The Problematic of the Unproblematic

As the astute watcher of KDrama is well aware, there is almost no sex in KDrama. I say "almost no sex" because there are several instances of where the characters obviously had sex or are, rarely, about to have sex (i.e. when they get pregnant after, like in I Do I Do , or when they wake up in bed together, like in Personal Taste , or when they are in each other's home and don't leave, like in Cheongdamdong Alice - or is this my dirty mind imagining things that were not there?), so technically, there is sex, but simply not on screen. That's not very surprising, given the fact that most shows air on public television and Korean society is generally considered a conservative society. We get the occasional kiss (most of them terrible) and, behold, we get the occasional shower scene (most of them terrific). Shower scenes almost always involve men (as opposed to women, though there are exceptions) being "naked" (to the waist) and taking a shower - and mo...

It is wonderful to have wonderful friends on Twitter and Facebook. I get back from a meeting, and see that dewaanifordrama has recorded a historical moment of Twitter history for me (because she knows that I admire both Lee Jun-ki and Kim Ji-hoon, though the second more recent than the first). They are talking to each other! And they are really, really funny! PARADISE! Thank you so much, dewaanifordrama! But then, my second issue ... what are they saying? Back to Google Translate I go and the outcome was ... yeah, you know ... not so great. But who am I to despair ... Before I go to the gym over lunch, I quickly check my Facebook feed and ... oh wow! The wonderful JGFamily has provided the translation. Love you, guys! (translation by elly) 1) LJG: Yeah~ 2nd place of Oricon chart, beating out the prominent albums, huhduhduhduh!!!! And three million weibo followers in one year~!!!!!!! Oh My Gosh~!!! Shall we celebrate it ~kk Thank ? you~^^v 2) KJH: You are awesome. Can you ...

Sorry, Enrique. You are very, very cute (though very, very annoying), but I'm on team Jin-rak. Forever and ever. I will be heartbroken when you get the girl and that's an understatement. I may learn to like you if you start acting more like an adult and a little less than a child, but you are just not a man to me. - by the way: I don't mind you re-using these gifs in any context you want to; but you may consider crediting me for them. Cause Google image search knows anyways who did them. hahaaaaaa! -   Yes. okay! I admit it. he is cute. very. but he is also very, very annoying. take the sugary stuff away from him!!! I have a lot of Schadenfreude when I see this. Want another kick, Enrique Geum? for a minute, I feared the dog would bite him!!!

Why cannot more shows be as good as this one? Oh, how my poor heart aches for this gorgeous second lead ... with his pathetic, epic #fail moments! I seriously felt like crying in this episode. To see him so sweetly and stupidly in love, but messing it up each and every time ... it seems so, so unfair! This post is dedicated to poor Jin-rak. Enrique pictures will be posted tomorrow. I hope you are luckier next time you fall in love, Jin-rak dearest ... (is it a bit obvious I have a HUGE crush on this man?!) - by the way: I don't mind you re-using these gifs in any context you want to; but you may consider crediting me for them. Cause Google image search knows anyways who did them. hahaaaaaa! -  My baby Oh Jin-rak being sad ... My baby Oh Jin-rak being determined ... #fail! #FAIL! (Learn: always switch off you phone when stalking people) The Webtoon Editor. She is awesome. And looks as if she won a beauty contest in this picture ^^ My baby being ...

Hello, chingus! Flower Boy Next Door has quickly become my weekly dose of happiness, not least due to its great cast, which just sizzles with energy. I am following two of them on Twitter (Park Shin-hye and Kim Ji-hoon) and their frequent posts add the icing to the already incredibly tasty show-cake. Twitter is great, but it is the medium of the moment - once tweeted, things stay relevant for an hour at the most, and then get drowned in the sea of white noise that Twitter is. Therefore, I decided to do two posts, one for Park Shin-hye (who is @ssinz) and one for Kim Ji-hoon (who is @jiraishin99), reposting (some of) their pictures of each other and the respective Tweet, thus preserving these moments full of warmth for a little longer. Ahem. Well. I did try to translate these tweets, but to be honest ... neither Google translate nor my rather basic Hangul were of all that much help ㅠㅠ - so: I'm giving you my own interpretation of what she's saying. 15 December 2012: 고독미양 혼...

Thank you, thank you, thank you show, for existing and being so funny - but also so serious when needed. But don't become all too serious, please ... you know, because I want to make gifs out of you! Serious shows and gifs just don't go well together. That's why there's not all that many tonight. All the better, because it is getting seriously late again and I do have a life. Kind of. Anyways, this episode brings us more of Jin-rak's anger management issues and secret identity, but also... cooking classes! The Return of the Panda Hat! Bromance that makes you wanna cry out of happiness! Translation hijinks! Jin-rak trying to get closer to his love (and, of course, failing)! Enrique getting what he deserves (a good scolding)! ... and too much Do Hwi. Begone, witch! "Hello" I guess there is no beating some of the rules in KDrama (or is there?), meaning first lead will get the girl ... but who is first lead? Do we really know it's Enrique? In any c...

Here I am, feeling really bad about my vicious rant last night. Yes: Cheongdamdong Alice still feels like a huge let-down - but I know how hard it is to write, act, edit, and all-in-all produce good shows (my uncle owns a production company and about 40% of all my friends are actors, directors, or authors). And I also know that in this case, as in probably all cases of good or bad Korean drama, a lot of people gave their very best, in fact, worked their asses off with little to no sleep, while I just sit there on my bed with my laptop, consume their hard work like fast-food and then judge it harshly. All in all, I still think they look really good together. Not that this makes the show any better. It truly was a let-down. But I am, and forever remain, grateful to those who make this little miracle called KDrama happen. So, when I found these wonderful pictures of Cheongdamdong Alice 's Wrap-up Party (Monnie seems to have been absent), I felt like an ungrateful prick (can a ...