The Problematic of the Unproblematic

kakashi: Brace yourselves, Cruel City Lovers, cause this is no easy ride before you. Episode 19 broke my heart into little tiny pieces and made me cry like a baby. You must know that I am as strong as a German oak, usually, and hardly ever cry. Well, at least the tissue industry is happy. We will give our best to squee for you on this final leg of the journey even though the squees had a tendency to get stuck in our throats. Episode 19 kakashi: We are back on the Rooftop of Doom. As Soo-min demands to know in her loudest voice why he did it, he has a confused moment of deja-vu. This situation is exactly like back then, when he was standing in that warehouse with the now dead Boring Girlfriend.

Before I start I just have to say 1) TvN hasn't disappointed me yet (well not that much coz I haven't finished flower boy ramyun bad gasps of horror that i've butchered the name) What I mean is no show I've watched fully has disappointed. 2) I just can't figure out how they're going to resolve like 6 story lines in 1 episode but I wish them well and can't wait till Friday!! It airs on wednesday but that's thursday my time and then the delightful subbers at www.viki.com have to do their work so...yeah. Ok. Back to this post. Poor Seol Chan, he's in love with a regular person. Aah young love

Yikes! No more cute. Tae-wook is turning into the Big Nasty or rather the Big Hurt Nasty in this episode and he does scare me a little . This is Kim Ji-hoon's darkest role yet and I understand why he took it: so different from what he usually plays! Overall, this episode was rather painful to watch (especially the last scene between the two) and though there will be a lot of Kim Ji-hoon pictures in this KimJiCap - as usual - there are no smiles this time. His heart has been broken - and he isn't one to mope around in silence. Nope, not Tae-wook. And you know the best thing about this episode? Hardly any Snore. But at least, I got to admire his nose ... *** We are back at the (chance?) meeting between the two rivals and Sourpuss at the hotel. It's the Kang family's hotel, by the way. They are introduced. While it seems more or less civil when they lock hands, they do stare at each other for quite a long time. Yeah, and if looks could kill, The Big Snore would be d...

JoAnne: The stakes are being raised, the guyliner is being troweled on, the insults and passes and confirmations of betrayal are flying... Next week is going to be nuts. So let's enjoy this episode for the crazy that it is, and prepare for a week of tortured suffering while we wait. Uri Baksa deserves no less from us. Episode 18 JoAnne: We pick up where we left off: our handsome, handsome, HANDSOME hero is struggling in both literal and figurative dark as he tries to deny his desire to call Soo Min, the light of his life. He gives in, and Skinny Legs eventually picks up, too. These poor kids. They just can't ever catch a break. Her phone doesn't have any cute names for him anymore. He's just Jung Shi Hyun. Shuk: That was a really subtle, poignant shot of the phone that spells out their relationship. kakashi: Alas, Soo-min's rug is so ugly I couldn't really focus on anything else. This must be the special sheep pasture edition from Ikea, Änfår. T...

Omo! Omo! *jumping up and down and hopping from foot to foot* This summer so far has been a bit dry for me. (What with Monstar airing ONCE A WEEK!!! Why TvN?? Why?? But that’s for another post) but late summer is looking up!! Because of....... MASTER’s SUN!!!! {Starts August 7 th Wed and Thursday, 20 episodes?}

Shuk: The Gryffyndor Goons have overrun Jin-sook’s Pleasure Palace, and Soo-min gets her first tangible proof that Baksa is part of her unni’s inner circle. Let the name dropping begin! JoAnne:  Look at that face.  Judgement Mode:  Activate! Episode 17 Shuk: Jin-sook steps out in front of the Chairman’s mooks, asking them to stop messing up her business. Just then Cutie-soo shows up and starts plowing through them, looking hot and manly in spite of that silly scarf. kakashi: Wow. Totally Cutie-Soo's moment. So hawt. And I'd be very, very happy if we did get some hot sex scene between these two. He is made for it. Would she complain? Probably not.  JoAnne: There is a lot of throat kicking when Korean gangsters fight.

Just when I thought Episode 7 was difficult to watch, along came Episode 8 and killed me. I'll stay away from dramas in which one of my true loves plays second lead (or whatever this is, here) in the future, I vow it! And just for the record, because people seem to misunderstand: I don't want him together with Sourpuss. Nope, I want him to dump her sorry a$$, to move on, and to be happy. Fat chance that is going to happen, but still!   *** Back to the orchard, the peaches Tae-wook carries to the car, the car ride back. The dialogue is a little different than what we got at the end of Episode 7: He apologizes for coming to get her and asks her to please stop being angry with him. She tells him to just drive. She really has the charm of an empty beer bottle.  

Oh my feels. This is getting better and at the same time, harder to watch. It is always Kim Ji-hoon giving me such heartache I just realize (you and me, boy = unmyeong!) ... that last time during Flower Boys Next Door, where he simply killed me with his dorky-happy smiles and awkward stuttering. Gawd. Just flaunt your abs, boys, but do.not.make.me.feel.so! *** But let's get cracking. At the beginning of episode 7, we backtrack a little. Uri lady with the "headache" arrives at her father's orchard in a taxi. Everybody is very happy to see her. I'm not. She is such a sourpuss. Every time somebody mentions her impending marriage or her incredibly handsome financé, she just makes a face as if she'd bitten into a very sour peach.

'Is he dead? No, he can't be. But ... this is TEN, we're talking about. He could very well be dead. He could be. But they wouldn't do this to us! Or would they?! Is there a 3rd season? Do we know who's in it?! Gaaaaaah, save me!' These kinda questions and thoughts went through my head, after I watched Episode 11 raw and had to wait a whole week for the final episode (also raw). I must say, it was torture. But now, it is here ... the end of the end. It gives us closure, in a good way (and I am glad it is not a cliffhanger like the cliffhanger after Season 1), but it also opens up the next chapter, in a good way. It is terrifying, it is heart breaking, it is very sad - but it is also hopeful, sweet, and full of warmth. What a ride! Special Affairs Team TEN 2 - Episode 12 (Final) 박민호 납치사건 Part 2 - Park Min-ho's Kidnapping Yeo Teamchang-nim, standing on a rooftop at night, narrates: "Once again, I couldn't save him. All this pain ... it started...

kakashi: Please put your hand up if you hate fake-outs! We all saw how Baksa slowly moved his face to peek through the panel, right? JoAnne: I saw it! So did the Eyes of Thighs! Shuk: The dagger stare yes yes! Fake out!

JoAnne: This episode feels like the beginning of the end, as Baksa and the Scooby Gang start to put some pieces together and find their options narrowing. I was very worried about our hero when the episode began because the stress really seems to be getting to him. We can't have him going to pieces, now can we? He may be our ultimate sacrifice to the Cruel City, but I need him to be his awesome self right up to and past that point because let's face it - this is a character we love to love, and such good ones don't come along very often. kakashi: Somebody told me today that what we are getting now in Cruel City is called dénouement. I guess he's right cause he's always right. Anyway, I tought this episode was a little tiny bit tooooo slow, but it could also be cause of the dénouement, which was, frankly, unexciting. Partially.  Shuk: So I have to say "denouement" with a pinkie extended or something? I just want to watch our boy without worrying about ...

I am surprised and pleased that this drama manages to fascinate me way beyond of what I expected. What did I expect? The beauty and adorable vain dorkiness of Kim Ji-hoon, of course!  But whatdoyouknow, the artful twists of what seems, at first look, cliched; the more than imperfect characters that feel so real; the overall topic of idealized love and not so ideal marriage; and the inability to foresee what will happen next (will they get married or not? will he find out or not? will he leave her or not? etc. etc. etc.) all combine to make this an above average drama experience for me. I even caught myself singing that theme song that gets on my nerves so much this morning! Abs and The Big Snore (aka the Kissing Machine)

Will the theme song of this drama join the ranks of the all-time-annoyers "Almost Paradise" (BoF) or "Fly High" (Prosecutor Princess)? No idea who sings it. But I have found out that the absolutely untalented musician from Jeju is in fact Park Wan Kyu, a real musician. So maybe it's him singing it. So ... did he deliberately hold his guitar like a complete dork? Or did he do it to distract us from the fact that he really can't act? Questions, questions ... all I know is that THIS guy is super hot and that I will continue watching this for him. And the Dragon Mother. On we go with my favorite type of recap! This week, I'll do two posts, one for 5 and one for 6 --> Cause I want more traffic on this site. Haha, that's in fact true, but it's also because I took so many pictures of him again that it is a necessity, unless I want posts as long as the Great Wall of China. This episode starts with The Female Mope (aka Song Ji-Hye) rushing throug...

Baksa needs somebody to clean his windows, don't you think? Shuk: There has been a lot of speculation whether Baksa's actions at the end of the last episode were calculated or not. Is he evil enough to dangle his semi-not-quite-girlfriend as bait in front of a monster? We have passionate proponents on both sides, so it will be interesting to see how things pan out for us. But for now, we know this: The crapola has hit the rotating blades, and Chairman Jo the Crazy Man has just put a kill order on Soo-min. Episode 14 Shuk: Baksa drives the two of them to Jin-sook’s place, where he takes apart her phone and tell her to forget about him; it’s the only way she is going to survive. Soo-min desperately tries again to keep the connection between them; she promises to be at the same café where they previously met tomorrow night. He walks away without a word. JoAnne: It does not suit my notion of cool to have him walking home like a dweeb... but then again, I don't liv...

And so it begins ... the beginning of the end. This is Part 1 of the final and it is no easy ride! I will be honest, parts of TEN2 have been mildly disappointing for me (many of the "filler" episodes were only okay and not particularly great). In particular, I take issue with the fact that we haven't really gotten much character development for a while now. Sure, the team interactions remain cute, I am utterly in love with Ji-hoon, and I would adopt Do-shik and Min-ho and Ye-ri anytime, but I fear the writer(s) have been a bit too lazy in between. And what about F??? That is the biggest surprise for me ... the final? Not about F at all. But still very, very good.  Special Affairs Team TEN 2 - Episode 11 박민호 납치사건 Part 1 - Park Min-ho's Kidnapping We are in the corridor of a hotel - or is it an "establishment"? I am not entirely sure, but I am sure about the screams and the shots that are fired: many of them. A crime is in the making...  With Vi...

kakashi:  I hate this episode! They make Baksa suffer!!!! nooooooooooooooo (☉__☉”) Shuk: All these little vines and snares were bound to catch him at some point in time, dammit. JoAnne: Look at those eyes.  LOOK AT THEM. Those eyes are saying 'oh it is ON LIKE DONKEY KONG, M-F'ers. Episode 13 kakashi: Baksa's features harden and his eyes narrow as he watches his lady Soo-min meet the Neanderthal - and if looks could kill, these two would be SO DEAD. Many times over. He turns to leave, feeling betrayed. In the car, he thinks about what Jin-sook told him about how they met. Man, he looks seriously pissed. Shuk: He has to be thinking of the Big Picture, namely, who put Min-soo up to tracking Baksa Adeul, and that now he has to both keep away from her (for his safety), but keep an eye on her (for her safety). JoAnne: I'm just cheering because it's Early Baksa, way up high, looking serious and HOT.

I am not regretting my choice to do some Kim Ji-hoon focused recapping of Goddess of Marriage . While many people continue to hate this drama (or consider it dropped after only glancing at parts of episode 1 - 왜? ), I keep being amused by it and its portrayal of the immoral super rich and the ugly rest. My favorite? The Dragon Mother. Yoon So-Jung is having a ball with her tongue-in-cheek portrayal of this spoiled, sadistic, but ultimately childish witch and I am enjoying every minute of it.  And of course, there is Kim Ji-hoon. Yum. Yum. YUM . YUM .  The PDnim seems to know exactly what we want as he showers us with KJH's smiles and shy cuteness. I am looking forward to seeing this one fight for his love (- and even more to seeing his abs). As for the rest, warm-up oppa gets on my nerves with his hormonal pushiness and Song Ji-hye gets on my nerves with her mopey-eyed-I-Don't-Know-What-I-Want-Act. How hard can it be? Either marry the rich dude with the incredible abs (t...

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? I cannot wait for the final! Episode 10 is the last one before the double-whopper and maybe that is why I got a bit impatient with it all. The "filler" episodes are good and nice and all (at least some of them), but what I am really interested in is the main story. There has been no advancement in the main storyline for a while now, we know that Ji-hoon will have to face the truth eventually (as in next episode), and the case didn't exactly rock my boat either. All I can say is that it is about mistrust and guilt and the TEN Team solves it very, very smoothly. Onwards we go!   Special Affairs Team TEN 2 - Episode 10 15 년 - 15 Years There is a white car at an otherwise empty lakeside. We hear that somebody is calling 911 and a female hoarsely and slowly whispers: "save me ... save me ..." - but too late ... she is already dead, her eyes wide open. In the conference room, boss-boss Jeong shows Yeo Ji-hoon some slides ...

JoAnne: This is Episode 12. Of at least 20. I think the tension will kill me before then. Do you think that these actors finish a scene and then just clap for each other as the freaking geniuses that they are? Also. There's a lot to cover in this episode. I barely get to squee because I'm so busy trying to keep the basic plot movement outlined and this gets really long. I'm sorry. Not really. Episode 12 JoAnne: This opening scene, the whole thing, from the cafe to the parking lot - this was fantastic. His face. His resigned delivery. Her anger and her sadness. That moment of surprise in his eyes when they discuss what it meant when he shared his name, and he realizes that for her, it was the beginning of a real connection. Ugh. For him it was a goodbye. They are so going to break my heart into a million tiny pieces. kakashi: Better yours than each others. And better than sticking little blurry knives into each other's hearts, too. But I agree ......

Thank you to those of you who took the time to enter our Kdrama Addict Martyr Contest.  I really just wanted to see if there was anyone as crazy as me out there, so was happy to find that I am in good company!  We got quite a few laughs out of reading everyone's entry and hope you did too. Before I announce the winner, I have to say that I feel I must share in this award for finishing A Hundred Years Inheritance. By the end it was so ludicrous it felt like a bad comedy to me. Struggling to walk on limp little feet? Love and hugs between the baby stealer and her victim? The female lead being tricked into attending her own wedding (what girl doesn't dream of that after a long day's work?) And that's when I realized the writer did work amnesia into the story after all. How else could the lead thank her for sticking by him after SHE LEFT HIM AT THE ALTAR one time already, REFUSED TO STOP HIM FROM LEAVING even though he begged her to, and CHOSE HER NEW MOTHER-IN-LAW O...

Shuk: Today marks a kakashi milestone: the 300th post on her blog, and the 33rd SqueeCap! Since 3 is my favorite number, I feel honored to be today's recapper for the next installment of Baksa's Juggling Act. He has to: hide his identity from the bad guys; hide his identity from the good guys; protect the bad guys he loves; and protect the good girl he loves, all while looking like pure hotness in everything he wears. Luckily, at least so far, he is up to the task. kakashi: Wut? It is? Bring out the champagne! Yeah, drink a lot, ladies, cause that's all the pay you're gonna get. JoAnne: I'm just here for the intangibles anyway. How's purple? Do we like purple? I can't read that orange. Perhaps green? Shuk: Okay, I've been told I may have miscounted. But who cares? Let's drink to our boy! 건배!

I'm trying out a new format, dear friends, and it's called KimJiCap . You may have guessed: KimJiCaps focus almost exclusively on Kim Ji-hoon. So don't expect any lengthy recaps. Or do, in case there are lengthy/hot/exciting/squeeworthy Kim Ji-hoon scenes. Since everybody around me already hates this drama with a vengeance (wae? *shrugs*), I'll be flying this one solo - not sure for how long, though ... It all depends on how Goddess of Marriage continues. Be assured, I'm very good at dropping dramas. And equally good at liberally fast-forwarding. (Side note: Any German speakers among you? I have recently realized that his name Kim Ji-hoon could in fact be read as Kimchi Huhn - which would be Kimchi Chicken in English. Jeez, I can't stop giggling about this one. How yummy it would taste, this chicken!)  "Did she just call me chicken?!" Sure, I do understand that Goddess of Marriage can be hated. But strangely enough, I was quite entertained by...