, who initially doesn't want to see him. This is somewhat like a documentary too, about high-end ramen. **</div>
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<b>When One Day I Will Sleep: </b>This is about a high school girl who is in a bus crash during a school trip. She meets a grim reaper who tells her she has to resolve her regrets about three people before passing on: a friend, a boy she likes, and her grandmother. This is thoughtful and sweet, and somewhat predictable until the big surprise in the last episode that will make you view the whole story in another light. ****</div>
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<b>Hoping to Give You a Big Hug Tonight: </b>A kind of convoluted love triangle between a college student and her long-lost first love and several other people - something, something, I forget. *</div>
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<b>Secret Unrequited Love: </b>A high-school age couple have liked each other since their childhood. Unfortunately he has a bad heart and decides to avoid her so she won't be so upset if he dies. The girl doesn't know how sick he is and overtly pursues him. Their moms as well as another girl who also has a bad heart, try to separate them. Rather open ended. **</div>
<h2>
Chinese Movie</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHC9s7ORX1KsRVP5-7EoRnJQIHKMCX35n-uc7OnCCqtikoP4mN7BX7dlr0KCecbPOCyp5jnqn1CLhA_Zp8GuxjaWjhi4W1UU0m0ktEPudYNJm6YHwRu3GkmNlNoQQZToermAcdsm_ajg/s1600/Railroad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHC9s7ORX1KsRVP5-7EoRnJQIHKMCX35n-uc7OnCCqtikoP4mN7BX7dlr0KCecbPOCyp5jnqn1CLhA_Zp8GuxjaWjhi4W1UU0m0ktEPudYNJm6YHwRu3GkmNlNoQQZToermAcdsm_ajg/s320/Railroad.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Railroad Tigers</td></tr>
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<b>Railroad Tigers: </b>I watched this on Chinese New Year, and it's the one Chinese thing I finished this year, a 2016 Jackie Chan movie. It's a romp, not meant to be taken seriously, and a fun watch. During the Japanese occupation, a Chinese resistance group tries to blow up a train bridge. ***</div>
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There you have it, the seventh year of dramas! The ones we are watching now are I'll Go to You when the Weather is Nice and Hi Bye Mama. They will undoubtedly start off next years' list.<br />
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Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-42161198656020838722019-03-15T15:04:00.000-07:002019-03-16T15:55:06.143-07:00Six Years Now of Asian Dramas<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-uLfQFH0vZkvxCKenH5eXuRarQWLMKYBxJ1YqKjPSm5Pgwlh2Z7idVVt56JLOYASRhcFFTkAALig0nNEtV81fYGpu4FCKRb0ITVLTKCvw6HHDom2Mq0yA9PYeefCbCxC17eiI_eFvIM/s1600/EverNightPoster.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="460" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-uLfQFH0vZkvxCKenH5eXuRarQWLMKYBxJ1YqKjPSm5Pgwlh2Z7idVVt56JLOYASRhcFFTkAALig0nNEtV81fYGpu4FCKRb0ITVLTKCvw6HHDom2Mq0yA9PYeefCbCxC17eiI_eFvIM/s320/EverNightPoster.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ever Night</td></tr>
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It's becoming more true that I watch Asian dramas and not just Korean ones, which I began with and are more widely available. This year I have watched just as many Japanese dramas as Korean. And there are a couple of Chinese shows to add. </div>
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<b>Chinese Dramas</b></div>
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<b>The Disguiser</b>: This is a show set in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation. Three brothers pretend they are collaborators with the Japanese and the Nationalist Chinese think they are really working for them. In reality they are Communists. **** </div>
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<b>Ever Night</b>: This is a fantasy with interesting characters, beautiful scenery, and great fight scenes, some magical. The main plot is about the hero getting revenge for his family being killed. He is a fun, cheeky, ultra-confidant kind of guy. *****<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxB1GGymHj_XIEX-rp2v3DXR7ld6jTxfglXuBGirgjJoaFOmz24GGZ5RedGI-5_ywDSMNygtw0HLTV508gIrbfgM57GNBCEF4lSHRC1NSI_mUEyiFECGwLbnE5So4r1cW6OCFMageOpc8/s1600/Caution-poster.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="640" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxB1GGymHj_XIEX-rp2v3DXR7ld6jTxfglXuBGirgjJoaFOmz24GGZ5RedGI-5_ywDSMNygtw0HLTV508gIrbfgM57GNBCEF4lSHRC1NSI_mUEyiFECGwLbnE5So4r1cW6OCFMageOpc8/s320/Caution-poster.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caution Hazardous Wife</td></tr>
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<b>Japanese Dramas</b><br />
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<b>Yae's Sakura: </b>A historical drama about a real woman who became a skilled rifle shooter, taught others to shoot, and helped defend her hometown during the Japanese civil war that went on when the Tokugawa Shogunate was overturned. That's the best part, anyway. ****<br />
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<b>Partners By Blood</b>: About a rookie cop who is assigned to work with his father, from whom he has been estranged. Very funny show until the last couple of episodes, which pretty much tanks. ***<br />
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<b>Satorare</b>: It's about a genius young man whose thoughts can be heard by everyone around him. No one is allowed to let him know, for fear that it will mentally unbalance him. Different sort of show and very interesting all the way through. *****<br />
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<b>By Chance</b>: A Japanese man sees a picture of a Chinese woman who looks like his fiancee, who has died. He invites her to come to Japan for a photoshoot so he can have pictures of his lost love, or at least that looks like her. Movie. ***<br />
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<b>Doctor X, Season 1</b>: A woman doctor free-lances at different hospitals, usually coming up against doctors and administrators who are not as good as she is and mostly interested in their own status. Pretty much a different story in each episode. ***<br />
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<b>Switched:</b> A high school girl jumps off a building and switches bodies with another girl who is watching her. I thought this was good, and I don't usually like high school dramas. ****<br />
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<b>Mary and the Witch's Flower</b>: Animated movie about a girl who finds a magic flower. **<br />
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<b>Love and Hong Kong:</b> An actress is shooting a variety show in Hong Kong when she gets abducted by someone who thinks he is meeting a woman he met on the internet, who had mendaciously used the actress' picture as her own. The first episode is boring but needed for setup. The rest is good. Four short episodes. ****<br />
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<b>Trumpet on a Cliff</b>: A woman goes to Okinawa to recover from a heart transplant and becomes unaccountably enchanted by a man she meets by the ocean cliffs. Movie.***<br />
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<b>Overprotected Kohoko</b>: A girl whose mother has always run her life for her, suddenly has to grow up and think for herself. She is unbelievably childish at first, but progresses well; there are several surprises along the way. ****<br />
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<b>Caution Hazardous Wife</b>: A secret agent quits her job, marries, and tries to live a normal life. She gets entangles in her neighbor's lives and falls back on her secret agent skills. It was fun to watch her be pretty much invincible and beat up all the bad guys. *****<br />
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<b>Pretty Proofreader</b>: A woman who has always wanted to be a fashion editor is hired instead by the proofreading department and finds that she has an unexpected aptitude for it. You think that she is flighty, but she turns out to be pretty smart. *****<br />
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<b>My Long Awaited Love Story</b>: A woman who designs dating games is hired as a consultant by a big company. The CEO asks her for advice with his own dating problems. They are cute. Movie. ****<br />
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<b>A Sharply Graceful Girl:</b> A magazine writer is sent to Kyoto to do articles to interest tourists in the city. He meets a local woman who tells him about many little-knows places. This one grows on you. Four short episodes. ****<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5e5t7-FRtoPtCbD2rQod5Kaz1m1dwGfNFYmuOnqZnpVa4XGQwEOYTx1n01W3M9v-tLXjyeZq58nXl111lA0XkVLE6MQeAGZsg7M_wBfaM7SO13m1vEP3ivqoAtrWxXgb6CLG6lPzveN8/s1600/poem+title.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="680" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5e5t7-FRtoPtCbD2rQod5Kaz1m1dwGfNFYmuOnqZnpVa4XGQwEOYTx1n01W3M9v-tLXjyeZq58nXl111lA0XkVLE6MQeAGZsg7M_wBfaM7SO13m1vEP3ivqoAtrWxXgb6CLG6lPzveN8/s320/poem+title.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Poem a Day</td></tr>
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<b>Korean Dramas</b><br />
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<b>Twentieth Century Boy and Girl</b>: Four friends from high school days, three girls and a boy, look for love. Kind of dull, but kind of nice as a filer.***<br />
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<b>A Poem a Day</b>: A slice-of-life comedy about the staff of the rehab department of a big hospital. The story is often thoughtful and touching, often funny. It's augmented by poems every episode. ****<br />
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<b>Switch Change the World</b>: A con man impersonates a prosecutor who looks just like him, assisted by a junior prosecutor. Not too violent and not too exciting either. One episode in the middle made me pretty angry. ****<br />
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<b>Miss Hammurabi</b>: a beginning judge bucks the system in an effort to achieve fair judgements. There's not much of a romance except for a secondary couple that was quite cute. There are a lot of cases about women's rights. ****<br />
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<b>Are You Human Too? </b>A woman builds robots that look like her son, and when the son is injured, uses the robot as a replacement. The first half was very good but it fell apart and got sloppy in the end. ****<br />
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<b>Witch's Love:</b> Three witches live under the radar running a popular restaurant. That is, no one knows they are witches. A man looking for information about a traumatic incident in his childhood identifies the restaurant as the site. Pretty cute, not too intense. ****<br />
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<b>Thirty But Seventeen</b>: A woman who was injured and in a coma for 13 years wakes up and tries to reclaim her life. She finds a new family in her house. Slow moving with a lot of misunderstandings, but quite a popular show. ****<br />
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<b>Five Children</b>: A widower with two children meets a divorcee with three, and cope with family difficulties in trying to put a family together. Three other couples get together as well and are more romantic than the main one. *****<br />
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<b>Room No. 9</b>: A body-switch story between a lawyer and a prison inmate who was falsely imprisoned. There is a boyfriend, but not much of a romance. The detective and the inmate's bestie are the best part. ****<br />
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<b>Ms. Ma, Nemesis:</b> A woman is framed for killing her daughter, escapes prison, and tries to find the real culprit. The storylines are taken from several Agatha Christie Miss Marple books. It has a rather lame ending. ***<br />
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<b>Solomon's Perjury:</b> high school students give up on the police ever solving the death of one of their friends, and conduct their own trial at school. This is a crime show without teenage shenanigans. *****<br />
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<b>Feel Good to Die</b>: A notoriously crabby boss drives everyone crazy, but one day someone wishes he were dead, and he suddenly dies. Then the day reset as in the Groundhog Day movie, and the characters live the day over. This happens several times and then things change up when he realizes what is happening. ****<br />
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<b>Memories of the Alhambra</b>: A video game company develops an augmented reality game that can be played in certain cities around the world, and then people start dying from the game. This started out intriguing, and then began to fall apart. I lost sympathy when my favorite character was killed off, and was annoyed that the female lead never did anything but cry. ****<br />
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<b>Wind Bell:</b> a Korean who was adopted to America returns to Korea to try to find his roots. Very short web drama, but you still get a good feel for the characters and what is going on.***<br />
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<br />Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-13567197713419578162018-03-15T18:01:00.001-07:002019-03-16T15:54:41.481-07:00Five Years of Asian Dramas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I haven't posted on this blog for a
while because I have been contributing to another blog, Dramas With
a Side of Kimchi. It has been fun to work on a larger blog and to
contribute to group posts and interact with other bloggers. There probably won't be much here any
more, but my Ides of March posts belong here still. Last year at the
Ides of March cutoff, I was in the middle of three dramas which
didn't get discussed then, so I'll begin with those. For the record, it's been five
years since I began watching Asian dramas.</div>
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<b>Korean Dramas: </b>
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Chief
Kim: Namgoong Min, who had been eating it up as a crazy
villain, shows his funny side as a crooked accountant with a
conscience. He is hired to cook the books for a large firm and then
starts to feel sympathy for the employees who are being shortchanged.
****</div>
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Tomorrow
With You: A man visits the future by riding on the subway and discovers that he needs to be married tp be happy. I looked forward to this one because of the actors, Lee Je-hoon from Signal and Shin Min-a from My Girlfriend is a
Gumiho. Sadly it was a disappointment; the couple didn't click and
the plot went nowhere. Questions about the other time traveler never
get answered, although we do find out who he is. And if the guy can
time travel because he missed the train explosion, why couldn't the
girl do it as well? **</div>
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Forest of Secrets (aka Stranger):
Perhaps my favorite drama of last year, this is a detective drama in
which the characters are as good as the plot twists. A prosecutor
(played by Cho Seung-woo) whose childhood brain surgery has curtailed his
ability to access his emotions, opens up when he encounters a lively
police woman (Bae Doona) who is perhaps his first real friend. They
follow a twisted trail from a murder to uncover political corruption. *****</div>
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Father is Strange: I really enjoyed my
first really long (52 episode) family drama. It is about a family who
all love and support each other and yet all have secrets. We have
someone living under an assumed name, someone keeping painful secrets
from a lover, another person with a secret love affair, and one who
is still haunted by being bullied. Lee Joon's acting was stellar.
****</div>
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Man to Man: Park Hae-jin stars as a
secret ops agent who is infallible – the first half of the drama
anyway. The story was entertaining at first but went downhill, and I
didn't like the leading actress. **</div>
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Chicago Typewriter: This is a great
show but you have to get a few episode in, and get to the 1930's
part. I watched originally for Yoo Ah-in but dropped after a few
episodes when I got busy. Then I picked it up again and got busy watching Go Kyung-pyo. This show jumps between the story of a
modern-day writer being haunted by a ghost and the 1930's when the
ghost was alive and the writer was in a previous incarnation. ****</div>
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The Package: The main charm of this
story is the setting in France, where all the characters go on a
tour. The tour guide is Lee Yeon-hee (from Miss Korea) and the guy on
the tour who likes her but keeps getting into trouble is Jung Yong-hwa
(from You're Beautiful and Three Musketeers). The interest is kept up
by the other travelers, especially the sweet little Ahjumma who is coping with an illness and an irascible husband. ***</div>
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Because This is My First Life: Somewhat
similar to the Jdrama We Married as a Job, this tells the story of a
shy man who hires a woman to clean house for him and they start to
like each other. It has a lame ending involving the woman waffling
around. The best part is the fluffy white cat. ***</div>
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I'm Not a Robot: A man who is allergic
to humans agrees to help test a lifelike android not knowing that the android has broken down and a real woman is impersonating it. Yoo Seung-ho
and Chae Soo-bin were very cute, but the robot was intriguing and I thought they shortchanged it. *****</div>
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Just Between Lovers: This is not a show
I had thought about ahead of time but really liked once we tried it
out. Lee Joon-ho, who had been in Chief Kim, is great as the young
man with PTSD who falls for a girl who survived a mall collapse
with him. Won Jin-a is a newbie who does a great job as a young woman
coping with survivors guilt and parents who can't move past the
calamity. *****</div>
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I Am... : A robotics engineer leaves a
lifelike android robot with his grown children and disappears. The
daughter, a high school teacher, takes to the robot, calls it Annie,
and enrolls it in her school. Cute. ***</div>
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As One: A movie about a pan-Asian table tennis tournament in which the North Korean and South Korean teams field a joint team. Based on a true story. ***</div>
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<b>Chinese Drama:</b></div>
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Nirvana in Fire: A Chinese historical
fiction with 54 episodes. A young nobleman whose family and retainers are
killed due to political infighting and treachery, spends years
planning how to get the truth out and restore their honor. A few
people who knew him from his youth help him; a man who now a general,
his fiancee, and the widow of one of his officers. A royal prince and
a couple of nobles who don't recognize him become his friends in his
new identity and help him as well. ****</div>
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<b>Japanese Dramas:</b></div>
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Sunshine: This tells the story of a
young girl as she grows up, from her life in the countryside in the
1930's, to her years as a school teacher in World War II, and her
married life with her in-laws in the years following. It is
interesting to see how things change, and very strange to see the
people at school cheer the news of Pearl Harbor. ***</div>
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Long Vacation: A young man is on the
cusp of being a professional pianist. His roommate moves out to get
married, but jilts the girl and disappears. The girl then shows up on
the doorstep needing help, followed by her friends and brother. This stars Takuya
Kimura, who was in Ando Lloyd. ****</div>
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Hero: Another Takuya Kimura drama, and quite humerous. He plays a prosecutor who investigates his cases in unorthodox
ways. All the other staff feel he is way too casual and not serious
enough, but he picks up on little hints in the cases that no one else
notices and is able to solve them. *****</div>
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Go Teddy Go!: A short 4-episode drama
about a magical teddy bear that speaks because someone's spirit is
captured inside it. Silly. *</div>
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Gokusen: A young teacher doesn't want
anyone at the school to know that she is the granddaughter of a
yakuza boss. She overreacts from time to time but nevertheless is
able to connect well with her more rebellious students. And although
she is usually quite retiring, whenever anyone really gets into
trouble, she is able to thrash the enemy. **</div>
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Atelier: A young woman's first job out
of college is at an elite lingerie shop. The boss is pretty much the
mean boss from The Devil Wears Prada. **</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
I am Reiko Shiratori: A rich arrogant girl tells a boy that he's not good enough for her and then tries to get him back. A light-hearted show mostly for pre-teen girls. **<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dad of Light: A man tries to reconnect
with his father by playing Final Fantasy together, which they had
done for a while when he was a kid. Based on a true story. ***</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
RyomaDen: A historical drama based on
the life of Sakamoto Ryoma, who lived when Matthew Perry visited
Japan. He saw the upheavel in Japanese society and worked to get his
people to get along with each other and to modernize so they could
cope well with the incoming foreigners. *****</div>
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Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-67247429184048776402017-06-24T18:08:00.003-07:002017-06-24T18:48:47.645-07:00Kdrama Fathers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Last year I did a Mothers Day post on Kdrama mothers, and decided that this year I would do a Fathers Day post. Forgot. Here we are, a little late, but it's still June, so...<br />
<br />
There are an awful lot of bad fathers in Kdramas, perhaps because there has to be conflict somewhere in the story. Doesn't have to be the main characters' families though, just saying. There are your loser dads who desert their families because they are hiding from loan sharks (Mary Stayed Out All Night) or other reasons. (Tomorrow With You - was the heroine's dad just hiding from his wife?) There are your tyrannical chaebol dads who think they can run everyone else's lives. (Heirs and Heard it Through the Grapevine) And there are your dads who are corrupt heads of a company or hospital. (Chief Kim and Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim - although these were dads of supporting characters.) In W: Two Worlds the dad cycles between good and bad and is perhaps the most distasteful of the lot.<br />
<br />
Bad fathers can be charming though. The heroine in I Am Sam had a rather lovable, rather inept gangster dad. The dad in Protect the Boss was a hard-minded CEO and gang leader, who nevertheless had a soft chewy center when it came to his mother and his son, and was pretty adorable when it came to masquerading as an invalid in pajamas and a wheelchair. <br />
<br />
The father is not the main character in too many dramas. The one in Ms. Temper and Nam Jung Gi was kind of a beta hero, and you suspect the heroine liked his little boy as much as she liked him. Please Come Back Mister featured a dad who had died and was allowed to return to earth (in another body) to redress some wrongs. He was very tender with his little girl.<br />
<br />
Some dads don't know they are a dad. The hero in Oh My Lady suddenly finds out he has a five-year-old daughter and the one in Gentleman's Dignity gets a teenager. We watch them accept and then start to care and become responsible. There's a pretty great scene in a police station when Dad arrives and takes charge. <br />
<br />
There are some good solid, reliable fathers who hang around in the background. (Reply 1997, Another Oh Hae Young, Kill Me Heal Me, and even Secretary Dad in Heirs.) Some are more involved in the plot like the tough-minded North Korean general in King 2 Hearts who had a wonderful trusting relationship with his grown daughter. One of my favorites is Dad in an apron, backed up by Grandpa, Uncle, and Brother in Miss Korea.<br />
<br />
And I can't forget the dads who aren't really the dad. In Pinocchio we have the heroine's grandfather thinking the hero is his son and raising him. In King of High School we have a foster dad and grandpa creating a family. In Couple or Trouble we have an uncle taking care of orphans.<br />
<br />
The one I remember the most fondly is the adoptive dad in Healer, who dances to pop music with his daughter over breakfast, and chose her at the orphanage because she was so shy and needed someone so much. He's a lawyer who runs a cafe on the side to employ his ex-con clients and keep them out of trouble. They in turn become uncles to the heroine and teach her things like lock-picking.<br />
<br />
A good dad is invaluable to a family, and in Korean dramas we have some excellent examples. Families are very important in Korea, and some of the best dramas showcase that. <br />
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<br />Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-25104702540836527982017-03-15T16:11:00.000-07:002017-03-15T16:11:09.476-07:00Four Years of Kdramas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's the Ides of March and time to review the year of Korean dramas. This week we not only have the Ides of March, but Pi day (apple pie this time) and St. Patrick's day as well. What a busy week! We have branched out into Japanese and Chinese dramas more, which I should write about sometime. We have briefly tried and dropped quite a few dramas this year, coasted along with some, and found a lot we really liked. Rated out of 5 stars.<br />
<br />
Baby-Faced Beauty: is the first one of the last year; Jang Nara plays a woman in her thirties who takes the place of her younger sister at a fashion company, and falls for a man her sister's age. She is good at her work, but has cultural troubles with dating a younger man. Amusing, but too many contests.***<br />
<br />
Page Turner: a three episode mini-drama about high school pianists who compete with each other. Problems come from a stage mother and one of them becoming blind. Great acting, we will see rising teen actress Kim So-Hyun again. *****<br />
<br />
Please Come Back Mister: Great plot idea, not quite well executed. Two middle-aged men (an office worker and an ex-gangster) die and get sent back to earth for a second chance to fix things. One becomes a handsome young man (Rain) who should not have hit on his (previous life) wife so much, and the other a beautiful young woman (Oh Yeon-Seo) who hilariously channels the gangster. The conductor on the train to heaven steals the show. ****<br />
<br />
He Who Can't Marry: might as well be called He Who Can't Get Along With Anybody. Two 40-year olds become interested in each other: a female doctor (Um Jung-Hwa) and a male architect who seems to have Aspergers and can't relate to anyone. It all falls apart in the end. Watched it because Yoo An-In was in it. **<br />
<br />
Ms. Temper and Nam Jung-Gi: an overbearing middle manager is hired to save a floundering company and develops a relationship with one of the employees and his little boy, who also live in her apartment building. Very cute scenes with her (Lee Yo-Won) and the little boy (Choi Hyun-Joon). ****<br />
<br />
Drama World: an Australian kdrama fan is pulled inside her phone and becomes part of her favorite drama. Funny but cheesy, improves as it goes along. **<br />
<br />
Oh My Lady: a woman (Chae Rim) becomes housekeeper for a popular actor who is very self-centered. When he finds out he has a five-year-old child (the adorable Kim Yoo-Bin), she has to help take care of her and he has to learn to become thoughtful and responsible. Very good character progression by Choi Si-won. ****<br />
<br />
Bong Soon, a Cyborg in Love: a mini drama in which scientists develop a robot that they can market to be a perfect girlfriend. One of them falls in love with her. ***<br />
<br />
Shining Inheritance/ Brilliant Legacy: When a businessman is thought to be dead, his wife kicks out her two stepchildren. The girl(Han Hyo-Joo) takes care of an injured old woman, who turns out to be wealthy and offers to give her company to the girl over the head of her slacker grandson played by Lee Seung-Gi. ***<br />
<br />
Another Oh Hae-Young/ Another Miss Oh: A young man gets jilted at the altar. A year later he hears that his ex-fiancee is marrying someone else, and accuses the groom of graft and gets him arrested. However, the bride was someone else with the same name and the groom breaks up with her the day before the wedding without telling her why. Likeable guy, too shrill girl. He sees visions which don't get explained. ***<br />
<br />
Squad 38/ Task Force 38: a tax collector gets help from con artists to run scams on tax evaders to get their taxes paid. Starts well, mostly very entertaining, somewhat weak ending. Great bromance with Seo In-Guk as the con man and Ma Dong-Seok as the tax collector. ****<br />
<br />
Thumping Spike: short web drama. A pro volleyball player in the middle of a slump becomes a temporary high school coach and helps their team excel. **<br />
<br />
Let's Fight Ghost: a college student (with a couple of comic sidekick friends) makes money by ghostbusting. He (Taecyon) comes across a girl ghost (Kim So-Hyun) who makes friends and helps him. They discover that they can help some of the ghosts solve problems and pass on. A suspicious professor holds the secret of why the boy can see ghosts, and why the girl became a ghost. Cute; memorable characters; the sidekicks were very popular. *****<br />
<br />
W/ W-Two Worlds: A manga artist starts to go crazy when characters from his story come alive. His daughter (Han Hyo-Joo) is sucked into the manga world and falls in love with one of the characters, played by Lee Jong-Suk. Amazingly exciting beginning, but plot holes and general craziness lead to a weak ending. ***<br />
<br />
Six Flying Dragons: excellent historical drama about King Taejo becoming the first king of Joseon, and his son Yi Bang-Won who becomes King Taejong. Great writing and acting; 50 episodes, all of which are good - no slow spots. Yoo Ah-In plays Bang-Won, and Byun Jo-Han and Yoon Kyun-Sang play fictional characters with amazing fight scenes. *****<br />
<br />
Another Parting: mini drama - an alien is sent to Earth to find out why humans cry. **<br />
<br />
Go Ho's Starry Night: mini-drama about five men in one office who like the same girl. **<br />
<br />
Jealousy Incarnate: a tangle of people who are jealous of each other: Gong Hyo-Jin plays a weather caster who is jealous of the news reporters. Jo Jung-Suk is a reporter who is jealous of her boyfriend. Her brother is jealous of the guy who likes his niece. His brother has two ex-wives (Lee Mi-Sook and Park Ji-Young) who are jealous of each other. She is indecisive and he is inconsiderate, so they are not really likeable, but the show is really well done and one of the best. *****<br />
<br />
Shopping King Louie: watched it for Seo In-Guk. Cute and fluffy but not convincing. He is an amnesiac who spends money like water and falls for a poor cheerful girl who forgives him everything. Nobody in this show seems to be able to think, even the villains are incompetent. **<br />
<br />
The K2: the saving grace of this show is Ji Chang-Wook's fight scenes and the beautiful background music. You can tell there is really no plot from the first few episodes which mainly consist of Yoona running around Spain in her nightgown. She plays the illegitimate child of a Korean politician who is trying to keep her a secret. He is the bodyguard. The most interesting character is the evil stepmother played by Song Yoon-A. **<br />
<br />
1% of Something/ 1% of Anything/ Something About 1%: this is a remake and is much better than the earlier one, so be sure you watch the one made in 2016. A kindergarten teacher helps an elderly man who has fallen. He is impressed by her and makes his cold-hearted grandson date her in hopes that her kindness will rub off on him. Fun and cute. ****<br />
<br />
The Beauty Inside: a movie. A man wakes up every day looking like a completely different person and has great difficulty having friends or a job. He is played by a lot of different actor and actresses. Very well done. ****<br />
<br />
Tree With Deep Roots: a fictionalized story of how King Sejong (played by Han Suk-Kyu) developed hangul, the Korean alphabet. It begins when he is a child (played by a very cute teenage Song Joong-Ki) and his father King Taejong is a tyrant who kills anyone who threatens his position. A boy whose family is killed returns as an adult policeman to solve continuing murders. This drama takes place after the events of Six Flying Dragons, although it was made first. Very good, fun to spot actors in both shows, slow spot 3/4 of the way through. ****<br />
<br />
Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim: Han Suk-Kyu plays a doctor who is forced out by a corrupt official, changes his name, and works at a small country hospital. There he becomes a mentor for younger doctors played by Seo Hyun-Jin and Yoo Yeon-Seok (who are way better here than in their previous dramas Oh Hae Young and Warm and Cozy). *****<br />
<br />
Goblin/ Guardian the Lonely and Great God: Gong Yoo plays an immortal goblin who helps deserving souls, and was in his previous life a general who was killed by the king. Lee Dong-Wook plays a grim reaper who doesn't remember his previous life. Though at first antagonistic, they become friends and are very cute together helping the goblin's bride (Kim Go-Eun) and his sister (Yoo In-Na). This was great both in atmosphere and in the characters. *****<br />
<br />
Shows we are in the middle of watching; Chief Kim and Tomorrow With You. Also 30 episodes into Nirvana in Fire, which is Chinese.<br />
<br />
Shows we tried and dropped so then 0 stars: Remember (the hero's super hearing was forgotten after two episodes and the villains kept walking over him); Grandpas Over Flowers Investigation Team (haphazard plot); Moorim School (they sent kids hiking in the middle of a wolf pack? really? their tests consist of a party?) Good Doctor (couldn't buy that someone with autism could be a doctor or get cured of it); Descendants of the Sun (couldn't take the weekly rescues of the heroine); High End Crush (can't remember anything about this one at all...); Haeundae Lovers (a story about a family of morons who do stupid things); Secret Message (couldn't figure it out at all); Sweet 18 (slow, a married couple lying to each other); Cinderella and Four Knights (aww Jung Il-Woo, you're supposed to be perky and cute, but I can't take six episodes of moping around); One More Happy Ending (too mindless); Mr. Baek (don't like the characters, the story is tanking); One Percent of Anything ( the one from 2003 which is confusing); Dear My Friends (couldn't take a whole episode of old ladies yelling and hitting each other); Legend of the Blue Sea (wanted to like a mermaid story, but just draggy except for the episode with the merman); Queen of Office (actually we watched this one out of focus and can't find it anywhere). <br />
<br />Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-2313669175201925522017-01-12T15:24:00.000-08:002017-01-12T21:23:02.248-08:00Six Flying Dragons Summary Episodes 46-50<b>Episode 46</b><br />
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Bang-Won tells Moo Hyul he is going to kill Bang-Seok (crown
prince) and Jung Do-Jeon (Sambong), and uses Young-Gyu's funeral as
cover for meeting his allies, including Jo Mal Seng and Lady Min's
brothers. The big difficulty is that the king has forbidden private
armies, and even though they have men outside the capital they can't
get them in. Ha Ryon figures out how to smuggle them in under cover
of working on the Queen's tomb. Boon-Yi finds the hidden weapons and
confronts Bang-Won; he refuses to move them and she keeps his secret.<br />
<br />
The Ming Emperor dies and King Taejo gets ready to attack
Liaodong. Taejo plans to leave a week before this scheduled day to
work on the tomb, but then he falls ill and postpones the departure
date.<br />
Jung Do Jeon brings his brother Do Gwang and young nephew Jung
Gi-Joon to Granny's cafe for lunch the day before the army is to
depart. She gives safety amulets to Bang-Ji and Moo-Hyul who know
they will have to fight each other. Boon-Yi asks Sambong if the
people really are the foundation of the country. He says the nobles
rule with the welfare of the common people at heart. The commoners
are too busy working and can't learn to read. She encourages him to
find a way.<br />
<br />
Granny catches Moo-Hyul moving the weapons and makes him promise
to quit working for the prince after the fight. The scariest part of this show is worrying if annoying screechy Granny will let out the secret. Yeon-Hee gives
Bang-Ji some armor and he gives her the amulet. Bang-Won leaves his
house, collecting men along all the side streets.<br />
<br />
Note: The Queen's tomb was being built in the capital city, with
different nobles sending men to work on it every day. Yi Seok Boem
sided with Bang-Won and brought soldiers in on the day he was
scheduled for work. Jung Do-Gwang and Gi-Joon are fictional, but
appear in Tree With Deep Roots, the main plot of which is finding a
way for the common people to read.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 47</b><br />
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<br />
<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; </style>Once Bang-Won has collected his army, he sends Juk-Ryong
(Eyeliner Monk) to divert Bang-Ji. Bang-Ji meets Yeon-Hee, we get a
little hugs-and-kisses, then she gives him back the amulet and heads
home; but Juk-Ryong and his men capture her. When Bang-Ji feels
danger looming and runs back to find her, Juk-Ryong sends him on to
another village.<br />
<br />
Gab Boon overhears Boon-Yi and
Granny in the storage shed talking about the attack. She warns
Sambong at Officer Nam's house, and they escape to Sungkyunkwan.
Bang-won and older brother Bang-Gan capture Nam's house and the
military office, and surround the palace. Bang-Won has papers with
the names of their prime targets, throwing them into the fire as they
are killed. Bang-Gwa, the oldest brother now, spends the evening with
“Uncle” Ji Ran to prove he had nothing to do with the coup and
has clean hands.<br />
<br />
Bang-Ji finds Yeon-Hee in the forest with Jo Mal-Seng and his
men, who threaten to kill her if he moves at all. She knows they are
preventing him from protecting Sambong, so she falls on the sword
herself. The men scatter, and Bang-ji tries to find Sambong, only to run in to
Moo-Hyul.<br />
<br />
Scholar Woo at Sungkyunkwan finds out that Sambong is there and
warns Bang-Won. Officer Nam escapes, but Sambong gives the village
elder some papers for his brother, goes out to meet Bang-Won, and is
killed. The last view is of the paper with Jung Do-Jeon's name
burning.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Bang-Gwa actually did not know about the revolt.
Jo Mal-Seng was a real officer but did not have anything to do with
Yeon-Hee, who is fictional. The Woo family helped Poeun impeach
Sambong back in Episode 32; after he regained power, Sambong nearly
exterminated that clan. This Scholar Woo was getting revenge. The
Joseon annals state that Sambong was found hiding, but that was
written by the victors so no one really knows.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 48</b><br />
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We get to see Bang-Ji and Moo-Hul fight, slashing and jumping,
eventually stopped by Boon-Yi and Grandma running in with the news
that Sambong is dead already. Sa Gwang sees Moo-Hyul mourning and
decides she needs to take out Moomyung and whoever owned those hidden
weapons.<br />
<br />
While the Mins try to talk Jo Joon around, Bang-Gwa tries to
pacify Ji Ran. The crown prince Bang-Seok is dragged out and
Bang-Won kills him, poor kid. When the king finds out he calls for Bang-Won and
nearly kills him, but Ji Ran stops him.<br />
<br />
King Taejo abdicates and Bang-Gwa becomes king. He assures
Bang-Won he doesn't really want to be, and doesn't have a son from
his wife anyway. Officer Nam is chased down and badly injured. He sees
Shin-Jeok and tells him to preserve the Hidden Roots group by turning his body in so Bang-Won will trust him.<br />
<br />
When Bang-Ji retrieves Sambong's body the village elder meets him
and hands over the papers. It is a trap; the elder is killed and
Bang-Ji escapes down a cliff. His mother (the Moomyung leader) finds and nurses him, and
he asks to work with them to kill Bang-Won as revenge for Sambong.<br />
<br />
Historical note: This rebellion, called the First Strife of
Princes, was August 26, 1398. Bang-Seok and Bang-Beon were killed
separately by assassins when they left the palace later. Nam Eun
escaped but turned himself in and ended up being
beheaded. King Taejo abdicated September 5.
<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 49</b><br />
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Bang-Won decides to destroy Moomyung by attacking their base of
court servants, merchants, and Buddhism. He allows the tribunal to
interrogate (torture) the Banchon people; Moo-Hyul can't stand it and
asks to return to his hometown.<br />
<br />
Bang-Ji finds that among Sambong's papers is one signed by all
Moomyung members, including Shin-Jeok. He approaches Shin-Jeok, gets
a draft of Ha Ryun's about expelling Buddhism, and passes it on to
his mother. She makes a plan to invite Bang-Won to a meeting in the
countryside.<br />
<br />
Bang-Won sees Granny begging Moo-Hyul to give it all up and leave,
and finally gives permission. Boon-Yi meets him too, and he agrees to
release the village people and let them resettle elsewhere. She
invites Sa-Gwang to go with them but is turned down. As the villagers
are loading onto boats at Mapo port, their remarks make her realize
that Sa-Gwang is out to kill Bang-Won and she runs to the meeting
site. Moo-Hyul decides he can't leave without taking formal leave and
heads for the same place.<br />
<br />
Sa-Gwang arrives first and confronts the Moomyung soldiers.
Moo-Hyul finds the bodies and rushes on. Boon-Yi gets there in time
to stop Bang-Won from being poisoned, but the Moomyung men attack
Bang-Won's. Sa-Gwang attacks them in turn. Bang-Ji is momentarily
stunned by seeing his sister, but when Sa-Gwang charges his mother,
he engages her. Bang-Won escapes with Boon-Yi; Gil Seon-Mi attacks
them but is intercepted by Moo-Hyul in a flying leap.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Mapo is a district in western Seoul by the Han
River. In old days there was a ford there. Buddhism was very corrupt,
with a lot of property (donated in order to keep it from taxation),
and many temples and rituals taking a big toll on the country.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 50 (Final)</b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uyauWQIwpFXZP38QLk11VMLmqHGlMCsVGpBqhf8fiiOfGuPqSkbUFtjgOMLPEEK-DCDPBDAxU0X5hvGd_IhqU9llOcULs1zfePBID1NhWXDtOXhZCFF0MVDFX-3rq1S1q18gg_T6vp4/s1600/SFD50king.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uyauWQIwpFXZP38QLk11VMLmqHGlMCsVGpBqhf8fiiOfGuPqSkbUFtjgOMLPEEK-DCDPBDAxU0X5hvGd_IhqU9llOcULs1zfePBID1NhWXDtOXhZCFF0MVDFX-3rq1S1q18gg_T6vp4/s400/SFD50king.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Moo-Hyul and Gil Seon-Mi's fight is pretty impressive but Bang-Ji
and Sa-Gwang's is faster and involves more flying. Bang-Won is nearly
captured, but Ha Ryun brings reinforcements. Granny's amulet saves
Moo-Hyul; he leaves Gil mortally wounded but still able to kill
Yooksan when he strikes at Yeon-Hyang (Bang-Ji's mother).<br />
<br />
Moo-Hyul breaks into the other fight with another flying leap.
Sa-Gwang tells them she is after Moomyung for forcing Prince Wang Yo
onto the throne, Yi Seung-gye and Jung Do-Jeon for killing all the
Goryeo royal family, and Yi Bang-Won for the hidden weapon storage.
She attacks them both and they help each other and finally cut her
down.<br />
<br />
Moo-Hyul officially resigns and Bang-Ji goes away – apparently
not to China with his mother. Boon-Yi takes the villagers to an island. Monk Juk-Ryong bring in the bodies of
Gil and Yooksan, claiming to Ha Ryun that Moomyung is defunct now (but really on the orders of Yeon-Hyang). Since merchants are being
restricted, he offers to be a leader of government sanctioned
peddlers, and admits his real name is Baek Dal-Won.<br />
<br />
Bang-Gan revolts, is caught, and spared by Bang-Won. Bang-Gwa
abdicates, and Bang-Won is crowned third king of Joseon. He makes the
Min brothers drink poison when they plan a coup and try to kill his
younger sons.<br />
<br />
Bang-Won visits his third son Yi Do and is surprised when he
answers questions the way Sambong and Boon-Yi had done. They visit
Moo-Hyul's village and get him to come back as Yi Do's
bodyguard. Moo-Hyul takes them to Boon-Yi's island; she meets Yi Do
and talks to the king; she is worried about pirates so he orders a raid on their stronghold on Tsushima Island.<br />
<br />
Boon-Yi, now turning gray, visits the
mainland. She sees people from Tree With Deep Roots: a young woman teaching hangul to children, and a couple of guards (Cho Tak and Park Pol) who tell her how easy the new letters are. She realizes that this
is the answer to Sambong's problem of
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helping the commoners communicate and goes to visit his grave, which is
unmarked.<br />
<br />
The end of the show is a montage showing how Yi Do is similar to all six of the Flying Dragons.<br />
<br />
Historical note: In January of 1400 Yi Bang-Gan rebelled and was exiled; Bang-Won never killed any of his full brothers. In February he was named crown prince, and in November Bang-Gwa abdicated and Bang-Won was crowned as King. The Queen's brothers were eventually executed for trying to take power, two in 1410 and two in 1416. Baek Dal-Won was a real peddler who saved Yi Soung-Gye's life when he was fignting Jurchens in the north and did become head of a peddler's union. <br />
<br />
<br />Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-89126724138311210652016-11-11T12:18:00.000-08:002016-11-11T13:27:38.029-08:00Six Flying Dragons Summary: Episodes 41-45<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }</style>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Episode 41</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Madam Cho and
Shin-Jeok are both tortured. She gets him to send out a message
through one of the guards who is his friend. It's a ploy by Sambong
to find Moomyung; Bang-Ji takes some soldiers and follow the person
who picks up the letter. They find a house in the forest, but no one
is there. Bang-Ji finds his mother in a nearby cave, however, and she
tells him to leave Sambong or he will be fighting her.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Bang-Won asks to be
investigated with Madam Cho so he can be cleared. Shin-Jeok figures out that Cho knows he had tricked her, so he strangles her to keep her from telling anyone. Sambong covers it up so it looks like suicide.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The Ming capture
Japanese pirates who confess they are Joseon spies, and demand a
prince be sent to explain. This would be dangerous, since the Ming
have recently killed envoys and a lot of their own people. Sambong
offers Bang-Won the choice of a five year exile or going to Ming. He
admits Bang-Won is the only one who could convince the Ming Emperor
and Bang-Won chooses to go: he will either be killed for his country
or come home in glory. He tells Boon-yi to go to Banchon, where she
will be safer.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Bang-Won takes Ha
Ryun as translator and Moo-Hyul as bodyguard with a caravan of
soldiers. They have to pass through Liaodong castle, but it has been
closed to Joseon people and they are arrested. An officer in furs
comes to call them barbarians and Bang-Won asks, “Do you want to
die?” The officer is Zhu Di.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Historical note: Zhu
Di was a son of the Ming emperor. He overthrows his nephew, the crown
prince, and becomes emperor. Ha Ryun did not go to Ming; the
translator was actually Jo Ban, whose lands were taken by Hong In-Bang
in Episode 15. </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Episode 42</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlp5oYixEhOrR3fMvEGPbrox-62JVj3cLjey8nNBGydhueR3i3ohZdLVv-cO9w8ARydWjWUAoU-lJAIgPrWT7cu-9koMDIGo6c3uKGDUMW_D3KYy_0TwGjW3pRJGHGO4f4KyKXFN3yzI/s1600/SFD42MingMap.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlp5oYixEhOrR3fMvEGPbrox-62JVj3cLjey8nNBGydhueR3i3ohZdLVv-cO9w8ARydWjWUAoU-lJAIgPrWT7cu-9koMDIGo6c3uKGDUMW_D3KYy_0TwGjW3pRJGHGO4f4KyKXFN3yzI/s400/SFD42MingMap.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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</div>
Zhu Di orders one of Bang-Won's arms cut off so Moo-Hyul breaks
free, grabs a spear, and holds it to Zhu-Di's throat. Zhu Di suddenly
admits he can speak Korean and calls his men off. But he says
Moo-Hyul has to die for threatening him, and his guards have to die
for not protecting him. Bang-Won negotiates an arena fight instead.
Moo-Hyul wins, and when Zhu Di grants him a request, he asks that the
guards not be killed. They will be more loyal after this.<br />
<br />
<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; </style>Bang-Won tries to negotiate passage through Liaodong, but gets
nowhere. That night there is a second meeting and Bang-Won, realizing
that a big table map of Ming indicates that Zhu Di is planning a
takeover, connects with him over the idea that they were both passed
over as heir. He gets clearance to go if he leaves Moo-Hyul with Zhu-Di<br />
<br />
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</div>
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</div>
While Bang-Won is gone, Moo-Hyul practices and becomes better at
fighting, the poor ex-king gets ex-ecuted, the capital moves to
Seoul, and Boon-Yi's people settle in at Banchon and catch a spy from
Moomyung. One of the dead king's relatives is there under another
name with Sa-Gwang and two of the king's children.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Sambong has a secret meeting in the forest which Boon-Yi
overhears. He is starting a clandestine group of scholars. The
country is a tree and the king is a flower on the tree. This group is Hidden Root and it is to guide the king and help the people.<br />
<br />
Historical note: In 1394 the deposed king was killed as well as many of his clan. Bang-Won
went to Ming in June and returned in November. In October the
capital was moved to Seoul.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 43</b><br />
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9lwyAy__Oz9HyJLjSHpHi4EdZCce6jXC_c8B8NwUsQV5RPfav5uIJjPmY8WMWAwYheDfAnuGGFSoCqIrFRWBXlMG2tMH3IbFmDCPkw-AHvlbmIxmp6ooaQz2CA1Ka7PG0w3Sm1zDeBs/s1600/SFDhiddenroots.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9lwyAy__Oz9HyJLjSHpHi4EdZCce6jXC_c8B8NwUsQV5RPfav5uIJjPmY8WMWAwYheDfAnuGGFSoCqIrFRWBXlMG2tMH3IbFmDCPkw-AHvlbmIxmp6ooaQz2CA1Ka7PG0w3Sm1zDeBs/s400/SFDhiddenroots.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; </style>We resume with Sambong speaking several times to his secret
followers. Bang-Won returns from Ming and is allowed to take Moo-Hyul home with
him. Sambong tells Yeon-Hee she should return to private life,
knowing Bang-Ji likes her.<br />
<br />
Sambong plans to unify all the private armies into a national
army. He has a ceremony which no one attends, so he tortures the
officers. Meanwhile, Da-Kyung has hidden all their soldiers' weapons
in a basement storeroom in Banchon. The dead king's children find an
arrowhead there, and Sa-Gwang sees it.<br />
<br />
Even though Bang-Won was a success in Ming and they granted travel
permission, the nobles are angry because Ming thought he was the
crown prince. Everyone else who went to Ming is tortured. These
people are seriously heartless. The queen asks the king to protect
the crown prince because she fears Bang-Won, but then Bang-Won
makes a big scene and begs his little brother for forgiveness.<br />
Ming claims that a recent letter from Joseon has insulted them and
wants Sambong and the author handed over.<br />
<br />
Historical note: The Ming did indeed call Bang-Won the crown
prince but his prestige had grown so much that no one got angry about
it. Lady Min did hide weapons, but no one knows where. The Ming
Emperor demanded Jung Do-Jeon be handed over in June of 1396. The
letter must have referred to his early life as a bandit and a monk,
which would have infuriated him.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 44</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aiTD3hW6-GjViJ8RX0s_ujGnond-KpZcua9j6oMLTSaARwf6KfLn6bJLQNkTx5DbcrpTXbWgHPB-DIdK8_J8Xr_Vo1tqUe_dYIu9Qk7hmRWp23Rm99NwGKboQeINgo6tTL2N8Lwg7pA/s1600/SFD44secretmeeting.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aiTD3hW6-GjViJ8RX0s_ujGnond-KpZcua9j6oMLTSaARwf6KfLn6bJLQNkTx5DbcrpTXbWgHPB-DIdK8_J8Xr_Vo1tqUe_dYIu9Qk7hmRWp23Rm99NwGKboQeINgo6tTL2N8Lwg7pA/s400/SFD44secretmeeting.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; </style>The king decides against sending Sambong to Ming because he has
been planning to invade Liaodong and they might not take it well.
Sambong resigns all his offices and leaves town.<br />
Jo Mal-Saeng, the scholar who helped Bang-Won when his father was
injured, enters Sungkyunkwan. A follower of Lee Saek, Kwon Geun,
decides to switch sides and help, and so does Bang-Won's friend from
school days, Shin-Jeok. The queen, very ill, tries before she dies to
get Bang-Won to promise to protect the crown prince but he refuses.<br />
<br />
Moo-Hyul catches Sa-Gwang looking around a storage shed belonging
to his grandmother. It's the place where the children found the
arrowhead, but she says nothing. A young girl overhears Boon-Yi and
Bang-Won talking and reports to Sambong's brother, Jung Do-Gwang.<br />
<br />
The king pretends to visit Biguk temple but secretly meets Sambong
in the old parliament building. They plan the invasion; since the Ming Emperor is
dying and there might be a civil war, this is their best chance.
Yoon-Hee and Bang-Ji seem the friendliest we have ever seen them.
Bang-Won looks for his father but meets Moomyung instead (when you
hear owls you know it's them) and they tell him about the Emperor
dying. He knows that Zhu Di will invade Ming.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Historical note: In January of 1395 Young-Gyu died of an illness,
but he is still alive in the drama. The queen died in August of 1396.
Jung Do-Gwang is fictional but he and the girl (as town leader) appear
in Tree with Deep Roots. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 45</b><br />
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<br />
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<br />
We begin with Sambong demanding the king start a war and
Yeon-Hyang demanding Bang-Won prevent it. On the way back to Seoul,
Sambong advises Yoon-Hee and Bang-Ji to get married, and we see
Bang-Ji holding her arm and helping her walk because of her hurt
ankle.<br />
<br />
The king announces to the court that Ming has killed their envoys.
This means war, so they will attack Liaodong. Ha Ryun and his aide
Lee Seok-Beon are made commanders in two outlying provinces; they
decide to raise soldiers for when the king abolishes private troops.<br />
<br />
Bang-Won takes gifts to Sambong and Bang-Seok, the crown prince.
This is what he had done with the three bullies he had killed in
school. And then no one goes to the military training. The king
demands the princes and officers show up for pardons, and while this
is going on the private soldiers are rounded up and their weapons
confiscated.<br />
<br />
Young-Gyu goes to the storage shed and a small boy follows him and
sees the weapons. It's the dead king's child, and just as Young-Gyu
decides he can't kill a child, Sa-Gwang arrives and attacks.
Young-Gyu's wild slash accidentally hits the boy fatally so Sa-Gwang
kills him and takes the child away. Bang-Won is so distraught that
Young-Gyu is dead that he vows to kill Sambong and Bang-Seok.<br />
<br />
<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; </style>Historical note: The Ming Emperor killed Joseon
envoys in1396. The scene with Young-Gyu and Sa-Gwang is entirely fictional; this is just a more dramatic way for him to die.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-63501419190743055982016-10-31T19:12:00.003-07:002016-11-01T20:37:19.637-07:00Six Flying Dragons Synopsis: Episodes 36-40<b>Episode 36 </b><br />
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<br />
<br />
When it is dark Bang-Won leaves the house with Bang-Ji, Young-Gwa, and some red shirts. I mean guys with red headbands. Moo-Hyul finds out that they are gone, and knowing they will meet up with Cheok Sa-Gwang, chases after them.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
Sa-Gwang feels a disturbance in the Force and sends Poeun on to the palace and waits. When Bang-Ji arrives she kills the red shirts right away and then tries to dissuade him. After a first skirmish she tells him she can't hold back because he's too strong, and they wound each other before Moo-Hyul arrives. He sees that she is preparing the strike she used to slice the palanquin and yells at Bang-Ji to avoid the blow. Then it is two against one until Moo-Hyul, dropping his sword, rushes her and they go over a cliff together.<br />
<br />
Poeun and his servant proceed unmolested until they reach Seonjuk bridge, where Bang-Won is waiting. He tries to talk Poeun around and then Young-Gyu comes up with the mace and hits Poeun several times. Bang-Won has Sambong let out of jail and tells him Poeun is dead. The General is furious until Sambong convinces him they can only go forward and they have to accuse Poeun as a traitor. <br />
<br />
Moo-Hyul comes to at the foot of the cliff and can't bring himself to kill Sa-Gwang. When she wakes up he is gone but has bandaged her wounds. When he returns later to check on her she comes from behind with a sword to his neck and asks what happened?<br />
<br />
Historical note: The killing of Poeun took place in April in 1392, in the daytime. Bang-Won wasn't there at all; he sent Young-Gyu with some men to do it. Poeun was on a horse, Young-Gyu tried to hit him and then hit the horse. Poeun fell off and ran away, but the other men chased him down and actually killed him in the city street.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 37</b><br />
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<br />
<br />
Bang-Won challanges Sambong that there was never a place for him in the new country. He admits there wasn't until Bang-Won killed Poeun. We revisit Sa-Gwang with her sword to Moo-Hyul's neck, where he tells her that Poeun is dead and the king is still safe and will likely be dethroned. Sambong has Poeun declared a traitor and makes sure the General isn't blamed for his death. Yeon-Hyang tries to get Sambong to change his mind about land reform and gets nowhere.<br />
<br />
Then King Gongyang is escorted out of town and General Yi and his wife Lady Kang are crowned as King Taejo and Queen Sindeok. The new king excitedly pushes through the first civil service exams only to be deflated when no one comes. Scholars keep disappearing and are finally traced to a village in the nearby mountains where they are hiding. Prince Bang-Won offers to persuade them to return, but after a short interchange he has the village set on fire.<br />
<br />
Historical note: King Taejo was crowned in July 1392. No one knows if this village was real or not. It was a folk tale until it was written down about 350 years after it was supposed to have happened. However King Taejo is supposed to have ordered the fire.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 38</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQT4bTmP0tFUzaPWPJbedA24BtVT5KUV3v_F4G5d6A3iT4busQ3lI6v5ULZPCq5xYgV12P0GgdWVkIzvrAy05oYrhH6-X1Iorx2Tb2PF22H2PYNpbUAC4F2RBs9SQe3Mg0ez0_xdbqrB0/s1600/SFD38fortune.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQT4bTmP0tFUzaPWPJbedA24BtVT5KUV3v_F4G5d6A3iT4busQ3lI6v5ULZPCq5xYgV12P0GgdWVkIzvrAy05oYrhH6-X1Iorx2Tb2PF22H2PYNpbUAC4F2RBs9SQe3Mg0ez0_xdbqrB0/s400/SFD38fortune.PNG" width="400" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<br />
Bang-Won orders his archers to fire the village. Some scholars remain and die in the fire, but the rest run out and are arrested and left in jail without food for three days. When they are fed and let out they quietly go home and accept government jobs. One of them is Hwang Hui, who vows revenge.<br />
<b> </b><br />
King Taejo's oldest son, Bang-Woo, refuses to be crown prince. Jo Joon advises that Bang-Won be chosen instead because he has contributed so much. Sambong counters that he is the one son they should not choose because of his having killed Poeun.<br />
<br />
The queen takes her youngest son, Bang-Seok, to have his fortune told by a monk and is told he has a great future only if he becomes king. The Kunoichi, now led by Yoon-Hee, catch one of Boon-Yi's villagers following the queen and beat him up. She complains and is told to send them all home.<br />
<br />
Yeon-Hyang has a meeting of Moomyung leaders attended by the monk who did the fortune-telling. She later meets with Bang-Won to sponsor the youngest son as crown prince, which will create problems and then Bang-Won can step in as the obvious best choice.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Hwang Hui was a very respected prime minister and shows up later in Tree With Deep Roots. Yi Bang-Woo went to live in a mountain hermitage and died of an illness in 1393.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 39</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKRJPvzgkUGkxOwrn3Rta-oV5dECzVMJM1pZbiu3XCvwRr7RgiFt4glopyDC18UBjAqhbTl4-4OAbntHiSsQWFiPmNc0tqZwfOOa14GdB-18hHUPhlE2IKhm9xnXZUflWISI-zV3VEu4/s1600/SFD39ricesword.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKRJPvzgkUGkxOwrn3Rta-oV5dECzVMJM1pZbiu3XCvwRr7RgiFt4glopyDC18UBjAqhbTl4-4OAbntHiSsQWFiPmNc0tqZwfOOa14GdB-18hHUPhlE2IKhm9xnXZUflWISI-zV3VEu4/s400/SFD39ricesword.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Sambong becomes prime minister and head of the army. Taejo names Bang-Seok as crown prince and
publishes a list of people who contributed to founding the new nation. None of
the older princes are on the list, but Moo-Hyul and Young-Gyu are
promoted.<br />
<br />
Yeon-Hyang tells Bang-Won that Moomyung began during Shilla times with a merchant network and he agrees to work with them. She decides to reactivate a group called Hwado (rice-sword) and sends Yooksan to Kanggye on the north border to meet
them.<br />
<br />
Sa-Gwang and the deposed king enjoy living in retirement, being friendly with the guards.<br />
<br />
Sambong poses as a merchant and goes to the northern border to talk to Jurchen chiefs. He wants them to settle in Liaodong as allies when Joseon takes it back from Ming. Da-Kyung has Boon-Yi send someone to follow him and report. Waiting for one of the merchants, Sambong sees a red stamp and finds the seal it's from. Bang-Ji cuts it in half; they stamp the two parts together and it becomes the red stamp of Moomyung. The merchant who comes in is Yuksan.<br />
<br />
Historical note: The older princes were actually left off the contributor's list; Bang-Won added them when he became king. Many Jurchens were ethnic Koreans who had moved there when they lost their land or during wars. Liaodong had once belonged to Goryeo and they kept trying to get it back. <br />
<br />
<b>Episode 40</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0QNLQZoRsPq4D8_8QGr_D3s6FPVM29Jmak2M3CdXX3k-HCXmXNL67zCGCg2c7uTzgU0HMhuCr6OUyobQmRZ22v6x60tyVQovTIN3-zp0RiMkQHOksCmHYp7vJDQKIakdbUN3gGPKAgo/s1600/SFD40tabletalk.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0QNLQZoRsPq4D8_8QGr_D3s6FPVM29Jmak2M3CdXX3k-HCXmXNL67zCGCg2c7uTzgU0HMhuCr6OUyobQmRZ22v6x60tyVQovTIN3-zp0RiMkQHOksCmHYp7vJDQKIakdbUN3gGPKAgo/s400/SFD40tabletalk.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b> </b>Sambong and Yuksan wonder how much the other knows. Sambong sends a report via Kunoichi but the teenager Boon-Yi sent filches it and hands it off to his companion. He is killed and the companion takes the body and the report home. Madam Cho realizes the seal has been used and she and Yuksan evacuate before they can be caught.<br />
<br />
Boon-Yi calls Bang-Won and Sambong together to get them to reconcile, and when it fails, offers to sell the report. Sambong offers to let her people live in Banchan village and serve Sungkyunkwan, so she gives him the report. Bang-Won's school friend who has been working for Sambong all this time asks to work for him instead, but he is suspicious he is a spy.<br />
<br />
Madam Cho receives a letter from Bang-Won and rushes to his house, but it wasn't from him; it was a forgery. Before she can leave Sambong arrives and finds them together, proving that Bang-Won is working with Moomyung. The king arrives and orders them arrested.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Bang-Won was never arrested. Banchan was a village that provided food, books, and other services to Sungkyunkwan. It was independent and neither police nor army were allowed in. Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-80919923901515271892016-10-19T19:27:00.002-07:002016-10-21T15:03:17.823-07:00Six Flying Dragons Synopsis: Episodes 31-35<b>Episode 31</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ25TMI5WPGocQLslNb2qkTVDAiVjBO8tJ5rUIkh7JFFpSIsn8QGcv-T1i4OWb9YW-e3bk3xaK9nso3aY5EesEhGyYixzI9sGxcF0HGkhyphenhyphen8GsnZzdSHxfDJ-1mzS7WxnqCZlJVWhGdPxE/s1600/SFD31snowball.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ25TMI5WPGocQLslNb2qkTVDAiVjBO8tJ5rUIkh7JFFpSIsn8QGcv-T1i4OWb9YW-e3bk3xaK9nso3aY5EesEhGyYixzI9sGxcF0HGkhyphenhyphen8GsnZzdSHxfDJ-1mzS7WxnqCZlJVWhGdPxE/s400/SFD31snowball.PNG" width="400" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<br />
Sambong explains to Poeun that in the new country the royal family will be figureheads and actual power will belong to the prime minister, who will be Poeun. Bang-Won reports that they captured Madam Cho, but not what he overheard. Meantime Gil Sun-Mi asks if Yooksan should report being tricked by Bang-Won, indicating that Yooksan isn't the top boss.<br />
<br />
Poeun decides to remain loyal to Goryeo and tells the king they need the land reform so they can get taxes, and they have to let Lee Saek get impeached and split up General Yi and Sambong. The king is so impressed that he has Sa-Gwang guard Poeun.<br />
<br />
Bang-Won lets Madam Cho go, saying that Yeon-Hyang's children are looking for her and that he will work with Moomyung if they release her. He tells Sambong that he is going to pretend to go along with Moomyung. Gil Sun-Mi finds Cho and admits he had lied that Yeon-Hyang's children were dead.<br />
<br />
Bang-Won does his hair into a topknot for the first time, moves into his own
house, and starts his own private army - to be trained Master Hong. He meets Ha Ryun, who is being exiled along with Lee Saek, to say he will wait for him to return. Da-Kyung tells Boon-Yi that her villager spies will be paid by the Min family and to take orders from Bang-Won, not Sambong. Then Bang-Won lures Boon-Yi into a snowball fight and tells her play is over now.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Bang-Won moved into a house owned by his father, not by his father-in-law. Men usually began wearing their hair in a topknot when they married. <br />
<br />
<b>Chapter 32</b><br />
<b></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CUC7TdMpbqCOiVUuZBsmPuWW-YGf_vB03w6t9DaYB0q_IjewJ0v8Mk0CfkRkKYhRTbWZqtBW7v2zimD9rfZoseIqkgKm76YtKEpZHAqkqeBRA3yXwyq2B1XQ_UBi_cRogWqZYkuht7E/s1600/SFD32bonfire.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CUC7TdMpbqCOiVUuZBsmPuWW-YGf_vB03w6t9DaYB0q_IjewJ0v8Mk0CfkRkKYhRTbWZqtBW7v2zimD9rfZoseIqkgKm76YtKEpZHAqkqeBRA3yXwyq2B1XQ_UBi_cRogWqZYkuht7E/s320/SFD32bonfire.PNG" width="320" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<br />
Bang-Won tells Boon-Yi that he asked Moomyung about her mother. Then he asks her to say his name one more time and to speak formally after that, and kisses her just once.<br />
<br />
The lady with the hood takes him to a meeting where he figures out she is the leader. They tell him Moomyung started 700 years before. He asks if they know Yeon-Hyang and repeats that her children are looking for her. He can tell this is a shock.<br />
<br />
When Gil Sun-Mi arrives later the leader, who is Yeon-Hyang herself, takes him to task. He says he lied because there was infighting in Moomyung and she united them, and claims that she deserted them first and went back to her home town.<br />
<br />
General Yi complains about being able to order the execution of the king but can't manage the land measurement. The nobles as well as Moomyung are interfering. Eyeliner Monk finds out that King Gongyang's messenger is the woman servant and they waylay her next time she goes out. Moo-Hyul happens along and stops them, but when he leaves they attack again and she beats them with the flat of a sword. Yooksan realizes then that she is Cheok Sa-Gwang.<br />
<br />
The nobles mourning for General Choi are distracted by Sambong piling up all the land records in the market and setting fire to it. They burn for several days.<br />
<br />
Historical note: General Choi was beheaded in 1388 and Kings U and Chang were forced to take poison in 1389. The land registers were burned in September 1390. <br />
<br />
<b>Chapter 33</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9Az4KDo3_PGlH9FUcxqjSCuw-eIW7z3h7MF_c7HO0-n4rZZjYbHxVj_N1tGqHgDBu28QXfWwND86RBqzCxOBE0XTxH4q6QtRgrbyUBlbrK4XGdzxHWWdl0wijhLF9X8qAMTa4WhotfQ/s1600/SFD33prisoner.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9Az4KDo3_PGlH9FUcxqjSCuw-eIW7z3h7MF_c7HO0-n4rZZjYbHxVj_N1tGqHgDBu28QXfWwND86RBqzCxOBE0XTxH4q6QtRgrbyUBlbrK4XGdzxHWWdl0wijhLF9X8qAMTa4WhotfQ/s400/SFD33prisoner.PNG" width="400" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<br />
Sambong is arrested for burning the tax records, but he is happy because it will force the land reform. Yeon-Hyang shows up to talk to Boon-Yi and tell her that she has her own life and not to look for her any more.<br />
<b> </b><br />
Da-Kyung reminds Bang-Won that she is the only person really on his side and asks him why he does nothing. He tells her about the plan for the king to have no power, and that he has been pretending to hunt Moomyung, paying Biguk temple for info, and building his own forces.<br />
<br />
Back out of jail, Sambong now attacks Buddhist temples, which have lots of slaves and own a third of the land in Goryeo because nobles donate land to them to evade the law. General Yi, being a Buddhist, objects. No sooner has Sambong talked the General around then Bang-Woo gets in a fight with someone trying to curry favor for when he becomes crown prince. He tells his father that their family has had enough traitors, and it will stop with him. He will always be loyal.<br />
<br />
Poeun decides he has to stop Sambong, so he sends someone to Sambong's home town. They come back with proof that Sambong's great-grandmother had been a slave, and he has deceived everyone as to the class he belongs to. The guards take him away in disgrace, pretty similar to the beginning of the episode.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Sambong was impeached for this reason in September 1391, exiled, and his sons were declared commoners. <br />
<br />
<b>Chapter 34</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgll30ldVH9LTIvHv3hJwT-S8cltPLL_oUvlbmWWF7jTAUUFdHCEYpzqxkBE8QzaSZJ_xJfRu_RPeOyC9_bIY1hVl2d-QF3Ex4fz3FwzosY-KS33a0HPi1oSElvaDplUz7K4IGKmylZZcw/s1600/SFD34whitefighter.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgll30ldVH9LTIvHv3hJwT-S8cltPLL_oUvlbmWWF7jTAUUFdHCEYpzqxkBE8QzaSZJ_xJfRu_RPeOyC9_bIY1hVl2d-QF3Ex4fz3FwzosY-KS33a0HPi1oSElvaDplUz7K4IGKmylZZcw/s400/SFD34whitefighter.PNG" width="400" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<br />
Boon-Yi tells her brother and Yoon-Hee about seeing her mother, and that she deserted them to be in Moomyung. Bang-Ji doesn't want to accept it.<br />
<br />
Poeun talks the king into exiling Sambong and they recall Lee Saek and Ha Ryun. Sambong is sent away in a closed palanquin so his followers can't find him. When General Yi can't get Poeun to rescind the order he resigns. The king disallows it and the General leaves town to go hunting.<br />
<br />
Yeon-Hyang decides to support Poeun and sends Gil Sun-Mi to kill the General. But someone else's arrow spooks the general's horse and he is thrown and hurt badly. Poeun has Officer Nam and Jo Joon arrested, and talks the king into executions.<br />
<br />
Bang-Won sends Bang-ji to be with Sambong and goes to find his father. When Poeun's men arrive he sends out two palanquins as red herrings and takes his father away on a cart. The men fight Ji Ran for one palanquin and Sa-Gwang attacks the other. She amazes Moo-Hyul by slicing hers in half with two swords. They are both empty.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Yi Seong-Gye was badly injured by a fall from a horse in March 1392 when hunting. His followers were exiled and Bang-Won sneaked him back home in the middle of the night.<br />
<br />
<b>Chapter 35</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpPY5umL9czmO8o9oKtW4P9ABjwdmC4-FwjKKF4jOwAQ4rl-fQHIjEPzi9ugeGhBxWYwQmveKcYgsfr9krF-YCKlIq67VVB5LMa8-aw5v3F019xYtrdpdvAugof0Y3jIgBnjZCF6sAzs/s1600/SFD35funeral.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpPY5umL9czmO8o9oKtW4P9ABjwdmC4-FwjKKF4jOwAQ4rl-fQHIjEPzi9ugeGhBxWYwQmveKcYgsfr9krF-YCKlIq67VVB5LMa8-aw5v3F019xYtrdpdvAugof0Y3jIgBnjZCF6sAzs/s400/SFD35funeral.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Pulling his father on the cart, Bang-Won comes across Jo Mal-Saeng, a rural scholar who helps them. They return to town dressed in white as a funeral procession with the General in the coffin.<br />
<br />
Bang-Ji tries to talk Sambong into escaping but he refuses. He and the other exiles are sent back to Gaegyong. Moo-Hyul sees Sa-Gwang escorting Poeun and follows. She turns back to talk to him and they make a connection over not liking to kill but being loyal to friends. <br />
<br />
Bang-Won keeps the doctor in the house and sends talkative Granny to buy medicine and pretend the General isn't badly hurt. Moomyung finds the doctor who treated the General when he first fell off the horse and discovers the seriousness of the injuries. <br />
<br />
Poeun visits the General, who tries to talk him around around; Goryeo didn't protect the people from pirates or even the greedy nobles. Unmoved, Poeun leaves and orders the executions. Bang-Won decides the only way out is to kill Poeun. When night falls Young-Gyu brings a mace and they leaves the house with Bang-Ji and a small group of men. Poeun is escorted only by Sa-Gwang and one servant.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Yi Seon-Gye and Jung Mong-Joo (Poeun) met in 1364 when the General was fighting the Jurchens and had been friends for 28 years. Poeun was a diplomat who could keep foreigners from invading. He was known for using his own money to pay Japanese pirates to let captives go free. Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-48645157964453041412016-10-13T18:55:00.001-07:002016-10-13T18:55:42.562-07:00Six Flying Dragons Synopsis: Episodes 26-30<b>Episode 26</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrCy6cHZezAqTDvj0i3SdgBEZCcW3sWuya5rJMgcN2qXL0nnhI6qzXMPO59hMTR731f0-JKoTwCa8X0MQTiupAowtv798Hs1dTjPkwjQmgUgzsbVABSUNm6kn3iUiiiPQA90w6J2VRFw/s1600/SFD26medicine.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrCy6cHZezAqTDvj0i3SdgBEZCcW3sWuya5rJMgcN2qXL0nnhI6qzXMPO59hMTR731f0-JKoTwCa8X0MQTiupAowtv798Hs1dTjPkwjQmgUgzsbVABSUNm6kn3iUiiiPQA90w6J2VRFw/s400/SFD26medicine.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We
review Kim Nae Pyung bringing the leaf-and-sword message to Minister
Lee in Episode 2. He pops up again now, as Monk Ryukjong and Gil Sun-Mi
send him to assassinate whoever wins the fight at the banquet. As
General Yi passes through the courtyard where the dead soldiers are laid
out, Pyung jumps up from among them and attacks. He is captured and
everyone is stunned when he kills himself.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
The
injured are recuperating, there is a lot of making, delivering, and
eating medicine. Bang-Won worries who sent that assassin. He takes
Boon-Yi and Moo-Hyul to ID the body and decides it's the man who helped
Ha Ryun steal Jo Joon's papers. Ha sees the body too and is surprised;
Minister Lee had him looking for this person for 10 years.<br />
<br />
There
is a lot of negotiation as Sambong tries to get Poeun and Lee Saek to
cooperate. Lee Saek wants to return the old king and to remeasure the
land. Sambong counters that the king live 40 miles away until the reform
goes through.<br />
<br />
The sword-and-leaf people try the
three-letter trick again and follow Boon-Yi and Bang-Won to the secret
cave. Sambong realizes they are from an organization of King Gongmin's
day called Moomyung (Nameless). Just then Poeun arrives, having received
a letter with directions to the cave. <br />
<br />
Historical
note: Moomyung is a fictional group from an earlier drama by the same
writers called Queen Seondeok and set about 650 AD.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 27</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImXUqMTrd76Q8PWn5VdCR6nS7CoCvEZwLQ5gYA_Py8bPaQ_R-iZK6ljez6Cyb0jpzyUuSgbXyw5-GRbIADIJCNRj3dt7MlxzXwtAgS5kfJ6L7ty1IJx42LI_FIV5jGzEMOureEnEnA5I/s1600/SFD27Yeonhyang.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImXUqMTrd76Q8PWn5VdCR6nS7CoCvEZwLQ5gYA_Py8bPaQ_R-iZK6ljez6Cyb0jpzyUuSgbXyw5-GRbIADIJCNRj3dt7MlxzXwtAgS5kfJ6L7ty1IJx42LI_FIV5jGzEMOureEnEnA5I/s400/SFD27Yeonhyang.PNG" width="400" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<br />
Poeun
(Jung Mong-Joo) is shocked at the big map naming a new country. Sambong
(Jung Do-Jeon) spends the night explaining his plan. Poeun<b> </b>likes
the civil service exams replacing nepotism, but not the revolution
part. He talk to General Yi about it and then goes to see Prince Wang
Yo, thinking he would be a better king than the 8-year-old they have.
The prince says he would rather live a happy private life with the woman
he loves.<br />
<br />
The land surveys get derailed because the
people doing them are murdered. Sambong hatches a plan to pretend to do a
secret survey, but in reality to lure in the culprit to an ambush. Gil
Sun-Mi turns up and escapes during the fight, but one of his men is
captured. Bang-Ji trails Gil to a temple in the forest, where he sees an
old woman being led by another woman in a hood. He recognizes the
younger one as his mother.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Prince Wang Yo was descended from King Sinjong, who became king in 1197. The woman with him is fictional.<br />
<br />
<b>Chapter 28</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7MOEgKZm9vqdP8c6a1tsLpEDHAKGtOULjotb5GDJLdEYciIYzKI5YJRNE0gcm0LDLAqswR4JeQmafvi_YFuHceK9nZLrsh-j0FUvLU4EzVRHGIt9RZ4LcRBsvVg4NE7k9oB9G-2wMH4/s1600/SFD28MYagent.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7MOEgKZm9vqdP8c6a1tsLpEDHAKGtOULjotb5GDJLdEYciIYzKI5YJRNE0gcm0LDLAqswR4JeQmafvi_YFuHceK9nZLrsh-j0FUvLU4EzVRHGIt9RZ4LcRBsvVg4NE7k9oB9G-2wMH4/s400/SFD28MYagent.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b> </b>By
the time Bang-Ji and Sambong follow the hooded woman she has
disappeared. Bang-Ji goes home to tell Boon-Yi their mother isn't dead,
but she already knew. When she was a child the man with the sword-leaf
tattoo had appeared one night with a code message and their mother had
replied with another code and then disappeared the next day.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
Deposed
King U receives a visit from a nobleman who offers a skilled assassin
named Cheok to kill General Yi and put U back on the throne. A serving
woman who comes in is the same old lady that we saw with Bang-ji's
mother.<br />
<br />
The land reform is debated again in parliament
and no one is willing to do the surveying because of the murders.
Finally Sambong promises Poeun not to revolt and Poeun throws his
support for the land reform, with the other nobles following him.<br />
<br />
On
the orders of Moomyung leader Yooksan, Gil Sun-Mi gives Bang-Ji an
appointment to meet his mother. Meantime Gil's man who was captured is
refusing to talk, so Bang-Won decides to let him escape and follow him.
Cheok follows him and stabs him however, so when he sees Boon-Yi he
tells her a message and a date. Cheok overhears and is about to kill her
as well, but Boon-Yi repeats the code that the Moomyung agent had said
to her mother. He responds with the same reply her mother had given.<br />
<br />
Historical
note: In November 1389 a nephew of General Choi met with deposed King U
and plotted to assassinate General Yi. Unfortunately for them, they
asked someone else to help who turned them in and the plot was foiled.<br />
<br />
<b>Chapter 29</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
When
the assassin mentions Master Gil, Boon-Yi realizes he means Gil Sun-Mi
and is able to send him away. The date she heard matches up with the day
the deposed King U is sending a gift for General Yi as well as the day
Bang-Ji is to see his mother. They decode the message to mean that
General Yi will be killed.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
When King U's
soldiers come with the gift they attack but are stopped by Yi's men.
They kill themselves, which Yooksan had ordered them to do. Cheok breaks
out of a cart, fights Bang-Ji and Moo-Hyul and gets away. They track
him to the edge of a cliff, which Bang-Ji thinks he might know how to
descend safely.<br />
<br />
Bang-Ji practices catching a bowl of
water on his sword, though Master Hong says he does it wrong. He once
worked for the Cheok family and knows their technique. Bang-Gwa finds
Cheok's body but Master Hong says it is not the famous Cheok Sa-Gwang
who is a girl. This one is her brother.<br />
<br />
Poeun again
tries to talk Prince Wang Yo into being king. Young-Gyu identifies the
prince's servant as the guard who had the leaf-stamp letter back in
Episode 1, so Bang-Won sends assassins after him. That night the prince
tries to run away but is hit by a poison dart. Yooksan offers him the
antidote if he will become king and leaves him to decide. The assassins
attack the servant and nearly spill the antidote, but the prince's
fiancee turns out to be Cheok Sa-Gwang. She kills the assassins and
catches the cup of antidote on her sword.<br />
<br />
Historical
note: There was a warrior in the 12th century named Cheok who was famous
for his exploits. The Cheoks in this story are fictional but supposed
to be his descendents. <br />
<br />
<b>Chapter 30</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
Cheok
Sa-Gwang promises to protect the prince and he drinks the antidote. She
then realizes their servant had betrayed them and kills him too. She
explains that she learned to fight from her grandfather but never liked
it and renounced the sword. Yooksan returns to see the prince and finds
three dead bodies instead.<br />
<br />
The 8-year-old is dethroned and Prince Wang Yo is crowned King Gongyang. Cheok Sa-Gwang becomes his bodyguard.<br />
<br />
Bang-Won
and Ha Ryun talk strategy and decide that either the Biguk temple or
the gisaeng house (or both) is Moomyung. Bang-Won knows that they will
want to find out about the assassins, so he puts a note mentioning
"Maengdo Chilyak" in the ledger kept by the assassin's boss. Whoever
knows that phrase will be Moomyung.<br />
<br />
Both Madam Cho and
Eyeliner Monk send for the ledger and give it to Yooksan. Looking for
spies, Cho sends Yoon-Hye to check on Sambong, but follows to overhear
their conversation about meeting Poeun. When Yoon-Hye lies that she
doesn't know where they will meet, Cho has the kunoichi hold her and
goes to spy on the meeting. But she mentions Maengdo Chilyak, so
Yoon-Hye is able to get the kunoichi to side with her against Moomyung.
Bang-Won arrests Cho quietly at the meeting and listens in himself. He
is shocked to hear their plan that the king will be powerless.<br />
<br />
Historical
note: King Gongyang was crowned in 1389, the last of the kings of
Goryeo. The rumor that King U may not have been a son of King Gongmin
was really used as an excuse to overthow him and his son. Maengdo
Chilyak is something made up for the drama. It means
fierce-drawing-laquer-throw.Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-40670647337708865292016-10-05T19:05:00.001-07:002016-10-20T20:13:30.679-07:00Six Flying Dragons Synopsis: Episodes 21-25<b>Episode 21</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEYc-vURqm-V4Yjr9Dud84aRytsdCxq-47-GxOrKwQg3tcFh40rEYwMT89za4JkCMECINckBzaYO5S-GmHixiFA1zk3qveTjEm9v1-faCo_Cr36MyGKQVuIQvn3uh12YZvp1pmB0A5uA/s1600/SFD21secretdoor.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEYc-vURqm-V4Yjr9Dud84aRytsdCxq-47-GxOrKwQg3tcFh40rEYwMT89za4JkCMECINckBzaYO5S-GmHixiFA1zk3qveTjEm9v1-faCo_Cr36MyGKQVuIQvn3uh12YZvp1pmB0A5uA/s400/SFD21secretdoor.PNG" width="400" /></a></b></div>
<br />
General Yi, having decideed to refuse the kings' order to cross the Yalu, gets General Jo to go along with him. Jo will agree to return home only if they depose the king, or they will be killed as traitors.<br />
<b> </b><br />
One of Lady Kang's (wife of General Yi) sons has asthma. Boon-Yi and Da-Kyung send for his medicine, to give Bang-Won a hint of where they are. He thinks of the same thing, and watches doctors to see who orders the walnut medicine.<br />
<br />
Ji Ran sends Young-Gyu to warn Bang-Won to evacuate the family, and Moo-Hyul to retrieve the two older brothers. Moo-Hyul arrives just as the brothers are fighting the guards and helps them escape. Bang-Won follows the medicine lead to finds his family gone; they were moved to Minister Lee's empty mansion. Sambong remembers a secret passage about the time Boon-Yi finds it by watching smoke in a draft from the hidden door. Bang-Ji fights off the soldiers as they escape, and Young-Gyu gets them to the General outside the city.<br />
<br />
Historical note: May 22: the retreat began; May 24: Bang-Woo and Bang-Gwa escaped the king's camp; May 29: the king arrived at Gaegyung and ordered the Yi family captured, but Bang-Won had already taken them to Hamju and joined his father. Walnuts are used for asthma in Chinese traditional medicine.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 22</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbksQYbZaEV1c9i11yjU1wd6xlhUevTtEKLv7cYqkWhED1Ihgu7FYPYoEa_2Tw8VpFd-hQ6PkVUWccEv5oqFgLdVm2ZKhebXpvYcsTErq9aGnox__fgNfseXtKDh1AlKFGqbaITZVA_g/s1600/SFD22revolt.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbksQYbZaEV1c9i11yjU1wd6xlhUevTtEKLv7cYqkWhED1Ihgu7FYPYoEa_2Tw8VpFd-hQ6PkVUWccEv5oqFgLdVm2ZKhebXpvYcsTErq9aGnox__fgNfseXtKDh1AlKFGqbaITZVA_g/s400/SFD22revolt.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Generals Yi and Jo surround Gaegyong while Bang-Won visits nobles to convince them to keep out of the battle. Boon-yi sends up lanterns to signal the army that the gate is clear. Yi's horns blowing, the rush to the city wall, the horsemen breaking in, to the fighting on the balconies, all are reminiscent of the attack on Helm's Deep. General Choi meets Yi and surrenders.<br />
<br />
Cue townspeople cheering the soldiers. Choi in jail tells Poeun he worries about revolution but Poeun says it won't happen. Yi and Jo divvy out government positions and agree on Prince Jungchang as the next king. Poeun calls in senior scholar Lee Saek for advice and offers assistance to General Yi.<br />
<br />
Everyone is shocked by a folksong circulating in town that hints at Yi becoming king. Bang-Won tracks it to a peddler who claims an elderly man asked him to teach it. Thinking it was Minister Lee, Officer Nam is sent to arrest him only to find he had already died 15 days before.<br />
<br />
General Jo, Lee Saek, and the Dowager Queen all receive letters from Minister Lee to meet in secret, only to find a message that "Chang reaches Yi." They propose to the government that King U's 8-year-old son Chang be the new king. We see the peddler, now dressed as a nobleman, remembering teaching the song and leaving the letters. He is Ha Ryun, who had been exiled for opposing the attack on Ming.<br />
<br />
Historical note: June 1: Generals Yi and Jo reach Gaegyong, June 3: the battle and deposing of King U. The scenes of Bang-won persuading the nobles was fiction. The folksong had been used as an excuse for revolts in the 12th century.<br />
<br />
<b>Chapter 23</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_KC8Byp7G7BhaC9tVfY5ZrAHounDk6Affo7rhU3WbvWsq2xfOh7Jb8iIPpwl0IGlPAaA1bcZPq9c1EJPqsSzLxi6Btl9nmVugxSf9pH8QzZDvtBPt8ioWVInYrcDtQ2U6y117z1PRtQ/s1600/SFD23forestkunoichi.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_KC8Byp7G7BhaC9tVfY5ZrAHounDk6Affo7rhU3WbvWsq2xfOh7Jb8iIPpwl0IGlPAaA1bcZPq9c1EJPqsSzLxi6Btl9nmVugxSf9pH8QzZDvtBPt8ioWVInYrcDtQ2U6y117z1PRtQ/s400/SFD23forestkunoichi.PNG" width="400" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<br />
General Yi confronts General Jo over tricking him about the new king, and Poeun and Sambong question Lee Saek about the same thing. General Jo and pals go to see Minister Lee but meet Ha Ryun instead, who tries to do a deal with them. Bang-Won looks for whoever masqueraded as the peddler. Sambong figures it out, finds Ha Ryun, and the two trade barbs. Da-Kyung pays Monk Eyeliner to find out about Ha Ryun for her.<br />
<br />
All this time Jo Joon has been going around the country measuring land and counting citizens. Sambong goes to a lot of trouble to recruit him as an ally for land reform<b> </b>and get him to work with General Yi. Ha Ryun hears about it too (he found out while looking into the leaf-and-sword seal for Minister Lee), interests Jo in the whole thing, and hires Madam Cho's ninjas to help.<br />
<br />
Boon-yi explains the land reform to her brother and admits that she wants to go back to their hometown and farm their own land. He tells Yoon-Hee and asks if she would like to go too; she says no. When he leaves, disappointed, she whispers, "But thank you."<br />
<br />
When Bang-Won goes for Jo Joon's research it's already been stolen by Ha's thugs. Tracking them down, Bang-Won makes off with the box of research papers while Bang-Ji and Moo-Hyul fight the thugs and a patrol of soldiers. They do pretty well against greater numbers until Gil Son-Mi (Gil Tae-Mi's twin) joins in. The Kunoichi ninjas catch Bang-Won; the leader says she's not authorized to kill him and takes him to Ha Ryun.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Ha Ryun was a real person; he had married Minister Lee's niece, was an ally of Poeun and an adversary of Sambong.<br />
<br />
<b>Chapter 24</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
Ha Ryun calls in a kunoichi to open the wooden box and she turns out to be Boon-Yi. She and Bang-Won tie him up and escape - he to lead the kunoichi away, she to take Jo Joon's papers. Gil Sun-Mi's fight ends when he finds out that Bang-Ji is the kid he left with Master Jung, and is Yeon Hyang's son.<br />
<br />
In parliament Sambong sets the nobles against each other by only targeting people who own more than 2,000 acres for land reform. But he puts off telling Poeun about his full plans.<br />
<br />
Yoon-Hee discovers General Jo's plan to pull a coup. She recognizes his servant Dae Geun as the man who raped her and faints from the shock. Moo-Hyul sees her, takes her to Bang-ji, and overhears the story when she comes to.<br />
<br />
General Yi goes to talk down General Jo and is invited to a reconciliation banquet that night. The first sign of trouble is being asked to leave weapons outside. The second is Bang-Ji recognizing Dae Geun. What they don't know is that the room behind the banquet hall is full of assassins.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Most of the land in Goryeo was owned by nobles and farmed by tenants, with several people levying tax on the same farm. Under reform the land could only be taxed once. Sambang wants to distribute land to people who will farm it; no big landowners. Jo Joon wants the king to distribute the land to the nobles but it can't be inherited.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 25</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
General Yi, Bang-Woo, and Yi Ran enter the banquet hall while their guards eat in the courtyard. Bang-Ji is increasingly disturbed by Dae Geun. We see the villagers hoping for their own land, Poeun arguing with Lee Saek about supporting reform, Poeun and Ha Ryun about trusting people, and Sambong and Jo Joon about postponing the reform.<br />
<br />
Ha Ryun takes Sambong out for drinks, bragging about advising General Jo. When he says he didn't request the party, Sambong realizes it's a trap and hurries to warn Bang-Won. He takes off alone while Da-Kyung runs to get Bang-Gwa.<br />
<br />
Moo-Hyul sees Dae Geun and remembers Yoon-Hee fainting when she saw him. He links it to Bang-Ji's unrest and tries to get him to leave, but when Dae Geun starts on the rape story, it's Moo-Hyul who overturns the table. Bang-Ji burns an attacker to get his sword, which was tied on. Moo-Hyul catches another one he throws to him.<br />
<br />
Bang-Woo is holding an axe to Jo's neck to keep the assassins off his father when Bang-Won bursts in through the secret passage shooting arrows. The General takes the bow and shoots with three arrows at a time. Moo-Hyul arrives wielding two swords. Just as they are are leaving, archers on the roof nearly attack but are foiled by Bang-Gwa's soldiers coming up behind them.<br />
<br />
Bang-Ji sees Dae Geun sneaking away and follows with difficulty because of a stomach wound. Yoon-Hee comes around the corner and freezes when she sees her attacker but then grabs him and stabs him in the neck with a hairpin. He strangles her but Bang-Ji manages to stab him. "You ok?" he asks with his arm around her, "It's over."<br />
<br />
Historical note: the whole banquet sequence is fiction. Yi Seong-Gye is recorded as having been able to shoot accurately using three arrows at once.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<br />Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-31441641904038099662016-09-29T15:14:00.002-07:002016-10-20T20:03:42.113-07:00Six Flying Dragons Synopsis: Episodes 16-20<b>Episode 16</b><br />
<b></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenKCVHh5KSryaYZpuEf6JFzHPAmsSSGuhLbClAjztbvE-uLmwJqwIEtHhrpWQsr_87egDWRG1UrAkA38CeHR34huzI9_50Nhl-vpfEDzFhj179pqTwxmQkAc7vByMndUIHy7WbDc62Os/s1600/SFD16minclan.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenKCVHh5KSryaYZpuEf6JFzHPAmsSSGuhLbClAjztbvE-uLmwJqwIEtHhrpWQsr_87egDWRG1UrAkA38CeHR34huzI9_50Nhl-vpfEDzFhj179pqTwxmQkAc7vByMndUIHy7WbDc62Os/s400/SFD16minclan.PNG" width="400" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<br />
Minister Hong puts off his own impeachement by using a forged letter to accuse Jo Ban of planning to attack the palace. Bang-Won figures that it has been Hong's plan to attack the Haedonggap clans all along, but Sambong thinks he's after the General. Sure enough, Hong threatens Min Je to have his clan members sign a paper accusing Yi Seung-Gye instead.<br />
<b> </b><br />
Bang-Won finds out from his wife what Hong had said to her father. His father goes for help to General Choi while he confronts the Min clan. He and his brothers playing with a little gunpowder has given him an idea. He fills a small box with gunpowder and another with rocks and has Boon-Yi bring him one - he doesn't know which. <br />
<br />
When the Min clan convene to discuss Hong's paper, Bang-Won shows up with his guards and the box. He lights the fuse and tells them to sign a different paper, this one charging Prime Minister Lee, Hong, and Gil with stealing land, taking bribes, and falsely accusing Jo Ban. They sign reluctantly and the box turns out to be filled with rocks. He knows they will never admit they were frightened into it.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Hong In-Bang stealing land and accusing Jo Ban really happened, but Bang-Won did not really have the Min clan sign anything.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 17</b><br />
<b></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
General Choi gets an order from the king to arrest the Evil Three and heads to the tribunal to get soldiers. Minister Hong gets there first however, and takes the soldiers to arrest General Yi. When they get to Yi's house everyone is gone, so he goes to the palace next. There he has a standoff with General Choi, but in the end the soldiers side with General Choi and arrest him.<br />
<br />
Prime Minister Lee gets the news and calls for his generals to meet him
in his secret room behind the bookcase. He tells General Jo Min-Soo to
support Choi and Jo says he has already bought off one of Hong's servants.<br />
<br />
Meantime General Yi has surrounded Gil Tae-Mi's house. There is a fight but Gil goes missing. He resurfaces to rescue Hong from about ten soldiers who run off. Hong decides to escape and Gil to stay. Boon-Yi's villagers are bringing in reports and they discover Hong's plan to escape in a small smuggler's boat. There he is met by his servant Dae Geun and arrested by General Jo and Officer Nam.<br />
<br />
The tribunal soldiers find Gil in the giseang house. He is exhausted from killing about thirty of them, saying, "This is why you should never skip breakfast!" haha. Next we see him eating at a marketplace surrounded by about fifteen dead bodies. Soldiers collect around him, waiting for greater numbers, when Yi Bang-Ji arrives and challenges him.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Jo Min-Soo was a general who supported General Yi at the Yalu River and General Choi in enthroning King U's son.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 18</b><br />
<b></b><br />
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<br />
<br />
We pick up with Yi Bang-Ji<b>'s </b>challenge and the epic sword fight with sweeping leaps on wires and twirls and kicks in the air. Bang-Ji knocks Gil's sword out of his hand but he pulls a couple of longknives out of his robe. In the end Bang-Ji wins and the townspeople laugh and cheer.<br />
<br />
Prime Minister Lee gets house arrest and Minister Hong and a few others get executed. In the crowd Boon-Yi recognizes Hong's servant Dae Geun as the man who raped Yoon-Hee and follows him to General Jo's house. Bang-Won goes home and chops down the tree he planted for Minister Hong.<br />
<br />
Moo-Hyul tells Bang-Won that he wants to protect him for making the people smile. Ah what a puppy...enjoy it, it won't last forever.<br />
<br />
Sambong asks General Yi to accept Lee's followers so he can oppose General Choi, who has a lot of land and will not like their reform ideas. Meantime Lee is telling General Choi that Yi will attack him in the end.<br />
<b> </b> <br />
Eyeliner Monk Jukryeong, in jail for helping Hong, gets a visit from an old lady claiming to be his mother who brings him orders with the red leaf-and-sword stamp. Then he asks to see General Choi and sells him his logbook telling about things like the conspiracy to pass the border plan. Choi is furious and demands General Yi choose Sambong or him. Yi stands with Sambong.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Gil Tae-Mi was a military officer before he was a government minister, but he was not a noted swordfighter. Choi and Yi had fought pirates together but Sambong and Yi were pretty tight friends.<br />
<br />
<b>Chapter 19</b><br />
<b></b><br />
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<br />
<br />
General Choi has a meeting at the gisaeng house with a Yuan merchant who has a very skilled bodyguard, and everyone else is refused entry. <br />
<br />
Prime Minister Lee is exiled to his hometown and taken away in a jail cart. A man who looks like the one who brought him the note about King Gongmin's death drops him another one with the same leaf-and-sword stamp. <br />
<br />
We get to meet King U, who is a complete jerk, terrorizing some palace ladies trying to play music. General Choi tries to moderate him, and then asks for help in a plan to increase power. The Ming have demanded the return of the land that Gongmin had gotten back from them. General Choi and the king go on a hunting trip with a ton of soldiers.<br />
<br />
Sambong tricks Madam Cho into telling them that Eyeliner Monk was the person who set up the meeting with Choi and the Yuan merchant and that something is happening on the seventh day. Meantime, Bang-Won traces a cart of gold from Hong's house to Biguk temple, where they are caught and Boon-Yi has an expression. Monk Jukryong tells them the gold was traded for water buffalo horns, which are used in making bows, and the king is going to the Yalu River. They realize the king is going to attack Ming.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Soldiers were really gathered on the excuse of going on a hunt. King U is supposed to have tried to be a good king at first, but gave up and fell into delinquincy when he couldn't counter the nobles who ran the government.<br />
<br />
<b>Chapter 20</b><br />
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<br />
General Yi argues against the king's ruinous plan to attack Liaodong, the closest part of Ming. The king and General Choi are unswayed; in fact, Choi has already killed the Ming envoys. He orders 50,000 men conscripted for the campaign.<br />
<br />
Yi asks Sambong for advice and is told: revolution. They will arrest Choi and get the king to sign a retraction. Bang-Ji's men are posted near Choi's house, Bang-Won's and Officer Nam's near his allies, Young-Gyu will open the palace gate to Yi Ji-Ran's men, and the villagers watch to report any movement to Boon-Yi. The whole thing will depend on General Yi's decision; if he says Go, a black horse will run. If it is No Go, it will be a white horse. They are disappointed when Shin-Jeok rides the white horse.<br />
<br />
We get an amazing scene of the army cheering General Choi as Generals Yi and Jo look on. Choi ends up staying with the king however, and the other two head north. Choi orders the Yi family held as hostages and Bang-Woo and Bang-Gwa to stay with the king.<br />
<br />
The army gets bogged down at the Yalu river because of the rains and flooding. Many soldiers die trying to construct a bridge, some getting sick and others running away. A group of deserters is brought to General Yi for execution, but one of the officers refuses to do it. He had been one of the fake Japanese pirates captured back in Episode 8 who had joined Yi's army for a chance to protect his people from invaders. He would rather get killed himself than rob 100,000 parents of their sons. The General decides to protect the citizens from the king.<br />
<br />
Historical note: The Liaodong expedition was in the summer of 1388 during the monsoon season, but it was filmed in the winter. General Choi didn't go because King Gongmin had been killed when Choi was away, and King U was afraid of the same thing. The white/black horse plot was fiction.<br />
<b> </b>Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-10969721284291243872016-09-24T15:37:00.001-07:002016-10-20T19:55:00.369-07:00Six Flying Dragons Synopsis: Episodes 11-15<b>Episode 11:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsR9HJfCdPnJaZDDLMWVw4xPxSWKkY2U87ObOcHu2c_ihPWnhsfYMiWcB6TVy6DD5nXdEMZcoh3m_oQu5SP_RyLCJcJz7CRAnolFHfI9qRXo2Z8NwHLgA4139Wrw10f-5jWwJGqvOZ4g/s1600/SFD11prison.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsR9HJfCdPnJaZDDLMWVw4xPxSWKkY2U87ObOcHu2c_ihPWnhsfYMiWcB6TVy6DD5nXdEMZcoh3m_oQu5SP_RyLCJcJz7CRAnolFHfI9qRXo2Z8NwHLgA4139Wrw10f-5jWwJGqvOZ4g/s400/SFD11prison.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b> </b>Prime Minister Lee gets back at Ministers Hong and Gil with some nicely placed forgeries and ends up arresting Bang-Won for secretly meeting with Hong. They torture him and he holds up mainly because he doesn't want to be like Minister Hong, who caved immediately.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<br />
Bang-Gwa is sent to the capital with their father's refutation of the border plan, but Bang-Woo doesn't use it. He decides that arresting one of them is an act of war against their family. <br />
<br />
Boon-Yi asks Minister Hong for help and he lets her visit Bang-Won after the first day of torture. She takes food. Minister Lee plants another forgery on Bang-Won but Sambong sends Yoon-Hee to replace it with the one Ddang-Sae wrote about killing Baek-Yoon. Now all the ministers worry that General Yi will be down on them with his army.<br />
<br />
Speaking of whom, he is busy at the moment turning back an invasion, but the next thing on his agenda is getting his kid back.<br />
<br />
Historical note: In August 1383 the Jurchen chief Hibaldo, allied with Ming, invaded Goryeo and was winning until General Yi arrived. Hibaldo escaped but most of his men were killed.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 12</b><br />
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<br />
While the ministers plot against each other, Officer Nam Eun is assigned to conduct the investigation (read: torture) of Bang-Won. Everyone thinks Nam will be fair because he hates the Prime Minister, but they are secretly accomplices.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
Madam Cho sends her head ninja kunoichi to kill Yak San, the man who planted the letter in Bang-Won's room. She fights Eyeliner Monk's men and then Bang-Woo. He arrests Yak San and sends him to be interrogated by Officer Nam as well. Nam hears the confession and reports to PM Lee.<br />
<br />
Moo-Hyul brings his family to live in town, including ex-swordmaster Hong who is now the family servant, paying back all he swindled from them.<br />
<br />
PM Lee's people pretend to let Yak San escape and then shoot him. But surprise: he has armor and Moo-Hyul helps him get away. Meantime Officer Nam tells Bang-Won his father died, which makes him nearly hopeless. Until Nam says it was a siege. Bang-Won isn't fooled because his father never holds out in a fort but always attacks.<br />
<br />
Yi Seong-gye shows up to first, order PM Lee to let his kid go; second, to appear at the not-so-secret cave and tell Sambong that he's ready to work together; and third, spring Yak-San on the parliament to prove his kid is innocent. <br />
<br />
Bang-Won is taken from prison with a bag over his head and released to find Officer Nam and Sambong together. Surprise again: the man who tortured him is on their side and they have to work together.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Nam Eun was a real person who helped found the Joseon dyansty.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 13</b><br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
Searching for the mystery fighter who rescued Boon-Yi from Eyeliner Monk, Gil Tae-Mi visits the acting troupe. Gab-Boon recognizes him though, so another actor meets him as Ddang-Sae watches.<br />
<b> </b><br />
Boon-Yi takes Bang-Won to a doctor. When he hugs her she says she hasn't got feeings for him. In reality she knows their class status is too far apart.<br />
<br />
General Yi breaks ties with Minister Hong, feeling that he no longer owes him for helping pass the border plan. Prime Minister Lee is deposed, which Sambong thinks was a big mistake for Hong. Hong then asks the wealthy Haedonggap clan to be allies. <br />
<br />
At this point we meet Min Je (pen name Eoeun), the head of that clan, and his daughter Da-Kyung. She tells her father Hong blew it because PM Lee protected him from General Choi. Ooh...she's as smart as Sambong!<br />
<br />
Ddang-Sae and Gab-Boon try to leave the city but Eyeliner Monk's men find them and use a paralyzing dart. Ddang-Sae hides in the gibang, where he overhears Madam Cho instructing her kunoichi. He recognizes Yoon-Hee there and when the drug wears off, trails her to a meeting with Sambong. He confronts her with being a double spy and she confronts him with being Venomous Magpie.<br />
<br />
Historical note: It was considered disrespectful to call a high noble by his real name so pen names were often used. Da-Kyung is Lady Min, who will become queen of Joseon. No one kept records of women's names in those days, so the writers made one up.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 14</b><br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
Sambong decides he needs the support of Haedonggap clan and sends Poeun to talk them over. But while he is there, Madam Cho arrives with a marriage offer from Minister Hong.<br />
<b> </b><br />
Ddang-Sae and Gap-Boon argue because it's dangerous to stay in town and he's decided to stay and help Yoon-Hee.<br />
<br />
Bang-Won visits the Min family to offer an alliance. When Da-Kyung refuses, he asks if they are afraid of Hong, and suggests a way to get out of the marriage. The next time Minister Hong comes, Min Je is busy yelling at his daughter for seeing a man secretly, and the marriage is called off.<br />
<br />
Yoon-Hee reports to Madam Cho that she's joined Sambong's spy group. Officer Nam catches her and takes her to Sambong, where Ddang-Sae overhears them talking. He urges Yoon-Hee to go away from it all and is stunned to hear his sister is a spy too. He leaves a letter for her, but Bang-Won intercepts and is amazed that Venomous Magpie is Boon-Yi's brother.<br />
<br />
Yoon-Hee sees a famous assassin in town and is afraid he's after Sambong, at a secret meeting with General Yi. She sends out an alarm. Ddang-Sae shows up and tells Sambong to leave his sister alone, but as he is leaving he feels the aura of the assassin. Bang-Won and Moo-Hyul race to the scene as the General calls out his men.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Haedong is an old name for Korea. Gap means noble. They are the oldest noble clans, who have been around for about 700 years, ever since the Silla kingdom.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 15</b><br />
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<br />
<br />
The assassin kills the guards but Yoon-Hee arrives to throw chalk in his face and pull Sambong away. When the assassin finds them she fights back with a sword and then Ddang-Sae engages him. A second assassin attacks, Yoon-Hee breaks a stale-mate with a hair-pin, and Moo-Hyul joins the fray. He plants himself in the earth and slices a third attacker out of the air. They kill two assassins and the General arrives in time to shoot the other in the foot. It's great to have a fight in the daytime so you can see what's going on.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
We get a tearful brother-sister-childhood friend reunion. The General accepts Ddong-Sae as his son, gives him the name Yi Bang-Ji, and assigns him as Sambong's bodyguard.<br />
<br />
Bang-Won and Da-Kyung marry. She tells him she won't sleep with him until his family proves successful. General Choi warns that it will be hard to get that clan to help with politics, which proves true.<br />
<br />
Yi Bang-Ji practices his moves, remembering his teacher saying that if you are fast enough blood doesn't stay on the sword, and that he will improve to match anyone he fights against. Well, he fought Gil Tae-Mi. He sends Moo-Hyul to get Gab-Boon and all his stuff. Gil Tae-Mi sees Moo-Hyul strutting around in the Venemous Magpie outfit and takes him on in a little fight. He knows immediately he's not the real Magpie and wonders if this is a new fashion trend? Haha.<br />
<br />
Minister Hong confiscates some of the Min family land and breaks ancestral tablets. But it's a trap. When the owner, Jo Ban, retaliates, he is captured and falsely accused of treason.<br />
<br />
Historical note: The General gives Ddang-Sae the family name (Yi), the generation name for brothers and cousins (Bang), and a given name with the same meaning (land). Jo Ban is a real person who became a diplomat and a translator for Bang-Won. <br />
<br />Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-82209335597395917372016-09-17T22:07:00.001-07:002016-10-19T20:16:45.972-07:00Six Flying Dragons Summary: Episodes 6-10<b>Episode 6</b><br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
Bang-Won tries to get Boon-Yi to escape before the guards catch her for setting fire to the granary. But Sambong told her if she ever needed to find him, to go to a man who sells wooden plates in the market. (in Episode 2 he tied up Ddang-Sae in the cabin.) Bang-Won recognizes her little wooden figurine and follows her to find out who owns that secret cave.<br />
<br />
Moo-Hyul confronts Master Hong with lying in order to continue being paid for teaching. He admits it and Grandma tells Moo-Hyul to go out and get a reputation so he can earn money. He goes to the market and sees Boon-Yi. Who he has a crush on.<br />
<br />
Gab-Boon asks her old beggar leader how to find Sambong. He says ask the guy who sells wooden plates. Hong In-Bang asks Eyeliner Monk how to find Sambong and gets the same answer.<br />
<br />
Everyone converges on the poor guy who is attacked but gets away. Boon-Yi walks into his shop and is bagged up and delivered to Biguk Temple. Seen by Bang-Wan and Ddang-Sae. Eyeliner Monk asks her about a coded message on a leather strip. Minister Hong comes to question her but gets sidetracked reminding Bang-Won about tormenting him when he was a student. There is a pretty good fight when Ddang-Sae arrives, highlighted by his jump from a pagoda shrine 15 feet in the air to attack Eyeliner. While all this is going on Moo-Hyul makes off with Boon-Yi as slick as you please.<br />
<br />
Bang-Won goes back to the market where the wooden plate guy sees that he has a wooden figurine and gives him another coded message strip before expiring. We watch as Bang-Won and Boon-Yi separately pull a core out of the figurine and wrap the leather strip around it. The letters line up down the stick and tell them to go to Hamju and follow Yi Seong-Gye.<br />
<br />
Historical note: Matching rods made to use with coded messages strips were called scytale (rhymes with Italy) and used in ancient Greece.<br />
<br />
<b>Episode 7</b><br />
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Boon-Yi brings Moo-Hul to Hamju, tells the all too common tale of losing her home to rich officials, and gets admitted to the camp. Bang-Won comes a little later and finds that a letter advocating protecting the border and gathering people is circulating there. He runs across his old school friend Hao Kang, now called Lee Shin-Jeok, and knows he's behind the letter.<br />
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Shin-Jeok kidnaps Boon-Yi (how many times is this?) pulls out her wooden figurine and accuses her as a spy. She just asks to see Sambong pronto and shows that Shin-Jeok has a figurine hanging around his neck too. This is all watched by Bang-Won and spies of Minister Hong who followed her here.<br />
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Madam Cho of the gisaeng house pools information with Monk Eyeliner to realize there is a new secret organization somewhere and sends out her lady ninjas. Minister Hong and Gil Tae-Mi plot against Prime Minister Lee. Lee listens to a fortuneteller who tells him his path is in the northeast (where Hamju is).<br />
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Shin-Jeok agrees to bring the secret leader if Bang-Won brings his father. They both come alone however, and get kidnapped by Minister Hong's spies. Moo-Hyul rescues Bang-Won again and piggybacks him (he's wounded) home in time to see Sambong show up and stop the General from executing Boon-Yi.<br />
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Historical note: Women ninjas called kunoichi existed in Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries. They were primarily used in espionage, including posing as maids and geishas.<br />
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<b>Episode 8</b><br />
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Sambong tells General Yi that he has been sending people to him to secure the border and to show how cruelly the government treats the commoners. Shin-Jeok (Hao Kang) and several others corroborate this. In a flashback we see that the General captured fake Japanese pirates, and when they told him that the government had taken everything from them, he added them to his own army.<br />
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Sambong says he can tell the General's prime concern is to protect the people, and that can't happen as long as the three corrupt ministers are running things. They need a new government and General Yi needs to be the new king.<br />
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Bang-Won has overheard the whole thing and tries to encourage his father. When that goes nowhere he finds the paper about stabilizing the border, stamps it with his father's seal, and sends Shin-Jeok to Gaegyeong with it. Boon-Yi had caught Bang-Won with the stamp and he ties her up until she promises to not give him away.<br />
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General Choi Young orders Prime Minister Lee to lower the taxes, but he can't get the Evil Three to do it until he suggests bringing General Yi into the government. Since that worked so well, the prime minister rewards his fortuneteller. Minister Hong has Eyeliner Monk question this fortuneteller, and she tells them she is an actress hired by Sambong. She has a badly scarred face, but when she leaves she pulls off her latex appliance and we see she is Yoon-Hee. Sambong meets with Minister Hong and gets him to conspire against the prime minister.<br />
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Historical note: Pirates from outlying Japanese islands like Tsushima attacked Korea many times beginning about 1350, 175 raids being recorded from 1376 to 1385.<br />
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<b>Episode 9 </b><br />
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After Yoon-Hee reports to Sambong she reports to her other boss, Madam Cho. She has a fake name here and doesn't tell Madam Cho everything.<br />
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Flashback to that meeting between Sambong and Minister Hong. He told Hong to side with Gil Tae-Mi and General Yi and drop Prime Minister Lee and General Choi. General Yi would go along if the border stabilization plan passes parliament.<br />
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Sambong visits Boon-yi's people and has them complain to General Choi that their land had been taken away and registered to Hong's servant instead of the government. A furious General Choi arrests the servants. Hong realizes he's in trouble.<br />
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Now Sambong sends Yoon-Hee to pose as a noblewoman and hire Ddang-Sae's acting troupe to put on a a play about Gil Tae-Mi killing Baek Yoon. This happened back in Episode 4 but it was Ddang-Sae who'd done it. He recognizes her but she tells him to pretend he doesn't.<br />
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Minister Hong sends Eyeliner Monk to Hamju to ask what reward he will get if the border stabilization plan passes. When the General realizes what happened with the seal he arrests the monk and sends son #2 to Gaegyeong with a note that he did not send in the border proposal. Bang-Won chases down Bang-gwa and ties him to a tree.<br />
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The play starts such rumors that General Choi decides to push Hong and Gil out of power, but Prime Minister Lee wants to save his longtime friend Gil. He tells Gil to join them against Hong, but Gil decides they will give up half their assets instead and lie low for a while.<br />
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Meantime Ddang-Sae has seen his desolate home town and come for revenge against Hong. Gil Tae-Mi duels him and it's not till Madam Cho's ninja girls pitch in that Ddang-Sae runs off. But Hong and Gil think Prime Minister Lee had sent the assassin, and they vote against Lee and for the border plan.<br />
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Historical note: In 1383 General Yi defeated the Mongol invaders (Hobaldo in Episode 11), met Sambong, and submitted the border plan. Bang-Won using the seal was fiction.<br />
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<b>Episode 10</b><br />
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Now that the border plan has passed, Bang-Won hopes that reform will come soon. Prime Minister Lee goes to Madam Cho to figure out why it passed. He yells at Gil Tae-Mi for voting for it, and Gil just growls back that he shouldn't have sent an assassin.<br />
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The General is determined to revoke the border plan even though Ji-Ran, his second in command, wants to let it stand. He knows it means he is indebted to Hong now. Boon-Yi's villagers and Moo-Hyul's family are admitted to the camp.<br />
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Yoon-Hee finds another letter from Ddang-Sae in the not-so-secret cave. Sambong is very worried about who this unknown assassin is and who is behind him. Then we get the scene from the first of the drama where Bang-Won waits in the cave for Sambong to show up and Ddang-Sae turns out to be there as well. Dang-Sae states his opposition to a plan that will get a lot of commoners killed, and stalks out. Yoon-Hee follows him and realizes that he is the assassin.<br />
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Sambong berates Bong-Won for forging the stamp because it destroyed the trust he wanted to build with the General. He relates how destructive it was once when a traitor forged an order from the king. He kicks Bang-Won out, but Bang-Won vows to do better and to return.<br />
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Historical note: Yi Ji-Ran was originally a Jurchen warrior named Kurun Turan Timur. Yi Seung-Gye gave him a new name when they became "sworn brothers."<br />
<br />Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-46249791128873702662016-09-14T13:41:00.004-07:002016-11-11T11:07:50.736-08:00Six Flying Dragons Summary Episodes 1-5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We recently started watching the 50-episode saguk Six Flying Dragons. It is so good, and also so complicated, that it needs an episode summary to keep track of events. The complete recaps can be found at <a href="http://dramabeans.com/">dramabeans.com</a> if you would like the detailed version. Most of the historical notes are from a tumblr blog called Six Flying Dragons at bodashiri.tumbler.com.<br />
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The basic story is that General Yi (pronounced ee) overthrows Goryeo (medieval Korea) to become the first king of Joseon in 1392 AD. It is a prequel to Tree With Deep Roots, which is about Joseon's most famous king, the grandson of General Yi.<br />
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<b>The Six Dragons:</b><br />
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General Yi Seong-Gye (lower row, far right): a respected general with a dark secret. Northern Goryeo had been taken over by the Mongols. His family, ethnic Koreans, remained there as minor officials serving the Mongols, but were turncoats who helped Goryeo recapture the territory.<br />
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Yi Bang-Won (upper left): the ambitious fifth son of the general, a prime mover who helps his father become king and then fights his brothers for the throne.<br />
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Jung Do-Jeon (upper right): a noted scholar with the pen name Sambong, the mastermind behind the revolution and the form the new government would take.<br />
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Moo-Hyul (lower left): a fictional character who becomes Yi Bang-Won's bodyguard and then the bodyguard of his son in Tree With Deep Roots.<br />
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Boon-Yi (lower row, second from left): fictional character; a peasant woman whose family was destroyed by corrupt Goryeo officials; she is in Jung Do Jeon's secret group plotting revolution.<br />
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Ddang-Sae (lower row, third from left): fictional character; Boon-yi's brother, he becomes the fastest swordsman in the country. General Yi gives him the name of Yi Bang-Ji. He is also seen in TWDR.<br />
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<b>Episode 1</b><br />
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We begin with a peek at Episode 10 which introduces three of the dragons. Sambong steals food from a peasant (that tells us a lot about him right there) and then enters his secret cave to find Bang-Won and Ddang-Sae already there.<br />
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We then go back in time to begin the story with 12-year-old Bang-Won, his older brother Bang-Gwa, and the General chasing down a spy. The spy had a letter bearing a stamp with a pattern like leaves with a sword, which they think is from Prime Minister Lee. Bang-Won grows up fast when he sees how his idolized father punishes the prisoner.<br />
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Next we meet the main villains. Prime Minister Lee In-Gyeom is at a bathhouse with his crony Baek Yoon when Gil Tae-Mi (eyeshadow guy) brings news that General Yi is being made a chancellor and coming to the capital city of Gaegyeong. Prime Minister Lee decides to prevent it.<br />
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Then we skip to Sungkyunkwan University where two teachers, Jung Mong-Joo (pen name Poeun) and Hong In-Bang cheer to hear that the general is coming. Prime Minister Lee supports the Mongols against the Ming Chinese, but that would cause the Ming to attack Goryeo. The General could prevent a war.<br />
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Bang-Won comes to Gaegyeong and falls afoul of some beggar kids, including Boon-Yi and Ddang-Sae. They are searching for their mother, who was kidnapped by a man with a leaf-and-sword tattoo. Their only other clue is a song she used to sing which nobody else seems to know. Ddang-Sae sees one of Bang-Won's guards with a letter having that stamp and they accuse him. With another friend, Gap-Boon, they help Bang-Won break into the Prime Minister's house to get that letter. They get locked into a storage room, but Bang-Won gets caught and thrown out.<br />
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The letter turns out to be an account of how the Yi's turned on their Mongol friends. When Prime Minister Lee gives a dinner for General Yi, he has some actors portray this story and then is able to blackmail the General into refusing the appointment and going home.<br />
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Historical note: Yi Seong-Gye (born 1335), Bang-Gwa (born 1357), and Bang-Won (born1367) became the first three kings of Joseon. Poeun and Baek Yoon are historical figures, and Lee In-Gyeom, Gil Tae-Mi, and Hong In-Bang are based on real officials Lee In-Im, Im Gyeon-Mi, and Yeom Heung-Bang. General Yi opened the gate but did not really shoot the Mongol friend.<br />
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<b>Episode 2</b><br />
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We find out that the leaf stamp does not belong to Prime Minister Lee. He has seen that stamp before though, on a letter warning him that King Gongmin had been killed.<br />
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Boon-Yi and Ddang-Sae escape the storage room and hide in a cart. Unfortunately it belongs to the acting troupe, which leaves with the two kids still inside. During the night the actors are run off by a masked swordsman. Surprise, it's Sambong! He searches for something inside one of the carts until teacher Hong In-Bang shows up. Dang-Sae overhears the plan to kill Baek Yoon so that other corrupt ministers would suspect each other and fight it out. Ddang-Sae follows Sambong to his secret cave, but when he returns to get his sister he is captured and tied up in a forest cabin.<br />
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Hong-In Bang gathers the other scholars to protest the Yuan alliance. He thinks Sambong's plan is to kill the envoy. Prime Minister Lee's plan is for Eyeshadow Guy to impersonate the envoy and not have any Yuans there at all. Sambong gets tied up and left in the same cabin Ddang-Sae is in.<br />
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Boon-Yi has waked up and followed her brother to the cabin, and then gone for help. Bang-Won's bodyguard Jo Young-Gyoo makes short work of a couple of men at the door and sets Sambang free when he promises to stop the war.<br />
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At the city gate, scholars are protesting alliance with Yuan. A group of riders comes up the road and one with a large veil dismounts and goes in through the gate. Sambong walks up as the greeter, seems to stab the envoy and is knocked down. But another surprise! When Eyeshadow Guy takes off his veil to say he knew of this plot and has foiled it, Sambong reveals that his weapon is really a stick of taffy. The guards try to round up the protesters, the protesters resist, and Sambong starts singing a song that makes Ddang-Sae perk up. It's the one sung by his mother that no one else knows.<br />
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Historical note: King Gongmin was killed in 1374 and his 11-year-old son was made king by Minister Lee. Sambong was appointed greeter in 1375, threatened to kill the envoy, and was exiled for four years.<br />
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<b>Episode 3</b><br />
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Sambong gets beat up a little and then Eyeshadow Guy tortures him with wet paper on his face.<br />
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Bang-Woo enrolls at Sungkyunkwan, but the very day he shows up the teachers are arrested. Hong In-Bang tells the students to not give up and to study their Mencius, which however gets banned.<br />
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Sambong is exiled, and as a group of guards are taking him through the forest in a jail wagon, Boon-Yi and Ddang-Sae run up calling him daddy and asking about the song. Sambong says it was written by King Gongmin and only he, Queen Noguk, and a few others would know it. He recognizes their mother's name (Yeon-Hyang), but says a maid of the queen by that name died 18 years ago. It doesn't seem to fit. Boon-yi goes home in case their mother returns, but Ddang-Sae stays.<br />
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Bang-Won plants a tree for Prime Minister Lee that he can chop down when he defeats him. He becomes friends with an older student named Heo Kang, but students start dropping out. Eyeshadow's son Gil Yoo is part of a gang that threatens other students with burning their Mencius books or getting their forehead tattooed. Bang-Won is one of the victims.<br />
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Teacher Hong In-Bang returns; he was tortured and caved immediately. To make sure he's on the powerful side after this, he helps Gil Tae-Mi chouse other people out of their land. When Heo Kang puts up a poster protesting the bullies, Hong sends an assassin to kill three of them. The assassin finds them already dead, but Heo Kang is arrested and his father has to give half his land to Gil Tae-Mi to get him out of jail. Hong and Gil become in-laws.<br />
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Bang-Won had come home late and bloody that night, but told his bodyguard, Young-Gyoo, that it wasn't his own blood. You wonder how that kid could account for three older boys, but after that Young-Gyoo found three more trees that had been planted and destroyed. In a confrontation with Hong, Bang-Won asserts, "I may not be good, but at least I am just."<br />
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Historical note: Sungkyunkwan was founded in 992 in Gaegyong and relocated to Seoul in 1398. The song was not historical; just in the drama. Heo Kang was a real person and became a civil servant.<br />
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<b>Episode 4</b><br />
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Ddang-Sae discovers that Queen Noguk had a bodyguard as well as the maid Yeon-Hyang that were always with her. He was Gil Seon-Mi, the twin brother of Gil Tae-Mi. When found, Gil Seon-Mi warns Ddang-Sae that his mother had made a mistake which had cost the life of Queen Noguk so he should forget about her and never mention her name again.<br />
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A white-haired Chinese-speaking swordmaster (Jang Sam-Bong) with a quarterstaff appears and trades blows with Gil Seon-Mi. He is looking for an expert who killed a student of his. Gil Seon-Mi tells him his best guess (Cheok Sa-Kwang) in exchange for taking care of Ddong-Sae. Master Jang agrees but Ddong-Sae disappears on him.<br />
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We take time out to meet Moo-Hyul killing a wild boar. He is one of nine kids his grandmother is raising, and she takes the boar to bribe Master Hong to teach him. Though not very good himself, he has taught many famous swordsmen.<br />
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Ddang-Sae makes it home to enjoy a brief happy time with his sister and the cutest girl of the village, Yoon-Hee, but it is cut short by a gang of thugs who arrive to take over. Hong In-Bang has become a government minister and is raising money to fight Japanese pirates by increasing taxes and confiscating land. The villagers fight back and Yoon-Hee is raped. Boon-Yi blames her brother for not resisting, and he runs off to throw himself over a cliff. Master Jang sees him from a distance and reaching the cliff miraculously fast, keeps him from falling and promises to make him strong.<br />
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Six years pass. We see Bang-Won, now an adult, sitting morosely on a rooftop. He witnesses a miraculously fast swordsman in black with patterned white trim killing first a guard and then Baek Yoon. Bang-Won trails him up a canyon, where he leaves a message on a door hidden by vines. He is Ddang-Sae, and his note is for Sambang informing him that he has killed Baek Yoon as per plan and who should he kill next? Presently Bang-Won opens the door, stepping on a small wooden soldier, and finds a cave full of bookshelves and a window with a view of the capital city in the valley below.<br />
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Historical note: Queen Noguk died in childbirth in 1356. The government did indeed confiscate commoners' land to give to the nobles in exchange for fighting off the pirates.<br />
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<b>Episode 5</b><br />
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<br />
In the cave Bang-won finds a map renaming the country and papers outlining reform and plotting peaceful revolution.<br />
<br />
The murder of Baek Yoon creates a furor, which Hong In-Bang remembers had been Sambong's plot. He goes to Monk Yuk-Ryeong (Eyeliner Monk) for information, and General Choi Young goes to the madam of the giseang house, Cho Young, but no one knows who the culprit is. Hong In-Bang comes out of it very well, as the leader of Baek Yoon's old faction.<br />
<br />
Gil Tae-Mi, investigating the murder, hears that there were three sword hits. His son guesses that it might be Venomous Magpie, who is rumored to kill dozens of Japanese pirates all by himself.<br />
<br />
A girl sitting on the stairs in the marketplace begins to sing. She is Gap-Boon, who helped break into Minister Lee's house back in episode 1. A fascinated Moo-Hyul stops to listen, and Bang-Won and his bodyguard Young-Gyoo show up next. A masked actor tells the story of the Magpie, who wears black with white trim. When the show is over and Gap-Boon leaves, some thugs take her money. She appeals to Moo-Hyul for help and he defeats all of them, including a sword fighter who comes out, keeping his wooden name tag. Young-Goo asks the actor about the Magpie and though he claims to only know rumor, when he washes his face we see he is Ddang-Sae.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile Sambong has returned from exile and visited Boon-Yi. He advises her to clear forested land in the hills and farm it secretly and gives her one of the little wooden soldiers. Just as the villagers are harvesting their first crop the thugs arrive, taking all the produce and killing half the people. And to make matters worse, Japanese pirates arrive and kidnap the rest. The next day Moo-Hyul is practicing his moves when he sees the pirates go by with people in gunny sacks over their shoulders.<br />
<br />
That night as Bang-Won and Young-Gyoo are looking for pirates (to try and meet the Magpie) they come across the kidnappers with Moo-Hyul sneaking around behind. Bang-Won gives his sword to Moo-Hul, and at one point when he finds himself greatly outnumbered he cleverly tries to turn the pirates against each other. This makes me wonder if that is what he did with the three bullies when he was 12. The pirates turn out to be Koreans disguised as Japanese, and Moo-Hyul and Young-Gyu beat them handily. One of them exclaims that Moo-Hyul's name tag indicates an elite warrior group, so he knows that his teacher, who had been telling him he wasn't good enough yet, has been lying to him. The next day, after burying their dead, Boon-Yi goes into town and burns the government storehouse where all the peasants' grain is stored.<br />
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Historical note: When Taejong became king he reformed land taxation and discovered there was a lot of this hidden land.Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-43276649321614966502016-05-09T11:01:00.000-07:002016-10-05T19:06:50.266-07:00Kdrama Mothers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
On Mothers Day we not only think about our own mothers, but all mothers. My grandmother watched out for all the children in the neighborhood. They always knew they could count on her for a popsicle in the summer or a cookie in the winter. My mom always had kids running through her house, helped with children's programs at church and in 4-H, and was a teacher to her grandchildren and neighborhood kids of things like wheat-weaving, bug collecting, and paper folding.<br />
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Being as how this blog focuses on Kdramas, it is natural to think about how mothers are portrayed in them. Agreed that many mothers in dramas are terrible (the Demon Moms in Boys Over Flowers and Secret Garden). The good ones can get killed off (I Hear Your Voice - I still haven't forgiven the writers) or aren't the focus of the story (Reply 1997, Kill Me Heal Me).<br />
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There are good single moms (Last Scandal of my Life, Punch). But I remember most vividly the women who mother someone not her own child. The first of these is Lady Choi, who watched out for and advised her nephew, the leader of the king's guard (Faith).<br />
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My favorite are the women who you watch getting to know and slowly care about children that come into their orbits. In two stories that were nearly ruined by the-return-of-the-not-dead-wife (Prime Minister and I, Blade Man) the lead ladies connected in a tender way with children who had lost their mothers. A woman in Bad Family was the fake mom to the little girl whose real mother was killed in a wreck. Watch as she takes responsibility for that little girl. The latest is Ok Da Jung (Ms. Temper), who first shows sympathy and then a kind of hard-line support for the little boy who lives across the hall.<br />
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These women, though fictional, represent real women who show these kinds of qualities. They all deserve recognition, especially on Mothers Day. And it would be a better world if there were more people like that. And fewer Demon Moms.Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-26757834644011128862016-04-07T19:33:00.000-07:002016-04-07T19:33:11.381-07:00Nine Time Travels: What About That Ending?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are a lot of theories about the ending scene of Nine Time Travels, all conflicting, and none quite encompassing all of the issues. My opinion: it is a metaphor of the whole story, and not meant to be taken as a scene in the timeline.<br />
<br />
Why do I think that? Because the story is presented to us as a fantasy right from the start. It begins in episode 1 with a sweeping view of the mountains of Middle Earth and an accompaniment of the Lord of the Rings style music, complete with epic elf chorus and ethnic hobbit flute.<br />
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Why do I think that? Because the brothers are shown on high mountain slopes, nowhere near anywhere they belonged. In Asia nature is thought to uplift and purify the soul, purification being difficult. High mountains are particularly sacred places. White is the color of mourning. And snow not only indicates the hardships of winter, but in a contradictory way, since snow obscures all surroundings and transforms it into something new and different, it represents life-transforming experiences.<br />
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Why do I think that? Because of the close-up of the older brother, Jung-woo, lying in the snow with his compass and the open incense case on the ground in front of him. The case is empty, and he has one stick in his hand. This doesn't fit into the story anywhere. Jung-woo never had the case, and if he did he would not have wandered around the mountain trying to light the last incense stick. Yet this scene is shown in the beginning of the first episode as well as at the end of the last episode, over the closing credits. He has dropped the compass, representing how lost he is. And since the younger brother, Sun-woo, tells us in episode 19 that the incense is the fruit of knowledge, the empty case symbolizes Jung-woo searching for knowledge and not being able to find it.<br />
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In episode 1, we see a shadow fall on Jung-woo's face, so we know there is someone else around to prevent him from dying in the snow. That proves this scene doesn't fit into the rest of episode 1, because Jung-woo dies there. In episode 20, that person turns out to be Sun-woo. He holds out his hand to his brother and pulls him up. There you are. This whole story is about Sun-woo trying to save his brother who is lost, and we certainly hope it worked.<br />
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It fits in with all the symbolism that occurs throughout the show. In episode 1 when Sun-woo lights that first incense stick and lies down to rest, he suddenly finds himself outside in the dark in a flurry of snow. But the incense stick goes out and he is back in his hotel room by the time he stands up. This is not a normal time travel. He should have been in the hotel room of exactly twenty years ago, or at least in the town if the hotel hadn't been built yet. The town is in summer, with green growing things. The incense took him to a blizzard, a reminder to us of the snow in the opening scene, and a warning to him.<br />
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The picture of Min-young in her fur-lined parka, that shows up on Sun-woo's phone all through the show, is a instance of this. It shows up in all timelines, even before the picture could have been taken. Child and woman, she's known him in all the timelines. In the last episode Sun-woo says that she is the key, and this illustrates that.<br />
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The whole thing is a fantasy anyway. Sun-woo sends a message to his friend, Dr. Han, at the end of episode 3, "Believe in the fantasies you want to believe." This phrase gets repeated several times during the drama. In the last episode, when he is on the plane, he reviews to himself, "Perhaps this is what happened: I made a big impression on Min-young so she fell in love with me at once. And I became a reporter because of the connection in the past. If that's true, I can save you [his future self] and prevent Min-young from being unhappy because of me." Then the subtitles read: "But that's not true." But if you listen to the words, he says, "Krum, fantastiche." So what he really said was: "Then that's a fantasy."<br />
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In episode 5 Dr. Han asks, "How is it possible?" Sun-woo replies, "It's pointless to ask that. None of it is possible." However, we are going to a lot of trouble trying to figure things out, and we want it to make sense.<br />
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In episode 9 I started noticing the mirrors. There may have been some before, and there were certainly a lot of them afterwards. All of the major characters are seen reflected in mirrors. In this episode the parallel function of the two timelines of 1993 and 2013 is highlighted with mirroring scenes such as young and adult Dr. Hans running down halls and up streets to find injured Sun-woos. An important scene in episode 20 shows Sun-woo, changing back and forth to adult and teen versions, reflected in a mirror. He recognizes himself and knows he's been caught up in different timelines. Perhaps all the mirrors are showing that the people are caught this way.<br />
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In episode 16 after the incense disappears from Dr. Han's hand, he has a theory that it happened because Jung-woo died. Sun-woo disagrees; he says it was caused by a time change. He turns out to be right (the housekeeper took the incense), so we can believe his analyses after this. In episode 19 when he says,"I think I know why I can't go back. The incense is me. I used all of the incense sticks and my role is over," we can take it that he is right.<br />
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<br /></div>
Did the Present6 timeline extinguish when Sun-woo died? We are all haunted by the idea that everyone lived their lives mourning his loss. Well, in episode 9 the timeline didn't change when he died on the operating table. It changed because of an event in the past that caused a new timeline: young Dr. Han finding the cancer pills and deciding to make Sun-woo get regular check-ups. This did not create two concurrent present timelines. The old one dissolved in smoke and the new one began, or rather, continued from the actuating event in the past.<br />
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In the same way, when he dies in the phone booth any change in the present timeline has to be caused by an event in the past. Sun-woo's watch shows 8:07 when he dies on April 24, 1993. Dr. Han and Min-young have 2013 scenes at 8:00 pm so the Present6 timeline could have ended any time after that. At 8:07 pm on April 24, 2013, adult Min-young remembers (exactly 20 years later) seeing the man in the crashed-in phone booth when she was a child and making a pinky promise. That is the actuating event, and that is the point at which the Present6 timeline extinguishes. She grew up in Past7 remembering that event and avoided Sun-woo for quite a while.<br />
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She was indeed the key to his future, because when she told him about the man who looked liked him, he resolved to not use any incense. He couldn't have used it in any case, because it had already been used and we've seen that you can't use it again. Even if Jung-woo goes wandering around the mountains, Sun-woo will just have to find him that same day. He's been wearing beard stubble quite a bit anyway; growing a beard will be nothing.<br />
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<br />Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-48494833669985699522016-03-31T16:02:00.003-07:002016-04-06T08:34:57.726-07:00Nine Time Travels: Timelines Untangled<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Nine Time Travels is a fascinating story and also rather confusing, some of it intentional. There are several ways you could designate different timelines, but except for the prologue and epilogue, which are problematic, I have come up with 6 present timelines and 7 past ones. You could argue for a new timeline being created for every time travel with the incense sticks, but that isn't by itself what causes the changes. It is when someone makes a decision that will change things from the original timeline, that we get a new one. The present timelines are easy to distinguish by the smoke that dissolves something that is being changed - you could call them smoke changes. The past timelines are identified by the incident that causes the smoke changes.<br />
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Abbreviations-- SW: Sun-woo YJ: Yoo-jin TT: Timetravel <br />
JW: Jung-woo BF: Boyfriend E: Episode<br />
MY: Min-young EM: Evil Minion<br />
<br />
The events that cause the time changes are <u>underlined.</u><br />
<br />
<table border="1">
<tbody>
<tr><th>PAST</th><th>TIME TRAVELS</th><th>PRESENT</th></tr>
<tr><td>Past1: the original past- JW and YJ break up, Dad dies, Choi takes the hospital, mom alone on Christmas, YJ goes to Am and marries, JW aimless</td>
<td> </td>
<td>E1-Present1: the original present. SW and JW meet at cafe, SW flippant to MY, JW dies in Nepal, SW goes to get his effects, accuses Choi of graft</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td>1: snowy waste</td>
<td>SW thinks it's a dream</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E2- Past2: <u>intruder</u>, pager stolen; JW breaks aquarium, SW gets cut and pager</td>
<td>2: own room, sees past family</td>
<td>SW has a cut and the pager from his high school study hall</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E3- SW and Han talk about missing pager, Dad disapproves of YJ</td>
<td>3: in green room talks to self on phone</td>
<td>SW thinks it is a hallucination, but reads notebook and learns of incense</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Intruder at Maruna Lodge (SW) takes record and incense</td>
<td>4: retrieve incense sticks</td>
<td>SW decides he might live, marries, MY writes on record cover</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E4- Choi sees SW, JW is unhappy and drunk over breaking up with YJ</td>
<td>5: reconnoiter the hospital</td>
<td>SW decides to make JW happy</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Han, SW confused about card</td>
<td>6: takes Christmas card</td>
<td>Han is convinced about incense and runs through halls</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SW takes YJ to hospital, gives phone number to MY</td>
<td>7: goes to see YJ</td>
<td>SW wants JW and YJ to get back together</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SW takes Mom to get new glasses, CCTV pix taken at optic shop.<br />
Past3: MY makes call to JW; <u>JW decides to marry YJ</u></td>
<td>8: takes Mom a Christmas necklace</td>
<td>Care center calls SW, he remembers Mom had been alone for Christmas. Present2: MY disappears from cafe</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E5- JW has been in America and become doctor</td>
<td> </td>
<td>JW is head surgeon at hospital, Han and SW get new memories, MY has BF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E6- SW plans train trip, Choi tries to get Dad to invest in his research</td>
<td>9: visits teen self, takes minicams</td>
<td>JW is depressed and taking drugs, Choi claims he didn't kill Dad.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E7- Past4: <u>SW asks younger self for help</u>, they fight, SW drops pills, plants camcorders in office; Dad visits home and dies later than originally</td>
<td> </td>
<td>Present3: news article about the fire and the date on Dad's urn are changed</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>SW sees Dad dead on floor, Mom and Choi see him, SW chases JW and disappears</td>
<td>10: goes back to hospital</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E8- SW sees Mom-Dad-JW fight on tape; EM sets fire, SW leaves incense</td>
<td>11: retrieves tapes</td>
<td>SW beats up JW at restaurant, gives Choi the USB, collapses at home</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E9- At funeral Mom tells Choi about witness; young SW has burns and is in hospital; Past5: young Han finds cancer pills, <u>decides on early checks</u></td>
<td> </td>
<td>MY and JW meet BF's family, SW gets two surgeries and dies; Present4: SW alive because of early cancer treatments</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E10- Young SW in hospital with burns; writes messages on guitar and railings</td>
<td> </td>
<td>SW becomes main anchor, BF finds the record, MY remembers writing on it and kisses SW.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E11- EM brings the CCTV picture to Choi, he remembers same guy at hospital</td>
<td> </td>
<td>Choi has court hearings, gets new memory of that picture; MY and SW meet at playground</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E12- Incense is delivered to young SW, Choi shows pix to JW</td>
<td> </td>
<td>MY is sick, SW finds incense, Han explains to MY, SW explains to JW</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E13- Adult SW talks to young JW, EM stabs adult SW, JW goes to police</td>
<td>12: to talk JW into confessing</td>
<td>SW is taken to hospital; Choi finds CCTV pix in storage</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E14- Choi bribes police, destroys the tape, and threatens JW</td>
<td> </td>
<td>BF slugs SW; SW and MY quit their jobs</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E15-</td>
<td> </td>
<td>JW OD's, EM is arrested, Choi visits JW in ICU</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E16- Past6: <u>housekeeper gives incense to cop</u>, Choi calls EM, EM attacks young SW</td>
<td>13: Choi uses last incense in hospital</td>
<td>Present5: incense disappears from Han; JW's funeral; Choi in court, gets incense from storage; SW swipes it</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E17- Teen and adult SW fight EM; Past7 <u>young SW gives Reporter Oh another tape</u>,</td>
<td>14: SW rescues young self</td>
<td>Present6: Choi's aides and car disappear, JW's funeral disappears, MY appears in wedding dress</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E18- JW leaves wedding and confesses; Choi rams phone booth; JW and Choi sentenced</td>
<td> </td>
<td>MY at wedding, Choi in shop, JW at China clinic, SW stuck in phone booth; Scene from Past7: SW meets parents</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E19- SW in crumpled phone booth sees young MY; he dies.</td>
<td></td>
<td>Present6 again: Han hears phone messages from SW; JW comes to Korea, visits Choi; Choi dies in crash</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E20- YJ and MY go to America, JW goes to jail, Reporter Oh helps SW</td>
<td> </td>
<td>From Past7: SW becomes reporter, meets MY at work; SW and JW meet at cafe, MY, JW, and SW all go to Nepal.</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-9827498911304027572016-03-17T10:11:00.003-07:002016-04-06T08:33:14.372-07:00Nine Time Travels Episode 20: The Finale<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<br />
Nine: Episode 20</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Here we are at the last episode. It is
the story of the new timeline created when Sun-woo went to Reporter
Oh with the videotape. Jung-woo and Choi both go to jail, and in fact
we only see Choi at the very beginning, when he rams the phone booth.
We don't see what happens to him after he gets out of jail. Sun-woo
grows up with Reporter Oh as a mentor.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We begin with little Min-young standing
in the alley by the wrecked phone booth. The man in the next house
comes out to check the weather and sees it, and immediately calls out
to other people and they get the police. Yoo-jin comes looking for
Min-young and hustles her away. I wouldn't want my child watching a
homicide scene either. Look, they both have yellow raincoats. Cute!
They fly away to a new life in America.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Hyung knocks on Sun-woo's door and we
see handcuffs and the police standing behind him. Sun-woo refuses to
talk but he looks out the window as they leave through the gate to
the weeping of the housekeeper. He is still moping when Reporter Oh
calls him up and takes him out to dinner. Oh tries to console him by
saying his brother's sentence will be light, and he's seen lots worse
stuff happen. Sun-woo decides to be a reporter because they were able
to catch criminals that the police couldn't. Oh says that he ought to
be a good reporter, and someday he will hire him and give him a
chance. One of the few heartwarming scenes in this whole thing.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Young Sun-woo gets a phone message from
his older self. [7:00] He was going back at noon and couldn't return,
so to forget about him and just live his own life. “Every decision
you make will make me. If you live every day the right way, you will
find me in the mirror after twenty years.” Young Sun-woo writes a
message to himself in his diary and leaves it at that.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Fourteen years later in 2007 we see
young Sun-woo, now grown up, as a reporter at the scene of an
accident. He jumps in front of a truck to rescue the victim's severed
arm, and is nearly run down himself. So he's still the reckless type.
Now-Chief Oh calls him about a company party. When he walks in late
he accidently hits rookie Min-young with the door and is told off to
take her to the hospital. Being pretty drunk, she pulls his hair and
throws up on him in the cab and says embarassing things. Later he
gets after her and says he hates people who can't control themselves
when drunk. She just looks at him with stars in her eyes and asks,
“Do you have a girlfriend?” hahaha.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
She worms her way into his taxi and
flirts until he tells her to lay off, and suddenly his worried face
in the dark reminds her of the ajusshi she had seen in the phone
booth. Immediately she wants out. The next day she asks a co-worker
if Sun-woo has a criminal record or anything. She makes such a fuss
that Sun-woo asks why. (Although dragging her by the arm is a bit
much.) She says she's had trauma, and she likes him but she's afraid
he'll ruin her life. He thinks she's nuts. [25:35] At least her hair
is good in this timeline. Now we get some vignettes showing how their
relationship develops over the next few years.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
2008. Min-young walks into the green
room to find Sun-woo sleeping on the couch. She goes in for a closer
look and (Who would do this? It's sexual harrassment.) lifts up his
collar to peek at his chest. He wakes up and she tries to run off but
he pins her down on the sofa, saying she had been treating him like a
rapist and now she does this? When Chief Oh walks in, she calls for
help and he asks for the police. Chief Oh merely says, “Look at you
two having fun!”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
2009. Min-young gets into the news van
and sits next to Sun-woo, who complains that she can't sit by him or
he'll ruin her life. He falls asleep later, though, and when his head
flops down on her shoulder she smiles and takes a selfie. He wakes
and snipes at her, but then turns away and smiles to himself.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
2010. Min-young in her cute colored
apartment is overjoyed that Sun-woo calls her up to go to a movie.
She spends a lot of time getting ready only to find that the whole
department is there. She sobs during the movie that enough time has
gone past and he could have called her but he demurs why should he?
And then gives her a fond smile.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
1011. Min-young wakes Sun-woo with a
phone call. (His phone has the picture of her with the parka, and she
hasn't even been to Nepal yet.) She's coming in from New York and
wants him to meet her at the airport. It's her vacation. He objects
but hops out of bed.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
December 2012. Now we're up to when the
drama started. [36:32] Sun-woo meets Jung-woo at that cafe. Hung is visiting, and there's no clue whether he's a doctor or not. They
mention that their mother speaks sometimes. Jung-woo remarks that
Sun-woo looks more and more like that man who helped them twenty
years ago. Sun-woo looks a little conscious and says he doesn't
remember. What? Doesn't hyung remember the other timeline? Did
Sun-woo never tell his brother about the time-traveling? They ask each
other about getting married and Jung-woo just shakes his head. He
seems hesitant, not confidant. Does he still think about Yoo-jin?
Sad. Sun-woo says that if he ever marries, he has a girl picked out
who would never let him get depressed. So I guess he gets depressed.
Jung-woo says he is going to Nepal (he has his red parka) and Sun-woo
says Min-young is going there too, on assignment.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When Sun-woo gets back from lunch the
other news staff are just leaving for the airport. He asks for
Min-young and finds her in the green room. She complains he hadn't
said good-bye and they bicker, and then he locks the door and lifts
her onto the counter. He almost kisses her and then pulls back. “That
reminds me,” he says. “I promised never to touch you. You said I
would ruin your life.” She backpedals, someone knocks on the door
and he goes ahead and kisses her. She leaves but comes back to tell
him that this is how he is ruining her life, because he teases her
and she will never get married. She tells him that long ago she saw a
man who looked like him and had said to avoid anyone who looked like
him because he would ruin her life. [46:00]
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They replay the scene where he says
that in the phone booth, but we can't tell if Sun-woo is remembering
it. But he asks questions and she tells him that this man was really
hurt, he told her that, and then he died. It was when she went to
America, so 1993. She leaves with a co-worker but he remains, stunned
by the news. He puts things together and figures out that his other
self died.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
She answers her phone on the plane just
as they are telling people to put away their electronics. He asks her
why she didn't stay away? What will she do when he dies? He looks at
his last entry in the diary, which reads, “Did you get back safely?
I will trust your words. I will understand my brother some day.”
He orders a ticket to Nepal and as he packs he sees himself in the
mirror [51:20] and the words come, “If you live every day the right
way, you will find me in the mirror after twenty years.” And there
he is. The same person he had seen as a boy. The image flashes
several times between the young and adult versions, and perhaps at
this moment his memory merges and both versions become one. “I will
trust that I will make the right decisions.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
At the airport he turns in his bag (how
did he have room in that little bag for that big puffy coat?) and
buys the watch he used in all his time travels. Dr. Han calls and he
tells him that he's going to see Min-young because she is the key to
his fate. There was more trouble than the brain tumor; his future
self from 2013 died in the past in 1993. Could that be a set fate, or
can he avoid it?
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
December 4, 2012, he boards the plane
and sits on the other side from before. He records a message to
himself: I can no longer live without caring about the future. (Does
that mean he has been flippant because his past trauma made him want
to avoid making connections and being hurt again?) He wonders if
these events were true. If so, he can save his future self and keep
Min-young from being unhappy. But he decides it's a fantasy and that:
I will believe what I want to believe and just love the girl I love.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
The epilogue during the credits shows
Jung-woo from episode 1 in his red parka, with his incense stick,
lying in the snow. A shadow falls on his face; it's a man in a yellow
parka who reaches out a hand. That scene obviously doesn't belong in the beginning because Jung-woo died in that timeline. Does he go out on the mountain a second time looking for the Maruna
Lodge? Does Sun-woo find him on the mountain right then, or does
hyung die again and Sun-woo uses the one incense stick, and
only that one, to rescue him twenty years later?<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Running count – time travels: 14;
remaining incense sticks: 0; Timeline: Past7 has taken over.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-74295341665967566792016-03-15T09:01:00.000-07:002016-05-09T14:20:01.496-07:00Three Years of Kdramas<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpwlIJ8-cOIthVv0vyfCjdEu4071ug8lnwYHAMEkvPFTIY1EgJQgfAjgnQcNbPbuexv95LQA_GeS7gJxj9a3y-WMkfiGbbs1UiwP4p2BW0RXXAGAtQ7qWJKfyT61FR8d58wuIJbnTDl0/s1600/Signal-ep1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpwlIJ8-cOIthVv0vyfCjdEu4071ug8lnwYHAMEkvPFTIY1EgJQgfAjgnQcNbPbuexv95LQA_GeS7gJxj9a3y-WMkfiGbbs1UiwP4p2BW0RXXAGAtQ7qWJKfyT61FR8d58wuIJbnTDl0/s400/Signal-ep1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Here we come around
to the Ides of March again. What a great day to have begun watching
Korean dramas three years ago! We watched 23 dramas this year, and
dropped just as many. I find that I don't have as much patience with
drama tropes, fluff, and silliness. I need a good solid plot with
good writing to enjoy a show. If course we need good actors, and good
actors is more important than cute actors, which is a different
standard than a lot of watchers have. As before, they are rated out
of five stars.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
1. Punch – Started the year with one with a great
plot! A crooked prosecutor decides to fly right in order to protect
his daughter and ex-wife after he gets a fatal cancer diagnosis. To
do this he has to outsmart the machinations of his erstwhile buddy,
the chief prosecutor. This is well-done and interesting, but with a
bittersweet ending. ****</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
2. Two Outs in the
Ninth Inning, also called 9 End 2 Outs. A man and a woman who have
been platonic friends since childhood share his apartment after he
sublets it to her when his company transfers him abroad, and then
cancels the transfer. He becomes jealous of her boyfriend, and then they start
falling for each other. ***</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
3. Let's Eat - A
show about eating, with close-ups and discussions about food. Oh, and
there's a plot about a legal secretary, the people in her office, and
the insurance salesman who lives next door. **</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
4. What's Up! The
students at a fine arts college learn to work together as they cope
with personal problems and secrets, and with a famous professor who
is always drunk. One side story is about a voice student who is
afraid to sing in front of anyone, and then belts out an amazing
finale to their musical production. **</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
5. Falling For
Innocence, also called Falling in Love With Soon-jung – A
cut-throat businessman is fighting his uncle for his father's company
when he gets a heart transplant from a kind-hearted man who was
engaged to a woman in the company. He starts to fall for her and
becomes more like the man who died. ***</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
6. Warm and Cozy,
also called Jeju Island Gatsby - A slow-moving show about a man who
sells his restaurant to a woman he thinks is dying, but isn't really.
They slowly become fond of each other over the interference of his
annoying old girlfriend who really just wants his money. Yeah. We
would have dropped it except for the cute storyline about his uncle
and the lady pearl-fisher. **</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
7. My Girl – Cute
show about a girl who works as a tour guide to pay off her father's
debts and meets a rich guy who admires her ad-libbing skills. He pays
her to impersonate a long-lost cousin to make his dying grandfather happy. The grandfather recovers and they start falling in love but
are stuck with the impersonation. ***</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
8. I Remember You
also called Hello Monster – An expat detective returns to Korea to
find his kidnapped younger brother and solve his father's murder.
There are two serial killers in this one, both of whom you come to
sympathize with because of their rotten backgrounds. It's a very good
story with a very lame ending. ***</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
9. Oh My Ghostess –
Kim Seul-gi does a hilarious job as a virgin ghost who possesses
bodies trying to find a man so she can move on. Park Bo-young does
another hilarious job as the shy chef who gets possessed and acquires
all the traits and mannerisms of the ghost. The poor head chef
doesn't know who he's in love with, and neither do we. In the
suspenseful second half of the story the ghost comes across another
ghost who possesses people and finds out how she died. *****</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
10. Heard it Through the
Grapevine – A serious, very well done drama about a young man who
gets his girlfriend pregnant and marries her over the objections of
his wealthy snobby parents. The baby is cute, the boy is struggling
against his parents, and the girl is very smart and trying hard to
get along with everyone. Eventually she wins over the staff, his
mother, and almost everyone except his stubborn dad. ****</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
11. Twenty Again – A
girl who had to get married lives in her husband's shadow and lets
him push her around. When her son goes to college she signs up also,
finds out she can do well, and meets a man who always had a crush on
her. She's rather too naïve to be believable however, and there is a
weak ending. ***</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
12. Miss Granny – this
is a movie, very imaginative and funny. A grandma who feels
unappreciated gets magically turned young again and gets to sing with
her grandson's band. She finds out who really cares about her, and
learns to interact with her family better. There is a surprise ending
when someone else get turned young by the magic.****</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
13. King of Dramas – A
young screenwriter is alternately helped and manipulated by an
unscrupulous television producer, Anthony. He uses all kinds of
tricks used by real dramas to gain power or audiences, so the
catch-word from this show has become: What would Anthony do? ***</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
14. Dr. Champ – A
young doctor is recruited to work at the Korean Olympic training
camp. She learns from the senior doctor how to work with the athletes
and trainers and to navigate power struggles. **</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
15. Miss Korea – To
save his fledgling cosmetics company a young businessman talks his
ex-girlfriend into entering the Miss Korea pageant and advertise his
wares. Most of the contestants come from one of two beauty schools.
The head of one is a classy, glamorous ex-Miss Korea. The other is
her embarrassing slapsitck ex-assistant. ***</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
16. Plus Nine Boys also
called Age Ending in Nine Boys – Since it is bad luck for your age
to end in 9, it is a rough year for a family with a 9-year-old actor,
a 19-year-old judo player, a 29-year-old travel agency agent, and
their 39-year-old tv producer uncle. They all have joys and woes at
work and with girls they like. ***</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
17. The Pirates – this
is another movie. A humorous one set in historical times, about a
whale swallowing the royal seal given to Korea by the Chinese
emperor. Pirates, bandits, and the Korean army compete to find it
first. It appears there is going to be a sequel. ***</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
18. Couple or Trouble –
A spoiled, rich heiress fights with a repairman working on her yacht
and dumps him and his tools overboard. Later she gets drunk and falls
off the yacht herself, and comes out of the water with amnesia. They
meet at the hospital, and since he needs a nanny for his orphaned
nephews, he lies that she is his live-in girlfriend. ***</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
19. Splish Splash Love –
two episodes. A high school girl afraid of taking her college
entrance exams, steps into a puddle and falls into Joseon times. She
teaches the king algebra and science, and helps him invent hangul;
and realizes that she knows more than she thought she did, and gains
confidence for the test. ****</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
20. Imaginary Cat –
What could be cuter than a man and his cat? The man draws webtoons
and the big orange cat makes sly remarks on the side. There is a girl
who likes the cat and thinks it may have once been hers, and then
starts to like the boy. Cute, but not a whole lot of plot. **</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
21. She Was Pretty –
Slightly amusing story about a girl who was very pretty when young
but has now apparently become ugly because of frizzy hair and red
cheeks. She is afraid to meet a childhood friend who used to be ugly
and is now very good looking, so she asks a friend to stand in for
her. They both fall in love with the guy. ***</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
22. I Am Sam – The
spoiled daughter of a mob boss gets a crush on a high school teacher
and gets her father to put her in school with that teacher. They get
involved with a student who has a sick little brother, and another
one who looks tough but tries to keep his best friend out of trouble,
as well as thugs from a rival mob. ***</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
23. Signal – Awesome
time-travel police drama in which a detective from the past talks to
a modern-day profiler over a magical walkie-talkie. The profiler is
on a cold case squad with a woman who knew the detective years ago,
before he went missing. Often dark, always intriguing, and full of
surprises. *****</div>
Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7387158123109401133.post-40834287474098906862016-03-11T16:30:00.000-08:002016-03-29T12:32:11.197-07:00Nine Episode 19: Just Hang Up<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Nine: Episode 19</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It's April 24, 2013 (the supposed
wedding day) at 8:00 pm. Dr. Han sits in his office looking at
Sun-woo's phone, which also reads 8:00. How did he get it? He listens
to the first message, which was Sun-woo saying the incense is mocking
him and he is stuck in the past. The second one is an update that he
is still stuck and asking how everything turned out. We see Sun-woo's
watch, which says 12:40. Then Choi's car rams him.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We move to the same time in 2013; the
wedding is late and people are starting to murmer. Sun-woo's friend
from work arrives with word that he is missing. Dr. Han figures since
Sun-woo went to see Choi that his car should be where the hospital
used to be. (So now the hospital is gone.) He finds the car, and
sitting on the curb next to it is a disheveled Dr. Choi. The wealthy,
well-dressed version of him surrounded by lawyers doesn't exist. He
turns and without a word drives away in his delivery van.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We return to Sun-woo, who has passed
out but now comes to again, still in the rain. His watch reads 2:21.
He leaves a third message to say he is badly injured but can't
imagine his life will end here. He tries to move his leg and the side
of the phone booth but can't.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In 2013 Min-young waits in her wedding
dress until her dad comes to tell her it's too late and time to go
home. The police check out Sun-woo's car, a tow-truck comes to take
it away, and the reporter friend gives the small box from the front
seat to Dr. Han. It's the wedding rings. Dr. Han sits on the curb
waiting, until it grows dark. Jung-woo, who has just flown in, calls
to ask the news. Shouldn't he have returned when the incense burned
out? It has been over six hours. So 6:30. Han reports that Choi had
been with the car. He was very changed, but must have been up to
something, otherwise why was he there? Jung-woo says he knows where
Choi would be. Has he been keeping tabs on him in this timeline?
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Choi is in his shop drinking soju from
a plastic cup when Jung-woo walks in, looking younger and thinner,
actually. Maybe it's the haircut. [15:00] Choi gripes that the
brothers ruined his life, and then admits that Sun-woo is dead and he
did it. He cackles that it was a perfect crime, and tells Jun-woo to
look up the accident in the police records. A distraught Jung-woo
asks him why he couldn't have been a better man when he had a second
chance at life. He has prayed for twenty years that Choi would
reform, because Choi is his father. What an awful pair they are, he
killed his father, and Choi killed his father's son. Choi is stunned
too, and disbelieving, until he remembers what he had done to
Jung-woo's mom.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dr. Han and Jung-woo meet up at the
police station, as the cops look through records of traffic accidents
in 1993.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dr. Choi drives drunkenly off to see
Jung-woo's mom. He's been keeping tabs on her, too, because he knows
what clinic she's in. He cries at her that she had told him the child
wasn't his, as security hauls him away. She sits still unresponsive.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The police find the hit-and-run phone
booth accident. A witness had heard a loud noise about 1:00 and seen
a car, but thought the noise was thunder. The victim was found about 8:00
and when the police arrived at 8:30, he was already dead. They had
pictures of the accident scene and of his work ID badge, which they
thought was fake. Reading the file, Jung-woo and Dr. Han are
devastated.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Min-young, reflected in a mirror, tries
to call Sun-woo, with no answer. Her mom says the brothers are alike.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Choi calls Jung-woo, apologetic and
wanting to meet, but Jung-woo hangs up on him. As he fiddles with his
phone, he swerves and goes off the road, and that's the end of him.
For this timeline, anyway.
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
1993 Choi is pacing his office when
Jung-woo calls from the hospital. Choi threatens him again and asks
if he is at the airport. Jung-woo just says, “yes,” and hangs up. So, the same response both times.</div>
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So now we are up to 8:00 pm again, with
Dr. Han in his office. An hour before, the police officer had said
there was an odd item belonging to the victim that had been saved in
an envelope. When he opened it, it turned out to be a modern cell
phone. The officer thought it was a mix-up somehow, but Dr. Han knew
what it was and kept it. He put a new battery in it and played the
messages. [37:50] The fourth one says he will think of a way to get
back. We see him pitifully trying to attract attention by banging on
the metal rail. In the next view it is dark, and still raining. He
can hardly move, but he leaves a fifth message. “I think I know why
I can't go back. The incense stick was me. When I lit it, I became
the fruit of knowledge for other's lives.” We see a montage of
events from the drama, including Jung-woo talking to the crooked cop.
“It was an opportunity and a curse. It was me. I used all the
incense sticks; my role is over. I won't ever be able to go back. I
don't feel depressed; I won't have to feel guilty for playing God. It
was never in my power, but His. For being a true friend to me in
every life, thank you.” He passes out again.</div>
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Min-young in the mirror is listening to
her mother guessing that he must have died because no one can find
him. Suddenly she gets a new memory. When a child (exactly twenty
years earlier) she had come upon a man lying in a crumpled phone
booth. She recognized him as the man who had taken her mother to the
hospital. He told her that if someday she saw a man who looked like
him, to stay away because he would ruin her life. Adult Min-young
bawls as she remembers making a pinky promise. He dies; his hand
falls; his watch reads 8:07.
<br />
<br />
Sun-woo said he was the fruit of knowledge, referring to the fruit from the tree of knowledge that Adam ate. In both cases it not only gave forbidden knowledge but brought death as well. If his role is over, would he have died even without being hit by the car? He at least has no role with the people of the present. But you notice that his watch said 8:07 and no one else's went past 8:00. It has been suggested that his timeline extinguished when he died, because no one is shown after that.</div>
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This episode all happens on the same
day as the last one, is still the timeline where the brothers had
gone to the police, Jung-woo and Choi had gone to jail, and Min-young
had an American father. Sun-woo had died in 1993 and his cellphone
had been in the police station for twenty years. Him being the
incense stick is an oddity. I suppose that means his life was
connected to it and using it used up his life.
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Running count – time travels: 14;
remaining incense sticks: 0; Timelines: Past7 Present6.</div>
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Telzeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05831594813662378302noreply@blogger.com