thoughts: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop (Korean) -- finale on the horizon

This article contains spoilers, but mostly opinions (lots of them at that); proceed with caution.

There's something to be said about a make-shift family, non-blood related, who somehow manages to come together and through so much chaos, can stand around and decorate a Christmas tree in somewhat harmony. I'm a sucker for these types of friendship dynamics; blood relations have no choice in their families, but those that end up choosing to remain together without prior ties, those are just heart warming and make for the best fun of plot devices.

As Episode Fifteen came to a close, I thought about this for a while, about putting my two cents in for the finale before being given the chance to see the last episode. Do I want to keep my thoughts to myself and let it all out at the end, or do I want to voice some minor thoughts as well as include hopes for the ending? In the end, my desire to voice such opinions came around, even if this will be a short one (for real this time) at least shorter than the previous posts.

The Noble Idiocy device was employed as expected. This is the entire premise of Episode Fifteen as we watch Chi Soo's gradual acceptance of what he believes to be his only decision to keep the peace. As is typical of most rom-coms, one party will always find out devestating news that could "only be saved if the couple seperates" and so that party chooses to make the decision to play Noble Idiot. It's a cliche that gets me riled up almost every time. Although I WILL say that sometimes the device works; and sometimes the device is necessary.

I can't a hundred percent say that this device is perfect for Flower Boy Ramyun Shop. Nobody likes the Noble Idiocy device because it frustrates. HOWEVER, for Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, with only one episode left to end the story, this Noble Idiocy ploy was both necessary and bearable. For one, Cha Chi Soo has always lived in a selfish, naive bubble wherein everything must go his way, no questions. Being a series which has focused so much on Chi Soo's growth and his realizations of real life outside of his second generation chaebol bubble, it's a little proud moment to see him find a sense of maturity in this situation. It's not the BEST time for him to suddenly feel the need to be cool and noble, but why not use something as drastic as the Ramyun Shop being demolished as his cue?

For me, this particular instance of Noble Idiocy works. There's a lot riding on the line of the Ramyun Shop going down and Chi Soo learns this the hard way -- by feeling that spear going through his heart when he realizes how important the Ramyun Shop has been to everyone else. This is a nice ring too, because Chi Soo's decision isn't solely based upon the effects on Yang Eun Bi alone; he even factors in the other boys and how the Ramyun Shop helped to save their lives. With his simple-minded thought processes, of course, he wouldn't be able to find another way to fix the problem besides succumbing to Daddy Cha's wishes -- because this is how Chi Soo was brought up with his misguided, simple-minded father who is also resigned to his chaebol bubble. To these men, the world is either one way or another and there IS no fighting against it. You stay in your place and you remain in ignorant bliss. It's a typical Cha Chi Soo move; where I had hoped that his immaturity and backwards thinking would present to us a different type of action, now that I've throroughly convinced myself that Chi Soo's Noble Idiocy works, it all makes more sense.

Also, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop has been toying with cliches like a prodigal piano player -- it will employ all the necessary tropes and follow the rules to play it's piece, but in the end, when improvisation is necessary to suit a more independent flair, that's when we get to see the uniqueness of individuality. This is why I've been loving this series so much so far. We get to see the typical cliches for all rom-com love lines: the return of the ex-boyfriend, the pretense of a new boyfriend to show off to the ex-boyfriend, the rich second generation chaebol running away from home and living in the poor desolated heroine's home, the floundering of unfamiliar feelings of love... And the one thing that this series does best is that it doesn't drag out all the overdone cliches like a bad cough. Just as soon as we're introduced to one cliche, we immediately resolve it and move on to more important matters (such as the story line itself).

With the last episode just around the corner, there's no doubt that this Noble Idiocy device won't be dragged out to suffocation -- it needed to happen and it happened for all the right reasons and we're already ready to resolve it just as soon as it's begun. So now we just sit back and wait to see how things play out. Something tells me (the previews, probably) that Chi Soo won't have to stay in his isolated Prince's Tower forever and Yang Eun Bi isn't going to take his Noble Idiocy like a toy puppy. If this series has built Eun Bi up to being some sort of strong attack, then by gosh, I'm looking forward to her final strike at Daddy Cha in order to win Chi Soo back!

Although as javabeans mentions in her ending comments of the Episode Fifteen recap, it would be more meaningful if Chi Soo could break free of his bubble by himself. His father has already resigned himself to a misguided life of illogic wherein he doesn't see that caviar and rice can live in harmony (even if it gets a little icky), because in the end, both are foods that are digestable and both go to the same place anyway. I can only hope that things aren't the same for Chi Soo; that he can make life happen for himself how he sees fit and not how others think he should be living his life.

Daddy Cha failed to account for the fact that life doesn't work the way he's been seeing it for all these years; things area ALWAYS liable to change if he would just look outside his own world. The fact that Chi Soo's mother's sadness was what propelled him to believe the same conclusion would be in store for Eun Bi... I think we've forgotten to keep into account that Eun Bi and Chi Soo's mother are two different people. Even though we've never met Chi Soo's mother, we cannot count on both women having the same exact fates even if the same situations happen to occur to them.

Life isn't a script that needs to be followed -- and even if it WERE a script, stories have the ability to change upon necessity.

The thing I've loved about Chi Soo since the beginning is his flair for proving people wrong about himself so that he can have his way -- somehow, his selfish arrogance really works in his favor for this part of his personality. When he falls in love, he does it with an excitement that only innocent children can make use of (there IS no sense of "what if things don't go as planned?") and he will follow through with it because he sees no reason not to do so. The best example of this would be the entire "lions don't eat grass" analogy from Episode Thirteen as it pertains to Cha Chi Soo and his father; but rather than be resigned to remain a lion who only eats meat, Chi Soo went and logically (sort of) proved that lions indeed CAN eat grass.

Damn if that boy doesn't have a way to make everyone smile at his silliness. I'm sure it's not that he's missed the entire metaphor; his simple-minded thought process just feels it's necessary to find loopholes in the most simplistic fashion. "Some lions DO eat grass, erego, I can be THAT lion just fine. If you think that life should sustain one direction, I will push in the other direction until we start moving. Things will work because there's no reason why it shouldn't." It makes perfect sense to him, and when you really think about it, it's pretty logical (if you think about it really, really hard). However, I have a feeling that Chi Soo doesn't even realize his own actions versus his intentions. All along, everything he's done has been in a one-tracked fashion: "I've fallen for Yang Eun Bi so I must have her, even if I do things out of character." At the same time, he remains fairly in character and convinces himself that his world is the only world he can survive in even if he's currently straying away from it for a temporary fix.

None of that makes any sense, I'm sure, but only because I can't seem to put into words what I'm actually thinking. If anyone out there can make sense of my own rambling, feel free to help me organize that mess, because I know I probably won't be able to figure it out (even if it makes sense to me anyway).

On a side note about the love line, now that it's pretty much determined, I've found myself finally feeling that injustice for Choi Kang Hyuk's sake. Seeing Eun Bi crying to him about her own lost love when Chi Soo dumps her in his own rom-com cliche, I actually felt a little resentful towards her. I understand that you can't help who you have feelings for. I've talked about agreeing upon the fact that there's no measure to how much one person deserves to be with another person more than the third party. Love isn't calculated through actions and Kang Hyuk's good personality doesn't have to mean that Eun Bi must fall in love with him. I feel sad for Eun Bi that she and Chi Soo are going through a rough patch (not that their love line has been smooth at all). The Noble Idiot separation was a given and it pains me to see Chi Soo's typically indifferent, innocent character have to face this dilemma just to grow up.

It's like watching your child fall, but knowing that you can't pick him up because he needs to fall in order to learn to stand back up; even if the reasons that he's falling doesn't make a darned dime of any sense. The kid will learn to figure it out even if he's still not standing up correctly.

Coming back to the triangle, I DID find myself wondering why Eun Bi couldn't just fall for her Pillar Husband from the start and save everyone else some heartache. I DON'T know what's come over me, but just seeing her sobbing on about being dumped by Chi Soo only moments after watching her tell Kang Hyuk that he's not the one for her... it was heartbreaking... for Kang Hyuk. Because how does a guy respond to something like that? He doesn't want to see her broken, but she's broken over another guy. The separation works in his favor, but that doesn't mean that Eun Bi will be happy, which also breaks HIS heart as well. It's a losing situation for him no matter how you look at it because Kang Hyuk is simply such a good, good man.

Even though I've been setting up residence on Chi Soo's ship since the moment he had his first over-the-top comedic moment, I can't help but to feel that Kang Hyuk has been jilted out of a love story that could have been his. If Chi Soo had just stayed in his bubble, Eun Bi could have become easily entranced by Kang Hyuk's charms; because I'd hate to admit it, but there were moments when I felt that Eun Bi could be leaning more towards Kang Hyuk and not just because he's the better option. There were moments when it seemed that he DID move her heart; it just so happened that Cha Chi Soo moved in and set up camp before Kang Hyuk could do anything more.

And then to add onto that, Kang Hyuk's consistent care for Chi Soo even in spite of the spoiled brat's immature arrogance and love rivalry is very commendable. It takes a big man with a big heart to gloss over those details and remain the more mature and somehow omniscient player in this game of life. There is so much more for people than a love line and Kang Hyuk has transcended that level of petty detail, reaching an almost karmic understanding of what's more important in life. And this is why he's such a good man, but at the same time this is also why he's slapped with a disadvantage. Trying to be selfless and looking out for everyone else before himself has allowed Chi Soo to worm his way into Eun Bi's heart too easily. Had he tried to be a little more selfish or more aggressive, maybe he could have had a better chance rather than constantly worrying that Eun Bi would feel uncomfortable. Then again, would we all have loved him as much otherwise?

Maybe this is just my own excuse for the Eun Bi and Chi Soo pairing. No excuses should be required since love isn't a fair game anyway, but even I feel like I need to find some reason as to why anyone would pass up a great guy like Kang Hyuk (other than rom-com dictates that the good guy will always lose out). I mean, I wholeheartedly LOVE Cha Chi Soo; but only as this series' main male protagonist in all of his chaotic, dysfunctional glory. But in real life, does it make sense that a girl would choose a spoiled, wealthy, arrogant brat with a mean immature streak over someone as stable and congenial and secure as Kang Hyuk?

Then again, even in the real life, characteristic details often don't mean anything either. We love who we love and there are never reasons for things like that.

I guess I can't quite be pleased all around and sort of wish that we could create another dimension where Kang Hyuk gets the girl instead. But I also want to keep my dimension where Chi Soo and Eun Bi get together, because darned if I don't love that bratty little roller coaster of emotional chaos!

Well, rant and ramble finished, I've already figured out how the series will end (because of the previews) but I want to see how this series manages to churn out any surprising twists. Flower Boy Ramyun Shop has always been about the unpredictable turns hiding within the predictable tropes (amped up with hilarity to the 'T'). So whenever I think I know what's going to happen, something else pops up out of nowhere and I'm rolling in my seat in awe, laughter and impressed wonder.

Drama Series, please don't fail me now. One more to go, and judging from the few glimpses of opinions around the place, this should be a satisfying conclusion.

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Related articles:
first impression: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop
thoughts: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop -- mid-series
thoughts: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop -- episodes 9 and 10
thoughts: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop -- shipper status update
thoughts: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop -- the end is near
thoughts: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop -- the final showdown (sort of)

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2011 End of Year Reflection, Part 1

It's kind of stupid for me to be doing an "End of the Year" reflection piece, really. I haven't even had this blog for that long and my K-drama obsession has really only been less than half a year long. And while this blog is mainly for all things Asian drama and entertainment, let's face it, K-drama has been dominating for the most part. Before August, I was happily fulfilling my empty brain with finicky Taiwanese Idol entertainment.

But it's not like I didn't enjoy myself.

I spent around two months in the time right before K-drama immersing myself with the likes of Mo Fan Bang Bang Tang (模范棒棒堂) and Wo Ai Hei Se Bang Bang Tang (我愛黑澀棒棒堂), and other things TW Idol entertainment. I slept through a lot of it since TW Idol drama series run the same formula back and forth. So it's not like the beginning of the year was really THAT exciting outside of some time spent convincing myself that this old woman wasn't too old to enjoy some young teenage fluff of TW Idols. And so there will be mention of a few of the TW drama series I actually enjoyed and found wholesome rather than just full of pretty flower vases.

Plain Love II -- one of my favorite TVB productions from years past

In keeping with my fully Asian drama and entertainment oriented blog, I will also make mention of anything TVB (Hong Kong) related as well. I know that I've at least watched one Hong Kong drama series this year (but of course, I had to actually look it up since I wasn't sure if it was this year or last year) and have tried to start watching about three of them (with no success). I'm still a TVB hopeful, seeing as how I AM Chinese, I speak Cantonese, and I grew up watching TVB productions for as long as I can remember. So I after I ramble senselessly about the K-drama obsessions and whatnot, I'm going to also give a short span for TW Idol dramas as well as those HK dramas that I managed to look at for 2011.

This End of Year Reflection piece will be a two part, maybe three part article with this first article detailing more of my 2011 experience with Asian drama land.

And since K-drama was what ended up spicing up the end of 2011 for me with the likes of Lee Min Ho in City Hunter, CN Blue music with gorgeous Jung Yong Hwa leading them, Park Shin Hye's charming Heartstrings presentation, Lee Seung Gi and his music, and so on and so forth, the bulk of my reflection will include Korean entertainment. Because in the end, I really only have been keeping track of what K-dramas I've been watching; I don't even remember what TW dramas I've touched this year outside of a few of the 2011 ones (none of which I've managed to finish -- I'm so sorry to Love Keeps Going!!)

Excluding Coffee Prince, which I watched nearly a year before, I've totaled 18 Korean drama series that have been completely viewed and finished. Notable mention include such series as City Hunter, Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Hong Gil Dong, You're Beautiful, and Girl K, which rank among my most memorable. Then there were also the classics like Goong, Brilliant Legacy, Delightful Girl Choon Hyang and My Lovely Sam Soon, which were all good in their own ways. And then there were those I like to call sleeping dramas wherein you're not really paying much attention because very little is going on, but you still want to finish the entire show: Hero, God of Study, and the last half of Heartstrings.

My list could go on, but if I just keep throwing titles out there, what is there left of my rankings and listings later on? Well, it would cut short this incessant rambling, I guess, because, let's face it, I love to write until it gets a little (read: very) out of hand. There will be a proper listing of which of these 18 series I found better than the rest and so on and so forth.

Anyway, my list is not as many as others probably get through, but that's still quite a bit for five months of time considering other netizens get quite worked up over having watched around 20 or so within the year. And I'm thinking that I probably would have been able to squeeze some more into that list as well, but I dilly-dallied between series, not quite knowing where to begin my next journey. I haven't quite chipped the bulk of the 2011 drama series like the majority of K-drama elite viewers have done: Thousand Days Promise, Man of Honor, Dream High, Baby Faced Beauty, Sign, The Princess' Man, and so, so many more that, when I look at the list on AsianMediaWiki, I balk.

Have people actually managed to go through a lot of these?

I had even intended to try watching some series so that I could have it finished before the end of the year; sadly, I don't think that's going to happen.

I've considered watching Dream High, I've started on 49 Days, I've checked out Protect the Boss, and I've even stared at the poster for Thousand Days Promise multiple times. Instead, I ended up testing out OTHER drama series which didn't land in the year 2011 category.

And then that led me into the list of 13 drama series that I started watching, but never got around to continuing or finishing -- and for the most part, only two of the 13 have actually managed to get me passed the first episode: Damo (Episode 2) and Exhibition of Fireworks (Episode 8). Both of these series were incomplete for two VERY different reasons and only one of them will actually be finished (or neither, cause that conclusion is still up in the air).

5 of the 13 series I began never even got me to finish the first episode, but not all for the same reasons. The curiosity series include The Return of Iljimae, 49 Days, and Coffee House of which I DO plan on finishing. I watched the first ten to twenty minutes of these three episodes just to check out the subtitle quality as well as to see what type of setting or mood the series was going to convey. These three series I DO hope and plan on continuing to watch soon. The other two of this little group would be When It's At Night and Chuno (yea, I know) wherein I managed to get through the first ten minutes of both and then had to call it quits cause somehow, I just wasn't really figuring it out. We may or may not revisit When It's at Night in the future since I've grown an attachment to Kim Sun Ah. Chuno is a different story altogether and unless I end up growing a passionate love for Jang Hyuk's handsome wonder, I probably won't touch it again.

The rest of the 13 were the one episode curiosities, all of which I have the intention of continuing, but few of which I might actually do so: Secret Garden, Iljimae, Full House, Once Upon a Time in Saengchori, Protect the Boss and Joseon X-Files. I know for sure that I want, dearly, to finish Joseon X-Files and I also know that I'm 90% close to just giving up considering Full House. I also know that Secret Garden is a sure in for watching, but there's no telling WHEN I'll get around to it because it's just not enticing to me at the moment. As of the publishing of this article, I have already managed to jump into Protect the Boss, reaching Episode Three; I continue to be curious about Once Upon a Time in Saengchori.

Finally, the list of 18 Korean dramas viewed within these past five months doesn't even include the two that I've begun watching and are still ongoing: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop and Me Too, Flower. Both of these series, I will address at the end of the K-drama reflection (Part 2 of these articles). There's also Tree With Deep Roots, which could go under the category of the One Episode Curiosities, but since it IS still ongoing, I might end up watching the rest of it, notably for the first few episodes of Song Joong Ki, as well as to check out the wonders that netizens have been raving about concerning this series.

The only unfortunate aspect about me watching a historical Korean drama series is that the term "lost in translation" becomes a bigger barrier than if the series were more modern. Tree With Deep Roots is a thriller and mystery surrounding the creation of the Korean alphabet system, which I'm sure will involve a lot of language knowledge that may not carry over into English. Joseon X-Files is ingenius and deep, which has so far managed to lose me a few times within the first episode alone; it's intriguing and I WANT to watch it, but I'm worried that I may not understand its glory just because I don't understand the language. Series like Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Hong Gil Dong, The Return of Iljimae and Iljimae were more fusion with modern characteristics and so the language doesn't bother me. As for Chuno... well, it DOES depict more action and adventure than politics and the like, so it wouldn't really bother me either.

Since the year is yet to be over, there are still new series beginning that I haven't had the chance to touch yet. For one, I am totally going to start watching Color of Woman, which just began airing not long ago. I'm becoming more and more curious about Vampire Prosecutor if only because I love the case-by-case criminal investigation types, which from what I've read about it, is what Vampire Prosecutor is going for. But other than that, I haven't quite established what other series I'm going to be watching as well within that pile of Completed K-dramas that I've been considering since I fell into the obsession in July (Yes, the blog began in August, but that's after a month of viewing and planning).

In fact, I currently have a slight conflict concerning two pretty boys and which one of their recent projects I may pursue as my next watch. Being that I'm currently basking in the delights of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop and Me Too, Flower!, I've come to fall for both main leads in both of the series. Jung Il Woo is cute and wonderful with his vast range of emotion and expression concerning Flower Boy Ramyun Shop's Cha Chi Soo. I'm pretty much in love with that spoiled brat in spite of all of his abnormal qualities. Yoon Shi Yoon plays a character who is almost the opposite of Cha Chi Soo, a young man named Seo Jae Hee who has spent his life building an empire of business with his talents while struggling through his past horrors to survive. His range may not be as vast as Jung Il Woo's, but his emotions are still conveyed really well through his actions, his expressions and ESPECIALLY his eyes. I love a man who has sharp eyes that emote like there's no tomorrow (Lee Min Ho happens to be one of those). And so without even needing words, Yoon Shi Yoon brings a story to the screen.

It's only unfortunate that while one character has depth and unpredictable goodness, the other is starting to fall into a more standard male lead type than what I'd been expecting. Nonetheless, I've still come to like both of these actors for superficial reasons (The Pretty) as well as more "professional" reasons (The Acting).

And so I'm stuck on the decision for my next watch. Will it be 49 Days or The Return of Iljimae for more Jung Il Woo goodness? Will I try my hand at my first ever Korean makjang series with Baker King Kim Tak Gu for Yoon Shi Yoon's expressively hot eyes? On a completely off-subject side note, I DO find Yoon Shi Yoon's adorable, pretty and cute look more attractive than Jung Il Woo's more refined, handsome and hot look. But that's not really going to sway my decision on which way I end up going... so it's a moot point. I just wanted to be superficial for a few seconds, so let's continue on.

At the finish of this article, I've already given the first episode of Baker King a glance at for ten minutes and HOLY darn if I don't understand the makjang concept yet! Within that first five to ten minutes, I already figured out exactly what was going to happen just because the devices are so, so, SO standard. And so what did I do? During the entirely serious plot building device of those first ten minutes, I was laughing my ass off at the predictability of the entire situation and I understand what the equivalent of Korean makjang is to Hong Kong's "Grand Production" series is now.

I totally thought of TVB series Heart of Greed when I  saw Baker King's poster.
The "sequel" spin-off to Heart of Greed called Moonlight Resonance also uses the same poster set-up, but let's just leave it at that.

Hong Kong TVB is totally guilty of overdoing the typical cliches for the most dramatic effect in a lot of their Grand Production series; I don't even know if we have a word for it outside of Grand Production (maybe 争鬥; zang dau in Cantonese, which means struggle or war; in this context it depicts the power struggle among family which is the most common plot device employed in these series). In truth, Grand Production is typically used as a term to describe the series that TVB dumps a ton of money into (including gathering some of the most high-dollar actors and actresses in the company) in order to create an outstanding, highly anticipated series (but for the most part, high dollar productions does not equal great drama series). Grand Production always associates with predictable story lines though, that stem from predictable plot devices running on predictable cliches for twists and turns in the telling (for example: birth secrets, secret affairs, half-brother power struggles, over-powered mistresses, poor family daughter or son with a passionate desire for revenge against the rich family for tearing his or her family apart, rich and poor sons switched at birth by a manipulative mother, stealing of children to use against social enemies... I could go on).



I long ago stopped watching these TVB Grand Productions just because I got tired of the standard power struggle cliches. I think the last one that I actually watched and enjoyed from TVB was Cold Blood Warm Heart (天地男兒) in 1996. After that one, the following Grand Productions began to twist their logic and endings to ways that I was never able to accept. These types of series really aren't for me, I found out.

And so basically what I'm trying to say (after a long detour) is that if I'm going to watch Baker King, it will one hundred percent be for the sake of Yoon Shi Yoon. Yes, I can guarantee that I will love him THAT much to go through that; much like I would sit through more makjang for Yoo Seung Ho's Flames of Ambition (although I've heard that this one's actually not bad and so we've got another dratted series thrown onto my list).

On top of these two Pretties, I've even also chosen two other series that I would like to watch as well. I'm being drawn closer to Protect the Boss (by continuing it) just because it's been hyped about and Ji Sung is good looking and Choi Kang Hee is rather cute and I'm intrigued by Kim Jaejoong's break-out performance... And then there's Dream High for some giddy, teeny-bopper-ish crack-like fun that people are also raving about (I'm not really a fan of 2PM, so it's not really like I'm in it for Taecyon, so there goes the Pretty reasoning out the window).

And so I think these past five months of K-drama viewing have been pretty good. The next couple months of K-drama viewing will be even better (which tells me that I've fortunately made it passed a five month mark and will continue this obsession, unlike my manga and anime plight).

Not all of this five months had been spent watching just drama series, though. There's also the massive amount of time I spent watching 53 episodes of Running Man variety program and 20 episodes of Strong Heart talk show. I've also spent some time perusing K-pop like I've always been interested, and had taken a break from drama to finish reading two non-Asian media related books. I spent a lot of time reading recaps and Korean entertainment news from various sources and I've also spent a lot of time writing my own discussion articles, summaries, random thoughts, and then screen capping the heck out of drama series for all the pretty pictures to share.

These past five months in K-drama land have been quite productive, I will say. There have been moments where I've gotten so lazy that I just don't care anymore, but then one or two drama series just manages to hook me right back in. I end up forming opinions, I end up writing it all down, and when the article is done, I go on ahead and collect my screen caps and finish up the article while I'm on a roll. Unfortunately, there are currently around ten or so articles I've already finished writing. They aren't being published any time soon because I've been too lazy to collect my screen caps for them; these are older series that I keep telling myself can wait another day or two or thirty.

And so thank goodness for all the great series I've been coming across that are currently airing. If not for Flower Boy Ramyun Shop and Me Too, Flower!, December would have been pretty quiet. If not for Warrior Baek Dong Soo, October would have been a rather uneventful posting period. And I don't even know HOW I got through November, but I did, so it's all good.


As a conclusion to this first part of my End of Year Reflection, I might go ahead and include some outlook for 2012. Now that I've sort of gotten a good foundation down for the drama zone, I'm planning on slowing my postings down quite a bit. I've got a lot of articles that need to be finished, but I've come to the conclusion that the more I force myself to finish something, the more I rebel against myself. The currently airing series are typically more attractive to me and motivate me to get discussions written and out there just because of the ongoing current status.

Since I ramble on uselessly for the most part, what started off as an introduction to my End of Year Reflection turned into an entire article post (it's probably long enough to be a post on it's own), so I won't drag it out by including my view on specific series as well as listing my favorites of 2011, my favorites of all 19 K-dramas (which includes Coffe Prince, if anyone is wondering) I've seen so far, and any other Korean entertainment indulgence I might have had.

This reflection will be a three part article only because of this introduction piece, followed by my opinions on my first "year" of K-drama obsession, finally ending on a more thorough reflection to my growth and development with Hong Kong drama series.

Stay tuned...

news: Flower Boy Band

Clicky to Read
source: Dramabeans

Via Dramabeans, the cast and preview to the next Oh! Boy project series has been revealed. Click any of the above to read about it at Dramabeans.

Since I still see myself as a K-entertainment newbie, I'm not at all familiar with any of the names listed except for Sung Joon who played little brother Hyun Sang Hee in drama series Lie to Me. While the series itself was a big fail, the characters had their moments where the actors tried their best to include heart; it's just unfortunate that there's only so much you can do with characters who have no story. Sung Joon was rather adorable as Sang Hee at all the right times and had great chemistry with Yoon Eun Hye during earlier episodes before we all realized that the series was going nowhere at all.

Being the second project in this Oh! Boy series, however, I'm already seeing a disadvantage. Jung Il Woo was a big name already and has been leading the cast of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop excellently, which was probably what helped make the jump start to the Oh! Boy series so successful. I don't know whether or not we'll be able to beat that grandness that was Jung Il Woo cast as Cha Chi Soo. Not to mention that I'm pretty sure that Choi Kang Hyuk (Lee Ki Woo) and Kim Ba Wool (Park Min Woo) have also found their places in all of our hearts as well.

I don't know all of the K-dramaland idols, actors, and entertainers very well, so I might be pre-judging too soon. But I still think that Ramyun Shop is going to be a tough act to follow (pending the concluding two episodes this week).

Nonetheless, I will still check out the Flower Boy Band. We've got a different styling of Flower Boys in this one and hopefully a story line that's just as refreshing and unique as Ramyun Shop had. However, if Sung Joon is the lead of this series, I really DO stand that it won't be easy following in behind Ramyun Shop's Jung Il Woo. I know we shouldn't be biased or anything like that, but as part of the Oh! Boy series of drama series, come on -- there are GOING to be comparisons. That's just human nature -- we ALWAYS try to make comparisons.

thoughts: Me Too, Flower! (Korean) -- to whom it may concern

In keeping with my recent need to blog about these K-drama series in the (freakin') middle of broadcast, here is yet another post. Episodes Nine and Ten really DID seem to slow all the way down upon hopping into the "let's reveal secrets all around" bandwagon, in connection with the "evil love rival set to action" cliche. I seriously swear that I've got too many thoughts floating around in my head sometimes. I guess this is at least making my initially expected December somewhat more exciting. AND I didn't have to resort to randomly publishing intro info articles for older drama series.

We've got spoilers and some ranting, so move in carefully.

First note:
To Jae Hee,

Thank you so much for not being the typical male lead. (Aside from the constant man-handling of our main female lead, you're perfect; we'll let it slide just because you're so Pretty and this IS K-drama after all, not that it makes it okay. We'll talk later about that.)

First of all, I appreciate that you stood there silently (at the beginning of Episode Ten) and took the scolding like you deserved, because you SO totally deserved a verbal lashing from Bong Sun (you looked like a child guilty of stealing a cookie when Mom said no, so that was cute and I liked it). Unfortunately, that spell didn't last long and you seem to be under the impression that all would be well if you just apologized and explained the situation. But I'm not asking for much, so AGAIN, we'll let that slide (am I maybe too forgiving?).

Secondly, thank you for being so persistent, because since Bong Sun still loves you, persistence WILL pay off in the future. This brought a smile to my face to watch you continue to try getting Bong Sun to come back to you. I was almost worried that your history of misery and distrust would make you lose hope too quickly. Or that you would pull the standard: "If she won't forgive me, then there's nothing I can do about it but let her go," big man action. I would have really also hated it if you decided to be a Noble Idiot again and choose to give up on Bong Sun because of the misunderstanding as well as that dormant feeling of self-worthlessness that you've been carrying around all these years. And I'm glad that you've recognized that she's important enough to you that you don't want to lose her (at least this is the vibe I'm picking up, so don't make me believe otherwise).

Thank you for not easily forgiving that evil scheming piece of work who calls herself a friend; Park Hwa Young doesn't own you and, yes, she was totally at fault for ignoring your personal decisions just to get what she wants. I understand that you must still feel obligated to take care of her, but the sympathy can stop at that. There is no need to treat her like a friend anymore and your coldness towards her, maintaining a "business only" relationship is much appreciated. Please continue your upset and draw that line where it matters most. I'm sensing a slight bit of softening towards her though and it's worrisome, because I know that you still see her as an important person you must protect. However, sooner or later you'll have to cut ties, because two sassy women in your life is NOT going to help your survival rate. As we can see, Miss Representative is fully capable of taking care of herself (if she can pull a lame stunt like that and scheme to break up a happy couple, she's capable of surviving on her own, case close).

As for the man-handling, please stop it. Just because you are in a K-drama doesn't mean you must follow all of their rules; I had figured your non-standard male lead type to be better than that (or at least I was hopeful). The wrist-grabbing must stop. The yanking Bong Sun out of cars and forcing her to talk to you must stop. The forcing her onto your little motorbike and practically kidnapping her must stop. The demanding tone you take with her must also stop. And thinking that she'll forgive you easily... well, let's just say that you and I both knew that she wasn't going to be all giggly "Oh my boyfriend's actually a billionaire" about it. Buddy, she's GOING to remain angry at you for a while, so we'll just have to accept it. You have a ton of groveling to do, so let's get started and realize that you were at fault for keeping secrets. It's not easy to trust someone when you find out he's not being completely honest with you. Especially with Bong Sun having trust issues already.

Does that look like a happy girlfriend to you right now?
That's just a prettier, more saccharine version of the'WTF' look.
But it's NOT a good WTF.

And so becoming a puppy and following her around with hopes of reconciliation wasn't a bad move. HOWEVER, be careful that your joking around doesn't end up blowing her fuse. We all know that Bong Sun has a very short one and may try to pull a gun on you once again. Throwing your glove at her like a jilted child while sporting an insipid grin probably won't win you any points (even IF I found it kind of cute). Bong Sun is a LOT less forgiving and you should know better than to act like a five year old around her. Also, don't play around with guns by pointing loaded ones at your head just to make a point; you and I both know that you wouldn't have done that if you knew Bong Sun would really shoot you. Still, guns are not toys and accidental death really isn't the way to go if you wanted to make an unnecessary over-dramatic statement. Let's be adults about this (even though you look like you're pushing twenty, you're role is supposed to be closer to thirty).

Finally, thank you for coming clean with the most significant secret in your life (we will overlook the fact that your other secrets were NOT revealed by you in a timely fashion, which pretty much forced you to speak up about the last secret; okay, maybe I AM too forgiving). Now that you've put all your cards on the table and have made all your steps in apologies and reconciliation, the decision is in Bong Sun's hands. I only hope that this will finally help lead you two back into love-dovey territory, however, since there are still about five episodes left, we might not be through with the rom-com "angsty tropes built to keep couples apart until the last dire minute" yet. If we employ a time skip, I might have to abandon ship (though it might be too late by then). (Of course, this aspect took place at the beginning of Episode Eleven and I got a little confused, but it's still an appreciated gesture, so can we overlook my mistake? I don't want to completely delete this paragraph from my note.)

P.S. I really DO appreciate the range of emotions presented here, because it at least helped me to understand exactly what you're feeling without even hearing you utter a word. (In which case, kudos to Yoon Shi Yoon, cause you're awesome! Kid emotes really well.) Oh yea, about that perm: I'm getting used to it, but I'm still not liking it.

Second note:
Okay Bong Sun, I understand that you're angry. I would be too. As I said before, "Too many lies and too many secrets does not a lasting relationship make." You have every right to be angry and shocked and betrayed. I also understand that you've also grown up in a melancholic environment where Mom left, Dad left, and now you're fending for yourself as Mom tries to wriggle back in with her new daughter and Dad just keeps criticizing and criticizing. It's enough to make anyone crazy and require the expertise of a shrink. I'm also quite proud of you for not immediately forgiving Jae Hee after the first apology... or even the second. You need to stand your ground and let him know that he can't always have what he wants -- this is certain since the kid's been jerking you around for a while already.

But I also think that it's time to stop being stubborn and start thinking with your heart. After the third apology (done by a playful Jae Hee with an insipid grin) I started to soften, but that's beside the point. What you are doing is simply hurting yourself and hurting Jae Hee. And for what? Because now Jae Hee lives in a world you don't understand filled with wealth and riches and expensive designer hand bags? And so now you feel like the two of you don't have anything in common and won't be able to live in the same world together? You're putting yourself down and not trusting that it'll work out just because statuses are suddenly publicly different. Don't you think that HE already knew all of this when he first fell for you? Is your sense of such self-worthlessness still lingering around only to be saved by someone who's NOT a chaebol prince? His true identity doesn't change his person and he is still the same Seo Jae Hee who confessed that he wants to be with you. What happened to not caring who he was because you liked him as a person? It was much easier to say when you thought he was at the same financial status as you, right?

Now is NOT the time to be falling into that low self-esteem pool filled with self-loathing. What you have begun to convey are hints that you think someone of his financial standing will soon get tired and leave you and so you chose to leave him first. It's fine that you don't want to be a Cinderella case; it fits your personality. But does the rest even really make sense to you? I understand the anxious feeling of possible abandonment. Having been abandoned by the two people who are supposed to love you the most in this world probably didn't help secure your self-esteem. However, you are only reinforcing that dratted line drawn between a modest working woman and a wealthy chaebol prince; you are outright admitting that you couldn't possibly be good enough for his standards. In doing so, you are also telling Jae Hee that you doubt his love and you cannot trust that the two of you can have a happily ever after. And that's upsetting.

Because in reality, the more someone chastizes herself, the more irritating it is to hear about for other people. (I would know. I've always been the depressing "woe is me, I'm not good enough" type of person and almost ALWAYS got eye rolls and awkward silences when I'm negative about myself.) Because, sure, they feel sorry for you, but they don't know what to do for you besides remain silent. I only hope that you can finally pluck up the self-confidence to love yourself enough so that you can trust that Jae Hee won't change his heart.

Don't get me wrong. You're a very plucky person and I sincerely admire your out-of-the-ordinary temper and sarcasm. So maybe at some point in time you'll be able to pick yourself up, as I have all the confidence that Cha Bong Sun is strong enough to survive against the world.

And also, it's not like Jae Hee has always been wealthy since the boy actually started out at poverty level before making it where he is today. You two aren't living in different worlds just because your current statuses are a bit different. And if we really WANT to get technical, it's not like Jae Hee has a foundation of inherited wealth to back him up if business goes awry. Miss Representative could do a one-eighty and withdraw her financial padding if she gets pissed off enough, which would land Jae Hee back into the penniless category (in fact, this might make a pretty interesting turn of events, so file that cliche away and present it to the production staff when you get a chance, thanks).

Besides, all of this stubborn refusal to accept Jae Hee back into your life is EXACTLY what old Miss Evil Scheming Witch wants and THAT is ONE satisfaction I am unwilling to give her (yes, I am seriously NOT liking the love rival for more reasons than just because she's meddling). So you get yourself together and show that immature brat (both of them) that you can't be pushed around. Plus, the drunken puppy dog look in Episode Ten sort of won me over already -- I mean, how silly sweet is it that being completely smashed he still has the nerve to demand that Officer Cha come pick him up? Others may not think so, but I found it kind of amusing and cute -- I'm strange like that. And I know that we've established that I'm probably a LOT more forgiving than you are, if only because I don't have the same depressing history that Cha Bong Sun had AND I already knew the big secret and wasn't taken by surprise (one of those advantages of being a viewer, right?).

P.S. Don't let him off the hook that easily even if you take him back, though. Lay down the law that you're still mad at him. It IS okay to remain unforgiving and angry and still stay together as a couple. Stay mad at him if you want, but also get back together since that would TOTALLY throw Miss Representative into a frenzy (which is what I want to see as long as she has no more control over your happy couple relationship). It's called "a difference of opinion leading into cold war negotiations" and ALL couples do it at some point in their relationship. Love can't always sail smoothly like a fairy tale, you know. Boy needs to be put in his place, really.

Third and Final Note:
Dear Drama,

Please lay off on all these frustrating cliched devices -- as if it wasn't enough that Park Hwa Young gets to play string puppeteer with everyone, now we're also pulling Dal into this mess? The old cliched "She's not good enough for him so I need you to break them up" secret mission usually leads nowhere good. And then to also tell Dal that she can be made into a real life Cinderella sans Prince Charming? Yea... I'm sure Miss Screechy Materialistic Model would totally go for that. And this only continues to make Hwa Young seem meaninglessly pathetic in her childish attempts to keep Jae Hee by her side. She sounds like a catty future mother-in-law, but worse because Jae Hee isn't even her son; I don't know if she's noticed, but she DOESN'T really own him. I had a feeling that Hwa Young would end up becoming the crazy possessive uber bitch, but to top it off with an immature "Even if I can't have him, no one can take him away from me either," spiel? Once again lady, you don't own him, so technically you have no rights to keep him. Dear Drama, please allow SOMEONE to realize that Park Hwa Young cannot continue on her power-trip like this; our main leads have enough emotional baggage keeping them apart to create angst without you adding a potential main villain into the mix.

Episode Nine dragged out after a major unveiling event. While I feel like it was high time that Jae Hee's identity be revealed, what about that deflating mess following it? What happened there? Everyone is just parading around being angry or betrayed or angry or betrayed... It got frustrating. Episode Ten didn't fare any better either, although as I've already told Jae Hee, I DO appreciate his sincere initiation of the persistent apologies as well as his final confession about the accidental death of Hwa Young's husband seven years ago.

Anyone else find this "Pretty Woman"-esque make-over scene a little awkward?

What I DON'T appreciate is making Dal into a complete moron, accepting Hwa Young's deal and not realizing that her fortune can just as easily be taken away as it had been given. I thought Dal would be a bit better off in this chaotic mess (because I love Seo Hyo Rim) but she's falling right into Hwa Young's traps as a chess piece. She's totally unable to recognize that her own cattiness isn't enough to fight against Hwa Young's evilness. I'm pretty sure that Park Hwa Young isn't above finding a way to break contract if Dal pisses her off enough -- which I'm sure Dal is bound to do because she wants to be Cinderella WITH her Prince Charming, not according to Miss Representative's plans. These two may fight each other to the death for all I care, but I'm sure that Dal will just end up as collateral damage and Hwa Young will come out of it with few bruises.

HOWEVER, with this new twist, I AM quite interested to see how Dal will react when she finds out who she's scheming with Hwa Young against. Even though the step-sisters aren't exactly snuggling and telling each other stories about their first crush while eating ice cream together, it seems that they've learned to tolerate each other to some extent (almost like real sisters tend to do). We can see that Bong Sun has grown into that nagging elder sister figure already and I only hope that Dal has as much care for Bong Sun as Bong Sun seems to have subconciously developed.

And so, Drama, as I have told Jae Hee already, now that all the secrets are out and we have no more reason for misunderstandings, it would be nice if you don't take the series into the standard inanity of dramaland. I would like for Jae Hee and Bong Sun to step over the barrier that defines both of their depressing personal histories so that they can work together to make it through their relationship. I would like for Hwa Young's scheming to amount to nothing in the face of a strong loving couple. I would like for Bong Sun to realize that Jae Hee's confession about his most fragile memory is indication that he wants to share his world with her so that she can trust him not to abandon her. And I would like for Jae Hee to continue leaning on Bong Sun for strength and hopefully not try to pull another Noble Idiocy ploy again to push her away which would totally continue to fuel those feelings of possible abandonment that Bong Sun is anxious about.

Of course, then I'm not quite sure how to bring this chaotic mess to an end, so at this point in the series, Drama, I am willing to trade off one trope for another if we can wrap everything up neatly. I would like for the main characters to retain their unique-ness as the less than standard male and female leads, at the very least.

Oh, and please give Dr. Park a good conclusion as well; I've really grown fond of him despite the inappropriate "doctor/client" snuggly bits that managed to worm its way into the story line.

Sincerely,
You're Hopeful Viewer

P.S. More cute lovey-dovey couple montages with some more hot kisses would be much appreciated if we can find a way to fix this angsty separation issue. I'm not above too much fluffiness.

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Related articles:
first impression: Me Too, Flower!
thoughts: Me Too, Flower! -- mid-series

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