Guess what, y’all?!?
Starting this week, I’m going barefoot with my friends Stephanie and Cherry CordialĀ for a bit, over at the DramaFever Blog!
What does that even mean, you ask?
Essentially, we’re gonna be writing a series of joint posts on Barefoot Friends, one of the new k-variety kids on the block. And we’ve been invited to do it on the DramaFever Blog.
Uh-huh. We now have something of an actual blogging gig other than our own blogs.
Surreal. But kinda cool.
A Little About Barefoot Friends:
The first episode of Barefoot Friends aired in Korea two Sundays ago, and the second episode just aired a couple of days ago.
I’m usually not much into variety, since kdrama is my main thang, but I watched episode one and rather liked it. It reminds me of 1 Night 2 Days, kinda. Except Barefoot’s got a bigger team. Oh, and the team has a girl. Which is a little Running Man-esque. Sorta.
Truth be told, I feel like the show’s still finding its feet, and the team members are still getting to know one another and finding their rhythm.
Even so, the first episode was a pretty fun outing, and the show looks pretty promising. We’ve got some good chemistry among the cast members and they’re growing on me as a fun bunch to watch. Even though they mostly aren’t really barefoot š
DramaFever will be airing subbed episodes on Tuesdays, and our joint posts will go live from Thursday each week. Our posts will start with episode 2.
I’ll be updating this post regularly, with links to our posts over at the DramaFever blog, so if you’d like to join us on this adventure, you could bookmark this post and check back for updates weekly ^^
Or, you could click the handy link that I’ve posted in the side-bar, which links back to this post. It’s the one with the pretty bare feet, so you won’t miss it š
A Personal Aside:
This really is pretty surreal for me, coz as some of you know, I only began blogging a little over 4 months ago on something of a whim (go here if you’d like to read the origin story of the blog).
In less than 5 months, my blogging world has pretty much exploded.
From 11 views on my first day blogging, the blog’s now clocked close to 30,000 views. And accumulated almost 60 followers. In less than 5 months.
Woah.
That boggles my mind a little bit.
And now, I’m going to be blogging partners with Stephanie, on whose blog I used to be a total lurker. Funny how things work out sometimes, eh?
This is an adventure for all 3 of us, since it’s our first time dipping our toes into something like this. But we’ve got some ideas on how to make it fun for us and for you, and I hope you’ll join us ^^
Barefoot Friends Posts at DramaFever (to be updated regularly):
Introduction to the castĀ [by Stephanie]
Episode 2
Episode 2: The LowdownĀ [joint mini-recap]
Episode 2: The ThrowdownĀ [discussion]
Episode 2: The Scorecard [our faves for the episode]
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Episode 9
Update: June 25, 2013 – Goodbye, Drama Club
Wow, time has really flown by. It’s already been 8 weeks – 2 whole months! – since I first started this Barefoot adventure with Cherry and Stephanie. So many feels.
See, our posts for Episode 9 are our last set of Barefoot Friends posts for DramaFever.
No, Barefoot Friends didn’t get canceled. And no, DramaFever doesn’t hate us. In fact, we were offered 10 more weeks on the Barefoot Friends Drama Club.
It’s just that for various reasons, we all can’t commit to 10 more weeks on the Drama Club.
For me personally, I’ll be traveling for work several times over the next 10 weeks – Real Life commitments, y’know – and it would be pretty much murder to try to manage 3 joint posts a week while traveling.
Trust me, we did manage it just once, for Episode 9, which happened when I was traveling, and it was very trying on the whole team.
Just to give you a flavor of what that was like, it involved Cherry waking up at 5:30am to chat with Steph and me, and Steph taking on extra editing load since I couldn’t do my part fully.
It also involved me watching the episode raw with my very imperfect understanding of the Korean language, because when the subs came out I was busy working, but we still had to make deadline. Too crazy, yo.
We managed to deliver on Episode 9 by the seat of our pants, really.
And considering that I have not one, but something like 4 trips over the next 10 weeks – including one where I will have zero wifi connection for the few days over which the Barefoot cycle happens – it’s just not sane nor humanly possible to continue.
So it’s with mixed feelings that I bid this adventure good-bye.
It’s been a huge learning experience working with the ladies on the Barefoot posts, and I’m grateful that I had the chance to work with them and learn so much.Ā I will miss the chats, teamwork and solidarity. Thank you, ladies.Ā ā„
It was a big time commitment, not to mention scheduling challenge, given our 3 different time zones, so I am relieved that I have this big thing off my checklist. I’m also glad to have my drama hours back. My diet is usually drama-heavy and variety-light, and I’ve been missing my drama.
But, I am also glad to have watched all the episodes of Barefoot Friends so far – which I might not have done, given my usually variety-light habits – coz it’s shown me the very lovable sides to our Barefoot team.
I’d only heard before, how Kim Hyun Joong is very good at variety, and now I can say with authority that he is amazing at it. I also found Yoon Si Yoon very adorable & sweet.
And I’ve enjoyed getting to know Kim Bum Soo, Yoon Jong Shin, Yoo Se Yoon and Eunhyuk, whom I’ve found hilarious, but whom I hadn’t really known much about, before this show.
And it’s been nice to see UEE come out of her shell more. Ho Dong I was already familiar with, from 1N2D, but it’s been nice to see him onscreen doing his thing again too.
And it’s also been a pleasant side surprise, getting to know Lee Hyori. I love her good-natured humor and her gentle – and not-so-gentle – teasing ways.
No regrets whatsoever, y’all..
But it is time to bid this Drama Club good-bye. I’ll probably keep checking in on the Barefoot Friends team.. Just probably not on as strict a schedule š
Thanks so much, for joining us on this adventure.
And just coz I can, here:
Giggle. So cute!Ā ā„
OMG!! I was DWL watching the new ep of Barefoot friends. Hyun Joon and Si Yoon (TAk gooo) were so cute. I really enjoyed the episode. They were all so brave though. That girl Uee (sp?) swims like a fish!!
I did enjoy watching the teasing and camaraderie among the group.. KHJ was so cute and funny, and YSY was so endearing in his efforts to overcome his fear. And Uee’s a swimmer, so it was no surprise that she was so good in the water. I’m curious to see how she does on the dives next ep, since she objected so vehemently to the dive challenge ^^
khj is so awesome in variety, he’s a total space cadet but it really works for him because it doesn’t seem like an act. I had never heard of si yoon b4 this show and I’m currently watching flower boy next door. wow he is an amazing actor because on barefoot he seems quiet and shy. I love him more now! his bedroom was adorable!
Aw I know what you mean about YSY! I was watching FBND while watching Barefoot Friends as well, and it really helped me appreciate him more in FBND! And yes, KHJ is a fabulous space cadet! He’s always so fun of unexpected funny! XD
i’ve enjoyed your dramafever blog posts, are you going to write any episode reviews on this blog? i loved the diving episode, i couldn’t tell whether they were really scared or just hamming it up for the camera. bum soo’s got one rockin body!! and why didn’t they show UEE dive off the higher platforms?
Aw, thanks zudora! I’m glad you enjoyed our posts on DF.. I won’t be writing more posts on Barefoot Friends on this blog coz I want to focus my time on drama reviews, but Stephanie is planning to carry on, and her post on the diving episode is up. You can check it out here: http://crazyforkdrama.blogspot.sg/2013/06/barefoot-friends-episode-10.html
There were definitely some really cute moments in E10.. I thought the moment when KHJ did the heart to the female divers and awkwardly called out “saranghae” was priceless! My heart totally went out to YSY though.. he had tears in his eyes, and even though he chose to confront his fear by asking to do the diving challenge, it was clearly really hard for him. Aw.. Made me want to give him a hug & tell him it’s alright <3 Oh, and I believe we’ll see UEE dive in the coming eps.. They’re not done with the dive challenge yet ^^
Saw ep8. soo funny!! love this show.
I just watched E8 this morning as well, for the DramaFever posts – it IS one of the funniest episodes so far! And Si Yoon is so adorable, seriously! <3
i know it’s prob in poor taste to laugh at bad english, but the “open the socks” line from the loud guy had me in tears. then dragging everyone in my house to come see it with me. i am so loving si yoon. i have never seen him before this show, but my kcrush list is definitely getting longer! KHJ is awesome in variety shows, after BOF i was not really into him or perhaps just that morose character, but i’m a huge fan now. also just inhaled all the we got married i could find. so. freaking. adorable.
LOL! Ho Dong’s “open the socks” cracked me up too, especially when he said it with that completely earnest, dumbfounded look on his face! XD
I have to agree that both Si Yoon and Kim Hyun Joong are extremely likable in this. KHJ may not be great in the acting department (yet?) but he’s certainly rocking variety! I’m really impressed with how gung-ho and funny he is. SO much more interesting than the characters he’s played in dramas!! For that alone, I’m glad to have checked out Barefoot Friends! ^^
Good morning, did you all catch episode 7? I watched it last night and it was another hilarious one. I just love that show. Poor Kim Bum Soo, hearing all the rejections for a blind date ..LOL. but G.Na sounded sincere, hope they will show him going on the blind date on “barefoot friends” I was amazed how they all could play the recorder, they have to practice before hand they got on the show??? that was a funny scene too.looking forward to episode 8!
Lol, yes I have watched E7. In fact, I just finished drafting all my bits for the Dramafever posts, actually! Poor Bum Soo indeed.. I felt for him, being put out there like that. I thought Ryeo Won was really cool, the way she said yes to meeting him.
As for the recorder, I actually think they learn it in school. When I was in school, we all learned it as part of our music lessons. I could totally identify with their difficulty with the Do! ;D
For me episode 5 in Indonesia was the best and most hilarious. The Gendong dance was just too funny. My ancestors came from Java so I understood most of what was spoken and was catching my self correcting their pronounciation of the words.. LOL but my hats off to the cute guy from “Boys over flowers” all the gendong that he did was awesome! ,but those explanations he comes up with sometimes , like the meaning of Flashmob, I almost peed in my pants from laughter. That was just hilarious. Love the show so much. The “Amazing Race “here in the states got nothing on these ” Barefoot Friends” LOL.
p.s. Thank you Kfangurl for having this webpage. This is the only page I like for Kdrama fans and where I can express my love for Kdramas:) many of my friends, don’t like kdrama and can’t really talk to them about it:(. they think I’m crzy.
I have to agree, I found the gendong episode the funniest by far! And yes, Kim Hyun Joong is turning out to be fantastically funny in variety! SO different from his BOF character! I like his Real Life personality way more! ;D
And thanks, surusa, for your encouraging words! I totally feel you, coz most of my Real Life friends aren’t as into kdrama as I am as well. So definitely, you’re more than welcome to hang out here.. You’re not alone! Lots of other folks who frequent this blog have expressed similar difficulty relating with their RL friends over kdrama.. Here, though, we all love it, so you can feel right at home <3
omg i just watched 3 episodes and fell off the couch, FLASH(LIGHT) MOB!! my face hurts so much from laughing. i LOBE k-entertainment!! love the blog posts and commentaries too, keep up the good work š
YAY that you’re loving the show!! And I’m so glad that you’re enjoying our posts too – aww, that just gives me the warm fuzzies ^^
Love Barefoot friends, they are so hilarious!!! I love how koreans have their own sound bites when they talk, it makes the conversation so much more fun to listen to.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the show, Surusa! š Some of the moments have been pretty priceless, from some of the most unexpected people! I’m most surprised by how good Kim Hyun Joong is, at variety! He’s brought so many laughs, and often at the most unexpected times!
What do you mean about the sound bites? I mean, I love hearing Korean conversation, but I’m not sure I know what you mean? ^^
HI Kfangurl, not sure how to explain my “sound bite” comment:) but it’s so much fun to hear the korean conversations. It’s like the ohhh and ahhhs that we make in the english language.. š
Oh I think I get what you mean! Like, the intonations and exclamations? I love listening to those too! ^^
That is really awesome! I’ve been blogging for a couple years and still have a small net. I love it that way, but I’m excited to meet new bloggers and glad that they get their voice out there.
Blogging for a few years? Wow, hello, sunbae!! *bows* That is a pretty long time to have been blogging! I’m pleased to meet you, unnichan! ^^ Yay for meeting new friends in the dramaverse!
Congrats kfangurl! You totally deserve it. You have a great voice, that’s why you are my #1 squeeze/site for all things Kdrama š
Awww.. THANKS MelloYello!! You are so very sweet <3 <3 I'm honored to be your go-to source for kdrama! This has got to be one of the sweetest, most encouraging comments I've had on the blog to date! <3
I'm learning heaps on this Barefoot gig, coz it's my first time doing joint posts and it's all kinds of new and interesting. We're getting into the rhythm of things, and hopefully you guys find our posts interesting! š
That is awesome! I’m so happy for all of you š
Still thinking whether to follow it closely or not since I’m returning to my college soon (and it will be a busy final year!) but maybe I’ll catch up with it later….especially with Yoon Si-yoon and UEE. So excited~
Good luck for this…though I’m sure it won’t be a problem for writers and bloggers like all of you š
Aw, thanks, chingu!! <3 This is turning out to be a big adventure, with all kinds of learning curves, so we're totally on our toes right now! š
I've watched the first 2 eps, and I can safely say that if you like Yoon Si Yoon, you should totally check this out! UEE's very likable too, but YSY is turning out to be pretty awesome, even though he's the variety rookie! In the first 2 eps alone, he's been a scene-stealer several times, and I've grown very fond of him ^^
Hopefully our takes on the eps will give you a better idea of whether to invest the time, or at least put it in your watch list!! ^^
awwww how exciting!!! congratulaaations and a sprinkle of stardust for fantasmic days to come! š
Awww!! Thank you, pinkblossom!! <3 <3 <3 *Rolls around in stardust and presses down firmly so they all stick* ^^
I hope you'll join us for our adventure, though I imagine with you traveling & all, it'll probably be tough.. We'd totally love to have you though! Just sayin' <3
as soon as i figure out which time zone i’m in and stop crying over my poor sun-woo and dong-pyung and not-quite-on-screen-yet-but-sure-to-break-my-heart-chi-soo and every other slighted second lead, i’m in! š to be honest, i ain’t a big fan of kang ho-dong, but i love kim bum-soo and think his wittiness is totes under-appreciated by korean netizens lol! and before i forget: your throwdowns and score cards are adorbs!
OMG. Watching this show has made me realize that Kim Bum Soo has an AWESOME face for comedy!! He’s got the BEST facial expressions, and he’s got great comic timing! I love watching him! He can do the most ridiculous thing, like the Harlem Shake, and keep a perfectly deadpan expression his face, which just doubles the hilarity! XD And he’s the only one who actually thinks to make faces at the camera, which I love!
Definitely, once you get some time, I think you’d enjoy watching Bum Soo do this thang in this ^^
And thanks for your encouragement on the Throwdowns and Scorecards!! It was something new for us that we thought might be fun to do, so it’s so great to know that you enjoyed reading them! THANKS, pinkblossom!! ~~sending hugs and hearts to wherever you’re traveling to at the the moment~~ <3 <3
for SURE he’s got the bestest face ever lol! and i love that his whole career has been reborn — he’s no longer a “faceless singer” but a “visual singer” lol! i absolutely cracked. up. when he said his fans said his eyes were 10:10 — where the arms would be on the face of a clock at 10:10 lolol!! can’t wait to watch him and the rest of the cast š
y’all are maahvelous and i’m sure everyone is enjoying the fun ideas y’all are comin’ up with! *hugs* and <333333
I just finished watching E4 and I’m happy to report that Bum Soo is fabulously hysterical and I’m enjoying him more and more! He’s MADE for comedy/variety! He’s got the personality and the face and the comic timing for it. I totally agree that more people are gonna appreciate him now, coz of this show! ^^
Also! We’re getting into our stride just like the show is too, so hopefully this means better and better episodes from them, and better Throwdowns & Scorecards from us too! ;D
Wow!!! Congratulations!!!
Aw, THANKS, chingu!! I’m gearing up to watch E2 with Stephanie & Cherry Cordial even as I type this, so it’s all kinds of new & exciting & potentially confusing! XD And I do hope you’ll join us as we venture into new waters! <3 <3
I really would like to watch…but no time :/ hopefully in a couple of months…and then I can catch up. I will def take a look at your posts for it though.
Aw.. I feel ya! I have difficulty keeping up with shows as they air as well.. If only we had more hours in a day, eh? š So far, Barefoot seems to be shaping up fairly nicely.. E2 was an improvement on E1, I felt, so we’re on a positive upward trend ^^ Hopefully our take on the eps will help you decide whether to invest the time on this one! š
I’m glad it’s going well chingu! ^^ Best of luck!
Thanks!! š Btw! Did you see my tweet?? Tonight I was watching School 2013, and Daniel Choi’s character said “menboong” and I understood it, thanks to you!! š I just HAD to let you know! <3 <3
Haha that’s awesome! I am so glad that it helped. It always makes me feel happy when someone uses slang and I get it!
It TOTALLY helped, coz my subs didn’t translate it at all (not even inaccurately) so I completely benefited from your recent addition to the glossary! U RAWK <3 <3 *bows*
The longer I have watched drama, the more I have noticed now mush doesn’t get translated. Oh well. This is why it helps to have friends in the drama-verse. <3 I am glad I could help <3
My thoughts exactly! The more Korean I understand, the more I realize the subs leave out so much meaning. Which makes some older rewatches completely refreshing coz I now understand a lot more than when I used to rely completely on subs.
Definitely, friends in the dramaverse are DA BOMB ^^ And learning more Korean with each new episode of drama – & each new conversation with a chingu! – sure keeps things exciting! š
This is really, really awesome!! š Also, I adore all the pics of bare feet. š I look forward to your all’s first post… and am off to read the introductory. Congratulations!
Aw, thanks for the support, BetsyHp!! š And you WOULD be the one person who appreciated my selection of pretty bare feet! <3 <3 You just totally get me, & I LUB U for it! <3 <3 <3
Thanks for making time to join us, even as we find our feet (heh!) in this completely new adventure! ^^
Hahaha! Bare-feet lovers unite? š
Bare-feet Power Twins, ACTIVATE!! ;D Hee!
Ah this is so awesome!!! I’m so excited for all of you. I so look forward to reading your posts. I just watched the first episode in anticipation of it š
Wow, thanks for the support, Eye Candy!! You are the sweetest!! How did you find the first ep? I’m curious to know!
I’m even MORE curious to find out how you found the deleted bed scene in Iris 2.. I’m shallow that way. But Jang Hyuk is HAWT in it, isn’t he?? <3 <3 Swooonn~~
I think the show has a lot of potential but there was definitely too much time spent on the actually explanation of what they would be doing which wasn’t the funniest. But the personal introductions had me laughing out loud. I figure the show is working out the kinks but I feel like it has a lot of potential to create the kind of camaraderie between the cast that Running Man has.
O….M…G….WHY DID THEY TAKE THAT SCENE OUTTTTTTT. I swear Iris 2 would have broken all ratings records if they had kept that scene in. Of course, now I just want to watch Iris 2 which is silly bc that scene isn’t even in there. But if Iris 2 is anything like Iris 1 they will have no problem highlighting ALL of the heros best features.
Yeah.. E1 was a little uneven in the pacing at times, and I do think it’s coz they’re busy setting context and stuff. That, and how everyone’s new to one another.. It does get better in E2, though, so I’m feeling fairly positive about that upward trend ^^
And YES ISN’T JANG HYUK JUST H-A-W-T IN THAT SCENE???!!!?? Words can’t begin to describe how floored I was at him in that scene! >.< Completely swooned me out, he did! But seriously, if you want to ogle him, Chuno is THE drama to do it. After watching that deleted bed scene, I did a cursory check of the first ep of Iris 2, and in my opinion, there is NO CONTEST with Chuno. Like, AT ALL. If you watch even the first half of the first ep of Chuno, you'll know what I mean ^^ Go ogle him there, Eye Candy!! And do it in HD, with as large a screen as possible. You'll thank me later, I promise! ;D
Yeah I figured that it was just the usual ep 1 problems of the cast getting to know each other and the pds figuring out how to stick with the concept while also providing the laughs. I think the biggest problem was that I really found Yoon Shi Yoon’s group to be the funniest because of the bike ride and was bored during some of the other groups moments (the flying camera thing was funny for a while but it went on for to long in my opinion.)
I plan to watch Chuno with my friend once we finish marathoning Iris. Unless she really feels called to watch Gaksital. I don’t argue with a recent fan of kdramas. I just support them until they are fully immersed heheheheh.
I completely agree with you, Eye Candy!! I was a little underwhelmed by E1 until YSY’s team did the cyclo thing. YSY is hilarious! And so friendly and upbeat that you can’t help rooting for him! ^^ The good news is that the other team brings much more funny in E2. KHJ is surprisingly hysterical in variety, which I’d heard before, but only seen for myself in Barefoot. He brings so many laughs in E2 that I was pretty amazed.
Also, I like your strategy with the new drama fan.. Very wise indeed ^^ Let them be fully sucked in before influencing their drama picks! Heh.. I’d love to hear how it shakes out, and how you both find whichever show u pick, coz I love both shows – er, for very different reasons, of course š
wow….that’s great…..congrats š
Thanks snow_white!! I hope you’ll join us on our Barefoot adventure! ^^
yeah….I’ll make sure to check out the updates š
Yay!! Yes, do! Come join in the fun & the discussions, we’d love to have you ^^
Yay! I’m so excited to be blogging with you guys. š
Likewise! š This is turning out to be quite an adventure already!! <3
Not kinda cool…..totally cool!
Aw! Thank you, Michele! You wonderful cheerleader, you <3 <3 <3