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somuchkdrama · 5 years

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Nokdu Flower 1 & 2

We’re back!!! And we’ve jumped straight into the good stuff.

A note from dramajib: I’ve been travelling, so this post has been dwelling in our drafts for a couple of weeks now. But I’m back and getting ready to catch up, so stay tuned!

@dramajib: It’s been so long since I’ve watched a sageuk, I’m struggling a little bit to follow the whole uprising plot. Like, I can’t quite seem to keep track of who is involved, or what Han Ye Ri’s character’s stance is on the whole thing.

Also, uncharacteristically for me, I’m more invested in Yoon Si Yoon’s character development than Jo Jung Suk’s. I am almost always drawn to the broody guy over the pretty guy or the nice guy, but somehow this particular character is not quite doing it for me just yet. The only pull at the moment is the actor, although I’ll admit to getting more and more invested as the episode progresses (mostly when we see him being adorable with his mother).

Also the only other show I’ve watched with Han Ye Ri was Hello My Twenties, so her character in this one took me by surprise. There was so much more fire than I expected from her, and it was great.

@rocknghorss: Guys I was really into episode 2 right up until the 45 minute mark. But then my nit-pickiness reared its head… why the heck are they playing this super dramatic music while YiHyun is running away with his dad?? Like come on…

dramajib: LOL Marie I have to admit I did not notice that at all, sorry I can’t commiserate.

@triangularlily: Yeah I didn’t notice either, but I did skip slightly through them running away cause I felt it was getting drawn out

dramajib: Am I the only sucker who went “ooooo how clever” when the leader of the uprising did the hand stabby thing? Like I know it was written with that intention, but I still fell for it.

rocknghorss: Yes! It was clever, as was Jain (is that her name??) selling YiKang and her guard out to Revolt Leader Guy

dramajib: I swear I will start using real names from next week’s episodes, it’s just too early in the morning for me!

triangularlily: Yeah me too, it’s always really hard with sageuks and names especially

dramajib: Speaking of names - why didn’t Baek Ga’s wife just demand her son be named something else? She’s obviously bossy enough to insist her husband’s illegitimate son be kicked out, so I don’t believe he wouldn’t have agreed to that request.

…. the dad’s name isn’t actually Baek Ga, is it?

rocknghorss: Lol I don’t think that’s the dad’s name??? But I could be wrong… I think we should dub him Baek Dad.

triangularlily: I think for me I was actually pretty interested for once in the uprising plot because all the characters are a little bit more in a gray area?? Like usually with sageuks there’s an obvious evil guy and then the righteous main characters, and this show doesn’t really have that.

Like the dad is def more on the evil side but I also can understand how he got to that point and then he isn’t always portrayed in the show with the stereotypical evil sageuk character demeanor.

dramajib: I agree, I like how multidimensional the characters are so far. Although the dad at the end of episode 4 makes me question if they’ll be able to maintain that greyness throughout the show

rocknghorss: I was really feeling Yi Hyun risking it all to save his father. Like he knows what kind of absolutely terrible person his father is and has forced his big brother to become and he still literally carried his father out of Gobu on his back. That’s some serious family loyalty.

triangularlily: Yeah his face at the end when they are like parading back into town wasn’t triumphant by any means

rocknghorss: Which means that he’s probably going to have a terrible descent into becoming evil by the end of the drama

dramajib: Nooooooo!!!

rocknghorss: Lolol why no?

triangularlily: Cause she likes his character lol

dramajib: I know older brother is setting up for a redemption arc, but surely the younger one doesn’t HAVE to turn corrupt

rocknghorss: Hehehe

dramajib: That is an evil laugh if ever there was one

triangularlily: I saw someone else saying he was gonna be the villain based on the character chart and I was like huh??

dramajib: Nooooooooooo!!

rocknghorss: Well I could be wrong but it would be kinda fun for Yoon Shi Yoon to play the baddie for once. Especially the reluctant baddie.

dramajib: I mean objectively speaking I can see it happening. He’s got all this guilt about his brother as it is, then he piles on more for enabling his dad to continue to do evil things, I wouldn’t be surprised if he breaks

rocknghorss: I am wondering at his guilt too Ekta! Especially because Baek Dad now has it out for his teacher. Like how’s he going to handle that…

dramajib: Plus you know dad is going to give him hell for skipping the exam and saving him instead

rocknghorss: Oh he did skip it didn’t he. I missed that entirely.

triangularlily: Yeah I wonder Baek Dad seems a bit of an unpredictable basket case

dramajib: He is literally dropping dead on the floor when his son comes to save him, and the first thing he does is yell at him for skipping school. I identified with Yoon Shi Yoon so much in that moment.

Plus we got that whole “I want to die as a minister’s father” flashback TWICE, so I imagine the younger brother is going to fall out of favour soon.

rocknghorss: Hmm! Now that’s a thought. I found it extremely worrying that Baek Dad is letting YiKang call him “father” now. Like that’s not where I wanted his story to go and I’m worried that he’s going to get even more tangled up in being an enforcer

triangularlily: I’m assuming though he is going to go through a drastic redemption arc. I just hope it isn’t at the expense of his mom.

rocknghorss: His mother ended up escaping though right?

triangularlily: Yeah but I just mean it’s a super common sageuk trope for a mom/sister to get murdered or rape for the main male character to drastically chain

rocknghorss: Well that’s true. Still sideeyeing Crowned Clown over that mess

#nokdu flower #jo jung suk #yoon shi yoon #han ye ri #more people need to watch this show #is this our first saeguk??#smk: the discourse

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orum · 3 years

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I just went to see Kirchner and Nolde show at the national Gallery in Copenhagen. It I think it was a pretty solid show actually, on par with the discourse of our time and akin to some of the even more well researched ethnographic shows I've seen in institutions such as Quai Branly in Paris. I've never been that interested in any of the two main characters (Nolde or Kirchner), whose paintings also seemed to have played a somewhat secondary role to the curator, but I was very happy to see get to see two of the amazing bronzes from Benin up close and in real life. But it also got me wondering about the, by now deeply entrenched turn towards a primacy of communicative/didactic text and speech, over other forms of experience image, sensation and less the multitude of less didactic forms that exists. Surely someone must have written something interesting on this move from what one might call writerly (whose meaning is not immediately evident and demand some effort on the part of the reader) to the readerly (straightforward and demand no special effort to understand) to misuse Roland Barthes slightly. A move away from requiring the coauthorship and imagination of the viewer, towards submission to the authoritative readings of the curator or artist. There is of cause a huge middle ground between these two caricatured positions, but nonetheless it does seem to me that the institutions of the art world are, and have been for a long while, swinging towards authoritative interpretations. Perhaps in an effort to reach a wider audience? Perhaps because politics are seem more important to many to than aesthetics or sensory experience? Perhaps because "we" have finally moved beyond the post second world war idea of free art as a "vaccination" against totalitarianism, and are once again embracing the idea of an art audience that needs to be edified and show the right way? I remain unsure, but it does seem to me that Kirchner and Nolde is very much a show of its time, and it itself a cultural artifact that tells us something about the time we live in, although perhaps not only in the way intended by its curators. And it's a chance to see two Benin bronzes up close. #blahblah (her: SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRd031jBBkl/?utm_medium=tumblr

#blahblah

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javleech-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on Jav Leech

New Post has been published on https://javleech.com/malaysias-education-more-sound-and-fury/

Malaysia's Education: More Sound and Fury

The outcry over the disclosure that 402 faculties inside us of a had been classified as “hotspots” with disciplinary and drug issues is but any other distraction from what has to be the important priority of our legislators and bureaucrats managing the schooling system – this is, enforcing deep reform of the countrywide number one and secondary faculty system, mainly beginning with the country wide faculties of the Bahasa Malaysia or Malay medium, and predominantly Bumiputera-attended move (Sekolah Kebangsaan and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan, SK and SMK).

Although the furore, when set in opposition to the bigger and greater important backdrop of the generally sorry state of the countrywide schooling gadget, is misplaced, what is revealing is that the majority the problematic faculties (396) observed within the blacklist come from the SMK flow against six from the Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan (SMJK) stream.

This is but another clean indication of the appalling mess left by using zealots pushing the racial and spiritual schedule in our tutorial device.

The major victim of this mess is a lost generation of Malay and Bumiputera faculty children who ironically, despite being overwhelmingly favoured in aid allocation within the national system throughout the past forty years, have ended up with low attainment ranges and are also commonly lacking in the critical results that the academic gadget is supposed to be providing – know-how, capabilities, study ethics and the pressure to prevail.

The vital troubles affecting faculties in the SK stream were known for a long time. But they had been omitted or left unresolved by way of the Barisan Nasional government and the Ministry of Education, with little try made at comprehensive reform till a previous couple of years.

Repeated proceedings have been raised approximately the high-quality of those faculties, along with their low coaching preferred, the obsession with single-race dominance and management, the narrowly nationalistic, rote studying-oriented and at the back of-the-times curricula, growing Islamisation, terrible management, disciplinary problems (which might be now the concern of public interest) and a host of other shortcomings, but to little avail.

The inaction by means of the authorities has led to non-Malay parents shunning these faculties and sending their children to the SJK or mother tongue flow, and English language personal faculties, if they’re able to find the money for it.

‘Vernacular training as a scapegoat’

At the identical time – diverting attention away from the failure of the politically-favoured SK movement to offer satisfactory and revolutionary training for all younger Malaysians – turned into a opposed and virulent campaign accusing mother tongue or vernacular colleges (SRJK and SMJK circulation) of being answerable for dividing the young of the distinctive races and being the reason for the shortage of national solidarity in the country.

The campaign, despite the fact that unable to provide any evidence to help its claims, succeeded all too properly in muddying the waters of educational reform discourse within the country during the last two decades…

6 Reasons Why You Should Pursue Your Higher Education in Malaysia

Stringent Regulation Over the years, Malaysia has been attracting college students not simplest in neighboring Asian international locations, but also many others from western or European areas. Malaysia is one who takes pride in its gadget of education, that’s closely regulated by the Malaysian Education Ministries. Legislation along with the Malaysian Qualifications Agency, Education Act, and the Private Higher Education Institutions Act all carefully reveal the excellent and techniques of instruction in every school inside the united states. With this, Malaysia is capable of maintaining that fashionable of excellence of their training device, which is likewise recognized around the sector.

English Mode of Instruction Malaysia also predominantly makes use of English as a mode of education, making it less difficult for foreign college students to talk not best inside classrooms, but around the country as nicely. This lessened conversation barrier is also one thing that makes the Malaysian environment conducive for studying for international students.

Culture Diversity Cultivating that ardor for gaining knowledge of can satisfactory be skilled in Malaysia due to its good sized way of life and ethnic variety. U . S . Also, can boast of its wealthy natural resources and scenery which provides endless possibilities in your pursuit of a higher education. And with its extraordinary resources and facilities for studies, your potentials may be fully cultivated.

Strategic Location The strategic area of Malaysia, additionally known as the gateway to Asia lets you to without problems tour around neighboring countries. For a designer within the making, this will widen your cultural information, as well as find new inspirations from the various life and assets within these locations. This knowledge can position you at an advantage in particular when you vie for a career in design

Higher Education Programs Another factor about Malaysia is that they are one of the pioneers in Asia on the subject of worldwide affiliations in training. They had been the primary ones to sell transnational Bachelor’s diploma packages and twinning programs, which are also related to different faculties worldwide. This means that you may end a path in other international locations along with your preceding courses completely credited. This is maximum fitting for an aspiring interior designer who desires to improve his know-how about diverse cultures and nations.

Affordability Malaysia has also drawn many foreign places college students, due to its low-cost lessons charges and price of residing. They have a strong economic system, secure environment and it’s miles an open us of a when it comes to religion. Even with its variety in race, Malaysia is capable of hold the peace at some point of the years, and its strain-loose atmosphere is what makes this united states well-cherished by locals, vacationers and students alike.

Even with its low-fee of residing, Malaysia can boast of its instructional facilities as being internationally competitive and on par with the generation in different evolved international locations. With over 80,000 students coming in annually, you could assume global-magnificence coaching services and strategies. It is not any surprise then for Malaysia to be hailed as one of the pinnacle 8 by way of US Newsweek World’s Best Countries survey in terms of education. Malaysia is indeed a good breeding floor for those who want to pursue an overseas training.

You can pick to take a look at commercial enterprise, design and technological know-how associated stages on the Raffles College of Higher Education, primarily based in Kuala Lumpur, the capital town of Malaysia can come up with the extraordinary better schooling for your look at overseas needs. We have a multicultural network of global college students who will enhance your human beings skills and cultural hobby. We also have a whole set of facilities to deliver the nice schooling in accordance to our industry focused curriculums. Our academics are also experts, the government within the respective fields.

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lavleech-blog · 7 years

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Malaysia's Education: More Sound and Fury

New Post has been published on https://javleech.com/malaysias-education-more-sound-and-fury/

Malaysia's Education: More Sound and Fury

This is but another clean indication of the appalling mess left by using zealots pushing the racial and spiritual schedule in our tutorial device.

‘Vernacular training as a scapegoat’

6 Reasons Why You Should Pursue Your Higher Education in Malaysia

0 notes

somuchkdrama · 6 years

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My Girlfriend is a Gumiho

Episodes 3 & 4

Dae Woong the Man-Child

@rocknghorss: Daewoong is such a frustrating man-child!!! I get that Miho is.. screwing up his game with noona but why can't he treat her more nicely?

@dramajib: I think he's being plenty nice as it is actually. Like he could just ditch her entirely, but he's put up with her (until now anyway). Mostly out of fear, but still. It's not just noona she's screwing up for him, basically since he met her he's got no money, can't go home for (misguided) fear of her eating his family, he's discovered that most of his friends were fake friends..

rocknghorss: I know :( I'm just biased...

dramajib: Ahahahaha aren't we all.

That whole ship thing at the end of episode 3 took me by surprise though, I was like... Dae Woong is a selfish manchild, sure, but he hasn't been MEAN up to this point. And that was really mean

rocknghorss: it was! He'd had a pretty disappointing day, but still, that was downright mean. I guess from his point of view, everything was Miho's fault. So why not? Especially since as far as he knows, the water can't actually hurt her.

dramajib: It's awful. I hope he gets very contrite and fixes it somehow. Preferably NOT by diving in the water and swimming after the boat and getting pneumonia

rocknghorss: Lol.

The Greatest Love Story: Aunt and Elevator Guy

rocknghorss: Speaking of fixing things, I like how Miho is inadvertently fixing Daewoong's relationship with his Grandpa

dramajib: And helping his aunt and the elevator guy

rocknghorss: Oh yes lol. Although! I was a bit confused about why elevator guy thought that aunt was married?

dramajib: In the previous episode, when she runs away cos she thinks his daughter is his gf, he sees her standing in front of the mannequin at the men's underwear section of the department store, and when the sales woman asks her if she's buying undies for her husband she says yes, cos embarrassed

rocknghorss: Oh. I'm glad you remembered, b/c I was completely lost. That said, I was quite amused just how EXTRA they both are. The soft lit sunset behind elevator man as he was (I guess) wallowing in despair was ridiculous and I loved it.

dramajib: It's so cheesy I can't stand it but I also simultaneously love it

Dramajib Goes Off On Noona

dramajib: Kristin have you finished episode 3? I haven't watched 4 yet but I have an itch to talk about noona and all her noona issues

rocknghorss: I’m down for discussing noona (and continuing to call everyone by their title rather than their name for the rest of the drama lol) whenever

dramajib: Hahaha sorry I'm just useless with names!

rocknghorss: No worries Ekta :) It’s all good! I can’t be bothered to learn names of characters nowadays... I’m too lazy

rocknghorss: I was wishing the other day that Seunggi’s character had a shorter name lol

@triangularlily: Doesn't Miho just call him Woong a lot of the time?

rocknghorss: Ooh you’re right. Kristin you’re awesome. My thumbs thank you lol

triangularlily: Hahaha you’re welcome.

<note: at this point some of us hadn’t yet finished watching episode 4…>

dramajib: Since we're all done with three: KRISTIN, I TAKE BACK everything I said about noona. What a cunt!

rocknghorss: LOL

triangularlily: LMAO EKTA.

triangularlily: Like she is horrible but I kind of like her actually? When she is tired of waiting for Woong so she just drives away??

rocknghorss: Man-child Woong and Noona kinda deserve each other right now…

triangularlily: I guess I like that she isn’t like bending over backwards to get the guy like a lot of second leads do she is like super confident and scheming about it instead. But maybe I will take back my words too cause I really don’t remember her character at all

dramajib: I was SO PISSED with noona's dress scheme in episode 3, hence my indignation. Like, fine, I was all on her side at first because it IS ridiculous the way Dae Woong is behaving out of the blue and not giving legit reasons. I did love how she drove away.

But when she pulled the dress thing, when she KNEW she wasn't wearing that dress, and she let him lose his chance at auditioning, she lost me as a fan cos that's just cruel. You know this is the big break he's been working towards, and if you really cared about him you wouldn't sabotage that just to throw shade on your competition

rocknghorss: I both hated and enjoyed her pettiness. Just like Kristin said, I kinda liked that unlike many “villainous” second female leads, she was unrepentantly nasty to her “competition” and wasn’t shy about it. I hated it of course, because it was just gross and had the consequence of more meanness thrown Miho’s way

<...some time later…>

dramajib: Okay I just finished episode 4, and I'm wavering again about Noona. Like, everything she says to Dae Woong about wanting him to be clear about his feelings is totally valid and fair. But the way she behaves about getting this lead role in the film is horrendous - and I don't quite understand why she calls him when she finds out that Mi Ho is the girl elevator guy had his eyes on

Hip Hop Guy, Guest Starring Ma Wang

dramajib: I am epicly confused by incongruent hip hop ost second male lead's deal. Is he just trying to restore balance? Kill Mi Ho? Steal her bead? Is he falling in love with her? Like what is going on there

rocknghorss: I’m watching 4 now. When you guys watched it did it seem like the monk knew that hip-hop guy was some sort of Demon Hunter/supernatural being?

triangularlily: Hmmm idk like he seemed very matter of fact about it like oh u can put the fox back nice!

rocknghorss: Right? It was kind of weird but I guess if the monk does actually believe in a nine tailed fox, why wouldn’t he believe that some random veterinarian could bring the fox back to the painting? Lol

dramajib: I love that his name is now hip hop guy. We’re so good at naming characters

rocknghorss: Lol. We are

dramajib: But didn’t Mi Ho call him a fake monk?

rocknghorss: Ooh, you’re right! But maybe that was supposed to be an insult, since he’s been keeping her captive in the painting?

dramajib: Yeah, that’s what I thought at first too. Also cos he keeps telling her story potentially incorrectly?

triangularlily: Oh true yeah

dramajib: Maybe hip hop guy gave them the painting in the first place? Cos he also gave them to the temple dog to guard it?

rocknghorss: I don’t know guys. Hip-hop guy’s backstory is the most confusing so far

dramajib: Right?? Cos I’m like.. Who even is this guy? He’s been passing as human since before Mi Ho got trapped in the painting, which means the girl he killed was even before that, so is he like in exile now? Is he good? Bad? On a different moral scale altogether?

triangularlily: I’m really trying to remember but can’t

dramajib: lol not the most memorable villain I guess. If he even counts as a villain.

triangularlily: I think he’s technically the second male lead lol

rocknghorss: Hm. Maybe he’s being punished like in Hwayugi. The way Iron Fan was?

dramajib: Oh noooo the Iron Fan thing was TRAGIC I don’t want to sit through that again!! Ma Wang being mopey in his little throne room ugh

rocknghorss: Ugh yeah. Everything about Hwayugi was tragic.

dramajib: Well not everything. Ma Wang’s fashion gave me life

triangularlily: Lmao

rocknghorss: Lolol Fashion was good, it’s true. But how is he the second lead if he’s trying to kill/capture Miho is what I want to know

triangularlily: Lmao

dramajib: Well he loved Mi Ho’s lookalike, so I can see him starting to grow fond of Mi Ho. And like, try to keep spiritual beings together instead of letting her fraternize with humans

triangularlily: Yeah I think its something that develops and maybe we should talk more after u finish 4 Marie

triangularlily: Cause there is some development in that area in ep 4

rocknghorss: Ah. Oky doky!

<...some more time later…>

rocknghorss: I finally finished episode 4 you guys! And started episode five!

rocknghorss: And I find it super cute that the way the audience is supposed to know Miho is falling in ~love~ is that she wants to feed/eat with Woong, not just freeload off him

dramajib: I love her interaction with the neighbourhood mean girl ahjumma. And the whole hunting down coupons thing

rocknghorss: Yes! Mean girl ahjumma was hilarious. Her voice was perfect lol

dramajib: Did finishing episode 4 give you any further insight into hip-hop guy?

rocknghorss: Ehhh. Hip hop guy is pitiful. I’d like to understand why his role appears to be “monster hunter” because that was still not cleared up unless I missed something. But I can definitely see why he’s billed as the second male lead. He’s got it bad for her, in his own way

dramajib: I assume we get more of his back story? Because as it stands, it seems like the way he's hunting her down is probably the big plot point, and I don't really get it yet either

rocknghorss: I think we do? I can’t really remember. He seems to lack a lot of urgency in getting her back to the temple tho. Like if it was that big of a deal why is he slowing around and letting her decide on her to go back?

triangularlily: Yeah I cant remember either I think we do

triangularlily: *get more backstory I mean

dramajib: At first it seemed like he'd been waiting to catch her forever. Then it seemed like he was guarding society and making sure she's safely locked up. Now it's like he's hunting her for his own pleasure. So confused

rocknghorss: That’s exactly why I said hip hop Guy was pitiful btw. I think he likes her or is confusing her with her previous incarnation(??) and is struggling not to confuse his feelings for the other girl with Miho. So he’s got this artificial choice of duty or love, but he doesn’t even know Miho really.

triangularlily: Yeah he also has been by himself for so long. Like the whole can’t make human connection thing

rocknghorss: Yeah!

dramajib: The connection thing - was living with humans his choice, or forced on him? And if it was his choice, he's also chosen to live isolated, soooo… Not that I don't feel bad for him, I'm just being contrary for the sake of it

triangularlily: Yeah I just mean I can see how he became a bit twisted is all

dramajib: That whole scene where he's sitting with her in his house and telling her what her options are was sad. But I also don't trust him so I'm like... Are you just telling her things so that she'll choose to do what you want her to?

Ending On A Less Angsty Note

dramajib: But I also love that grandpa loves Mi Ho without even meeting her yet

rocknghorss: Yupo. He’s just super enamored that someone was able to make his grandson grow up. Grandpa doesn’t want much lol Also! I like that he doesn’t rib Aunt too much about her crush. Even though she’s wayyy too into it (again apparently lol)

dramajib: Lol aunt and elevator guy are great though. I can't wait for his daughter to find out that Dae Woong is going to be her cousin

triangularlily: Looool I didn't think about that

rocknghorss: Hah

#My Girlfriend is a Gumiho #smk: the discourse #it took us a while to finish these two eps #sorry!#Shin Min Ah #lee seung gi #Hong sisters #kdrama throwbacks #kdramas

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somuchkdrama · 6 years

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Hwayugi 16

Sex for real this time? & Further Frustrations

@dramajib: !!!! Just saw some caps on Tumblr and omg do they have sex for real this time?!?!

dramajib: I don't want to watch that!!

@triangularlily: I saw both episodes (tbh I skipped some parts) but I didn't see that

@rocknghorss: no they don't…

rocknghorss: i actually really wanted to talk about Oh Gong with you guys to get your thoughts.

dramajib: In what sense?

rocknghorss: Soo a few eps back when they were dealing with that demon that was killing children and stealing their souls, they didn't show it but Oh Gong punched that demon in the face. This is somewhat in line with his character (I guess?), but it rubbed me the wrong way considering that the other (male-appearing) demons he's helped defeat he didn't beat them up.

rocknghorss: In similar fashion, he loses his temper when Bu Ja takes over SamJang's body and tries to choke her! It seems like a pattern of violence that is made excusable because Oh Gong is technically not human

rocknghorss: Or am I reading too much into it?

triangularlily: Hmmm yeah I think for the two cases you mentioned like I thought it was maybe more cause Sam Jang was threatened by those two which is why he was more violent?? But like idk I don't feel good about it either

triangularlily: Like I just still don't care about the main two

triangularlily: I was only invested in Bu Ja and Ma Wang but Bu Ja isn't around and I'm annoyed by Ma Wang’s story rn idk

dramajib: The violence thing didn't jump out at me. If anything it seems a bit like they're trying to make a point that Oh Gong doesn't differentiate between men and women and demons, but will protect his own at all costs.

dramajib: But now that you've mentioned it, it is interesting that he hasn't gotten that violent with men. Except maybe the henchmen who threw Bu Ja off the roof

rocknghorss: Exactly!

Lagging Leads

dramajib: I like Samjang less and less as the story progresses - we don't get to see her being sassy or smart or anything anymore, she's just this drippy "so in love" mope-er. It doesn't seem fair that Oh Gong gets to be endearing when he's in love by showing his soft side, but she just turns into a wet rag

triangularlily: Yeah like there's nothing wrong with her I just don't care about her story like at all

rocknghorss: Agreed. I think it’s interesting that the Hong Sisters have made Sam Jang less of a person as the story goes along and more of a plot device. They may as well have had Sam Jang be an inanimate object that’s how much her being an actual person with actual feelings matters to the story

rocknghorss: And it’s rather at odds with their previous dramas??

rocknghorss: But at least the writers somewhat shine a light on how bizzare Sam Jang is acting by having her interact with her office manager- he’s the one who’s playing the role of the confused audience it seems to me

dramajib: Maybe they're attempting to distinguish between her Samjang powers and her as a human? So all the importance that anyone places on her is about her lotus blood, but the human Seon Mi is irrelevant?

dramajib: Like I don't think that's coming across very well, but maybe that was the intention?

rocknghorss: Maybe so? But if that’s the case, then why? Like what’s the message here? Is it “Gods/demons etc don’t care about humans”? Cause if so... well that’s been done to death.

dramajib: Maybe Seon Mi rises up above the power of Sam Jang at some point, to give the message of hope and strength or something sappy like that

dramajib: I should become a scriptwriter I'm so amused by my own theories 😂

rocknghorss: Lolol

triangularlily: I like that theory tho Ekta lol. I want to like and care about her as a character cause I feel like the potential is there

triangularlily: And like you said Marie, the Hong sister's usually have really great main characters.

rocknghorss: Yeah! Which is why Sam Jang is so disappointing I guess? Maybe they expended all their energy on Bu Ja lol.

triangularlily: I think it might be that the story is soooooooo complicated and all the side characters have such in depth stories that there just isn't room for a fully fleshed out main couple

rocknghorss: I really think you’re right cause I’m still (despite the shooting stars nonsense and Ma Wang believing in Ah Sa Nyeo’s crap promises 😤) invested in the Iron Fan x Ma Wang plot line

triangularlily: I mean it seems like almost everyone has their own backstory that doesn't necessarily revolve around or have anything to do with the main two.

triangularlily: Which now that I bring that up i realize that there are so many side characters names that I don't know

rocknghorss: Lol. Like the elder! I didn’t know he had a name or any importance until the stars thing!

dramajib: I identified so much with the elder when he was complaining about being put in charge of all the crazy demons

rocknghorss: lol. It felt true to life for you? 😊

dramajib: For real

rocknghorss: :) at least they don’t have magical powers lol

#smk: the discourse #Hwayugi #Oh Yeon Seo #lee se young #lee seung gi #lee hong ki #Lee El #Yoon Bo Ra #Cha Seung Won #we wish SamJang the best #this includes proper character development

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somuchkdrama · 6 years

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Hwayugi ep 11-12 (III)

But Who Kills Whomst?!

@dramajib: Oh also - Kristin, did you mention the mirrors waaaay earlier on in the show? Because I noticed them so much in these two episodes. It’s probably just some artistic license in direction but it was so obvious to me this week

@triangularlily: I might have I don't remember lol but I did notice that too

@rocknghorss: so do either of you think Ma Wang is right about the Oh Gong/Sam Jang issue?

dramajib: That Oh Gong is stringing her along?

rocknghorss: Yupo

dramajib: Hells nah is my vote. He is so smitten.

rocknghorss: lol agreed. But the show is making me worried!! He's smitten but how smitten is he??

dramajib: Like he may try to trick the situation into working for both of them, but if he can't, he's ready to drop. BUT if I understood correctly, the bracelet hurts him when he refuses to do what Samjang tells him to, correct?

rocknghorss: Yup you got it

dramajib: So I'm really hoping this doesn't happen, but it’s still a kdrama so it might - she could find out about this one-of-us-kills-the-other thing, insist he kill her, he might refuse to do it, and then die that way? Although I still think the most likely outcome is that he sacrifices himself in order to stop this apocalypse and then they all get reincarnated

triangularlily: I won't be convinced of the romance until the bracelet comes off, I really wish they would remove it sooner rather than later but at this point I don't think they will

dramajib: Lol I love that we all have such different opinions about this at the moment. The show really improved at the halfway mark, I hope it keeps it up in the second half

triangularlily: I'm definitely enjoying it more

rocknghorss: Me as well. It feels like we’re finally getting to the heart of the story and there’s less of the “baddy of the week” type stuff going on. And I actually really like that they haven’t removed the bracelet because it makes Oh Gong still this sort of unknown element. On the one hand, Ma Wang keeps talking about Oh Gong as if he’s this terrible person, but then Oh Gong is showing his kinder/sweeter side with every episode. So which face is the real one?

dramajib: Well... They also have this weird (but adorable) friendship where they refuse to admit they care about each other, so he could just be saying that for appearances sake?

rocknghorss: Perhaps so!

Is a Rose Still a Rose?

dramajib: But speaking of baddies...

You know how they kept referring to Professor Kang as having the potential to become a king? And then this shaman ghost shows up who used to be the king's shaman? I mean I really don't understand this rose petals thing that's happening, but I assume it's all related somehow?

rocknghorss: Yeah, I guess it has to be or else why do all the foreshadowing? But like, if evil!BuJa makes the Professor a king then is he the final bad guy that Sam Jang will defeat? and maybe if Oh Gong is being mind controlled by the rose petals then he’ll working for the bad guy that Sam Jang has to take down :(

triangularlily: Yeah I don't understand what the shaman’s goal is. I mean she wants to be Sam Jang or something? And the king thing?

rocknghorss: Why isn’t there an emoji for “confused shrug”? Because I’m also lost about the whole shaman-wants-to-be-Sam Jang thing. Does the shaman just want a living body? Or is it because Sam Jang has special powers? Hopefully they’ll explain next episode.

triangularlily: I'm assuming because of the special powers but maybe also because she wants oh gong? Like he is powerful so I'm thinking that's why she wants to control him?? Idk

dramajib: I don't even have any theories to put forward about shaman BuJa. Except that I'm once again impressed by the actress.

#smk: the discourse #hwayugi #oh yeon seo #lee se young #lee el #yoon bo ra #lee seung gi #lee hong ki #cha seung won #can't BuJa catch a break?

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somuchkdrama · 6 years

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Hwayugi - Midpoint Thoughts

@rocknghorss: Since we’re at the halfway point I think, what are you guys predicting is going to happen by the end? Will we get happily ever after, Little Mermaid style, where Oh Gong stops being a monster/deity/whatever the hell he is?

@triangularlily: I have no idea tbh. I mean one of them is supposed to die right? But I feel like there will be some kind of twist. Or loophole with the death thing.

@dramajib: Samjang is supposed to kill Oh Gong, right? But he's a deity, so how does that happen? Unless it's like a reincarnation happy ending? But then there's also the whole stopping-the-end-of-the-world that Samjang is supposed to do - I feel like we're nowhere near understanding that aspect of the story yet. Maybe part of stopping it will involve Samjang asking Oh Gong to make the ultimate sacrifice and die stopping it? And then they get together in the afterlife or some other such cop out which always infuriates me.

rocknghorss: Hmm. I don’t think I’d realized that Sam Jang was supposed to kill Oh Gong?? What would that even accomplish?! 😠

triangularlily: Wait, was that actually confirmed I thought it was just one was fated to kill the other and that they didn't specify

dramajib: Oh! Well the gossipy demon told Oh Gong that Sam Jang would kill him, and the bell was a bit ambiguous, so I just assumed. But you guys might be right, so maybe they die together? Like he can only be alive as long as she is or something silly like that

dramajib: I'm also concerned about what will happen to BuJa - once Samjang stops being Samjang, she basically dies, and I assume if Samjang dies she's not Samjang anymore....... also I hope Ma Wang gets a happy ending, but after Marie's theory earlier I'm thinking there's a strong possibility he doesn't :( Plus, present day Princess seemed to be heading to jail for murder (?) based on that one scene we saw of her in the car... So I'm quite curious to see how he does end up finding her

rocknghorss: I still can't tell what's going to happen to Ma Wang!!! :( I want him and Princess Iron Fan to stop dramatically missing each other, but I'm kind of dreading when he does see her again. Because will she even recognize him? Is he going to be heartbroken all over again?? (And yes, I'm more invested in the relationship between Ma Wang/Iron Fan than I am in the one between our main couple)

triangularlily: I know what you mean, you guys should let me know when you've seen this week's episodes cause i have a lot I want to talk about

#smk: the discourse #hwayugi #Cha Seung Won #lee seung gi #lee el #yoon bo ra #oh yeon seo #lee hong ki #lee se young

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somuchkdrama · 6 years

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Hwayugi ep 9-10 (II)

Ma Wang and Oh Gong and Oh My Princess Iron Fan

@rocknghorss: So random theory time! I just had the thought that Ma Wang is doing all these “good works” so he can become a deity (and get Princess Iron Fan off the hook). But to me it seems that he’s ultimately not going to become a deity, because he’s not doing all these good works from some desire to help out humans.

And in fact, since he’s been messing up one particular human life (Sam Jang’s) he’s really not going to reach his goal.

@dramajib: (genuinely horrified at this point) Oh noooo but Ma Wang!!!

rocknghorss: Lol Don’t worry too much!! My random theories don’t come true very often!

dramajib: If they were both doomed together I think I'd be okay. It seems like she turned evil because she fell in love with him, and then subsequently is being punished. That's awfully harsh isn't it?

And if that's the case shouldn't something similar happen to Samjang for falling in love with Oh Gong? WHO BTW:

a) I love how long it's taking him to realize he needs to be nice, and b) his casual admittance that he would happily break a contract because he's "a bad guy" was a revelation to me and I thought I had him all figured out

rocknghorss: 😳 really?? I need to watch the scenes about Princess Iron Fan again. But yeah, if that’s the case, then that’s awfully harsh. Although it would explain why Summer Fairy was being so rude to Sam. Jang last week

dramajib: I think it's in the bit where Oh Gong brings Ma Wang a drink because he feels bad for bringing her up

rocknghorss: Lol. Is Oh Gong a bad guy tho? I think he’s just a self centered one who may have gotten burned in the past... which is giving me Habaek vibes

Never forgetting the zombie love

dramajib: I almost feel bad for BuJa's killer. First he thinks he killed her with his car, then she comes back so he's all "phew" but then she "dies" on him again and his face in that stairwell - I laughed so hard and then immediately felt like a terrible person for laughing at him.

I figure he can't really be a good upstanding citizen though, since his secretary (?) seemed so nonchalant about killing the two henchmen etc

triangularlily: Yeah he seems so shady and this is like karma lol

#hwayugi #hwayuki #journey to the west #smk: the discourse #cha seung won #lee seung gi #oh yeon seo #lee el #lee se young #lee hong ki

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somuchkdrama · 6 years

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Hwayugi ep 5 & 6 (i)

Is this real love, or is it just fantasy?

@dramajib: I thought the show picked up again in episode 5!

@triangularlily: Yeah some things happened and all that I’m not at all trying to remember rn what happened exactly… lol I think I have short term memory

dramajib’s note: Totally my fault for taking forever to watch these last few episodes!

triangularlily: Was 5 when they went into the movie, with that child ghost?

dramajib: Ya, with all that amazing 1930s fashion.

triangularlily: Yeah I loved the outifts

dramajib: It’s also the one where they start confronting the issue of his feelings being fake, but not really

triangularlily: Yeah I’m glad they are addressing it more. But like he also does actually like her?? Maybe?? As per episode 6s ending?? Maybe we are being baited tho like maybe she just looks like pretty tasty

dramajib: My guess is we won’t see him realize his feelings are real till after he’s had the bracelet off for a while. Because he’ll keep telling himself he can’t possibly love a lowly human, and attribute his feelings to being forced by the power of the bracelet

@rocknghorss: Part of me thinks OhGong is just conditioned to say nice things to her now? And part of me wants to believe that he really is starting to like her

triangularlily: The whole thing just feels wishy washy idk

dramajib: My take on it is that he’s so used to these feelings, and they’ve always come from the bracelets power, so he doesn’t even realize when it stops working and just answers her honestly, without realizing that it’s not because of the bracelet after all. I mean I agree there hasn’t exactly been anything to show us their real feelings for each other developing, but I think they’re sort of cute together regardless?

Monsters and demons and humans

dramajib: It’s very forgiving of me, I know, but it’s in the same vein as the slack I’m cutting Oh Gong for being so ruthless and mean to Ma Wang. Its jarring, but I’m okay attributing that to being a normal friendship between monsters and deities, because they’d have different standards of what is considered going too far for revenge

rocknghorss: I completely agree about the level of animosity Ma Wang and Oh Gong have going. It’s way too aggressive but also seems appropriate for people(?) that have been alive for millennia. I kind of like how hard they are on each other though? All the other monsters/deities are too human, of that makes sense?

dramajib: I really enjoy the moments when they show how un-human they are. Like when Lee El acts like she’s being a badass business secretary but is actually being a badass demon Hunter. Like in episode 5, how she SEEMS to be trying to market Lucifer Entertainment’s CEO, but is actually just checking on that haunted artifact

dramajib: I feel bad because I was so hard on Bride of Habaek, but I’m so chill about this show

rocknghorss: Lol. Let’s chalk it up to the Cha Seung Won factor?? Speaking of whom! He doesn’t really want to eat Sam Jang, it seems to me. It’s more like his “demonic nature” compels him to. And what the guy really wants to do is find that lady

dramajib: The monsters and deities compartmentalizing is really intriguing for me to watch - PK does it too, with his wanting to eat Samjang to get strong, but then helping her and partying with her in the meantime

#smk: the discourse #hwayugi #hwayuki #a korean odyssey #lee seung gi #cha seung won

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somuchkdrama · 6 years

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Hwayugi ep 5 & 6 (ii)

Ma Wang and the Tragic Love Story

@triangularlily: Whenever Ma Wang looks all sad I feel so bad for him and i don’t even know the whole story with the princess iron fan

@rocknghorss: Right? Kinda like with Oh Gong, there must have been a good reason for them to have gotten such intense punishments.

triangularlily: Yeah I’m so curious why and what princess iron fan did too

@dramajib: I am super invested in Ma Wang’s tragic love!!! Every time Oh Gong tells Ma Wang he (Ma Wang) needs to suffer for making him (Oh Gong) suffer, I want to shake him (Oh Gong) because Ma Wang is so obviously already suffering the WORST. And I just know it’s all Oh Gong’s fault. That’s probably why he was being punished in the first place.

dramajib’s note: I apologise for the convoluted text. I was fired up.

dramajib: Also, question - is Ma Wang’s tragic love Princess Iron Fan? Or the Queen Mother person? Or are they the same person? I thought she was the Queen, and Oh Gong has said things like “oh after what I did to her….” which is why I’m so invested in the dynamics between the three of them. Much more so than this supposed end of world apocalypse that Samjang is supposed to prevent

triangularlily: idk I completely missed this queen mother thing

rocknghorss: Me too??

dramajib: It could have been a mistranslation in the subs, or just a reference to the original Journey to the West stories or something. I guess we’ll find out in a couple of weeks!

triangularlily: That reminds me I had wanted to ask, cause u seem a bit familiar Ekta with the Journey to the West story. I’m not familiar with it at all so I was wondering your thoughts on this as an adaption so far

dramajib: I’m not like super familiar with it tbh, I just have vague memories of it being on TV when I was a kid. I did do a quick Wikipedia read to refresh my memory, and I think it’s really clever what they’ve done so far. I don’t know about the actual journey/mission part of it though. I think the main original story is about retrieving lost Buddhist scriptures or something? So I’m not sure how that ties in with Samjang the lady

dramajib: OMG I just googled it and realized Samjang is one of the main characters too. The Chinese Vs Korean names have totally thrown me! That makes this even cleverer of an adaptation so far in my books.

dramajibs’s note: Maybe at a later date I’ll expand on this. We were chatting while I was at work - whoops!

Zombie Girl Fan Club

dramajib: I wasn’t understanding the appeal of the zombie prior to these two episodes but shit she is adorable!

rocknghorss: BuJa is great!! I was irritated when Oh Gong shot down her dreams of reuniting with his family. Even though I understood his point. She’s technically dead and how could normal humans deal with that? I can’t tell if her interactions with that female star are supposed to foreshadow what’s going to happen when BuJa finds her family again or not.

triangularlily: She’s just so cute and I feel like I need to protect her. I am so curious too why she was murdered like was it just a random accident or was it intentional

rocknghorss: That’s a good question! I feel like they’re trying to imply that she was killed on purpose

triangularlily: Yeah with the gangsters and all that and the one guy who she recognised seems suspicious imo

dramajib: oh the one at the gym?

rocknghorss: Hmmm I don’t remember gym guy

triangularlily: It was like super brief, they just showed him and then buja was like I think I remember him. But something about it seemed shady

triangularlily is our resident overachiever ; that kid who always reads ahead in class*

triangularlily: Also before I forget i wanted to bring up the whole son oh gong was betrayed by a human in the past thing. I’m getting bride of the water God flashbacks lol

dramajib: Wait he was??

triangularlily: Uhhh that might have been this week’s episodes now that I think about it shoot. Well spoilers maybe. I just remember ma wang mentioning it in passing

dramajib: Hahaha well I’m planning to watch episode 7 nowww!

*dramajib’s note: I kid <3

#smk: the discourse #hwayugi #hwayuki #a korean odyssey #lee seung gi #cha seung won

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somuchkdrama · 6 years

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Hwayugi 17-18 (II)

@dramajib I don't see how they're going to wrap all this up without it feeling anticlimactic honestly. Like the last we hear is that Oh Gong, by defeating the Geumganggo on his own, has created an opportunity to change fate. Which fits in with the Son Oh Gong of legends who is constantly defying the gods and the restrictions they try to impose on him

dramajib: But given how Sam Jang's duty/task has been this huge overarching driving force, I just don't see how they'll build it up enough in two episodes and knock it down without it just being another "haha jk easy fix" thing

dramajib: Another thing I wanna talk about is Ma Wang and also Bu Ja so holla when you guys are up

@rocknghorss: About Ma Wang... I’m feeling sympathetic toward him again

@triangularlily: Can I just say I wasn't paying too much attention to the episode and I was about ready to quit when I thought they had actually killed the secretary dog whose name I'm forgetting

triangularlily I was like THIS IS THE LAST STRAW

rocknghorss Lolol

A Potentially Boring Ending?

rocknghorss: I was worried but then I realized that this show has never killed or seriously injured any of the main characters

rocknghorss: Kinda like what Ekta was saying earlier, the ending is probably going to be wildly boring unless they don’t let Oh Gong circumvent fate after all and Sam Jang kills him

rocknghorss I think her name is Secretary Ma btw

triangularlily: Ok I thought that's what it was too

triangularlily: Maybe there will be some kind of twist like I haven't found the show really that predictable maybe because it's so wacky

rocknghorss: Wacky is a good word for it

triangularlily: Also I know I kept harping on about wanting the guegensjskaong bracelet thing off but like it's too late at this point I think their romance won't ever do it for me

triangularlily: Like I am glad his feelings are real but it's just too late at this point

rocknghorss: His feelings are real but what are they based on is my issue!? Because the version 1.0 model forced obedience upon whoever wore it

triangularlily: Yeah that is a good point

triangularlily: Actually a really interesting idea that probably won't be explored in the show

triangularlily: Like for me they must never developed the romance/their feelings like they put the bracelet on and tada! he loves her! Like how am I supposed to be invested or believe in that

triangularlily: In the beginning of the show I thought maybe they would take the bracelet off and then they would kind of start over in their relationship and fall in love for real like sometimes what kdramas do with amnesia plots but like that's not what happened

rocknghorss: Their romance I think is really tough to believe cause of what you said earlier and also because they don’t really know each other. Who is Jin Seon Mi really? All I know about her is that she really likes the fact that there’s finally someone who likes her despite (or because of?) her magical powers. And that’s a sad basis for a relationship.

dramajib: I think that’s a good point - I don’t have trouble believing their feelings for each other, but I just don’t care. And that’s mostly because Seon Mi as a character hasn’t been fleshed out. This sudden “I’m going to empty my heart of love and save the world” thing just makes no sense to me, it just seems like a way to keep the story moving

triangularlily: I think they def are just trying to keep the story moving. I was glad tho that she seems to be the only one who cares about Bu Ja rather than PK rn

triangularlily: Also I rather wish she had powers since the beginning I kind of like that addition to her character even if it’s just more of a plot device

dramajib: Back to Ma Wang for a quick sec - I wondered if him being so gullible and easy to trick had anything to do with him being the (a?) devil. Combined with how he’s so softhearted just seems like an interesting personality choice for this character. Like we do see him being cold and harsh, but it never last very long and he’s obviously the biggest softy and everyone knows it.

rocknghorss: Ma Wang, kinda like Oh Gong, is ultimately harmless. They’ve even dialed back Ah Sa Nyeo’s diabolical plans and made her seem almost sympathetic. i really hope that whatever plan Oh Gong has up his sleeve also is meant to save BuJa too— it’s irritating that it’s only been PK and Octopus(?) that have seemed to care for the last ~8 episodes.

rocknghorss: Oh yeah, and Seon Mi too, when the writers let her care about something other than Oh Gong

triangularlily: I’m just really worried they’re gonna give the shaman some kind of redemption arc and she like agrees to be burned or something and BuJa just is like gone

rocknghorss: Let’s hope not!!!

rocknghorss: Also, going back to what you said last week Kristin… this show has so many side plots! It’s pretty amazing that they’re all fairly (?) relevant to the overall plot. Even Jason (that was his name right?) had a part to play in showing that Seon Mi could have a fairly normal human life if she found the right person.

triangularlily: Yeah, I think maybe that’s why it’s not living up to my expectations of a Hong sister’s drama. I think it’s too complicated and maybe because it’s an adaption of something. Maybe they’re just a lot better at writing their own stories.

rocknghorss: that’s an interesting idea. I never thought of it like that. They also did an adaptation of Chunhyang back in the day right?

triangularlily: Oh idk. I haven’t seen it!

rocknghorss: Well all I really recall about it is that it was boring lol.

triangularlily: Well maybe I’m right then lol

rocknghorss: Ekta will you tell me what you meant earlier about Ma Wang being a/the devil and being gullible?

dramajib: I just noticed that of all the characters, he seems to be the one who gets painted as this dumb foolish guy a lot, someone you can easily put one over

dramajib: Like even with PK, it’s only the BuJa angle that allows him to be manipulated. But with Ma Wang it’s love, and then pride, and envy and family, and whole gamut of things that let people lead him on and allow him to be very susceptible to suggestion

dramajib: I mean, yes, he does eventually catch on and shake it off and get back to bad business, but mostly there’s this quality of gullibility attached to him that we don’t really see in the other characters as much - and it made me think about how in all the folk stories we always hear about the devil being tricked or outsmarted so that good triumphs over evil in the end.

dramajib: I know the other characters do get tricked and manipulated too, the main premise of the show is supposed to be about Seon Mi and Oh Gong’s feelings being manipulated, but it doesn’t have that same quality of “look how stupid this creature is lol” to it as it does with Ma Wang… Or maybe that’s just be being partial to Cha Seung Won again

rocknghorss: No lol. I don’t think it’s the CSW bias. I guess my only point of contention (if it can even be called that) is that as the devil, Ma Wang may be doing such a poor job at tempting people and is so easily tricked himself is because he’s a devil who was trying to become a deity.

dramajib: Re BuJa (because I was asleep when you guys discussed it, because time zones ugh): I wonder if her mom actually died, or was just transferred somewhere else. The translations for that bit seemed a bit off.

dramajib: If they are giving Ah Sa Nyeo a redemption arc, maybe she’ll sacrifice her soul to make BuJa human again or something like that. it still seems a bit unsatisfactory though. I will be sad to not get BuJa back, but can’t think of a way for them to do it that wouldn’t frustrate me. Unless she comes back, stays a zombie, but becomes a pop star and the energy she gets from her concerts keep her going?

dramajib: I want her to do it on her own, you know? Not just because someone helped her. As sweet as PK is with her. But he mentioned something about hoping Ah Sa Nyeo becomes good so he can make her his little sister too, so who knows how things are going to go.

rocknghorss: Bu Ja did want to become a popstar didn’t she? I’d forgotten about that. But in terms of Ah Sa Nyeo and redemption, my prediction is that she’ll get one and it’ll paint her in a super sympathetic light and Prof. Kang will go down (but not die!) and somehow BuJa will be reincarnated.

triangularlily: I just want BuJa back somehow and not forgotten

#hwayugi #smk: the discourse #lee seung gi #lee el #cha seung won #oh yeon seo #lee se young

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somuchkdrama · 6 years

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Hwayugi eps 3 & 4

@dramajib: There were lots of things that I both liked and didn’t like. I think my favourite so far is Oh Gong’s reaction to this love spell. Like he knows his emotions are illogical and he keeps trying to logic his way out of it but that doesn’t make his pain any less real.

@triangularlily: What were some of the things you didn’t like? I think for me I just still don’t know how I feel about it like I really like some parts and feel so iffy about others

dramajib: Same I think! One of the reasons I took so long to watch it was because I just wasn’t as excited. The two week break probably didn’t help very much. Once I got about halfway through episode 3 I was back in the groove though - although the episodes still do feel very long

dramajib: I kinda like how they’re bringing lots of elements in at once, like the zombie and the gluttonous spirit, and her family, and all of that, where most shows would introduce them sequentially, one episode at a time, and play them out one by one. I’m a bit concerned about how this will affect the narrative later on in the series because I for one am definitely going to get confused

triangularlily: Yeah i agree, I don’t understand how the story is functioning it doesn’t really feel like a cohesive plot but like a ridiculous reality tv show or something

triangularlily: And like I love romance and I don’t ship the main two like at all… I am hoping it’ll change because I mean his feels are fake but they keep having these like classic kdrama moments with overly sappy music and normally I’d be all for that but his feelings are literally fake….

triangularlily: But I still am really enjoying Cha Seung Won and his secretary and the zombie girl

dramajib: I actually really like that they play up the fact that his feelings are fake. Because it’s going to be fun eventually seeing him come to terms with the fact that they’re not. But yeah, Samjang romance-wise is not my favourite. She’s otherwise a pretty interesting character but everytime we swerve into the romance zone I start spacing out

dramajib: I also don’t like the whole end of world going to sacrifice someone storyline yet. And sometimes the show is a bit too cheesy?

triangularlily: Yeah I’ve also found myself cringing from second hand embarrassment

rocknghorss: I feel pretty awful confessing this, but I was wildly bored watching eps 3&4

rocknghorss: there are bits that have made me chuckle (like zombie girl being the cause of her murderers(?) deaths) but I’m just not at all invested in Samjang or Oh Gong or Ma Wang

triangularlily: Yeah that’s fair I’m not invested in the plot so i haven’t been like super quick to watch the new episodes

rocknghorss: Yeah. I’m not sure what it is. A few years back, I think a show like this that is campy af, that has a neat little twist on the cohabitation trope and loads of very well done supernatural elements would have been my jam

rocknghorss: But I don’t want to be too much of negative Nancy! :)

triangularlily: More than anything I just wanted to love this drama from the get go cause I have really loved everything else I’ve seen by the Hong sister’s do it’s disappointing… But we are only 6 episodes in and it’s not all bad so I’m trying to stay positive too

rocknghorss: Yup!

#smk: the discourse #hwayugi #hwayuki #lee seung gi #a korean odyssey #cha seung won

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somuchkdrama · 6 years

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Hwayugi - Episodes 1 & 2

Hi everyone, SMK is back with another group dissection of an ongoing drama. We’ve picked yet another fantasy-esque show, and what with all the broadcasting issues and delays, I’m just hoping we haven’t cursed what looks set to be like a really fun lead in to 2018! - dramajib

First thoughts

@dramajib: ahhh I just finished the first episode. I really liked it. Although it was a bit long.

@rocknghorss: So I’m guessing all the episodes are going to be 90 minutes now. Which is nice, I guess, but I definitely felt like both ep 1 and ep 2 could have neatly ended at the 1 hour point

@triangularlily: Yeah that is long

dramajib: I haven't watched the second episode yet. I’ll catch up tonight when I'm home from work! Was it good?

triangularlily: Yeah?

triangularlily: Tbh idk

dramajib: lol so far I'm excited just by getting to see Cha Seung Won on screen again. I feel like it's been ages since I last watched something of his

triangularlily: Yeah he's great

rocknghorss: Yeah he is doing a good job being a dork :D

rocknghorss: I’m having fun seeing Seung Gi too though. Tbh I’ve always been kind of ambivalent about his acting skills but he felt pretty believable! Right now my verdict is that the show is silly but has promise?

triangularlily: It's def not bad and I have fun watching I just don't really know how I feel about it overall

Favourite things

dramajib: oh my gosh guys I just finished the second episode. Marie, you're right about both the episodes being able to end neatly at the 1 hour mark. I actually paused right around then during both episodes because I was sure we must be near the end and was taken aback at how much time was left. Not that the story isn't fun or engaging, but it really would be more watchable for me in one hour runs.

dramajib: Also I totally gave myself a mini brush up on the journey to the west story and I think I kind of love how they're mixing this up? Like you can see lots of elements in completely different ways but they're still sort of making sense?

triangularlily: I really am enjoying the fantasy elements of the show. I love all the different supernatural characters and details. Like that cute kettle.

dramajib: The other thing I love so far - the costumes. So over the top and plush and silly but I genuinely love it. I'm curious to see if her outfits become less prudish as the show and her character evolves

dramajib: But really my favourite thing of all is Cha Seung Won's ridiculously weird Willy Wonka in this show. I can't.

Concerns

dramajib: But yeah, I'm also torn about how I feel about it. Like, so far, I really like it, but it has real potential to turn too campy and go down the wrong side of weird.

dramajib: Alsooo..... I feel like I mentioned this during Bride of Habaek as well but like, if blood is the trigger what happens during her period? And can they all smell her regardless? Like with Cha Seung Won's character sniffing her shoe (so gross btw) and the demon in the picture not wanting to let her get away - she wasn't bleeding, but they still smelled it, so why doesn't that drive the demons crazy the way her blood does?

triangularlily: lol the blood again, that is a good point tho. There does seem to be a few plot holes. Like I don’t understand how she protected herself before this, because she told him she has been protecting herself but when she is in danger she seems to helpless.

rocknghorss: Kristin I’m totally with you about the whole protecting herself thing!

dramajib: Yeah you’d think she’d be a little more adept with that brolly but she keeps letting demons just grab it before she can brandish it properly

rocknghorss: I really want to see a flashback to her learning how to protect herself and using her “curse” to become a real estate agent! How’d she even think of turning her torment into a money making venture lol

dramajib: hahaha yes. I like that she’s rich though! Makes a nice break from all the struggling broke girls who need saving

rocknghorss: lol very true

dramajib: Also I hope her employee gets lots of screen time.

rocknghorss: Yeah! Kim Sung Oh is always great.

rocknghorss: And I wasn’t expecting to see Lee El :D she and Cha Seung Won are hilarious together

dramajib: Oh gosh yes! The constant “should I kill him?”s are so good

rocknghorss: lol they are

#smk: the discourse #hwayugi #cha seung won #lee seung gi #lee el #kim sung oh

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somuchkdrama · 7 years

Text

Bride of Habaek, Ep 11 & 12

Loose Ends

@dramajib: If this were a regular drama, we'd be at the point where our main leads are angstily separated because one or both of them are being stupid and "noble"

dramajib: Except in this case it's more like they're just living out the inevitable and getting separated

dramajib: So we've got four episodes left to find out a) why/how HaBaek came back, and whether he has his powers back, b) wtf is going on with these drama queen gods, c) how our main leads are going to have a happily ever after, d) what happens to Hoo Ye, e) what happened to So Ah's dad....

dramajib: am I missing anything?

@rocknghorss: no that's about all of it

rocknghorss: i don't think we have enough time to cover everything and cover it well

dramajib: I think I'm most invested in finding out b, d, and e (in that order). Again - this show is so poorly titled. I don't care at all about the bride business

rocknghorss: Yeah, a more appropriate title would be "5 people deal with their baggage"

rocknghorss: or some variation on that theme

@triangularlily: Lol so true

dramajib: Hahaha for real. I would watch that show

dramajib: Oh. I wonder what Joo Dong so urgently went off to do?

rocknghorss: Oh! I'd forgotten about him. Where'd he have to go so urgently right after regaining his memories? perhaps to find the little girl?

Popular Appeal

dramajib: I feel like a lot of people are watching this even when they’re not necessarily super into it. Has it been hyped a lot on things like Soompi and Dramafever?

rocknghorss: On soompi the thread has thousands upon thousands of views. But I haven't actually checked it to see what people are thinking.

rocknghorss: On tumblr tho, there are gifs with hundreds of likes, which makes me think that at least some people might be enjoying the actors faces if nothing else

dramajib: Yeah, like my friend that i met recently was watching it, but she said she reads recaps more often than actually watching the show

dramajib: And the tags i see on tumblr hint at people feeling similarly. I just thought it was interesting that so many people are just casually interested in it when usually shows with large followings have very dedicated fans. Like... People who are super emotionally invested in it, you know? Whereas this doesn’t seem to have as deep a connection for many people, but it hasn’t negatively affected viewership as a whole

triangularlily: I think a lot of people at least on Tumblr dropped the show though. there were a lot more posts about the show in the first few weeks and now there's barely any in the tag

rocknghorss: Yeah. The show is fairly underwhelming. Much of what I think is interesting about it: SoAh's inner strength, the stuff about mental illness, a lot of the stuff about the gods and the mythology is like barely touched on.

rocknghorss: Which makes me sad, cause I feel like focusing on things besides the romance would've made the show more exciting

triangularlily: Same I agree

What Could Have Been

dramajib: Sigh. It makes me a little sad that the show has so much potential but doesn't seem to be maximising on that

dramajib: Like... in the water realm. How come HaBaek switches between being a child and being a grown up? What kind of power is that?

dramajib: Or that amazing supporting cast of minor gods and goddesses - I would have capitalized on that and made them a bigger part of the show

rocknghorss: Nope. That's a show we can't have… for reasons…

rocknghorss: I'm curious now, how this is doing in Korea.

rocknghorss: oh, it's doing fairly well?? 3.2% of ppl are watching it on TVN

dramajib: hmm.

rocknghorss: that's good for cable I think?

dramajib: I suppose being familiar with the mythology helps

rocknghorss: perhaps, although much of this could be made up entirely.

dramajib: And I mean, it's not a BAD show

rocknghorss: it's not an engrossing show either tho

dramajib: Huh. Apparently So Ah's role was first offered to Moon Chae Won

rocknghorss: uhh…

dramajib: That would have been a DRAMATICALLY different show

rocknghorss: exactly!! wow.

rocknghorss: oh well. can't cry over a missed opportunity

triangularlily: Ugh I just was so excited about this show and I tried so hard to like it

dramajib: I do still like it

dramajib: Not as much as I'd hoped, but I don't regret watching it

rocknghorss: I'd like it a whole lot more if this was the tvn of the past that did like 45 minute episodes.

dramajib: same actually, that's a great point. Some of the episodes, especially the later ones, have dragged a bit

triangularlily: And I don't hate it I just really wanted it to be amazing

dramajib: I think it's just very inconsistent - the good bits are really good, but there aren't enough of them to sustain every episode. As it stands, I'd give this about a 7.5 so far? Because the secondary storylines and characters are very strong, even if the romance is a bomb

rocknghorss: hm. I think I'd give it a 6.5: secondary characters/story are interesting, but ultimately not expanded upon and the central storyline (ignoring the romance bit) is all over the place

rocknghorss: i guess i can't say ultimately until we get to episode 16, so I take that back

dramajib: lol. Well we've got two weeks to find out how this goes!

rocknghorss: yup! it's going to be a good last 4 eps I'm hoping.

triangularlily: I honestly have no idea what I think of it rn

dramajib: lol Kristin! I feel bad cos you were the one most excited about this and now you seem like a kid all sad at their own birthday party

rocknghorss: ^lol. it's ok kristin.

dramajib: The cake is yet to brought out! Things might look up!

triangularlily: I'm glad at least we are discussing this, it's helping me I think with my disappointment lol

rocknghorss: Mine too :)

triangularlily: Cause I remember some of the good stuff rather than just the lingering meh feeling

rocknghorss: exactly! although if our next show we watch together is consistently good, that would be nice lol

So, you know, send us some suggestions on something great to watch together!

Also, keep an eye out for the upcoming drama exchange, starting soon!

Next up: Bride of Habaek, Episodes 13 & 14

#smk: the discourse #bride of habaek #bride of the water god #nam joo hyuk #shin se kyung #f(x) krystal #gong myung #im joo hwan

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