Good review, nice and SHORT (like this post) and honestly made me chuckle a few times. Honestly though it took me while to like The Boys, cause of all the rapping, just....why....? *hides behind cover*
Anyway, keep up the good work. Seems like you enjoy making these review.
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<p style="text-align:center;"> <img src="http://fc05.devianta...gik-d48tqg8.gif" alt="man_vs_spider_by_cookiemagik-d48tqg8.gif"></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"> <span style="font-size:10px;">Cockroaches just never die do they?</span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:10px;"> cr: Cookiemagik</span>
Good review, nice and SHORT (like this post) and honestly made me chuckle a few times. Honestly though it took me while to like The Boys, cause of all the rapping, just....why....? *hides behind cover*
Anyway, keep up the good work. Seems like you enjoy making these review.
OMO A REPLY.
I suppose I do deserve to be stoned for having bad taste in music. When The Boys first came out, I remember saying how I wasn't a fan of the "the boys the boys the boys the boys" part at the beginning (to which I remember someone being slightly upset that I didn't have completely positive things to say about the song haha). Rapping-wise, I'll agree with you and say it wasn't fall-out-of-your-chair amazing. I can't say much about the rapping in IGAB either, but I personally think the one in IGAB is way better.
(and these are good procrastinating items; I forgot to take more pictures when I went home last time though, so I only have super low-quality pixels instead of pictures for all the other pending reviews. Dunno when I can write more)
So I've been suuuuper busy these days, and I thought What better way to spend my non-existent time than by writing reviews? And my schedule disagreed. So here I am.
Today we're mixing it up slightly by going back to reviewing a show! It's a bit lesser known, but it still has its interesting high points.
This particular review will focus on Tiffany’s season of the show; I will basically be treating the two seasons like entirely different shows.
Background
For those of you who do not know, Kko Kko is a dating show back from 2008!! where a group of singles invite other people (anonymously) they want to go with, travel, do fun little excursions, and pair off with different people before finally making their decision at the end of the season. Think We Got Married mushed up with Invincible Youth without the hard work. WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE WITH?? Seems like prime drama reality stuff, but, this being Korean TV, we should probably know what to except: more scrunch-your-toes mushy stuff than actual cat claws.
This show only ran for two seasons, though. Travelling is expensive, especially if ratings aren't through the roof. On the other hand, every single season featured a Soshi member, so... What an achievement. That also means the entire show is only 10 episodes long (aired for 3 months), so it's an easy watch. The first season, which I'm reviewing today, is 6 episodes.
The first season starred celebrities:
Tiffany (if I have to explain who she is... Haha where have you been and I'd really like to know how you found your way here)
Park Jungah (ex-Jewelry)
Amy (yes, that Amy, if you're wondering; there's a bit of non-Soshi related history going on here that I won't get into)
Jung Shiah (actress)
Hong Inyoung (actress)
Minwoo (you know, of legendary group Shinhwa; that Minwoo!)
Shin Dongwook (actor)
Gil (lol)
Tim (singer)
Moon Sungmin (volleyball player)
Happy even number, right? WRONG. Anyways, on to the show itself!
Episode Highlights
This show is also short enough where I can individually highlight/recap each like I did before with Taeyeon's WGM, though with more detail. Whoo. This being a Soshi site, I'll be going into even more detail with Tiffany-related events, and blowing off other people and their useless couples!!!1!!! Haha no; they'll have little minuscule blurbs too. I'm not that mean; they're not useless. Just boring. : )))
(jk)
Episode 1
Spoiler
The first episode kicks off with a short introduction about the show itself, and then each participating celebrity comes parading up to the Kko Kko booth. Short credential-building introductions everywhere. Tiffany is teased for her youthful maknae age of 20, which, of course, is perfect excuse to start singing one of Soshi's songs: Girls' Generation! I see what you did there.
Tiffany notes her excitement, and that she feels sorry towards the other Soshi members. Cut to her at the top of a boat in the middle of the beautiful ocean laughing, then to the top of a grassy hill. Very sorry, I see. Anyways, first vacation as an adult; show that she's a woman too. Yadda yadda.
Eventually, all the female guests arrive (Jungah and Tiffany, obviously, are probably my favourites). Look, we're getting along fabulously! Then us viewers are privileged with small clips of the girls turning into savages later, like in those Western realities of Bachelor bloodbath. Even with little wet, pink-nosed Tiffany coughing at the side of a pool. Never fear; they're all cleverly cut by the editors to hook us onto the impending drama. Oops, did I spoil that for you? Well, you should've known that already. Moving on!
Guys arrive.
Dongwook gets called HwaShik (his real name). Tim is all nice and polite; he's friends with Jungah. They are old dating variety veterans. Volleyball-player Sungmin. Athletes are attractive, you know? He's the youngest besides Tiffany; the show highlights the 5!!! year age difference between him and Jungah. Wow sooooo much. 5. Unimaginable. Completely. And then there's singer/comedian Gil. No explanation needed, I suppose. Let's just say all the girls aren't too hyped about the idea of a date with him.
Introductions done, the group has a bit of camera time to try to guess who invited whom. Tiffany worries it's Gil. Then again, Siah does too, going into a rant about how he's been being all suspicious lately. AND LOOK HE'S WATCHING MY INTERVIEW TOO! *camera pans to him just standing there, 1 metre away. Ha
Anyways, everyone boards the plane. They're off to Saipan!
Once there, who decides to show up but the great Minwoo himself. I knew we were missing a guy! And with that, the lively group is complete (along with the two hosts that I've rudely disregarded up until now).
The next day, the group goes riding around in trucks in the jungle. Bumpy stuff. Perfect for grabbing onto the person you secretly like, right? Two new impromptu couples are born! Jungah + host, Sungmin + Minwoo. No truer love!
Amy, who's driving, gets the truck stuck in the mud, but with Minwoo's help, they're able to get it out. Off we go. Eventually Minwoo just takes over for good.
Random... watery dirt... gets kicked up and lands right next to Tiffany, who's playing with her camera. She screams. Tim, who's in the back seat, sticks his leg out and clears it off with his foot. What a knight. Sadly, Tiffany doesn't seem to notice at all and goes back to her camera. What a teenager!11!!
At the top of a grassy hill, each person is given the chance to yell their hearts out. How sweet. But most of the guys use it as a chance to throw jabs at the hosts, and the girls take the opportunity to throw jabs at Gil. Amy is the only one really who actually says anything of the romantic, serious mushy stuff. Tiffany sways around, and Jungah expresses how she's worried for her, but Tiffany keeps laughing and swaying around, saying she's strong.
Tiffany's "shoutout" (ha, see what I did there) goes to "I won't say the name *turns to the side and eyes someone*" She talks about how she's laughing but not really laughing, because she has to keep her Soshi image. Then yells "DON'T FOOL AROUND WITH MY UNNIES!" Oh Gil.
Thus ends the first episode.
The two actresses, in my opinion, kind of fade off into oblivion. I usually can't remember them until a few episodes in; maybe I'll get them mixed up. Who are they with? I don't remember. They didn't really have an image to work off. Tiffany = cute maknae that needs to be protected (I mean, pool-coughing clip. Really). Jungah = the older, experienced, this-is-my-38250283048th-dating-show-appearance veteran. Amy = well.. in the first scene she's depicted as the... innocent and cute but eventually explodes into.. mean-ness type.
My feelings on Amy are mixed for sure, but she definitely has an image on the show. And she goes with it.
As for the guys, Minwoo is UP THERE. Dongwook fades a bit too, but he's going up against Gil (duh), Sungmin (volleyball player = easy to remember), and Tim, so he stands out in the way that he's not one of those guys. Maybe it's a bit of bias, but Tim definitely stands out to me. Haha.
Episode 2
Spoiler
On the way back down the mountain, Amy gets bitten on the ankle by some sort of bug. Minwoo kindly prepares a nice towel for her ankle. Dongwook offers her cream for it, but he is ignored. Anyways, Amy is happy.
Tiffany uses a leaf to figure out if she likes Gil (well, rather she watches as it happens. Haha). Tiffany loves Gil. She doesn’t. She loves Gil… Oh. Meanwhile, Gil does the same in the other car. Looks like we have a match. When’s the wedding?
Meanwhile, the editors play with Tim’s jealousy. Or maybe it really is his jealousy. Or mere coincidence. You never know with these kinds of shows. This is how shippers are born (though it usually doesn’t take much tbh).
Luckily, our unnies (that Tiffany told Gil to leave alone) do not approve of the couple.
After the ride, Amy’s puffy ankle gets some attention; Dongwook brings her a first aid kit, puts some stuff on it, and wha-la! She’s cured. Cue cutesy romantic music; Minwoo-Amy-Dongwook triangle is born.
Anyways, the group heads over to meet the natives. Siah and Gil are crowned bestest ever by the native representative. They struggle for ages to start a fire, but eventually the baby burns (uh, not a real baby). And they roast… a baby pig. Okay so it was a real baby burning. Siah apologises to the pig. As do I. They eat. Happiness.
Now it’s WHO INVITED ME time.
The group plays a game where they say “I like ____”, and play a finger kiss to whomever. The recipient either says “I like it~ I like it~” or “Who do you think you are, hwak!?” Three rejections in a row = punishment.
For all you shipping overthinkers out there, here are the results. So many conclusions could be made. Such pattern. Many overthink. Knock yourself out.
Spoiler
Gil -> Jungah rejection
Gil -> Tiffany rejection
A time out is called. Hosts have made a grave mistake and picked the wrong person to start. Reset!
Tim -> Tiffany -> Minwoo -> Amy -> Jaehoon (host)
People argue if hosts can join (they can). Reset!
Dongwook -> Jungah -> Tim -> Jungah
Junghwan (host) responds instead, emphatically. He gets smacked with a volleyball player’s spike. Ouch. Reset.
Inyoung -> Gil -> Inyoung. Rejection. Girl set him up!
Gil -> Tifffany. Rejection.
Gil -> Jungah -> Tim -> Amy -> Dongwook -> Jungah -> Sungmin. People laugh at his stiff actions.
Tiffany -> Minwoo. Rejection. Gotta give the fangirl points for trying. Again. Haha.
Tiffany -> Junghwan (host). Rejectionnnnn!
Minwoo steps in as a black horse and takes her punishment. Not quite so charming considering he got her in this situation, but ya know. He gets stabbed in a specific point in the… butt region. Haha.
Punishments gets changed. Three in a row = into the pool you go.
Siah -> Minwoo -> Gil -> Minwoo -> Tiffany. Rejection.
Minwoo -> Tiffany (Tif-fangirl couldn’t resist) -> Minwoo. Rejection. Will she ever learn.
Tiffany -> Dongwook. Rejection.
Tiffany -> Tim -> Jungah -> Inyoung. Rejection. The heartbreak </3
Jungah -> Siah Rejection. Poor girl.
Jungah -> Sungmin. Aaaaaand she’s out.
Anyways, now for the main part. Under each member’s shirt is a picture of the person they invited. They read the love letter they’ve prepared, and whoever thinks “IT’S ME!” stands up. If they’re right, yay. If they’re wrong, bye bye into the pool you go.
Honestly the love letters are pretty sappy so I’m skipping them. Girls first. “Winner” is highlighted.
Siah -> Dongwook, Minwoo
Inyoung -> Tim, Minwoo
Amy -> Dongwook, Tim, Gil; Minwoo won, but he didn’t stand up. Three splashes.
Amy is upset Minwoo didn’t stand up.
Tiffany -> Sungmin, Minwoo
She is so obvious. Using lyrics to his song, even. But wait! That means both Tiffany and Amy invited Minwoo. Dun dun daaaaaaaan.
(People are shocked when Sungmin stands up, but he seems to be quite the fan of Tiffany. Can’t blame him. He gets to hold hands with her and sing Kissing You. Afterwards, Tiffany goes to sit down and falls into the pool ahahha. It’s Minwoo’s turn to sing Kissing You, but he makes sure she’s okay first. Amy doesn’t look happy. Dun dun daaaaaaaaaaan x2)
Jungah -> Sungmin, Gil, Dongwook
Poor Gil wasn’t invited by any of the girls; he was invited by the producer. Sad Gil is sad.
Next episode is the guys’ confessions.
Episode 3
Spoiler
Speeding through, we have the second half of the pool-side confessions.
Tim -> Tiffany; Jungah is actually the winner but she didn’t stand up. Poor girl got fooled by his use of English (since he is from Philly)
Sungmin -> Tiffany, Jungah
Minwoo -> Amy, Inyoung, Siah. Amy throws a towel on the floor and jumps in. Haha.
Dongwook -> Jungah, Amy
Gil -> Amy, Tiffany, Jungah, Siah, Inyoung. Guy gets to break the rules.
The next day, the group has a little talent show, and then they all board the bus. At various stops, the girls will say “I’m going off here”, and whichever guy wants to go on a date with her, well, he gets off too.
Amy -> Minwoo. The girl is thrilled.
Random note: Taeyeon’s “If” plays during this scene. Scene-saviour, imo.
Their date is a bit awkward at first, but eventually they start warming up with each other as they do normal mushy forced WGM-feel type of date stuff. Scuba-diving and the “you can do it!!!” stuff. They take up a big part of the show, so… Watch yourself if you’re interested in them as a couple. They do kiss, though. Underwater, without masks, in quite romantic romantic fashion.
Inyoung -> no one. Unnecessarily cruel show </3
Episode 4
Spoiler
Catching up from last time:
Siah -> Dongwook
Tiffany -> Sungmin, Tim. Well, ain’t she popular!
Jungah -> Gil. Hehe.
To give a short, short summary about what the couples do.
Minwoo-Amy go shopping and cook in the kitchen after their scuba diving.
Dongwook-Siah go to a beach, walking to this little island.
Inyoung wanders around the beach by herself, then goes horseback riding.
Gil-Jungah go to random places. Their mission is to do whatever. No matter what you think about Gil, he and Jungah are pretty humourous. Jungah begins to warm up to Gil, but that doesn’t stop her giving a high kick in public. They’re rather comfortable with shouting at each other, and she even has to tell him his fly is down. Ha.
As for our official love triange, they go to a water park, which I think would be the best date too haha. Sungmin and Tiffany play in the water for a while, as Tim has disappeared… Tiffany gives him a strike, but she notes that manner-wise, he is the best. Tim shows up later, delayed because he was looking for marshmallows for the campfire Tiffany wanted. How sweet.
The guys have a swimming competition, and Sungmin wins, though not before Tim pulls him around in the water. Tiffany begins to look more favourably towards Sungmin, but Tim reveals he not only got marshmallows, but also the rest of the ingredients for s’mores! Literal brownie (well, s’more) points. Tim graduates to oppa status again.
The guys decide to pose for Tiffany while going down a water slide; Sungmin takes off his shirt (muscles), and gives her a heart with his hands. Tiffany comments on his body.
Tim (or Tofu, as Tiffany calls him) doesn’t take his shirt off, but he sings (yells?) and gives her a heart above his head.
Conclusions?
Tiffany is impressed with Tim’s marshmallow event, saying it made her feel like a real girlfriend.
Episode 5
Spoiler
First dates done; it’s the guys’ turn to get off the bus! Who will follow? Will we have repeat couples?? WILL LOVE PREVAIL (no)
Gil -> Siah. People are aghast. What about Dongwook!? She says she went on a date with a great person yesterday; now she wants to try an interesting person after seeing all the fun Jungah had. Take that how you will.
Dongwook -> Jungah. Ah, a nice couple swap we have here now.
Minwoo -> Amy, Inyoung. Inyoung, she’s a brave girl, as Minwoo and Amy are all close and happy already. Amy isn’t too thrilling with Inyoung tagging along, but who can blame her?
The people who are left are Sungmin, Tim, and Tiffany. Oh drama drama. To make things short, Tiffany choose Tim and our Soshi couple of the season is born.
Anyways, group goes to a beach and the girls have a Korean wrestling challenge. Results below, winners bolded.
Siah-Inyoung
Amy-Jungah
Tiffany-Amy
Inyoung-Amy
Oh the rivals. Amy is upset and calls for a rematch. That one ends in a tie. Rematch! Tie! Rematch???? The match is declared a draw.
The guys chicken fight.
Dongwook-Sungmin
Minwoo-Tim
Tim-Gil
Sungmin-Tim
Rivals again in the finals, eh?
Next is a piggy-back race. Since Minwoo has two girls, he needs to pick one (Inyoung). Amy plays with one of the hosts, as does partner-less Sungmin.
Tim-Tiffany couple faceplant almost as soon as the whistleblows. Our fails
After a couple of rounds, in anticlimactic, boring-recap fashion, our grand champions are Dongwook and Jungah!
Episode 6
Spoiler
Last episode. It all comes to a close here. Well, until the second season of course.
Gil-Siah and Tim-Tiffany go fishing. Gil proposes a competition: the pair that catches the most fish gets to draw on the losers’ faces! Inyoung has to constantly remind him that Tiffany is SNSD! You can’t be too mean!! She ends up cheering for Soshi.
While fishing, Inyoung has a few regrets after running up against Gil’s attitude, saying how she regrets not picking Dongwook.
The fish count remains tied throughout the game, but suspicious suspicious. Gil is a cheater! All his fish are actually the same fish (since they release the fish back into the water afterwards). Inyoung is not impressed. Gil even steals a fish to tie to his pole, and then it’s announced: the next person to catch a fish is the winner!
Dun dun daaaaan. Cue the crowd gasping, the “oh no!” screams, the fainting mothers, and the screams of angry fans. (Not really)
SURPRISNGLY, Gil catches a fish. He draws a delightful poop on Tiffany’s face, and Siah gets to draw on Tim’s face too.
After a game of rock-paper-scissors, Gil gets to draw on Siah’s face too. In revenge, the other three group up for another rock-paper-scissors match, with Tiffany as the representative. They win, and Gil is gifted with a smiling girl. Well, a smiling girl drawn on the back of his bald head, lovingly named “Tiah”. Cute.
Until Gil-Siah go snorkeling, and we see Gil-Tiah’s double life. Reminds me of Harry Potter.
Tim-Tiffany have a slightly less stressful time (Siah is scared of the water), as Tim serenades Tiffany with his guitar and singing.
Meanwhile, Dongwook lazes on the beach by himself, before being found by Sungmin and Jungah, who invite him to join them. Our first happy harem is born. They go underwater and walk around, and are cute.
On the other hand, our unhappy love triangle decide to go parasailing. Minwoo and Inyoung go first, though frankly most of their part is just Amy talking about how jealous and unhappy she is. During Minwoo and Amy’s turn, Inyoung says that feels like she’s bothering them.
Now for the moment of truth! It’s raining, but no matter what the weather, the guys are going to propose! If they’re successful, they get to spend the rest of the time with their girl of choice. If not, bye bye off you go back to home. Alone.
Dongwook -> Amy. He extends his hand towards her, but before she can decide, CUT! Minwoo ambles over and offers his hand as well. Not a surprise which guy she chooses, really. Official couple Minwoo-Amy!
Off goes poor Dongwook.
Sungmin -> Inyoung. Acceptance.
Tim -> Tiffany. Oh, how cute. She does accept, by the way. “I knew you would come.” How’s that for shipper’s paradise.
Siah, Jungah, and Gil are left. What to do, what to do. He chooses Jungah. She says, “It’s better to be two rather than one, but it’s not you.” All three of them (four if you count Tiah) go home, with the other two girls saying they would have liked to be with Dongwook. Thus ends the suspiciously contrived drama that was season one of Kko Kko Tours!
The Attraction
Why do people watch WGM in general? Why are there dating shows? Sure, to watch people gradually fall in love or whatnot, but what Kko Kko Tour offers is that, as well as nice vacation scenes, games, and the potential for drama as people's actions get misconstrued by writers to mean all sorts of things. Drama fun.
Going more towards Tiffany now, it's Tiffany! Cute to see her fangirl-ing a bit (aka Tif-fangirl; shoutout to my older days), maknae-ing around, and, well, I thought she and Tim were super cute. Hahahaha. We'll leave shipping reasons to the Pairings section.
The Watch-ability
If you're just watching for Tiffany, she doesn't get too much screen time in the first few episodes. Well, actually she gets a bit in the initial episodes, drops off as MINWOO-AMY takes over, re-appears later for her own dates, and then that's basically when the season ends. If you're 100% uninterested in all the other couples, I wouldn't recommend this show to you too much.
Frankly, Tiffany was rather forgettable, but, then again, all the celebrities on the show were. It's pretty obvious why the show didn't do too well; it had a workable concept, but the execution still seemed a little lacking somehow.
But if you like little cute things and people pairing together, this is for you! Otherwise, I would recommend YongSeo for Soshi "romance".
Also, this being a dating/romance type of show, you have to take everything that happens with a grain of salt. Depending on your tolerance for blatant scripted scenes for the sake of drama/romance, you may or may not find this watchable. I suggest putting aside your skepticism and just watching it for what it is if you want an enjoyable watch with this particular show.
(Though, “fun” facts: Gil and Jungah did start dating in real life a bit afterwards, but have since broken up. Same with Minwoo and Amy. Makes you wonder, at least, how effective this show really was, even if I didn’t personally find it too interesting.)
Effect on Soshi
Keep in mind that this aired in 2008. This is pre-Gee era! And all pre-most-awesome-Soshi-varieties as well. There had been other shows like GGTS and MTV, but keep in mind those were entirely Soshi-centric. This is one of the first notable actual variety shows that Soshi (well, Tiffany and Yuri) have appeared on as co-stars with other famous people. Kko Kko Tours may not have been a success as a show, but it did put Soshi's variety potential on the map. The two girls (oh Yuri..) held their own amongst other celebrities, for the most part, and weren't pushed in a corner too much. As fledgling artists, I think that's pretty good. Anything to get the girls onto the public's radar, right?
Conclusion
There are a bunch of cute moments, I’ll give you that. Tiffany and Tim, I wouldn’t mind seeing them together at all. No qualms there. However, as I mentioned before, your enjoyment of the show really depends on how deeply and seriously you take it. It’s really another one of those perhaps mindless dating shows. If you’re only interested in watching Tiffany cuts, then you’re going to have a bit of waiting to see nothing much, I’m afraid to say.
As for the actual success of the show, I can’t really say too much until we see Yuri’s season, but I can say that Minwoo and Amy are in it as well, so if you happened to like them, then you’re in luck.
This season of the show itself is sweet, but utterly and completely forgettable for the most part. I, for one, only remember Tiffany was there and that Tim was a rather sweet, nice guy. That’s it.
5/10
SHORTLY
Another contrived romantic pairing set up to break hearts that would realistically never come true? Super obvious drama setups? Minimal Soshi screentime?? Real relationships history? I'll buy it!
Wow I haven't touched this in a while. I'm sure none of you are too interested in hearing about the drama of my life, so let's just stick with the actual drama dramas! This is a pretty big commitment, and tbh I'm not sure if I'll be able to carry through with it, but let's just go for it and regret it later, yeah?
So without further ado...
[DRAMA] The K2
cr. Wonderful Generation
Background
To begin, in case you have no idea what I'm talking about, The K2 is a currently-airing tvN drama starring Ji Changwook, Sung Yunah, our Yoona, and Jo Sungha. I know, all those Yoona's! That means double the fun, right? With this drama, Ji Changwook apparently became the highest paid actor for a cable show; I mean, he even did his own stunts and all, such wow! Is this finally the drama where Yoona gets paired with a guy of comparable age that I actually like!? (Sorry, other male leads..) Or perhaps.. IT'S A TRAP! and things will get way more complicated, who knows.
Unlike the family drama You Are My Destiny (YAMD), The K2 is more similar to The Prime Minister and I (PMI) in that it's a lot more politically-focused and -driven. Still being a Korean drama though, obviously there are still going to be family dramas as far as eye (or I) can see, except we're going to skirt around them in the public eye (lol)! Nothing better than resolving family troubles in front of the entire country. Oh, and we might as well do things that will affect the lives of basically everyone else too because why not??
The K2 is made up of 16 one-hour episodes, the first of which started airing on 23 September 2016. At the time of this writing, it's been pretty well received drama- and Yoona-acting-wise, especially for a cable drama!
[DRAMA] The K2: Episode 1
Spoiler
Yeah, that's right, my dear non-existent reader. Episode 1! This does not necessarily imply I will continue to review the other episodes, but we’ll see how it goes.
Since the drama is still on air, these will be less review-y and more recap-y, but, since this is ROTS, I'll put some kind of analysis-type thoughts so I can still have the pretense of intelligence or something. So, I guess it should be obvious, but there are HUGE BUTT SPOILERS AHEAD. You've been warned.
Oh, and I know that this is by no means a unique idea; in fact, there are a million other sites purely dedicated to drama recaps and reviews, and they are, in fact, reviewing The K2 as well. And they're actually prompt about it! And are actually funny, and have actual pictures!! Wow.
So, where's my niche? Maybe there isn't one and maybe I'm just doing this for fun, or maybe I'm just wasting my time. Either way, I can at least say I'll try to write them in my own haphazard style; perhaps I'll even take a few really low quality screenshots, you know, to match the level of quality that pervades this place. So yeah, there's that! My niche of people not liking to read, even though I still insist on rambling on and on like this! Success! Synopsis
We start with the little version of Yoona's character (Anna) anxiously praying in her room, when ah! a light! Is it Dad!?
She rushes down the stairs, only to catch a door closing, and a shadow underneath it. Ominous music, with a melancholic touch of piano. Hmmm the Spidey senses are tingling. The search for Dad quickly changes into a question for Mom, but that one is answered pretty quickly: behind that door, lies Mom, pills scattered around. The image is burned into little Anna's eyes, but there's something she doesn't catch: the presence of a man standing right behind her. Eek. So there's more to the situation than complicated parental relationships and a maybe-suicide?
The door creeps shut. A scream, and then nothing.
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A car drives through a city. Based on the architecture, Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Korea anymore. And we're not: it's Spain!
The car stops at a monastery (why is it always nuns??), and an exceptionally stern-looking lady drags little Anna by the wrist through the building, before leaving her in front of an emotionless nun, and briskly walking away without a moment's hesitation. Someone doesn't seem to particularly like the existence of this little girl.
Little Anna eventually follows the nun on her own accord, looking back only once; the hesitant uncertainty in the little girl's eyes/eyebrows is really palpable (I must commend the little actress for it). She seems almost resigned, but, as we're to find out, not that resigned.
-------------------------
Time skip, and we're treated to a now-grown Anna (Yoona!), still similarly dressed in a plain, white dress, creeping barefoot around the monastery. She sees her chance, and dashes outside to freedom. This time, she looks back frequently, though it's for a different purpose: seems like there will definitely be people coming to get her this time, though not quite in the way she had preferred.
Finally in the city, Yoona continues running around, still barefoot, but now in a plain, quite dirty dress. She's knocked down in an intersection, and coins scatter. She struggles in the road to pick them up, momentarily paralyzed by the chorus of honking horns and flashing lights of the cars.
Cut to the very bloodied body of a man waking up in bed, clearly in an immense amount of pain. Say hello to Ji Changwook's character (Jeha), but first give him some medical attention maybe? Poor guy. No rest for the weary though, and soon he's all dressed up and back on the road, ignoring a beggar's pleas for help and trying to keep the lowest profile possible.
Anna makes her way into the subway, pleading for a ticket as she tosses her coins at the attendant. Quickly! There's a guy on her tail. But the non-plussed, gum-chewing ticket attendant takes her sweet time, almost rubbing it in Anna's face. Clearly she's at the end of her stick when it comes to demanding, impatient customers. You know, just another day in retail/customer service. Hey, at least Anna follows the rules enough to buy a ticket.
Anna runs into Jeha, knocking the both of them down. She instinctively apologizes in Korean (she's been speaking in Spanish thus far); Jeha's face shows a flash of care despite his dismissiveness towards every other single person on the planet, and asks if she's alright.
Ah! He's Korean! Jeha's care earns him a new human puppy (not in the way you'd want, probably), as Anna begs Jeha to save her. She pleads, even going on the floor and crawling after him. I'm getting some serious PMI flashbacks here.
Chaser Guy approaches, and Anna runs away like a scared puppy. Jeha walks away. But oppar!1!
Anna and Chaser Guy have an unfun game of hide and seek around various subway station pillars. Anna, perhaps inevitably, loses, but just as she's caught, a hand falls on Chaser Guy's shoulder. Omona it's Jeha! So hero.
He tells Anna to run (though she kinda just goes a few metres before turning around (the turning around in this drama already hmmm) to keep an eye on him). Commence impressive action-y fight sequence of Jeha vs. Chaser Guy. I'm not about to do a play-by-play, so feast your eyes on these great screenshots I took at random! The quality here is astounding, as promised.
Despite my usual preoccupation with the actresses of dramas, you hafta admit Jeha is pretty darn impressive. Do I need to remind you again that the actor Ji Changwook is doing his own stunts??
The struggle ends in Jeha's victory, but he soon discovers that Chaser Guy is police. Oopsie daisies. What was that about keeping a low profile?? It's all puppy's fault.
Speaking of the puppy, she's back, explaining that Dad is in Madrid and will give a huge reward for her return. This time, though, Jeha isn't having any of it. He even gives Anna a mini lecture about living her life better, because if the police are after her, she's obviously doing something wrong. Takes one to know one I guess.
Anna's pleas and near tears still manage to reach him, as he tells her to scatter when two more police officers approach. Cue new fight scene. Jeha easily wins, but he exits the subway only to find that Anna has already been captured again. Both of them can't seem to catch a break, eh.
Anna spies him through the car window and struggles, but it's Jeha's turn to look hesitant and resigned. Good deeds for the day exhausted, he heads for the airport. He half looks back once, while Anna is focused forward, watching Jeha's taxi depart. (Like her hopes and dreams perhaps, rip)
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Six months later. We find Jeha in Seoul, with a new haircut, less clothes, and spending time with a kitty. Improvements on all fronts, I see.
What? I like kitties okay.
Jeha gets a late-night job to re-secure a political banner that's come loose from the side of the very large building it's been affixed to. At first his lack of ID prevents him from entering the building, but a Cleaner Lady vouches for him and points out that the guard would get in trouble if Jeha is not allowed to do the job. Something something THE MADAM'S orders. This scares the guard enough to let Jeha in.
Jeha thanks the Cleaner Lady, and she shows some concern for him, it being a windy day and all.
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We're now introduced to Jo Sungha's character Sejoon, a presidential candidate and *spoilers as if that weren't already obvious* the father that Anna's been struggling to see all these years. Except probably not at the current moment, since he's busy doing the flirt-y, seduce-y thing with some woman. He stops, though, to watch the TV: it's his wife Yoojin, aka the Madam of scared-security-guard-lore, on the show, where she presents herself with the image of the perfect, loving, doting wife.
Apparently Madam is #1 among the public for Most-Popular-Candidate-Wife (what's next, most-popular-candidate-wife's-bodyguard?), which she brushes off like a practiced, well, politician. Sejoon admires his wife's Pinocchio skills.
But all isn't quite rosy for this perfect couple, as Sejoon soon spots Jeha at the window, securing the banner that just so happens to also have his face plastered on it for all to see. He turns away, fearful now, but that's not all: Affair Woman has drugged his wine, and men in masks (tbh, they really just look like blue, shiny sheet masks. Gotta keep that skin nice and soft, even when we're breaking into places and beating people up!) are fighting their way to the room to get picture evidence of the couple. Scandalous!
If you learn anything from K-dramas at all, it's that skincare is very, very important
Oh, they missed a spot. They'll regret that when they get older.
Affair Lady closes the curtains in Jeha's face (not that he was particularly interested in the first place) as Sejoon collapses. The skin-conscious men continue their beatdown through the building. Jeha swings over to the next section, where he spies Cleaning Lady hard at work. Hi~ She waves. I ship it.
The mood is soon ruined though, as Cleaning Lady too falls victim to one of the Sheet Mask Men; the r00d d00d gives a smirk to the helpless Jeha, still watching helplessly from outside the window. He's not helpless for long though, as he manages to BREAK THE STINKING OUTSIDE GLASS OF A BUILDING WITH A SCREWDRIVER. He promptly takes care of the rest of the Sheet Mask Men who are still left in the room. I'll note that some of them get punched in the face, which probably doesn't help their skincare routine. Jeha manages to get to r00d d00d, and notices a burn on his wrist. Hmmmmmm.
Meanwhile, one of the security guards has managed to hit the alarm, which alerts the others to the situation, and also locks Affair Lady inside the room with the still-unconscious Sejoon. More security arrives, and the Sheet Mask Men split, leaving to spread their skincare fashion another day.
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Yoojin, still on TV, isn't have the funnest time either, as the interviewer starts to bring up a more controversial topic: perhaps Sejoon's success has more to do with Yoojin's rich, chaebol family (they're in charge of JB Group) than anything else! Yoojin plays it off marvelously, explaining that her family didn't approve of her marriage with Sejoon: it's the reason why she's estranged from them. Interview Lady continues to press: and what of the JB Group shares she maybe donated? It's time for backup, as one of Yoojin's underlings signals for a commercial break. Yoojin turns to Interview Lady, and it becomes clear that they know each other better than originally assumed. Interview Lady points out that it's better to have the questions come from her, while Yoojin counters with a subtle threat on Interview Lady's son. Back to the script it is then.
Back to the script so well, in fact, that after the interview, Yoojin is praised to the high heavens by her fans. Some damage control, some fan gifts, and a few kind smiles here and there, and Yoojin is good to go.
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The danger now averted for both parties, the couple are… surprisingly unmiffed at how the events went down. Don’t tell me this happens on a regular basis? Yoojin is unperturbed by the aftermath of either situation, while Sejoon dryly asks if he’s supposed to eat her cooked breakfasts from now on (Yoojin had declared that she made him breakfast every day while on the TV program). He’s really nonchalant about it all as well, commenting that Yoojin always cleans up his messes. Sejoon mentions that a banner hanger saw his face, so please take care of that, yes pretty please~ Yoojin throws out a few threats and smiles, and soon a band of security agents (of JSS) are on Jeha’s tail.
Yoojin also mentions to her underling that “that girl” might be of some use later, and that it’s a good thing she’s not a minor. Hm hmm.
Meanwhile, Chief Joo, one of the top security guys from JSS, starts putting together the pieces of what exactly happened during the fight. Hm hm. No, it can’t be!? He rushes to his boss, begging that the team after Jeha be called off. You don’t understand! He’ll kill them all! Mr. Boss guffaws.
Oopsies. Too late.
Cue great fight scene with great music. And just like that, all the men are taken out, and Jeha goes on his (not-so-merry) way. (I’ll note that, luckily for everyone, no one is killed)
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Back at the couple’s house, Sejoon returns, and asks why Yoojin is still up. Is anyone causing trouble besides him? Yoojin gets up. Well, your daughter, perhaps??? This revelation, Sejoon takes seriously. Yoojin drops that Anna ran away again, and Sejoon warns that if anything happens to Anna, their little deal will fall apart. Well, good to see he at least cares about the daughter who’s doing her best to see him eh.
And while we’re on the subject, Anna is, what do you know, now running away again. Perhaps we can get her to enter some track team of sort; I’m sure she’s had enough training by now. Run, Anna, run! But oops, Anna nearly gets hit by a car (I guess following the traffic rules is out of the question). She stops in her tracks, as the headlights of the car shine into her face. Frozen stiff, Anna starts having a bit of a meltdown. She flashes back to her childhood, where she, as a young girl, takes a bottle of pills, and… gives them up to her mother’s shaking hand. Omona. Literally.
Back in the future, Anna gasps. “I didn’t kill her…”
Aaaaaaand cut.
Rushed 2-Minute Thoughts
Welp, that’s one way to end the first episode. Definitely puts a little edge to the normal “oh, Mom killed herself” story (though, that probably shouldn’t be considered “normal” either).
The episode wasn’t bad. The fight scenes were great and wow, everywhere. So if you like fight scenes, this drama (or at least this episode) might be for you! If you don’t mind them coupled with quite a few political and cackling and angsty “ah, the past sucked, but I won’t really explain or work forward; I’ll just brood and moan so please watch me for another 15 min while I comment vaguely on things” moments that all dramas have, that is.
Personally, I liked the nice Spain shots, and the Spanish haha. The music (such as the choir, strings, and piano melodies switching at just the right parts to fit the varying moods of desperation, empathy, omg hero, hope in an otherwise bleak situation, more despair, and resignation – wow what a list) was quite fitting. It added that aura of suspense, drama, and mystery, though so far nothing really stood out like OMGGGG THIS IS AMAZING.
Overall, not a bad start at all. A lot of running and edge-of-your-seat action, and a lot of some setting-up-of-the-stage for future events. I found the relationship between Sejoon and Yoojin to be of interest, since clearly they don’t love each other the way a “normal” couple does. Oh well, only time will tell what happens next! Guess we’ll see! (Or maybe we won’t; we can always turn back now and do more productive things… like eating)
7/10
SHORTLY
Make sure you take care of your skin so you can be all pretty pretty jjang jjang like the actors and actresses here.
Oh wowww, you are really hardworking, how do you even write out this much like it's an assignment? lols, I personally hsve a hard time trying to write reviews... T.T help meeee save meeee give me motivation
Because I have no attention span at all (though everything I wrote did disappear and this is my second time writing this orz)
[DRAMA] Unstoppable Marriage
Spoiler
Background
Unstoppable Marriage was one of those family drama/sitcoms of ages past (actually just 2007-2008). It probably doesn't mean much to most people, especially these days, but for Sones, it was one of the first TV drama appearances that frequently featured two of the Girls: Sooyoung and Yuri. The entire Soshi lineup also appeared in one episode, as gangsters (ha).
If you're interested in watching all of their appearances, SSFsubs has compiled all of Soshi's appearances, you can find them here. Happy watching
Short Synopsis
I'm going to focusing just on Sooyoung and Yuri's story line, as I'm pretty sure that's mostly what you'll be interested in (honestly, I haven't watched the entirety of the drama myself either). Basically, Sooyoung and Yuri (their names are the same in the drama) are two schoolgirls who are absolutely obsessed with Sabaek (played by Lee Jaejin of FT Island fame), the youngest of four brothers of the Main Family.
The relationship between the two girls is one of love and hate, as they are rivals in love, yet comrades in their absolute failures in their romantic efforts. If the comedy genre of this drama weren't enough, just this plot premise should probably signal that whenever Sooyoung and Yuri show up, you're in for a bunch of laughs. Or sighs at their dimwitted efforts to win the affections of their prince.
Still, as the drama progresses, you can see that Sabaek, who usually only shows his extreme annoyance towards the girls, does miss them when the two girls disappear for a bit. Towards the end of the drama, Sooyoung and Yuri really just become "one of that group of people": you know, those people who know what's going on among the mains and kinda just worry in the background wondering how the Mains are going to figure their turds out.
If you're going to be watching any clips from this drama, I would highly recommend Episode 60 and 64. They're really hilarious, and I actually can't bring myself to spoil it too much for you, since they're really short clips.
Sooyoung and Yuri's appearances are usually contained to just a few minutes, but for these particular episodes, they have a much larger story line. In Episode 60, Sooyoung and Yuri are hanging out in a net cafe, writing fanfiction of themselves with Sabaek. Sooyoung discovers Yuri's cringey blog, and a battle begins, where the girls each try to outdo the other in their stories. The two girls even attempt to kill each other's characters off, but simple death isn't going to defeat their flying fingers of fanfiction. Their antics eventually escalate until even Sabaek is alerted to what's going on online, and he has to go knock some sense into them.
As for Episode 64, this is the one with (haha) the entire Soshi group appearance. They are gangsters. Haha. Such actresses.... They capture two of Sabaek's older brothers and basically force them to pay for meals and such. Eventually, though, it's revealed that Sooyoung and Yuri are their sunbaes and are beat into submission. Ha.
Characters
Sooyoung and Yuri's characters aren't exactly too developed. Their appearances are always just recurring gags, you know the one with the "two girls going after the hot, cool guy, but they just keep failing" thing. They're really there just for the comedy aspect. Still, they are given a tiny bit more depth as viewers see their friendships with each other, a brief period of questioning their love, and some development of friendship with Sabaek. Buuuuuut they're really just there for laughs.
Effect on Soshi
Keeping in mind that this drama aired in 2007, this drama did quite a lot to help people become aware of the girls. Granted, Sooyoung and Yuri didn't have very big parts (Soshi as a whole even less), but nevertheless they were frequently recurring characters with a silly, innocent plotline that viewers could chuckle at. The older generation would also be watching, so I would say just the general awareness across all sorts of generations really helped.
Conclusion
There's really no depth to Sooyoung and Yuri's appearances at all. If that's what you're watching for, you're not going to get much. However, what their appearances are, though, are funny and ridiculous everywhere. If I were reviewing the actual drama, I would probably give this much lower marks. But in terms of general entertainment (because I'm a simple-minded person), they were funny, and I like funny. Fluffy fluff
6/10
SHORTLY
Ridiculous, imaginative failures. Sounds like me, without the imagination
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Oh wowww, you are really hardworking, how do you even write out this much like it's an assignment? lols, I personally hsve a hard time trying to write reviews... T.T help meeee save meeee give me motivation
I have no lifeeeeee. Or no time management. Or, as you can see above, no brain and just barfing up words in a post.
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