sunny4ever
I loved ‘My Lovely Liar’.
Hwang Min-hyun (Minhyun) singer/songwriter of the K-pop group NU’EST and actor from the big hit Korean Drama ‘Alchemy of Souls’ (which followed Live On) is putting out only his third drama. The early buzz is that this drama will make him a household name. It is fortunate that he gets the main lead with the little star maker, Kim So Hyun (Love Alarm). She is a former Korean child star, who can do little wrong in picking good Korean dramas and making her costars shine. ‘My Lovey Liar’ got off to a slow start, because this star power rich Korean drama needs a lot of set-up time. However, the chemistry between the two leads took off all of a sudden by the end of episode 2, heating up the place. I loved My Lovely Liar and I viewed this drama real-time.The drama is quaint and engaging. It is about a young lady who can hear lies and she has turned this into a profitable business. Her love interest is a music genius with a mysterious and dark past. There are a few surprises in the story, which takes the action in surprising directions. Give this one a try.
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Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
Time Travel fast track to understand the meaning of the Time Travel Loop Fantasy Drama.
A Time Called You ⚡️⚡️Spoilers⚡️⚡️The whole crux of this drama pivots around this little girl who played video games with the high schooler Nam Si-heon. Her importance was not clarified in the Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’ .
With respects the Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’, maybe I could help some fully understand the ending.
The Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’ did not explain the importance of this little girl. It was left out of the drama. ‘A Time Called You’ is a remake of the Chinese Drama ‘Someday or One Day’. It is explained in the Chinese version who this little girl is at the very end, in a simple flashback. I even missed her importance until the end too. While some may have caught it, I sense that because this is a complicated drama, most persons probably missed that this little girl is the pivotal force of the whole drama. Who is she? Let’s get the background first.
The storyline revolves around two people in this drama Universe who have doppelgängers who exist in the same timeline. We meet Han Jun-hee (Jeon Yeo-been) and Koo Yeon-jun (Ahn Hyo-seop), who are lovers. He dies. She misses him so much she wills herself to travel back in time to where she thinks that he is alive.
When Han Jun-hee travels back in time, she inhabits/shares someone else’s body, the body of her older doppelgänger, high schooler Kwon Min-ju. Han Jun-hee’s mystery is “Why does Nam Si-heon (The doppelgänger of her love Koo Yeon-jun) look like Koo Yeon-jun, her lover who dies?”
Han Jun-hee/Kwon Min-ju, Nam Si-heon/Koo Yeon-jun, Jung In-gyu
The Mystery
This is a double time travel!!! In the actual timeline, Kwon Min-ju dies. The actual teenager/adult (Nam Si-heon), misses the future Han Jun-hee. He met and fell in love with her when she inhabited/shared the body of Kwon Min-ju before Kwon Min-ju’s death. After the death of Kwon Min-ju, teenager/adult Nam Si-heon wills himself to travel in time to be with Han Jun-hee in the future, using that music tape and cassette player. However, he does so through his doppelgänger Koo Yeon-jun, a younger gay man who dies in a car crash. Nam Si-heon starts this journey when he inadvertently travels to his doppelgänger in the future and decides to become him after the death of Koo Yeon-jun. Nam Si-heon inserts himself into the timeline of Koo Yeon-jun. Nam Si-heon/ Koo Yeon-jun is the one who gives Han Jun-hee the means to travel back in time to the past. It is through the music tape and cassette player he used to travel to the future. It is Nam Si-heon/ Koo Yeon-jun who starts this time travel loop, to try to fix time so that he and Han Jun-hee can be together, as time keeps turning in on itself or looping.
Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’ and Chinese Drama ‘Someday or One Day’ .
Who is who? Who are the players?
Han Jun-hee (Jeon Yeo-been) is 6/7 years younger than her doppelgänger high schooler Kwon Min-ju. They both grew up in the same town.
Koo Yeon-jun (Ahn Hyo-seop) is 6/7 years younger than his doppelgänger, the high schooler Nam Si-heon. He does not live in the same town as Nam Si-heon. Koo Yeon-jun is the gay man who dies in a car crash. As he traveled through time, Nam Si-heon takes over the identity of Koo Yeon-jun.
Kwon Min-ju (Jeon Yeo-been) is the doppelgänger of Han Jun-hee and is 6/7 years older than Han Jun-hee. She is the one who loves Nam Si-heon, but Nam Si-heon is not attracted to her. The best friend of Nam Si-heon, Jung In-gyu, is in love with Kwon Min-ju.
Nam Si-heon (Ahn Hyo-seop) is the high schooler in the past and the doppelgänger of the younger Koo Yeon-jun. He encounters Han Jun-hee when she travels back in time and inhabits/shares the body and life of high schooler Kwon Min-ju.
Jung In-gyu (Kang Hoon) is the best friend of high schooler Nam Si-heon. To explain why Jung In-gyu confessed to the murder of Kwon Min-ju, this was because of his love for her. Kwon Min-ju wanted to die at the hands of a killer, because she felt that her pathetic life would be glorified in the news if she died this way. She asked Jung In-gyu to kill her, but he would not. She ended up committing suicide. He took the blame, because while he could not kill her he could give her a glorified death by being her “killer”, instead of her just committing suicide.
The Killer Oh Chan-yeong (Min Jin-woong) is 6/7 years younger than his brother, and is the younger brother of the classmate of Kwon Min-ju and Nam Si-heon. In the future, he steals the time-travel cassette. When he goes back in time (In the form of his brother) to kill Kwon Min-ju for fun, he is thwarted by the Police before he can kill Kwon Min-ju. He successfully kills her in the first original timeline.
Who is the little girl who played video games with high schooler Nam Si-heon?
Nam Si-heon finds out who the little girl is in the future. They were always destined to meet in the past, no matter through what timeline. That timeline was not disturbed be all the future fixes. If there were no interferences in the future, these two had met already, and in the Chinese version the little girl told high schooler Nam Si-heon that he was her future husband. These two fixed the most important part of the timeline, getting rid of the killer. Both knew to avoid that fated plane flight which crashed. The Universe was righted, making way for their eternal love.
Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’ 9.0/10 and Chinese Drama ‘Someday or One Day’ 10/10.
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She is Han Jun-hee. The little girl tells Nam Si-heon to remember her name the next time they meet. How could you leave this explanation/clarification out of the drama? Koreans most likely caught that the little girl was Han Jun-hee. Americans are too busy reading subtitles, trying to keep everything straight. The simple Chinese drama flashback was all it would have taken for clarification.
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Were six episodes enough to pull off this wonderfully imagined SyFy Action Drama?
Black KnightA celestial catastrophe causes Korea to change to a desert where air quality is drastically limited. Only 1% of the population survived and now live in a masked world. To receive goods and services in this dystopia, the population is divided into the general, special, core population members, separated by QR codes encoded into their skin. Those of the population not chosen for either of these special groups receiving special treatment are termed refugees. Humans can disassociate from humanity in times of extreme crisis.
The heroes of this new dystopia are the Deliverymen. They are the ones who fight off brutal Hunters, seeking to confiscate these special delivered goods. The Hunters try to steal from those supply cargo trucks called Relief Supplies Transport Vehicles the Deliverymen drive. The Deliverymen bringing replacement goods to the people in the serviced populations are Rockstars to the public. Out of the shadows of this fighting force of martial arts specialists is the legendary Deliveryman 5-8 (Woo Bin) who is the superhero among super heroes.
This drama had a great ideal premise and could have been a great SyFy drama. I feel that the scriptwriter who transposed the brilliant Webtoon (By the same name) into a drama could have handled his brilliant material better. The writer seemed to have lost his way through this potential hit. Black Knight was reduced to allowing violence to take the place of a well written script, in my opinion. The cast was stellar, led by Woo Bin as the legendary 5-8 Deliveryman and Kang YouSeok as the dreamer and population castaway, seeking to become a Deliveryman like his hero 5-8.
I found myself fast-forwarding past certain violent scenes and I was left a little empty waiting for this potential hit to take off. This drama has six episodes. More episodes could have been used to develop the wonderfully imagined characters living in this wonderfully imagined life-interrupted world in this drama.
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Delves into the Webtoon Industry and give behind the scenes knowledge
I think that the Korean Drama ‘Today’s Webtoon’ is a special hidden gem. It stars Kim Se-Jeong (Business Proposal) as On Ma-Eum, and Nam Yoon-Soo (The King’s Affection) as Goo Jun-Yeong.Fresh from her starring role in the RomCom Business Proposal, Kim Se-Jeong moves from high energy comedy to expose her softer realistic side as a personal developer of young Webtoon cartoonists in ‘Today’s Webtoon’. Kim Se-Jeong, playing On Ma-Eum, could not be a more empathetic drama character. I love her strong presence in this Korean drama. Empathy means the ability to wear the other person’s heart in your chest. On Ma-Eum really understands her young creative charges and really knows what they need. She garners the romantic attention of everyone looking for a safe haven. Nam Yoon-Soo plays Goo Jun-Yeong, who is the exact opposite in personality. He is too logical to understand feelings, but senses that he should latch on to On Ma-Eum. Goo Jun-Yeong is a business genius a tactician. You will not know whether to love or hate him. This drama also has great music. Stick with this one for the long haul. It just keeps getting better and better with each episode.
The character I am most drawn to in ‘Today’s Webtoon’ (because of the realistic rawness) is Sin Dae-Lyug. Few people understand a Webtoon genius and how to soothe that quiet beast within. In this drama, all of his Webtoon storylines are very dark, but autobiographical. Sin Dae-Lyug is played by Kim Do-Hoon from ‘My Absolute Boyfriend. His performance is very gritty and emotional and it may put him on your list of young talent for which to watch out.
What ‘The Liar and His Lover’ did for explaining the Music Industry, ‘Sh**ting Stars’ did for explaining the intricacies of handling the egos of drama stars in the Drama Industry, ‘Today’s Webtoon’ will do this for Webtoons. This drama explains the ins and outs and back door cutthroat dealings of the Webtoon Industry, while showing how creative genius Cartoonists are cultured as Webtoon Artists. Each drama character has his own dynamic backstory which adds richness to the drama. While enjoying this Korean drama, I learned so much about design and production of web cartoons, how to develop them, and what makes one web cartoon fun while another one is not.
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Which would you choose, Revenge or Redemption?
Wonderful World is a Crime Mystery Melodrama which is very emotional. There were a lot of moving parts to this drama which called for a lot of supporting story arcs. Wonderful World moved forward logically, and has big reveals. It has a stylish look and great music.The buzz for this drama definitely will be the acting of Chae Eun-woo. This is the first role I have seen in which Chae Eun-woo is not a romantic lead. He is not playing in a Webtoon live action drama either. He is not playing a pretty boy. The mind needs a reset for this drama. Heretofore, Chae Eun-woo has appeared in great dramas as the romantic lead. He is now greatly broadening his horizons by pushing forth his acting skills in “non-romantic lead” parts that have meatier characters. I really like his new look.
The lead actress for Wonderful World is veteran actress Kim Nam-joo. I do not know what Kim Nam-joo was having for breakfast each morning, but baby girl acted her rear off. Her portrayal was strong and emotional, yet subdued. I would not be surprised if she got a nomination for a Baeksang Arts Awards for Best Actress for her performance in Wonderful World. The whole cast is great.
The plot-line of Wonderful World may leave the very sensitive emotionally drained. While these pertinent offending scenes are not seen on camera, these events are implied.
The highest episode rating Wonderful World received from the viewing public in Korea was 11.4%.
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Doctor Slump is a RomCom to start right now.
Are you enjoying the RomCom Doctor Slump, in spite of its serious message about Clinical Depression? Are not Park Shin Hye and Park Hyung Sik a perfect match for this Drama?Doctor Slump 2024 ‧ Medical Mystery RomCom
Quote: “It was once said in a movie . . . that failure and defeat meant different things. Anyone can fail, but defeat was an utter fiasco usually found in legends. I was defeated”. Male Lead explains his bout with depression and his life in general.
All those who have been waiting for Park Hyung Sik (Hwarang) to give a performance like his iconic performance in Strong Girl Nam Soon, you might want to check out Doctor Slump. Firstly, since his character starts off in High School, Park Hyun Sik is back to his skinny-K-Pop days. Secondly, Park Hyung sik’s roots are firmly planted in comedy, therefore, the RomCom Medical Mystery Doctor Slump plays to his strong suit. With the combination of Park Shin Hye playing the straight guy to Park Hyung sik’s funny guy, I see a hit for me with Doctor Slump. The drama series is not all fun and play though. Serious issues, like depression among Doctors, are addressed as well. There is great chemistry between the ML and FL and the series also takes a sobering look into the world of gapjil, or workplace violence and bullying. When you are the top in your class and you hit rock bottom, the failure seems ever so greater.
Quote: “During these hard times, if you have someone who could comfort you, would it help you to get better?” Female Lead.
Doctor Slump is quaint and cute and is a go from me. Laughter is the best medicine for what ails you. I laughed a lot with the Korean Drama Doctor Slump, in spite of the heavy noteworthy message about controlling depression.
Actors Corner
Both actors (Park Shin Hye and Park Hyung Sik) can be both serious and/or comedic actors, even with the same character. They both have the acting tools to pull it off. Both have such great acting ranges too. Doctor Slump is a great vehicle to showcase the acting strengths and talents of these two acting powerhouses.
As a particular acting strength, Park Shin Hye talks with her eyes. Whole sentences are embellished and punctuated by her eye expressions. Look for what she is saying with her eyes. Mommy is back. Park Shin Hye has carved her acting lane in Korean Drama since her early teens.
As an actor, Park Hyung Sik uses expressive hand movements, body shapes and levels, and voice changes to add entertainment value to his acting. This enhances the viewer experience. Park Hyung Sik must have a very comedic voice in his head. Please pay attention to his hand movements and body shapes which creates his own sign language. This is his acting signature.
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Park's Contract Marriage Story
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Is The Story of Park’s Marriage a time travel or a time slip Korean drama? I love this drama.
The Story of Park’s MarriageThe Story
The Story of Park’s Marriage begins in the later Joseon era. A complicated aristocratic young woman wants to be a fashion designer, an occupation shun for Aristocrats. Her parents arrange a marriage with another Aristocrat who has an undiscovered heart condition, which can take his life at any moment, especially if he is excited by love. She falls for him immediately, but he dies on their wedding night (action which takes place in the first episode, so this is not a spoiler). Through happenstance and a convenient body of water, the female lead finds herself time traveling to modern Korea. She is immediately confronted by her lost love, who is a Deputy CEO of a company. While this story may seem pretty bleak, her experiences and reactions to the modern world of “New Joseon” Korean is wholly hilarious and gives constant fodder for laughter, as she tries desperately to reclaim her lost love.
The Story of Park’s Marriage is well written. It is one of the most intricate meshing of what happened in the past with what is happening in the present. Like a top designer’s intricate threading of a garment, the scenes of the past are so tightly woven with the scenes of the present. The Story of Park’s Marriage is a bold mystery sewn into a RomCom. The story is a time travel Korean Drama, since there is a definite mode of time travel (a body of water). In time slips one accidentally travels through time by unknown means.
I really like The Story of Park’s Marriage. This drama gets better and better with each episode. At first, I thought that this drama would be an uncomplicated drama that would score in the high 8/10, but now for me, it is scoring 10/10. As dramatic actors are challenging themselves with RomComs of late, this is the first RomCom I have seen with Baeksang Arts Award winning dramatic actress Lee Se-young (The Red Sleeve and The Crown Clown). While actor Bae In-hyuk has played in RomComs like My Roommate Is a Gumiho, Bae In-hyuk (At a Distance, Spring Is Green and Why Her?) has been in challenging dramatic dramas as well. Bae In-hyuk is indeed a late bloomer in the acting business. His first Korean drama was only in 2019. Bae In-hyuk also has turned into a fine actor. And I must admit that the way he wears a suit is so reminiscent of Lee Jun Ho in King, The Land.
Chinese equivalent to The Story of Park’s Marriage is Miss Crow and Mr Lizard, because of the fact that falling in love could cause the death of the male lead who has a heart condition.
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This story is time travel and not reincarnation
The StoryIn the first 15 minutes (Therefore, this is not a spoiler), the Heroine dies, then gets a second chance to live her life again. Her is transported back in time via an unknown reason, hopefully to correct her past mistakes in life. The Story of Kunning Palace is a Time Slip (Time Travel) Drama, or this suggests that the means for time travel is not established. Nonetheless, this is a story within a story and is inventively designed. Both stories run concurrently, as the first life of the Heroine is threaded into the second life as flashbacks.
The heroine is the daughter of nobility, but she was switched at birth. The Noblewoman is raised as a plebeian and the switched plebeian is raised as a noblewoman. When all is discovered decades later, due to sentimentality and other reasons, the legitimate Heroine is accepted into the family only as a second daughter and not with the status of the plebeian daughter. This makes for an interesting start to The Story of Kunning Palace.
Quote: “He who has a mind to beat his dog will easily find a stick”. Young Warrior from The Story of Kunning Palace.
I love complicated dramas. The Story of Kunning Palace checks all my Asian drama criteria boxes. There is even a lot of ancient law incorporated into this intelligently written script. However, until enough of the backstory is revealed, the drama may be hard for some to follow. The heroine makes lots of mistakes as she first lives her life, which ends in her death. She is snatched out of her first timeline and reinserted back into the beginning of her failed first chance. What will she do? Will she learn from her past mistakes and correct them or is history doomed to repeat itself? It seems like that many of her efforts to change her new timeline produces failures, as history continues to make corrections back to its past timeline to thwart her new insertions. When under Time Travel restrictions, if one cannot makes changes or corrections in the new timeline then one is in a time alternative universe where changes to the future are impossible.
The heroine, who actually turned out to be a wicked person in the first timeline, gets a new chance to live a proper life. You see her make conscious efforts to correct past mistakes as these mistakes are revealed through her constant flashbacks to her original timeline. However, overall, her life course seems destined to be repeated. Will she succeed in correcting her past and saving all the lives she destroyed. You must watch The Story of Kunning Palace to find out.
Note: Some have flagged ‘The Story of Kunning Palace’ as drama about reincarnation.
It is not. Reincarnation is rebirth into a new body. The drama is a reinsertion into a first life and thus is Time Travel and not Reincarnation.
Quote: “What the world needs is heartless men. Those who abide by the rules can’t move forward fast enough. So screw the rules”. Anti-hero from The Story of Kunning Palace.
Quote: “I would not dare to ask your Majesty to move. But I also have a message for your Majesty. You must know that a man who is greedy for his own profit and who seeks the skin of a tiger, does not know that the tiger is a tiger”. Lowly Court Official loved by Her Majesty from The Story of Kunning Palace.
Actors Corner
Bai Lu—Strong female role with a woman who knows how to pull the surprise, by playing dumb.
Zhang Ling He—The anti-hero (Villain) you will love and hate to be confused by.
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Does The Long Ballad show how powerful love can be, as lovers ignore the cost of love?
This post does contain small spoilers in the text.The Long Ballad is unique in showing what power love has over a person. Many Korean Drama devotees will remember the Korean Drama ‘Nevertheless’ as a drama showing how one can ignore all the red flags which tells you that this is not a love pathway you need to travel. However, you also learn that your heart can so easily ignore all the warning signs as you steamroll over common sense. The story of The Long Ballad becomes a truly tumultuous journey of love for me of the true costs of love.
The Long Ballad (Song) centers around many true historic figures among the plot. The drama is a Romeo and Juliet story of star-crossed lovers from the Tang Dynasty Period (618-907) who should have been enemies, since their Tribes were enemies and were constantly clashing and fighting each other. Our lovers are Li Changge (Dilraba Dilmurat), a Royal Princess from the Tang Dynasty and A’ Shi Le Sun (Leo Wu) who is Commander of the Eagle Military Division of the A’ Shi Le Tribe. Being the only member to survive the loss of all her whole family in a coup for the Tang Dynasty Throne, heroine Li Changge sets out on a quest for revenge, as she remains loyal to her Tang Tribe no matter what the cost. Princess Li Changge is totally reckless in her quest, ready and willing to give up her life at any time. A’ Shi Le Sun becomes the one who wants that life for himself, and he refuses to let her sacrifice herself, as he constantly goes to her rescue. Li Changge and our hero A’ Shi Le Sun meet by chance while she is disguised as a man, who has full expertise in the Martial Arts. Later, when he finds out that she is a woman, love comes almost instantly, as he admires the bravery and skills of this powerful woman fighter. Even at the potential cost of the danger to his whole Military Division and potential disloyalty to his Tribe because of this love affair, A’ Shi Le Sun can not withdraw his heart to the side of reason.
A’ Shi Le Sun is often physically harmed, disgraced, and even loses his mother to death protecting the only woman he has ever loved romantically, as Li Changge continues on her reckless course. A’ Shi Le Sun tried many times to let go of his love for Li Changge, but he was not able to release himself from this burdened love. Love has full power over you, but so does Li Changge’s revenge and loyalty to her cause.
(When A’ Shi Le Sun’s mother was killed, all I could think of was “Release the Kraken”, as A’ Shi Le Sun went on a rampage of blood, ala Vincenzo.)
Along the way, Li Changge begins to realize the depth of the romantic love A’ Shi Le Sun has for her, as she slowly begins to return his endearing love. A’ Shi Le Sun’s love is like a third uncontrollable character in this love story of The Long Ballad. Every time Li Changge endangers herself A’ Shi Le Sun is forced to pay the cost of sanitizing her world to keep his love in this world. He could do no less. While the cost of loving Li Changge was great, losing Li Changge was a price A’ Shi Le Sun found unimaginable to pay.
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Does Golden Spoon become the first Korean Drama to have two Male First Leads outside of BL dramas?
In Korean Dramas specifically and writing in general, the First Male Lead is the male protagonist around whom the storyline pivots. Therefore, the Male First Lead never becomes the Male Second Lead. In addition, if you pluck out this character from the storyline you have no story. Outside of BL Korean Dramas, you get one Male First Lead usually.(No Spoilers)
The storyline for Golden Spoon is exceptional and unusual.
Golden Spoon is the story of two teen young men, one super rich and one very poor, who go to the same high school. The poor teen desperately wants to be rich, to control his life. As the story evolves, a Golden Spoon grants his wish to switch parents. In a reality-bend, he abandons his parents in his reality to become the son of the riches Chaebol. In this switch, the (unaware) natural son of the riches chaebol inherits the parents of the economically poor young student. Each boy keeps his personality identity and both are their original self, but they just live in a different reality in this switch. Reality is bent. As you can see, because of this unique storyline, neither teen can be plucked out of this story. (We are not talking about changing out an actor).
“Male First Lead” Confusion
In Golden Spoon, both boys fall for the same girl. She likes only one of the boys, but in this reality-bend, at any given time, both of our teen boys are this boy which she likes. This reality-bend in Golden Spoon leads to a Korean Drama conundrum. The First Male Lead of a story is always the protagonist about which the drama story is written. Because this story is equally about the two boys living in each others’ reality-bend, for me this makes Golden Spoon the first Korean Drama which I have seen that has two Male First Leads or Double Male First Leads and no Second Male Lead.
Fan Alert: The ending is mind-blowing.
Take-Away from the Story
Golden Spoon addresses whether all that is golden is really ideal? Should value be attached to the integrity of your soul? Is money really what makes you happy? Golden Spoon has many aspects of the Korean drama Reborn Rich. It handles the material in unique ways and may be a fresh look at an old theme, “Is the grass greener on the other side?”
Note: Golden Spoon is not a body-swap Korean Drama. Both boys are themselves, but the one with the Golden Spoon retains the knowledge of their former self and their relationships in the other bended reality. Although not knowing the life the other boy lived, each are retrofitted into that life or reality-bend. This makes for a unique prospective view on both of their lives.
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Untitled Park Ji Eun Project
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Undercover Relationship
Off the bat, we have a reverse trope in Queen of Tears. She is the rich guy and he is the poor lover. We start off with a kiss in the first two minutes. Kim So Hyun (playing ML Baek Hyun Woo) looks gorgeous as the New Company Recruit and Kim Ji Won (playing Hong Hae In, the Heiress of Queens Group and FL) is our beautiful rich Heiress. He is left handed, she is right handed and so are their lives. This is a very acrimonious relationship, stairs to nowhere. Queen of Tears is a Dark Comedy.Hong Hae In met Baek Hyun Woo working undercover as an intern in her own Conglomerate. Not knowing who she was, it was love at first sight for him. This drama could well be named ‘The Impossible Heiress’ or ‘Snow Queen and the Seven Airs’. After 10 minutes of viewing, you might agree with me that this drama has “Hit” written all over it. Secretly, behind the Ice Maiden veneer, there is a woman who loves her husband and a man who does not know that. This is a painfully great story, with a stacked cast. And believe it or not, this is a laugh out loud RomCom.
I like the dichotomy of the character Kim Soo Hyun is playing. Literally, his character (Baek Hyun-woo) has two faces. He is playing his character in happy times, a time in flashbacks when he and his wife (Hong Hae-in played by Kim Ji Won) were in love with each other. In the next sceen in Queen of Years, Kim Soo Hyun is playing his present self, one jaded by life and one totally saddened by his living situation and the loss of love for his wife. Kim Soo Hyun is asked somehow to reconnect to the emotions and feelings he had with his wife at first. For this character, Kim Soo Hyun has to be bipolar or living in two different worlds. I am so enthralled by how he is pulling off these polar opposite characters for his performance in Queen of Tears. Can he find the self he lost?
What I really like about Queen of Tears is a hidden message to the World of the Married. The grass is not greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water it.
Oh BTW. Seeing Kim So Hyun after almost a three year drama lay off (His last role was Ordinary Day 2021), you might have love at first sight (again) too. There is great cinematography in Queen of Tears. One thing that is inconvenient in Queen of Tears is the close up shooting of this drama. We have to read subtitles and try to look at faces. Since the camera person is using close in shots, that camera stays on the person speaking only a split second and then moves to the the next person speaking. The camera is moving off each person too quickly. To view the faces of the actors, I literally have to pause frequently.
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Korea-Khitan War has what Royal family scandal as one of the bases of its storyline?
The drama series Korea-Khitan War could actually be called “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo Next Generations Revisited”. All the royals you will encounter in Korea-Khitan War are literally the next generations from the Brothers Wang. The series involves the children, the grandchildren, and great grandchildren of these Brothers. Korea-Khitan War also is connected to one of the biggest royal scandals of the family line. I will give context to the connection to Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016) with Korea-Khitan War 2023).
I love history. I love dramas. I am spaszing out. While the drama series is based off of real historical facts and events, some details may include imagined dramatizations or imagined story arcs which seek to explain certain facts in history. The Korean Drama Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016) ranks #1 out of 300 Asian Dramas I have seen. It will always be #1. That is fixed.
Korea-Khitans War found it’s footing among Korean Drama viewers, ending up with a 13.8% nationwide viewership in Korea for the finale. A drama getting 10% nationwide is considered a hit. In the privately run KBS Awards, Korea-Khitan War was nominated in 15 categories and won in 7 categories. Of course this Korean History would resonate with Koreans and the series is done beautifully.
Korean Khitan War—The Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo Connection
The first connection to the drama series Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo is the actor Kim San Ho, who played Crown Prince Mu in MLSHR. He is also in Korea-Khitan War playing Jeong Seong [Yang Gyu's subordinate].
The Wang Family Scandal
(This scandal is hinted at but not fully covered in Korea-Khitan War, so the information is not a spoiler).
Korea-Khitan Wars has connections to the Brothers Wang from Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
13th Prince Wang Baek Ah—Actor Nam Joo-hyuk
4th Prince Wang So—Actor Lee Joon Gi
8th Prince Wang Wook— Actor Kang Ha-neul
14th Prince Wang Jung—Actor JiSoo
As the series begins, we are introduced to Emperor Mokjong (Wang Song), 7th Emperor of Goryeo and his mother Grand Queen Dowager Heonae (Cheonchu). Queen Dowager Heonae is actually the daughter of 8th Prince Wang Wook. Queen Heonae and her sister (Queen Heonjeong) both married their first cousin, Emperor Gyeongjong of Goryeo, the son of Gwangjong of Goryeo (Wang So). Wang is the Chinese word for King.
These Wang family members who played this most significant part of this family scandal.
13th Prince Wang Baek Ah (Anjong of Goryeo)— Actor Nam Joo-hyuk
Future Queen Heonjeong or BokSo from MLSHR
The father of Bok So is 8th Prince Wang Wook—Actor Kang Ha-neul
In the closing scene of Moon Lovers: Scarlet Ryeo (MLSHR), the 13th Prince Wang Baek Ah meets his very young niece Heonjeong (daughter of 8th Prince Wang Wook) and has a quaint chat. She is known as Bok So in MLSHR. This is a historical cue for history buffs. Wang Baek Ah and his young niece (future Queen Heonjeong) would later become lovers. When Prince Wang Baek Ah’s nephew (Emperor Gyeongjong and son of Wang So) died, 13th Prince Baek Ah consoled Queen Heonjeong over a period of time. Later, she got pregnant. Perhaps since people feign ignorance to save their lives, Queen Heonjeong was able to pass the child off as the son of her long dead husband Emperor Gyeongjong, and people went with this. No questions asked. This child eventually becomes one of the most famous and significant Emperors in Goryeo. The Korean Drama series Korea-Khitan War is about the accomplishments of this illegitimate child, Emperor Hyeonjong of Goryeo (played by ZE:A’s K-pop Idol Kim Dong-jun, the actor from More Than Friends). Like the Habsburgs of Austria, the Wang family interbred, constantly marrying half sisters and cousins.
Viewers first find this future Emperor( Hyeonjong of Goryeo) as a young child tucked away and abandoned in a monastery. This is so typical for the Wangs. Some may remember the first bride of 4th Prince Wang So. She was the daughter of his oldest brother Crown Prince/Emperor Wang Mu (Hyejong of Goryeo). This child bride also was tucked away in a monastery and was never seen again.
Nothing beats history as a source of drama. Korea-Khitan War is an ole school Korean way of making a Period Piece drama. However, great action is constant and the storyline is sprinkled with actual historical events. Korea-Khitan War covers the reign of Emperor Hyeonjong of Goryeo and his quest to unify Goryeo (Korea), while being faced with the challenges of constant war. There are rich characters, and lots of court intrigue. Korea-Khitan War is a thrilling ride.
The backstory is so intriguing and complicated that you need a scorecard to keep up. Knowing the background information will not destroy the pleasure of viewing the drama. It should increase it. Also, knowing the connection to Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo should make you want to finally buy Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo and view this Korean drama too. MLSHR is so popular, the only way right now to view it is to buy the drama series. There is sword fighting and war in this drama.
Scorecard—The backstory
1. Prince Wang Wook (played by Actor Kang Ha-neul)—Daejong of Goryeo died 969 CE. He was the 8th Prince in the Wang family and father of Queen half-sisters Heonae and Heonjeong (Bok So). Bok So was the little girl who met 13th Prince Wang Baek Ah (Actor Nam Joo-hyuk) at the end of the series. In the future, they become lovers.
The interim reigns of Kings not covered in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo and before or during Korea-Khitan War.
2. The second son of Prince Wang Wook became Emperor Seongjong of Goryeo (r. 981-997). His daughters married Emperor Hyeonjong of Goryeo.
Queen Wonjeong of the Seonsan Kim clan is the daughter of Emperor Seongjong, and she married the Emperor Hyeonjong of Goryeo (son of Wang Baek Ah and Queen Heonjeong).
Queen Wonhwa of the Gyeongju Choe clan is a daughter (from another mother) of Emperor Seongjong, and she also married Hyeonjong of Goryeo (son of Wang Baek Ah and Queen Heonjeong).
These half-sisters are the Queen sisters in Korea—Khitan War.
This means that 8th Prince Wang Wook’s daughters were Queen Half-Sisters to Emperor Gyeongjong of Goryeo (son of Wang So). The 8th Prince Wang Wook’s granddaughters also were Queen Half-Sisters. They married the illegitimate son of 13th Wang Baek Ah and Queen Heonjeong. He was Hyeonjong of Goryeo. (Mother-Heonjeong vs son Hyeonjong. The difference in spelling is the second “e” in Heonjeong)
3. Emperor Mokjong of Goryeo (r. 997-1009) was the son of King Gyeongjong, who is the son of 4th Prince and future King Wang So. His mother was the middle child of 8th Prince Wang Wook and younger sister of King Seongjong. Her name was Queen Heonae of the Hwangju Hwangbo clan or formally called Grand Queen Mother Heonae. She was the sister of Emperor Seongjong.
4. Queen Heonjeong—She was Bok So, the young niece of 13th Prince Wang Baek Ah and fourth Queen consort of King Gyeongjong (son of King Wang So). This daughter of 8th Prince Wang Wook and later became Queen Dowager Heonjeong of the Hwangju Hwangbo clan after her marriage to the son of 4th Prince/King Wang So. He was Gyeongjong of Goryeo. Gyeongjong of Goryeo was the 8th King of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea and the grandson of King Taejo. The affair of Queen Heonjeong took place after his death.
5. Emperor Gyeongjong, son of 4th Prince/King Wang So. He married two half-sisters. Both were the daughters of 8th Prince Wang Wook. They were Queen Heonae and Queen Heonjeong (Called Bok So in Moon Lover: Scarlet Heart Ryeo).
6. The 14th Prince Wang Jung (played by JiSoo) raised the daughter of Hae Soo in MLSHR. Hae Soo and her daughter were fictitious characters.
7. Great King Munwon (born Wang Jeong or Jung and played by Jisoo)—This historical person Wang Jung actually became a great Emperor in Goryeo, reigning after Wang So (Gwangjong of Goryeo). The specific dates of his reign, however, are not known. His daughter Queen Heonui of the Chungju Yu clan was the second wife of Wang So’s son, Emperor Gyeongjong of Goryeo. She was a rival Queen to the two daughters of 8th Prince Wang Wook. She is not covered in Korea-Khitan War.
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Concrete Utopia is a great movie
Quote: Concerning the totals disaster surrounding them, “Honestly, there is no difference between a murderer and a Pastor.” From Concrete Utopia.Whenever there is a total disaster with little possibility of relief forth coming, the first thing to go is humanity. Looking out for only self rises to a heightened level in many people. When resources are at a minimum, and vital resources like food, clothing and shelter are limited, the “have nots” get most fierce.
Concrete Utopia looks at such a situation, created by a disaster which leveled most all of the country, and how people react to this situation. Disaster uncovers an unbalance of power, with people seizing authority. Decisions are made as to who to help and why. Distribution of resources is usually uneven. In Concrete Utopia, people try to make order out of disorder. Society breaks down, as the unworthy try to seize control. This movie did a great job depicting the stress and duress of living in a total disaster situation. Right or wrong, the hard decisions they chose to make called for hypocritical resolutions. When some of your resources are outside of your controlled area, this also should govern the decisions you make. There are a lot of lessons to learn from this movie. You will have lots of head talk after viewing it.
This disaster takes place in a country which does not promote gun ownership. The outcome would have been so totally different in any of the 24 states in the U S which allows concealed carry of guns. I am not saying that this would be a good thing, to own a gun. Frankly, the mess created would have just been bigger.
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When you buy into the premise, you have an excellent, thrilling movie.
Premise of the movie.Earth is about to go extinct, because of natural and man-made factors. Earth Scientists have proposed to move the earth to another location in the Solar System. Until then, earthlings will live underground. The water levels of the earth are expect to rise considerably.
Let’s get the Science out of the way first. Some of the science leaves a lot of questions.
NONETHELESS!
Having said this, any movie is based on you buying into the premise. Buying into the premise starts the movie at zero instead of a negative value. Then the movie can began to entertain you.
I want to remind people who scuff at the premise of this movie, do you really think that humanoid shaped persons can fly in the sky unaided mechanically (Superman)? Do you believe that you can transport/teleport someone with their clothes on (Star Trek)? Escapism is all based on accepting the premise and moving on.
Accepting the Premise and moving on.
The movie has cool gadgetry, great action with great CGI, seamless embedded miniaturization shots, and great imaginative mechanical vehicles and machinery. There is an interesting mix of international actors. Given the unbelievable premise, is Wondering Earth entertaining? Oddly enough, yes. An exhausting Yes!! You quickly get invested into the characters and there is lots of entertaining action. It is a go, if you can hold your scientifically lifted nose. This world that is created for the movie ‘Wondering Earth’ looks amazing. Wandering Earth is a great SyFy Action Thriller and there is a part 2.
And for ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ fans, yes, there is a HAL 9000.
Troubling Science
The earth is in the Goldilocks Zone, just perfect for the right temperatures for earth. If moved away from the sun, there will be a deep freeze. How do you compensate for climate changes long term if the earth is moved?
Outside forces like the sun act on the earth to keep the earth in its orbit. How do you get around these forces holding the earth in its place? How do you break the force of the sun on the earth?
There is a lot of cosmic debris in Space in our solar system which could alter the travel route of such a plan to move the earth toward Jupiter.
What is the possible impact on your new neighborhood near Jupiter, as a result of moving the earth into its space?
What in tarnation is big enough or powerful enough to move the earth?
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Why people don’t understand the Male Lead, but should.
Lee Soo (Played by Ong Seong-wu from At Eighteen)More Than Friends (2020) is about a woman who is friend-zoned by the ML Character for 10 years, starting with High School. Lee Soo is so hated by so many viewers as obnoxious, selfish, and self-centered and this character earns these strips by his actions (seemingly). This is one Korean drama where the Second Lead is the overwhelming favorite to get the girl by the viewing public. Why do I feel that this character is misunderstood? His actions are a result of his childhood trauma. The parents of Lee Soo got divorced when his was a kid. They hated each other. After divorcing, the parents got along more civilly. Lee Soo was schooled about romance from the bad example of his parents. They got along with each other as long as they were not married. This fostered the notion in Lee Soo that it was better to be friends with the one you love. The girl in question (FL) never picked up on this, and neither did she see all the endearing ways all through their lives where Lee Soo secretly helped and rescued her, because he did so behind the shadows. Is it not true that our first example of love, affection, and romance are parents mostly, as a good or bad example? I was so in tuned to this character. This is one of my highest rated Korean dramas. Others score this drama lower, maybe in part because they don’t fully grasp the character.
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