Boys Before Flowers: Episode 5
by javabeans
Our trend continues: A couple surprisingly good scenes, and then some really bad ones.
Overall, I thought Episode 5 was a pleasant one — not too challenging but had its fun moments — with lots of gorgeous scenery.
Also, folks, since commenting has been prolific with regards to this drama: Keep it clean and keep it to the point, please! Comments are welcome, positive or negative, but when they veer into flaming or trolling territory, they get deleted. I don’t usually mod comments much but I think I’m going to have to start.
Thanks!
SONG OF THE DAY
Boys Before Flowers OST – “Paradise” by T-MAX, which is the group Kim Joon (Woo-bin) is a member of. [ Download ]
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EPISODE 5 RECAP
Jan-di’s bike is set on fire, while she is assaulted with water balloons and blasted with a fire extinguisher. Seriously, are these Shinhwa kids all sociopaths? Regular bullying and taunting is bad enough, but they seem to be particularly malicious — like in Episode 1, when everyone watched the guy about to commit suicide and found it entertaining.
After being spurned by Jun-pyo and abused by her classmates, Jan-di tries to maintain a fierce exterior but is near her breaking point. She thinks to herself, “Please stop. Help me.” That plea is directed at Ji-hoo, since he’d come to her rescue several times in the past. She knows he can’t save her now, but pleads internally, “Nobody’s coming. But still… please…”
But she is not alone, because she has Jun-pyo! He bursts in on the scene, furiously shoving her tormenters away and beating them up (rather violently, I might add).
Jun-pyo kneels and takes Jan-di into his arms, saying, “I’m sorry.” Picking her up, he walks away from the now-subdued crowd.
Jan-di, thinking of the hotel pictures, tells him, “I didn’t do it, really.” He tells her, “It doesn’t matter. So keep your mouth shut.” She mumbles, “You still don’t believe me, do you?” Jun-pyo, looking upset with himself, says, “I do, I believe you!”
(I’m a little annoyed at how they took this potentially great scene and totally ruined it with ridiculous cheesy music. It’s so tragic and heartbroken, you’d think they both found out they had cancer or something. With 90 days left to live. And are also siblings.)
Back at his mansion, Jun-pyo insists on tending to her wounds himself. When she tries to take over, he asks, “Wanna sit still, or wanna be tied up?” (Why Jun-pyo, you say that like it’s a bad thing.)
Now that she’s safe, they can get back to their mating dance bickering: he reproaches her for not learning from the past and letting herself be bullied, saying she must have the learning ability of an orangutan. They argue some more until he takes a towel to wipe Jan-di’s face, and his heart starts pounding.
Rattled, Jun-pyo shoves the towel in her face and tells her to do it, then walks outside, where he clutches his heart and takes a deep breath. (So. Sweet.)
After tracing the guy in the photos to Oh Min-ji (who masterminded the plan), Yi-jung and Woo-bin now deliver Min-ji to Jun-pyo, along with her kindergarten yearbook. Inside, Min-ji’s picture has been scratched out, which takes them to a kindergarten flashback to explain why Min-ji would have done such a thing:
Cute Little Ji-hoo — wearing all white, of course! — is playing the violin, and faking it just as badly as Grown-up Ji-hoo. Little Yi-jung is playing with clay, and Little Woo-bin is counting his fake money with the board game Life. HA.
But they don’t have anything on Little Jun-pyo, who is OMG so adorable. And also afraid of bugs. Attacked by a buzzing insect, he tries to shoo it away, when Min-ji joins in and swats at the bug with her sketchbook. She assures Jun-pyo that the bug is gone now and looks at him hopefully. He catches a glimpse of the page she’d been drawing, which shows a couple labeled with their names. (She’s supposed to be ugly, which they’ve enhanced with makeup and freckles.)
Offended, Little Jun-pyo throws the sketchbook down and stomps on it. He demands, “How dare an ugly thing like you consider me for a husband?” It’s kind of weird hearing such harsh words come out of the mouth of babes, but I suppose that’s the point; he tells her to get lost, that he will never like her.
Min-ji recounts how that after that day, she was ashamed to be seen. She ended up going to Germany and underwent multiple surgeries and intense pain: “Do you know how I put up with it? That look on your face. The look when you ran away from me like I was some bug or a monster. I haven’t forgotten a moment.”
Jun-pyo has been eyeing Min-ji with cold contempt, but at this, he says, “I don’t remember, but I’m sorry for it.” Min-ji protests, “No! That’s not it. The words I want to hear from you aren’t that you’re sorry!”
Crying now, she approaches Jun-pyo: “Look at me. Aren’t I pretty? I’ve become so pretty. Don’t you want me? I came back for you. This is the moment I’ve been dreaming of. Tell me you want me!”
Coolly, Jun-pyo responds, “I feel sorry for you. Do you know why? You’re still a monster, like you were then. No — you’re worse now. The kid back then still had a good heart.”
(GREAT SCENE. Lee Shi-young as Min-ji is very good, showing how she’s been twisted as a result of the trauma without being over-the-top eeeevil, and the whole exchange is well-played. For those of us who’ve started thinking Jun-pyo is all warm and fuzzy, this is a great reminder that even if he’s not wrong, he can still be so cold as to be cruel. I suppose this means that it’s not as though Jun-pyo is exceptionally cruel to Min-ji when he’s normally so warm; it’s the reverse — he’s exceptionally warm with Jan-di when he’s normally so cold-hearted.)
Jan-di’s been put in a spare room and wears his pajamas. Jun-pyo has taken the liberty of calling her parents (if she went home in her condition, they’d freak out) and throwing away her clothes. She shouts at him for getting rid of perfectly mendable clothing, at which he claps a hand over her mouth and says, “It sounds like you ate the heart of a train.” She corrects his misspoken adage: “It’s a train smokestack!” (He laughs that she’s wrong — you can’t eat a smokestack!)
There’s a moment when he leans over Jan-di, freaking her out, but it turns out he’s not making a pass but grabbing the first aid kit. Again, he tends to her injuries.
By the time he’s done patching her up, Jan-di has fallen asleep. He tucks her in, then leans down and presses a kiss to her forehead.
After he leaves, Jan-di opens her eyes.
In the morning, Jan-di awakens to find the staff at her disposal. Jun-pyo has ordered his butler to find exact replicas of everything that had been thrown away, with the exception of one thing: her bicycle.
Unable to find the exact same model, the butler parades a whole roomful of bicycles out for her appraisal. She tries them out with excitement, but then sees the price tag: 18 million won ($13,000). Her bike was much, much cheaper and very ordinary.
To encourage her to accept the expensive gift, the butler diplomatically asks her to be tolerant of the difference (like it’s doing HIM a favor) because they couldn’t find the exact match.
While Jan-di eats (a lavish, gourmet) breakfast, Jun-pyo pays a visit to Jan-di’s place.
The family is thrilled (and flustered) to receive him, and serve him a very plain breakfast. The foods are common, everyday dishes, but the Almighty Jun-pyo has never eaten anything like it, and he tries them cautiously after inspecting each one quizzically.
At school, the fickle crowd embraces Jan-di again, since (1) Jun-pyo came to her rescue and (2) there’s a new target to gang up on: Min-ji. The Catty Trio (Hateful Threesome? Evil Troika? Wicked Wenches? Vicious Bishes?) crowd Jan-di, faking concern over how much Min-ji hurt her. They rip on Min-ji for her surgeries, saying, “If I looked like her, I would’ve killed myself already.”
Not amused, Jan-di turns to them and points out, “You guys buy whatever you want, but beauty doesn’t count? You’ve all done plastic surgery too, but you mock Min-ji for it? It’s okay for pretty girls to use it to be prettier, but not for an ugly person?”
Jan-di turns to leave as Min-ji steps up quietly, eyes lowered: “I won’t ask you to forgive me.” Jan-di slaps her.
Min-ji adds, “I can’t say I’m sorry either.” Jan-di slaps her again and says she shouldn’t expect to be forgiven.
But when Jan-di comes to her desk, she finds the stuffed sheep there bearing a new message: “Jan-di, thanks. Let’s meet again.” Min-ji sings the song Jan-di once sang to make her feel better, which brings a smile to Jan-di’s face.
Jun-pyo has an announcement to make: Jan-di is now officially his girlfriend. The Gin-Sun-Mi trio collapses in disbelief and Jan-di protests, but she’s ignored while the rest of the students clap and hoot.
Jun-pyo adds, “From now on, I’ll take anything you say or do to Jan-di as an act against me, so don’t mess around.”
And then, Ji-hoo makes his reappearance.
Though everyone’s glad to have him back, this puts Jan-di into a gloomy mood. Ga-eul wonders if she’s over Ji-hoo now that Jun-pyo’s in the picture, which Jan-di denies is the reason for her distress. She worries that something feels different about Ji-hoo.
At home, the entire apartment has been crammed full of new appliances and furniture — courtesy of Jun-pyo. The whole family is ecstatic — they even had to turn some of it away because it wouldn’t fit through their doors — but Jan-di finds this wildly inappropriate.
Too enamored of the extravagance, her parents try to justify it through excuses (i.e., returning it looks bad for Jun-pyo, it would be rude), but she’s not having it.
Jan-di storms into the F4 recreation room, which has a few extra female guests today. She yells at Jun-pyo for ordering new things for her family without even telling her, and he completely misses the point by asking, “Was there something you didn’t like? Tell me and I’ll switch it.” After all, he’s her boyfriend.
She retorts, “Are you like that with all your girlfriends? Did you buy them clothes and cars and swap out all their furniture? In a little while you’ll be getting me a new house too, I bet.”
He says thoughtfully, “Actually, I was going to start with the new house, but Mr. Jung stopped me and told me to do it later since it’s attached to the dry cleaner’s.”
Jan-di reminds him, “I told you that you can’t buy friends, that you bond through your feelings. I don’t know how you were with all your previous girlfriends, but stuff like this pisses me off!”
He answers, “I don’t have any previous girlfriends.” At that, Jan-di’s ire deflates, and she says she can let it go this time — but he’d better watch it!
Looking around, Jan-di seems perturbed to see Ji-hoo flirting with a group of girls, although Yi-jung and Jun-pyo think it’s good to see him acting like a person instead of just sleeping all the time.
Sensing that things with Seo-hyun may have not gone well in Paris, Jan-di asks him when he’s going back. He has no plans to.
Asking whether she’s really dating Jun-pyo, Ji-hoo muses, “Was I too late? I was going to ask you to date me.” Jan-di’s shocked, but he smiles and tells her it was a joke. He suggests, “Then what about dating behind Jun-pyo’s back?” which she again takes for real. He laughs that she’s the same as ever, then says, “I missed you” as he leaves.
Jun-pyo sneaks up on Jan-di on her way to her job, laughing to see how excited she is to find a coin on the ground (which he dropped).
Armed with a mysterious mission, Jun-pyo grabs Jan-di and drags her along on an errand, which doesn’t turn out to be an errand so much as it’s a shopping spree. (To ensure that they have the run of the department store, Jun-pyo sets off a fire alarm, which sends everyone running to evacuate and leaves them alone.) He entrusts the next part of his plan to Yi-jung.
I love how seriously Yi-jung bursts in on the restaurant to get Ga-eul. He tells her to hurry; it’s an emergency. Ga-eul guesses, “Has something happened to Jan-di?” She frets over the possibility of an accident, to which Yi-jung tells her grimly, “If we’re late, you might not get to see her. Hurry!”
So when Jan-di and Ga-eul are driven onto the tarmac of a private runway and deposited at a private jet — where F4 awaits — they’re completely baffled. Jun-pyo announces, “We’re going on a trip.”
Jan-di sputters, no way! But what about her parents? How can she leave so suddenly?
Jun-pyo replies, proud of himself, that he’s already gotten her parents’ permission, and to keep them from worrying, he brought along her best friend, too. (He’s even made allowances for her job, providing a staff of modelesque waitresses to replace the girls, who bring in a wave of new customers.)
Jan-di can’t believe he wouldn’t even ask her first, or find out when she can make time for a trip. Jun-pyo responds, “I wanted to go someplace nice together, all the preparations were made, and it’s not like Korea will be in trouble without you. What’s the problem?”
And then, they’re in New Caledonia. It really is gorgeous.
After arriving at the Shinhwa private resort, the group goes sight-seeing and browsing.
Outside one particular shop, Jan-di spies Ji-hoo taking a look at a potted flower. After he leaves, Jan-di takes a closer look, so the flower girl gives it to her with the instructions: “Give it to your lover.” (The scene is kind of random, but I mention it because I suspect it will come into play later…)
The girls wander by a fortune-teller who is purported to be extremely accurate, and have Jan-di’s palm read. The woman foretells, “I see a man. Your future husband.” Not only that, but he’s here with her: “A soulmate.”
Ga-eul thinks that’s great — that means Jan-di will marry her soulmate. But the woman contradicts her, saying, “Two different men” — Jan-di’s soulmate and husband are not the same man.
The woman finishes with one last bit: “You’re losing something important, as a woman.” The girls wonder what that means, then shriek, their minds jumping to (probably) sex.
And then, Jan-di wakes up. It was all a dream!
Still, it’s creepy and realistic, and with the woman’s last words on her mind, Jan-di panics when Jun-pyo takes her away, jumping to the conclusion that he’s just trying to get her alone to make some moves. Jun-pyo asks Yi-jung to watch after Ga-eul, which is how Yi-jung gets reluctantly stuck with her.
Following their initial encounter, I think Yi-jung has convinced himself he dislikes Ga-eul. He sees her posing goofily and disdains that she’s acting like a corny tourist. Undaunted, Ga-eul suggests taking a hike to the top of a hill, which does not interest Yi-jung in the least.
Ga-eul goes off anyway but shortly thereafter lets out a scream. Yi-jung runs after her, looking around worriedly, when Ga-eul appears and asks, “Aren’t you glad you came up here?”
Ga-eul tells Yi-jung that it’s his punishment for lying and tricking them into coming on the trip, to which Yi-jung says that it wasn’t a complete lie. “It seems like it’s just a matter of time before the two of them get into trouble.” (His wording can mean any kind of trouble, but hints at the, er, hormonally driven variety.)
Ga-eul is immediately concerned: “No!” He laughs at her wild imagination.
Meanwhile, Jun-pyo takes Jan-di along a stretch of deserted beach. During the walk, Jan-di imagines all sorts of wild possibilities and warns Jun-pyo not to indulge in any dark, ulterior motives. Thus she is shocked to see him bringing her to a simple, lovely table set for two.
Jun-pyo tells her she acts tough but is pretty shocked at little things. Jan-di: “This is a little thing?” She marvels that it’s like magic: “Are you a genie?” Jun-pyo’s jealousy flares: “Who the hell is he? Is he better than me?” Jan-di clarifies that she meant the genie from Aladdin, who could do almost everything save three things: He couldn’t kill, raise people from the dead, or make someone fall in love against their will.
The last part seems to get through to Jun-pyo, although he’d previously insisted that people could be bought (and his actions all episode long have been proof of that).
Jun-pyo puts in a phone call to Jan-di’s family, who urge her to have a fun time and not worry about them. Afterward, Jun-pyo sees her subdued reaction and wonders, “Did I do something wrong?” It looks like she’s about to cry.
Jan-di answers, “It’s because it’s so nice here. I wondered when my parents would have a chance to come to a place like this. My family would love to see it.” Jun-pyo: “Let’s come with them. We can come back with your family.”
And then, Jun-pyo walks toward the water, unbuttoning his shirt, and announces it’s time to get down to business.
COMMENTS
I think one (perhaps unexpected) problem that may be emerging is that Lee Min-ho is so appealing as Jun-pyo that it kind of renders the love triangle moot. It also makes you want to yell at Jan-di for being drawn toward Ji-hoo at all when he has about one-tenth the charisma of Jun-pyo — plus there’s also the added part about how it’s so obvious that Jun-pyo totally adores her. Sure, his courtship is a little clumsy, and I think she was justified hating him through the first two episodes, but now he’s shown himself to be downright sweet (at times).
On the other hand, the “money can’t buy love” issue is something I’m looking forward to seeing unfold, because it usually gets glossed over in the Cinderella dramas. And as much as Jun-pyo’s actions are well-intentioned (and aww-inducing for us viewers), he really is just throwing money at Jan-di, proud of showing her what his name and wealth can give her. Naturally, she’s impressed at the resort (and the plane, and the clothes), but I don’t think she even sees Jun-pyo for his money; she just sees him as a guy.
RELATED POSTS
- Kim So-eun earns praise for double duty
- Behind the scenes with Kim Bum in New Caledonia
- Flower boy power
- Boys Before Flowers: Episode 4
- Boys Before Flowers: Episode 3
- Overnight star Lee Min-ho awash in CF offers
- Cast members featured on Boys Before Flowers OST
- Boys Before Flowers: Episode 2
- Boys Before Flowers: Episode 1
Tags: Boys Before Flowers, Gu Hye-sun, Kim Bum, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Joon, Lee Min-ho
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1 Pups
January 19, 2009 at 8:35 PM
I actually feel more excited seeing Yi-Jung and Ga Eul together.
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2 all4movies
January 19, 2009 at 8:35 PM
omo, I have been practically holding my breath until you posted.
I think I'm seriously addicted.
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3 Rebeca
January 19, 2009 at 8:40 PM
The episodes are getting better and better
but i agree with your comment about the love triangle thing
it was my biggest issue with Joon Pyo from the start. He just isn't mean enough. Doumyoji is supposed to change graduallllllly...so that in the beginning, we all want her to be with Rui instead. And even after Makino fall for him, he is STILL supposed to be a real difficult guy/
But they are portratying Joon Pyo as the perfect guy right from (almost) the start...so ya...its pretty stupid that she will go for Ji-hoo, who has absolutely nothing going for him :(
i want Shun Oguri lol
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4 meikisis
January 19, 2009 at 8:40 PM
Thank again for the awesome recap!
Not to take away the spotlight from Jan-di and Jun-pyo but I cant wait to see what happens with Yi-jung and Ga-eul...!!! Gosh.. the chemistry! Yay!
Keep it up!
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5 LEEMINHOLOVER
January 19, 2009 at 8:41 PM
omg thanks so much for the recap,
ive been refreshing this page since 8:00! hahaha
i love little f4, they are so adorable!
and the thing about the money cant buy love thing
i was thinking the same when he said
that he was better than genie because
he could save the dead and kill the alive
but he never mentions about buying love.
also does it seem like jihoo came bac ktoo fast?
they BARELY HAD JANDI-JUNPYO moments
in episode 3 and hes back already!
sighhhh i think there was too little tme given for jandi
to fully understand her feelings or even build feelings for
JOONPYO<33333
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6 Rebeca
January 19, 2009 at 8:46 PM
is it just me or was the issue with "sleeping with the guy from the club" not properly solved?
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7 Sue
January 19, 2009 at 8:46 PM
Thanks for the recap! The poor little girl that had to play "ugly" Min-ji. Man, like that won't mess with your head.
Best line: "It’s so tragic and heartbroken, you’d think they both found out they had cancer or something. With 90 days left to live. And are also siblings."
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8 CC
January 19, 2009 at 8:50 PM
yeah, i think lee min ho's charisma and charm can be potentially problematic for the triangle storyline. when i was watching the japanese version, i rooted for rui the whole time and grew to like tsuska (or whatever his name was). with khj's atrocious acting, i can't fully understand why jandi would like jihoo over junpyo. i think it's going to be a hard sell for the viewers. maybe a miracle will happen and khj will get better...
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9 Amy
January 19, 2009 at 8:51 PM
is it just me or was the issue with “sleeping with the guy from the club” not properly solved?
Of course it was solved -- it was solved when Jun Pyo came in white knight manner to help the damsel in distress! Two mentions of sorry's, some light scolding, and some aww-the-boy-is-tending-the-girl moments later, and all is a-okay! Torment? What torment? /snark
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10 ice chocolate
January 19, 2009 at 8:53 PM
Thanks for the recap.. I have seen it, but still can't wait for your comment.
I just wish Jun Pyo carry Jan Di little bit higher. It seems like Jan Di weigh too much.
And Jan Di aggrees to go to caledonia is not because Jun Pyo or even Ji Hoo, but because of the lobster.. Funny..
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11 Javabeans
January 19, 2009 at 8:54 PM
Yi-jung and Woo-bin tracked the guy from the club, and Min-ji was found to have been behind faking the photo setup to make Jan-di look bad. Jun-pyo knows the truth and now the whole school does too. I'm okay with that as a resolution.
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12 Daniel
January 19, 2009 at 8:55 PM
Actually I do think it’s working with me, especially in JunPyo’s scene with MinJi, I still hate his rudeness and his violence. I get kinda annoyed with him at this point and understand JanDi. While a lot of people keep saying “OMG how can JanDi still like JiHoo when JunPyo loves and cares for her so much”, I just can’t feel this way, I keep thinking it’s kinda annoying how he thinks she’s already his wife and she MUST love him because he loves her and because he saved her, despite everything he did… I can’t help but feel that JunPyo still have to change and do a whole lot more to deserve somebody’s love… And that’s a good thing, since this IS the most important development of the story.
MinJi is surprisingly my favourite side-character in Hanadan :D I kinda understand her, and I really like her being a part of Tsukushi’s friends clique (Shigeru, Sakurako and Yuki) later in the manga, she’s so funny, I was hoping in this version she wouldn’t go away like in MG, but wouldn’t turn into a stupid/futile girl who keeps saying Tsukushi’s not pretty… I was probably expecting too much :P I’m not sure if I liked how they handled this arc... Even so I really liked the actress in this version, it was definetly better than the other adaptations… Oh, and the slaps felt kinda unnecessary, I have to say, not really Makino-like…
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13 Debbie
January 19, 2009 at 8:55 PM
I too have been pressing "refresh" since early this evening hoping to read your recap as soon as it's posted. By the way, I love it when you wrote this:
"(I’m a little annoyed at how they took this potentially great scene and totally ruined it with ridiculous cheesy music. It’s so tragic and heartbroken, you’d think they both found out they had cancer or something. With 90 days left to live. And are also siblings.) " - that made me crack up!!!
Anyway, yeah, Lee Min Ho is portraying Jun Pyo in such a charismatic and great way that it would be stupid for JanDi to fall for anyone but him. I'm looking forward to seeing how this love triangle develop. Also, even though Jandi only dreamt it, but who do you think the "future husband" and "soulmate" are since they are two different people?
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14 Sa
January 19, 2009 at 8:56 PM
Your absolutely right, Lee Min Ho is overtaking his role so good that he is leaving the Ji-hoo in the dust. He is making us girls, sighs, fall for him so fast and easily, unlike other adaptations where you wereactually torn in the love triangle.
At least in this episode, Ji-hoo is showing some depth into his character when said to Jandi that he wanted to ask her out.
But yeah, its like we already want JanDi to be with Goo already.
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15 CW
January 19, 2009 at 8:58 PM
I'm still debating watching this drama as I saw the Japanese HYD and didn't love it enough to want to watch the story twice. So I usually skip the summary and just read your comments section to get a general idea of if this will be worth my time since I think Lee Min Ho is rather attractive. LOL And there's just so much hype about this drama, I almost want to give in like I did for Coffee Prince. Anyway, I loved Rui and couldn't get why Makino chose Domyouji over him, especially in the sequel. Anyway... it looks like this version makes it a lot clearer? Anyway, thanks for your summary and thoughts.
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16 deeta
January 19, 2009 at 8:59 PM
Hey Sarah, I've been wondering about this song they've had a couple of times on the drama. It's the song near the very end of ep 5, when Junpyo drags Jandi to eat alone on the beach. It was also used when Junpyo 'asked' Jandi to go on the date with him (where his voice was drowned by the sound of airplane). Do you by any chance know/have the song? I tried googling it from what I could hear, but didn't get anything.
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17 Anna
January 19, 2009 at 9:00 PM
Although I prefer JP over JH.. I definitely do not like JP as a character. He's spoiled and self-centered. He's starting to get wayy too posessive over JD (eg. preview of eps 6). I can see why JD would be annoyed of him, I mean apart from his good looks, the man is just a big baby.
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18 Rebeca
January 19, 2009 at 9:01 PM
:-|
I think i missed something
when was it stated that it was Min-Ji behind the whole thing?
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19 Anonymous
January 19, 2009 at 9:01 PM
thanks for the recap!
kim bum is seriously great; i loved how he convincingly he made ga eul believe that jan di was in an accident without ever really saying it himself because it wasn't the truth.
overall, i'm really anticipating more yi jung/ga eul scenes because they're both cute!
i agree about the third leg (ji hoo) of the love triangle being weak in comparison and rendering it unbelievable, not that i'm complaining...who couldn't resist lee minho/goo junpyo?!
and as for the jan di-min ji relationship, i think the writers could have spun it differently. i don't think that jan di had to slap min ji, because to me that seems overly harsh. rather, i think the appealing thing about makino's original character was that she's strong but not heartless [and the TWO slaps seemed to be a little much]. makino eventually forgave sakurako, but not immediately. that's why i thought the scene where she slaps min ji and then it immediately cuts to min ji's narration to be rather contradictory.
and a quick question: i LOVED the scene where sakurako's henchmen beat up tsukasa who refuses to fight back in the jdorama version. is the first scene in this ep the "same" scene? i don't remember how closely the dorama followed the manga, but if it's based on the same situation, then the kdrama version didn't have quite the same meaning for me. i loved how tsukasa doesn't fight back and by doing so shows how much he loves makino, as opposed to just "throwing money" at her like you said. but completely ignore this paragraph if it's not the same part in the plot, or if one version deviated more from the manga than the other.
finally, i also loved jun pyo's last line to min ji about her heart. lmh embodies a little bit of sadness, but mostly honesty and coldness. fantastic!
thanks again! can't wait for ep 6; i'm addicted! =]
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20
January 19, 2009 at 9:03 PM
I completely agree with your observations at the end, Jun Pyo is so charismatic and sweet if a little clueless that it turns the love-triangle a moot point. He is high handed and spoilt but does not suffer from a major physical/character flaw (Violent, Ugly, ......) In all honesty it feels like JP is wronged party and Jan Di is some how cheating on him. After all she rarely succeeds in resisting JP's advances and seems to lead him on unknowingly. On the other hand Jan Di is seeing what she wants to see. She is convinced that she is in love with Ji Hoo and she has to pursue her heart.
Jun Pyo does seem to revel in his money and power and seems to be trying to win Jan Di's heart that way...coupled with sweet thoughts though. In Hyd (J-version) they had solved the issue when Domyouji takes a beating to protect Makino (He puts his life at stake for her) or when he offered to make sure that Makino will end up with Rui if she desires so (Putting her happiness before his own desire). It will be interesting to see how they resolve it here.
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21 Vanessa
January 19, 2009 at 9:05 PM
Haha Amy! good answer
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22 Hiromi
January 19, 2009 at 9:05 PM
I actually think you are rigth about Lee Min-ho being spreading charisma all over the dorama, even more than Ji-hoo... one of the reasons, probably, why I don't seem to have a problem with this version of Tsukasa (I am a huge fan of HanaDan Jap).
I am truly trying to not compare one version with the other since it's not fair in many ways, but I still don't like this version of Rui. Ji-hoo may have many quatilies but there is still something missing.
I am hoping than in more episodes I can grow to like him... plus, I am DYING to see Jun-pyo's sister appear!!
Thanks for reading my randomness.
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23 Rebeca
January 19, 2009 at 9:06 PM
@CW
You should take a quick peek at the Manga to see why this story is worth watching over and over again :D
I also didn't think the J-Drama was a good portrayal of the Manga...it thought it was too theatrical.
But the K-Drama so far has been really subtle..so i think it's worth watching ;-)
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24 Javabeans
January 19, 2009 at 9:07 PM
Rebeca, sorry if that was unclear. I clarified the post in case it was confusing.
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25 Rebeca
January 19, 2009 at 9:08 PM
@19
Actually...the part where Tsukasa gets beaten up is part of another plot in the manga...it has nothing to do with Sakurako
But as the J-Drama was only a couple of episdoes (9 i think), they ended up smooshing a couple of plots together.
THe beating up part is also one of ma faves in the manga! I hope the K version does it!!!
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26 Rebeca
January 19, 2009 at 9:10 PM
Thanks Javabeans! :)
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27 Airajuliafor
January 19, 2009 at 9:10 PM
xD.... wonder what the 'business' is... (LOL. I'm suppose it's probably another istances so well known in kdramas where they make you thinks it's something(usually sex-related) but it's actually somehting else (innocent). I keep suspecting that they're just going to swim...)
The island looks absolutely stunning.. and so does Jun-pyo.. like always. (SO hot it's burning me!!! xp)
Ok, so that's what happened to the dude. I wondered for a second... Makes me ponder over something else too... Like, what happened to the dude who almost comitted suicide but then Jan-di saved them? And what happned to Han Chae Young's character? (Though I suppose there's going to be more to that. T.T)
I can't wait till Jun-pyo's sister shows up. (I like the actress who plays her. Though I can never get her name. xD)
Thanks for the recap! REALLY, TOTALLY, WITHOUT-A-DOUBT, POSITIVELY IMMENSELY, EXTREMELY apprecaite it!
Hope you continue on. :D
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28 sonam
January 19, 2009 at 9:12 PM
I had the same thought...that song in the beginning was awful. I didn't like the scene much .....it looked too realistic, too much a like a Korean gangster fight scene then the song made me burst out laughing .
LMH is great but where is the rascally Domyouji? This episode didn't feel like HYD at all. Rui doesn't look so gray and ashen and seemed a tiny bit less worse than the earlier episodes. Jandi is really alienating me. Her friend is more likable than her. This is my least fav' episode so far.
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29
January 19, 2009 at 9:12 PM
to the 19th commenter :
i bet you ANYTHING that the similar scene will come out some other way so dont be too sad! that was definitely my favorite scene too because it showed that domyouji would do anyhting, litereally ANYTHING for her.
i think this time it will come out with some other issue like with junpei(?) guy beating up domyouji instead of like in JAPANESE VERSION where rui comes to rescue her. i think.
and i agree with everyone saying that they dont understand why she would choose hyun joong over him but maybe because he was always there to rescue her when she was in trouble? as if he were her prince charming! yeah...
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30 Javabeans
January 19, 2009 at 9:13 PM
deeta (#16), that song is on the OST and it's "One More Time" by Tree Bicycle.
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31
January 19, 2009 at 9:14 PM
agreeing with 27th commenter,
I KNOW THEY TOTALLY EXCLUDED JOONPYO'S MOM TOO
LIKE WHEN SHE ASKED THE SECRETARY TO FIND OUT
ABOUT JANDI'S BACKGROUND, like she should know by now
and get super mad, no?
although i did think it was too early, if she said that he should tell her like immediately i would think.
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32 chiara
January 19, 2009 at 9:14 PM
Thank you for the recap!
Lol at this part: "Wanna sit still, or wanna be tied up?” (Why Jun-pyo, you say that like it’s a bad thing.) "
Now I have perverted thought.^^
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33 orr
January 19, 2009 at 9:17 PM
loving jun pyo :)
but one thing i CANNOT STAND: CAFE MUSIC?!?!?! like the music they play at lesser-starbucks cafe places? really?
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34 Lana
January 19, 2009 at 9:18 PM
I love the Yi Jung and Ga Eul moments. I'm really looking forward to how their story develops.
In the manga and other drama versions, Yuki was all over Soujiro like most girls and the difference is that Yuki went the extra mile of resolving Soujiro's issues with his childhood love/ first love. It seems that here in the Korean version, Ga Eul is different in the sense that although she found Yi Jung attractive initially, she did not fall in love with him at first sight. It would be interesting how their story will play out...
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35 deeta
January 19, 2009 at 9:18 PM
Ah lol, thanks so much. That's perhaps the only song they haven't been overusing and I sincerely hope they wouldn't start to.
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36 Rebeca
January 19, 2009 at 9:19 PM
It always kills me how its FREEZING cold outside and the school girls are wearing ridiculously short mini-skirts! lol
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37 why oh why
January 19, 2009 at 9:25 PM
I've been waiting for this entry too! I'm definitely addicted to this drama... even though this is the 3rd time I'm watching this story... sad, but true.
But something's been bugging me ever since the first episode...I don't know how it was in the original manga, but at least in the Japanese and Taiwanese version, i can tolerate the hazing on Makino, and believe that Makino didn't think it was THAT big of a deal to do much about it. But when it gets up to the point where the guy wants to commit suicide, and Jan-di is being tortured... I don't know.. that's some serious medial bills. Being in such an expensive school, why not sue?! If Jan-di would only just stop and think for a moment, she would realize that if she sues every single person who threw a water balloon at her, she would be enjoying her family trip to New Calcedonia in no time!
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38 Macbeth
January 19, 2009 at 9:27 PM
Well the only thing that really bothered me this episode was Jandi's slaps--that was totally unexpected o.O because it was... not her character, I guess? But omg new caledonia or whatever is gorgeous! Where is that anyway? I'm gonna google it right now :] :] :]
Looking forward to tomorow's episode!
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39 Nicole
January 19, 2009 at 9:28 PM
Oh, how I love this drama. Sure it could be silly and not so good at times, but I don't recall a time when I've been so addicted to a drama in a VERY LONG TIME. It feels so nice to be so wrapped up into a drama. I miss how it feels. lol
Like you said, Jun Pyo is just too darn cute to not want him to get what he wants (which is Jan Di) and it's going to be so cute seeing him all jealous and fired up. Oh, this is going to be good.
And like a couple of the other commenters, I am really looking forward to seeing Yi-Jung and Ga Eul's relationship development. Hopefully they'll be together (because in the Japanese ver., I prayed and prayed, but to no avail.)
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40 lime9
January 19, 2009 at 9:30 PM
the confrontation scene between minji and f3 was my favorite in ep. 05. good solid acting right there.
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41 Carolyn
January 19, 2009 at 9:32 PM
Has the tacky saxophone music been totally ruining the mood for anyone else? Seriously, I love Kenny G, but every time I hear that music pop up, I just cringe. It's just inappropriate.
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42 aceyyy
January 19, 2009 at 9:34 PM
Thanks for this recap!
The kindergarten scene was really great bahaha - what I can't get over is - they got Gu Jun Pyo reading!! Ludicrously adorable - I actually love this part of his pose that's survived to adulthood - besides that cool pose - we see him reading in repose, with little to show for it - I guess even as a kid he knew what looked good lol.
One leg of the triangle set up does seem rather artificially cobbled together though - when Jandi was hoping for her prince charming to save her I was kinda underwhelmed by her memories - like uh can you think of anyone else? Also KJH is giving me weird Bae Yong Joon vibes, which is super weird cos from what little I've seen of his variety and talk show appearances he's so much less of a dead fish.
I am enjoying how different Doumyouji is in this version, accepting his feelings for Jandi much earlier (or at least denying them less) but I was actually hoping the production would just work with this charisma instead of forcing the triangle through. (Yes it must exist, but there's something off about its balance right now). You're right when you mention how Jandi is more of an exception that proves the rule for him - and I did like the Lee Dong Wook-like vibes he gave off in the first scene. Unfortunately, his perm also gives me some rather jarring Kim Rae Won vibes sometimes. @ 19 Anonymous, I know what scene you're talking about! And I hope this wasn't it cos I'm looking forward to it too =)
Am I the only one who thinks the fire alarm scene could've been improved by a pair of Louboutins lol. The hoodoo bit of the New Caledonia trip is weirrdddd I want to know what the heck Jandi's subconscious is up to. But I'm loving the Ga-eul/Kim Bum interaction - he didn't lie when he said they might not catch up if they were late, did he? Haha
I like how Jun-Pyo's exceptions for Jandi extend to her family - that guy actually has some manners afterall lol. And somehow despite the over-the-topness of that family, they don't actually alienate me unlike the other versions.
One last thing that no one seems to have mentioned but bothers me a lot - what is that dress Jandi is wearing?!?! Its colours are cartoon-hamburger-like, and it makes her look like an elf/forest creature, and not in a good way. Cute hats though.
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43 lime9
January 19, 2009 at 9:36 PM
@37
I think things in Korea (or rather, Japan, where the original story was written) work differently. I don't think she would just be able to sue with such ease as they sue in teh US.
Plus the whole thing about Jan Di (Makino) is that she has true integrity and is not tied down to money at all. The real Jan Di would prob rather die than take a cent out of the rich folks
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44 Brenda
January 19, 2009 at 9:36 PM
I don't know what to thing of the fortune teller dream, I don't agree with the whole soulmate and husband being 2 different people, I just don't see JH being the soulmate when in the manga IMO didnt seem to have deep romantic feelings for JD, which is my understanding of soulmates. I think LMH is doing great as Tsukasa, but Rui from the jap version was the best I've see.
If we can only have LMH as Tsukasa and Oguri Shin (i think) as Rui! ;) it would be the best
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45 dramafreak19
January 19, 2009 at 9:39 PM
Okay, seriously Ga Eul and Yi Jung get the MOST ADORABLE COUPLE OF THE CENTURY AWARD from me!!!!
They are SOOOO cute together, it's ridiculous!!
Javabeans, I couldn't agree with you more about the love triangle being a little hard ot believe since (at this point), Ji Hoo is absolutely no match for Jun Pyo...it's so wierd cuz when I first watched HYD, I sooooooo wanted Makino to be with Rui and now the tables are completely turned...loll...
I also think this episode tipped the scales towards Jun Pyo a little too much so our opinions are probably really biased at this point, I think the next episode will balance it out...
I loved the heartbeat scene (it made my heart MELT) and the part where JanDi goes "Are you a genie?" and Jun Pyo goes "Genie? Who is that jerk?! Is he better than me!?!?" LOLL
god, but Jun Pyo and Kim Bum are HOT.
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46 Shrimp
January 19, 2009 at 9:48 PM
Oh in this semi-mockable-world....thank heavens Javabean exists!
Thanks for the great recap and for the side comments which r downright fun-E!
I guess i still have to wait another day or two before i can watch Episode 5; but then again i thank you immensely for the fantabulous sum up you got here!
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47 24
January 19, 2009 at 9:52 PM
I don't understand why you all are so excited over this drama. Nothing special..in fact it's kinda BORING..muahh... Reminds me a lot of typical drama series in the U.S.
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48 kgirl
January 19, 2009 at 9:53 PM
Does anyone know what song they played at the rescue scene??? (the one with lyrics)
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49 Marzy
January 19, 2009 at 9:53 PM
"I think one (perhaps unexpected) problem that may be emerging is that Lee Min-ho is so appealing as Jun-pyo that it kind of renders the love triangle moot. It also makes you want to yell at Jan-di for being drawn toward Ji-hoo at all when he has about one-tenth the charisma of Jun-pyo — plus there’s also the added part about how it’s so obvious that Jun-pyo totally adores her. Sure, his courtship is a little clumsy, and I think she was justified hating him through the first two episodes, but now he’s shown himself to be downright sweet (at times). "
totally agree with that. LMH exudes so much of the charisma as well. plus i cant seem to root for Rui as much here. although, khj is a bit better here and off cam really funny so some trouble there. and that im a huggggggggggeee GaJung fan more than Jundi right now. and im having hopes for them. although we know it didnt quite happen previously.. but i really have hope. plus i really like Ga Eul, great casting there.
still enjoying this and cant wait for more... so much i wanna happen.
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50 sonam
January 19, 2009 at 9:54 PM
@42 LOL ....you are so right. Jandi does look like an elf/forest creature. They have been dressing her really weird so far. In that dress she could have easily been going to the mad hatter's tea party or visiting the hobbits. In the next episode she seems to be dressing better. I noticed a madras sundress....very appropriate for an island. I wish LMH had worn white linen pants instead of grayish pink. With his coloring he looks so nice in white. It was quite a nice change to see F4 dressed a little casually. Rui had a cool hat on.
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