Kind of Like Exercise: Flower Boy Next Door Review

In order to explain my feelings about Flower Boy Next Door, allow me to make an analogy. Flower Boy Next Door is like exercise; I had a very hard time getting motivated to actually start each episode, but then once I got started it felt good, and I remembered that I actually did enjoy it. This in contrast to things like childbirth and puppies, which people think are a good idea until they do it and remember how terrible it actually is (I've never actually given childbirth or raised a puppy; they just seem like terrible ideas that people have.) Unfortunately, Flower Boy Next Door was one of those Korean Dramas that I just couldn't quite get into and struggled to finish. However, it had a lot of really great moments for me that made it mostly worth it. I typically give up on kdramas that don't make me battle with my inner 5 year old self to go to sleep over, but this drama had such a strong beginning that I felt compelled to see it through.

(Vivi's note: I also watched most of this series recently, but since I never actually managed to finish the last two episodes, I'll let Coco take this one!  I liked the series, but I got distracted with other things.  I'll add some of my observations here and there.)

Main Plot Summary:

Flower Boy Next Door stars the "Queen of Romantic Comedies", Park Shin-hye, as as Go Dok-mi, a young woman who becomes a recluse after a devastating event in high school makes her a social outcast. One of the only ways she connects to the outside world is by spying on her attractive neighbor across the way. She is caught in the act of peering through binoculars one day by the neighbor's cousin, Enrique Geum, a whimsical video game developer played by Yoon Shi-yoon. He decides to help her rejoin the world and open herself up to love and friendship, along with the help of three other attractive neighbors.

Reasons why FBND is worth the 16 hour investment.

1. The Poetic Themes

The female lead, Go Dok-mi, is an aspiring writer so we are able to listen in on her inner monologue as she writes about her experiences with coming to open her heart back up to love and being loved. She makes some beautiful observations about human relationships that make the show very touching. My favorite example of this is when she realizes that the reason that Enrique appears to be able to read her mind is because, "To that man, love is seeing with both people's eyes and feeling with both hearts, seeing the world more deeply." Once she realizes that this is what love is really all about, she can then read his thoughts as well. This moment really pulled the whole show together for me on an emotional level.

(Vivi's note: I would also like to give a shout-out to Go Dok-mi's POETIC HAIR.  Holy freaking cow. That is the best tousled hair I have ever seen in my life.  It almost made me want to become a recluse who doesn't shower.  Almost.)

2. The Humor

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Although I was not a big fan of the male lead, and was totally on the second male lead's side, he did have the gift of physical comedy going for him. There were some moments, particularly at the beginning, that made me literally LOL, and I don't use LOL loosely. I hate when people just throw out LOL's when you know that there's no way they actually laughed out loud. This drama was able to remain appealing to me because it played funny moments really well, especially thanks to the fact that several of the characters also star in Saturday Night Live Korea and other comedy shows.

(Vivi's note: The panda hat makes me super uncomfortable for some reason.)

3. The Side Characters:

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How cute were they? So cute! The webtoon artists next door were adorable and just really good guys, not to mention totally hot. I'm not really sure why the Japanese guy existed since he kind of appeared out of nowhere, did not push the plot forward at all, and then made an odd exit, but at least he was cute and added to the number of flower boys next door. The editor of the webtoon, played by Kim Seul-gie, who also stars on SNL Korea, was super funny and I really hope I see more of her. I feel like she's the Korean Emma Stone, and I freakin love Emma Stone. And the second female lead had the best facial expressions and over the top acting that actually made her character really great. All in all I approve of the casting choices and character development of the side characters.

(Vivi: Can we petition to have Kim Seul-gie star in her own drama?  I would love to see some of that sass and physical humor in a kdrama lead!)

Reasons why FBND is not worth the 16 hour investment:

1.The 10 long, repetitive, and uninteresting episodes in the middle

 Thinking back on these, I honestly can't even remember what happened. I think it was an awful lot of,
"You should leave me to go live your dream."
"No, I will never leave you, you are my dream."
"Fine I'll pretend not to love you so you will go."
"No, I won't go, jk, I will go, jk, I won't go, jk, I actually did go."
With me going, "What? Did he go or not? Just go already!"

All in all, Flower Boy Next Door had a lot to offer but just had too much time to do it in. This drama could have been a great 2 hour movie instead of a whole series. If they had cut out the unnecessary plot points and overdone scenes and just focused on the beautiful themes and character development, then it truly could have been a great drama.

2. The Male Lead

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I'm not a huge fan of Yoon Shi-yoon. Sometimes his man-child goofiness came off as endearing, but more often than not it came off as irritating and unattractive. I actually thought he was much hotter when he had a on serious expression than when he smiled. I need my male leads to be a bit more suave and manly. This was one of the first kdramas where I experienced no jealousy of the female lead for getting to kiss the male lead. I just really loved the second male lead so much and felt like he was a better match. I know that this drama wanted to play up the whole "opposites attract" thing, but let me just say that I once took a social psychology class, and that theory is pretty untrue. Humans actually love being with people like themselves. Hence the reason why we get so excited to run into other kdrama fans! The second male lead just seemed like a much better fit for the female lead, even though I know that the point was that he would have let her keep living the way she was living and never would have pushed her back into the world the way Enrique did.

(Vivi's note: But don't you remember how they beat the audience over the head with that nature metaphor? Something about trees?  Or wind?  And that was supposed to make us understand why Enrique was her true match?  I actually let the show convince me that Enrique was better for her, but that doesn't mean that he was better for me.  I'm sorry, but I will choose the outwardly sarcastic but inwardly thoughtful comic book designer over the hyperactive chipmunk who wears knee socks any day.)

3. The Unbelievable Plot Points

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The whole premise for the cause of her becoming an extreme recluse seemed over the top to me. Maybe I'm just not as sensitive as other people (although I'm sure Vivi would tell you differently) but it just seemed unlikely that her experience of being shunned and made fun of in high school would make an otherwise normal person become completely shut off from the world. Maybe they could have done a better job of explaining how severe her experience was to make it more believable. Mostly I just became irritated with how sullen and depressed she looked all the time for 14/16 episodes. I was like, "Get over it! You have 4 freaking hot guys being your friends/lovers. I could get over anything if that was me!" Also, the whole video-game-designer-crazy-sabotaging-fan-thing was a little weird and over the top too. Maybe it's just because I'm not a gamer, but I didn't really get it.

(Vivi's note: Her diary made the sullenness bearable for me. Sure she was terrified of everyone, but at least she had some personality inside her own head!  That's more than I can say for a lot of sad kdrama ladies.)

In conclusion, I loved Flower Boy Next Door for what it could have been. It started out so strongly and I couldn't stop watching for about the first three episodes. Then something happened and it became very tedious to watch until the last few episodes, which were funny and endearing, in which it redeemed itself.

What was your opinion of Flower Boy Next Door? Also, are there any other kdramas that were like exercise to you? Comment below.

Kind of Like Exercise: Flower Boy Next Door Review

Lee Min Ho Baby

Sometimes when I'm in a reverse-stalkery mood, I like to look at the Google search terms that bring people to our little blog here (Hi! Welcome!).  Most of the searches are normal k-drama things, but I saw one that stood out to me: "Lee Min Ho baby."  Since apparently multiple people are searching for Lee Min Ho baby, I immediately started to imagine what that search term could possibly mean.  So, dear Googlers, I'm going to do my very best to satisfy your search and bring you every possible meaning for "Lee Min Ho baby."  Your search is over!

Search Meaning #1: Lee Min Ho as a Baby

The internet was basically made for adorable babies.  I mean, my facebook feed probably has at least seven adorable kitten videos on it at one time (mostly posted by Coco).  Sure, adult cats are awesome, but if you make them small and baby-ish, it just adds a whole new level of emotional investment.  It should be a logical assumption, then, that if you love Lee Min Ho as a big person, you would love him extra if you got to see him as a small person.  Now, I don't personally have any photos of Lee Min Ho as a baby, but I was able to find this website that had a disturbingly detailed account of Lee Min Ho's childhood, complete with pictures.  Where did these pictures come from? I don't even want to know.

Search Meaning #2: Lee Min Ho Holding Babies

The same principle holds here as with search term #1.  If you prefer adult Lee Min Ho because looking at his baby photos steps over your creepy boundaries, you can just add a different baby to the mix, and suddenly it's wonderful, nurturing magic!  As far as I know, Lee Min Ho doesn't have a baby of his own (YET--see search term #3), but fortunately for all of you, he did an ad campaign for domestic adoptions that featured him holding adorable tiny people!  Successssssssss!

Photo Source

Search Meaning #3: Lee Min Ho's Babies

"What if I suddenly went to Korea and Lee Min Ho and I met accidentally on the street (like Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts in Notting Hill) and fell madly in love at first sight and got married and made babies?  What would our babies even look like?"  That's how I'm imagining this search term starting.  Well, thanks to www.makemebabies.com, you never have to wonder about this again! Since Coco's single (and totally available to make babies with Lee Min Ho), I decided to use her face as a sample.  This was the amazing result:

Apparently, Coco and Lee Min Ho's baby comes out of
the womb dressing like a '90s hip hop artist.  Awwwww! 

Search Term #4: Lee Min Ho's Muppet Babies

I know that I'm probably the only person who thought of this, but when I read "Lee Min Ho baby," my first thought went straight to Muppet Babies, that late '80s television show where they took Jim Henson's Muppets and basically kept everything about their personalities but made them into babies.  If this wasn't an integral part of your childhood (and it should have been), the theme song will help you understand the concept:

Now, stick with me here, but what if they took F4 from Boys over Flowers and had an entire series about them with their exact same personalities, but just made them into babies? It would be an entire show like those flashback scenes in BoF (You know--where the babies are wearing absurd three-piece suits).  BOOM.  Guaranteed money for all.

I will never forgive baby Jun Pyo for breaking baby Ji Hoo's robot.  NEVER.

The only downside to this concept is that from what I can tell, the toddler F4 were pretty much tiny little tyrants.  Unless they somehow built in a baby Jan Di character, I'm not sure how much I could handle.

Okay, Lee Minho baby Googlers, did I satisfy your curiosity? 

Lee Min Ho Baby

Pencil Skirts, Presentations, and a Whole Lotta Heartbreak: Queen of Reversals Review

I'm someone who gets bored really easily after the couple initially gets together in Korean dramas. (Why do the parents suddenly want to kick him out of the company?  How did she JUST decide that she wants to go study abroad for two years?  Do we really need some new plot twist about an unexpected half-sibling in a random three-episode arc?)  That's why taking on a 31-episode drama like Queen of Reversals was a monumental step for me.  That's almost twice as long as my preferred 16-episode series length.  Prior to QoR, the only other long-ish drama I had watched was Goong/Princess Hours, which clocked in at a solid 26 episodes.  Considering that at least 10 episodes in the middle were made up of some montage of the evil ex-queen lady looking devious, the grandma being startled at a new scandal, and Yoon Eun-hye staring into space, obnoxiously crying, and/or being socially awkward, I was a little nervous to try another lengthy series.

The only reason I was able to even start this series was because I read a spoiler about the ending ahead of time.  I'm going to go ahead and assume that spoilers will help other people get through, so don't even bother reading if you don't want to know what happens! Also, I'm giving advance warning that this post will be long--because the series itself is absurdly long.

The Basics

This series follows Hwang Tae-hee, ice-cold power female extraordinaire, as she falls in love, gets married, falls out of love, gets divorced, and finally pulls her life together.  This is going to sound absurdly cheesy, but more than that, it's a show about second chances and learning to change. (Yeah, that sounds even cheesier now that I type it, but I'm standing by it!  People change! Personal growth!  Hope for the future! Hold hands and sing!) Hwang Tae-hee may be the title character, but maybe a better title would have been Office of Reversals because the show is really about all of the characters turning their lives around. Even the minor co-workers had a chance to really grow before the last episode, and the process was endearing to watch.  If you don't connect with Tae-hee, you will at least connect with someone by the end.

One of the major selling points for me going into this series was that the second male lead becomes the first male lead halfway through. Yeah, you heard right--THE SECOND MALE LEAD GETS THE GIRL.  Now, lest the plot stray too far from k-drama-dom, the second male lead also happens to be a rich chaebol's son with a tragic past that prevents him from initially connecting with people.  Blah, blah blah. You know how it goes.

Just how can you tell that he's rich?
Ascot? Check.

Fur coat?  Check. Check. Check.

And, in case anyone missed it, THE GOLDEN BEDROOM. Check!

My one complaint about this character was their first kiss.  I know that it was supposed to be passionate and spur-of-the-moment, but if you slap a man for putting the moves on you and then he kisses you again, he deserves a swift kick to the groin, not a spinning camera of romance.  I don't care HOW rich he is.

The Length: Worth It?

As I indicated by my weird love of A Gentleman's Dignity, I'm kind of a sucker for shows that just show normal life.  Just like that one, this one was filled with adults doing regular ole adult-y things. With the exception of the Cruella deVille boss who loves to hold grudges almost as much as she loves to wear absurd red lipstick, the characters are all the kinds of people you could meet in real life.

The major advantage of the 31-episode format is that they really get to dig into the depths of the relationships in a way that I don't think I've ever seen on a television show or movie. At the beginning of the series, I thought there was no way I would be okay with the divorce; then I thought there was no way my heart wouldn't be broken for Joon-soo in the end; then I thought there was  no way I would be remotely okay if Baek Yeo-jin won her man. Every single time, my feelings changed as gradually as the characters' did, and suddenly I found myself understanding why they made the choices they did. When most shows milk divorce for some quick tears, this one really really broke my heart, and I appreciated the gravity that it gave to something that shouldn't really be an easy plot ploy.

The second advantage to the length is tied to the first one: the extended format lets the male actors really shine with subtle, gradual character development.  I already knew that Park Si-hoo was a solid actor from Prosecutor Princess, but I have to say that Jung Joon-ho as Bong Joon-soo really stole the show for me.  He played that character with an amazing empathy that really pulled the series together.  I thought I would hate him, and I ended up feeling more connected to him than to anyone else.

Not to get off-topic, but if we've already mentioned men in suits,
we need to pause for some appreciation here.  Ok, carry on.

I'm sorry to say it, but the women were seriously lagging behind the men in this drama as far as acting goes.  Chae Jung Ahn only really has three faces in any series I have ever seen her in (flirtatious, perturbed/scheming, and crying), and while Kim Nam Joo did pretty well, her surprised face could really use some work.

Tae Hee's normal dinner conversation face...
And Tae Hee immediately after she finds out that her husband used
to date her enemy and lied about it for five years.  See the difference?
Also, that helmet on her head?  How does it stay so stiff and swoopy?

Now, this isn't to say that the show didn't get draggy over 31 episodes.  In fact, I chose one or two subplots that I fast forwarded entirely and didn't feel the least bit guilty over it.  For me, it was everything with Goo Yong-shik's mom.  I know that it was supposed to add this whole element of emotion to his character, but I could tell where it was headed from the beginning.  Here's my pro tip: fast forward until the last 10 seconds of every scene and you'll get the entire gist without the long, dramatic pauses.  Kdramas love to repeat important stuff at the end of the scene.  They also love to do flashbacks for really important stuff, so you really won't miss anything.

Because of the workplace setting, you'll also notice a lot of repeated plot elements over. and over. and over.  (Oh?  Need some tension?  How about a high-stakes PRESENTATION?  What?  The bad guys sabotaged it?  How shocking!)  The business atmosphere also allows for ten million angsty elevator scenes.  You know the ones--the doors slooooooowly close (and they usually show this happening from four camera angles) as the leads stare at each other.  Yeah, that happens about once every episode. 

Overall, I had my highs and lows of this show. I couldn't speed through it and sometimes I didn't think I could make it to the last episode, but it had some really strong emotional pulls that make it worth it for those brave souls who aren't afraid to use the fast forward button like a champ.

Pencil Skirts, Presentations, and a Whole Lotta Heartbreak: Queen of Reversals Review

And the Winners Are...

Remember back in February when we held votes for our K-drama music awards ? And then I closed the polls but never announced the winners? Well, your agonized waiting for results is finally over! Unless, of course, you just clicked on the "view results" button a month ago, in which case you ruined the surprise. For shame!
You know how the Oscars come around and all kinds of pop culture gossip websites live blog the results for those chumps who aren't watching? (And yes, I'm one of those chumps who prefers to read the live blogs rather than watch the actual awards show).  In my imagination, this is how a live blog of  our k-drama music awards ceremony would go:

6:15-- The red carpet is awash with Korean celebrities supporting the music of their favorite dramas.  There was a rumor that Lee Min Ho might arrive to support the nominees from Faith and Boys over Flowers, but thus far, he's a no-show.  The fashion is ranging from adorable to downright crazy, though we're glad to see that Taecyeon left his accordion headband at home.  Good move, buddy!

The Dream High cast walking the red carpet.
Bow tie = 10,000,000 times better than accordion headband.
Image source

6:45--Right at the end of the red carpet, Kim Jeong-hoon shows up with Mae Whitman as his surprise date.  A befuddled reporter confuses Whitman for her man and speaks to her in Korean.  AWK-WARD!

7:30--With the stars all in their seats, it's time for the announcement of the first award of the evening.  We begin with the minor category of "Best Cover of 'Tell Me Your Wish.'"

And the winner is . . .

DREAM HIGH in a landslide!

With nominations in several other categories, the Dream High cast was the heavy favorite here.  In tribute to the You Are Beautiful Cast, Taecyeon, Wooyoung, and Kim Soo-hyun don wigs during the acceptance speech.  Everyone laughs heartily.

7:50--With the special awards out of the way, it's time for the serious business to begin.  First up is "Best Second Male Lead Theme."   Kim Jeong-hoon and Kim Hyun-joong are both sporting white suits in honor of their nominated characters. Fortunately, they decided against swoopy tan hair today.  Prior to the award's announcement, Jaejoong performs his theme from Protect the Boss.  No Min-woo juggles knives and pets adorable puppies in the background, making us wonder why the rest of these lame, mopey characters are even nominated.

Seriously, though.  The man has a magical dagger.
Most awesome second male lead ever.

And the winner is . . .

KIM HYUN-JOON and "STRANGER SUN"!

The audience mostly applauds, but some stoically glare at the stage.  This is the anticipated protest over the controversial choice to nominate "Stranger Sun" over "Because I'm Stupid" in this category.

8:15--In a shocking announcement, there is an unprecedented TIE in the category of "Best Ballad"!  Since "Carry On" from Faith and "Someday" from Dream High received an equal number of votes, the winner of the award is determined by a clap-o-meter a-la Saved By the Bell. IU has a solid response, but when the Faith theme song comes on, Lee Min Ho appears on stage unexpectedly, and the theater erupts!  Sorry, IU.  Maybe someone will give you a consolation kitten.

8:34--The announcers begin to announce a second tie in the category of "Worst Song to Get Stuck in your Head."  Upon beginning to play the two winning songs ("Lovin' Ice Cream" and "Never Say Goodbye") for the clap-o-meter, the audience quickly becomes unruly. There is a stampede for the door!  Children are curled in the fetal position, sobbing uncontrollably!  People are hurling anything and everything at the stage in the effort to just.make.it.stop!  This may just signal the end of the awards ceremony...

This is the exact face I make when I hear these songs.

9:01--Pandemonium ensues until Kim Hyun-joong spontaneously hops onto the stage and pretends to pensively play the violin in his white suit.  At the unexpected Ji-hoo re-enactment, 80% of the females in the crowd immediately faint, thereby putting an end to the chaos.  Once they recover, the show is able to continue.

9:10--Time for the final announcement of the night, and the song we've all been waiting for: "Best Upbeat Song."  You can hear a pin drop as everyone holds their breath in anticipation.

And the winner of the k-drama music award for "Best Upbeat Song" is . . .

"DREAM HIGH" from Dream High!

Well, this settles it!  Dream High is basically the k-pop version of Lord of the Rings in its ability to sweep (or tie) all categories for which it was nominated.  Wait, what's this?  Random members of the audience are standing in the aisles and doing this dance? At first the other attendees appear confused, but it's only a matter of time before they all join in!  That's right, folks!  Lee Min Ho, IU, and Yoon Eun-hye are all dancing side by side in what has become the best flash mob in all of history!

                                                          Why yes, I was able to find a video of Lee Min Ho dancing.  

                                                                               The internet is a magical place.

(Cut to commercial. And then exit my imagination back into sad reality.)

Do you agree with the winners?

And the Winners Are...