Boys Over Flowers

The Kim Hyun Joong Allegations: What’s a Reasonable Fangirl Response?

| kfangurl

In the last day or so, k-ent has exploded with the sobering and disturbing news that Kim Hyun Joong is being investigated for alleged assault and battery on his (also alleged) girlfriend.

I wasn’t planning to post on this, since I generally don’t report on k-ent news, but the flood of netizen reactions across the blogosphere has been intensifying, and it’s hard to ignore the wave of intense emotion that has been building among fans and non-fans alike.

My purpose in writing this post today, is simply this: to hopefully add a voice of reason to the clamor of voices already out there in the netizen wilderness.

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Review: Cunning Single Lady [Sly and Single Again]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

A divorced-to-reunited rom-com that has flaws aplenty but manages to get the most important thing right: its heart.

If you wanted to count ’em, you’d easily find a whole bunch of flaws and imperfections in Cunning Single Lady. But if you’re willing to look past all of that, you’ll find a good dose of cute, an endearing spot of sweet, and a heartfelt rekindling of a sincere love that never did go away.

Lee Min Jung and Joo Sang Wook turn in quality performances as our lead couple, and are the key reasons to tune in to this unassuming little show that turned out to be quite a bit more heartwarming than I expected.

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Blogoversary Giveaway Winner! + Happy New Year!

| kfangurl

Annyeong! Happy New Year everyone!! ❤

I hope 2014’s been treatin’ you nice so far!

I know, I’ve been a little bit MIA in the last couple of weeks, only surfacing periodically to answer comments. I’m sorry, you guys. I plead crazy-hectic-holiday-schedule.

Both my Christmas and New Year weeks were packed to the gills with gatherings, lunches, dinners (or insert alternative meal) and other get-togethers.

On the upside, it made me feel really popular (ha). On the downside, I got a lot less drama on my screen, and a lot less time to chat with you (boo).

I didn’t forget the giveaway, though! And yes, it’s time to find out the winner of one gorgeous DVD box set of Queen In-hyun’s Man!

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What Makes Drama Crack Stay Fresh / Turn Stale?

| kfangurl

DC1So today Stephanie posted on her blog Crazy for Kdrama a post titled Second-hand Crack. In it, she describes her experience re-watching Smile Dong Hae, and finding that it just wasn’t as cracktastic the second time around.

That really resonated with me, coz as some of you may know, I’ve been marathoning Beautiful Days for review, and that review’s been taking a while to actually get written.

The reason is pretty much the same as Stephanie’s experience with Smile Dong Hae. I’d loved Beautiful Days on my first watch, and had devoured it pretty quickly.

Fast forward several years, and now that I’m watching it for the second time, I still find it pretty engaging, but it’s just not as cracktastic as I had first found it.

Which begs the question: What exactly makes drama crack stay fresh / turn stale?

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Review: Big

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Big started out promising but under-delivered. It was a little uneven in the beginning, but the sight gags were funny and the burgeoning feelings between the leads kept things interesting up till episode 12.

Then episodes 13-16 went progressively downhill.

BUT. There is one compelling reason to watch this show: Gong Yoo. He is amazing in so many ways. And hot. Let’s not forget hot. He’s the only reason to watch Big, but he’s reason enough.

Review: Padam Padam

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

So good. It took me a couple of episodes to really fall in love, but when I did, I was mesmerized 🙂

This show is gorgeous to look at, with some truly excellent, artistically executed cinematography.

I felt like I was watching a long movie, yet each episode floated by and ended before I knew it. Very different from general kdrama fare, I found it interesting, romantic & thought provoking.

Jung Woo Sung is compelling and completely believable, and Kim Bum is so endearing. The bromance is really strong in this one, though our lead couple is fantastic as well 🙂