Musings of the Obsessive Kind

Barely minutes into ep 4 of Will It Snow for Christmas and am reminded as to why I loved what bits of it I've seen as it aired. Lee Kyung Hee's dramas always create these layers of emotions of an almost hothouse intensity - the plot is always secondary to bringing out whatever mood, relationships and emotional truth she wants to convey. This brief little scene:







Oh, what an emotional punch it packs. There is so little said (she says nothing at all, actually), no voices are raised, but the hidden layers of meaning is are so powerful. (For context, Han Ye Seul was sleeping outside her faithless fiance's apartment and Go Soo, who is the man's neighbor, saw it, saw she was sick, and took her in. Now it's the next morning and the fiance stopped by). Everything Go Soo does and says seems so innocuous but is driven by his feelings for her and his anger at the man who left her. The way he politely explains what happened last night and then feels her forehead for fever, as if the other man isn't there, the way he politely tells the other man he should take her to the hospital and adds "unless you are too busy, I can do that then." (oooh burn!)

Not to mention the chemistry. Ahhh, the chemistry. I have yet to see a LKH drama without an insane chemistry between the leads.

You know, I've watched four LKH dramas - this, Sang Do Let's Go to School, A Love to Kill, and Thank You, and one of the things they have in common is that the protagonists are always outcasts - not just physically, but emotionally. Often, they are outcast in a very status sense (Rain is a gigolo in SD and a thug in ALTK, Gong Hyo Jin is ostracized as a single mother by her island community (and a mother of a child with HIV, no less)), but even if their societal status is OK on the surface, they are deeply emotionally wounded and isolated and odd. Take Gong Hyo Jin's teacher in SD - yes, respectable profession, doctor fiance, seemingly normal life, but underneath it all is someone permanently broken by her childhood and her past. In ALTK, Shin Minah's successful actress is suicidal and wandering her life in search of meaning, and in Thank You, Jang Hyuk is broken by his gf's death. That ever-present trauma and fragility is present in both the protagonists of WISFC - sure, they both have normal 'societal' lives - he's an architect, she's a medical student, but they are both so very broken. From what I remember of my first 'sort-of' watch of this, she wanders through life as walking-wounded, mourning her brother, lacking confidence and hope. And for him, the scars of his childhood remain and the guilt over things that aren't his fault and a deep-seated belief of being unworthy of any possible happiness.

Anyway, ILY, drama!

Barely minutes into ep 4 of Will It Snow for Christmas and am reminded as to why I loved what bits of it I've seen as it aired. Lee Kyung Hee's dramas always create these layers of emotions of an almost hothouse intensity - the plot is always secondary to bringing out whatever mood, relationships and emotional truth she wants to convey. This brief little scene:







Oh, what an emotional punch it packs. There is so little said (she says nothing at all, actually), no voices are raised, but the hidden layers of meaning is are so powerful. (For context, Han Ye Seul was sleeping outside her faithless fiance's apartment and Go Soo, who is the man's neighbor, saw it, saw she was sick, and took her in. Now it's the next morning and the fiance stopped by). Everything Go Soo does and says seems so innocuous but is driven by his feelings for her and his anger at the man who left her. The way he politely explains what happened last night and then feels her forehead for fever, as if the other man isn't there, the way he politely tells the other man he should take her to the hospital and adds "unless you are too busy, I can do that then." (oooh burn!)

Not to mention the chemistry. Ahhh, the chemistry. I have yet to see a LKH drama without an insane chemistry between the leads.

You know, I've watched four LKH dramas - this, Sang Do Let's Go to School, A Love to Kill, and Thank You, and one of the things they have in common is that the protagonists are always outcasts - not just physically, but emotionally. Often, they are outcast in a very status sense (Rain is a gigolo in SD and a thug in ALTK, Gong Hyo Jin is ostracized as a single mother by her island community (and a mother of a child with HIV, no less)), but even if their societal status is OK on the surface, they are deeply emotionally wounded and isolated and odd. Take Gong Hyo Jin's teacher in SD - yes, respectable profession, doctor fiance, seemingly normal life, but underneath it all is someone permanently broken by her childhood and her past. In ALTK, Shin Minah's successful actress is suicidal and wandering her life in search of meaning, and in Thank You, Jang Hyuk is broken by his gf's death. That ever-present trauma and fragility is present in both the protagonists of WISFC - sure, they both have normal 'societal' lives - he's an architect, she's a medical student, but they are both so very broken. From what I remember of my first 'sort-of' watch of this, she wanders through life as walking-wounded, mourning her brother, lacking confidence and hope. And for him, the scars of his childhood remain and the guilt over things that aren't his fault and a deep-seated belief of being unworthy of any possible happiness.

Anyway, ILY, drama!

This is my OTP for Take Care of the Lady:



Cheeky hardworking butler (r) and a human rights lawyer who's given up his rich family to pursue his cause (l).

OK, I am kidding. Sort of.

The thing is, I am not big on our heroine, Hae Na, at all. I have no patience for poor little rich girl or boy who treats people like dirt while thinking that they are owed everything because of their unearned money and wallowing in undeserved emo while being waited on hand and foot. I start thinking longingly of French Revolution and guillotines.

Now, a hardworking rich person, like Lee Byung Hun's character in Beautiful Days, I am fine with. Otherwise, the spoiled rich brat better have some genuine cause for lashing out like Jae Min from Bali - I would not want to be a member of his horrific family for any money and Bali never shies away from the fact that despite being angsty and magnetic, Jae-Min is not a loveable cuddly thing only needing a love of a good woman to fix him, but a total mess.

Hae Na reminds me of Domyouji in all his incarnations and I loathed early Domyouji with every fibre of my being. To be honest, she is even worse - Domyouji was younger and was around one of the worst mother figures ever. Hae Na is close to a decade older than Domyouji and seems to be a product of a nice enough family. She has no excuse! Her grandfather is warm and loving and treats her well, her staff jumps to her every whim, she is healthy - wtf is her problem! Boo-hoo, some relationship 6 years ago did not work out. Since when is that a legitimate excuse to treat people like dirt? (There is no hint that her ex was abusive or similar and she has some sort of PTSD).

I adored Sung Yuri's heroine in Snow Queen even when she was a horrifying bitch because there was good reason for her behavior - a deeply dysfunctional family, suicide of a loved older brother, and knowledge that she is bound to die in her 20s due to a health condition. Yeah, that makes for some lashing out. Someone like Shin from Goong might have been no picnic as a significant other but he performed all his myriad duties in a proper manner while Hae Na does absolutely nothing, spounging off her grandfather, refusing to work. Charming! Contrast her her with Anna from Fantasy Couple - Anna was a nightmare but competent and at least her being awful to the hero had some rational basis at the start.

She is not utterly self-absorbed and is capable of gratitude (the way she behaved with Dong Chan when she countermanded his dismissal after he covered for her as she asked) - she is capable of improvement. But she has a long way to go before she becomes worthy of being anyone's girlfriend.

I think her being in tears after realizing Tae Yoon wasn't her first love but someone who looked a bit like him was supposed to humanize her but I was left rolling my eyes at the fact that her wealth insulated her from anything - she caused such a scene chasing after him and then was free to sit and emote while someone else, in this case Dong Chan, was left cleaning up her mess - pacifying the owner of the horse she took, getting her car etc etc. What a contrast with something like Worlds Within where heartbreak or not, Song Hye Kyo's character still had to go to work and do her best, without even time to finish her conversation with the man who was dumping her. Or something like Thank You where, whatever else went on in her life, Gong Hyo Jin had to work in the fields, take care of her daughter and her senile grandfather, and deal with it all. Awww, Hae Na, poor little rich girl, see me weep! Whatever other flaws I am easy on in my characters (iciness, jerkiness, dysfunction, whatever), I cannot stand people who are simply spoiled.

The reason I am enjoying this drama and do not hate Hae Na is, in part, because she does have potential as a character to develop, and in part because Yoon Eun Hye is, as always, gorgeous, charismatic and a good actress, making Hae Na a real person with hidden little-girl warmth, as opposed to a nasty rich witch she could easily come across in someone else's hands.

In other news, I am very very eager about upcoming Angel's Temptation. The plot? The heroine's family is killed and her family is ruined so she decides to punish those responsible. (Now, see, Hae Na? That's a woman with a legitimate reason to be pissed!) However, instead of doing the sensible thing and hiring a hitman or maybe using a pipe bomb on their house, she...that's right...seduces and marries the son of her enemy. The logic? Is brilliant.

I adore revenge plots and this sounds so deliciously OTT ridiculous, I cannot wait. All the more so as the male lead is the scrumptious Bae Soo Bin, who you all might remember as the gorgeous Jun Se oppa from Brilliant Legacy. Mmmmmmmm. MMMMMM.

This is my OTP for Take Care of the Lady:



Cheeky hardworking butler (r) and a human rights lawyer who's given up his rich family to pursue his cause (l).

OK, I am kidding. Sort of.

The thing is, I am not big on our heroine, Hae Na, at all. I have no patience for poor little rich girl or boy who treats people like dirt while thinking that they are owed everything because of their unearned money and wallowing in undeserved emo while being waited on hand and foot. I start thinking longingly of French Revolution and guillotines.

Now, a hardworking rich person, like Lee Byung Hun's character in Beautiful Days, I am fine with. Otherwise, the spoiled rich brat better have some genuine cause for lashing out like Jae Min from Bali - I would not want to be a member of his horrific family for any money and Bali never shies away from the fact that despite being angsty and magnetic, Jae-Min is not a loveable cuddly thing only needing a love of a good woman to fix him, but a total mess.

Hae Na reminds me of Domyouji in all his incarnations and I loathed early Domyouji with every fibre of my being. To be honest, she is even worse - Domyouji was younger and was around one of the worst mother figures ever. Hae Na is close to a decade older than Domyouji and seems to be a product of a nice enough family. She has no excuse! Her grandfather is warm and loving and treats her well, her staff jumps to her every whim, she is healthy - wtf is her problem! Boo-hoo, some relationship 6 years ago did not work out. Since when is that a legitimate excuse to treat people like dirt? (There is no hint that her ex was abusive or similar and she has some sort of PTSD).

I adored Sung Yuri's heroine in Snow Queen even when she was a horrifying bitch because there was good reason for her behavior - a deeply dysfunctional family, suicide of a loved older brother, and knowledge that she is bound to die in her 20s due to a health condition. Yeah, that makes for some lashing out. Someone like Shin from Goong might have been no picnic as a significant other but he performed all his myriad duties in a proper manner while Hae Na does absolutely nothing, spounging off her grandfather, refusing to work. Charming! Contrast her her with Anna from Fantasy Couple - Anna was a nightmare but competent and at least her being awful to the hero had some rational basis at the start.

She is not utterly self-absorbed and is capable of gratitude (the way she behaved with Dong Chan when she countermanded his dismissal after he covered for her as she asked) - she is capable of improvement. But she has a long way to go before she becomes worthy of being anyone's girlfriend.

I think her being in tears after realizing Tae Yoon wasn't her first love but someone who looked a bit like him was supposed to humanize her but I was left rolling my eyes at the fact that her wealth insulated her from anything - she caused such a scene chasing after him and then was free to sit and emote while someone else, in this case Dong Chan, was left cleaning up her mess - pacifying the owner of the horse she took, getting her car etc etc. What a contrast with something like Worlds Within where heartbreak or not, Song Hye Kyo's character still had to go to work and do her best, without even time to finish her conversation with the man who was dumping her. Or something like Thank You where, whatever else went on in her life, Gong Hyo Jin had to work in the fields, take care of her daughter and her senile grandfather, and deal with it all. Awww, Hae Na, poor little rich girl, see me weep! Whatever other flaws I am easy on in my characters (iciness, jerkiness, dysfunction, whatever), I cannot stand people who are simply spoiled.

The reason I am enjoying this drama and do not hate Hae Na is, in part, because she does have potential as a character to develop, and in part because Yoon Eun Hye is, as always, gorgeous, charismatic and a good actress, making Hae Na a real person with hidden little-girl warmth, as opposed to a nasty rich witch she could easily come across in someone else's hands.

In other news, I am very very eager about upcoming Angel's Temptation. The plot? The heroine's family is killed and her family is ruined so she decides to punish those responsible. (Now, see, Hae Na? That's a woman with a legitimate reason to be pissed!) However, instead of doing the sensible thing and hiring a hitman or maybe using a pipe bomb on their house, she...that's right...seduces and marries the son of her enemy. The logic? Is brilliant.

I adore revenge plots and this sounds so deliciously OTT ridiculous, I cannot wait. All the more so as the male lead is the scrumptious Bae Soo Bin, who you all might remember as the gorgeous Jun Se oppa from Brilliant Legacy. Mmmmmmmm. MMMMMM.

This post is here because ambergold is watching Thank You and it reminded me that its hero, Dr. Min (played by Jang Hyuk), is indubitably my drama boyfriend.



What do I mean by that? I guess it's partly 'a favorite male drama character' but it also has to be someone who I would consider awesome to date/compatible in real life - I might adore Domyouji as a character but in real life, I'd be tempted to strangle him in 10 minutes. Nor would I want to be with anyone from a period drama due to lack of modern medicine or anyone with the typical evil drama parents.

( 10 unspoilery reasons as to why Dr. Min is my drama boyfriend )

So, who is YOUR drama boyfriend? And why?

This post is dedicated to who I think should (and hopefully will) be upcoming Korean drama stars. Because, hey, I adore the current crop quite a lot, but army beckons the men (do you think the producers will weep hardest for Kim Rae Won, Lee Junki, or Joo Ji Hoon?) and you can always have more awesome kdrama heroines.

So, here is Dangermousie's List of Upcoming Kdrama Stars, in order, from most likely/wanted, down. Also, only newbies are on the list - no more than a couple of dramas, tops, and no more than one lead (thus people like Park Hye Jin and Lee Ji Ah are out).

1. Kim Bum (19 years old)



Shock of shocks, right? That Lee Min Ho is not occupying the number 1 spot? How come? Well, I enjoy Kim Bum in Boys Over Flowers, but there is no question that BOF is a Lee Min Ho show, all the way. Kim Bum's number 1 spot is due not to me being a squealing teen swept into BOF mania - I am not a teen and when I first noticed him, BOF wasn't even cast yet. No, the reason Kim Bum is occupying the Number 1 spot is due to his role as the younger version of the protagonist in the behemoth East of Eden (hmmm, he is part of the two biggest dramas of the year. Good for him!). Out of the enormous cast, it was actually this totally unknown to me kid, who swept me away. Actually, I think he was my favorite actor of the bunch in the entire drama, quite a feat. But it's his rage, helplessness, fear, and love of the family, that really made me love Dong Chul so. In fact, much as I adore Song Seung Heon, when it was time for the character to be grown-up, I was actually disappointed - emotionally the person who hooked me was Kim Bum. It almost feels like a waste to have him in the cotton candy that is BOF - I am quite looking forward to him getting older and starring in some awesome and dark dramas, a la Mawang.

2. Lee Min Ho (21 years old)



Is anyone surprised that the lead of Boys Over Flowers is on this list? Sometimes kdramas cast unknowns as leads and sometimes that pays off in a huge way and a star is born. Just look at Goong, which made stars out of both Yoon Eun Hye and Joo Ji Hoon. And BOF, happily, proved to be another such a story - it's a dream drama really: internet mania, huge ratings, and a star in the making. Lee Min Ho has it all - he is tall and good-looking (of course, what kdrama star is not) but he is also an amazingly charismatic actor, who can be funny and emotional by turns, OTT and subtle when the role demands. Did I also mention sexy? I think half the drama-watching world is in love with him now, which is YAY!

3. Jung Il Woo (21 years old)



In all the internet furor over BOF, online people are rather overlooking another success story of the season: the somber, elegiac Iljimae - despite its excellent writing, subtle acting, and (thankfully) good ratings. A period story of revenge, justice, and loss, Iljimae stars the 21-year-old Jung Il Woo, who has the deadly combination of almost feminine elegance of look, not feminine at all fighting prowess as the lead, and quite wonderful emoting ability. Sort of like Asian Legolas, only emo. Shockingly, this version is about 20 times better than the earlier one, starring the very famous Lee Junki. Jung Il Woo's excellence in this is quite impressive. I cannot wait to see more of him!

4. Lee Yeon Hee (21 years old)



Yup, definitely a rising star. In fact, some might consider her already almost made, what with her being one of the female leads in East of Eden. Her character is one of my favorites - fun and angsty by turns, someone who has to grow up and grow up she does. She is still an uneven actress but she is improving by leaps and bounds, and she has oodles of charisma and chemistry with Song Seung Heon (who she is rumored to be dating in real life) which helps. Oh, and she is gorgeous. I see a bright future for her.

( Numbers 5-10 are here. You know you want to peek )

This post is dedicated to who I think should (and hopefully will) be upcoming Korean drama stars. Because, hey, I adore the current crop quite a lot, but army beckons the men (do you think the producers will weep hardest for Kim Rae Won, Lee Junki, or Joo Ji Hoon?) and you can always have more awesome kdrama heroines.

So, here is Dangermousie's List of Upcoming Kdrama Stars, in order, from most likely/wanted, down. Also, only newbies are on the list - no more than a couple of dramas, tops, and no more than one lead (thus people like Park Hye Jin and Lee Ji Ah are out).

1. Kim Bum (19 years old)



Shock of shocks, right? That Lee Min Ho is not occupying the number 1 spot? How come? Well, I enjoy Kim Bum in Boys Over Flowers, but there is no question that BOF is a Lee Min Ho show, all the way. Kim Bum's number 1 spot is due not to me being a squealing teen swept into BOF mania - I am not a teen and when I first noticed him, BOF wasn't even cast yet. No, the reason Kim Bum is occupying the Number 1 spot is due to his role as the younger version of the protagonist in the behemoth East of Eden (hmmm, he is part of the two biggest dramas of the year. Good for him!). Out of the enormous cast, it was actually this totally unknown to me kid, who swept me away. Actually, I think he was my favorite actor of the bunch in the entire drama, quite a feat. But it's his rage, helplessness, fear, and love of the family, that really made me love Dong Chul so. In fact, much as I adore Song Seung Heon, when it was time for the character to be grown-up, I was actually disappointed - emotionally the person who hooked me was Kim Bum. It almost feels like a waste to have him in the cotton candy that is BOF - I am quite looking forward to him getting older and starring in some awesome and dark dramas, a la Mawang.

2. Lee Min Ho (21 years old)



Is anyone surprised that the lead of Boys Over Flowers is on this list? Sometimes kdramas cast unknowns as leads and sometimes that pays off in a huge way and a star is born. Just look at Goong, which made stars out of both Yoon Eun Hye and Joo Ji Hoon. And BOF, happily, proved to be another such a story - it's a dream drama really: internet mania, huge ratings, and a star in the making. Lee Min Ho has it all - he is tall and good-looking (of course, what kdrama star is not) but he is also an amazingly charismatic actor, who can be funny and emotional by turns, OTT and subtle when the role demands. Did I also mention sexy? I think half the drama-watching world is in love with him now, which is YAY!

3. Jung Il Woo (21 years old)



In all the internet furor over BOF, online people are rather overlooking another success story of the season: the somber, elegiac Iljimae - despite its excellent writing, subtle acting, and (thankfully) good ratings. A period story of revenge, justice, and loss, Iljimae stars the 21-year-old Jung Il Woo, who has the deadly combination of almost feminine elegance of look, not feminine at all fighting prowess as the lead, and quite wonderful emoting ability. Sort of like Asian Legolas, only emo. Shockingly, this version is about 20 times better than the earlier one, starring the very famous Lee Junki. Jung Il Woo's excellence in this is quite impressive. I cannot wait to see more of him!

4. Lee Yeon Hee (21 years old)



Yup, definitely a rising star. In fact, some might consider her already almost made, what with her being one of the female leads in East of Eden. Her character is one of my favorites - fun and angsty by turns, someone who has to grow up and grow up she does. She is still an uneven actress but she is improving by leaps and bounds, and she has oodles of charisma and chemistry with Song Seung Heon (who she is rumored to be dating in real life) which helps. Oh, and she is gorgeous. I see a bright future for her.

( Numbers 5-10 are here. You know you want to peek )

I have decided that it was about time for me to update and expand my favorite kdrama primer yet again (which I first did some months ago). Not only were there a bunch of kdramas I wanted to add to the list, but I wanted to rearrange the order of some of the dramas on the list already (except for the first three or so, the placement of the other ones within the rankings is fluid and moves based on my mood) and very much expand it.

So behind the cut are 25 of my favorite kdramas, with summaries, reasons why, pics and vids. I have tried to keep it as unspoilery as possible.

No kdrama I have not finished is on the list because I want to have seen the complete drama before evaluating the fave status. Also, I watch a lot of dramas, but I have hardly seen all or most kdrama out there, and there are some very famous ones I have never seen. I am always open to recs and am always looking for said recs.

Now, without too much further verbosity, Dangermousie's 25 favorite kdramas list, new and improved.

( Lengthy post here )

I just realized I never posted the picspam of the last ep of Thank You. Seeing I am taking a break in the hotel, this is a pretty good time, no?

( And we come to the end... )

I just realized I never posted the picspam of the last ep of Thank You. Seeing I am taking a break in the hotel, this is a pretty good time, no?

( And we come to the end... )