Hello My Teacher is rockin'!
Feb. 23rd, 2008 11:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieHello My Teacher continues to be so awesome Mr. Mousie commented at my giggling to myself :)
Here is an unspoilery, general vid (it's actually the closing credits):
Seriously: so wonderful. It has this structure which you don't often see in dramas (at least once I usually watch): each episode has a mini arc that is completely taken care of in that episode (some problem of one of Bori's students) but unlike Gokusen, it also has an overarching, drama-long arc.
And my favorite thing? That arc is all about Tae-In and Bori's relationship. I really love their relationship, whatever it is. I love Tae-In, who is so much more awesome than the Arts Teacher, who is sweet but incredibly passive. AT would never stand up for Bori, or fight for her, or even protect her. He took her home to sort of 'show up' Tae-In (and OK, what sort of a grown-up is intimidated by a highschooler?) and then when she was insulted by his horrid sister, he just stood there like a dummy and didn't say a word to defend her, let her leave etc. And I love that it is Tae-In who rushed home, who took her out of there because unlike arts teacher he thought of Bori first, and he knows how awful his family is (something arts teacher should have thought of, but clearly didn't). And he is the one who ends up comforting her (offering his shoulder was the most adorable scene ever). Seriously, they totally have so much fun together. And unlike Arts Teacher, he is so not afraid to put himself out there.
And the bit where he kisses her? OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. She stands there, drunk, in front of arts teacher's house and is telling it 'I love you' and he looks at her and tells that to her. And then next day he apologizes for kissing her like that but says he still loves her and spins her around and it's awesomeness.
Oh, and he leaves a rose outside her door every night. EEEEEE! And he told her it's OK she loves AT, doesn't mean he has to stop.
*dead*
As to the 'stories of the week' they are more or less interesting depending on the week. Though a quibble with the story in ep 9.
I completely understand that if you are a kdrama writer, the temptation to do a terminal illness story is almost irresistable, especially if you have a large cast of secondaries that lends itself to a story of the week. I understand.
And I completely dug the story of Jong-Pil, the year older student, loner, who doesn't know anyone but Tae-In (they are both orphans after all). And the whole thing with him and Da-In, the girl who totally crushed on him, and brought him to her house when he was ill, was made of seventeen kinds of adorableness. And he is withdrawn and lonely and cute, and he lives in an absolute hovel with only a cat he talks to for company. And he writes poetry on his walls and has a brain cyst with a small chance of full recovery only. Yeah, yeah. I totally dig the MISA vibe you have going on here, especially since poor Tae-In gets to angst and beg his father for a favor (he never asks for himself, does he? Btw, hate the father for earlier refusal which is what gets Jong-Pil to such a sick state).
But the problem with doing a storyline like this, is that you have to commit to it! Which is a problem if you are a largely light-hearted drama with an awesome forbidden teacher-student love story on the side. You can't sort of just do it in one episode, sandwiched between Bori getting a marriage proposal from Arts Teacher and what not. I mean, if some 19 year old kid is going to likely keel over, it's going to impact the characters, at least Bori and Tae-In, and to move after that to the rest of random stuff is jarring. You can't have Tae-In sobbing on the bench one day about JP's low chances for survival and Bori search the hovels for JP, and then the day after that have Tae-In get all excited because AT's ex is there, and Bori happily have coffee with AT. I know they tried to cover it by Bori telling AT that the surgery will likely be successful, but you can't have your cake and eat it too! Earlier they kept saying that the chances of success are 10% or so! I have no objection to them they discovering they were wrong and it's actually good chances, or showing the kid come through despite the small odds, but do it: show a scene like that to us, or even exposition it! Seriously, that was rather jarring. (Another jarring cut was the reconciliation between JP and Da-In. One moment she is thrusting the poor guy's cat back at him and his necklace, then next scene we see them together is she is holding his hand in class and sitting next to him. Huh? I can gather from the story that she found out the truth by that point, but a scene of it would have been nice).
Anyway, if they stick this kid back in school in a couple eps, I will probably forget all about it and just handwave it as they learned of a medicinal miracle.
Just keep bringing me such awesome Bori/Tae-In scenes as you usually do and we are set.
A few mvs behind the cut:
Shippy awesomeness:
Awesome shippy (and Gong Yoo centric!) vid:
Here is an unspoilery, general vid (it's actually the closing credits):
Seriously: so wonderful. It has this structure which you don't often see in dramas (at least once I usually watch): each episode has a mini arc that is completely taken care of in that episode (some problem of one of Bori's students) but unlike Gokusen, it also has an overarching, drama-long arc.
And my favorite thing? That arc is all about Tae-In and Bori's relationship. I really love their relationship, whatever it is. I love Tae-In, who is so much more awesome than the Arts Teacher, who is sweet but incredibly passive. AT would never stand up for Bori, or fight for her, or even protect her. He took her home to sort of 'show up' Tae-In (and OK, what sort of a grown-up is intimidated by a highschooler?) and then when she was insulted by his horrid sister, he just stood there like a dummy and didn't say a word to defend her, let her leave etc. And I love that it is Tae-In who rushed home, who took her out of there because unlike arts teacher he thought of Bori first, and he knows how awful his family is (something arts teacher should have thought of, but clearly didn't). And he is the one who ends up comforting her (offering his shoulder was the most adorable scene ever). Seriously, they totally have so much fun together. And unlike Arts Teacher, he is so not afraid to put himself out there.
And the bit where he kisses her? OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. She stands there, drunk, in front of arts teacher's house and is telling it 'I love you' and he looks at her and tells that to her. And then next day he apologizes for kissing her like that but says he still loves her and spins her around and it's awesomeness.
Oh, and he leaves a rose outside her door every night. EEEEEE! And he told her it's OK she loves AT, doesn't mean he has to stop.
*dead*
As to the 'stories of the week' they are more or less interesting depending on the week. Though a quibble with the story in ep 9.
I completely understand that if you are a kdrama writer, the temptation to do a terminal illness story is almost irresistable, especially if you have a large cast of secondaries that lends itself to a story of the week. I understand.
And I completely dug the story of Jong-Pil, the year older student, loner, who doesn't know anyone but Tae-In (they are both orphans after all). And the whole thing with him and Da-In, the girl who totally crushed on him, and brought him to her house when he was ill, was made of seventeen kinds of adorableness. And he is withdrawn and lonely and cute, and he lives in an absolute hovel with only a cat he talks to for company. And he writes poetry on his walls and has a brain cyst with a small chance of full recovery only. Yeah, yeah. I totally dig the MISA vibe you have going on here, especially since poor Tae-In gets to angst and beg his father for a favor (he never asks for himself, does he? Btw, hate the father for earlier refusal which is what gets Jong-Pil to such a sick state).
But the problem with doing a storyline like this, is that you have to commit to it! Which is a problem if you are a largely light-hearted drama with an awesome forbidden teacher-student love story on the side. You can't sort of just do it in one episode, sandwiched between Bori getting a marriage proposal from Arts Teacher and what not. I mean, if some 19 year old kid is going to likely keel over, it's going to impact the characters, at least Bori and Tae-In, and to move after that to the rest of random stuff is jarring. You can't have Tae-In sobbing on the bench one day about JP's low chances for survival and Bori search the hovels for JP, and then the day after that have Tae-In get all excited because AT's ex is there, and Bori happily have coffee with AT. I know they tried to cover it by Bori telling AT that the surgery will likely be successful, but you can't have your cake and eat it too! Earlier they kept saying that the chances of success are 10% or so! I have no objection to them they discovering they were wrong and it's actually good chances, or showing the kid come through despite the small odds, but do it: show a scene like that to us, or even exposition it! Seriously, that was rather jarring. (Another jarring cut was the reconciliation between JP and Da-In. One moment she is thrusting the poor guy's cat back at him and his necklace, then next scene we see them together is she is holding his hand in class and sitting next to him. Huh? I can gather from the story that she found out the truth by that point, but a scene of it would have been nice).
Anyway, if they stick this kid back in school in a couple eps, I will probably forget all about it and just handwave it as they learned of a medicinal miracle.
Just keep bringing me such awesome Bori/Tae-In scenes as you usually do and we are set.
A few mvs behind the cut:
Shippy awesomeness:
Awesome shippy (and Gong Yoo centric!) vid:
