To the Beautiful You: Episode 4
by gummimochi
It’s a remarkable thing when a drama can elicit such a strong reaction from you within the first three minutes. What a good drama should know how to do is cater to their target audience. What happened to the cute? Whilst thou abandon me so soon adorableness? Here’s looking at you, drama.
Ratings dipped this week in Episodes 3 and 4 to 5.1% and 5.4% respectively.
SONG OF THE DAY
Onew – “In Your Eyes” [ Download ]
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EPISODE 4 RECAP
Back at the pension, Seung-ri’s mother wonders why Chang-hyun, the nameless hyung/employee from the previous episode, is missing. You didn’t send him on an errand, did you?
Tae-joon thinks the same, and Chang-hyun’s numerous inappropriate behaviors flash in his mind before he rides off on a bike.
Meanwhile, Chang-hyun panics when Jae-hee asks to borrow his cellphone. Tae-joon’s frantic voice leaves her confused and Chang-yun swipes the phone before she can describe their current location. In a scarily calm voice, he tells her, “Stay still and nothing too bad will happen to you.”
Waitaminit. Drama are you telling me that he’s a McCreeperson sexual predator? I wanna throw up already.
He locks the door and stops in front of an abandoned yard. He scoffs when Jae-hee addresses him as ‘hyung’ and chuckles, “You’re a girl.”
The air grows increasingly tense and horrific as he grabs her wrist, preventing her escape. Oh my god, oh my god. Then he jumps her and she pushes him off and slaps him upside the head in retaliation.
With a poke in the eye, she runs out. I feel thoroughly disgusted right now. We’re only three minutes in, drama!
McCreeperson gives chase just as Tae-joon arrives and searches through the now abandoned van. At the same time, McCreeperson catches her and as they fall, the bracelet falls out of her pocket.
Grabbing her by the shirt, he punches her and he taunts her to scream for her life. She’s terrified and he mocks her shouts for help with maddening eyes.
…and then a flying kick by Tae-joon knocks McCreeperson over. The two engage in a slo-mo fight, punching and kicking each other. Tae-joon delivers a righteous punch that sends McCreeperson flying into the ground.
Jae-hee finally intervenes before Tae-joon can deal more damage, pleading for him to stop. And McCreeperson gets away? WHAT?!
Tae-joon breathes hard for a few moments and then gives a half-laugh, “Sorry for being late.” He pulls her in a tight hug. Oh hai there romantic music cue. Sorry Onew.
Her ankle’s shot and he offers to piggyback her back. Tae-joon silently picks up the fallen bracelet before hoisting her up.
Night falls and Doc grows concerned that neither Tae-joon or Jae-hee have returned. He proposes that they organize a search party.
They search through the woods and no luck. Doc breaks the group up into pairs and Eun-gyul and Hanna gape back, Me? With her?! There’s no time to lose and they continue to search.
Taking a short rest on their return trip, Jae-hee asks why he started high jumping, dissatisfied with his answers that “it just happened” and that it was a sport that wouldn’t get him dirty.
However, he sympathizes when he learns that Jae-hee moved to America after her father passed away and her mother remarried. She reflects, “But it was okay. Because of you.”
They continue on using the lighted bracelets to direct their path and Jae-hee wonders what Tae-joon must feel when he’s high jumping.
That triggers a time when his mother asked the same question from him when he was younger. His answer back then was, “When I’m jumping, it feels like I can touch the sky.” And for Mom, it warmed her heart to see him jump.
After they’re found by Eun-gyul and Hanna in the woods, they head back to the pension where Doc tends to Jae-hee’s sprain. He tells her to take it easy or else her injury could worsen.
Seung-ri asks about what happened – wasn’t she with Chang-hyun? Tae-joon swoops in with the simple explanation that they were fighting while Eun-gyul and Hanna cast worried looks at Jae-hee.
Jae-hee sits in her room, still shaken up and Tae-joon thinks to himself, concerned.
Eun-gyul tries to lift Jae-hee’s spirits by singing a cute song. He starts to dance which gets her to start laughing. And then right outside the door, we see Tae-joon hold a plate of milk and snacks.
Drama, are you expecting me to believe that this is how you’re going to deal with a girl who was sexually assaulted? Giving us subtext along with a song and dance? *headdesk*
Jae-hee is unsurprisingly quiet at breakfast and the others note that Doc is missing at the table. Seung-ri’s mom sighs that he’s too busy to date and at this rate, he’ll die as an old unmarried man.
Hanna confronts Jae-hee about what’s wrong because her intuition is telling her that something’s off. But she’s in no mood to empathize today.
Before they head back to school, the group gathers for a souvenir photo.
Jae-hee checks her email in the van and hits her head in surprise when she reads that her brother is planning to see her this week.
It turns out that Doc came back to town early to attend a seminar. In the bathroom, he notices another handsome, well-dressed young man. I love how he’s enamored by every small detail down to the cufflinks. Omo, does this mean our Doc is gay in this version as well?
He gives a surprise look when the Western man makes small talk in Korean. And then he’s further impressed when he’s a prominent doctor.
Director Jang fills up Tae-joon’s upcoming schedule with more CFs and wonders if they should move up his retirement since he’s not jumping.
We jump into the middle of the CF shoot where the director is ready to pull his hair out for the multiple takes, citing how difficult it was to get to shoot here. And then his assistant says that the principal is just fine with it.
At that moment, the principal walks in giving the director an earful about how Tae-joon is this school’s “Jang Dong-gun and Won Bin.” Pfft – is this supposed to be a Secret Garden reference?
Jae-hee reads her brother’s email as if it were a conversation. It seems that her brother has no idea that little sis has chopped off her locks and is attending a boys school. Jae-hee contemplates what to do about obtaining a female student’s uniform.
As if on cue, Hanna comes bursting in the room and isn’t inclined to hear Jae-hee’s request. But while she’s busy shooting the CF with Tae-joon, we see that Jae-hee has spotted Hanna’s uniform in the distance and swipes it before Hanna returns.
Meanwhile, Hyun-jae is busy training for the upcoming competition. Coach Baek runs him through drills and literally sets the bar high at Tae-joon’s record.
Hyun-jae fails to clear and beats himself over about it. Coach Baek gives him an encouraging pat on the back, telling him that the tiniest bit can mean the difference between gold and silver. Hyun-jae stares at the height with determined eyes.
Eun-gyul positively beams as he looks through the vacay photos on his phone, stopping at a photo of Jae-hee. He shakes himself out of it and looks up the word “gay” out of curiosity.
He raises an eyebrow at the first definition, “Mirthful joy?” Aw, I’m not sure if that’s what you were looking for.
He imagines marrying Jae-hee and their married life where their son comes crying that the kids are making fun of him for having two Dads. (Eun-gyul tells him, “But that’s a joyous thing!”) How awesome is that Jae-hee is the one who’s all scruffy?
Then one question gives the both of them pause, “Which one of you had me?” HAHAHA.
He snaps himself out of the daydream and exclaims, “There’s nothing to be joyful about!”
Director Jang pays Tae-joon a visit after the CF shoot. She looks on with pride about how much he’s grown since he first signed to their company when he was in middle school.
She reminds him that it wasn’t just a contract but that he was entering a family. With a deep breath, she suggests that they look into an earlier retirement. And as usual, Tae-joon doesn’t put up a fight.
Coach Baek arrives to school in his beat up car to meet his crush, Teacher Lee. He asks her where she lives (Boon-dang) and then offers to carpool since he lives near the area. When she asks where, he replies, “…Ilsan.”
Hahaha. Which is on the opposite end of the city. Your crush is too cute, Coach Baek.
Doc is in the middle of googling the mysterious handsome doctor when Jae-hee bursts into his office for a pass.
I love that she forgets herself for a moment while waiting for her brother and sits with her legs wide open. It’s the little things that get me.
It’s no surprise then that her brother, Daniel Dawson (Julien Kang), is the same doctor we saw earlier. At lunch, he zips through a litany of questions in excitement about Jae-hee’s new life in Korea.
Daniel clucks at his sister for living in Korea without a cell phone. Commence shopping spree!
He finds that it amusing that Jae-hee peruses the men’s clothing selection and he lavishes her with new clothes and accessories. Aww, it is kind of nice to see Jae-hee enjoy an afternoon as a girl.
Jae-hee slips away to use the bathroom (and runs into the men’s one first out of habit, heh) and gasps aloud when Hanna walks in. She tries to leave unnoticed when Hanna stops her… and returns her hairpin.
Hanna cocks her head in slight recognition. But it’s not Jae-hee’s face that gives her pause but the uniform. Heh.
Just when Jae-hee thinks she’s out in the clear, Daniel tells her that she’s in luck – Tae-joon is here to sign autographs. Like a good older brother, he ignores her protests, telling her not to regret missing the chance to meet her idol.
Jae-hee does her best to cover her face when they approach Tae-joon. He asks for her name and she answers, “Goo-jil (grungy).” Because he affectionately calls you “goo-jil goo-jil” now?
She takes the autograph and gets ready to dart out of there when Hanna stops her in her tracks. Hanna narrows her eyes – she’s sure that she’s seen her face somewhere – and asks to see Jae-hee’s face.
Tae-joon interrupts that it’s likely they saw each other at school given the same uniform. He lets Jae-hee go but Hanna can’t shake off her hunch.
Jae-hee sees her brother off and then heads back to Genie High.
Tae-joon enters the darkened gymnasium and packs up his locker with a deep sigh. It’s sad to see him stare at an old photo with his mother and past headlines that marked his success.
Coach Baek interrupts him and takes it as a sign that Tae-joon that he really intends to quit. Tae-joon says that it’s better that a real athlete should take his place. At that, Coach Baek raises his voice, warning him that he won’t be able to come back if he quits.
Tae-joon takes his leave.
Jae-hee stays up late on her computer and gets caught in the middle of class for yawning. At least she’s not the only one since Eun-gyul gets kicked out soon after.
They get caught again and while they run laps, Eun-gyul asks what kept her up so late. Was she up “watching videos”? You mean porn? Oh you and your raging hormones.
He lights up in surprise when she answers that she’s been making one instead. I’m pretty sure it’s not what you’re thinking, Eun-gyul.
She in turn asks about his mysterious caller who got him kicked out of class – was she his first love? But nay, Eun-gyul recalls it as a dark spot in his past.
Aww, young Eun-gyul is so cute! He gets hit on the head for teasing the girl’s drawing. Some time later, after she told him she was moving to the States and he told her to just go on ahead, she kicked him. Just thinking about it makes his teeth grit.
Doc calls Jae-hee inside to gush, uh I mean, inform her about the doctor he met at the conference. He just so happens to be an expert about Yips syndrome and Doc asks for her help to translate.
Jae-hee is happy to help but then who do you know walks in the door. Daniel gapes, “Jae-hee?!” Ruh-roh.
Back in her room, Daniel is understandably angry at the entire situation. He grabs Tae-joon’s picture – did she come to this school for him?
But Jae-hee insists that she didn’t come solely for that reason, “Because of Tae-joon I was able to step out into the world again! After I saw him jump, I found a reason, a desire, and courage to come back into the world again!”
Tae-joon is done for because of the yips but what about her own dreams? Her own life? Jae-hee tries to calm him down but Daniel finally bursts, “Does it make sense for a girl to live in a guy’s dorm?!”
And right outside, we see Tae-joon has heard the entire exchange.
Inside, Daniel asks Jae-hee to assess what help she can really be to Tae-joon. Oh thank God for you, Daniel; you’re asking all the questions we want to ask. He asks if Tae-joon has changed at all since she arrived.
She can’t give him an answer and Daniel softly sympathizes with her intentions but this isn’t the way to go about it. He tells her that he’ll take her back to the States.
Tae-joon sits outside with Sangchu and wonders if he was good to her because Jae-hee’s a girl. He thinks aloud about how a girl could be gutsy enough to enter a guy’s school.
He ponders, “I should send her back right? To America?”
Jae-hee is surprised to see her bags packed when she returns to the room. She does her best to try to play it off when Tae-joon tells her that he wants her to move out.
But he isn’t joking this time and remains firm. If she won’t leave, then he will.
Keeping up his cold facade, he tells Jae-hee that it’s no use trying to convince him to start jumping again because he’s already quit.
That’s news to Jae-hee and when she mentions his injury, he flares that it isn’t. He’d already been wrestling with this decision and decided to quit. He adds, “So you should quit too.”
She still tries to get on his good side and Tae-joon burns his final words, “Get lost.”
He storms out and Jae-hee silently cries.
Eun-gyul finds Jae-hee crying outside and he asks, “Why is sweat coming out of your eyes?” Boy, have you never seen tears before?
He sits there, waiting, and Jae-hee finally opens up that she must be a burden to other people. Because she’s impulsive and always does things her own way, people end up hurt.
Eun-gyul tells her that it isn’t so and Jae-hee rests her head on his shoulder. His heart goes thump thump again.
They sit there for a moment and then Eun-gyul slowly turns his head towards Jae-hee’s… and then suddenly gets up to excuse himself.
Eun-gyul runs until he finally collapses to the ground. He picks up the phone and calls the girl from elementary school.
Tae-joon pretends to sleep when Jae-hee returns to the room. He listens as she apologizes that she was selfish to try and help him when he didn’t need her. Even though their time was short together, she was happy.
She tells him to take care and then leaves, rolling her bag behind her.
COMMENTS
O Drama, hear my plea – wherefore art thou so dramatic so soon?
We left off Episode 3 wondering what would happen to Jae-hee in the car with Chang-hyun. I knew he’d been bordering on sexual predator territory but the very moment he tried to jump to rape her, I wanted to gag several times. And the fact that he got away without consequence angered me to no end. In that same vein, how did Seung-ri’s mother pick up the van at the police station – was it abandoned? Did no one think it was odd that the van was just lying there?
What upsets me more is how the storyline immediately handles this conflict. Sure someone just tried to sexually assault you, but don’t worry because your hero will rescue you and then hug it out. Because we think he thinks you’re a girl… or maybe not yet. Then we get a whole lot of subtext with some brooding sessions and Eun-gyul dances away our pain? Nope drama – unacceptable. You can’t possibly take out this kind of conflict and then brush it under the table like something didn’t happen. Doing so is doing a disservice to your audience and suggesting that it’s no big deal when it certainly is. Commenters have mentioned that this plot point is true to the manga and I wished that the production team took that creative liberty to address the conflict properly and let the audience know that a sexual attack on a minor is not okay.
It’s too bad that this episode started off this way because when we were introduced back to some welcomed lighter moments in the latter part of the hour, all I could think of is how I wanted to take several showers to wash away my disgust.
Moving on, I came in thinking that we’d be spending some time at school, getting to know our classmates at Genie High and then you brought the main couple front and center. Part of the charm from the 2007 Japanese version was the various crazy personalities we met in the dorm leaders and the other classmates (I’m still sad Ghost Boy is a no-show). It makes me wonder if the writing doesn’t know how to handle an ensemble or if the High Kick 3 writer will follow a similar pattern of focusing on a few characters at a time. I do dearly hope that we get to settle at school for a while to get to know some minor students who have already faded to the background. Can we go back to Genie High, add a dash of zany and then plunge back into the romance? *crosses fingers*
I am impressed with the drama slowly bringing up the issues around homosexuality, especially within a romantic comedy geared towards a younger audience. For Eun-gyul to explore and question his sexual identity (and reference his hormones) is something more than I could ask for and I’m with him at every step, even when his imagination gets the best of him. I loved his daydreams about marrying Jae-hee and even starting a family because even a light hearted reference suggests that at least the drama is brave enough to mention it. Before the drama started airing, I heard that Ki Tae-young’s character would not be gay but we’re seeing clues that the team has kept that in to this version as well.
Additionally, I understand that the production team is trying to stick to the source material moreso than previous adaptations. However, we’re seeing a string of lightly touched upon stringed scenes that keep moving along. It makes it difficult to discern which scenes are important to the overall plot or scenes that let us know that we haven’t lost our minor characters yet. Which is then jarring when we spend an ample amount of time with our main couple… and still not glean enough information about what went on.
Drama, I want to know more about you! My arms are wide open to love you – can’t you open up your heart to me?
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1 ck1Oz
August 27, 2012 at 5:29 AM
Thanks for the recap been waiting for it since I only started the drama a few days ago.
Yeah, the way she recovered from the attack was like treating it like it was nothing. I tell you, this is one time it is great I don't know the manga and haven't watched any version of it. So I have no basis for comparison. To creep me out so badly that this was happening in a shool age drama to ignoring it like it was a passing fly. Can't figure out what the director was thinking. Or is it the writer.
There were certainly cute moments but I am trying to figure out how Tae Joon when from ignoring her to accepting her to suddenly having feelings for her. It was too sudden for me.
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Ivoire
August 27, 2012 at 8:27 AM
Thank you Gummimochi for the recap!
I will not spend too much time on the attempted rape scene since you have addressed it and so have many commenters here. I do agree that it was poorly dealt with and I can't help but wonder what message is being sent in doing so. What about the other children and teenagers the rapist will encounter, who will save them? Not everyone has a Tae Joon in his/her life who will swoop in and save them. I agree with one of the commenters who talked about social responsibility once one knows that such a dangerous person is roaming around.
I am currently not watching this drama, but I have read a lot of good things about it and thought that I would read a few recaps. I have a thought that came to me and it is a little thing but it stayed with me. We know that by the time TJ packs JH's bag, he knows that she is a girl. When her bag was packed, I kept thinking:" Ok, so she is a girl right, so that means that she wears (I am assuming) girls/young women's underwear, panties, bras or sports bras. Wouldn't TJ have come across those things when packing her clothes, or was she wearing male underwear as well, going all the way with the disguise? What about the piggy-back ride, did he feel that she has boobs or not?"
I am not sure what to think, but those were just the questions that went through my mind, because personally if I were in JH's shoes, (and I personally would be wearing female underwear), I would be concerned about TJ knowing my gender because he went through my clothes and personal items. It is a small thing, but it crossed my mind. I would be concerned then that he would know (or at least suspect) that I was a girl. And if she is not wearing a bra (maybe because she doesn't need to worry about it, since she is not too endowed in that area), wouldn't her nipples show at times? I am just wondering realistically how that would work. I am not trying to be a perv.
I can't help but think about the risks a girl takes when pretending to be a boy and being in such close quarters with a boy. I would constantly be afraid of being found out, maybe because I wouldn't be good at pretending to be a boy (especially during that time of the month). I guess the manga and the drama gloss over those things. And maybe I just think too much... but those are the things that I would be thinking about.
SKKS handled the girl thing well by having PMY wear tight bandages on her chest area during the drama. It was a small detail, but I appreciated that.
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Ivoire
August 27, 2012 at 8:42 AM
I just wanted to add that I just read the comment by commenter #31 and saw that some of the things I mentioned were actually addressed in the manga. I haven't fully read the previous recaps (I am planning to), so maybe what I have talked about here isn't relevant. If that is the case, just ignore my comment.
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Dulcce
August 27, 2012 at 8:38 AM
I feel like he's been concerned over her ever since she's tried to run for him during the dorms match ? In episode 2, that is. Then the kiss incident too... things kept piling up.
And maybe he already knew (or suspected) that she looked like a girl, when he touched her shoulder.
Though, I feel something's wrong because Jae-Hee really acts very creepily at the beginning... Stalker alert!
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ck1Oz
August 27, 2012 at 9:14 AM
Then this drama might be a sasaeng fan idea of a dream come true right?
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Ivoire
August 27, 2012 at 3:08 PM
Let's hope not :-(! They don't need any ideas...
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Dulcce
August 28, 2012 at 12:05 PM
That would be terrible...
Well, I think the problem at the basis is the scenario of Hana Kimi / the drama itself. For example, the girl going to follow her idol for one reason (not spoiling but you might see later or already in the japanese version) up to the same school, etc. I guess she did not know she would end up in the same room nor class at first. (or maybe for the class?)
The creeper fact this drama added was rendered in particular situations. //(SPOILER ALERT--- if you haven't watched the drama)---> Especially when she tried on his shoes and went on his bed... I mean, what ? What are you trying to do ? Why would you do that ?! Why would you hold his hand and watch over his sleep ???<----//
I did not read the original manga, but maybe some of the facts appeared there...
Obviously, things seem to be lacking and creepy, like for example the rape attempt - premeditated by the hyung - he did not get caught, and fled away, but doesn't it happen when the guy flies away irl ? Of course, this is utterly wrong not to get him caught. But in this story, since Jae-hee doesn't want to get her identity revealed and that she had the chance (lol) to get saved at the right time, she may not want to reveal her condition. Maybe the screenwriters did not have the choice to do otherwise because it would mean to reveal the secret to everyone too, not only Tae-joon.
I think we should maybe try to keep watching and see if things unfold better ? :'(
Let's hope !!
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Ivoire
August 27, 2012 at 3:13 PM
Hi Dulcce, and thank you for your comment. I think I will have to go read the recaps from episode 1. I was kind of staying away from it, in case I wanted to watch the show and so I wanted to be surprised and have little knowledge of what happens before I watch. Now, I am not so sure.
I am really curious about this:" Though, I feel something’s wrong because Jae-Hee really acts very creepily at the beginning… Stalker alert!" I will pay attention when I read the other recaps. I don't know when I will be able to get to this show.
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Dulcce
August 28, 2012 at 12:23 PM
Hi Ivoire, actually I think this show is very pretty to watch (very pretty lights and ambiances, a few symbolisms in background items detected). I read all the recaps myself, after watching the episodes (I always do it afterwards so I wouldn't spoil myself anything, and to read also the comments) and there are very subtle things like glances between characters that did not get cited.
That might also be the reason why things became too sudden or weird for some people, because they might not have noticed subtle details - which would have a huge importance in the character's psychology growth..? Perhaps! (Perhaps they should have also showed it more clearly too with the camera - that the hero understood something, too.)
I watched the japanese drama and really loved it. So when I first watched this one, I was disappointed in the first episode... but began to think of the drama as one on its own and became somehow attached to it, despite some flaws.
I think this could be enjoyable if you do not start watching it with a prejudice, but try to take it more lightly and get into the story itself ?
I understand though the will to spare your free time over something worth watching.
True that some details are really tacky, but this reminds me more of Boys Over Flowers' tackiness than anything. And some nuances to the japanese drama (like for example the brother looking completely western and bilingual) was a nice touch, I might say. I feel like unlike the japanese drama, which was very focused on the fun at school with the secondary characters + the two main "males", this one tries to take it on a different level ?
In my case, I do not regret watching this show, and I'm going to continue ! It got me curious to see how things were going to be led, plot-wise.
I hope you'll still enjoy watching it after all ! ;)
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nafie
September 4, 2012 at 5:42 PM
can't agree with you more,
^^b
I personally think that this drama is good enough if you do not compare it with the rest of the versions. It's better to watch it in separate terms since it tries to be different from the others to begin with.
I have watched all of the other version both the Japanese version and the Taiwanese version. I have read the manga too and to be honest, I felt odd when I first watched the first episode of this Korean version but I could not deny that this version of Sano (Tae-joon) and Ashiya (Jae-Hee) is the closest to the ones depicted in the manga in characters wise.
Granted that it is a basically teenage drama with heavy saesangness in it but I think it is o-kay casted and I am gladly following this drama despite its lacking in ratings or hastly script writing. ^^'
jesshearts
September 18, 2012 at 4:09 AM
oh my god I completely agree with your confusion of Tae-Joon's emotions.
One question I have is If he thought she was a guy then why did he rush to save her from being raped? I mean, HUH?!
Couldn't he of figured out the creepy guy was going to rape a GIRL and not a young boy.. He must know she's a girl earlier than the bro/sis argument because that is weird.
Pushing that fact aside, why did he rush to save her when only a couple of episodes ago he despised her more than anything?!!?! And then to HUG her after saving her? what?!
Maybe he's just overly affectionate but would a male usually hug another male after saving him from rape O.O WUT.
TAE JOON YOU CONFUSE ME SO MUCH.
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2 Jaja
August 27, 2012 at 5:29 AM
Thank you for the recap!
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3 Gom
August 27, 2012 at 5:30 AM
I haven't watched any of the episodes, but I'm a huge fan of the Japanese first version. And the most important thing that you need to leave behind as you watch it is logic. I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just that in order to enjoy it, you have to ignore all the things that don't make sense. That's where the heart of Hana Kimi is felt. For this Korean version, maybe they're trying to delve into too much angst and drama and for it to make sense. They're forgetting that the little things and moments from the J version is what made it such a memorable drama.
I haven't planned on watching this because I don't want a repeat of the Boys Over Flowers mess where my beloved Hana Yori Dango was not treated very well. Did I make the right decision? I'm leaning on yes.
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kdramaniac
August 27, 2012 at 4:08 PM
I agree 100%! I love the Japanese version of HYD and Hana Kimi. I've been reading the recaps and prob don't plan on reading it any further because I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment.
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mrmz
August 27, 2012 at 7:40 PM
In the japanese version b4 the story even starts they tell you don't take it seriously, this drama is meant to be ridiculous. I know bcuz I just rewatched the 1st episode :P
It makes it much easier to accept everything coming at you. Also I find in the japanese version (i mean 2007 haven't seen 2011) there isn't any real animosity between the guys or anyone, there is competition and rivalry, and boys being stupid. And thats the fun of it.
I am still enjoying some parts of this drama, but do wish it loosen up a bit, and we get too meet more characters. Being a korean drama means more episodes, so we have enough time to get to know more of the characters introduced. I really wanna know more about the 3 dorm leaders at least, they seem so much fun.
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4 Roggy
August 27, 2012 at 5:36 AM
*DROP*
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Roggy
August 27, 2012 at 5:37 AM
But thank you for the recap :)
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5 sharkie
August 27, 2012 at 5:40 AM
and I was also wondering how you'd react to that sexual assault bit. i already had a bad feeling from ep3 but when ep4 went there, i waited for Taejoon to talk to Seungri's mother at least. show should have given a hint that it was at least discussed if they didn't want to go into the details. *facepalm*
well, i'm just watching for the pretty. hope i get to forget about that bit though.
thanks for the recap! :)
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6 Haru
August 27, 2012 at 5:42 AM
Thank you for the recaps <3 I'm loving this version as much as the 2007 Japanese one :D
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7 Hafy
August 27, 2012 at 5:43 AM
Thanks for the recap...
Anyway, yeah, I agree with you about the Hyung.. I was WTF when they just went home and did nothing of the Hyung. I know perhaps TJ did not want to burden JH or something but still it is wrong. Really wrong. It was as if the attempted rape thing was a way for TJ and JH to get closer.. Weird and give the wrong msg to others.. It was like the attempted rape is okay as long as your hero beat the crap out of the guy. If at least they touch it a bit, it would be okay for me. Like TJ bring the dorm leader's mom to the side and told her and then relate it to why the van is there in the morning.
And talking about the dorm leader's mom... I'm really sad that she didnt know that he is a she. i would rather have that than the attempted rape Hyung. I'm glad the 2007 Dorama decide not to include the Hyung in the Dorama.
And yes... why the sudden change in TJ? He totally did not car for her at first but then change 180 degree. Why? because JH ran the marathon eventhou she hurts? O_o and the way TJ cares for her and his action shows that he already love her and know that JH is a she. but it shows that when he heard the conversation between JH and her bro, that he just found out then. O_o
lastly, I feel like this drama and not just this episode, the scenes did not connect with one another and just jump around... if u get what I mean... I just can't connect them...
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Hafy
August 27, 2012 at 5:47 AM
Wait... no smiley face after thank you... i sound rude... LoL
And again... Thank you for the recap.. ^^ I'm not sure if I want to continue watching it but I'm curious on how they fold the story... So, I most probably rely on your recaps to know what's gonna happen next...
BIG THANKS from me! xDDDD
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shelhass
August 27, 2012 at 6:25 AM
"Like TJ bring the dorm leader’s mom to the side and told her and then relate it to why the van is there in the morning".
I second this.
I thought he would do i, if not her, maybe Doc, whom he's closer.
Or did this happened, but they waiting one more episode to let us know?
Right now I'm not really fond of those delayed explanatory parts of you drama, just so you now
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SoyB
August 27, 2012 at 6:54 AM
I agree with you Hafy! It does seem like the almost rape scene was a way to get the OTP closer, but geez could they have found another way? Even if it was part of the original manga, it was so creepy and out of left field especially given the overall tone of this drama.
I agree with gummi, too. They way it was not handled, even just a tiny bit made me feel disgusted and wanting to shower many, many times.
Hopefully this is the beginning of the end of a drama that started out so well.
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singingzombies
August 27, 2012 at 2:54 PM
Sadly, this is not uncommon in many Asian dramas, mostly because of the culture surrounding such issues. Oftentimes, the female victim is ostracized by society, and as such, the issue remains unreported, and creepy predator gets away with it.
Luckily, society has grown alot in the last 10 years making such incidents more uncommon, but it still creeps up every now and then. And when I see it represented in entertainment such as this, I can only cluck my tongue and be a little disgusted, because such guys don't deserve 2nd victims.
Part of the reason I liked Dream High when they touched this sensitive issue was the way they handled it maturely, with the characters commenting on the how society will react backwards to the sexual attack and how much that suuuuuuuuuuuuucks. And importantly, the characters do the right thing in the end.
It doesn't matter to me that all evil acts in dramas get their comeuppance. That's an unreasonable portrayal of life, but I always REALLY demand at least one of the main characters to have a strong moral compass of right or wrong. This drama has really disappointing me on that front. JH steals another girls clothes without batting an eyelash. TJ often comes off as an unreasonable jerk and the mishandling of the sexual predator attack just ergs me... Its a real turn-off when I was expecting the Hana Kimi fluff.
And for the record, I don't remember this happening in the manga. Correct me if I'm wrong. The drama has creative freedom and what plot choices to make, but I definitely think this was mishandled
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singingzombies
August 27, 2012 at 2:59 PM
Also, with regards to the attack scene. I also hated that for this plot point to even work, they had to hand-wave JH's supposedly innate speed, by having the guy comment out loud how hard it is to catch her, before catching her from behind in 2 seconds flat... I mean come on! Character inconsistency so you can have your bloody attempted rape scene! At least have him throw something at her to knock her down, or have her slip! Something! Argh Poor Writing Pisses Me Off!
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annie
August 27, 2012 at 3:49 PM
I totally agree with your comment - that it doesn't necessarily require justice to be realistic (because RL sucks) but we do need a protagonist with a strong moral compass. That's been bothering me about JH since the beginning. Someone with such a strong sense of moral responsibility (we are asked to believe) that she would do all this to help TJ, has no problem stealing someone's clothing? I think in the manga she procured them herself.
The DH writers really earned my respect with their handling of this issue - IMO one of the things that lifted that drama up from just a fluffy teen drama to one with meaning and heart.
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kerstin
August 28, 2012 at 6:09 AM
in the manga she asks the doc for help, as his younger sister has girly clothes, she doesn't need a school uniform in peculiar.
the attempted rape scene in the manga happened after the owner found out that mizuki is a girl, so she fires the guy from his job, after telling him in front of the other guys that he mistook mizuki as a girl....
I do think that in the manga they used this scene to bring mizuki and sano closer after their little dispute, and it worked there...they forgot this "incident" really quickly actually....
The japanese versions (both 2007 & 2011/2012) didn't have this scene as their adaption differs from the original source. Whereas the taiwanese version stayed pretty close to the manga - only the last two episodes were atrociously silly and dumb.
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eternalfive
August 27, 2012 at 10:06 PM
Urgh, I completely agree about it seeming to be a way to bring Tae-joon and Jae-hee closer. I don't even remember there being an attempted rape scene in the manga, since all the details are so hazy in my memory now, so I was SO surprised when they went there. But that did not even compare to the disgust I felt when NOTHING happened afterwards. They were obviously trying to play it as a romantic moment, but I just felt completely disgusted that there weren't any consequences for Creepy Dude. And yeah, I don't get where Tae-joon's feelings are coming from either. There wasn't any kind of natural progression, or a huge revelatory moment, or anything. And his actions are weird too - he keeps on treating her like a girl, when obviously he didn't know that she was a girl until he overheard her oppa.
Aaargh, this drama gives me a headache. I try to just shut down my brain while I watch it like I do with so many other dramas with logic fails, but for some reason, while I end up enjoying those dramas, I can't do it with this one. I either get really bored, or really annoyed.
Btw, thanks for the recap, gummimochi!
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harukogirl
August 28, 2012 at 1:16 AM
It's in the manga. It's a playboy-part time worker at the guesthouse, who assumes she's a she from the beginning (not realizing they came from a BOY'S school). He has a bet with some friends that he can get with her. Flirts like crazy, and one day he drives her somewhere and pretends to run out of gas, and starts seriously putting the moves on her. I forget how grabby/aggressive he got (NOT as full on killer-psycho scary as this drama, though), but then Sano shows up, drags him outa the car, and punches him. Mizuki is freaking out and runs into the forest, and Sano leaves creeper dude to chase after her. They get lost, etc, etc. She is more obviously upset and affected, and Sano and all the dorm guys are PISSED at creeper dude (cause everyone finds out). Don't remember exactly, but I think he got beat up and/or fired. Plus they tell him Mizuki is from a girl's school and he freaks out about attacking a guy.
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8 Annnnnnna~
August 27, 2012 at 5:47 AM
Thanks for the recap! ^^
And any of you notice how some of the plots are related to the Hana Kimi manga and Hana Kimi 2011? Or well, just the almost getting raped part...
OMG! The only reason i think I'm watching this drama is because of the cinematography AND Lee Hyun Woo~^^
Hopefully the plot's going to get better as the drama goes on???
And also my bad for the randomness of this comment :/
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Hafy
August 27, 2012 at 5:52 AM
There is the rape scene in Hana Kimi 2011? I only watched like 2 episodes of the version.. Then, I dropped it... >_<
Btw, how do they handle the rape part in Hana kimi 2011? O_o and also in the manga... It makes me really curious.
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shelhass
August 27, 2012 at 7:02 AM
I don't really recall any almost-rape scene on Hana Kimi besides de reason behind Japanese Jae hee stalkerism.
The japanese version show us a scene where a younger Mizuki is attacked by some boys in the dark, but the worse is prevented by the arrival of Sano, who rescues her, but ends up being hurt on his Achilles' heel, and that's why Mizuki thinks she's the reason behind Sano not being able to high jump.
So in order to make things right, she flies to Japan only to make him an athele again.
But I think the manga has a pretty similar scene to the one whe saw here on the korean version, but If iI'm not wrong the person who trys to rape her, is someone from the school or someone close to her.
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~Feather~
August 27, 2012 at 11:12 AM
The attack scene you're referring to is from the 2007 version. :) I don't think the 2007 had an attempted rape scene, though.
I believe the attempted rape happened in the 2011 version (acejihyo explains it very well).
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acejihyo
August 27, 2012 at 8:03 AM
just to clear things up, in the manga it's similar to the korean plotline in that they're helping out at io-san's villa (the doctor's sister), and one of the workers there tries to get with mizuki (jae-hee in this case), and tries to rape her in the car (in a similar manner as in this ep). sano (tae-joon) arrives just in time and pulls him out of the car and punches him until he's knocked out.
and the HUGE differences are that one, mizuki, after being saved, tries to run due to the shock, and refuses sano's help multiple times because she's still terrified from the attempted rape. two, being the offender returns to the villa and is fired for his conduct, which i admit is a light sentence, but at least it's a punishment/consequence of some kind.
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Colors
August 27, 2012 at 9:55 AM
I think Io-san also tells him that Mizuki's from an all boys school and that he tried to rape a boy, doesn't she? Some sort of mental punishment, but well, that's not much.
I sort of remember the guy showing up later on in the plot, but I'm not sure because I don't remember what happens to him.
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lei
August 27, 2012 at 10:55 AM
actual this thing happen in hana kimi taiwan they do it same in manga
crazykel
August 27, 2012 at 12:44 PM
Also, a difference is that by this time, Sano knows for sure that Mizuki is a girl and he already had begun to have feelings for her. After Mizuki falls from running from Sano's help, she falls and Sano helps her, but they both get lost at the bottom of a cliff.
Makita (hyung) goes back to the pension where Io (Seung-ri/Nanba's mom) asks him his intentions with a boy from an all-boy's school (even though she knows Mizuki isn't a boy, because she finds out after Mizuki faints at the pension a few days before this). She fires Makita (who has a history of doing this to girls, as he and his friends often make known to the reader), and he leaves.
While lost, Sano realizes that Mizuki is running a very high fever and he tries to take care of her. She loses consciousness and he tries to revive her with mouth-to-mouth. (Later this comes back when Mizuki and Sano recount how many times they had kissed each other. Sano can't remember the drunken kiss and Mizuki doesn't remember the mouth-to-mouth).
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9 JaC
August 27, 2012 at 5:48 AM
I love Japanese version of awesomeness of GhostBoy and the dorm leader of 1,3... so sad to no see it in k version.
=(
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10 akichan
August 27, 2012 at 5:58 AM
thanks! :)
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11 gcdj
August 27, 2012 at 5:58 AM
Everyone is entitled to their opinion about this drama. We have to respect that. So far I have been enjoying this drama a lot. Why? Because it is pretty and entertaining. After a hard day's work, I like to come home and delight myself with happy endings dramas. Unrealistic? Maybe, but the reality I live it every single day.
Having said that, I have to agree about how poorly the drama treated the rape attack. It deserved punishment, and quite frankly, recieved none. But to be fair, I think we have to keep in mind that this drama is based in a manga, and this part I believe was included in it. Maybe they tried to stay true to it.
Still, I think this drama is pretty enough for me to keep watching. I love Minho, so I don't think it will be a problem to follow it till the end!!!!
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12 BB
August 27, 2012 at 6:02 AM
I was wondering the reason as to why the rape track was omitted from HanaKimi 2007. The writers must've felt that maybe they wouldn't have handled it with aplomb and know how to tread that track with sensitivity. So, leave it out. And that was a great choice.
But here they obviously use that track to introduce more angst and whatnot. What irks me is that a)this is supposed to be a HS drama yet there's not enough fluff & lightness, laughs, hysterics that are to be seen (ignoring the source material) in a gender-bender show. b) they've made everything SO SERIOUS!! ughhh...
Atleast Playful Kiss had adorable characters in the the boy's mum and family and Oh Hani's friends. Here there's just not enough of the cute. Even EG is okay. We know he's been written as the typical 2nd male lead with a few laughs. Wish they'd have gone for animated hysterics with him assuming that he likes a boy. ehhhh, just not enough to keep me interested. And, absolutely CANNOT stand the second female lead. For now I'll read this week's episode recaps. If it delves further into angstville I'm done! We know SME was garnering for the show to be an international hit and I suppose it will be. :S
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kerstin
August 28, 2012 at 6:14 AM
Hana Kimi 2007 had made a lot of changes adapting the manga to a tv drama. So that's why this scene wasn't included.
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13 natsumijan
August 27, 2012 at 6:05 AM
For this episode, i'd have to say Julien Kang impressed me. This is the first time to see him in a drama. His grasp at Hangul and how he talks with but a vague accent (or none at all) in Hangul is rather impressive. I would rather that kdramas would also have their actresses/actors speak good English if they are to play a character who supposed to have grown up in the States or in any English speaking country for that matter. This would add to the air of credibility of the said character.
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14 gcdj
August 27, 2012 at 6:07 AM
Everyone is entitled to their opinion about this drama. We have to respect that. So far I have been enjoying it a lot. Why? Because it is pretty and entertaining. After a hard day's work, I like to come home and watch happy ending dramas. Unrealistic? Maybe, but the reality I live it every single day.
Still, I have to agree about how poorly the rape attack was treated. It deserved punishment, and quite frankly, recieved none. Having said that, I also keep in mind that this drama is based in a manga. And if I'm not mistaken this rape attack was included in it. Maybe they tried to stay true to the manga, but I think they should have approached it differently.
However, I'm gonna keep watching. This drama is pretty enough for me!!!
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gcdg
August 27, 2012 at 6:13 AM
Im sorry that I posted twice my comment. I'm having trouble with the Internet connection. My apologies!!!
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Colors
August 27, 2012 at 10:03 AM
In my opinion, most of the manga's plot don't make any sense at all. Like when the ultra protective brother sets up a challenge as to whether his sister should go back to the US with him or stay in a all boys school to be with the buy she loves, and then gives in easily because he's scared of the gay sensei...
Especially considering that in kdrama land, families are more than meddlesome, it doesn't even make sense as a intern consistency.
I wonder if I should watch this drama. As others pointed out, BOF was a disaster and I wouldn't mind just reading gummimochi's recaps and everyone's comments.
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15 Anon
August 27, 2012 at 6:08 AM
LoL @ the "sorry Onew" - hahaha, I did not expect to see Onew's name in the recaps.
I'm so sad though. The drama is kinda all over the place. :( I will probably continue watching just to hear Onew's OsT. LoL They used it at such an awkward scene the first time around in episode 3.
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16 Dara
August 27, 2012 at 6:17 AM
Sorry, I'm loving/enjoying it the way it is now. To me, Hana Kimi is totally a comic book that you read and have fun, and it's famous because it doesn't make any sense. If you read too much into the story, for sure, it's the Hana Kimi you could never enjoy. Thanks for the recap ^^
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17 shelhass
August 27, 2012 at 6:19 AM
Thanks gummimochi, been waiting all weekend for it!
Now, let's talk about the drama.
As you, I feel affronted about how they handled the hyung/rapist part. Cause it seems to me thy're saying it's no biggie when an adult tries to sexually assault a minor.
And I understand Jae-hee not wanting to tell a thing about it, but Tae-joon? Pleeassse. Even if he knows or doesn't know she's a girl, he should have told someone how weird it all was. Maybe he could have told Doc.
And to make things worse they try to smooth things with Eun-gyul singing 'Hawaiian Couple' - don't get me wrong I adore this song and all the relations to Jung Il-woo in 'My Love' - but this is not the way to deal with a girl's trauma. Please we're too old to believe in 'Care Bears' and all that fluffly bullshit.
But at least the arrival of Daniel (Jae-hee brother) gave us a small gush of sanity. He's the one to adress the main problem with Jae-hee stalker behaviour and also showing her how it's WRONG, IDIOT and USELESS.
I know this is the base of the drama, but they could have given us already a little more explanation on how things work on Jae-hee head, other than, 'he gave me courage to be better' or something like that.
I'm still liking TTBY with all it's faults. But a little more heart, more soul, more side character (I want my Ghost Boy! and where's Oscar, I loved him) and more BRAIN, aka more explanation, wouldn't hurt.
Actually, it would be a good cure to our sour comments right now.
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Hafy
August 27, 2012 at 6:27 AM
I love Oscar and the other Dorm Leader (Its Dorm leader 3 right? The one with a fiancee?) I love his relationship with his fiancee and how the members of his dorms always want to dethrone him... LoL That was cute... And of course the Ghost boy... T____T I was looking forward to him actually...
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Stardust
August 27, 2012 at 7:07 AM
If I am not wrong, Oscar is dorm 3's leader, and Dorm 1's leader is the taekwando expert Tennouji...
I watched 2 eps of this version, then decided to go to watch the Japanese one. I binged-watched it, and it was awesome. Sometimes I do find the constant bickering amongst the dorm students annoying, but overall I love how they handled the story telling... Its not as dark as this version....
gummi you said :
"I wished that the production team took that creative liberty to address the conflict properly and let the audience know that a sexual attack on a minor is not okay."
I TOTALLY AGREE. Why Jaehee is hiding the fact that she is a girl makes her unable to make a police report about a rapist running loose... So she got away, doesn't she have a social responsibility to put that animal away? It just doesn't make sense to just let it drop.
I also prefer the J version to show directly why the girl is so bent on helping him to jump again - becos she felt responisible for his injury... But this reason right now is just too vague... BLEH..
I don't think I will be watching this version afterall, sadly... Thanks gummi for your recaps, I shall keep reading until the drama picks up... Meantime The Thousandth Man is rocking my socks off.
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crazykel
August 27, 2012 at 12:51 PM
You're right. Oscar is Dorm Leader 3 and Tennouji is Dorm Leader 1. Oscar's one of my favorites, and this Charles is a horrible rendition of one of my favorite characters.
Also, I miss Kayashima (ghost boy)...he's the one who's supposed to be Nakatsu's (Eungyeol) roommate. They have a very strong friendship, as they both were outcasts who became close with each other. Plus, in HK 2007 is Yamamoto Yusuke, who I love who plays him and in HK 2011, it's Yanagishita Tomo who is lovely as well (and made me ship Nakatsu/Kayashima forever).
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shelhass
August 27, 2012 at 7:09 AM
Yesss, it's Dorm Leader 3.
But I'm missing another thing now.
Where's Doc ex-wife? Is he going to have one in this version too?
I loved japanese Doc reactions when she was around, like he was infecting him with some deadly virus. HAHAHA.
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crazykel
August 27, 2012 at 12:59 PM
The doc doesn't have an ex-wife. That's Akira, the guy who is bisexual and in love with the doc.
In the 2007 jdrama, the writers made Akira a woman and someone who thought she had a one-night stand with the doc (even though they'd both passed out).
What the j-drama did was mesh two characters Akira-the photographer with the ex-wife and KK-the journalist who covers Sano's progress. KK thought she had a one-night-stand with Umeda (doc), but she didn't. Because of this, she's afraid of Umeda, who often teases her (since she came on to him) by telling Mizuki to show her naked pictures of himself.
Akira, on the other hand, shows up to be a pesky annoyance to the doc because he can't take 'no' for an answer. Akira's ex-wife, Ebi, becomes a love interest for Umeda's nephew Nanba in the omake written by Hisaya-sensei last year.
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shelhass
August 27, 2012 at 1:58 PM
Oh, thanks!
I think I should stop comment here while working.
Every time I write, I forget to mention I'm reffering to the 2007 jdrama, and I'm not even halfway through the manga.
kerstin
August 28, 2012 at 6:23 AM
Haha she was his ex-girlfriend, photographer and the younger sister of the head of the school. She wasn't afraid of the doc, she wanted to get back together and at the end of the series they met again at the airport and he wasn't that reluctant to the get back thingie ^^
in the taiwanese verison they covered all characters of the manga including clingy akira (the photographer), the stalking journalist (classmate of the doc, and afraid of him ever since that supposedly happened one night stand) and Ebi (Akira's ex-wife)
18 jules
August 27, 2012 at 6:23 AM
Honestly, I don't really care about the source material; I care about how the drama in front of me is handling the issues they're bringing up... or not handling, as it were.
So, the way the show chose to resolve Jae-hee's near-rape was by simply pretending it wasn't at all significant and, to my mind, this completely diminishes the severity of sexual assault. *utterly disgusted*
Thanks for the recap, gummimochi - it must've been a tough one...
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19 Raven
August 27, 2012 at 6:25 AM
I guess the show is still in identity crisis stage.
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xnopex
August 27, 2012 at 5:40 PM
tbh, it seems every korean adaptation of a japanese drama pans out like this and it's frustrating.
what kills me is that each project has such a great cast of actors (like this one) but these poor idiots are at the whim of rushed writers and fickle ratings.
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20 nokcha
August 27, 2012 at 6:27 AM
I'm enjoying. The attempted rape scene, was, well, just plan weird...it didn't even need to be there and then to not address it...doesn't make sense. Anyway, I like the leads and think they're all doing a fine job. But I have to say, Julien Kang, though he speaks Korean well enough, he just can't act.
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21 Mystisith
August 27, 2012 at 6:31 AM
And this is where artistic license should be used. Yes, the rape is part of the manga. But if you want to use that part you have to treat it right and modernize your approach.
PS: Where are the dorm heads shenanigans?
Thanks for the recap but one more drama dropped for me. :(
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22 Sakura
August 27, 2012 at 6:50 AM
THANKS GUMMIMOCHI,
I am wondering if the homosexuality issues which is quite obvious among kpop idols when they are performing on stage or behind scenes men - hugging closely and with endearing looks ?. is being addressed
men kissing and showing lingering looks among the youngpop idol boys - are telling us, they are gays ?.
this episode, it is supposed to be an almost rape scene but it didn't deliver to us, more like a madman going beserk ! and how suddenly tae joon has feelings for his room mate - flaw writing ?.
we are waiting for the classmates side story but I think it will never happen, they are eye candy , just busy bodying around - that is walking up and down the school isles !!
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Sakura
August 27, 2012 at 6:59 AM
and forgetting, they only appeared in toilet and bathroom !
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23 queencircles
August 27, 2012 at 6:52 AM
maybe I wouldn't like the manga then if this follows closer to it. I loved the japanese 07 version, but I'm not feelin this. The sexual assault was handled in terrible fashion and I don't really care if it was in the manga or not, it was not written well here. Besides that, I think the writing is failing all around. I'm not sure if I'll keep up with this show, we'll see after this week I guess.
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24 Mama J
August 27, 2012 at 7:17 AM
I thought surely they would address the attempted rape and its emotional aftermath in the next episode? You think not? If they just leave it that way - boo, hiss. This is actually a show meant for young(ish) girls - early teens to early 20s, I assume, although even at 50 I enjoy a good highschool story - and my only thought was this: they should NEVER pass up an opportunity to educate young kids on being safe, on being aware, on reaching out for help if something happens. If it's just left like this - that's the HEIGHT of irresponsibility.
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jomo143
August 27, 2012 at 11:59 AM
Exactly.
Good writing uses every part of the narrative buffalo.
You only have so much screen time. If you put something in, use it on more than one level, or DON'T INCLUDE IT!
The mom or doc should have found out, and dicretely went to the police. I know JH doesn't want to come out to the school as a girl, so she can still report it as a boy.
Show us a conversation with a cop who recognizes the hyung's name and says, "Thanks. This is the info we needed to get the guy on another charge. We already have enough evidece, we just couldn't find him."
Although, on the one hand, they did show the very violent nature of sexual assault. Like gummi said, he PUNCHED HER. It wasn't a romantic, or sexy event.
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Mama J
August 27, 2012 at 1:12 PM
Yeah, that punch really floored me. He belted the SH** out of that little kid. I mean, in the context of what he planned to do a punch isn't much but it still really packed a wallop to SEE if, if you will pardon the pun. I think because we don't often see that kind of violence in Kdrama. At least not in the stuff I usually watch, which I'll admit probably self-selects for humor or pathos and rules out violence.
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jomo143
August 27, 2012 at 1:28 PM
Seriously. A adult male knocking a female teenager to the ground in a romcom?
I really hope that all of this is not for naught that he gets his just desserts later.
Reminds me to some degree of in Spy Myung Wol, Eric slapped Han Ye Seul so hard at the end of one ep. We all made a fuss. The subsequent episode doesn't even mention it. What?
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harukogirl
August 28, 2012 at 1:24 AM
I found it weird that he was SO old looking. In the manga, he was a high schooler....and while it was assault, it was more of a forced-kiss-maybe-it'd-be-worse but then Sano shows up. So weather or not it would've gone to rape territory was kinda up in the air. But in this version, it's like he PLANS on raping her from the get-go.
25 darahkay
August 27, 2012 at 7:19 AM
I think the reason why Jae-hee acted like the 'attempt rape' was nothing because she's supposed to keep her identity as a secret. To her, I assume the trouble that comes with people realising she's a girl is much bigger than her being almost 'raped'. And Tae-Joon did it to protect her identity as a girl.
Just my 2 cents.... >.<
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Mama J
August 27, 2012 at 9:21 AM
I don't think he knows she's a girl until AFTER they return from the pension - he finds out when he overhears her arguing with her brother in the dorm room. So at that point, he definitely knows. Prior to that, there was nothing to indicate that he knew she was girl - only indications that she was beginning to inspire feelings of protectiveness and concern in him. And that could certainly happen with an older boy and a younger boy, especially one who does react to things in a more feminine, emotional way.
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Colors
August 27, 2012 at 10:14 AM
In the original story, Sano gets in the fist chapter that Mizuki's a girl because of her breasts when he carries her or something. And in the second one, he wonders why she's not even good at hiding her gender from her roomate, and then gets protective, etc.
Are they trying to make Tae-Joon seem like an idiot or to make the whole situation of gender bender credible?
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crazykel
August 27, 2012 at 1:11 PM
Thank you, thank you, thank you for addressing this. The big problem of this drama is the fact that they can't decide when Tae Joon finds out that Jae Hee is a girl.
In the manga, that's explicitly stated in the first volume. From there, Sano deals with his inner demons about jumping and his over-protectiveness toward Mizuki (he never throws her out because she's a girl), which leads to him liking Mizuki and going back to high jump.
This show has effectively made Tae Joon dumb, when Sano is not. Sano's one of the best students in Ohsaka, and Mizuki's one of the worst (which was another fail by the k-drama) students in school. She can't even pass English, and she's from the United States (which cracks me up, but I digress).
And speaking of grammatical errors, how does her brother not spellcheck before sending an e-mail? "Launch" for "lunch"...really? Also, the drama made a mess of that. Mizuki's bio mom doesn't die; it's Shizuki's (bro) who does. Mizuki and Shizuki's dad later met Mizuki's mom and they married and had Mizuki. That's why there's such an age difference and looks difference between the two. But no, the k-drama had to make it look like she is the unfortunate one.
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annie
August 27, 2012 at 4:13 PM
Didn't you know, if a kdrama heroine isn't poor, she must be an orphan? (But more commonly both.) It's written in the Laws of the Kdramaverse.
Dulcce
August 28, 2012 at 12:37 PM
Hello everyone, sorry to butt in !!
I have my hypothesis on Tae-joon getting to know if Jae-hee is a girl or not...
Maybe he had already suspected her to be a woman when he held her after she ran the marathon ? Maybe this is this too overreading, but he adressed her a weird glance when he touched her shoulder.
(ok, why wouldn't he know before when he bore her to the nurse office, I wonder.)
But I feel like after this moment, he started to show her concern (also after the incident kiss). Because why on earth would he then try to protect her to get soaked by the car with his whole body ? (LOL) Why would he get flustered at the view of her collarbone ? A guy like Tae-Joon wouldn't definitely do that and hug another guy, even if he looks smaller and feminine. Male-protecting-female instincts, heh.
And remember, he also saves her from being exposed in front of the rival girl. Maybe he already suspected it by the time.... he doesn't seem to get too shocked to know that it was a girl, apparently. "So, she's a girl. I guess I should send her back, right ?"
I feel like taking it from this perspective, with him having suspicions gradually (maybe he remembered the panties accident too lol) would make it that he doesn't actually learn she's a girl, but would get his suspicions verified.
What do you think ?
Mama J
August 27, 2012 at 2:26 PM
It's true he knows early on in 2007 J-dorama, but I didn't see anything here to make me think he had any idea. I just see him having feelings that could be confusing, although even then (to me) he just seems to be going with it unquestioningly.
Perhaps because he is struggling with such weighty questions already - does he continue with the athletics? What does he want to do with his life? Noticing whether his room-mate is a girl or a boy doesn't come up, nor does questioning why he might be feeling protective toward 'the little guy'.
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momosa
August 27, 2012 at 6:30 PM
I want to add - TJ doesn't look smart to start with (ok, that's mean) and that brings to the question - why is he the lead? (ok, I'd better stop here or it will go on and on).
The whole ep 3 & 4, I went like - oh, he knows, no, he doesn't, maybe he knows, yeah, he should know by now.. The director got to decide and get him to emote - yes, I know you are a girl and that I'm starting to like you and move on.
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26 Mika~
August 27, 2012 at 7:24 AM
The attempted rape is revolting... and it also confuses the hell out of me. Taejoon covers up the rape attempt so Jaehee's cover isn't blown - which, by the way, isn't even that great of a reason - but he doesn't even know that Jaehee is a girl yet! In the beginning of this episode, I was convinced that Taejoon had already known Jaehee was a girl because of the way he held her and the way he was looking at the bracelets. As for the way the drama brushes the rape aside... I was literally facepalming. How dare they suggest that this attack is just a minor incidence and Jaehee can forget about it in a few days? What the hell happened to the damn rapist? Is he just going to get away with no consequences? He ought to rot in jail!
And although I love Jaehee's brother for being the only reasonable one in this drama, I can't help feeling like the drama producers had to mess up just to troll the viewers. I mean, that email in English was ridiculous. Couldn't they at least get Julien Kang to read over the email or something? WOULD IT BE THAT HARD TO HAVE SENTENCES WITH PROPER GRAMMAR?! I guess I shouldn't be surprised, considering it's coming from SM, who's always trollin' with their Engrish. And also, I really wish they would've just let Julien speak in Korean. It's always strange for me to watch them speak to each other in different languages, though I guess it IS possible, but I feel like they just had to have Julien speak in English so that the viewers would be sure that he was from America...
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Saima
August 27, 2012 at 7:32 AM
I don't find it strange. My parents and I converse in different languages....they speak to me in my native languages and I reply to them e/ in said languages o/ English. I also tend to use English & other content words (of native lang) in a sentence like Julien did on the show.
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shelhass
August 27, 2012 at 8:26 AM
I do that too @Saima
What I find strange it's not how Julian goes from english to korean and back again to english, but WHY they make Jae-hee talk only in Korean?
Even the times she speaks english, it sounds so stiff my ears hurt, and I'm no native speaker!
And they're in a better situation cuz I come from a country different from my parents and my daily work is to talk and write in two other different languages then the ones I learned from a young age. So yeah I find pretty normal what Daniel did.
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Mama J
August 27, 2012 at 9:26 AM
And when I was younger and my great grand father was alive, he would talk to everyone in Italian and people would respond in Italian, English, or a mix of both. He understood English and spoke it, albeit brokenly, but as he grew older he reverted more and more to the language he was comfortable in. It didn't sound odd at all for us to respond in another language. When I went through the immersian program for Russian, it was common to hear one language and respond in a mixture of others, as well. When you get to a point where you're not really 'translating' in your head, what comes out is what your brain instinctively grasps as the 'easiest' way to communicate your thought. I don't believe it is conscious at all.
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shelhass
August 27, 2012 at 11:10 AM
No it's not conscious. When we learn a different language than our native language, the new one gets stored in a different side of our brain.
So when you learn a laguage or more than one at a young age (till you're 4 years old) they get stored in a particular place. If you try to learn a language different from the ones you have learned as a child, when you get older, the new language will be 'rejected' by that particular place and then your brain just puts the new language in another place.
But when someone knows more than one language and uses it on a daily basis, it's common to switch beteween them for words or expressions.
My grandma was so sick of me one of these days, she made me write down a list of the words a keep trowing at the family now and then. I guess she thought I was badmouthing someone. Heheh
Saima
August 27, 2012 at 9:54 AM
It's pretty obvious that Sulli isn't fluent (or even conversational) in English. They've just had her reply via content words in English to Julien's character so that we know what she's trying to communicate. To switch back and forth between languages (also called code-switching) one needs to be fluent (or near-fluent) in both languages and can adopt the syntax of either language. Julien's mum is French Canadian so it must've been the writer's attempt at lending realism to that aspect (and not to the glaring plot holes, lulz).
Personally, I'd rather have Sulli speak minimal English than to struggle with her lines.
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27 Dramalover
August 27, 2012 at 7:42 AM
Thanks for the recap <3
To be honest the whole rape story arc made me feel really really uncomfortable. Not that I'm uncomfortable with this topic, but it's just the way they portrayed it in this drama made it so so creepy and gross, with everything else all candy floss sweet. I really didnt need those nauseating closeups of that hyung's creepy leer. In fact, i fastforwarded many of those scenes as i really couldnt take it. I don't think a high school drama needs such disturbingly creepy scenes in the first place since its more of fluff, romance, and comedy.
Moreover, the way they addressed the issue of the attempted rape with cute songs and whatnot is really sending the wrong message to viewers. I understand that this whole issue was used to bring the characters closer together (which is kinda wrong in the first place but wtv) but a fitting resolution would have been better.
That said, I do agree that we mustn't take this drama too seriously, even if the producers seem to do so. Having read the original hana kimi manga, the essence of this story lies in its lighthearted and comedic depictions of its plot.
I would suggest that to enjoy this drama fully, just watch it for the eye candy instead. I started watching this drama with no expectations other than just ogling at lee hyun woo and Minho and so far, I'm quite satisfied.
Lee hyun woo is just too damn cute haha. He's the only one who can have a god awful mushroom/bowl haircut and still have legions of female fans swooning over him ^^ (I REALLY HATE HIS HAIR THO. RAWR.)
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Mama J
August 27, 2012 at 2:28 PM
I'm sorry but that hair cut on ANYONE makes me think of a certain portion of the male anatomy. After circumcision.
Or perhaps a mushroom. But if I'm honest, the first one is my first thought.
I'm bad.
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jomo143
August 27, 2012 at 4:05 PM
Doesn't Hana call him Squid?
That's accurate, too, and similar.
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Mama J
August 27, 2012 at 5:14 PM
Yes and he did look like the smiley face squid from AGD!
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Dramalover
August 28, 2012 at 2:31 AM
So naughty >:) I really really wish that some miracle would happen that allows for hyun woo to change hairstyle! That mushroom cut is just off-putting though is that why he wore caps in reality shows?
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28 MsSampong
August 27, 2012 at 7:43 AM
Why is Julien Kang soooo freaking sexy?
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blu
August 27, 2012 at 3:47 PM
sigh. ..don't know. Wish I had a big brother like him. The scenes in the mall with the siblings are really very cute..
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29 acejihyo
August 27, 2012 at 7:51 AM
i believe the manga dealt with the rape scene better, in that they at least portrayed mizuki as having been terrified and somewhat scarred by the actions. that she rejected sano's attempts to save her at first because she was still reeling from the shock. here, they use it to segue into the romance portion, which i find to be quite reprehensible and disgusting, considering how serious of a crime rape is to brush aside that easily (not to mention, spun around into a romantic trope of sorts).
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xnopex
August 27, 2012 at 5:52 PM
agreed.
i get really upset when writers handle something so serious like this as a plot device because rarely do they get it right.
the brush off was the most infuriating party because it's like they treated this girl's violent sexual assault as some minor inconvenience that got in the way of all that cute teen romantic comedy!
i don't think i can continue with this drama. i'll check in for recaps but yep. pretty done.
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30 Katie
August 27, 2012 at 7:56 AM
tq gummimochi,
Ahem ! strange - daniel dawson spoke in english but jae hee answered in korean.
I guess her english is not that polish ?, eventhough living in america ?.
Or the actress, can't speak in full sentences?, that's why in singular words only ?.
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31 ngocng08
August 27, 2012 at 8:18 AM
First of all, thank you gummimochi for following this series. This is my very first post at Dramabeans even though I've been faithfully following the blog for 1 year now. But I feel like coming out of lurk mode today because HanaKimi remains one of my favourite manga over the years, and I enjoyed both TW ver. and JPN '07 version as well. Yet with this remake, I've felt nothing but pretty, pretty, pretty...and that's it!
Regarding your feelings about how they handled the sexual assault situation, I think the PD or the screenwriter, or whoever they are, have done a very poor job of adapting the original manga. In fact I’d say I have feeling they are torn between wanting to take as much source material as possible, and as the same time trying not to be similar to it; which results in a mixing bowl which a lot of random incidents.
*paragraphs below contain MANGA content*
First thing first, Sano/TJ finds out about Mizuki/JH’s gender almost right after she transfer to the school but keeping it a secret from her as well, so that explains many of his protective attitude towards her through out the manga.
Secondly, the hyung in this incident was actually a university student doing part-time at Nanba/SR’s mom’s place. In fact there are also other uni students working atm. Makita (named in the manga) is notoriously a playboy, and he DIDN’T know that Mizuki/JH is in disguise. He just thought of JH as a tomboyish girl and decided to seduce her. And after the harassment failed, everyone in the guesthouse ARE INFORMED about the case, although they did not report to the police, he got beaten up and was fired. And they told him the Mizuki/JH is a GUY, the hyung actually got creeped out thinking he was attacking another man. (Which is incidentally hilarious bc he was guessing it right, Mizuki is a “she”)
Also, Nanba/SR’s mom found out Mizuki/JH is a girl during this time too, and she becomes like a parental figure, giving her advices and “support” (Mizuki fainted bc the chest bandage was too tight so SR’s mom got her very nice sport bra/denim vest, etc)
Even if the manga has elements of Japan culture that may sound freaky, at least the story flow is much more comprehensible. Imho, if they decided to do TTBY as just a “remake” then please spin off properly, like what Jversion ’07 did, or adapt it almost panel to panel like the TW drama did. By making TTBY with the assumption that most audience were familiar with the manga, they are making first-time watcher having headache.
ps: and why oh why my creepy-funny-openly gay Umeda sensei was reduced to half of his awesomeness?? Mr.Eugene is always nice to look at though.
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acejihyo
August 27, 2012 at 8:36 AM
YES I AGREE SO MUCH. either follow the manga to the t or properly develop a spinoff that's well though out. i feel like they're trying for the best of two worlds and it's just plain sucking.
AND O M G UMEDA. i'm forever waiting for a version that does him justice. he's pretty good in the japanese version but god, i just wish he was more sarcastic, and more gay.
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Mystisith
August 27, 2012 at 8:47 AM
Doc was very fun and transgressive in both J and TW dramas. A gay doc in a school of boys, can you imagine? He is not supposed to be just pretty: He had an important role in the plot.
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crazykel
August 27, 2012 at 1:16 PM
I actually like him a lot in HK 2007 and 2011. I still feel that Saito Takumi's Umeda (HK 2011) is the best by far, but that might be because boy-love is his acting genre of choice.
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canxi
August 27, 2012 at 8:37 AM
Thank you for that memory-refresher (your comment wasn't here when I was writing my comment--below). Still wish they had called the cops on that guy, though, so therefore that wasn't handled too well in the manga either in my eyes. :/
And, I don't think the bandage part has been in the show at all yet. So what up with that? It takes away a lot of logic that is needed for Tae Joon's character motivation to make sense...
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pigtookie
August 27, 2012 at 2:32 PM
bandage? in that Jae Hee found a confidant in the mother and got a better wrap?
or the show letting us know that she was binding her chest? because last episode, Han Na found her bandage when she was showering. She didn't know its purpose, but I remember hoping she wouldn't clue in on it or go any further.
the pervert hyung also spotted her through the window when she was changing, with her top off but had bandages around her chest.
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canxi
August 27, 2012 at 6:17 PM
Nah, neither of those. I was talking about this part in the manga. I think he either felt her bandages or her breasts (or both), and figured out she was a girl early on. Before the mother and all the rest of that business.
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ngocng08
August 27, 2012 at 7:52 PM
true, Sano figured out VERY early in the manga, after 1 or 2 chapter, when he carried Mizuki to the school infirmary, then Umeda-sensei found out next. In this drama, he did carry her but he did not find out from that, instead Umeda sen became the first person in the school knowing Mizuki is a girl. So I really think it's weird to see TJ shelter JH from the rain splash or throwing her a sweater to cover up her wet clothes. Even if he feel indebted to her in the kissing incident, this is not a usual dudes "protecting" each other.
And Sano is NOT broody, he is, in the manga, just shy and subtle and not a talkative person. But he is very caring and friendly to other guys and getting along well with them. I am sorry for bringing up manga here and there, but I have yet seen anyone who can pull off Sano like he is supposed to be. And that's my disappointment! I love Nakatsu too but Sano is a very interesting character, and he's got his fanbase in the manga, well over Nakatsu. Instead, Sano was outshone in every single Hanakimi Live-action :((
Should I blame the directing? the writing? Or does it just happen that all the Nakatsu roles were/is done by the better actors of the cast.
Mystisith
August 27, 2012 at 8:43 AM
Thumbs up. You nailed the problem on the head.
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32 canxi
August 27, 2012 at 8:30 AM
Tae Joon=not quite feelings yet. Just concern because she's a girl in an all-boys school and keeping it a secret. Feelings soon, though.
It's weird, because I think he's supposed to know by now that she's a she, but the drama hasn't seemed to make that point yet...or make it clear? She's supposed to faint out of nowhere I think...and he's supposed to carry her off to the nurse, realizing in the process she had bandages on (that bound her breasts). And that's how the nurse was supposed to find out also, if I remember correctly (since she faints because her bandages are too tight?--Gah, I'm pulling memories from when I was 15). That should have all happened a while back...so...wtf.
And yeah, the attempted rape was brushed under the rug, something that wasn't good in the manga either. I think what's wrong with it, is that it's thrown in as a plot point to get the OTP to move along and become closer. But, you don't throw in that kind of thing and shove it aside just as quickly. No, no, no. You just don't.
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33 Cara
August 27, 2012 at 9:09 AM
I love this version... I think every version is amazing and this remake Is so cute D: it kills me to wait for episodes!!!!!
Unlike hana Yori dango... Which I refused to watch the Korean version.. I love this drama!!! Minho D: "faints"
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34 crazedlu
August 27, 2012 at 9:57 AM
i have a huge hunch creeper hyung is going to make a reappearance later on down the road. let's hope not!
again, i hope to be avoiding major angst territory because i like the breezy. but the end of ep 4 makes me nervous that we'll get too serious, too fast. the preview seemed okay so i hope everything turns out well.
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jomo143
August 27, 2012 at 12:15 PM
If creepy hyung makes an appearence later - possibly in the context of threatening to reveal JH's true gender - I would be satisfied if that means:
1. JH has to confront her fear/feelings and get help.
2. Creepy hyung gets arrested - not fired, not lectured, but publically identifed as a sexual predator/assaulter of a minor.
I would then take back all the nasty things I have been saying about these writers.
I am curious what the SK audience's reaction is to the way they treated it, too.
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xnopex
August 27, 2012 at 5:56 PM
he has to come back. i honestly think that's the only reason why he got away.
we got 12 more episodes and there's gotta be some catalyst between episodes 12-14 in order for tj to go through noble idiot syndrome. haha
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35 pumpkinattack
August 27, 2012 at 10:01 AM
I know we don't want to compare this with all the other Hana Kimis, but it's fairly apples to apples. ;)
I think he already knows she's a girl because he helped her up and felt the evidence. In the manga, he accidentally feels her up top girly parts and knows she's a girl, but he pretends not to know for almost all of the story.
Thanks for recapping! ;D
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Mama J
August 27, 2012 at 1:19 PM
But the Nakutsa kid felt her chest and made a POINT of saying how firm it felt (IE, not girlish.) So why would Tae-Joon be able to tell that she had breasts if others couldn't when they felt the same thing?
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canxi
August 27, 2012 at 2:07 PM
Because Nakatsu isn't the smartest character by a long shot, lol. That's pretty much the only reason for it--others would probably be suspicious, especially given her reaction, but he just wasn't at all and just went about his day. I mean I seriously think there is a difference between bound breasts and pecks--it just wouldn't feel the same, lol.
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shelhass
August 27, 2012 at 4:24 PM
"I seriously think there is a difference between bound breasts and pecks–it just wouldn’t feel the same".
*totally random comment:
So, let's say pecks feel different from boobs, when a guy puts silicone implants on his chest, does it feel like boobs or not?
Sorry, too much curiosity.
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canxi
August 27, 2012 at 6:12 PM
LMAO, I dunno...do silicone implants feel different at all? Life's burning questions...
Mama J
August 27, 2012 at 5:16 PM
Agreed but since we all now this would never fly ANYWAY I was going with plausible denial
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canxi
August 27, 2012 at 6:25 PM
Do you mean denial on Nakatsu's part? If only, but nope, he's just that clueless. But at least he is adorable! :D There is almost always a silver lining with those second-leads !
Mama J
August 27, 2012 at 7:30 PM
no I meant on OUR parts hahahahah - suspension of belief in order to swallow any part of the concept really
canxi
August 28, 2012 at 11:14 AM
Ahhhh, that suspension of belief...it'll getcha XD
"Cause sometimes I know I should use some SoB but then I'm all "But this is too stupid to believe even a little..."
36 Laya
August 27, 2012 at 10:15 AM
WTF moments:
-Tae Joon is able to locate Jae Hee because she calls him from creepy hyung's phone. But later when her oppa buys her a phone, she asks him for his number.
-Tae Joon has a phone, so why doesn't he call the others for help instead of piggybacking Jae Hee all that way...?
Favorite moments:
-Jae Hee sitting like a boy forgetting she's supposed to be a girl now.
-Jae Hee going directly into the men's room, ditto.
-Eun Gyul's daydream--gay marriage!
Possible reason for the way the assault was treated, aside from the fact that it was also in the manga-- Everybody thinks Jae Hee's a boy, even Tae Joon, who going by the manga is already supposed to have caught on at this point. Perhaps an assault like that was considered more shameful to happen to a boy than to a girl (I'm not sure about this part, but male victims are less likely to talk about sexual assault than females), so Tae Joon decided to not make it any more a big deal in order to spare Jae Hee. And Jae Hee couldn't say why hyung tried to assault her because she might blow her cover. When he said he fought with creepy hyung, his friends might already have understood at least that he had a reason for it, especially with Jae Hee's injuries. So when the van was found abandoned, everybody already understood that creepy hyung was guilty of something, because he ran.
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canxi
August 27, 2012 at 6:45 PM
But, if that's a fact that male victims are more likely to remain silent about sexual assault (I'm not sure either), then even better for the show to portray guys speaking out on that guy and getting the cops on his ass. Be an example and tell dudes it's OK.
It's horrible to think that getting sexually assaulted is more shameful (or shameful at all) when it happens to one gender than to another. It's not like someone asks for it happen or you brought it onto yourself. It is a big deal and you can't just brush it off with some punches and a hug. Jae Hee didn't have to let anyone know he attacked her because she was a girl. Sexual assault by males on males does exist; she could have still retained her cover.
So boooo show, boooo! I can't believe they picked that scene to remain true (-ish) to the manga. So. Whack.
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37 blackitty
August 27, 2012 at 10:23 AM
I really love this drama eventhought I have watched the other two versions of it, The japanese version was cute and I really liked it, the taiwan version was horrible and a pain to finish, this korean version is amazing I really like I just try not to overthink anything, just enjoy it
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38 Jane
August 27, 2012 at 10:39 AM
lol All these crossing-dressing dramas made me realize how curious Asian people are with the idea of homosexuality. Ya'll just love to poke at it, dance around it, make references to it, and toy with it just a little bit, but rarely do ya'll jump in and outright embrace the gay. In reality, if Eun-gyul thinks Jae-Hee is a dude, and is attracted to her anyway, then he's at least bisexual. It would be so gusty if they actually made this character gay. Instead, I think we're just going down the same path as all the other cross-dressing drama with the he's-only-attracted-to-her-cuz-his-hormones-recognize-her-as-a-girl explanation.
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39 ellen
August 27, 2012 at 10:41 AM
I'm enjoying TTBY. I don't think I'd enjoy it if its exactly the same as HanaKimi, so I'm watching & enjoying TTB without comparing. I love Shinee Minho so I'm watching eagerly & I'm impressed with his first performance & as the main lead. I'm now a fan of F(x) Sulli as Jae Hee.
I pondered over the attempted rape too. Jae Hee can't tell the truth because the maniac will reveal JH is a she. Maybe TJ was not really sure if it was an attempted rape? it was an assault. It seems, it was assumed that the "driver" sulked & ran away leaving the van after the fight. Ideally, he should have been reported & charged but JH has a secret. She was obviously shaken, upset she can't tell the truth. Hopefully, this drama will get him caught in the act soon.
Its so good to see Shinee's Hello Baby cute Yogeun. He's the imaginary little boy/son of EunGyul w/ JH. Yogeun must be happy to be with his "appa" Minho in TTB. Good job, Yogeun! Shinee Onew OST. Yay!
I will not enjoy TTB if its like watching HanaKimi. I love surprises. Give me more TTB!
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delta7
August 27, 2012 at 11:46 AM
Ditto....shipping Minho and Onew's OST. Also luvin the EunGyul and Hana sparks. So far 4 me TTB is at least on par w/ the 2007 JV HK...if not better.
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40 Faranak
August 27, 2012 at 10:47 AM
Wow!thanks for recap-oh i love this version more than jepanese one! :-D
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41 Agatha
August 27, 2012 at 12:00 PM
Please, oh pretty please let the Doc be guy like in the Manga and other versions. Oh please Drama gods do so!!1
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42 jubilantia
August 27, 2012 at 12:23 PM
I have to say I'm still thoroughly enjoying this, despite the cringe-inducing assault plot blip and the slight disconnect between scenes. Most of this is due to Eun-gyul's adorableness, but that's no surprise since he was my favorite in the Japanese version as well. I think the Tae-joon actor is doing well, too, but that his natural stoic nature is just less appealing to me than Eun-gyul's dorky goofiness.
The thing is, it seems like the "omg she's a girrrrrrl!" revelation should have come to Tae-joon long before the events of these two episodes. In the manga I think he found out in the first couple of chapters, and in the J-drama by the end of episode 2 or 3, with the pension episode coming several episodes later. That's where the big revelation came from the kid who likes Seung-ri's character; maybe that's the gay plotline they're leaving out, since I've seen few overt hints of it.
I do hope they bring in more of the minor characters, who will lend comic relief as the story has the potential for Dramaaa and Aaaangst in the latter half. And this drama has no excuse omitting the fun stuff since it has way more time than the other version. Hopefully it won't make the mistake of miring itself in too much angsty stuff.
Lastly, the J-version omitted the assault arc and I wish this one had too. It also would have made more sense if they'd left it until after he figured out she was a girl.
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jomo143
August 27, 2012 at 12:37 PM
Two things I loved about the way Toma acted in Hana Kimi. (LHW's Japanese counterpart.)
The monologues that got more epic as the series went on, and the spit-takes. Spit-takes are always funny. Always.
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queencircles
August 27, 2012 at 1:31 PM
the monologues were epic and I looooved the spit takes!! He did them so well.
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jubilantia
August 27, 2012 at 2:17 PM
Oh yeah, Ikuta Toma was definitely my favorite part of that drama. He was hysterical, but also made you feel sympathy for his internal conflict too.
Heeee, spit-takes are always funny, but the absolute funniest part was when they caught him dancing with underwear on his head:
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkqz8kJHkk1qd02ki.gif
Hands. Down.
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jomo143
August 27, 2012 at 4:01 PM
OMG Forgot about that! I LOVE HIM!!!!
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43 jomo143
August 27, 2012 at 12:30 PM
Thanks for the recap and I couldn't agree more with your reaction and thoughts.
I love watching this show so much. I love the idea that these kids can all help each other out through difficult times,
I love the idea of exploring what attraction means, and how tied to gender that is, or not. Coffee Prince did it in the most amazing way; this show has the opportunity to talk to a younger group about the same thing.
I practically did a standing ovation when Oppa asked JH the tough questions about her future. There is nothing wrong with her leaving the states for a year exchange program.
It would HELP her get into any Ivy League college. Show, can't we demonstrate how she plans on using this experience to further her eduation? Can we show that she has to study a lot? Can we?
I really do care about the kids. I like them. I really really like them. Can we please get on track now? Please?
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44 Angela
August 27, 2012 at 12:53 PM
I forgot but it was a while back in the manga that the main girl later finding her brother is going to visit her asks the (gay) Doc to provide some girly clothes for her and the Doc becomes annoyed. It was so funny! :D such a little moment but loved it but I'm sad they didn't show it here. :(
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45 Emmers
August 27, 2012 at 12:58 PM
If I remember right the Taiwanese version has the attempted rape scene. And from what people have written about how it happened in the manga, it was handled the same way. I don't remember it bothering me.
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46 xiaoxue_y
August 27, 2012 at 1:01 PM
I'm actually really enjoying TTBY. Sure, some parts of the drama are awkward... but for a drama that's full of rookie actors/actresses, they're doing a pretty good job so far.
And of course, the attempted rape scene. First of all, Tae-joon arrived when Mr. Creep had just punched Jae-hee in the face. I don't think he knew it was an attempted rape, but rather just an assault. Sure, he ran after Jae-hee because he kept thinking about how inappropriate Mr. Creep was being, but he didn't see the part when the guy jumped her.
If Tae-joon didn't know, how could Jae-hee—a girl—tell him herself? Of course, even an assault is a heinous crime and shouldn't go unpunished. Still, it would have been difficult for Jae-hee to talk about it, even though she's supposed to be a boy. Tae-joon's cover was ridiculous and didn't provide many answers, but perhaps he meant it that way. He purposely gave a vague answer to stop others from questioning it.
I'm not saying that it wasn't disappointing how they left us hanging with the criminal getting away... because that's just plain frightening and gross. But remember that the drama is only four episodes in; maybe he'll make a reappearance, threatening Jae-hee's secret. There's still so much we don't know.
The problem with watching this drama is that Hana Kimi has already had a total of THREE remakes before the Korean version. Watching an adaptation is always difficult, because you might have liked another version better or you might not like the plot changes, etc. Still, I think TTBY is a good adaptation so far—it's not perfect, but nothing ever is.
I'm watching because Sulli is growing on me, and Lee Hyun-woo is such a show stealer. <3
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47 Cookie
August 27, 2012 at 1:22 PM
If I remember correctly they do the exact same thing with the assault in the original manga. It was only used as a means to bring Taejoon and Jaehee closer (or Mizuki and Izumi in the manga).
So unless they stray from the original story line, they can't really do anything about it. But I do understand your frustrations.
But I have to say, having read the manga from start to finish, there's no surprise element in this drama anymore. I know what's going to happen and when. BUT it's still cute, so I'll still watch :)
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ellen
August 27, 2012 at 4:37 PM
Fortunately, I've only watched Hana Kimi, Japanese 2007. Although I found some parts, childish, ridiculous & boring, I still enjoyed the funny side of it. But I'm enjoying TTBY more because I'm a Shinee Minho fan.
I know that the plot of Hana Kimi J, Twn & now the Korean TTBY are the same. After having watched one Hana Kimi (J) I thought I'd be bored with the similarities. They are similar yet different so I'm enjoying that. I like some surprising scenes like EunGyun imagining himself & JH as gay cpl & dads to a boy acted by Yogeun, the Shinee's Hello Baby.
If HanaKimi (J) '07 script was just translated to Korean for TTBY it would probably be too familiar & no surprises. But maybe some viewers like it that way. For me, I prefer the imagination of the script writers who can add more life to the plot & characters of the Korean cast of the TTBY. I'm a Shinee Minho fun so...I'll keep watching.
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48 MsB
August 27, 2012 at 2:51 PM
The first 3 minutes practically ruined this episode and watching this altogether! I could not believe how the glossed over that like it was nothing!! Nothing?! Assault; sexual assault; kidnapping! Damn! The lighter moments paled in comparison and also made me flash back to those moments. Who knows where this is going now.
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49 kirara
August 27, 2012 at 3:29 PM
um completely did not notice that ghost boy was not there until you mentioned it.. Yeah, I miss him too!!
Um, I really dont know what to say about this drama since you've pretty much wrote/said what was needed to say.. and I hate comparing but I agree there's things missing..
Hopefully we will find our answers soon. :)
Thanks for posting.
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50 annie
August 27, 2012 at 4:00 PM
I don't have much to add to everyone's rage and mystification - you guys pretty much said it all. I especially agree with gummi and others that if they wanted to pick up this plot from the manga they should have addressed it properly. It might be a common shoujo manga trope, but it's a distasteful way to get a hero moment and bring the OTP closer together. And honestly - what girl would get on a guy's back seconds after almost being raped? I sure wouldn't.
Also, it totally feels like the pension scene was brought forward in the story (Oh! Perhaps because it was!). This whole sequence would have made WAY more sense if TJ knew JH was a girl. Not that guys can't be sexually assaulted, and I guess props for TJ for being open-minded enough to see that, but it's his other actions that make it seem like he knows - shielding her from the rain, telling her to cover up her collarbone.
I did like the scene where Oppa confronted her with the hard questions though. And I love the detail of them speaking different languages to each other as if they're speaking the same one, because that's so true to life. And Julien Kang! <3 He's not a good actor, but I have an inexplicable affection for him. Plus he's one of the few actors I've seen in kdramas that's reasonably fluent in English and Korean. (Also... he's hot.)
I feel like this director is trying to spike ratings by using bid dramatic angst. I wish he wouldn't try to recreate the (fluke) success of BOF and just tell a good story that makes sense. These manga remakes keep trying, but let's face it, BOF was a one-off phenom and it's not likely to happen again.
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