I made my sisters watch it so I could re-watch it with them but they didn’t love it as much as I did, so I’m really happy to find someone who feels like me about this show, I love you for this ❤
It was a perfect show in every way, loved the ost, too…every time they played Destiny Sonata and Goodbye My Love, I would start crying. I watched Winter Sonata before that, re-watched, rather, and it was so good, too…I loved the first part.
Oh, Sweetie, you made my day! I got up and logged on to DramaBeans, and who do I find waiting for me?! Lee Gun!
Now I’ve got to watch the commercial!
Is it the way JH takes off his shades and hands them to an aide? Strips off his jacket and tosses it aside? Plunges his noggin into the stone basin in the forest glade to wet his hair? Lathers ecstatically? Plunges his noodle back into the water to rapturously rinse?
Ummm… What drives me wild is the way he shakes the water out of his locks — in glorious slow motion — like a Labrador retriever. A very sexy Labrador retriever. 😉
*fans self*
I’m glad you saw my posts on JH’s dramas and films. I’ll add a couple more items I didn’t have room for. Also, I looked up my notes on a dandy two-part interview with JH that will make you want to watch not only CHUNO, but MAYBE / LIZARD AND RABBIT as well.
I also found a pointer to an insightful recap of OLD GOODBYE that I’d forgotten about it. Rereading it and my own notes on the drama special reminded me that I had to watch it more than once — and let it marinate — to more fully appreciate the depth of the story. It ain’t merely depressing. There’s a lot going on in it. I’d confused it with time traveling, but I think it’s really dreaming.
Anyway, thanks for making my day! When do we launch our Jang Hyuk Appreciation Society?! Bwahahahaha!
Thanks to you I’m watching Windstruck, with about 20 minutes to go. Jang Hyuk is so versatile, he’s a totally different character here, and I’m enjoying the movie, made me laugh…the part where he walked sheepishly back into the classroom after his girl paid him a visit was so hilarious…the swinging arms LOLOL.
That shampoo scene was just so hot…the wet locks…*grabs fan from you and fans self* the way he shook himself my mouth was hanging open for like the whole time. Sexiest man alive!
I’m flying to Sapporo, Hokkaido tomorrow and won’t be back until the following Wednesday, so I guess our Jang Hyuk Appreciation Society will have to be put on hold. How many members? You and me hahha. I’m going to run through the lavender fields slow-mo and pretend Jang Hyuk is chasing me.
I’m so happy you’re having a blast with WINDSTRUCK. 😉
The operative phrase is “totally different character.” I’d hesitated to mention SEARCHING FOR THE ELEPHANT because it’s kind of raunchy (courtesy of another character who’s a sex addict), and also gory. JH plays a photographer who has schizophrenic episodes and hallucinations, and self-medicates with grass. Needless to say, he’s really screwed up. I rewatched it yesterday for quality control purposes, but it’s not a clear-cut YES! the way the ones I mentioned are. It does have its moments. The title comes from a childhood trip to the zoo with his mom and two buddies. If they got separated, they were supposed to regroup by the elephant’s enclosure. — On some other level, it might be referring to the elephant in the room, for all I know. 😉
Have a lovely trip to Sapporo! I had no idea Hokkaido is famous for lavender. It must be the Provence of Japan. — Your traipsing through the fields will look like an old Clairol Nice and Easy hair color commercial from 1967. LOL!
As for the Jang Hyuk Appreciation Society, it sounds like a candidate for the next Open Thread. 😉
OMG. That sounds seriously dark and gritty. I want me a light and glowing Jang Hyuk! He’s got a new movie coming up, The Swordsman, where he plays a blind man with a daughter who’s all grown up.
I had no idea Hokkaido was famous for lavender, too LOL, until I did my research on it. My knowledge of Japan was limited to Mount Fuji and ramen until my Tokyo trip last year, and I simply love Japan and the Japanese people. They are so polite and helpful and work so hard. The most stunning moment of my Tokyo trip was when I took the trains one evening, and it was the exact time all the salary-men finished work. That’s what they call the white-collar workers in Japan. And the trains opened, and this hugggeeee massss of black and white clones of men all trooped out, all dressed alike, in black suits and black ties and carrying black briefcases, all striding briskly, and silently in perfect unison, like robots!!!! Never ever seen anything like that before. Oh, and nobody talks on the trains, it’s absolutely silent! There are notices pasted on the trains telling everyone to keep quiet. Very intimidating.
Jang Hyuk-ified version of ZATOICHI?!?!? That will be epic!
As for Japanese culture, I taught ESL at the Hawaii campus of a Japanese college, and came close to shipping off to Japan to teach ESL a few years later. A couple of my friends did exactly that. I met Mr. PakalanaPikake first, however, and changed my plans. 😉
My Japanese students were wonderful, and I still think of them fondly more than 30 years later.
Living in Hawaii got me interested in Japanese culture (and food!), as it exerted such a strong influence there. (I’m still mystified by Hello Kitty. LOL!) I also had several Japanese friends who were graduate students at the University of Hawaii, and another friend who grew up on Maui and was of Japanese and Okinawan ancestry, IIRC. After I returned to the Mainland, I took an adult school conversational Japanese class here in New Jersey from an elderly Korean pastor and his wife, but found it too much while also working full time, especially with regard to the three writing systems.
Alas, the closest I’ve ever come to visiting Japan was changing planes once at Narita.
Hi, Pakalana, I’m back from sunny Hokkaido. It’s sweltering hot there…sooooooo hotttttt!!!! It’s supposed to be milder compared to the rest of Japan, but I was shocked at how hot it was. The shopping complexes are no help either, because for some weird reason, the Japanese set their air conditioning at room temperatures, so it’s stuffy and warm inside. The only respite was my hotel room where I set the aircon to 17 degrees that’s how hot I was!!! The Japanese walk around in the burning heat, many without protection and many of the children look red and sunburnt…OMG. There was a man who walked about shirtless and I could see the imprint of his singlet on his body. He was soooooo sunburnt I couldn’t bear to look at him. All the tourists were wearing huge straw hats (including me) and long sleeves and carrying umbrellas. Nights were no different either, it was hot and there wasn’t any wind. The only time it rained was last Monday and that was when I went to Otaru, a coastal town. I carried my umbrella throughout and it was sooooo nice and cool. Took the train back to Sapporo that evening and noticed that the ground was wet. Went out that night and it was chilly, and so nice to walk about without sweating.
The lavender fields were the hottest experience there, it was crowded with tourists jam packed into souvenir shops which were stuffy and hot. Nightmarish.
No wonder it’s advisable to visit Japan in spring, autumn or winter. Summer is just too hot and uncomfortable.
Glad you survived your trip to Hokkaido. No sea breezes even at night sounds like “kona weather” when the northeast tradewinds quit blowing in Hawaii in late summer/early fall, IIRC. Geez, it sounds like the summer heatwaves we had here in the NYC area a couple of summers ago. Had to drive to Chicago for a wedding, and it was hot as blazes (up around 100F) there, too.
I would have been in agony in Japan. It reminds me of my one-night stopover in Singapore after visiting Bali and Yogyakarta. I positively felt like I would burst into flame. In comparison, Honolulu felt cool after that little interlude so close to the Equator.
My Irish and Viking genes do a lot better in the cold (preferably swaddled in wool and silk). I’m grateful that we’ve been having a bearable summer with lots of rain around the recent full moon.
Here’s hoping you recover quickly from your travels. I suggest watching more Jang Hyuk, even if you have to watch FATED TO LOVE YOU for the umpteenth time. 😉
If you like sageuks, TREE WITH DEEP ROOTS is a terrific show. JH plays a royal guardsman who had a traumatic childhood — not unlike Prosecutor Jang in LOOKOUT.
Han Suk-kyu portrays Hangeul’s inventor, King Sejong the Great. (He was phenomenal in ROMANTIC DOCTOR, TEACHER KIM.) With its terrific cast of veteran actors, you cannot go wrong with TWDR. To fully appreciate the story, I urge you to watch SIX FLYING DRAGONS first. It is the chronological predecessor of TWDR. I marathoned both of them before REBEL started, so they’re a bit of a blur. From a historical perspective, you should watch them in the correct order. Your mileage may vary. 😉
YY
July 2, 2017 at 11:48 PM
Dedicated to my friend, @PakalanaPikake, who has been an absolute gem, and renewed vigor in my spluttering Jang Hyuk Crusade.
YY
July 2, 2017 at 11:55 PM
Love that long hair.
Sera The Ms Temper
July 3, 2017 at 12:09 AM
omg oppaaaaa!
YY
July 3, 2017 at 12:39 AM
Do you love him, too, Sera? I am seriously in love with Lee Gun.
Sera The Ms Temper
July 3, 2017 at 10:23 AM
I am his secret lover!
YY
July 4, 2017 at 3:41 AM
Damn!
azzo
July 3, 2017 at 2:29 AM
Did you finish it? Are you re-watching it? Because I did that the minute it was over!
YY
July 3, 2017 at 3:12 AM
I did. I watched and re-watched. Am still re-watching. Will probably re-watch forever and ever until a new show comes along that I like.
azzo
July 3, 2017 at 3:28 AM
I made my sisters watch it so I could re-watch it with them but they didn’t love it as much as I did, so I’m really happy to find someone who feels like me about this show, I love you for this ❤
YY
July 3, 2017 at 3:54 AM
It was a perfect show in every way, loved the ost, too…every time they played Destiny Sonata and Goodbye My Love, I would start crying. I watched Winter Sonata before that, re-watched, rather, and it was so good, too…I loved the first part.
PakalanaPikake
July 3, 2017 at 9:46 AM
@YY,
ROFLMAO!
Oh, Sweetie, you made my day! I got up and logged on to DramaBeans, and who do I find waiting for me?! Lee Gun!
Now I’ve got to watch the commercial!
Is it the way JH takes off his shades and hands them to an aide? Strips off his jacket and tosses it aside? Plunges his noggin into the stone basin in the forest glade to wet his hair? Lathers ecstatically? Plunges his noodle back into the water to rapturously rinse?
Ummm… What drives me wild is the way he shakes the water out of his locks — in glorious slow motion — like a Labrador retriever. A very sexy Labrador retriever. 😉
*fans self*
I’m glad you saw my posts on JH’s dramas and films. I’ll add a couple more items I didn’t have room for. Also, I looked up my notes on a dandy two-part interview with JH that will make you want to watch not only CHUNO, but MAYBE / LIZARD AND RABBIT as well.
I also found a pointer to an insightful recap of OLD GOODBYE that I’d forgotten about it. Rereading it and my own notes on the drama special reminded me that I had to watch it more than once — and let it marinate — to more fully appreciate the depth of the story. It ain’t merely depressing. There’s a lot going on in it. I’d confused it with time traveling, but I think it’s really dreaming.
Anyway, thanks for making my day! When do we launch our Jang Hyuk Appreciation Society?! Bwahahahaha!
YY
July 4, 2017 at 3:35 AM
Thanks to you I’m watching Windstruck, with about 20 minutes to go. Jang Hyuk is so versatile, he’s a totally different character here, and I’m enjoying the movie, made me laugh…the part where he walked sheepishly back into the classroom after his girl paid him a visit was so hilarious…the swinging arms LOLOL.
That shampoo scene was just so hot…the wet locks…*grabs fan from you and fans self* the way he shook himself my mouth was hanging open for like the whole time. Sexiest man alive!
I’m flying to Sapporo, Hokkaido tomorrow and won’t be back until the following Wednesday, so I guess our Jang Hyuk Appreciation Society will have to be put on hold. How many members? You and me hahha. I’m going to run through the lavender fields slow-mo and pretend Jang Hyuk is chasing me.
PakalanaPikake
July 4, 2017 at 8:31 AM
I’m so happy you’re having a blast with WINDSTRUCK. 😉
The operative phrase is “totally different character.” I’d hesitated to mention SEARCHING FOR THE ELEPHANT because it’s kind of raunchy (courtesy of another character who’s a sex addict), and also gory. JH plays a photographer who has schizophrenic episodes and hallucinations, and self-medicates with grass. Needless to say, he’s really screwed up. I rewatched it yesterday for quality control purposes, but it’s not a clear-cut YES! the way the ones I mentioned are. It does have its moments. The title comes from a childhood trip to the zoo with his mom and two buddies. If they got separated, they were supposed to regroup by the elephant’s enclosure. — On some other level, it might be referring to the elephant in the room, for all I know. 😉
Have a lovely trip to Sapporo! I had no idea Hokkaido is famous for lavender. It must be the Provence of Japan. — Your traipsing through the fields will look like an old Clairol Nice and Easy hair color commercial from 1967. LOL!
As for the Jang Hyuk Appreciation Society, it sounds like a candidate for the next Open Thread. 😉
Vaya con Dios!
YY
July 4, 2017 at 9:16 AM
OMG. That sounds seriously dark and gritty. I want me a light and glowing Jang Hyuk! He’s got a new movie coming up, The Swordsman, where he plays a blind man with a daughter who’s all grown up.
I had no idea Hokkaido was famous for lavender, too LOL, until I did my research on it. My knowledge of Japan was limited to Mount Fuji and ramen until my Tokyo trip last year, and I simply love Japan and the Japanese people. They are so polite and helpful and work so hard. The most stunning moment of my Tokyo trip was when I took the trains one evening, and it was the exact time all the salary-men finished work. That’s what they call the white-collar workers in Japan. And the trains opened, and this hugggeeee massss of black and white clones of men all trooped out, all dressed alike, in black suits and black ties and carrying black briefcases, all striding briskly, and silently in perfect unison, like robots!!!! Never ever seen anything like that before. Oh, and nobody talks on the trains, it’s absolutely silent! There are notices pasted on the trains telling everyone to keep quiet. Very intimidating.
PakalanaPikake
July 4, 2017 at 4:20 PM
Jang Hyuk-ified version of ZATOICHI?!?!? That will be epic!
As for Japanese culture, I taught ESL at the Hawaii campus of a Japanese college, and came close to shipping off to Japan to teach ESL a few years later. A couple of my friends did exactly that. I met Mr. PakalanaPikake first, however, and changed my plans. 😉
My Japanese students were wonderful, and I still think of them fondly more than 30 years later.
Living in Hawaii got me interested in Japanese culture (and food!), as it exerted such a strong influence there. (I’m still mystified by Hello Kitty. LOL!) I also had several Japanese friends who were graduate students at the University of Hawaii, and another friend who grew up on Maui and was of Japanese and Okinawan ancestry, IIRC. After I returned to the Mainland, I took an adult school conversational Japanese class here in New Jersey from an elderly Korean pastor and his wife, but found it too much while also working full time, especially with regard to the three writing systems.
Alas, the closest I’ve ever come to visiting Japan was changing planes once at Narita.
Have a wonderful time in Nihon!
YY
July 16, 2017 at 12:06 AM
Hi, Pakalana, I’m back from sunny Hokkaido. It’s sweltering hot there…sooooooo hotttttt!!!! It’s supposed to be milder compared to the rest of Japan, but I was shocked at how hot it was. The shopping complexes are no help either, because for some weird reason, the Japanese set their air conditioning at room temperatures, so it’s stuffy and warm inside. The only respite was my hotel room where I set the aircon to 17 degrees that’s how hot I was!!! The Japanese walk around in the burning heat, many without protection and many of the children look red and sunburnt…OMG. There was a man who walked about shirtless and I could see the imprint of his singlet on his body. He was soooooo sunburnt I couldn’t bear to look at him. All the tourists were wearing huge straw hats (including me) and long sleeves and carrying umbrellas. Nights were no different either, it was hot and there wasn’t any wind. The only time it rained was last Monday and that was when I went to Otaru, a coastal town. I carried my umbrella throughout and it was sooooo nice and cool. Took the train back to Sapporo that evening and noticed that the ground was wet. Went out that night and it was chilly, and so nice to walk about without sweating.
The lavender fields were the hottest experience there, it was crowded with tourists jam packed into souvenir shops which were stuffy and hot. Nightmarish.
No wonder it’s advisable to visit Japan in spring, autumn or winter. Summer is just too hot and uncomfortable.
PakalanaPikake
July 16, 2017 at 8:23 AM
Aloha, YY!
Glad you survived your trip to Hokkaido. No sea breezes even at night sounds like “kona weather” when the northeast tradewinds quit blowing in Hawaii in late summer/early fall, IIRC. Geez, it sounds like the summer heatwaves we had here in the NYC area a couple of summers ago. Had to drive to Chicago for a wedding, and it was hot as blazes (up around 100F) there, too.
I would have been in agony in Japan. It reminds me of my one-night stopover in Singapore after visiting Bali and Yogyakarta. I positively felt like I would burst into flame. In comparison, Honolulu felt cool after that little interlude so close to the Equator.
My Irish and Viking genes do a lot better in the cold (preferably swaddled in wool and silk). I’m grateful that we’ve been having a bearable summer with lots of rain around the recent full moon.
Here’s hoping you recover quickly from your travels. I suggest watching more Jang Hyuk, even if you have to watch FATED TO LOVE YOU for the umpteenth time. 😉
PakalanaPikake
July 4, 2017 at 8:38 AM
YY,
Wasn’t sure if you saw this latest batch of Jang Hyuk material. Enjoy!
http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/07/theme-of-the-month-how-have-your-k-drama-tastes-changed-over-time/#comment-2924273
YY
July 4, 2017 at 9:18 AM
I missed this! Thanks for the reposting. I’m going to pore over these when I come back. Tree with Deep Roots…oooh, should I watch that??
PakalanaPikake
July 4, 2017 at 4:33 PM
If you like sageuks, TREE WITH DEEP ROOTS is a terrific show. JH plays a royal guardsman who had a traumatic childhood — not unlike Prosecutor Jang in LOOKOUT.
Han Suk-kyu portrays Hangeul’s inventor, King Sejong the Great. (He was phenomenal in ROMANTIC DOCTOR, TEACHER KIM.) With its terrific cast of veteran actors, you cannot go wrong with TWDR. To fully appreciate the story, I urge you to watch SIX FLYING DRAGONS first. It is the chronological predecessor of TWDR. I marathoned both of them before REBEL started, so they’re a bit of a blur. From a historical perspective, you should watch them in the correct order. Your mileage may vary. 😉
vannerie
July 4, 2017 at 8:24 AM
Ah. The commercial. I want to go and watch it now.
YY
July 4, 2017 at 9:05 AM
Have you watched Fated to Love You, vannerie? I love it so much, I’m going around telling everyone to watch it.
vannerie
July 4, 2017 at 10:12 AM
Yes. I watched it last year. I thought they were both very good. What else have you watched him in?
YY
July 4, 2017 at 10:27 AM
I watched Innocent Thing, and just finished Windstruck…cried so much at the ending. Stopped after a few episodes of Successful Story of A Bright Girl.
vannerie
July 4, 2017 at 11:02 AM
Ah. I haven’t watched those. I’ve seen Beautiful Mind, Tree with Deep Roots, about 5 episodes of Chuno, Please Teach me English and Old Goodbye.