Subverting Tropes in Haru Found by Chance

Welcome to my little corner of Pensive Purgatory - I've been thinking about Haru Found by Chance (or Extraordinary You, if you're a sheep) a whole lot since it started airing, and now these thoughts need to come out. I have three essays planned, but for starters, let's talk about how it subverts rom-com tropes, and tropes associated with Korean dramas in general. You can imagine, that as a story about storytelling, Haru Found by Chance is about as meta-fictional as it can get. The first half focuses on this consistently, while the second half is more preoccupied with seeing through the narrative stakes. Nevertheless, there is still plenty to say, so shall we dance?

A Few Words on You From the Stars

(This is a format I've invented to make reviews more straight-forward if I feel like doing them, which also works better with my busy, busy schedule. So enjoy a blunter, better-polished version of one of my earliest reviews.)

Exit (Movie Review)

Exit is one of those films that I didn't think I would be watching. From the posters, it seemed very unclear what the film was aiming to accomplish. Yes, the casting of Jo Jung-suk a certain extent of quality, but knowing how he dabbles with genres, I had the idea in my head that this film would probably be a hit or miss experience for me. Well... It was a hit.

Hotel Del Luna: First Impressions

I have to admit, I initially had no intention to watch Hotel Del Luna. Yet here we are. The history behind the drama was enough to turn me off - namely, that the Hong Sisters, writers responsible for fun romcoms in the past, but more recently attached to atrocities like Hwayugi, were penning the series. After being so thoroughly burned by them, I was going to avoid this drama. But hey, I caved, and here's what I thought of the first episode.

A Few Words on Let's Eat 3

A Few Words on Thirty But Seventeen

Me in the Trap

Last summer, I was really sick with Tonsillitis. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. It's the most ill I've ever been, and I realise that makes me very fortunate but I was still feeling pretty sorry for myself. It was then that I, bedridden and emotional, decided on a whim to re-watch Cheese in the Trap.

Mini Reviews: Romance 2019

I'm back! This is the longest hiatus I've taken since starting my blog (life got in the way), but I'm back and excited to upload more. To start, here's some mini reviews for the romance dramas I struggle to talk about. This is probably one of my favourite features - short and snappy, and something I can update whenever I like. Enjoy!

A Few Words on Rooftop Prince

(This is a format I've invented to make reviews more straight-forward if I feel like doing them, which also works better with my busy, busy schedule. So enjoy a blunter, better-polished version of one of my earliest reviews.)

A Few Words on Cinderella's Sister

(This is a format I've invented to make reviews more straight-forward if I feel like doing them, which also works better with my busy, busy schedule. So enjoy a blunter, better-polished version of one of my earliest reviews.)

Romcom-mon Sense Deficiency

There's a large difference in how romance is presented between cultures - today, I want to take a look at how romance dramas are marketed in Korea, and what it means for TV in general. In recent years, a pattern of behaviour has appeared that I've created a term to describe: Romcom-mon Sense Deficiency.

The Hong Sisters Marathon (Reupload)

What really got me into writing on this blog was my Hong Sisters Marathon back in 2016. When I look back on those reviews now, I cringe. Firstly because my writing style has improved in leaps and bounds since then, but also because I've become more critical and perceptive. Rather than just characters and story, I write about all sorts of things now. Because of that, I've decided to take down my old reviews and summarise them here, with my updated opinion of each of these dramas now. If reading this makes you desperate to go and read the original reviews, I'll keep them up another week, no matter how basic or disingenuous they are.

Dramas That Don't Promote Toxic Masculinity

The archetypes for characters in romance stories have been set in stone for as long as the term 'Hallyu Wave' has been in operation. The male lead will be prickly, sometimes downright cruel, but often will have a heart of gold. The second male lead, the one who's chances with the girl are about 0.000001%, is the sweet and caring one who's always there to listen to her. Look at some of the Hong Sisters dramas for proof - hell, even some of my favourite dramas aren't completely immune to such stereotypes (Thirty but Seventeen, Drinking Solo, Hana Kimi to name just a few). To be honest, I think these models are popular for a less-than stellar reason.

I was wrong! (Gangnam Beauty)

When I provided a mini-review of My ID is Gangnam Beauty in the summer of last year, I'll admit it was somewhat disingenuous. Opinions on the drama were split right down the middle, me favouring the side that screamed it was awful and offensive, but the review I wrote was non-committal. I wanted to avoid upsetting anyone. I actually never watched the first episode, which prompted me to re-watch the majority of the show and finally finish it. As for how I feel about it now... I've changed my mind. Gangnam Beauty is not a terrible drama - whilst I think it had trouble attempting to address every social issue it wanted to effectively, it was a damn good try.

Swing Kids Analysis: War, Freedom and Magic Shoes

I've fallen in love. Swing Kids is a fucking masterpiece, and I'm head-over-heels, madly, passionately in love with it. It's too rich thematically for me to do justice to it in a full review, so I've decided to take a few of the greatest scenes and pull them apart by themselves. Today, I have the 'Modern Love' dance scene, between Do Kyung-soo and Park Hye-soo.

I Give My First Love to You: Movie Review

I watched this movie on a whim - with the drama adaptation airing right now, I decided to finally bite the bullet and give I Give My First Love to You a try. It's an interesting film for both of the actors - Okada Masaki was only starting to make a name for himself despite some iconic supporting roles, and Inoue Mao was and still is first associated as the face of Hana Yori Dango. Maybe I overlooked it for that reason? But it was a box-office hit and now I think I understand why people treasure it so.

The Best of 2018

This has been a great, if weird, year for drama. If last year I learnt not to try and persevere with a drama I'm not enjoying, then this year I learnt that I can love a drama wholeheartedly even if it isn't the best I've ever seen, from unlikely obsession Grand Prince and there after. I was also graced with two additions to the Hanadan canon this year, one fantastic and one appalling. I was also happy to discover that I haven't fallen completely out of love with SBS, which I basically didn't touch any dramas from last year! There isn't a lot of worsts this year, to be honest - I don't pursue shows I don't like anymore. Here are my favourites of the year, in no particular order.

NOTE: To save time, a few favourites that I already feel I've done justice to are exempted here. That would be Your Honour, and Come Here and Hug Me.

Women in Buzzer Beat

I love Buzzer Beat - it's an exemplary, feel-good romance story that focuses mostly on the price of chasing your dream. I wanted to analyse this drama in particular for it's portrayal of women because, when I watched this for the first time at about age twelve, I never particularly thought that I loved the women characters. It's actually a little sad that I tend to leave rom-coms a lot nowadays thinking that I loved the male lead and couldn't find anything in the female lead's personality that I clung to. Buzzer Beat certainly stands out for having a great male lead, since men in drama who are empathetic and openly compassionate are sadly few and far between. But I think I now hold my affection for the women in this show. Let's take the three most important women - Riko, Natsuki, and Mai - and look into why I thought they were so interesting.

Bok-soo is Back: A Feast for the Eyes

Everything Yoo Seung-ho touches nowadays turns to gold. Hey, everyone, it's been a while - now I'm going to gush over a potential new favourite of mine: Bok-soo's Back, or My Strange Hero.