Boys Before Flowers: Episode 19
by javabeans
We’re back to fun and cute, hurrah.
I don’t actually think the new songs in this second half are any better than the songs in the first half (and they’re just as inappropriately used). It’s more a matter of not having had the songs hammered into our brains relentlessly (yet?), so they feel fresher and more interesting to my ears. (Although, I admit to having a few moments of wondering whether PD Jeon just recently saw Goong and is trying to recapture the ambiance of that score. No, they’re not the same songs, but a couple of them sound familiar.)
SONG OF THE DAY
Boys Before Flowers (Second OST) – “애인만들기” by SS501. The title literally translates to “making a lover” but frankly that makes no sense in English; I think it’s more prettily (if loosely) translated as “Finding a Lover” or “Building a Romance.” [ Download ]
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EPISODE 19 RECAP
After falling onto the bed, Jun-pyo quickly gets up and moves away from Jae-kyung.
Her proposal for a bet turns out to be a video game challenge, which she manages to win, bringing out his surly sore-loser side. She claims her winnings by dragging Jun-pyo around for the day.
Woo-bin tries to talk some sense into Yi-jung, who is hell-bent on drinking himself into oblivion. He’s unresponsive to Woo-bin’s worrying, though a phone call does jar him out of his liquor haze. (Rule of Kdramas: Bad news brings instant sobriety!) His mother has had another “episode” — a tantrum and pills — and has been asking for him at the hospital.
As in the previous episode, Yi-jung’s attitude is mostly detached, with a sprinkling of bitterness, so he answers that he’s busy. As he heads out, he shakes off Woo-bin’s arm and says, “If you don’t want to see me going crazy, leave me alone.”
He’s in a self-destructive mood, so he seeks out Ga-eul and asks if she still wants that date.
Encouraged, Ga-eul accompanies Yi-jung to a club, but her gladness soon dies because Yi-jung gets busy flirting with every woman who passes. He’s not even being subtle about it, and Ga-eul is naive enough to take his behavior at face value, when it’s clear (to us) that he’s doing this make a point.
Ga-eul steps out to the ladies’ room, and hesitates for a long moment over whether to return to the table. She decides to leave, not seeing Yi-jung until he calls out to her, “If this is enough to send you running, you shouldn’t have asked for the date in the first place.”
She’s gotten the message, but Yi-jung still has one “highlight” left.
Or maybe he really means “lowlight.” At dinner, Yi-jung’s father is friendly and open, but the more pleasant he is, the uglier Yi-jung’s mood grows. Yi-jung points out that it’s clear his father likes Ga-eul (insinuating that he like-likes her, if ya know what I mean). Personally, I don’t think his dad means to be skeevy when he calls Ga-eul cute, but Yi-jung turns everything into an innuendo.
He says caustically that father and son are similar — Mom’s lying in the hospital from an overdose and they’re both out. Dad suggests discussing family matters later, while Yi-jung’s smile twists further as he asks, “Then what should we talk about? This girl seems your type — want to borrow her?”
Ga-eul is really uncomfortable by now, but Yi-jung’s on a roll and he continues with the verbal jabs, saying Ga-eul is practically the same age as his father’s girlfriends anyway.
Fed up, Ga-eul throws water in Yi-jung’s face. She excuses herself and leaves, and Dad tells Yi-jung that he went too far. Coming from him, that’s got to be pretty lowering.
Since Jae-kyung won the bet, she drags Jun-pyo out on a grocery shopping run. (Note: She really is like a female Jun-pyo, and even uses some of his more commonly used phrases.)
Afterwards, Jae-kyung heads for a particular neighborhood, which starts looking familiar to Jun-pyo. Jae-kyung explains that they’re dropping by Jan-di’s new apartment — and given that Jae-kyung knows about the Jun/di relationship, feigning innocence while forcing them together makes Jae-kyung rather mean, doesn’t it? Or at least calculating?
But Jan-di’s not home, because she’s still out with Ji-hoo. While they wait, Jae-kyung and Jun-pyo cook some ramen, which they end up fighting over. (Jae-kyung claims most of it for herself.)
Jun-pyo notices that Kang-san hasn’t taken any — having eaten it every day, he’s not all that eager for more. Jun-pyo asks what he’d prefer to eat; Kang-sang answers that he’d die happy to stuff himself with pizza to his heart’s content.
They wonder what’s keeping Jan-di, but Kang-san can’t call her because Jan-di has no phone. Hearing this gives Jun-pyo a start, since he’d previously given her a phone. Kang-san explains that they’d given it to their parents in case of emergency.
This gives Jae-kyung an idea, and she drags Jun-pyo off to the cell phone store. Must be nice to be so rich you can just buy phones for your poor friends whenever the whim strikes.
Following their museum date, Ji-hoo drops Jan-di off at the clinic, where she invites him in for tea. At his hesitation, Jan-di guesses that he doesn’t want to run into his grandfather and assures him that he’s already left for the day.
Looking around, Ji-hoo finds that he’s unexpectedly affected at the sight of old family photos, which unleash a flood of memories of a happier childhood and a formerly loving relationship with his grandfather.
Grandpa Yoon walks in and catches him by surprise. Overwhelmed with emotion, the doctor is glad to see his estranged grandson and struggles to make an apology, knowing he has limited time to appeal to Ji-hoo before the latter storms out.
When Ji-hoo turns to exit, Dr. Grandpa stops him and hurriedly says he’s sorry, that he made a mistake years ago. Ji-hoo cynically says that he’s the one who made the mistake — for staying alive instead of his parents. “You must have hated me.”
Grandpa tells him, “It’s not your fault.”
(To be honest, I did want to put up a more attractive screencap of Kim Hyun-joong here… but this awkward eye-bulging look is more representative of his acting in this scene…)
Ji-hoo says, without turning to face him: “You should have said that fifteen years ago. Do you know how much that child waited for you? You don’t know, do you, how much that boy wanted to cry and be held in his grandfather’s arms!”
He storms out, which is when Jan-di finally comes in and guesses what’s happened. Dr. Grandpa is again seized with chest pains, but he urges Jan-di to go after Ji-hoo instead.
Jan-di runs outside into the rain, knowing that Ji-hoo has taken off on foot because his motorcycle is still parked out front. However, she chooses the wrong direction; Ji-hoo watches her leave, then is assailed by painful memories of his parents’ funeral.
His grandfather had shown up to the burial, but ignored him and driven off alone, leaving a young (and adorable) Ji-hoo sobbing. It’s got to be particularly traumatizing, since not only was he orphaned, he’d been forsaken by the one person he had left, whom he had depended on. Ji-hoo breaks down into tears, and man, he’s lucky it’s raining so he doesn’t have to fake those tears.
I’ve been softening on Kim Hyun-joong because he seems like a nice guy and the more I read about him in the press, the more I like him as a person. I’ve let his vague, dull acting slide in recent episodes because at least his character didn’t have much emoting to do. But when a spot of real emotion is required, it just can’t be ignored: He is not a good actor.
Unable to find Ji-hoo, Jan-di waits for him outside his house. Good thing, too, since she’s there to catch him (literally!) when he staggers home in a daze and collapses on top of her, exhausted both physically and mentally.
And we can never have too much emotionally battered staggering in one episode, because now it’s Yi-jung’s turn.
He arrives at his door inebriated, and fumbles with his keychain. He’s so drunk that he can’t pick out the right key or fit it in the lock, so after a couple tries, he throws down the keys in a fit of frustration.
Lucky for him, Ga-eul arrives to pick up the keys, and helps him inside.
Despite her assistance, Ga-eul isn’t over the harsh way he’d treated her before — as soon as she brings Yi-jung inside, she turns to leave.
But Yi-jung grabs her hand to pull her back. He mumbles, “I was afraid I’d make her cry, like my father, like my mother. I chased her away because I didn’t want her to cry because of me.”
(Does he mean Ga-eul? Eun-jae?)
I guess after all those episodes of damsels in distress saved by F4 swooping in for the rescue, this is the episode for the ladies to do a little swooping in of their own. Now it’s Jan-di’s turn to tend to Ji-hoo; she watches over him and, thinking he’s asleep, raises a hand to his cheek. She’s startled but doesn’t pull away when Ji-hoo reaches up to grasp her hand tightly.
Jan-di stays with Ji-hoo during the night, and prepares some porridge for him before she leaves.
When Ji-hoo wakes up, he finds the breakfast waiting for him, and sits down to eat his porridge of pity.
(Does anyone eat as miserably as Ji-hoo? Well, since food makes him so sad, I suppose it’s no wonder he’s so skinny.)
Meanwhile, Jun-pyo has spent all night anxiously pacing around his apartment, waiting for Jan-di to come home. When she finally does, he’s out on the landing to hound her about where she’s been and why she’s coming home now.
Jan-di’s knee-jerk reaction is to feel guilty, but then she remembers that she didn’t do anything wrong and shouldn’t feel defensive. So when he insists, “Tell me where you were!” she shouts back, “No!”
She declines to enlighten him even when he asks again in a calmer voice (albeit uneasily), “Are you really not going to tell me?” (She’s really not.)
Madam Kang arrives home. She’s happy to hear that Jun-pyo has been spending more time with Jae-kyung, but asks Mr. Jung meaningfully, “Don’t you have anything more to report to me?”
That makes Mr. Jung nervous. Madam Kang shows him photos of Jun-pyo with Jan-di (and how the hell did she get a camera inside Jan-di’s apartment showing them eating ramen together?). Luckily, she accepts Mr. Jung’s apology that he was inattentive, rather than suspecting that he has been purposely hiding things from her. She orders him to get on the ball and find out what’s going on.
Jun-pyo may have had bad luck with Jan-di, but he’s better at playing the big brother to Kang-san. Remembering his pizza wish, Jun-pyo sets up a large food stall outside Kang-san’s school, equipped with a whole buffet of different kinds of pizza. A sign reads, “Kang-san, be strong! Eat up.”
Jun-pyo tells him to dig in, and Kang-san’s classmates eagerly line up behind him.
At home that night, Jan-di notices how quiet it is — and although she routinely complains about Jun-pyo making a fuss, now that he isn’t, she thinks, “It worries me now that it’s so quiet.”
Jun-pyo’s merely having some problems with his rickety stove, and has to resort to eating his ramen dry (which, by the way, I totally used to do as a kid). An unexpected visit from his mother’s flunkies ruins the mood, though — they’ve been ordered to retrieve him, and drag him off. He protests, and runs into Ji-hoo down in the alley.
Ji-hoo has learned Jan-di’s new address from Ga-eul. He trades a long look with Jun-pyo, but the two friends don’t talk as Jun-pyo is pushed into the awaiting car. There’s something really nice about the way Jun-pyo shoots one last look up at Jan-di’s apartment, particularly because (1) he’s leaving her behind, and (2) he knows Ji-hoo is on his way to her.
Ji-hoo doesn’t go up immediately, though, because when he does knock on Jan-di’s door, he’s got Yi-jung and Woo-bin with him. They greet Jan-di cheerfully and announce that they’re here for a housewarming. Looking around, though, F3 are a little dismayed that at how shabby her new place is, although Jan-di assures them that it’s quite livable.
And then, another visitor crashes the party.
Oh, Madam Kang is so scary. It’s amazing how much Lee Hye-young can do with one direct stare.
Everyone comes out to see the latest visitor, stopping short at the sight of Madam Kang’s posse. Jan-di asks cautiously what the reason for the visit is — and while she’s not rude, she doesn’t grovel in the way Madam Kang probably expects from everyone. Madam Kang says in her cold way that the polite thing to do is invite her inside. Even commoners should know that that’s basic manners.
It’s the formality that she wants, not the actual offer, because when Jan-di complies and invites her inside, Madam Kang sniffs that it’s better to stay outside than step foot inside that hovel.
Indicating the guys, Madam Kang insinuates again that Jan-di’s got loose morals — and even they bristle at the implication and speak up for Jan-di. Jan-di says, “I haven’t behaved in such a wrong manner that I deserve those words.”
Madam Kang begs to differ: “You call an engaged man to your house secretly, and you say you haven’t behaved wrongly?”
She asks Jan-di for a “favor,” though it’s really more like an order: “Even if Jun-pyo comes to see you, please don’t meet him. As you said, you and he have nothing to do with each other anymore. I can trust you, can’t I? Miss Jan-di, I’ll have faith in that great sense of pride of yours.”
The words are polite, the tone is civil, and yet there’s a very steely undertone. Madam Kang then addresses F3: “This is why I oppose Jun-pyo meeting you, too. Think of your families, and for the love of god, come to your senses.”
It’s sweet of the guys to come to Jan-di’s defense, even if it’s ineffective against the Witch Mom. After her departure, Woo-bin tells Jan-di not to take her words to heart — she’s like that with everyone.
Next, the friends all pitch in to offer Jan-di a housewarming present — they show up armed with wallpaper, paint, and other cleaning supplies, and get to work redecorating the room.
On the downside, Kang-san has to live in a pink room covered in flowers. On the upside, it does look a lot better once it’s done.
Meanwhile, Witch Mom has punished Jun-pyo by grounding him. On the downside, the lone exception to the rule is Jae-kyung, who is admitted into his room. On the upside, she does offer a way out.
Jun-pyo’s annoyance gives way to interest when Jae-kyung says the magic words (which she knows will win his attention): “I was going to suggest dropping by Jan-di’s place together, but I guess I’ll go alone…”
At that, Jun-pyo tries to pretend he’s not interested, though obviously he’s desperate to go along, and agrees to accompany Jae-kyung.
When the Jun/kyung couple arrive, they find everyone else already there and in a festive mood. Done redecorating, F3 and the girls sit around the table and joke that this feels like an MT (membership training, a typical college ritual). Ga-eul suggests they play the quintessential MT game — the Truth Game — and Jae-kyung bursts in, “Me too!”
The rules are thus: The one who is asked the question must tell the truth. However, if s/he doesn’t want to answer, that person has to give up something to the asker. That “something ” varies based on what they decide — sometimes it’s a drink, or a slap on the arm. Jae-kyung suggests a kiss.
Going with the kiss idea, Yi-jung starts things off with a question for Ji-hoo: “Can you love someone other than Seo-hyun?”
It’s a simple question and the answer’s not difficult, but Ji-hoo wants to have some fun — he plants a kiss on Yi-jung’s cheek. It’s adorable.
Now it’s Ji-hoo’s turn to ask: “Jun-pyo, if the one you love runs into trouble because of you, could you let her go?”
I was hoping for another kiss, but Jun-pyo answers straightaway, “No, I won’t. I can’t. I’d grab on tight, and be sure to make her happy.”
Jun-pyo wastes no time in proceeding with his question: “Geum Jan-di, the promise you made before on the street — does it still stand?”
He’s referring, of course, to the sunset scene in Episode 10 after he kissed her in traffic. Back then, he’d asked her to promise, “No matter what happens, don’t run from me.” She had promised that his mother would never be the reason for breaking them apart.
But now, Jan-di answers, quiet and matter-of-fact: “No. The person who made the promise and the one who asked it are both gone now.”
It’s a sad moment, although she hurries to gloss over the silence by forcing a smile and asking her question. She picks Woo-bin, and says, “If F4 were women, who would you want to marry?” (Ha, like he needs the “if they were women” qualifier!)
But no, Woo-bin answers that he’d rather stay single — heck, he’d rather join a monastery — than have to settle down with one of these fools. He points out their faults — one is stuck-up (Jun-pyo), another is “fourth-dimensional” (oddball Ji-hoo), and the third is a cold-blooded Casanova.
When Jun-pyo drops off Jae-kyung, she asks him to answer one last Truth Game question: “Friendship or love: If you had to choose between them, which would you pick?”
Without hesitating, Jun-pyo replies, “Both. Because there’s no such thing as giving up in my dictionary.”
(After he leaves, Jae-kyung sighs that his answer — which bodes ill for her, since he’s got no intention of giving Jan-di up — appeals to her. What a dilemma.)
It’s funny how Mama Kang chooses her revenge(s), because when she faced Jan-di on the rooftop, she was actually rather civil. Her words were mean and she did insult Jan-di, but her attitude wasn’t one of hatred or fury. (I’d call it more resigned and frustrated.) And yet, when she does choose to act, it’s so calculated. Like with Jun-pyo, the cruelty really does hurt more when it’s so… carefully considered.
Her next step is to take away Jan-di’s home. It’s not enough for her to evict her from her apartment — which she could so easily do — but she actually has the entire building planned for demolition. A construction worker tells Jan-di to vacate immediately.
On the other hand, life is looking (slightly) better for Yi-jung. While packing up his pottery materials in his studio, he finds Ga-eul’s gift and looks at the arm socks fondly.
Ga-eul, meanwhile, is putting in some extra time at her pottery class. Eun-jae wishes her luck and starts to leave, which is when Ga-eul spots the little ceramic puzzle piece hanging from her purse. She takes an immediate liking to it, and asks to borrow it so she can make one for herself. Eun-jae hands it over, but asks her to take care of it, because the item has a lot of meaning for her.
If you’ll remember, Yi-jung had the other pieces in his collection — each jigsaw piece had been formed of clay, and made to fit together like a real puzzle — which I suppose symbolizes that Eun-jae is the one missing piece in Yi-jung’s heart. Or something.
To Ga-eul’s surprise, Yi-jung drops by her classroom, apparently not surprised to find her there.
And finally, Jan-di must say goodbye to the last of her family. With their finances in such dire straits, her brother has offered to move down to join their parents in their fishing village. Kang-san has an upbeat attitude and tries to talk like this is a great thing, that he’s lucky and looking forward to joining their parents.
Jan-di plays along, but it’s much harder for her to pretend this is what they all want. She wonders if she should join the family, too, but Kang-san reminds her she’s got to graduate and go on to medical school.
He boards the train and says his last goodbyes, reminding her to take care and eat well, and also: “I think Jun-pyo hyung still likes you.”
COMMENTS
First of all, I always love seeing F3 in support of Jan-di, just as I loved how uncomfortable and stiff they were around Jae-kyung in a previous episode.
As for Jun-pyo and Jae-kyung: I’m willing to revise my sentiments from the prior episode, although I still think that the actors have more chemistry than the characters ought. And their interactions did muddle up the dynamics to make it seem more romantic than I wanted. Even though I agree with comments that they’re supposed to be friends more than lovers, I wasn’t getting that from the actual acting, which is why I found it confusing.
On the other hand, I think this episode went a long way in defining the lines of the relationships, and yes, now it does look much more obvious that the Jun/kyung relationship is meant to be platonic more than romantic (at least on Jun-pyo’s end) — the video game was a prime example of that, with Jun-pyo treating Jae-kyung like one of the guys.
Previous interactions aside, in this episode Jun-pyo makes it very clear that he has only ever wanted Jan-di, and that he is absolutely not giving up. I appreciated that his answer in the Truth Game came immediately — he doesn’t even have to think about it because the truth is so defined in his mind.
Same thing when Jae-kyung asks her question later. I’d wondered whether she was asking him to choose between friendship and love because she recognized that Jan-di had fully occupied the slot for “love” in Jun-pyo’s heart, relegating Jae-kyung to friendship. It seems like she’s grasping a bit at straws, like she’d settle for friendship if that meant she could still have him, even if that ruled out love. Because Jun-pyo may harbor doubt about whether he can win Jan-di back, but at least there are none about his feelings.
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Tags: Boys Before Flowers, Gu Hye-sun, Kim Bum, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Joon, Lee Min-ho, Lee Min-jung
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
Hello Dramabeans series
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251 lily
March 12, 2009 at 7:45 AM
And excuse me JP (best Domyoji) is afraid of his mother ? sorry but JP is not supposed to be afraid of anybody ! Even though his mother he is a rebellious arrogant violent man !
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252 lily
March 12, 2009 at 7:55 AM
and @ 238 but This is not HYD anymore !!! All I can see now is people do money on a famous manga's story which has had two previous successful HYD drama versions ! Why am I not suprised !
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253 Arivle
March 12, 2009 at 8:01 AM
IloveBOF
I totally love your comments, analysis, and explanation... you did a great job explaning the sybolisms behind the characters actions.....THANK YOU and I'm with you on this 100% GJD is a strong emotional weed and GJP have to face is biggest fear (his evil mother) by himself in order for him to grow as an individual.
I'm going to miss this series so much....I hoping for a wonderful ending.
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254 Hongki love
March 12, 2009 at 8:57 AM
I love the actress who's playing Jae Kyung.
She plays her character really well.; the annoying, snobby rich girl.
who WE ARE ALL suppose to hate..
But for me.. I don't hate her. in fact, I hate jandi more.
Jae Kyung's character is well defined and she knows what she wants.
Jandi on the other hand, urgh, so sick of her.... she's always in need of help.. doesn't have that courageous, tough character of Tsuksi anymore.
And i agree.
I love the love Jun Pyo has for Jandi. it's so clear..
but as for Jandi... can't see it. to me, almost seems like she doesn't love him as much as he loves her. and she doesnt give a shit.
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255 Jessie
March 12, 2009 at 8:58 AM
@244 ILoveBOF
"But the writers give us a glimpse that his love for JD can conquer his fears–after all, he conquered his fear of water by learning to swim and finally saving JD in the hotel. JD brings out the “true courage and not just a defensive aggression” out of JP. He has to develop more of this “TRUE GUTS” to stand up to the biggest bully in his life."
Let me back track a bit. I compare the Jdrama and Kdrama versions because they are the two versions that are on celluloid (I would include the Taiwanese version but I unfortunately haven't seen it. Maybe I'll go back to watch it when BOF is over!). I've read the manga but I'm not so hung up on the PDs following the plot or story line down to a T. I accept adaptions and changes as long as they make sense and allow for the continuity of plot logic.
One of the fundamental differences between the Jdrama and Kdrama version is that the Jdrama version is manga-esque: always light-hearted, comical, and most importantly, REMOVED from our sphere of reference. Watching the Jdrama version is like watching the stills of a managa come to life. It's actually typical of most Jdramas (watch Meichan no Shichuzi or Zettai Boyfriend). No one's going to confuse that for reality.
The Kdrama version takes the HYD story and adapts it into a drama. It moves the story into the viewers sphere of reference. When watching it, I don't get the sense that I'm watching a manga come to life. I recognize it's a drama but now, it's as if somewhere, out there, far far away, this could plausibly be happening (I use the word PLAUSIBLY lightly because I don't want anyone to think I'm delusional). I think that's why ALL of our reactions are so immediate and intense. Also, if the Jdrama version was the G rated version of HYD, then the Kdrama version is the PG-13 version. There is an element of real sexuality present in the Kdrama version that was absent in the Jdrama version.
If the Jdrama version is about a bunch of high-school kids then the Kdrama version feels like a college-age or young twenties version of HYD. I think that's why, in part, the finacee is far more threatening in the Kdrama version. The element of sexuality is introduced by the comments made by JP's mom as well. Yes, Shigeru stripped off all her clothes for Domyoji, while JK simply embraced JP in the hot tub, but remember how we never saw Shigeru naked? We simply saw her unfasten her dress and then the shot panned to Domyoji's expression. In contrast, as a viewer, I SAW JK back-hug JP while the steam was swirling around them, and he was naked from the torso up, and she was half-clothed. Definitely a different reaction! It's purposeful on the part of the Kdrama writers, I think. They've raised the bar, and I applaud them. It's clear to me now that the Kdrama writers have purposefully upped the ante and made both Ji Hoo and Jae Kyung viable threats to the JunDi pairing. They want us to bite our nails and question the Jundi cannon-- Who is Jandi going to end up with at the end: Ji Hoo or Jun Pyo? Fine, but, and this is a big BUT, if they are going to raise the bar, they better WORK at coming to the same conclusion at the end!
Even though I cringed during the TOJ pageant during the 1st season of the Jdrama, it impressed me, from a perspective of advancing the plot, that Domyogi went head to head with his mother, with the help of his sister, and accepted the consequences when Makino didn't win. The Jdrama, while introducing occasionally cringe-worthy scenes, hardly ever sacrificed on the continuity of plot logic. He was shipped off to NY because Domyouji tried his best to protect and FIGHT for Makino. It was clear to me why, at the end, despite all of the heartache, Domyouji deserved Makino. In the Kdrama version, we have JP sent off to Macau for an external reason, the death of his father, and though I understand why JP loves Jandi, and why she is the only one for him, and the changes she facilitated in him, I have yet to understand WHY he deserves Jandi. He hasn't gotten off of his sorry butt since episode 12! And, yes, I understand the legacy of Shin Hwa, his promise to his father, and the lives of 700,000 hang in the balance. No matter how absurd, the same urgency hung over Domyouji--- the belief that a mistake on his part caused the downward spiral of Domyouji Holdings and the suicide of a beloved colleague. I think the Jdrama version comes off as more absurd, because MatsuJun is not half the actor LMH is. But, essentially, what weighs in the balance in both versions boils down to the same, the welfare of tens of thousands of employees.
We have yet to see JP stand up to his mom! It's ridiculous if Jandi and JP get together namely because either Ji Hoo and or JK bow out gracefully at the end. There shouldn't be a question of what would have happened if someone hadn't helped JP out! JP needs to OVERCOME his issues with his mother, by actively facilitating the change himself. I don't want a question lingering as to what would have happened if Ji Hoo hadn't done this or JK hadn't done that IF in this version JD and JP end up together (99% likely since this is still HYD). Hopefully, the Kdrama writers will address this point because this is the MAIN POINT (at least for me). If they fail to, I would agrue that they should have just advanced the JunDI plot line because JK and Ji Hoo simply aren't viable threats, as in the Japanese version (There is a reason why in Jdrama version, at the end of the day, Rui comes off as simply a confidant as opposed to a real threat and viable suitor.).
Also, by the end, I want a clear reason why Jandi chooses JP over Ji Hoo. Some people have pointed out that Ji Hoo and Jandi would make too boring a pair. Fine, then I want to know WHY JP? The world is a big place, and Jandi's a young girl, and she might meet someone better! And please don't say this is a drama and she only has two choices: Jihoo or Jun Pyo. There needs to be an explanation of WHY Jun Pyo aside from the fact that he is the handsomest and richest one of all.
In the Jdrama version, it was clear why for Domyouji it had to be Makino and vice versa. By the end of the Kdrama, I want a clear reason as to WHY, for Jandi, it has to be Jun Pyo! And it can't be because she only has two choices: Ji Hoo or Jun Pyo! That's not a love story! Nor can it simply be, "because that's love and we can't control who we love." Then, this story is reduced to a contest between a good guy versus bad guy (where the bad guy really isn't a bad guy but he's just awfully misunderstood).
I read somewhere, that an actor was told by his acting coach, that in every scene, he needs to convey to the viewer the URGENCY of his need. WHY he needs what he needs, and WHAT he's going to do to achieve that end. It has to come off as a life or death struggle and urgency of need. We see Jun Pyo struggling, that's for sure. I just need to see him do a little bit more so, at the end, I can say: Ah, Ji Hoo, you fought a good fight, but it had to be JunDi. It can't be that JunDi gets together because Ji Hoo acts like a martyr for a second time and sacrifices his own happiness for Jandi's. It can't be just because Jandi chooses Jun Pyo, for whatever reason, and things work out in favor of Jun Pyo.
I love Jun Pyo. He is such a nuanced and complex character. But, in order for me to be truly satisfied with the ending, I need Jun Pyo to step up to the plate. I'm demanding, I know, and you might not expect the same from a drama. This is just my perspective….
Sorry for the ridiculous length…
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256 lily
March 12, 2009 at 9:21 AM
@ 255 Jessie I agree with some things you stated about Jdrama and kdrama versions (not all) but something striked me in your post. You say in your post "I think the Jdrama version comes off as more absurd, because MatsuJun is not half the actor LMH is" . OK.
Yet, at the same time, I am amazed (through your description of Domyoji character of HYD and his love for Makino) how you understand so well Jun/Domyoji character, you feel Domyoji character by Jun Portraying and how you really feel the Love between Domyoji and Makino (for a good couple you need two CONVINCING and natural actors.) in Jdrama HYD. So I wonder if Jun is not so good (because script is not all, you have to pull the character aura and for that you have to be a good actor. I know a lot of actors who have good script but can't explain the right feeling and you can't feel) how can you understand Jun/Domyoji like that ?
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257 lily
March 12, 2009 at 9:32 AM
and 255 Jessie said :
"Watching the Jdrama version is like watching the stills of a managa come to life"
And I will add they did that in 9 and 11 with a condense storyline convincily without losing the essence of the storyline. So only this sentence confirm my feeling : the Jdrama version can't even be compared with Kdrama version which needs extension...
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258 Tippy
March 12, 2009 at 11:10 AM
I'd like to add to the "Pancakes of Sadness" and the "Pity Porridge"...How about 'Bacon of Bereavement'? 'Tearful Toast'??
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259 Full Moon
March 12, 2009 at 12:45 PM
...juju.....
I really agree with you... I mean after what Yi Jung did to Ga Eul they should show us that she is burst and crying so hard.... before she helped him when he was drunk... and at least they should show us that Yi Jung was hurt becasue of what he did...or at least he feels awkward at firt when he sees her again.. and then try to act as if nothing happened...
Even if he wouldn't apologize to her becasue he wouldn't want her to like him even more..
she has even a sensetive romantic charachter so it was not logical to show us that they were painting the house togehter and everything as if nothing happened... I was disappointed about that.. they just rushed...I was expecting more for SoEulmated after the strong secne when she threw the water on his face...
... have to say that the truth game scene...woaaaah...
they just acted soooo gooood.. it was so natural .. I didn't feel it was acting at all.... and when JH kissed YJ on the cheek ... OMG... XD .. It was deadly funny... I laughed soo hard ...
Thank you a lot .. your effort is really appreciated :)
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260 Full Moon
March 12, 2009 at 1:00 PM
... I wanted to add that these two episodes had some really complex feelings... there was struggle... sadness... funny moments and suffering.... they were all put together in these two episodes (I meam 18 & 19) very well... which is good because few episodes before were reeeeally dragging...
Yeah I know not a very important comment but I wanted to express it soo badly... :)
Kamsahamnida =)
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261 Lanie
March 12, 2009 at 1:32 PM
Jessie... My sentiments EXACTLY!!!
i just finished watching meteor garden1, HYDJ, the anime, even went as far as reading the manga again and i was sooo overwhelmed by the dept of thier love for the female lead.(sancia/makino) I never once questioned or doubted why they are destined to be together... It CLEARLY showed, and they even went through hell just to protect her... they proved over and over how much she means to them, and nobody else existed for them but her... as doming si said " my love for her started a long time ago." against all odds they stayed devoted to her... i was never seriously tempted to jump ship and root for the other guy.(rui/lei).
Some people argue the fact that we shouldnt compare the other versions to the kversion, but how can we not when its suppose to be an adaptation of the same manga... so it is only natural that comparison is made... to make their respective version unique, change is expected, BUT i was just SO dissapointed to the fact that in Kversion, the PURE HEART STOPPING love they have for the female lead(jandi) is not so obvious... wasnt it the main point in this whole entire drama was how much love he has ONLY for her??? How come im not so convince in Kversion as i was in the others... How come its not so believable???
JP has yet to honestly prove to me WHY he deserves to be with her... Jandi has done a lot for him, even face his evil manipulative mothers cruelty to the point where her parents has to move to the sea. She faught hard for him and yet he hurt her in the most painful way... some say he did it to "protect her"... in what way was he protecting her from??? thier business is still bankrupt, lost her ability to swin thus her special scholarship? her newly decorated pink apartment got demolished and to top it off she became his personal servant/maid... Now someone tell me, how exactly is that defined protecting her???
He is no way worthy of her... he hasnt showed any real balls in this entire season2... for me, he is just his mother puppet... as jessie said, i also want a CLEAR reason why he has to be the one for Jandi... She deserves to be with someone who undesrtands the true meaning of "action speaks louder than words"
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262
March 12, 2009 at 1:59 PM
@255 Jessie
Loved your post! I feel exactly the same way!
“I think the Jdrama version comes off as more absurd, because MatsuJun is not half the actor LMH is”' - I really agree on this part. I remember cringing watching Jun's acting in there.
Anyways too bad they've destroyed JP's character by making him seem fickle (enjoying JK's company? PUHLEEZZ-Tsukasa would never do that!) and cowardly in this Season 2. Such a waste of the initial character buildup.
Still gonna watch till the end, though. If I could speak Korean, the PD would've received my hate letters already.
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263 peppero
March 12, 2009 at 3:04 PM
i believe that junpyo's answer to jaekyung's question was going to influence her actions. for example, if junpyo was to choose love over friendship, jaekyung would forget jandi as her friends and pursue junpyo, like he does for jandi. but because junpyo replied "both," it put jaekyung in a more distressed state because she knows she can't have both without sabotaging the other.
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264 doudi86
March 12, 2009 at 3:23 PM
Actually this is my first time writing a comment in this website ...
Thanks you very much javabeans for your effort to put for us the recap every week ...
I have some optimist view point concerning the relationship between Yi Jung and Ga Eul ...
When they were in the club and when Ga Eul Ga-eul steps out to the ladies’ room and she was uncomfortable ... I noticed that Yi Jung looked at her with a tender look with sadness in it .. it seem that he didn't want to do such thing to her but that he MUST do it ...maybe it's his way to protect her from him (maybe because he did care about her)... and that' why, later in his studio,he said that he "chased her away because he didn’t want her to cry because of him" (I think that he was referring to Ga Eul) ....
and also when they played the truth game in Jan Di's place... Yi Jung starts with the questions ... before asking his question he looked at Ga Eul for a while and then he asked Ji Hoo: “Can you love someone other than Seo-hyun?” ... Maybe he did ask himself the same question but about Eun-jae ==> "Can I love someone other than Eun-jae ? "...
It's only my view point after all ...
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265 tsukasa, come back!
March 12, 2009 at 6:33 PM
i have to say, with the exception of your criticism of MatsuJun's acting, I totally agreed with Jessie's post. as much as i hound on the bad overacting/non-acting coming from KHJ, KB and GHS, my biggest beef with this show at the moment is the LACK OF CLARITY in any of the character's motivations, especially JP/JD. in HYD, makino sacrificed a lot for domyouji but every time she lost something, the creators showed that domyouji still cared SO MUCH and he did his best in trying to help her and make us the viewers feel like that yes, he deserves her love. with the TOJ episode, it was so clear that domyouji would do anything for her, and he sacrificed being with her so that everything would be restored. now THAT is love.
in BBF, JP just seems so weak. he has no resolve and sometimes i'm not even sure if he's always on JD's side. domyouji's hatred of his mother was SO evident that whenever he called her witch in front of makino, i felt like wow, here's a dude who will always stay loyal to you. he's almost childish in that respect, but it's that stupid cluelessness that made their love so pure.
anyway, it's always a pleasure to read these comments. but sometimes i think i should stop because by now i'm not even sure why i'm even still watching this. a lot of the comments have pointed out obvious problems with the show and now i'm more confused than ever.
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266 Inocence
March 12, 2009 at 7:12 PM
I just find it hard to believe that some of us think lightly on things that actually bears the point of this HanaDan series.
What I get from the manga is that both main characters has effect on each other. How Domyuoji character changes Makino and vice versa.
In both MG and HYD, they achieved to show how SC/M change DMS/D but didn't really show the other way around. Which I think is a bit unbalance. Even so both earlier version did a great job of conveying what both main characters thought about each other, through narrative approach.
In this version, even when they took a u turn from the original manga, they really did a good job at twisting the plot. And the plot is still the same. I still recognizes the manga plot or scene in here in which they totally mix and match, zig zag, roundabout and u-turn. And yes, the plot remains the same. Only that they totally make a new storyline using the plot that we recognizes and to me that makes this version really stands out.
Another thing is, this version manage to show how GJP has an effect to GJD character, whenever GJP is with her, she will somehow have this drive to be strong, to fight back, to yell, to speak her mind, to reject, to kick etc. And when he's no longer with her, she turned into this sad little girl.
Same goes to GJP, in here also they manage to show how GJD has soften GJP on how to be more humane towards others. A lot of ppl were claiming that in previous both version, Domyouji character is shown to be a lot more firm on his feelings towards Makino character. Well, so does in here, if we think about it, only that since GJD has influenced GJP, he somehow struggle to either keeping her or let go his responsibility as Shinwa heir. Truthfully, will you really let go all of it immediately? With a snap of a finger? Before he knew GJD, GJP might do just that. But since he met her, he finds it difficult not to. That's the struggle. I wouldn't want to have GJP character to be irresponsible. Especially the fact that he's actually protecting GJD from his mother's clutches.
Why I'm stretching on this coz, like in the manga, the changes in GJP is important, as it will make her mother see just how good GJD is to be with him. That's the main point.
I'm not saying that this version is the best and I'm not saying that both earlier are better either. But I really don't want to see the whole thing again with the same storyline. At least, rather than condemning them, its better for me to suck this all in and try to identify which plot that they used and just enjoy the ride. Even at the end of this ride I might throw up or constipated or had fun, well it's just a risk that I have to take, right?
It's your own choice to continue watching, so just suck it up!
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267 Inocence
March 12, 2009 at 7:27 PM
Correction :
Why I’m stretching on this coz, like in the manga, the changes in GJP is important, as it will make his mother see just how good GJD is to be with him. That’s the main point.
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268 que
March 12, 2009 at 7:35 PM
i totolly agree @266.Anyway thank you JAVABEANS for the recap & hilarious commentary...
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269 Pammy
March 13, 2009 at 12:29 AM
Am I the only one who thinks Junpyo x Jaekyung and Jihoo x Jandi are so meant to be?? obviously not.
I mean, forget the actual storyline. Put it in actual life story. imagine yourself as jandi (i'm assuming we're all girls.) the one who's beside jandi the whole time is jihoo, not junpyo. junpyo didn't do shit for jandi even mental wise.
any wise girl will choose jihoo in this situation. but thanks for recognizing they have more chemistry than they're supposed to. because it's undeniable. the chemistry between JP and JK is great.. they're so cute together. it's impossible to hate that actress for JK. she's wonderful. although her situation where we JandiJoonPyo fans would just love to hate her for being the 3rd wheel, i think she makes it impossible for us to do so. she's just too cute.
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270 Meiqi
March 13, 2009 at 12:35 AM
haha.. ya.. I definitely will continue watching BBF.. Coz its hana yori dango.. Coz of the cute actors/actresses... hee... I wonder if jaekyung will strip again? coz in HYD all versions, it was only after the strip then she realised that Domyouji will never fall for her! that scene was important. Coz that was when Jaekyung gave up.... now that she stripped, and still is adamant about being with Jun pyo.. I wonder how they gonna end this... what's the purpose of delaying their breakup anyway? I don't see any point in doing that thus far...
@264
wow.. I didn't realise that much about the Truth/Dare question... Yea.. I think it makes sense why he suddenly came up with such a question! I think I was too anxious for Jihoo's ans... Coz if it was a yes, it is like a confession to Jandi in public.. Hahaha... But either way, I'm not complaining that Jihoo did not ans! Totally LMAO at that kiss~~ Hahahaha... Now I'm a SoYoon fan! =D
Totally loves dramabeans! I''m thoroughly enjoying myself here, watching BBF, and then come over to here to read the recap / commentary / comments... I guess BBF is interesting enough to attract over 200 comments here! ( I don't have frenz watching BBF at the moment... but managed to get my sister and boyfriend to watch it now!)
BBF, Aza aza fighting!!
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271 sam-champloo
March 13, 2009 at 1:32 AM
If I remember correctly, Yi Jung's relationship with Eun Chae in the Taiwanese and Japanese versions were similar to his relationship with Ga Eul, in that he never allowed Eun Chae to think that she was special to him. In fact, he also flaunted how much of a playboy he was, but just like Ga Eul, Eun Chae always stuck by him, but in a quiet, I'm-your-friend sort of way. So a big difference between Eun Chae and Ga Eul is that Eun Chae never admitted her feelings for him. In the Japanese version, this made Yi Jung think she was in love with his brother (I'm guessing they'll use this plot in this version too).
Having said this, I'll offer my analysis and predictions regarding the Yi Jung - Ga Eul pairing:
1) At the moment, he's still not over his first love, as evidenced by his recalling/dreaming about the time when he placed his head on Eun Chae's lap and by his animosity towards his older brother. This leads me to believe that he was referring to Eun Chae with what he said to Ga Eul before she left his apartment.
2) I don't think he really sees Ga Eul as a love interest yet, since he's still so hung up over Eun Chae. I think he only takes Ga Eul as a reminder of his past for now, and he tries to push her away, not so much because he doesn't want to hurt HER but because the memories that she evokes hurt and fill him with regret.
3) The point, I think, is that Yi Jung is a seriously dysfunctional character. He hates his dad for being a womanizer, but instead of doing otherwise, he chooses to become a playboy himself. He promises to never commit to anyone out of deference to his mother, since he doesnt want to hurt a girl in the same way, but MAN, how messed up is that? (No point in complaining, since this is the plot and it's not, like, real).
4) The wildcard here is Ga Eul. Eun Chae wasn't strong enough to handle Yi Jung's complexities, but Ga Eul just might be a match for him. The part about her taking the puzzle piece from Eun Chae seems to mean that she will (in time) replace Eun Chae's place in Yi Jung's life. In some future episode, if they follow the trend of the other versions, I think she'll do something that will help him resolve his feelings for Eun Chae, and if this happens, the dynamics of their relationship might totally change/improve.
This pairing is making me more anxious than the JP and JD pairing, since there's never been a definite happy ending to this subplot. I hope this series can fill that in for us. More than that, I hope they actually take time to show Yi Jung falling for Ga Eul.
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272 HanaDan
March 13, 2009 at 3:42 AM
@ 266
Wow.. what a great insight. Never really thought it that way.
Since you put it that way now I guess it does make sense on why they tend to drag this whole thing. To let us see how they developed the changes in both of the main characters.
Even we as viewers really tired and can't wait to see them reunited and got frustrated about the whole thing, but as you mentioned in here, it really shows us what a great loss is that these characters have to suffer without having each other. And I really missed their bickering.
GJD was never that strong, but with GJP, she somehow manage to acquire that drive or energy to fight back, to be taken seriously... And now even when GJP is not with her anymore, she learned to to be stronger in her own way... That's the change that you meant, right? Meaning that GDJ will continue to live on with or without GJP. Am I right? Coz that's what I got from reading the manga.
As for GJP and his softer side, is a result from GJD is so true. I mean now he can actually be civilized with people and treat them with more respect. Not just that, in this version he knows now what family value means and I guessed that what makes it harder for him to let go his responsibility and also to fight with his mom, right? The transition of his character does show in each episode.
So I guess this version really achieved the main thing as in the original manga. But that just me
* I'm glad that they didn't include the beauty pageant thing in this version! If there was, I'd banned the whole thing hahahaha
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273 StarryNight
March 13, 2009 at 4:40 AM
Just sharing some of my thoughts on ep. 19:
1)JD nursing JH scene: no words are exchanged but may mark a turning point in JH’s relationship with JD. By grasping her hand, he explicitly reveals his real feelings to her for the first time. No excuses made (shaky because of losing SeoHyun, words said out of anger at JP). Until then, JH has been restrained, just wanting to be there as JD’s firefighter (and lifeguard ☺) without pre-conditions, even helping JD + JP to move forward as a couple many times. Perhaps JP’s perpetually poor treatment of JD, coupled with the message from the monk to be treasure JD, gives him the impetus to contemplate a future with JD.
2) GHS has done a good job expressing the conflicting emotions coursing through JD, a complex of feelings toward JH who is her first love, a constant in her topsy-turvy life who has shared her tears and joy. Loyal JP/JD supporters may question this scene with her touching JH’s cheek. I would like to think it is meant to portray JD’s spontaneous reaction to seeing a distressed JH. Why didn’t she pull away? Who would have the heart to do that to JH?! I don’t usually like super cute characters but GHS’s JD grows on you and you want to cheer her on.
3) Sadly, much as JP loves JD, he is often on JD’s mind but largely absent from her daily trials and tribulations, many of them caused by him + Madam Kang in the first place! JP is genuine and no one doubts how much JD means to him. But to call her a stain to be erased from his life (ep. 14?)? That’s true JP fashion, but I can only conclude he’s really good at giving her grief! And he could have stood up to Madam Kang more, no matter how scary she is, since he IS mighty GJP.
4) JH’s confrontation with grandpa scene: Ok, bulging eyes were really funny to watch for a scene that’s pivotal to JH. A more subtle delivery by KHY, in line with JH’s quiet/reserved nature, may pack more punch in reflecting JH’s hurt over grandpa’s abandonment. KHJ’s acting is still raw, judging from the stiff walk in the rain. I cringed. Ha ha. That said, all of them are relatively new actors and perhaps the hectic filming schedule doesn’t give much time for actors to prepare for each scene.
5) I beg to differ that KHJ’s portrayal of JH is always lacking emotion, as commented by some of you. I think KHY did right, since JH’s character is supposed to be “fourth dimensional”, a loner used to masking his feelings. But JH shines in JD’s presence because she brings out the best in him. For many episodes, viewers have lost count of his longing glances at JD. Maybe we can see the two opening up to each other in future episodes….
6) As to the story line… I think it will be nice to see JP growing up a little emotionally. He helms a conglomerate but he possesses the innocent self-centeredness of a child. He thinks only of what he wants and not what’s good for those around him. JD puts JH’s happiness ahead of her own when she kneels down to ask SeoHyun to stay for his sake. JH steps back from JD because of JP, even though JH is already aware of his feelings for JD by then. Of course, if JP gives up on JD now, there would be no story to develop for another 5-6 episodes! I do hope for a happy ending for JH/JD. No offense to JP supporters…
7) And production crew should really look into details. Strange to have a soaking JH lying in bed with his jacket on, don’t you think? And JD was caught in the rain too and she wore her coat the whole night?
8) Thanks Dramabeans/Javabeans for the episode reviews. They are great.
I write this only after the frenzy of Mon-Wed is over…kind of give me something to do until next Mon. Ha ha.
Don’t give up, JH!
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274 Liyana
March 13, 2009 at 7:12 AM
Hello peeps ! Thanks fr your recaps :)
Why aren't they showing more Jun/Di moments???
Jae Kyung is cute, funny , but, come on, this series is supposed to be abt jandi & jun pyo !!
Yeeessh !! But still, i LOVE this drama. Despite, some flaws here and there, ultra-cheesy-ness, a bit draggy, ( ohh, come on..whaddya expect, it is a korean drama!!)... it'll be my top 10 fav drama..
*this is just my opinion, so yeahh, just chill, relax, and enjoy the rest of the series :) Btw, I'm rooting for jun pyo & jan di , gaeul and yi jung :D
♥
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275 a0n0y
March 13, 2009 at 8:03 AM
#266 - inocence
totally agree wif u...
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276 Jessie
March 13, 2009 at 8:37 AM
In the end, we'll probably have to agree to disagree.
Jandi is "stronger because of JP" and "her weakness is her strength." Huh?!!!
Before Jandi met GJP, she was working at the porridge shop, helping her parents' laundromat business, and saving suicidal kids on the side, while rocking the Doc Martens! I would argue that in some respects, she was stronger than Makino in the beginning. She enters Shin Hwa High, meets GJP, and is like "huh, what kind of messed up school is this?," and then goes all third estate, french revolution, let me inject a dose of reality. She's fighting the man even before she meets Jun-Pyo. You don't think she would have confronted Ga-Eul's first cheating BF if she hadn't met JP? You have got to be kidding me! Give Jandi a little credit. Really, it's Ji-Hoo who supports her, teaches her to cultivate her interests, nurtures her softer and more vulnerable side, and prods her along the path to self-discovery. Ji Hoo, and not Jun Pyo, is her emotional support. We all know how Jandi changes JP, but how the heck does JP change Jandi?
After episode 14, she's heartbroken, and they barely talk. I find it hard to believe that Jandi wouldn't have pursued her dreams to become a doctor, if she hadn't gone to Shin Hwa. Even if she hadn't gone to Shin Hwa, she would have met Ji Hoo's grandfather/ex-prime minister through her part-time job at the porridge house. Actually, no, I agree on the point about Shin Hwa. She may not have had the confidence to pursue her dream, but that's because of Ji Hoo and not Jun Pyo. Also, as Kang-San said, "When wasn't she the head of the household?" Jandi still would have been working all those part-time jobs, and looking after her brother, regardless of whether or not she attended Shin Hwa or met Jun-Pyo. Remember, Jandi's parents lose the laundromat due to Mama Kang, just like Makino's dad gets laid off from his company due to Domyougi's mom, but in both versions, the parents move to the sea-side due to Jandi/Makino's father's gambling problem.
In the Japanese version, Rui was her physical savior but Domyougi was the one who believed in her and helped her gain the confidence to pursue her dream to become an international lawyer like Shizuka. Before talking to Domyougi, Makino idolizes Shizuka, but believes that she can never emulate her because Shizuka is cultured, refined, beautiful, and eloquent and a whole host of qualities that she believes she doesn't possess. Through the TOJ pageant, Domyougi teaches her that, yeah, there is a value to all those things, but there is something that Makino possesses which cannot be taught or bought with money. He always urges her to "be as you are." It's after she meets Domyougi that Makino comes to realize the worth of the qualities that she possesses.
In the Kdrama version, this message is muddled. The role of Domyougi is usurped by Ji Hoo. Now, Ji Hoo is the emotional savior and Jun-Pyo is the physical savior. In fact, the way in which Ji Hoo and Jandi's relationship is developing parallels the way Domyougi and Makino's relationship develops from beginning to end. Jun-Pyo gives his "stamp of approval" to Jandi, like the Jdrama version, and declares her his girl-friend, and makes her realize that Jandi's bond with her family is special BUT the cultivation of interests, the prodding of self-discovery, originates with Ji Hoo and not Jun-Pyo. Moreover, to make things worse, Jandi is always running to Ji Hoo and not Jun-Pyo for help. He's the first person she thinks to call when she needs help. I don't have a problem with either heroine enlisting help. However, if you're going to, you better be calling your boyfriend first. Otherwise, it doesn't make sense, and there is something wrong with the relationship. That's why, my favorite episode in the latter half ot the Kdrama was episode 16, when Jandi and Jun-Pyo team up to trail the So-eul mates. But even then, when they have a opportunity to have a honest discussion, it's Jandi who cuts the conversation short and runs away (or at least out into the hallway). Same as the scene earlier in episode in the courtyard at Shin Hwa High, when Jun Pyo waits for her, and trails her, to ask, "Why did you quit swimming?" Again, Jandi says, "None of your business" and THEN she runs off and finds Ji Hoo, hops on his bike, and RUNS AWAY from having a discussion
The blame doesn't rest entirely on Jun Pyo. Jun-Pyo occassionally tries to force conversations with Jandi but Jandi keeps running away. I understand that she is vulnerable, scared, and hurt, BUT if you're seriously entertaining the thought of having any kind of relationship with a person, friendship or otherwise, you can't ignore the problem and refuse to talk about it!
Contrast this with the Jdrama version where Domyougi and Makino are always fighting and talking even when Shigeru is in the picture! After his birthday party, and she sees him grab Shigeru's hand, and after he's already rejected her in NY, she calls him out to Ebisu Garden Place to talk. Jandi never did that! What Makino did takes guts-- she's showing Domyougi that she still cares and trying to push him for an explanation beyond "I've lost interest in you" and "I don't have time to play childish games with you." It's a last ditch effort on Makino's part. And when she sees Shigeru kiss Domyougi, and gets the wrong idea and leaves, it's Domyougi who then goes to confront her at school. Again, they fight, but she tells him, "You're the one who's doing things you shouldn't be." Makino storms off and Rui follows her versus Jandi always running away from Jun-Pyo to go find Ji Hoo. And even though Domyougi dumped her in NY, at Akira's place, she finally tells him in no uncertain terms: Okay, I accept that you've moved on. Now, in order for me to do the same, I need some distance from you. I don't think I can get over you if we're still friends. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION. Makino takes control of the situation. Because we don't have this in the Kdrama version, we have Jun-Pyo and JK dropping in to find Jandi at her apartment which is insanity.
There has barely been any dialogue between Jandi and Jun-Pyo for the last however many episodes. Yes, it's because of the mom, but you don't think they could be talking instead of killing roaches or arguing about ramen? In the Kdrama version, we have a Jandi/Makino that's constantly running away and a Jun-Pyo/Domyougi who's busy being trailed/dragged around everywhere by his fiancee. It's gotten so bad that a sizeable percentage of viewers have become shippers and almost everyone is scratching their heads wondering, why Jun-Pyo and not Ji Hoo again?
I don't dislike the Kdrama. I actually enjoy it. Otherwise, I wouldn't be posting these crazy long commentaries. Though I compare the Jdrama and Kdrama, I think it's like comparing apples and oranges. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. With the Kdrama though, I think there is a problem with pacing and sequencing. In order to enlarge some aspects absent in the Jdrama, such as the So-Eul mates angle, they've sacrificed actual screen time for moments that are crucial to the JunDi relationship. Hopefully, and I suspect, we can get more of these moments in the remaining episodes.
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277 Jessie
March 13, 2009 at 8:59 AM
Also, I keep on wondering, if Mama Kang is so evil that she destroys the Geum's laundromat business, and order the demolition of Jandi's roof-top apartment, why hasn't she maneuvered to kick Jandi out of Shin Hwa High like JP tried to do back in Episode 7? After all, she OWNS the high school and university. The easist way to get Jandi out of the picture is to deprive the two from seeing each other every dau at school. Another one of those leaps in logic...
Someone awhile back, sorry I forgot who, pointed to the fact that Jandi is miserable and barely functional without Jun-Pyo in the latter half of the drama. It was used in an argument to point to the fact that Jun-Pyo makes Jandi stronger. To me, this is convoluted logic. Jandi was strong before she met Jun-Pyo. Now, she's heartbroken and somewhat down and out. It's as if her strength was sapped by JP.
A drug addict can go through withdrawal symptoms when he/she quits drugs cold turkey. The drug addict may have even been more functional if he/she was on performance enhacing drugs. Does this mean drugs are good? No!
I'm not saying Jun-Pyo is to Jandi what drugs are to a drug-adddict! I'm just saying the logic of the absence of B leads to the affirmation of A does't really work. It's false logic.
Despite everything, I don't mind JunDi coming together. They're cute together when they have their little moments. For me, Ji Hoo is a little too-beta male to JP's alpha-male, and batty narcoleptic too boot (as Dramabeans pointed out, LOL). It's just that, in terms of plot, the emotional savior is the one who deserves the girl. As it stands right now, I don't think JP is her emotional savior.
Maybe, in this version, it's more important for Jandi to be needed than to need, in other words, to give rather than to receive. It's just that relationship should strike some equality. Hope we see more of that in the last 6 episodes.
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278 Rovi
March 13, 2009 at 9:07 AM
My god, 276 comments?!
My head's gonna burst reading all those...!
Anyhow, I just learned recently that BBF was acquired by ABS-CBN (along with "Hot Shot" (Show Lo, Wu Chun, & Jerry Yan)), here in the Philippines (just the sight of Jun-pyo's curls has got me started; I saw that in the News just some nights ago).
I just don't know how to react to this, since both the Taiwanese (which I really don't like; sorry for the fans) and the Japanese (which is my fave version) were shown by the 2 rival stations here (MG in ABS-CBN, and HanYoDan in GMA (ABS's rival station)).
And also, I don't know how all those who commented in all of the ep recaps will be as the same as the Philippine viewers. Oh, BTW, there's still no confirmed airing date (same with "Fireworks", but dunno which version was acquired...) YET.
(One thing I definitely know is that less than 100% of the series is DEFINITELY not gonna be shown here, as I've noticed that the Philippines has a habit of snipping off some scenes, or, as I say it in the Philippines, "tapiyasado" (lit. snipped/chopped off).)
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279 mommy
March 13, 2009 at 9:40 AM
I came across some spoilers on episode 21-23:
http://www.epdrama.com/boys-before-flowers-episode-20-english-sub-download-flowers-before-boys-20/
Is this site reliable? How in the world did they get hold of those plots?
If these spoilers are true, these are totally yuck!
How the heck were PD and those idiot writers resorted to that "memory loss" lame plot again? Do they really want to die? :p
That kidnap thingy is the plot of the Japanese HYD movie, right? Oh no... here comes another round of drink we deserve.
(but hey, come to think of it, what else can we expect from an all-mixed-up adapted recipe?)
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280
March 13, 2009 at 10:14 AM
Jessie @276 i love you for writing that long ass essay, that was love. i totally agree. jandi should be making an effort with jjunpyo too. thats what irked me in the earlier episode, she kept going to other guys for help instead of her bf. thats why i don't really mind that her character's being trampled on right now.
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281 deedee
March 13, 2009 at 11:51 AM
hi-
no long analysis, just a little true confession.
javabeans, you're right. this show is like crack. i started watching the first episode last weekend because i'd been working too hard and i needed a little light diversion, and i'd been bombarded with bbf news on every korean entertainment site so i thought i'd check it out. the show was incredibly silly and but the boys were adorable (even though they were total jerks and their clothes were utterly ridiculous!) and jandi was a likeable enough heroine, so i thought i might as well watch another. then another. then another. then i was hooked. i spent the week staying up too late watching it because i just couldn't stop, and now i'm done with ep19 and on pins and needles waiting for the final eps. i downloaded that silly earworm of an ss510 song, and it's thoroughly wedged in my brain. i am already starting to worry about what i'm going to do when the show is done. is there a bbf anonymous, maybe?
my name is deedee and i'm a bbf addict.
dd
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282 lily
March 13, 2009 at 12:11 PM
@276 Jessie
"In the Japanese version, Rui was her physical savior but Domyougi was the one who believed in her and helped her gain the confidence to pursue her dream to become an international lawyer like Shizuka. Before talking to Domyougi, Makino idolizes Shizuka, but believes that she can never emulate her because Shizuka is cultured, refined, beautiful, and eloquent and a whole host of qualities that she believes she doesn’t possess. Through the TOJ pageant, Domyougi teaches her that, yeah, there is a value to all those things, but there is something that Makino possesses which cannot be taught or bought with money. He always urges her to “be as you are.” It’s after she meets Domyougi that Makino comes to realize the worth of the qualities that she possesses."
You told everything !! That's why Domyoji is my fav character of the manga and the Jdrama HYD
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283 mochimochiii
March 13, 2009 at 5:30 PM
LOL porridge of pity!
love it!
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284 bbf addict
March 14, 2009 at 5:44 AM
@dramaaddict..of course ji hoo can hear the phone specially when he set his phone into vibrate+ringing tone??? of course he can feel there is an incoming call or incoming messages while his helmets on hahaha peace!
i did this thing too specially when i am in a crowd area..
i will set my phone to vibrate+ringtone so i know when there's incoming call...
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285 bbf addict
March 14, 2009 at 6:02 AM
hey you guys... yes you!!
we are here to discuss and give suggestions and not to insult the actors performance/PD, scriptwritter or whatever...just give them a chance..the episode is not yet done...lets see the result when the episode is over..don't jump into conclussions...
yes i agree with you guys there are some lapses but you guys here are too much...of course you are free to write anything here but please be careful with your words not to offend people here.
i believe we are all professional here so lets act as PROFESSIONAL!!! okay????
peace!!!!! smile.....
i still love F4 korean version..i love Gu Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo!!! despite of his performance i still love Ji Ho!!!
im looking forward for Jan Di and Gu Jun Pyo's romantic scenes!!!!
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286 wpajax
March 14, 2009 at 6:57 AM
no what i thought was really funny was when jihoo put his phone to the outside of his helmet to make a call!! (around 38:40) HAHAHA. i'm a huge fan of jihoo and i don't usually find that much fault with his acting but really, i think he overacted the grandpa scene. it would've been better to act it a bit more subtly and leave out the physical limping in the rain.
but i love the little nuances of junpyo's acting, like in the scene where jaekyung arrives to take him to jandi's. he's protesting in earnest at first, but even after she tells him madam kang thinks it's a date, he looks away with a little smile and then continues to put up a little fuss in order to hide his strong emotions.
and madam kang is such a bitch! but the actress playing her is doing a great job fleshing her out to be multi-dimensional. in a way, she's a little bit in self-denial - you can see this in the contradicting statements she makes. she refuses to believe jandi when jandi tells her that junpyo is acting on his own, but in the same breath, almost pleads with her not to meet with junpyo when he does come looking for her. it is almost as if she doesn't want to believe that her son could really be in love with this girl, so she continually chooses to condemn jandi as a seducer. (which, by the way, is really lame...has she seen the way jandi dresses?)
i'm pretty surprised madam kang is always wearing dresses though. i thought they'd put her in a power suit to fit her character more.
lastly my fav scene has got to be the truth game. all the main actors were gathered in one room, and the alternating tension and chemistry was so palpable. i think this drama is getting back into the swing of things!
and i really wonder if seo-hyun will ever make an appearance again!
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287 wpajax
March 14, 2009 at 7:14 AM
no what i thought was really funny was when jihoo put his phone to the outside of his helmet to make a call!! (around 38:40) HAHAHA. i don't usually find that much fault with khj's acting but really, i think the grandpa scene was overacted. it would've been better more subtly done i.e. without the physical staggering in the rain.
but i really enjoy the little nuances of junpyo's character, e.g. the scene where jaekyung asks him to accompany her to jandi's. he's protesting in earnest at first because of his mum, but even after jk tells him that's been taken care of, he looks away with a little smile and then continues to put up a little fuss. he wants to go, but he wants to be cajoled into going in order to hide his strong feelings for jandi.
and madam kang is such a bitch! but the actress playing her is making her fantastically mult-dimensional. it's almost as if she's a little bit in self-denial - you can see this from her contradicting statements. she refuses to believe jandi whenever jandi tries to explain that junpyo is acting entirely on her own, but in the same breath she almost pleads with jandi not to meet junpyo whenever he comes looking for her. she is desperately unwilling to concede that her junpyo could possibly be really in love with jandi and so the only way she can resolve it is to blame jandi entirely and insist that she is seducing him. (which is really lame, by the way...has she seen the way jandi dresses?)
i'm a bit surprised that madam kang is always outfitted in dresses though. i thought they'd put her into a power suit to match her character more.
and lastly my fav scene has got to be the truth game! all the main characters were gathered in one room, and the alternating chemistry and tension was so palpable. i think this drama is finally getting back into the swing of things!
and i really wonder if seo-hyun will ever make a reappearance!
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288
March 14, 2009 at 11:13 AM
#285/bbf addict,
If by professional, you mean actors, then no I'm not an actor and not remotely involved in entertainment. And discuss? Yeah, okay. But what suggestions are we supposed to give? And to who? Who are you anyway?
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289
March 14, 2009 at 11:17 AM
Sorry to be so crabby. Came here to see if anyone had already asked about the song played after YJ told JP about JD's shoulder and he went to pool to think about it. But more and more, comments are turning into soompi threads.
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290 tokidoki
March 14, 2009 at 3:02 PM
the scene where jihoo was crying totally reminded me of an episode of we got married when SS501 were in japan! they were all eating breakfast and listening to hwangbo's ipod. when a sad song came on, kim hyun joong started to act like he was crying while the rest of the SS501 boys fed him. it was so hilarious. =)
i loved jandi's apartment after they decorated it!!! but what a waste since the whole building's getting demolished! =(
oh and did anyone else catch the brief slow-mo on jihoo flippin his hair during the painting scene? lol. *swoonswoon*
can't wait till the next episode! thanks for the recaps!!!
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291 Leslee
March 14, 2009 at 3:32 PM
I am watching Hana Yori Dango Season 2 / Japanese version for the first time, in order to get through the long week of BBF withdrawal. And I cannot for the life of me see how Jun Pyo is doing anything differently than Doyoamgsi, or whatever his name is. DomSi is scared of his mom, scared of the company failing, and not telling Makino his true feelings. WTH are all you people talking about anyway? Did you watch both versions without subtitles (provided you don't speak the language that the show was in?), and so maybe didn't understand all the dialogue?
I have watched and rewatched BBF, and I don't see even a hint of romantic feelings being sent out by Jun Pyo. He just seems irritated, sad or annoyed with JaeKyung. They have chemistry, but mostly because they LOOK good together. They don't seem to be in love, or at least he doesn't. Just because he is not smacking her around like DomSi does with Shigeru doesn't mean he is falling for her. And what about in the Japan HYD2, when Shigeru kissed DomSi for like 10 mintues before he brushed her off?
Whatever. I love making fun of the show, but I am enjoying the drama and angst of it all. And I am beginning to think that half the people who are criticizing the storyline haven't seen HYD Japan in so long that they don't remember it, they only remember their fuzzy warm feelings at the end, and forgot all the drama leading up to it.
See you back here on Monday, everyone :)
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292 bbf addict
March 14, 2009 at 5:24 PM
@dramaadict.. who i am?? i am a NOBODY..
goodluck!
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293 qied
March 14, 2009 at 8:56 PM
Did anybody else notice the absurdity when Jae-kyung walks into Jun-pyo's bedroom at the start and plonks herself down onto his bed without EVEN noticing his half-packed luggage and the obvious hint that he is packing to leave to go somewhere? (presumably, Jan-di's neighbourhood)
I am also disappointed that Jun-pyo has yet to say these lines to Jae-kyung that made my heart melt in the manga: "I've tried my best to like you, but I can't." After failing to say those lines at the hot bathtub when she undresses (which, by the way to me, is a crucial scene in Hana Yori Dango because it shows that he is untouched and fiercely loyal to Makino even if another woman tries to seduce him!), I was prepared to see more of this new couple, but still, I can't fail to feel exasperated with the PD for dragging this on and on for longer than it should be with no visible end in sight.
Someone made a reference to the famous confrontation between Elizabeth Bennet and Lady Catherine in Pride and Prejudice when Madam Kang arrived at Jan-di's doorstep to put a stop to all interactions between Jun-pyo and the latter. I was hoping for an reenactment of that scene too! But alas, Jan-di was very mild and no match to Madam Kang here :( With all those responsibilities weighing down on her and Jun-pyo's feelings for her basically constituting a big question mark (not to us viewers of course), who can blame her.
P/S If anyone wants to watch the show-down between Elizabeth Bennet and Lady Catherine that could have been Jan-di and Madam Kang,here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSksfO8DE_o&feature=related
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294 Inocence
March 15, 2009 at 12:04 AM
HanaDan
What I meant by changes in GJD is the effect that GJP brings out in GJD.
As I remembered correctly, GJD is a freshmen in ShinHwa, thus her knowledge about F4 is still new. So, if she is that strong from the get go, GJD confronting GJP will most likely thing to happen. But it didn’t at first, as she held herself back when GJP shove a cake into a girl’s face. This was an act of injustice that GJD really despised. If she is what others claim already that strong, she would’ve done the other way and give GJP a piece of her mind, right? Besides, do you think it's easy to get that courage to go against a guy who can squish you like bug in a second?
And then, when she finally did, that does show a huge change. Hence, GJP is the cause in here. Yes, GJD’s strength is already there but the one who forced it to come out is GJP. Since she has already confronted the great GPJ, so she won’t find it difficult to defend for others, thus the best kick ever etc etc. To me, the kick she gave GJP was her first kick.
And what I find it interesting is that both characters didn't know much about each other, yet the effect that they have on each other was shown brilliantly. To me that's huge. Also GJD never knew just horrified it is to go up against GJP, yet she still do it. And what differs in here also was when she said that she didn't need GJP to believe in her, back when she was framed by her friend. In both previous version, SC/M did asked DMS/D to believe in her. And to me that just show a huge impact. It’s totally different situation from the manga.
In manga, Makino is known to be strong from the get go. She only hides herself so that others won’t notice her existence and tries to graduate peacefully. Both versions did just that and it’s understandable for SC/M to have that tough look. In here, to me however GJD was not shown to be that way in the beginning.
Another thing was, GJD was the one who tries to find the answer to their troubled relationship. She didn’t need reason to go and look for GJP. She just wants to meet him and to me that just show a huge leap for GJD. When GJD got chased away by GJP, she struggled to believe how GJP has changed. But she faces her feelings head on. She didn’t run away. To me that makes her a strong person. It’s achieved earlier unlike in manga.
You’re right about GJD continued to live on without GJP, but get this with GJP gone, she chooses to move on. She didn’t run away. She kept seeing him at school. She kept talking/ yelling at him as if nothing had happened. It’s hard to do that, right? I mean can you really do that? And yes, GJD still have friends to support her, so she didn’t need GJP, yet she still loves him somehow. If she’s not, she wouldn’t be that sad all the time.
Did you notice that when GJP is around her, she is transformed into this driven girl and still can scold him and yelled at him and really be herself? That's another effect that I meant. When she's with him, she is being her true self. You'll never see her yelling to JH like that. Now, why is that? Where does that energy/ drive come from? I guess maybe her anger. Still that counts as an effect too.
If a person didn’t put up a fight, and continue to receive whatever crap life could be and just move on. Would we call that person weak? Yes? So, it is called strong only when we stand up and put up a fight? Well, to me actually both are strong. Why? Coz both show us that we need to continue to live on. It’s only called weak and stupid if you gave up or worst, commit suicide. Now that’s WEAK in my book.
I don't need everybody to agree with me, but this is just me looking at things. I guess I tend to see things differently from others. That just me
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295 Anmei
March 15, 2009 at 3:02 AM
Hi Javabeans,
Will you be putting out a song list for BBF like you did for Soulmate? If not, do you happen to know the title of the song at the beginning of ep 16?
BTW, love your blog and have watched some great dramas (that I otherwise would not have considered...Que Sera/Soulmate) based on your recs! Thank you for your continued hard work...it is much appreciated!
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296 HanaDan
March 15, 2009 at 3:46 AM
229
I totally agree with you.
294
Wow... I must say you really look at the tiny detail and try to make sense out of it and it does actually. You pointed out that Jandi has her pride and know where she stands. Though it looks as if she runaway from Junpyo to some people but actually she didn't. Wasn't Junpyo said that they no longer need to care for each other, so that's what Jandi did. She's not running away. Basically, even if she never mentioned that she loves him, but from her action to look for Junpyo in Macau, he already knew how important he was to her. And that speaks a lot! And for him not wanting to see Jandi at that time is actually saying that he didn't want her to give up on him. So when they finally meet, he had to chase her away. So now he is struggle to either gave up his responsibility or his love. I'm surprised that many people didn't see it that way.
Anyway, as you mentioned, let's just enjoy this ride... and from what I read from spoilers, the story is getting better and better... they even included a missing plot which both earlier version didn't include, I bet that this going to be great.
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297 lily
March 15, 2009 at 9:36 AM
@291
1) it's DOMYOJI not DomSi (look at Yoko Kamio HYD)
2) Shigeru kissed Domyoji but Domyoji never looked at shigeru like Jun Pyo does and shigeru never controlled Domyoji like Makino did. When Domyoji went out with shigeru he even didn't look at her.
3) Domyoji afraid of his mother ? Do you remember in HYD Domyoji saw a man die and it really striked him and lead him to be more serious at his work and the Domyoji business ? Show me a scene when you saw Domyoji goes crybaby and weak in front the person whom he wants to prove he is able to be a STRONG businessman to. In episode 9 of HYD season 2 at the airport Domyoji isn't afraid to be with Makino in front of his mother.
At the contrary in episode 4 of BOF you see all the F4 especially Jun Pyo go Berserk when M Kang first appeared. There you can say JP is afraid of his mother. I didn't see that in HYD.
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298 Leslee
March 15, 2009 at 1:29 PM
I don't think that JP gives JK longing, loving looks. The only look that was even questionable to me was the one at the breakfast table, and he seemed wistful, almost like thinking, I hope she finds someone for her loneliness. Same at the pool. He just doesn't look moved to me. He just is not quite so...physical in showing his complete lack of acceptance of Shigeru/JK as DJ is. Which makes sense, because he was never just violent brute that DJ is portrayed as. But he has never seemed to waver at all in his love/devotion to JD.
I don't get the impression that GP is afraid of his mother in the sense that you are taking it. More that he is afraid of what she might do. He is not afraid of what she will do to him, he is afraid of what she might do to those around him. He tries to shield those he loves from her. This includes JP and his F4 buddies.
Remember, I am watching both at the same time for the first time. My first impressions of both are the same, because I have not had the chance to see how each situation resolves itself. I am not looking back, already knowing the end.
As I said, I like the drama and angst. I am really enjoying both shows! :)
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299 iris
March 15, 2009 at 2:23 PM
@298
i agree with u
When JK gave him the ring and he saw the JJ initial, he was reminded how he was so desperate to claim JD as his before by cooking for her, gave her the anklet and the necklace. He never fell for JK, he only sees her to be similar to himself, lacking and spoil. His instinct is to love and be partner with someone strong and brave like JD to go through life together because he knows he holds a very important position.
I just wish that GJP & GJD will soon be seen in every episode . It’s kinda boring to be watching the jaekyung. she really cling like a monkey and it really hurts my eyes.I love GJP when she told JK that there’s no such ” giving up ” in his dictionary for that I really jump my enthusiasm to continue patronozing this drama.GJD suffer so much already emotionally and physically in the hands of the witch. now it’s time for GJP to fight for GJD advantage. It’s time for him to show his real feelings and courage to go against his witch mom.
Hopefully those spoiler will not spoiled my enthusiasm in watching the end of this drama. I can feel the tensions going on .I can’t comprehend thinking how GJD will help GJP recover from memory lose.
can’t wait till the next episode!
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300 Haneul
March 15, 2009 at 3:13 PM
The OST does seem to attempt the same atmosphere as Goong, I've thought that from episode one. Not to mention 2 actors from Goong (or did I miss one) and similar "royal" imagery, rather than just super rich. I understand that the owners of Shinhwa would be like royalty, but I feel like I watching Goong all over again--which was overrated, by far.
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