@ langdon-unni

*snicker away* I was including myself, of course, in said gang. If the Kill Bora contingent is the gang, then your Save Bora contingent is the relief army.

Might I add: your excitement over Ninja Assasin is the cutest thing ever! I think you are officially the most excited NA audience member I've ever beheld. Let us know what you think, m'kay?

@ Taohua

For some weird reason, watching Otomen does not incite me to go read Otomen the manga (which I always want to do when I watch manga adaptations). The drama stands quite tall by itself on the charms of one Mr. Masaki Okada.

@ mishane
Re: long kdramas. Oh I know! Sons of Sol Pharmacy is my first over-28-eps kdrama (and Brilliant Legacy was the one to break THAT record), and was I ever so scared to start one, but you know what? I thought it was going to be nearly impossible to watch that many eps, but it's really not. Once you get going and if the drama is enganging enough, you can't stop.

@ 51 Sere

OMG I hope you like it. I'm afraid I was an incoherent mess during some of the episodes.

And again, romance isn't big in Legend. I mean, it's there, but I guess it'll be like ROI, you watch to see where it goes.

Haha, I actually have one of Legend's episodes saved on my laptop (I think it's episode 19) because one of my favorite drama scenes EVER is in it and I'll rewatch it over and over again. Just that one scene.

@mishane
Hee. I'll let you know. And don't worry, I think I'm pretty much set when it comes to kdramas. I tend to always like them (yeah, I'm easy like that). ^^ OMG now i'm so tempted to start it now. :p

I have a suggestion for anyone who likes Smile, you and Creating Destiny...watch WE GOT MARRIED....Its gotta be the cutest show ever...I was laughing so hard and had several AWWW moments than pretty much every other show i have seen...Strongly Recommended.

@Yen...so that means you go to ASU in Tempe? I just graduated from UofA...and totally miss Tucson. So many Asian restaurants by campus..like Yoshimatsu.

Lol...the longest drama I watched was Golden Bride which was 64 episodes. Watching that took endurance and determination, but it is one of my favorite kdramas. Plus having lots of episodes= way more Lovely Dovey moments and character development that you don't get in a 16 or even 24 episode drama.

Oh... @mishane...have you seen Orange Days. I would definitely recommend that series to people. Especially those in college.

I'm in a drama slump. Nothing seems to perk my interest and I miss squealing about a good drama. Could someone recommend me something?

I dunno why but I dropped Smile, You. :(

Random: do you guys know if IRIS fics exist anywhere? A few days ago I accidentally stumbled upon a couple of Yab fics (don't ask) and I was like, kdramas fanfics in English exist for reals? It's not a chimera? wot? where? I mean, don't get me wrong, kdramas are perfect as they are and I thought I outgrown my fic phase but a)I was sooo surprised cos most of the fics I've seen around are about k/jpop bands, which meh RPF...meh and b)I'm really curious now.

...And I think now I'm going to hide and never come back

@Return of Iljimae
Don't feel too bad about being backed up. I started watching that show months ago, fell into a trance over IJW then forgot about the show by ep 5 (some not so great stuff occurred) and then my drama buddy got hooked last month and begged me to finish. I read all of JB's recaps save one and watched the last ep. Great show! Worth the time and oddly inconsistent effort :) Its a show that is definitely underrated but wonderful. Romance isn't something I need and it definitely wasn't a necessity in this show... I actually could have done without it in some respects.

@Ninja Assassin
I actually have no desire to see this but my sis is going to see it today. She said she would bring back a report. My drama buddy wants to see it too but she heard some not so good things so she's a little detoured. But I think early OT #113 someone mentioned that they loved it so there's hope. Waiting for the langdon813 report though...

@momosan
I like Jdramas alot but the silly I really have to be in the mood for. I actually couldn't watch the entire Nodame drama but I loved the Specials. It was a wonderful story. And honestly being that I kept trying to watch it shows that its worth it... your mood and patience has to be right.

Speaking of Jdramas has anyone seen Itazura na Kiss? I've heard of the manga and the other adaptations and I think that Korea is about to produce something but I haven't seen it... Is it good?

Also... Will it Snow? Should I pick it up? Should I wait?

To speak to the Ninja Assassin discussion.... I went in with no expectations. And ninja movies aren't my thing but I ended up really enjoying it. Although with all the blood and limbs flying around I don't know that enjoying is the right word.

However, I thought Bi did a great job. True he doesn't have many lines, but there's one thing I love about him and he has the ability to be very expressive with his eyes. He played that up in this movie... oh yeah and his body is... um... wow. I won't lie. I was in total fangirl mode whenever he came on screen. It helped that my friend who is also a fan girl was with me... we loved it.

I think I'm going to have to check out Legend. I want to watch some older K-Dramas (ie Sandglass... ) I'd love to hear anyone's insight into those dramas...

I'M BACK!!!!

I had a wonderful time in Thailand. Went to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, the Golden Triangle, Pattaya and Bangkok. It was the most refreshing and wonderful experience. I LOVED the weather... it was PERFECT!!! I definitely have to do this again real soon.

i have NO PICTURES because i accidentally re-formatted my SD card... 2 days before leaving. i only have a few pictures of Pattaya's beach and the Royal Palace housing the Emerald Buddha. But it's all good. i have the pictures in my memory...

hey twin... i'm so excited for you and your trip in 15 days... Seoul's Incheon Airport is beautiful!!!!

not watching any dramas right now.. tho i did do a re-watch of Coffee Prince prior to leaving 3 weeks ago... i will be starting IRIS soon tho. i need a TOP fix :)

Re Long Dramas:
I thought Smile was 30 eps when I started. Its was my love for Lee Min Jung that made me start (I wanted her to get the guy!). Now its 46 and its killing me.

@45 gallivanter - I started my love patzii when JB put it on her rom-com list, but I'm stuck on ep 6. I feel like each episode is SOO LONG. If you're past that, does it get any better?

@56 Shubi - agreed w/ we got married. i started watching it b/c of jo kwon and ga-in, but I def have some love for the show! so cute :)

@nea:notoriousnoona
Thanks for the encouragement for TOKYO DOGS. I stopped after ep 1 because it felt a little too wacky. I think i was comparing it to the first episode of IRIS - which i watched literally right before it. turns out shun oguri in a suit might be enough motivation

as far as Itazura na kiss - i think there was an article about that a long time ago perhaps staring Lee Min Ho??? any one know anything else

Ninja Assasin is actually getting a good review here in Delhi ( India ). Can't believe Rain is here in Delhi at least in a big screen. He is truly becoming famous. Now i can suggest my friends who have absolutely no idea about korean entertainment industry to watch Full House.

Any body who's planning to watch Will it snow for Christmas, i suggest u should give it a try. I am crazy about it. I can't get over Go Soo. He is absolutely charming and his eyes....................

@ lb_tmi - WELCOME BACK TWIN!!! i've missed ya lots! so glad you had lots of fun... you totally deserved that trip - way too long in the making. I'm uber excited to be going soon.. you have no idea (haha actually, you do since i'm you a month ago hehe). I've only seen Incheon Airport in dramas so I am excited to see it in person... now alls i gots to do is run around aimlessly looking for the guy who i love to hate and hate to love before he boards the plane and leaves my life forever... who i'll, of course, JUST miss him as he walks right by me cuz i'll have bent down to tie my shoe or something... :P

just a lil warning about IRIS and TOP... though MY TOP may not be in it a whole lot, every minute he's in it, he's smokin' smokin' smokin' hot. and when u don't gots MY TOP to stare and drool at... you always gots LBH :) I remember someone said something like this in an OT awhile back before IRIS started airing.... "IRIS will be LBH and TOP tryin to outshoot and outhot each other". Truer words have never been spoken... err.. written in an OT :P

@shubi - you got me at "dorks turned into hot-stuff" - looks like I'll have to watch Hi, My Sweetheart now too. le sigh…so much drama fluffy goodness, so little time. Between new eps of Smile, You, AC, Assorted Gems..and watching old stuff like BW…I have no more time for RL. My family’s probably going to put in a kidnapping notice soon…lol

As far as jdrama recs go, here’s 2 that I don’t think anyone’s mentioned yet…

Hana Kimi (the full title is hanazaku-something..but I’ve never been able to get the spelling right ) – I actually fell in the love with the manga first before watching the drama. It’s got the wacky slackstick Japanese humor in a school setting (like HYD) minus the crazy JPG hair. I think the main girl is *adorable* and fits the manga character to a tee. My favorite aspect though has to be the random bits where the schoolmates burst out into song…or when they pop out of nowhere like a jackinthebox.

Orange Days – I suck at writing captivating summaries..but this drama has a deaf violin-playing prodigy with a foul mouth, a bumbling dorky guy who learns sign language to woo his love, and his cast of friends…and this drama follows the evolution of their relationships (here I’d say the “romantic relationship” is secondary to the supportive network of friendship) through college and after. It was my jdrama and I remember loving it because I found it very relatable at the time.

Rec long dramas – I swore them off after I practically had to drag my way through “Be Strong, Geum-Soom”…but alas, the lure of SooIn’s antics had drawn me back *curse them and their superb cuteness*

If anyone is interested, here is the trailer for the Korean remake of "Dragon Zakura"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtT4pivZME0

For some reason J-dramas are what I have been watching lately. K-drama hasn't been as tempting except the ones I have been following ie. smile, you, creating destiny , ass. Jems. I am sure I'll switch around in a bit.

Buzzer Beat: I'll add my recommendation to all the others. Loved the romance here and the KISS! By J-drama standard it was awesome. I do have to confess I am a Yamashita fan ... when he doesn't dye his hair blond. Still, if you like Pride, you'll like this.

CHANGE: Kimura drama. I really liked it. The romance is there, but j-drama sort so just in the background.

Orange days: Finally watched this. Good romance drama. Sort of your sweet and nice j-drama.

Hotaru no Hikari: I really liked the chemistry between the two leads and it was funny.

Iryu Team Medical Dragon: No romance but very addicting. Watching season two right now, and still very much addicted to it.

Kurosagi: Another Yamashita drama. A tiny... tiny hint at romance but I really enjoyed the show. It was the first drama that made a fan out of me for Yamashita.

Long Vacation & Love Generation: Classics like PRIDE. You kinda have to watch it in order to complete the J-drama go around.

Mei-chan no Shitsuji: sort of silly, but once I got past the first couple episodes I liked it.

Ohitorisama: Yaah it's predictable but good comfortable J-drama that is perfect when you are in the mood.

Seigi no Mikata: Not too focused on the romance but it is very funny.

Currently watching (other then the one I've mentioned): Autumn Concerto, Shokojo Seira, Koshonin and getting ready to watch City Hall again.

Tempted to start: JIN (anyone would recommend this? any romance?)
wondering about Will it snow on Christmas. I am a bit weary of this one since the writers? did really sad shows in the past. I don't do well with shows that ends bad. I am a mess for days later, so I tend to avoid them.
Robbers: read about this in the OT so I might start this soon.

Good morning! Like ockoala, I don't have time right now, just checking... All the J drama talk here this morning... Can't imagine who can be like Matsujun... I'll be joining back here later tonight from home. Just watched ep9 and 1/4 of ep10 of Dea Jang Geum, it's a torture to rip myself of from this fantastic drama right in the middle... tears. Anyway, hi to OT late night loony bin members!

71 jtinma

Yes! Jin! it's the best one this season! Highly highly recommended!

@ lovenyc52

OMG!!! the "i just missed the person that means the most to me in the airport, but i'll never follow you to wherever it is you are going because you boarded the plane, i'll just wait for you to come back to me in a few years after the cancer is cured" scene... i LOVE it!!!

you will have SOOO much fun!!!

Hi - longtime lurker here, finally ready to test the waters!

My husband and I are crazed lunatics when it comes to kdrama, so here is a quick list of our favorites. Most are mentioned above, so won't go into details; just really recommend each of them!

Watching City Hall now -:love it; great chemistry!
Husband also watching QSD - he's truly obsessed...
Old faves: MNIKSS, What's up Fox, and 9 Ends 2 Outs
Looking forward to trying: YB and IRIS,

Finally, Javabeans - thanks for everything you do - and for making my days brighter and more fun!

@ 72 jtinma

I have been following ie. smile, you, creating destiny , ass. Jems.

I have to admit that I lol'ed a bit at ass jems. I was all, hmmm, what kind of k-drama would that be??

@63 lb_tmi
WELCOME BACK! So glad to hear you had a great time, with or without pics ;) My friend was in Thailand for awhile...wish I'd visited her back then :(

@64 hpn88
anytime! and I felt the same way about Sweet Spy... I fell asleep on it 4 or 5 times and even skipped to next ep and the same thing happened. One thing I have learned is that dramas have a "timing" element about them.Some dramas you try initially and hate, then you try again and it clicks. Needless to say, I've stepped back from SS but who knows...

@emeldy
Great to hear about NA. In India no less...hmmm. And I don't think I'm going to start Will it Snow? unless the discussion gets heated here by some other OTers.

Just finished first ep of Alone in Love and I think I've found my kdrama for the weekend! Nothing but great reviews and the first ep, though different, has this wonderful pace to it, like a cozy autumn day.

@dele and yen

I am in Tucson for an interview any good Asian places to eat??

I've just started watching Ep 3 of WISFC and they have, in the first three episodes, included the following drama cliches (SPOILERS, but no names mentioned):

* Crazy Kmama
* OTP separated in childhood (plucky heroine, bitter genius hero)
* Death of perfect, angelic person inducing extreme survivor's guilt
* Obligatory shower scene (no complaints here :-D )
* Overeating due to emotional trauma, followed by vomiting
* High-speed U-turn
* Suicide Attempt
* Sad slow walking in the rain (Umbrella? Taxi? Ducking into a building? You have options, people! You don't HAVE to walk 5 miles in the rain!)

I'm only halfway through Ep 3 and this has all happened already. But Go Soo is serious eye candy, so I'm not going anywhere. If I can handle Autumn's Concerto, I can certainly handle this!

T-3 hours and counting!

Just finished watching trailer for Dragon Zakura (K-version). I think, nowadays lots of young Korean actors wear earrings, back then.. when hallyu waves just started, I don't remember any young actors wearing earrings.
Is it just popular in Korea?
I was thinking about allowing my oldest son wears earings (if he asks for it), and as long as I'm gonna be the one who pick the earrings for him .. lol.
Although I doubt my hubby will allow it, I'll tell him, blame it on Kim Bum! I thought he looks cool with earrings in BOF! He got me started!

very much off-topic (if one can be off-topic on OT) ... i'm really embarrassed to ask this question but if i don't ask, i'll never know the answer! ^^

why are they called... chocolate abs? what's... choc about them? color? (hmmm, i don't think so, we're talking asian men... ) shape? (abs are like cocoa beans?)

ok, i'm done humiliating myself, i'll wait for an answer. thank you!

::slinking away and wondering why google doesn't answer the really important questions::

@ paula253 - i wondered that myself for awhile and then someone explained that chocolate abs are defined abs like a bar of chocolate you can break off :) and just as yummy too!

@ paula253

Good question. Have you seen a bar of chocolate, and within each bar, there are clearly dilineated blocks of chocolate pieces so that you can break off each mini-square and pop it in your mouth?

Now imagine a bar of the most sinfully decadent Belgian chocolate (replace with Swiss, French, Jacques Torres, whatever strikes your fancy), and the dark velvety chocolate bar sits before your with its wrapper removed, and you see twelve mini-rectangles of chocolate all connected together, two side-by-side, and six one-on-top-of-the-other. That's two rows of perfect six pack abdominal muscles for ya!

@Liz...do you want Korean or Japanese or Vietnamese?

Korean
Takamastsu or The Korean House: both on Speedway Blvd.

Japanese
Yoshimatsu:

Vietnamese
Ms. Saigon at the corner of Campbell and Speedway

All are yummy, but my personal favorite is Yoshimatsu:)

@yen...yeah my blood has thinned a lot since moving to AZ when I was 12...I def like this weather better than the inferno of the summer.

@ 78 skelly

Yeah, you definitely don't want to bring a kid to Ninja Assassin. The level of gore in it is similar to horror movie gore. Which is fine because I grew up watching violent movies, but I was a bit surprised. Lots of body parts getting sliced off.

As anyone seen Which Star Are You From? That's the next k-drama I'm going to watch and I was really hesitant because I skimmed through it and don't think I'm going to be able to adjust to JRW RIDICULOUS hair (seriously, really? REALLY?).

OMG, I am crying. samsooki...you kill me dead.

Chocolate abs...don't feel bad @paula253...I was never quite sure what it meant either. But now it makes perfect sense.

Speaking of, did y'all know I was going to see Ninja Assassin in less than 3 hours? Have I mentioned that already? :-D

@nea:notoriousnoona,

"Just finished first ep of Alone in Love and I think I’ve found my kdrama for the weekend! "

Should let you know -- Alone in Love is my favorite non-sageuk of all time. Glad you're starting it. :)

@mishane,

"Takuya Kimura plays a hockey player who enters into a sort of dating contract with a girl who is waiting for her love to return to her."

The bridge scene is my favorite scene in the show.

My wife and I have both been watching Angel Temptation (Temptation of an Angel?), and it's like watching a train wreck-we can't look away. I don't think I have ever watched a Kdrama that requires so much suspension of disbelief. We just look at each other and say " This is B.S.!", but still, we keep watching to see what will happen next.

@Mishane ...Which star are you from is ....Is okay...It is dramatic but still not dramatic...Basically kim rae won and the jung ryu won have good chemistry and they are both very likeable...But i think the drama itself is strictly okay...Watch it if you have nothing else to do or really like Kim Rae Won

@ doug

I hear ya about Angel's Temptation. It started off insane, and when Bae Soo-bin showed up, it was one OMG moment after another, but like all good revenge dramas, the oomph factor peters out, and the last few episodes even the BS/WTF/Oh my she didn't! factor has frittered away to a mild simmer. I'm hanging on to finish it, but I can't quite rave about its insanity as much as I did 2 OTs ago.

However, if the lead was not played by the oppa-ist oppa in all of oppa-dom, BSB himself with his choco abs and sweet grin (which we do not see in AT at all, no siree, where's the fan service, SBS?), then you would need to A Clockwork Orange me to force me to watch AT. Without BSB, it's just a glossy ridiculous mess, with BSB, it's a taut emotionally draining piece of work. Now, what does that say about BSB? He's da man.

@ samsooki

Oh no you don't, mister! Mis-characterizing the factions is playing dirty. It's the "Bora must die for the equilibrium of the universe" movement versus the "Save Bora so samsooki can continue to fangirl on her" group.

And I really belong on the "Bora is so dead already, let her RIP and do not resurrect her" movement, which does in fact align with the former rather than the latter.

@ lebcora

Thanks for delurking to share your dramawatching with us. Hope to continue to hear from you!

@ samsooki

LOL!! i love your chocolate abs definition. you're hilarious.

@88 mishane
As anyone seen Which Star Are You From? That’s the next k-drama I’m going to watch and I was really hesitant because I skimmed through it and don’t think I’m going to be able to adjust to JRW RIDICULOUS hair (seriously, really? REALLY?).

I loved this drama! I felt it was really well done and was quite impressed by JRW's acting. I don't want to give anything away but I absolutely adored KRW! The hair? Well its not that big a deal once you start the show. I think they wanted a distinct visual difference between the two characters that also gave a little incite into the personality differences. Plus, she does change it though...for a bit.

I am watching Angel's Temptation off and on...So i am not really a good judge......Call me wierd and crazy...and For some reason i still feel bad for the girl...I really want all the craziness to stop and be okay...I dont think she is that rotten of a person and i still want her to have a happy ending....And somehow I hate the other girl without any reason....Too much drama but still addictive

Currently watching You're Beautiful. Don't usually watch trendy dramas but this one is well cast and quite funny at times. Park Shin Hye is very sweet and adorable, not pretentious at all.

I'm loving Will It Snow For Christmas! I wish that they showed the childhood years a bit longer. I also sorta wish they chose someone else as the lead actress...I find her voice to be a bit unpleasant. But holy hotness Goo Su! He sure does make up for whatever the show is lacking! ^_^

Talk about can't watch a drama because of the actor/ actresses "BAD" hair do, until this very day I can't make my self watch Thousand Years of Love, because of So Ji Sub's terrifying hair......eek!!