DRAMAS

Above is the first promo pic for Full House 2. I didn’t like the original Full House, but was excited about the sequel (I like actors Noh Min-woo & Park Ki-woong), until I saw this. Yikes.

Blond hair for Park Ki-woong? A curly mushroom haircut for the girl? And a Jun-pyo perm for Noh Min-woo. It’s hair trauma for everyone. And those clothes. I’ll still keep the drama on my radar, but it’s not looking good.

On the other hand, I am excited about current drama Ojakkyo Brothers. I usually avoid long dramas (Ojakkyo Brothers is 50 episodes), but the praise for this one has been unanimous. For those thinking of tackling the series, Softy has transcaps, and K-Frenzy & Thundie’s Prattle did sweeping recommendations/reviews.

MOVIES

Three new South Korean films I’d love to see:

• Wandeuki: Wandeuki, or About Wandeuk, stars veteran film star Kim Yoon-seok and SKKS/Antique alum Yoo Ah-In (♥). It’s basically heart-warming, Stand and Deliver-type fare, where a teacher changes a wayward youth’s life through tough love. Reviews so far have been great.
• Couples: A cute romantic comedy involving several tangled relationships, with some great actors and (if the trailer’s anything to go by) off-the-wall humor.
• Penny-Pinching Romance: The rare movie romance between two bums. SKKS alum Song Joong-ki plays a loser too broke to date, and Spy Myung-Wol‘s Han Ye-seul plays his tightwad love interest. I want to see it for the actors and the quirky concept.

MUSIC

Finally, I recently discovered 2NE1′s “I Am the Best” (which came out in June), and have played it nonstop for the past week. Before you hit play, beware: it’s a total earworm of a song, up there with Super Junior’s “Sorry, Sorry” and Brown Eyed Girls’ “Abracadabra.”

I’m talking about stalking Soompi forums, watching raws AND subs, and learning Korean at TalkToMeInKorean.com-level love. The last time this happened was for Sungkyunkwan Scandal, which aired over a year ago, and before that, for 2009′s Boys Before Flowers (which took my love and pooped on it).

Now it’s Flower Boy Ramyun Shop‘s turn. I’m happy to say that episodes 3 & 4 justified my addiction by adding emotional depth to the storyline, showing us refreshing new sides to Eun-bi & Chi-soo, and introducing amusing second lead Choi Kang-hyuk. Fingers crossed future episodes keep the momentum going.

Since Dramabeans is already recapping this drama (superfast, too!), I’m only doing screencaps and commentary. Since this post is spoilery and long, I’ve also put it behind the fold. Keep in mind I wrote this before episode 5 & 6 came out; I’ll work hard to be faster with commentary in the future. Can’t wait to see your comments!

What’s Good

This drama is so well crafted. The pacing’s fast, the script’s intelligent (see girlfriday’s breakdown of the “smell” theme in episode 4), the music is well-chosen, the cinematography is bright and pretty, and the acting is stylized, but good. This is Boys Before Flowers done right.

By far the best development last week was that Eun-bi got cool. Overhearing Chi-soo rag on her to his friends broke whatever hold he had on her, and her father’s sudden death cemented her return to bad-ass gangster Eun-bi.

As a result, Eun-bi hits Chi-soo twice, turns his seduction game back on him (“if you want to whisper those things to noona, change your cologne first, kid“), and refuses Chi-soo’s father’s bribe to reinstate her as a teacher. Now we know why Crazy Chicken idolizes her.

A favorite scene: Eun-bi gets the high score on the convenience store punching machine, scaring the ahjusshis and giving Kang-hyuk the flutters.

My impression is that after high school, both Eun-bi & Dong-joo diligently tried to reconstruct themselves to match society’s expectations. They’ve tamped down on their sarcastic, short-tempered sides, dressed more girlishly (and in Dong-joo’s case, got plastic surgery), and tried for teaching positions, because of the tangible rewards for conforming (e.g., marriage, money, and an overall easier life).

But while Dong-joo has managed to fit in, Eun-bi is too different: too hot-tempered, too morally uptight and old-fashioned. When her dad tells her to stop giving herself wrinkles and live her life according to her heart, he isn’t just telling her to give up teaching, but to also stop straining to fit in when she doesn’t (and when the real her is so much better). Happily for viewers, it looks like she’s taken his advice.

I remain impressed with actress Lee Chung-ah. Partly because of her expressive, funny face–pretty at times, awkwardly lovable at others (I esp. like when she flares her nostrils)–but also because of her range. She does comedy & tragedy equally well: compare her heart-rending tears after her father’s death to the comical ones after she quits teaching. Or her nervous face when Chi-soo leans in to kiss her in eps 1 & 2, versus her hubba-hubba face in the car in episode 4. Such varied emotions, all conveyed beautifully.

As for Chi-soo, these episodes stripped away his playboy veneer pretty thoroughly. His bratty bewilderment at the hospital wasn’t exactly attractive, but it was revealing and fun (at least for me, because I want him to suffer). It was also satisfying seeing him fall for Eun-bi’s faux come-on, and hear his heart pound fruitlessly for a change.

It’s clear he has mother issues galore. He has no real home to speak of (Kang-hyuk was right when he said Chi-soo didn’t have a smell, like a “house smell or mom smell”), either: his dad is crazy protective, but not a great parent figure. That Chi-soo doesn’t understand the word “console” means no one ever did it for him. So, while Chi-soo’s still annoying, these episodes showed us that he’s also a classic woobie.

Finally, while I think Chi-soo’s current feelings for Eun-bi are more about his ego than her, I do think he’s attracted to her, and liked her even before she Geum Jan-di’d him with a volleyball. He’d never admit it or realize it, but the fact that he went to an optional gym class for the chance to annoy and grope her is classic grade-school crush behavior.

I like how we meet Chef, aka Choi Kang-hyuk, exactly as we met Chi-soo: on a plane, with CF music and special effects, flirting with the same woman. The setup cracks me up, and also provides an immediate contrast of the two men. That said, I hope we see plane woman one more time (say, at the end of the drama), meeting her soulmate. Because, poor thing. She speaks three languages and still can’t find a decent guy.

As for Lee Ki-woo’s character…hmmm. Well, he’s incredibly attractive (and TALL. I want to climb him). But to be honest:…

…Kang-hyuk’s a weirdo. Imagine the same character played by someone unattractive. Viewers wouldn’t be saying “how cute,” they’d be yelling at the screen for Eun-bi to call the police. His laziness is so extreme that it resembles narcolepsy; even if you buy that Kang-hyuk believes Eun-bi knows about him living in her house, making a marriage contract with a girl’s father, without telling her, is too high-handed for this century.

But he’s pretty (sooo pretty), and Chi-soo’s even worse, so I can see why people are on that ship. I also love that Kang-hyuk finds Eun-bi’s “killer spike” side sexy, and that the writer has made him a quirky, “animal-like” Japanese drama hero, transplanted into k-dramaland. It’s fresh & funny.

While the three leads are all strong, FBRS stands out most because of its stellar side characters. The other drama I’m currently blogging, Queen of Reversals, only has three characters I care about (Tae-hee, Yong-shik, & Kang-woo), which means that scenes without those characters bore me. With FBRS, however, I’m always entertained, regardless of who’s on screen (with one glaring exception). In particular:

I love Crazy Chicken. How could you not? The character’s more adorable than a basket of puppies. I don’t think it’s too early to call this actor Park Min-woo’s breakout role (it helps that he looks like the improbable love-child of Jay Park and Matsujun’s Doumyouji):

Right?

What I love most is Eun-bi’s and Crazy Chicken’s solid brother-sister-type relationship, exemplified by their sitting side-by-side on the funeral bus…:

….by their hilarious (and effective) basketball face signals…:

…and their post-Chi-soo-beatdown thumb kisses:

They are so darling together. Even more so because their relationship is platonic: they’re sweet to each other because they like each other, not because they want to get some. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this type of relationship in a k-drama before, to be honest.

I also found a new favorite side character in Coach. Who knew he’d be such an amusing smart-ass? To Eun-bi, who’s wearing pink sweats she bought for gym class: “Why are you dressed like a Hollywood paparazzi magnet?” To Eun-bi’s bestie Dong-joo, who says that Eun-bi’s just become a person: “You’re the one that finally became human. [...] That’s not plastic surgery, that’s architecture.” Ha!

I also like Coach’s frequent pairing with Dong-joo (who continues to be a fun mix of supportive and snarky). Strangely, I wouldn’t mind if the Coach/Dong-joo pairing turned romantic, although the age difference should squick me out. They just seem comfortable and cute together. I might be the only one who thinks that, though.

Even Chi-soo’s father and his secretary are cracking me up lately (that said, raise your son properly already, President Cha!). I’m a little suspicious of the secretary, though, because I’m not sure why he’s putting up with Chi-soo’s & Daddy Cha’s ridiculousness. Maybe he’s just used to it by now?

What’s Sad

We’ll miss you, Crazy Ramyun Daddy. May you live all 16 episodes in your next drama.

What’s Curious

What’s up with Hyun-woo? I thought this drama had an F5, but really it’s F4, with Hyun-woo to the side. That he came to Eun-bi’s gym lesson solo underlines how apart he is from the others; they’re carefree playboys, and he’s the goody-goody class president with a part-time job. He’s also clearly Chi-soo’s closest friend, which is interesting.

What’s Bad

So-yi still sucks. Boring, manipulative, not all that pretty: our Crazy Chicken deserves better than this.

Future Episode Speculation

• Chi-soo doesn’t seem interested at all in So-yi romantically (see how he winced when she asked for a hug?). So…is she a legitimate second female lead? Meaning, do you think once she realizes Chi-soo likes Eun-bi she’ll fight to keep him? Because I really hope not. I get this feeling, though, that Crazy Chicken’s finally going to grow a spine, and then So-yi’s going to latch onto Chi-soo like a remora.

• About Chi-soo’s mother issues: why do you think his mother was crying (assuming that was his mother)? Do you think his mother’s dead, or did she just abandon the family?

• When Chi-soo interrupts a meeting to ask how to console someone, President Cha’s secretary is discussing a fusion noodle restaurant, helmed by a genius Japanese chef. Coincidence, or is he talking about the ramyun shop/Kang-hyuk?

• Do you think we’re done with the high school stuff, and that all the action will take place at the ramyun shop from now on? I would enjoy seeing Eun-bi be student teacher with her new attitude, but feel like the drama’s pulling her (and us) away from high school.

• Finally, I’m fairly certain episode 5 or 6 will contain these both of these are in episode 5:

Thank you, Korea. Images via Soompi forums.

Also, since I’ve received a few comments about it: I am still recapping Queen of Reversals! I’m just super slow. But I plan on recapping up to ep. 25 at least.

Episode 5

We start off with replay of the end of episode 4, only with 10 times more footage of Tae-hee crying. She pulls herself together fast, though, and tails the chaebol & his assistant out to the parking lot (1:33). Seeing her, Yong-shik asks incredulously, “Yesterday at the dinner and now here at the company?” In response, Tae-hee holds up his phone.

“I told you knew you from somewhere, but you dismissed it without a thought,” she says, and tells him to consider other people’s words more. She then hands Yong-shik his phone, and waits…and then actually has to ask him to return hers. Tsk, tsk.

Kang-woo goes to fetch her phone, and Tae-hee starts in on Yong-shik again: “Whether my husband is competent or incompetent, how would you know?” Yong-shik responds that it was the company that determined Jun-soo incapable, and he accepted their evaluation. He also indignantly questions why she’s always chewing him out.

Tae-hee says she intended to use the phone swap to suck up to him big time–but he’s firing her husband, so screw that (hah). Yong-shik tries to correct her, saying it was a voluntary resignation, but Tae-hee says there was nothing voluntary about it. “Who resigns voluntarily? They do it out of despair.”

Kang-woo returns then, and Tae-hee realizes angrily that Yong-shik turned off her phone. She calls him a weirdo, shoots him one more dirty look, and stomps off. Yong-shik (in adorable & whiny way) asks Kang-woo why she’s always like that with him. Kang-woo’s response? “You did wrong. Who turns off someone else’s phone?”

Back at work, Jun-soo signs the voluntary resignation form and cleans out his desk. At home, Tae-hee babies her husband, serving him crab soup and sending Sora off to the sauna with Grandma. She gives Jun-soo an out, saying maybe he should sign that resignation agreement. Still, she’s surprised when he tells her he’s already done so.

Jun-soo explains about his misuse of the company credit card, and the threat of termination, and Tae-hee switches from “understanding wife” mode into full-on harangue. So Jun-soo tells her that actually, her use of company samples was the biggest problem. Which is true and not true, but I’ll give the poor guy a pass. Especially as his mother-in-law walks in with Sora and overhears that he lost his job.

After brooding over his mother-in-law’s words, Jun-soo volunteers to take out the trash, and when he doesn’t return, Tae-hee goes out to look for him. She finds him weeping by the dumpster, and he tells her he belongs there, since he’s trash too. Seeing him cry makes Tae-hee cry (trans. from Viki):

Tae-hee: “Are you crazy? Where in there world is trash so wonderful and handsome as this? Are you saying I fell for trash? Now you’re insulting me. All right then! I fell in love with trash. Do you think trash only gets thrown away? There’s recycling. Lift up your face. Why are you doing this, Bong Jun-soo?”
Jun-soo: “I really…I really wanted to do well. I’m sorry, darling.”

Then they hug, and it’s sweet. It’s also the one scene in the entire series where I liked them as a couple, although not enough to jump ship.

At Queen’s, to-be-fireds Yoo-kyung & Dae-soo look at Jun-soo’s empty desk and ask what they did to deserve such treatment by the company. One former co-worker tells them to take private conversations outside, and ditzy Ki-ppeum adds injury to insult by saying that to be fired, they must be inferior workers who were unnecessary to the company…right?

So it’s doubly satisfying that Yeo-jin emerges from her office to tell Ki-ppeum to go upstairs: they’ve added names to the lay-offs list, including Ki-ppeum’s. Neener, neener!

Tae-hee’s & Jun-soo’s mothers have lunch with friends, and it’s clear that Tae-hee’s mother (Young-ja) never thought Jun-soo was good enough for her daughter, which Jun-soo’s mother (Mi-soon) resents. Someone asks about Jun-soo’s promotion, leading to an increasingly awkward exchange (as Yong-ja is the only one who knows that Jun-soo wasn’t promoted, but laid off). Finally unable to take Mi-soon’s not-so-subtle digs, Young-ja calls her outside, and spills the beans.

As for Jun-soo, he interviews for another job, but it’s a bad position (far from home, at a start-up), the competition is fierce, and they don’t even want him (“5 years at Queen’s and no promotion?”). The experience is brutal enough to kill all of Jun-soo’s initial job-hunting optimism, and to convince him he can’t hack it as a salary man.

Being proud, however, Jung-soo tells Tae-hee that they begged him to take the job, but he said no: he couldn’t possibly work that far away from his family. As a result, Tae-hee doesn’t understand why Jun-soo becomes so set on starting a business rather than getting a normal job, mistaking his fear-driven flailing as a lack of seriousness. Which is why you need to stop lying to your wife, Jun-soo.

At a Queen’s board meeting (25:05), Song-yi announces a product idea competition, to boost the company’s image and talent pool after the lay-offs. Submissions will be judged anonymously, and the winner will have a 6-month probation period before being offered a full-time job (gee, I wonder who’s going to win?).

After the board meeting, Yong-shik tells his dad it’s harsh hiring people right after firing all those workers, and President Goo says that an organization must fire incompetent people to run well. Yong-shik responds with an anecdote about a baseball pitcher who was terrible, until he got fitted with glasses and became an ace. Are the workers really incompetent, Yong-shik wonders aloud, or is Queen’s just not helping them reach their potential (aka “fitting them with glasses”)? Either way, Yong-shik says he’s done what President Goo asked him to, and now it’s time to return to the U.S. (you promised, Dad!).

Cute moment (27:29): Yong-shik sees Tae-hee crossing the street in front of his car, and his first instinct is to duck his head and hide. When Kang-woo calls him on it (“Did you commit a crime against her?”), Yong-shik laughs & straightens out, but only after she’s crossed the street.

Tae-hee learns about the product idea competition from Yoo-kyung, and encourages her husband to enter it (with her help; as she tells him, she has lots of ideas stored up). But Jun-soo says he doesn’t want to crawl back to a place that fired him with the help of his wife. He adds that he still has some pride left to protect, leading to this exchange (trans. from Viki):

Tae-hee: How can it hurt your pride? If you get it, it would be great.
Jun-soo: Since you quit the company, you wouldn’t know how it feels to be fired. But I don’t want to repeat that experience!
Tae-hee: Why do you think you’ll get fired? Go back there and survive until the end.
Jun-soo: If that’s so easy, you do it. You go in and survive then.
Tae-hee: Fine, I will! Doing that wouldn’t hurt my pride at all. Both of us being bums, that hurts our pride more. How can striving to make a living hurt one’s pride? What a strange sense of pride you have!

After their tempers have cooled, Tae-hee re-confirms with Jun-soo that she will enter the contest, and then puts her Type A personality to good use by running product tests & neighborhood surveys. I seriously love how awesome she is at her job.

At Queen’s, President Goo talks with Song-yi about the diehards, the few employees who still refuse to sign the resignation agreement. She promises to get rid of them another way, but he says no, he wants to make them into the “Special Planning Team,” which will run for 6 months before disbanding. Oh, and make Goo Yong-shik the team leader, he tells her.

Cut to Kang-woo informing Manager Mok that he has to choose: sign the resignation form or be switched to the newly formed team (31:05; Yong-shik’s watching silently). Kang-woo explains that if Mok chooses the team option, he’ll get to work at Queens for at least 6 months more, but with no guarantee of employment after that (also, he loses the benefits he’d get by signing the resignation form now). Manager Mok doesn’t like either option, and after some polite resistance, he finally loses his temper. He tells Kang-woo he’s quitting because it’s so insulting; he wasn’t even at his own mother’s deathbed because he had to entertain a client for Queen’s, and this is how the company repays him?

Stricken by Manager Mok’s anger, Yong-shik later vents to an amused Kang-woo: “So what if the company wants to get rid of incompetent employees. What’s wrong with that? Why do they keep making me the bad guy?” Kang-woo asks why he cares so much about this, when he doesn’t even think about a woman, no matter how pretty she is, for more than an hour.

While talking to his family in Canada later that day, Manager Mok opens the results of a routine check-up and sees the words “Liver Cancer – Positive.” At the hospital, the doctor tells him he has about 6 months to live, based on other similar cases, and that surgery won’t help. Over drinks with Jun-soo, Manager Mok then learns that Queen’s employees can get worker’s compensation for work-related deaths (“like that guy who died of liver cancer last year.” Seriously, coincidences abound in this drama).

So Manager Mok returns to restructuring headquarters and asks to be moved to the Special Planning Team after all. Kang-woo refuses, saying Manager Mok’s already signed the resignation form, so it’s over. Manager Mok actually kneels to beg for his job, but Kang-woo still says no…and then Yong-shik appears (50:08), saying he hasn’t signed Mok’s resignation form yet, so it’s not official. Aww, I knew I liked you, Yong-shik.

Jun-soo, meanwhile, is still floundering. He fixates on starting a business, despite his lack of start-up capital or business savvy. He wavers between a ddukboki stand (he tells Tae-hee she can run the register, which goes over SO well), and a grave cleaning service (only $10,000 for the equipment!). Not fully understanding his new-found entrepreneurial streak, and with full contempt for his business sense, Tae-hee rips him a new one after hearing his grave-cleaning spiel.

She returns home, and Jun-soo stays behind to sulk at the cemetery, drinking alcohol offerings left on people’s graves (ugh, that’s not for you!), before eventually passing out. It’s already night when he wakes up, disturbed by strange moaning noises and angry cat screams, and he flees the graveyard, thoroughly freaked out.

While Jun-soo’s walking home, he runs into Yeo-jin. They have dinner together, and she asks Jun-soo if he ever wondered what life would be like if he had married her instead of Tae-hee. To which I say: Yeo-jin, you suck. Jun-soo does the right thing, though: he gives Yeo-jin a firm no, and leaves the restaurant pronto.

Walking home, however, Jun-soo starts imagining Yeo-jin as his wife. They live in the same house he lives in now, only this one is lit with CG magic. He imagines telling Yeo-jin about his business ideas, and her giving him supportive and adoring answers (in contrast to Tae-hee’s contemptuous ones). And so it begins.

Back at Queen’s, Yeo-jin takes the top contest entries to Song-yi. As Song-yi flips through them, she stops on one, her giant eyebrows knitting together. She asks if this entry is a finalist, and Yeo-jin says yes, that it’s the most popular one. Song-yi asks Yeo-jin to look up the source of the proposal (“anonymous contest,” my butt), and they find out it’s from Tae-hee. Then it turns into DEFCON 1 up in there.

Song-yi tells Yeo-jin that she can handle the other board members, but they need to keep Tae-hee’s proposal from Yong-shik. Yeo-jin goes to retrieve Tae-hee’s proposal from Yong-shik’s office, and while leaning over his desk, hears a deep voice (52:50) go “Who’s this?” Caught in the act, she plays dumb (“Oh my, I’m sooo sorry! I came into your office when you weren’t here.”) .

But Yong-shik isn’t buying it. He toys with Yeo-jin a bit, before telling her:

Yong-shik: By the way, I’ve looked over the contest entries.
Yeo-jin: Pardon?
Yong-shik: You were here before, my secretary told me. That one was very impressive.
Yeo-jin: What? Which one?
Yong-shik: That one you’re hiding right now!

He tells her to go ahead and take it, as he’s already made a copy (which he waves in her face). Hahahaha! I love that he’s clever.

So thanks to Yong-shik, Tae-hee gets to be a finalist after all. She arrives at Queen’s, nervous and out-of-place after her long unemployment, and of course immediately runs into mean girls Song-yi & Yeo-jin. Song-yi pretends like she knowingly let Tae-hee come back to the company, so that this time around she can “destroy [her] completely.”

It would be a laughably melodramatic threat, if Song-yi weren’t such a crazy bitch. But she is. Consequently, Tae-hee has a meltdown, and when it’s time for the finalists to enter the boardroom, Tae-hee instead flees for the elevators.

Which is where she meets Yong-shik (01:01:05). He glances at her name tag, and realizes she’s the author of the proposal he liked. He tries to talk to her, but she ignores him, and gets on the elevator. Surprised, he asks her if she’s leaving, and she says yes. Yong-shik then stops the elevator doors with his hand, demanding a reason for her behavior (trans. Viki):

Yong-shik: You called me an alpha. That I’m a clueless jerk who lives off my father?
Tae-hee: No matter how drunk I was, I don’t think I’d be that honest…
Yong-shik: You talked like you were so wronged, sympathetic, and righteous. Why are you running away?
Tae-hee: Never mind.
Yong-shik: That’s why you’re always a beta.
Tae-hee: What did you say?
Yong-shik: You’re throwing away the position you fought for and earned. Why did you accuse me of doing something to you?

He berates her a little more, angry at her for wasting this opportunity, and when she still won’t get off the elevator, he grabs her wrist and pulls her out.

My smart bits reject this, but the rest of me thinks it’s HOT. So hot.

Hi guys! Here’s a quick shot of pretty while I finish the Queen of Reversals ep. 5 recap (and watch Flower Boy Ramyun Shop raws). For the record, I couldn’t wear either of the fashions above, I just think they’re beautiful & striking. Hope you like them too.

Also good: Dramafever already has episode 1 up and subbed. Both javabeans & girlfriday at Dramabeans love the drama, so recaps are also available at super-speed. The only thing lacking at the moment is the drama’s fanbase: I haven’t found many other blogs talking about it, and even the Soompi forums seem quiet for this kind of trendy drama.

So I plan to write about it here. Since Dramabeans is recapping it (and since I’m the slowest recapper on earth), I’m going to post just screencaps and commentary each week. I hope you’ll watch and love the drama too, and then we can party in the comments.

What’s Good

Question: in the opening scene: where is his luggage? Do the rich not need luggage?

Okay, so Flower Boy Ramyun Shop (FBRS) is blatantly derivative. Since it’s borrowing from dramas I enjoyed, however, that’s a good thing. So far it’s borrowed from Biscuit Teacher Star Candy/Hello My Teacher (e.g., the opening scene, the high school punk & former gangster teacher relationship),…

…from Boys Before Flowers (FBRS boasts its own, less hot version of F4),…

…and I’m also getting Coffee Prince vibes (mostly from the promo material, but also from Chi-soo’s & Eun-bi’s character dynamics).

Romantic lead Jung Il-Woo is more baby-faced than I usually go for, and reminds me of a cute-but-doofy former coworker (down to the long, skinny limbs and the Justin Bieber hair). His character, Cha Chi-soo, is a silly rich brat. And yet…there’s something magnetic about him, no? Especially when he’s being intense (see above) rather than cheeky.

Magnetism aside, though, Chi-soo has been an unequivocal jerk so far. Thank goodness our heroine has secret gangster tendencies, because she’s clearly going to have to beat the brat out of him. I also hope he will fall for Eun-bi first, and suffer because of it (don’t let me down, drama! I need to see Chi-soo suffer!).

I’m also happy with the heroine, Eun-bi. The actress has an interesting face (she reminds me a little of Joan Cusack), and the character’s sympathetic: I like her superstitious streak and that she’s both a tough girl and an old-fashioned romantic. Even her awkwardness is endearing, although I’d like her to be less dorky going forward. Like, stop falling for Chi-soo’s come-ons already.

They do have amazing chemistry, though, so I can’t blame the girl too much for getting tricked (again and again and again). Also, I’m surprised at how much skinship we’re getting early on, even if it is mostly a put-on. Yay for cable?

Of course, a drama doesn’t succeed by its main couple alone. So I’m happy to say that FBRS has two side characters I like as much as the leads. First, Dong-joo, Eun-bi’s man-eater roommate, is just fun. Unlike Eun-bi, she’s good at girly stuff (like dressing & dating), but she’s not airheaded, or jealous, or fake. Instead, she’s smart and mouthy, and seems like a genuinely good friend. I also like her clothes.

My favorite character, though, is Crazy Chicken, the high school gangster with the teddy bear center. He’s adorable by himself, he’s adorable with “Eun-bi noona,” he’s even adorable mooning over that dull ballerina (who does not deserve him). His big sister/little brother-type interactions with Eun-bi are the best:

So. Cute.

Finally, the drama’s done a good job of building intriguing plot points outside the main romance. For instance, I’m curious about aspects of Eun-bi’s past (like her relationship with her dad, and her volleyball connection). And while Chi-soo seems like a pampered weasel, there’s clearly more to him. Where’s his mom, for instance? And why do we keep getting hints of a darker persona behind that smiling, winking playboy veneer? I’m also curious about his relationship with Crazy Chicken and his mysteriously good fighting skills.

What Could Be Better

There is a lot of overacting/mugging for the camera. It’s typical for romcoms, and any regular drama watcher should be used to it by now, but it can be irritating. I’m also indifferent to Chi-soo’s friends (aka F5), and find the secondary female lead boring. It’s early, though, and those things could definitely improve.

Future Episode Speculation

• Something’s going to happen to Eun-bi’s dad (so she can run the ramyun shop), but what? Spoiler (highlight to read): There are pics of Eun-bi in funeral garb on Soompi (link). I really hope that’s a misdirect.

• Also, why do you think Chi-soo ends up working at the ramyun shop? His dad’s too much of pushover to force him (I’m guessing), and I can’t see him doing it voluntarily. I also don’t think he’s going to fall for Eun-bi that quickly. Maybe his motivation is guilt over what happens to Eun-bi’s dad? Again, I really hope not.

• How do you think Lee Ki-woo’s character will get involved? Do you think he has a history with Eun-bi or not? EDIT (after seeing translated preview): Umm, why does he refer to Eun-bi as “my wife”?

Can’t wait to hear what you guys think!

For my first Art Pick, I chose Korean sculptor Ji Yong-ho’s “Mutant Mythos” series. It’s an arresting collection of real and imaginary beasts, all kinetically realized in recycled black tire rubber. Yong-ho has multiple reasons for using tire rubber: he was attracted to its flexibility & organic qualities, to the potential monstrousness of its dark, leathery appearance, and to the environmental message the use of recycled materials sends. Also, the evolution of the tires themselves (from tree sap to tire to sculpture) echoes Yong-ho’s mutation theme.

The collection was first exhibited at Gana Art in New York in 2008, and has since been exhibited around the world. Read more/see more at Ji Yong-ho’s Gana Art site, and at Designboom, Theme Magazine, & Yangshung’s Blog.

• Vertical has licensed another Moyoco Anno title: the beautiful courtesan manga Sakuran (above left).

• Johanna Draper-Carlson parses the newest bit of Tokyopop weirdness.

• Yen Press will publish the OEL manga versions of two YA bestselling series: Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices trilogy (above center) & Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Chronicles of Nick.

• In January 2012, Viz will cease printing Shonen Jump magazine, and replace it with Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha, a digital-only publication. There’s a lot to like about this: Viz has a decent pricing model (a yearly subscription costs $25.99; access to one issue costs $0.99); translations will be almost simultaneous with Japanese releases (only two weeks behind); there’s a faint possibility of a Shojo Beat resurrection (okay, I just made that up). That said, fans of the big three (Naruto, Bleach, & One Piece) are used to scanlations that come out 24-48 hours after release in Japan. Maybe Viz should step up translations of those titles only? People be entitled, yo.

• Matt Alt has some quick figures on the economic reality of being a manga artist.

• CLAMP’s latest title, Gate 7 (above right), arrives in stores October 23rd. So. Pretty.

DRAMAS

• I’m so excited for Flower Boy Ramyun Shop (above), which starts Oct. 31st, that it’s a little sad. I guess I’ve been searching for another great trendy romcom for awhile now, and keep getting disappointed (see: Oh My Lady!, Boys Before Flowers, My Princess, Coffee House, etc.).

• Also on my to-watch list: Vampire Prosecutor (which is simulcast at Dramafever).

• I love the Skip Beat manga, but didn’t have high hopes for the Taiwanese drama adaptation. Then they announced that ab-flasher/self-fondler (kinda NSFW) Siwon would play Ren, and I was like “Heck yeah!” Annnd…then they released a drama trailer, and I’m back to meh. We’ll see. Retitled “Extravagant Challenge,” the drama will air every Sunday starting December 18th.

• A 2-hour live-action adaptation of Ranma 1/2? Really?

HALLYU

• What happened to Kim Hyun-joong’s face? He looks totally different.

• I came across not one, but two mainstream media pieces on how K-pop has invaded Japan (at The Atlantic & at The Guardian). According to the articles, K-pop has taken off due to sexier choreography & personas, as well as a more modern or “Westernized” sound. Total shitstorm in the comments, of course.

• Please enjoy this Harper’s Bazaar Gong Yoo photoshoot.

RANDOM

• Japanese model Hikari Kamikawa named her new baby after One Piece‘s Ace, controversy ensued.

• Positive reviews are trickling out for the new Tintin movie.

• I rarely watch anime, but the news that Funimation has partnered with “Japanese Youtube” Nico Nico is intriguing.

• When you’ve finished with your pirate dating sim, you can move on to ninjas. Hussy.

Note: Expect shorter posts this week, as I'm doing a lot of Halloween posting at She's A Betty (click on over!). Longer posting (including recaps) will resume next week.

MANGA

• Deal alert: Anna over Manga Report is selling her old manga for $5 a volume (plus free shipping). She’s a great seller: I ordered four books from her, and they arrived quickly and in like new condition.

• Lianne of Sleep Is For the Weak defends her former employer Tokyopop from the haters.

• Manga Critic has a first look at the manga adaptation for Gail Carriger’s Soulless (at right). I had mixed feelings about the original book, but seeing these previews, I think the manga adaptation might be cool.

• Another Moto Hagio title licensed! Fantagraphics will publish Heart of Thomas in 2012, as a single 480-page volume.

DRAMAS

• I can’t handle the tragic storyline of The Princess’s Man, but I love Dangermousie’s TPM screencaps.

• City Hunter co-stars Lee Min Ho & Park Min Young are dating (the comments are funny/scary–”I’m so happy! But sad. But happy! But sooooo depressed.”).

• My current to-watch list consists of one title: Protect the Boss.

RANDOM

• A big thank you to @MagicalEmi for tweeting about Pirates in Love, a popular Japanese love simulation game. It is available now in English, for free from the iTunes store (here is a preview). I don’t even know, you guys.

• Brian Ruh posted an Amazon guide for “Hayao Miyazaki’s 50 Recommended Children’s Books.”

• Soy sauce can make a dead squid move. I saw this three days ago, and I’m still freaked out.