Boys Before Flowers: Episode 7
by javabeans
And it only took three weeks: This episode finally managed to topple the Monday-Tuesday behemoth East of Eden from its top ratings perch into second place, beating it by 2%.
There was perhaps one main cringey moment in Episode 7, but for the most part I really enjoyed it. That said:
GAHHHH!
CURSE YOU, CLIFFHANGER!!
SONG OF THE DAY
Wheesung – “별이 지다” (Falling star) [ Download ]
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EPISODE 7 RECAP
Following their fallout, Jan-di tries to find Jun-pyo at school, and finally comes upon him as he exits school; he spots her and pauses for a moment. She gives him a tentative smile — but he turns away and leaves in his chauffeured car.
Jan-di chases, calling for him to stop, then grabs her bicycle to pedal furiously to his mansion.
She’s so fast (and superhuman?) that Jan-di arrives at the mansion just as Jun-pyo’s car does. He tries to push past her, but she insists on saying her piece, even if he doesn’t want to hear it.
Jan-di blocks his way inside, prompting him to run the other way. She ends up chasing him around his front yard, which is pretty cute.
Jun-pyo manages to slip into the driver’s seat of the car and drive off, leaving Jan-di shouting after him. (He can’t be SO mad if he can still find satisfaction in sticking out his tongue at her, methinks.)
Just then, a sleek white sports car pulls up, the window rolls down, and a glamorous woman (the gorgeous Kim Hyun-joo) tells her, “Get in.” Dumbfounded, Jan-di gapes, but the woman tells her to hurry: “You’re trying to catch that guy, right?”
Jan-di rides shotgun as the white car weaves in and out of traffic, tailing Jun-pyo. He tries to shake off his pursuer, but she maneuvers her car with smooth control and forces her way in front.
Finally, she cuts Jun-pyo off, making him pull over suddenly and stop.
Jun-pyo emerges from his car, ready to give the woman hell, but she grabs a wooden kendo sword (because we all carry those around?) and starts toward him purposefully. And because PD Jeon cannot leave a perfectly good moment as it is, he ruins this by having her leap into a CARTWHEEL AND BACKFLIP before she uses the wooden sword to hit Jun-pyo, taking him to task for his rudeness: “Who taught you to treat women like that?”
Jun-pyo protests, “Sis, you don’t even know what you’re talking about,” but he does quiet down and defer to her and her big wooden stick. This is Gu Jun-hee, just arrived from America, who takes an immediate liking to Jan-di.
Jun-hee apologizes to Jan-di on behalf of her rude younger brother, then tells Jun-pyo to drive safely and meet them back at home, ignoring his insistence that Jan-di is banned from their house.
Jun-pyo refuses to join everyone for dinner (which he later regrets when he’s dying of hunger), leaving F2 and Jan-di to fill Jun-hee in on news.
Jun-hee asks if the other two agree with Jun-pyo’s intent to kick Ji-hoo out of F4. Woo-bin doesn’t, and Yi-jung starts to qualify his answer (he’s a little more sympathetic to Jun-pyo), but Jun-hee cuts him off, figuring that it’s clear that Jun-pyo’s the only one pushing the breakup of F4. She urges Jan-di to eat up to prepare her strength “to fight that idiot.” (FYI, Jun-hee does beat up on her brother several times, but she does it with some affection — and exasperation — so it doesn’t come off mean-spirited.)
When Jun-hee drops Jan-di off at home, Jan-di wonders why Big Sis is being so nice to her. Jun-hee replies that their mother always said that people like them had no use for friends. With such an upbringing, the fact that Jun-pyo was even able to find friends in F4 was nothing short of a “miracle.” This reminder at their broken friendship makes Jan-di apologize for causing the rift.
Jun-hee isn’t too worried, though, and thanks Jan-di: “You opened the door to turning that kid more into a human being.” After all, friendship will help get him there, but love is even more essential.
At Ji-hoo’s request, Jun-pyo meets him in what I suppose is Ji-hoo’s private movie theater, where he’s watching The Three Musketeers. By way of conversation, Ji-hoo asks, “Do you remember how many times we’ve seen this movie together? Must be at least ten times.”
Jun-pyo seems to relax a tiny bit when Ji-hoo says, “I’m sorry. I don’t expect you to stop being angry just because of an apology. But…”
Jun-pyo: “But?” Ji-hoo: “Leave Jan-di alone.”
Jun-pyo seems like he may have wanted to reconcile (given the right approach), but mentioning Jan-di is exactly the wrong thing to say. Jun-pyo hardens: “And if I don’t?” Ji-hoo: “I’ll protect her.”
At that, Jun-pyo angrily gets up to leave, clenching his fist. Without looking at Ji-hoo, he says, “It’s eleven times. If you’d remembered we were friends who’d seen that movie together eleven times, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.” (Oh, snap.)
So Jun-pyo’s plan to evict his best friend remains intact: He’s in the middle of intimidating the school headmaster into expelling Jan-di and Ji-hoo when Jun-hee bursts in. If he fires the teacher, after all, she can hire the next.
Grabbing Jun-pyo by the ear, she forces him out of the room, then tells him, the F4 guys, and Jan-di to follow.
Back at home, Jun-hee makes her proposal: Jun-pyo and Ji-hoo can work out their spat through an organized athletic competition. (Because sporting wins heal wounded hearts?) This way, they’ll both have to acknowledge the winner and abide by the outcome, putting a clear end to the fight. If Jun-pyo wins, he gets to expel Ji-hoo and Jan-di. Ji-hoo, then, is fighting to keep them both in school (and himself in F4).
To make it fair, they will choose randomly from ten possible sporting categories, some in which the guys are trained and some in which they are not. Best of three wins, and participants must agree to respect the outcome.
(As a plot device, I don’t mind the competition, but who else thinks it’s hilarious that they’d agree to settle a love triangle via sports? It’s almost as ridiculous as deciding a faux monarchy via sports — I’m lookin’ at you, Goong S.)
Jun-pyo protests, but he’s outnumbered by everyone else (who have been convinced by Jun-hee ahead of time). Jan-di, Ji-hoo, and Jun-pyo each pick a different ball from the lottery-style machine, and the first test is revealed (Jun-pyo’s pick): Horseback riding.
This is Ji-hoo’s area of expertise, and he is heavily favored to win. Knowing he’s at a disadvantage, Jun-pyo pushes himself to train for the event in the two days preceding the competition. Ji-hoo, meanwhile, picks out his horse but doesn’t train. (Reluctant, or just confident?)
On the day of the race, everyone heads out — Jun-hee, Jan-di, F4, and their Shinhwa classmates — to the equestrian center. The race starts inside the arena, then heads outdoors.
After a lap indoors, Ji-hoo is leading as they approach a forking of the trail, one side marked safe and the other indicating danger. As he cannot catch up to Ji-hoo on the safe trail, Jun-pyo heads off on the other one, urging his horse up steep, hilly ground even when the horse balks, and ignores his trainer’s warning not to push too hard.
Back inside the arena, everyone waits for the racers, fully expecting to see Ji-hoo leading. Unexpectedly, Jun-pyo gallops in first.
Ji-hoo takes the loss gracefully enough, treating Jan-di with calm good humor when she comes up to him afterward. She pets his horse — which is named Rui — and feeds it a treat affectionately. Ji-hoo offers to take Jan-di on a ride, and leads her on the horse outdoors.
I know it’s supposed to be sweet/fun that Ji-hoo’s horse is named Rui, but that just opens up a whole world of inappropriate double entendres, yunnowhatimean? Maybe I should’ve kept that to myself.
On the other hand, Jun-pyo may have won, but his horse has suffered for it. Hearing that his horse won’t ever race again, he’s overwhelmed with guilt for being so aggressive with the animal.
Jun-hee tells him, “You may have won this game, but you lost the battle, little bro. I really hope you learned something from today” — because if he didn’t, the horse will have suffered for nothing.
The second competition tilts the advantage the other way, because now Jun-pyo is the clear favorite: racecars.
It’s not merely that Jun-pyo is a good racer, but Ji-hoo struggles even to drive, haunted by memories of the car crash that killed his parents. He suffers nightmares of that night and has difficulty just getting behind the wheel.
Knowing that victory is nearly within reach puts Jun-pyo in a fantastic mood. Yi-jung and Woo-bin feel uneasy about the obvious imbalance of skills, but Jun-pyo doesn’t even feel this is unfair, since Ji-hoo picked this challenge. Plus, Jun-hee stipulated that they must abide by the contest parameters no matter what the tasks turn out to be.
Jan-di learns of Ji-hoo’s disadvantage from the Jin-Sun-Mi trio, who tell her to pack her bags because there’s no way Ji-hoo will win this battle. Jan-di assures them that it ain’t over till it’s over: “I have faith in Ji-hoo.” (At this point, I wonder if the drama has slipped up in achieving the right balance, because I have to side with Miranda — and siding with a Mean Girl can’t be right — who calls her out for lacking principles. She reminds Jan-di that not long ago, she was talking to Jun-pyo about trust and faith (regarding the hotel photos), and now she’s blabbering about believing in Ji-hoo. Girl does seem fickle.)
Fearing for Ji-hoo’s safety, Jan-di drops by the racetrack where Ji-hoo is watching Jun-pyo zoom around the course below. Hesitantly, she asks how he got his driver’s license, and he explains that Seo-hyun had taught him. He’d hated it, but embarrassment over failing pushed him to learn how to drive enough to get a license.
Jan-di cautiously suggests that Ji-hoo not participate in the race — it’s not like she wanted to go to that school in the first place. Ji-hoo says firmly, “I don’t know if I can win, but I’m going to do my best.”
Seeing that Jan-di has brought him some rice porridge from the restaurant, he asks to try it. Down below, Jun-pyo glances up to see Jan-di and Ji-hoo looking chummy together and suddenly swerves, his car spinning out of control. At the sound of screeching tires, they look over in alarm — but I dunno, there’s something about Ji-hoo’s smirk as he continues calmly eating his porridge that makes me want to smack him.
Afterward, Jun-pyo fumes. He kicks one racing coach/crew member, hits another, and throws his helmet at a third, saying, “What the hell’s wrong with the car?” (I guess they’re too scared to answer, “The driver.”)
The day of the race, Woo-bin tries one last time to persuade Jun-pyo to give up, while Yi-jung does the same with Ji-hoo. Both are unsuccessful, so the best they can do is tell the competitors to be careful.
Ga-eul worriedly asks Ji-hoo if he’s going to be all right, hoping he has some kind of secret weapon up his sleeve. At that moment, Jun-pyo walks in, and the two shoot daggers at each other. Ji-hoo tells Ga-eul that he does, in fact, have a secret weapon — and then bends down affectionately to embrace Jan-di.
Jan-di resists a little at his unexpected hug, but he tells her to play along — this may be a cheap tactic but it’s all he’s got. Jun-pyo watches incredulously as Ji-hoo places a kiss on Jan-di’s forehead.
Ji-hoo walks off, thinking, “Jun-pyo, I’m sorry. I want to protect her, even if it’s like this.”
With that scene playing in his head, Jun-pyo takes to the track, trailing Ji-hoo at first. Amazing at how Ji-hoo’s debilitating fear of driving is miraculously cured! He’s even leading for the first half of the race.
But Jun-pyo’s mind involuntarily flashes back to the kiss, and in that second of distraction, he veers off course and skids, allowing Ji-hoo to zoom ahead to the finish line.
If Jun-pyo lost the first test of sportsmanship, surely Ji-hoo loses this round?
Now, the third test. A bit expectedly (for us), Jan-di’s selection turns out to be swimming — which practically guarantees a Ji-hoo win. Flustered and panicked, Jun-pyo refuses to participate. Unfortunately, Jun-hee reminds him, if he forfeits, Ji-hoo wins.
Yi-jung speaks up — if this issue is decided because of a forfeit, nobody will feel satisfied. Therefore, he’d like to offer himself to take Jun-pyo’s place in the last challenge, if everyone consents. Yi-jung finds it difficult to forgive Ji-hoo’s actions, too, and this is his way of making the last game fairer. Jun-hee accepts his proposal, saying that she’s okay with it if everyone else is. Jun-pyo immediately agrees, as does Woo-bin.
But Jan-di speaks up too — if Yi-jung gets to take Jun-pyo’s place, then she wants to take Ji-hoo’s. Jun-hee warns that she’ll be given no handicap going against a guy and Jun-pyo argues that she should stay out of it, but Jan-di says this involves her life too. She feels she should participate in determining her own fate.
Jun-hee agrees to the suggestion — then they can make it two-on-two: Yi-jung against Jan-di, Woo-bin against Ji-hoo.
So, they start training.
When their kooky restaurant boss (who’s always babbling about spirits and aliens) has a dream about the race, Jan-di and Ga-eul eagerly ask about the outcome, grasping at straws for good news. He describes: “Approaching the finish line, you’re almost neck in neck. Then, at the moment when a hand is reaching out… everything went dark.” (This may be a throwaway bit, or it may mean something, it’s hard to say just yet.)
Ga-eul proposes that they resort to underhanded methods — desperate times, and all — like feeding Yi-jung diarrhea medication secretly, or running him over with a bicycle (which, frankly, is a scene I’d like to see. The bike, I mean, not the diarrhea). Their boss puts his foot down and insists she not do anything dishonorable.
That doesn’t prevent her from dropping by to talk to Yi-jung, however. Yi-jung guesses that Ga-eul came to ask him to throw the race — she argues that the outcome doesn’t affect Yi-jung at all , while Jan-di may be expelled — but he has no intention of doing so. He isn’t going to kill himself over this competition, but he’s not going to purposely lose it, either.
He reminds her that she doesn’t exactly have a right to be so upset at his position: “I warned you that it would be a good idea to stop her.”
Jan-di’s family is appalled to hear that she cheated on Jun-pyo with Ji-hoo and now faces expulsion. She tries to explain her actions, but they’re disappointed in her when she confirms the story.
Her father figures she must take after her mother (who tries to shush him) and that based on his experience, when a man has been hurt by a woman two-timing him, the curious thing is, it always helps when the woman apologizes and says she was wrong. They urge her to apologize to Jun-pyo, and for once, they don’t seem so ridiculously out of line.
As Jan-di walks outside that night, Jun-pyo pulls up in his car. Hearing that she’s on her way to train, he asks, “Do you want to win that badly?”
Jan-di sighs, “We don’t have much of a choice.” Jun-pyo reacts to her phrasing: “We?”
Frustrated, he asks, “Why did it have to be Ji-hoo? If only it wasn’t him…”
Jan-di says his name reproachfully, but he suddenly pulls her to him in a hug. Earnestly, he says:
Jun-pyo: “It’s not too late. It would only take one word, if you said that you like me…”
COMMENTS
Yunno, I’m the first one to admit that this series is flawed. Like, way seriously flawed, yo (yo yo, ma bro).
But for some odd reason, it’s still a drama that I look forward to every Monday and Tuesday, and is one of very few in the past couple years that I’ve been eager to see as soon as possible. (Some — really, really good — dramas sit on my hard drive months and years after downloading, still unwatched.)
It’s just that, if a drama is able to get me upbeat and excited for any reason, I’m happy. The rest? It’s icing, folks. Sweet, glorious icing.
As for this episode specifically:
The thing is, we’re supposed to be rooting for Ji-hoo, because that means F4 remains intact and Jan-di gets to stay at Shinhwa High School. Yet I found myself rooting for Jun-pyo, and wanted Jan-di to root for Jun-pyo secretly too (there may have been a hint of that during the horse race, but if so, it was fleeting).
The problem is, I’m starting to hate Ji-hoo. You may not believe me but I want to like him, I really do. I’m trying to understand his character. But he’s just so… meh.
When he kisses Jan-di in front of Jun-pyo to throw him off his game, he’s doing exactly what Jun-pyo accused him of doing at the end of Episode 6, which is use Jan-di. Not because he cares for her, but for his own purposes. And not only are his purposes selfish, he means to harm his friend to win the race. Jun-pyo didn’t act honorably in the first race, but is stooping to a lower level really the answer, Ji-hoo? I thought you were supposed to be the gallant, noble one.
(That said, I was squeamish about Jun-pyo treating his horse so carelessly, even if he feels bad about it. Jun-pyo was also seen acting out more aggressively in this episode, such as when he hit his racing team out of misplaced frustration.)
I’m not sure if this is a writing problem or an acting one, because it could be either — or both. If Ji-hoo is just written this way, it’s making his character way unlikable. On the other hand, if he’s being written to convey conflicted emotions, those aren’t showing through the acting. From reading through the scripts, it seems that the characters aren’t given much direction on the page (they probably are offscreen), and whatever subtext that emerges is a result of smart acting and directing. Some actors are able to mine moments out of their scenes more effectively than others. Some may just be acting what’s on the page.
For instance, in the movie theater scene, you can see for a moment that Jun-pyo softens toward his friend, then hardens at the mention of Jan-di. If Ji-hoo showed inner conflict in a similar way, I could get behind him — but he’s just so smugly calm all the time. It makes me want to slap that smirk from his face.
I was trying to figure out the appeal of Jun-pyo in this drama, because as much as I’m liking his character, the drama feels unbalanced in his favor and I’m trying not to let it bother me. I don’t think it’s a simple matter of “omg Lee Min-ho is hawt!” because yes, he is, but that’s not what does it for me and it’s a little demeaning to say that the only reason Jun-pyo fans like him is because the actor is good-looking. After all, Kim Hyun-joong is surely beautiful but he doesn’t have the same effect on me.
For me, it’s that Jun-pyo is the only character thus far who is drawn in a complex way AND acted well. Everyone else is one or the other, but not both: Jan-di is acted anywhere from weakly to moderately well (depending on your opinion) but her character is not complex. Ji-hoo is complex but not acted terribly well. Yi-jung and Woo-bin are both acted fairly well but their characters are not complex. Same with Ga-eul. So against this character landscape, when we have one lead who is layered, complicated, and portrayed convincingly, we get: Lee Min-ho mania.
RELATED POSTS
- A closer look at Boys Before Flowers scripts
- Lee Min-jung added to Boys Before Flowers
- News bites: January 21, 2009
- Boys Before Flowers: Episode 6
- Boys Before Flowers: Episode 5
- Behind the scenes with Kim Bum in New Caledonia
- Flower boy power
- Boys Before Flowers: Episode 4
- Boys Before Flowers: Episode 3
- Boys Before Flowers: Episode 2
- Boys Before Flowers: Episode 1
Tags: Boys Before Flowers, Gu Hye-sun, Kim Bum, Kim Hyun-joo, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Joon, Lee Min-ho
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201 jacq
January 27, 2009 at 6:11 PM
I absolutely agree with #193. Jandi is so overwhelmingly ANNOYING. I tried very hard to like her but I still have a very hard time in doing so. She over-acts, exaggerates, makes faces, pouts, screams, yells...all were so annoying. A strong solid actress is so needed for the role of Jandi but unfortunately I personally don't think the current actress is portraying Jandi very well for us to enjoy the drama 100%. She is not likable, period. Desparately hope that she will improve in upcoming episodes and tone down her exaggerated behavior.
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202 sweetmochi
January 27, 2009 at 6:40 PM
isn't their boss the mole from kim sam soon?
i hated him in that drama...anyhoo off topic.
i am not ashamed to say that i have joined the lee min ho craze. i think he's doing a great job with the character so far and ....that's all i have to say about it ^_^
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203 afan
January 27, 2009 at 7:14 PM
I am a fan of LMH, but I feel sorry for the character of JH, it feels like they're undermining his character. It was supposed to be a basketball game that will decide the fate of JD and JH whether they will get to stay at the school or be expelled. SUPPOSED to be, when JH sees JP's reactions when JD and JH's chummy, he thought of using it to get JP distracted, so JP got distracted and was not able to shoot the ball properly, he did this so that JD will not get expelled from the school.
The changes the kdrama version made in the script opened up a pandora's box of questions (to some) regarding JH and JP's character. since driving and swimming could result in death, both JH and JP's actions will( to some) come off as harsh and unhumane. including JP since he was happy at the breakfast table that he has advantage over JH in the race car. they were both happy about the disadvantages of the other, which made me question they're friendship. but if they stick to the basketball game, none of the questioning their morality will occur, since it is just a basketball game, and distracting the other party will not result to death. and also I find JP unfair when he did not want to take part in the swimming race.
in the end, as evidenced by the comments here, JH is the one who gets the flak for what he did.
I am a LMH fan but I have major issues with the way they're undermining JH's character.
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204 bytchgoddezz
January 27, 2009 at 7:27 PM
True to that Dramabeans.
This drama is so highly anticipated that the eng subs come out the night of, and your entries follow closely after. You already have 202 comments and its only one day afterwards!
Regardless of it all. I am enjoying this too much. Count me in with Lee Min-ho mania. Thanks for your insightful interpretations!
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205 poop
January 27, 2009 at 7:38 PM
Ahhh, I really want to smack a fish across Jihoo's face.
Oh my goodness, I dislike his character so much and the guy who portrays him.
I agree with #198, he has only blank, boring stares and has no freaking emotions.
Kim Bum and the other guy can't dive for their lives, oyeee.
Bellyflops, smacking against the water, sorry I just got so annoyed by that.
Jandi can be very annoying, whats with her acting? I'm pretty sure her acting wasn't like this in her other drama Pure 19...
and Jandi, STFU and say you like junpyo, stop pmsing.
Anyways, junpyo is the only character that seems to satisfy mee.
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206 Ara
January 27, 2009 at 7:58 PM
I have actually given up watching this drama in its entirety. I'm actually just reading Javabeans' recaps (thank you so much for your detailed recaps, I really appreciate it) and watch only the parts that I like (i.e. Yi Jung and Ga Eul scenes, etc.)
Part of the reason is that I don't understand the main characters, and this could mainly be the fault of the production staff. I know the story is familiar but the fact that the characters were not well established did play a part on why I find the progress of the drama weird. For example, Jun Pyo is supposed to be mean and violent but he was never shown as a bully in the first few episodes (the students were the ones bullying the guy Jan Di saved). And now that he shows his mean side when he gets mad because of Jan Di, you can get the feeling that Jan Di brings out the worst in him and in a way, this is not good. Another example is Ji Hoo. He is supposed to be distant and quiet and not generally nice to everyone except to Jan Di but he did not get to establish that properly. He is supposed to be mean when he gets back and as the audience, we were supposed to see the difference but because his character was really not given much development, we end up confused about him -- his motives, his feelings, basically his side of the story.
And Jan Di. I don't understand her at all as a character. She's supposed to be noble and she won't hesitate to fight for what she believes in -- but sometimes you ask, what is she fighting for anyway? what does she believe in? She is supposed to be strong and willful but she doesn't have to be someone who looks for fights and asks for more bullying. Whenever she's being bullied, she keeps saying 'do it, bully me more' -- those lines are so unnecessary and I blame the scriptwriters, can't they think of other good lines Jan Di can say?
I'm also irritated by the fact that she yells and antagonizes Jun Pyo even when Jun Pyo just calls her name. What is up with that? I know she's supposed to be strong and she doesn't like the fact that Jun Pyo is a big bully but can't she be civil when the situation calls for it? Is it really necessary to always yell her heart out? Like when Jun Pyo went after her after she got her face bashed, she was screaming her lungs out and the guy was just trying to help -- clumsily but he does have good intentions at the time.
And the overacting and facial expressions and the god-awful pouts. I know Korean heroines always act cute, but Jan Di is at a different level. She's so over-the-top that you don't find it cute, you find it annoying. And I don't know why but when she acts cute, it's soo contrived and fake, it's frustrating to watch. Part of it is the fault of the staff who wants Jan Di to act in an exaggerated way but most of it is the actress' shortcomings I think. She can't pull the cutesy-act as well as others. She's fine when she doesn't do the cutest-act but the problem is, she does it all the time.
So really, Jan Di is really at a disadvantage because not only do you not understand her, her mannerisms are so annoying it makes you hate her. Who is she aside from the standard high school girl in a middle class family? She has no class (and no, I refuse to accept that her portrayal of Jan Di is representation of all middle class high school girls -- that is a morbid thought), she has no manners (apologize properly when it's your fault, don't cram food more than your mouth can take and don't speak when your mouth is full), no awareness of her surroundings and people around her... I could go on and on.
Anyway, I don't think I have to read the manga or watch the anime or watch the other drama versions to fully understand the characters because this is a separate project altogether and I should be able to get to know these characters in this drama, period. I should be able to understand how one situation brings in another situation. I don't have to like how the characters react in a situation but I should be able to figure out why he could be acting like that.
Not understanding the characters is part of the reason why there's a lot of debate on whether Jan Di likes Jun Pyo or not since it is not clear even in her actions whether she has feelings for him or not. It is not clear at the moment that she's torn betweetn two guys -- could that be because of acting? I'm not sure. We don't know what Ji Hoo means when he says protecting Jan Di -- as a friend or special someone -- because we did not get ample clues on how he feels about her, etc.
And honestly, it's somewhat difficult to rely on the drama alone because the drama is all over the place -- what with trying to follow the manga and trying to put a Korean spin on the whole thing. Better writers would know better than to show Min Ji and Jan Di holding hands and talking together while in school in front of everyone when they are supposed to be not friends, and then when visiting Min Ji at home, Jan Di expressing it's okay for her to visit because no one at school knows she's visiting, and then when Jan Di was being bullied, Min Ji saying good bye to Jan Di. It's fairly common sense that when you're trying to pretend you're not friends, you don't get together in public.
I'm still following the drama though, in the hopes that it will get better. And I really love the supporting cast so I'm going to still watch their scenes, however fleeting those scenes may be.
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207 mino
January 27, 2009 at 8:02 PM
oh my god
i luv dis drama
but i can't watching dis
why
i want watching tis
how seeing
tell me...?? plssss..!!!!
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208 Cinamoroll
January 27, 2009 at 8:15 PM
you know what? I think superficially JunPyo and Jandi are like homage to Withering Heights' infamous Heathcliff and Catherine. lol "The Villian and The Selfish girl whose only virtues are love" - that;s how they are described in Eclipse and that's how Edward and Bella are described in Eclipse(Twilight 3rd book). Don't you agree? Nonetheless, these days, although the drama itself has flaws, it really attracts viewers to watch it!
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209 Bess
January 27, 2009 at 10:36 PM
Ha ha...Javabean my dear! You are a bit too biased in this recap
It would be great to keep the recap neutral, save the bias for the readers.
Don't be offended! I'm a big fan of your writing and recaps.
Keep on the good works!
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210 nara
January 27, 2009 at 10:47 PM
Well Sarah..I haven't seen the drama yet ..but..i'm looking Jan-di face in the picture....She never look expresive...sorry it's hard to write in english but in Indonesian it's call ..kurang ekspresi....I prefer Makino than Jan di
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211 Javabeans
January 27, 2009 at 10:50 PM
Bess, trust me, when I write "neutral" recaps people complain that it's boring. When I write "biased" recaps people who disagree with me complain. Since you can't win 'em all, it's a losing game to try to appease everyone. I just choose to do my own thing and worry about expressing myself clearly and honestly, and if people appreciate it, all the better. Thanks for your comment though.
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212 Tintin
January 27, 2009 at 11:23 PM
I don't think Javabeans is biased. She just relates the drama as it happens. When it comes to interpretations -- there can be differences. She sees the drama in her own way, I'll probably interpret some things differently, some people would also have a different opinion... But that's why people comment, to voice out their own views. This is after all her own blog and she writes about HER Korean drama obssession -- observations, interpretations, suggestions, etc
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213 yvree
January 27, 2009 at 11:32 PM
“Not the theater scene, but I find him worst in the car scene when he LAUGHS after Jun-pyo loses control of his car.”
Maybe just a realization of the most effective way to win the game--and that is to make him jealous, jp lose his control whenever they are together.
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214 yvree
January 28, 2009 at 12:37 AM
you can watch the whole ep. in veoh. you can also download the avi file.
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17343257rjGYP6Wq :)
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215 miss-xo
January 28, 2009 at 6:46 AM
If you notice
Ji-hoo's horse(Hanazawa Rui-Horse Face) and car are white, while
Jun pyo's horse and car are black
I think they are indicating the white prince VS the black knight
Who will win and marry the princess?
HAHA
I don't know why, all Hana Yori Dango dramas (japan, korean, taiwan, manga) never fails to make my heart flutter :3
JUST LOVE F4 AND MAKINO/ JAN DI / SHANCAI =D
I think when Ji hoo eating the porridge he smirks 'cos he knows that Jun pyo after seeing that the both of them are chatting together, he can get distracted and unable to concentrate.
I guess that explains the secret weapon *I dunno why JanDi slanted her head to the left like she got a neck ache at that scene *
Ji Hoo want's Jan Di to stay on at Shinhwa High so he resorts to dirty tricks like that.
I dunno why, but I think I am very in awe of Ji Hoo's action -__-
His actions towards JanDi is very admirable =3
Hanazawa Rui still rocks my socks off tho =P
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216 sang
January 28, 2009 at 9:04 AM
I'm new here but seeing all these hundreds of comments only goes to show how liked & loved this drama series is & I'm one of them! Thnx for updating us on the recap as I'm having problems watching epis 7 last part & your recap is just excellent! Part of me likes Ji Hoo also for Jan Di but that's only a small percentage compared to my rooting for Jan Pyo. I'm also suffering from LMH mania let alone this BBF series is just too addictive, you can hardly wait to the next one!
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217 Rory
January 28, 2009 at 3:22 PM
like a lot of other people have written...
i can no longer stand gu hye-sun's acting as jandi. there were times when that actress was ok -- like an older scene where she was trying to resist a kiss from junpyo -- but most of the time she's terrible. when she's nervous, she's annoying. when she's loud and yelling, she's annoying. she just tries too hard. i hate her hair and her face. yes, her face. she's always squinching apologetically. smiling apologetically. everything about her alternates between two extremes: loud and then apologetic.
jandi's being a bioootch through her passivity... and she's declining into bella swan territory which makes me sad b/c makino should never remind me of bella.
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218 jaime
January 30, 2009 at 12:55 AM
noooo please dont write "neutral" recaps.
please! i love it!
i watch the show first then i read the caps.
its like having fun twice over.
stating the obvious. haha. likee it helps me
to remember what i thought of during that
scene. sometimes its hard to read and hear
my thoughts coz the series is really going fast.
so thank you to you! i can take my time reading
and remember the feeling.
awesome. thanks much!
fighting!
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219
January 31, 2009 at 5:08 AM
i agree, i am really disliking ji hoo, and it was never that way in the japanese version. i guess its because he doesnt show much feeling about pretty much anything, and he does not appeal to me. also jun pyo is much better acted, where i can even feel his hurt when he is sad. giggle stupidly when he is in his weird/funny moods. Lee min ho can really convey his feelings to the watchers. again, for jan di, i really do love her, and maybe if she just tones down the screaming a bit she'd be a perfect jan di. Im not going to compare her to the jdrama's makino because that isn't fair. but really, people should really stop bashing her so much, just enjoy the drama.
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220 Sumire
February 2, 2009 at 12:58 AM
I finally just watched this ep, and I agree with your commentary (almost) completely!
I actually quite like the actress playing Jan Di, but her character and the others just aren't as engaging as Jun Pyo. And Ji Hoo is totally boring--gorgeous, but so bland, and he's really not holding up his side of the love triangle very well. It's hard to see why Jan Di would like him at all compared to Jun Pyo, who may be crazy but is at least interesting! Which is very different from how I felt about HYD, in which I was leaning toward Hanazawa for much of the first series. I almost wish I didn't like Jun Pyo this much, because my dislike of Domyouji from the beginning made such a dramatic contrast to when his character started being likable. Domyouji was so hateful and unstable at the beginning, and it was really dramatic to watch him soften due to Makino's influence. Here, I've liked Jun Pyo and have been rooting for him from the beginning! Which lessens the dramatic value of the plot a bit. But I'm still loving watching it! I have definitely caught the Lee Min Ho obsession bug.
Sorry for the excessive comparisons to the Japanese version, I can't help it! I loved that drama so much and part of the fun of this version for me is seeing a new take on the story. But I can't help comparing the two : D
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221 bethany
February 5, 2009 at 1:10 AM
this was my first full episode without really comparing it to hana yori dango. minus the rui reference... aha
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222 Ladyhu9zz
February 6, 2009 at 1:25 AM
I had the impression that Ji Hoo laughed during Jun Pyo's training scene because he realized Jan Di had popped up in schock at Jun Pyo's skidding. He was also schocked at the beginning but he laughed after seeing that Jun Pyo skidded to a halt and was not harmed. The reason I think he laughed was because he noticed a reaffirmation of Jan Di's feelings toward Jun Pyo (that he first had an inkling of at the stairwell, when Jan Di started tearing while drawing Jun Pyo's stick figure). I think this caused him to laugh at his self, realizing how pathetic he has become by starting to like Jan Di but to find it a little too late.
But He could have acted that complexity a bit better. If we only had gotten a close shot of his face with some transitioning expressions that showed these mixed feelings =P
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223 aki
February 9, 2009 at 6:33 PM
@206 Ara
You have read my mind, as much as I appreciate Dramabean's recaps, I wish we'd have a second opinion like this to balance things out. The lastest episode just proved your points. Still watching though, for the same reasons you are.
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224 mj
February 16, 2009 at 12:53 PM
does anyone else notice that they are giving SOJIRO (wats his korean version name? ) and JAN DI's friend from the porridge store a lot more romantic angst than the other versions? like isnt the friend supposed to be the one going after sojiro and not the other way around? and while everyone is into LMH i am waaaaaaaaaay off by having the hots for the SOJIRO character. that smile....man
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225 Orchid
March 4, 2009 at 2:39 AM
Referring to comment #209 & #211: I like it when you add your personal views and comments to your recaps. Please don't keep your recaps neutral!
And i agree with your comments at the end about Lee Min-ho's portrayal of Gu Jun-pyo. He's definitely the star of this drama. I find myself rooting for him and not Ji-hoo at all.
Lee Min-ho Mania?? Oh yes...bring it on!!!
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226 S
March 4, 2009 at 2:16 PM
Just watched and thank YOU, Sarah! Thank you! Your last paragraphs about Ji Hoo and Jun Pyo describe essentially how I feel about those two. Halfway through the competition, I realized I was rooting for Jun Pyo and I was like "Oh wait, i'm *supposed* to root for Ji Hoo so that he can stay in the F4 and there'd be no expulsions". And yet, I couldn't bring myself to do just that. I started disliking Ji Hoo during the theatre scene and then when he *smirks* cos Jun Pyo almost crashes his car? I was "WTH is *wrong* with you, Jii Hoo. He's supposed to be your friend even though you guys had a disagreement". And the hug & kiss was just below the belt.
Jun Pyo is no saint, but jeez! I know we're not supposed to draw parallels with HYD, but I have NEVER not liked Rui even though I liked Tsukasa better. In BBF? if the direction of the drama and how Ji Hoo is portrayed/written doesn't change drastically, I can only see myself starting to really hate the guy. And I really hope that's not how it'll end.
Oh and now I can totally see why you guys kept harping on and on about the soundtrack. Jeebus, the aaaaalmoooost paaaradiiiiise was played in the most unsuitable moments ever. I mean, during the car chase? the horse race? the race car? Makes no sense. I can see why such a song may be used to highlight a romantic scene (sorta), but...how are we supposed to take the whole OST seriously if that song is used during, say, dramatic moments? Pfft.
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227 Su
March 9, 2009 at 1:43 PM
S @ 226, I totally agree with you with the soundtrack. I like the song, but have you been watching the variety shows lately? they ALL make references to BBF in some shape or form. Some parodies are hilarious, but everytime there's a reference, they HAVE TO play aaalllmooost pppaaaarrraadise like EVERY 5 SECONDS! AAHH!
I've been singing that song since i started watching this drama. Help.
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228 HYD Fan
April 5, 2009 at 11:54 AM
I am a fan of your blog and enjoy reading your your viewpoint. In regards to Ji Hoon character and the BBF storyline in general, I feel they both follow very closely to the original manga, to the point of quoting exact lines. The Japanese live drama however, veered quite a bit. Ji Hoon's character to me wasn't someone I wanted to end up with Jan Di until he really falls in lover with her later. At this point in the story he is still in love Seo Hyun. A lot of the weak moments you've mentioned in previous recaps are taken almost directly from the manga, for example the idea of a sporting competion deciding their fates. I feel the actor protraying Ji Hoon's character is doing a good job because at this point I don't feel he is very likable.
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229 G
April 6, 2009 at 3:17 PM
... At this point of the drama, I don't really honestly see how you could be rooting for Ji Hoo
First of all, he's a completely bland character - 90% of the time you're seeing him he's either a) playing his violin or b) brooding
Also, Jun pyo (as he said) completely showed his sincerity towards her and she just throws it in his face
Like you said, the scene where he laughed? Ugh.
And also, I do want to point out that Ji Hoo had completely gotten over his fear of driving, though admirable, it didn't seem realistic. Also, note that Ji Hoo might not drive a car but he has a bike/motorcycle, whereas Jun Pyo doesn't swim and that scene in the ocean when Jan Di is "drowning" he can barely go into the water a foot!
So in my opinion, that's not really comparable...
I'm done rambling now ;)
Personally, I actually didn't really like Ji Hoo until the second part of BBF
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230 Lily
April 14, 2009 at 5:13 PM
Does anyone else here think that perhaps if Jang Di changed her hairstyle a little bit, she would look quite appealing. I just can't seem to get used to her hair. It really bothers me for some reason. They should have tried to make her look a little bit better in appearance. It is a little hard to believe that two of the richest and good looking guys would fall for her. Every other girl in the show is beautiful with the exception our female lead. Is that deliberate?
And is it imperative that Ji Hoo have that ghastly shade of brown as his hair colour. Im thinking perhaps it is that way in the manga? Since Rui seemed to have a similar hair coloring. Although they could have deviated a bit, right?
Right now, Jun Pyo is probably the best character in the show. I do like him better than MatsuJun. However makino and rui from the jap version were definitely better than the cast in the korean version.
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231 dinar
June 18, 2009 at 6:47 PM
noooo please dont write “neutral” recaps.
please! i love it!
i watch the show first then i read the caps.
its like having fun twice over.
stating the obvious. haha. likee it helps me
to remember what i thought of during that
scene. sometimes its hard to read and hear
my thoughts coz the series is really going fast.
so thank you to you! i can take my time reading
and remember the feeling.
awesome. thanks much!
fighting!
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232 yo
June 22, 2009 at 6:24 AM
I'm glad that the storyline's quite different fm the japanese version at some parts:) but the thing abt Ji Hoo only liking Jan Di after he gets dumped disturbs me,unlike in the japanese version where H.Rui only likes Makino much later,which shows he really likes her and is not just regarding her as Shizuka's substitute. Oh well. Heh.
As for the characters, the other 3 F4 members were as good in the Korean and Jap version(in acting and looks), but I really prefer Domyoji to Jun Pyo since Domyoji was super cute! Even fm the beginning! I think his portrayal of a childish selfish yet dedicated and loyal friend was much better. Also I found his 'weird temper/mood swings' kinda funny:D LOL
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233 J.L.
August 2, 2009 at 7:28 AM
I think I have 2 agree with the 5th coment by 'Anon'.
Btw Thank u so much 4 all ur effort and time put into writing episode summary's for us dramabeans!! :D
I really admire all the actors but i'm actually as interested in Ga-eul and Yi-jung's relationship then the 'triangle relationship' lol
Thanks again
xx
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234
October 22, 2009 at 9:49 PM
ji hoo love jandi
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235 lhya
December 18, 2009 at 6:14 PM
I love u
go jun pyo
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236 Pia Aclan
December 29, 2009 at 3:55 AM
I feel na if Jan Di and Ji Hoo would be Boyfriends, I wish that they would be married on March 13, 2013 at exactly 10:30 am. So they would be a lucky couple for every year! I wish that someday the cast of Boys Over Flowers would even go to Philippines,Batangas City. If you want to ask my address. Brgy. Tinga Labac Rd. 3 (Bayanihan) Batangas City. But by the way if you would come my name is Pia Custodio Aclan or if they don't know just ask about Jay Aclan or the Aclan Family. Thank you. I am always watching even I memories the stories! Because I love it even it is 10:15 pm. Thank you very much!
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237 eunice
January 24, 2010 at 5:12 AM
hello ur so cute
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238 hazel
February 10, 2010 at 10:20 PM
grabe ang ganda ng laban ni jun pyo at ji hoo patas lang sila ilove u sa innyong lahat
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239 Sue
June 25, 2010 at 10:10 AM
JAVABEANS and other JIHOO HATERS,
You know, Ji-Hoo is always calm because he's sort of autistic and withdrawn. It may be hard to understand - and trust me i'm a HUGE Jun-Pyo follower - but he is the way he is that b/c he is an a**hole, but because of he's slightly socially retarded. lol
But yes I also agree that he wasn't a great actor, but don't hate on Ji Hoo! I kinda like that he has no sense of social norms and he's so quirky that way.
though in the end, everyone loves Jun Pyo / Lee Min Ho :D
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240 Vicky
August 8, 2010 at 9:07 PM
I definitely agree with you on your comment that this drama is flawed. I think so too. But just like you, for some reason, I really like this drama despite the NUMEROUS of flaws it has (all throughout the drama really, there's a lot of parts I didn't like.. but I still liked the drama. Weird?)
But I don't know.. for ME, I probably like this drama significantly because of Ji Hoo. I like his character. Although, I don't think you like Ji Hoo that much(:
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241 Mickinzee
September 16, 2010 at 5:58 PM
Well I don't think Ji Hoo is supposed to show a lot of emotion. He was supposed to be autistic as a child and from the first few episode he seemed to remain that way until his return in the previous episode. I feel like recognizing and showing emotion is supposed to be difficult, for the character.
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242 ashley
November 28, 2010 at 11:04 AM
I have the same conflicted feelings about the acting and/or directing problems with this series. min ho is by far the one who outshines all the others in making his character three dimentional. i'm deffinately rooting for him and hope that jan-di's acting and character becomes somewhat more with a purpose so that she's up to par with min ho's character when they're together again (cause ya just know they will be). i find myself also disliking ji-hoo's character but wishing i liked him more. i was wavering since the beginning on whether ji-hoo or jun-pyo were better of a portrayed role (perhaps i'm biased) and this episode caused me to choose min ho in a landslide. I mean, seriously! ji-hoo's parents supposedly died in a car accident. why is he smirking (true a$$-hole move if you ask me) when jun-pyo almost loses control of his vehicle??? he should be afraid for his friend........deffinately poorly scripted on that part....
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243 Tara
September 23, 2011 at 12:23 PM
First off thanks for the episode summaries it takes a lot of will power to stop me from reading them before actually watching the episode.
Anyways what bothered me the most in this episode was Ji- hoo he was one of the reasons i prefer Han Yori Dango over boys before flowers at least in the Japanese version the acting made us kind of feel sorry for Rui.
Knowing perfectly well he won't get the girl in the end I couldn't help but hate JI-hoo in this version It was like you said that smirk he gets on his face was more then enough to make me hate him and root against him and that's beside the fact that he's been using jan di throughout the episode.
I also liked how they brought his sister in at the perfect moment she was much needed and her entrance(with the kendo stick and the awesome back flipping)was okay. I thought she was very charismatic and I couldn't help but like her. Cant wait till I watch epsiode 7 and see what happens. ;)
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244 Tanya
September 17, 2012 at 11:40 PM
I disagree that it's not ridiculous of her family to say they'll disown JanDi if she doesn't apologize. Especially since...it's not entirely JanDi's fault. From the beginning, JunPyo has been unable to respect that JanDi wasn't interested in him. First, he treats her like crap when she begins attending the school (which almost leads to her getting sexually assaulted, despite the fact that he didn't intend for that to happen, whereas JiHoo, while calling her noisy and being a bit standoffish, saves her from the attack and cleans her up after she's pelted with eggs) and once he's interested in her, he has her kidnapped and given a makeover. I understand that he thinks she'll like it, but...yeah, totally. I know I'd love to be knocked unconscious with chloroform and then wake up naked with people touching me. Oh and the 'You can have the honor of being my girlfriend in private, but people shouldn't see us together' line. Because a kick in the face? Totes true love
There have been small moments where JunPyo has shown kindness (the goggles) and I personally like JanDi/JunPyo more than JanDi/JiHoo (They are adorable when JunPyo isn't being a controlling little brat (though it's understandable why he is, he seriously needs to mature)), but JanDi never agreed to being JunPyo's girlfriend. Actually he's pretty much forced her into everything, including their first date that she never AGREED to that left him freezing in the snow (which had really cute moments, but ughhh JunPyo you really do not show any respect for JanDi's wishes ever, do you?) She should have made it clear that she wasn't as invested as the relationship as JunPyo was so I do fault her for that, although...most other times she's objected to anything people haven't listened to her, anyways? And her face and the way she was objecting when he announced they were going out? These are things he might have actually paid attention to? Oh, but 'when a women says no, she really means yes' and all that crap
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Cheryl
May 4, 2013 at 1:44 AM
Totes agree with everything you said. I don't think he once actually asked her if she wanted something or what she wanted or what she thought. He just assumed and gave orders and dragged her around. He announced they were going out and totally ignored her protests to the contrary. Her family is terrible. Golddiggers, the whole lot.
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245 Cheryl
May 4, 2013 at 1:40 AM
Noona FTW!
I just *love* how when JD says she wants to swim in the competition, everyone's all against it because she's a girl. And? What does that have to do with anything? She's a swimmer! If JH had any brains in his head, he'd back her up 110% and would not be in favor of two people swimming on each 'team'. *rolls eyes* And her best friend is all like, "It's okay if he loses because of you?" Way to be supportive, bestie! Geez! Misogynistic much, writers?
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246 Kanuko Aki-Na
March 1, 2014 at 12:20 PM
So I'm watching the episode right now and if any of you guys can just look back at when Ji-Hoo mentioned Jan-Di, look closer. You could practically SEE Joon-Pyo about to cry. I am seriously starting to HATE HATE HATE Ji-Hoo now -_- Seriously, he's totally using Jan-Di and I feel like this now:
The reason Ji-Hoo always wear white is because I think they're trying to say he's the "good guy", and that Joon-Pyo is the "bad guy". But now, I FEEL LIKE THE DANG ROLES ARE REVERSED!!!! :(
But this drama is actually REALLY good :) There are a lot of twists and I really do like the acting and such. The actresses and actors are good-looking and the plot is good. Although, sometimes there are just random scenes but it's usually good ^_^
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247 kdramafan
May 31, 2014 at 7:50 PM
It's interesting how Ji Hoo was expected to win the horse racing competition but lost and Jun Pyo was expected to win the car racing competition but lost...so in a way they're both even.
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