Korean Movie Night: Collective Invention 돌연변이 (2015) Korean

Lee Kwang Soo, Park Bo Young, Lee Chun Hee, Jang Gwang, Lee Byung Joon, Kim Hee Won

Movie rating: 8/10     Neck score: ?? (A?)

I was both happy and sad to watch this because while Kwang Soo is an amazing actor who can emote even with a fish head on, it meant that I didn't get to see his face the entire time, and that always makes me sad. Plus, it is a show about a man who gets turned into a half fish man, so how happy could it be? It was definitely designed to get you in the feels. It brings up the dilemma of what is right, between the advancement of science and cultural economy and human rights. The whole time everyone is fighting over Park Goo (Lee Kwang Soo) and what should happen to him, Goo is just so humble and patient about it. It makes the heart bleed for him.

267. Sound of Your Heart 마음의 소리 (2016) Korean

Lee Kwang Soo, Kim Dae Myung, Jung So Min, Kim Byung Ok, Kim Mi Kyung

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A

I was so sad when I couldn't find this anywhere, because you all know how much I love Kwang Soo.  He is my #1 actor who rivals even GD in my heart.  I had to watch him be Cho Seok, because I also am 100% in love with Sound of Your Heart and have read everything that has been translated on Line Webtoon.  Sadly that is just a fraction of what there actually is, sniff.  Basically, there is a certain laugh that I have reserved just for Sound of Your Heart.  Lizabreff knows only one thing can make me laugh like that, so she knows what I'm reading.  This show was the same.  I laughed so hard!  I think it did a good job capturing the right feeling.  Their actor choice was perfect for all of them.  Every new person introduced I was like "Yeah!  They're perfect for it!"  It was delightful.  Even before we found it on Netflix and were just watching random clips on YouTube, I was just laughing.  They did a good job.  It's a slightly different experience when the naked/bathroom humor comes in, cuz it's live action vs just the drawings.  You realize just how tall and skinny Kwang Soo is when he's streaking through the city with his bare legs and censored blur.  It was hilarious.  I loved it.  I also like how they managed to keep the webtoon feel to it, while also connecting them into a somewhat cohesive story, with some character growth and some tied in themes.  It brought it all back in for a good ending to the series, so we didn't get left hanging.  It was well done.  Highly recommended.  I want there to be more seasons.  All the seasons in the world!  More Sound of Your Heart!  More Kwang Soo!  Hurray!

K-Drama Cameos FTW!

I recently started watching Squad 38, and to my delight, Kim Sung Oh made a cameo appearance in episode 2.  This got me thinking of how much I love cameos.  This stems all the way back to when I was a kid and watching the Muppet Movie and the Great Muppet Caper, etc, which are full of wonderful cameos.  This probably makes me appreciate all the lovely cameos in K-dramas as well.

So I made a list of all the cameos that I especially loved, and some that even made me watch the drama just so I could see the cameo, which is pretty much the most ridiculous thing ever.

Drama of the Tropes: My Mii Reenactments of Kdrama Stereotypes

Recently, my friends got me addicted to Miitomo.  It's a hilarious social media type app where your Mii avatars can make friends with your real life friend's Mii avatars, ask each other questions, change clothes, play games to win more clothes, and then you can take pictures of your Mii.  Yeah, you can take pictures of your Mii doing all sorts of things.

Couples Outfits

It started with me making a Mii boyfriend, Kwang Soo, to be in my pictures with me, and then I started recreating famous drama stereotypes with my Mii.

Puck! 퍽! (2016) Korean

Lee Kwang Soo, Jung Hae Kyun, Son Soo Hyun, Kwak Dong Yeon, Jo Yoon Woo

Movie rating: 8/10     Neck score: A++

I can't even handle how much I loved Lee Kwang Soo in this.  I hate sports movies, but I love Kwang Soo, so I watched it.  He is so amazing.  We have all seen him do mostly comedy, which he is brilliant at, so it's always so great to see him pull of serious so amazingly well.  This was basically, in a nutshell: a loan shark lives for a season (like, the hockey season).  Loan shark thug Kwang Soo beats up peeps.  Almost kills someone.  Has to be less violent when getting money back for his boss.  Ends up joining a hockey team so they can win, so he can get the money.  Evil dude tries to get rid of team.  He finds team spirits, etc.  It was basically the plot of every sports movie, but it was also about how sucky life is.  He became a loan shark thug because his wife put him in debt.  He kind of turned off his emotions, etc., to survive.  The other team players also have their own problems.  The end, like most Korean movies, is really open ended and non-conclusive about that part of the stuff.  The life sucks stuff.  But it also still has the miraculous sports movie ending, so it really made me like it better than most.  Plus, Kwang Soo is amazing.  There was one scene in particular that his neck was so sexy (in that red letterman jacket) that I couldn't handle it (fans self).  Whew!  So, it was way better than most sports movies.  It made me cry, but that might just have been because Kwang Soo.  But, yes, it was good.

More K-Dreamland Adventures with Marlubs and Lizabreff: Hello 2016 Dreams!

So far 2016 has been good to us in the K-dream department.  So many good dreams featuring our favorite K-pop and K-drama stars.  Apparently there is nothing more validating and helpful than a superstar K-pop group telling us we are awesome and amazing, or having a K-superstar saving us from gangsters.

Hurray for the best kinds of dreams.

Lee Seo Jin, My Ahjussi Spirit Animal

While catching up on Running Man, I serendipitously found my ahjussi soulmate in episode 229.  He is literally the same as me- a lazy grumpy cat.

I'm not like that all the time... (looking around to see Lizabreff ready to contradict me... also to claim her rights as the creator of this post's title).  Ok, not always, but a lot.  Especially when it comes to things that are not worth it to me, like silly competition and random games.  I like to see Running Man go through it, but I can totally see myself completely acting like Lee Seo Jin if ever faced with a Running Man-like situation.  So here are some examples that completely made me laugh because I could completely relate:

2015: The Year of Sexy Necks

Every year I make a calendar for myself, so I get exactly what I want and that sense of accomplishment.  I usually have a different theme each year (such as smiles or flower boys), and this year I decided to use my list of the Top 10 Sexy Necks as the general theme of 2015's calendar.

There was so much I could have put in here, and so many ways to do this, but I finally decided to count down to the number 1 on this list, and use the two remaining months for the other honorable mentions and general hot guys that I like and wanted to use.

Operas are Just Classical Music Kdramas

Or maybe I should give credit where due (since Opera has been around long before Kdramas) and say that Kdramas are the same as operas.

I recently attended a performance of Marriage of Figaro, by Mozart, and was struck by the plot similarities of this opera to Kdramas.  This wasn't the first time that I've seen this opera, but the first time I've noticed the similarities.  That got me to comparing other opera plots to classic kdrama plots, and what do you know, they were exactly the same too!

Source: butleroperacenter.music.utexas.edu

I guess this is just proof that these plot devices have been around for hundreds of years and the reason they are still being used it that, as silly as they are, we love/hate them and it makes for a more dramatic story.  I mean, what is a kdrama without amnesia, love triangles, birth secrets, cross dressing, and rich chaebols?  Similarly, what is an opera without love triangles, rich peers, birth secrets, and girls playing boys (which is pretty much cross dressing, even if the plot of the opera says that is really just a boy who can sing really high... right...)

This Post is Dedicated to Lee Kwang Soo... Just Cuz

It's not like it's his birthday or anything.  But I just feel the need to celebrate him, because he's just that awesome.

It might because It's Okay, That's Love is over now, and I miss it, and I absolutely loved him in it.  He was so good!  In way more reasons than one.

Bromances Continued: 6 More Recent Drama Enhancing Men Relationships

If you're anything like me, you can't get enough of bromances, so here is a list of more bromances that have warmed my little heart and caused me delight recently.  Some of these are just recent for me (as I am currently watching them) but some are current dramas that just keep getting better as the bros keep loving (whether they want to or not) each other.

The Power of the Baseball Tee

I don't know about you, but one of the sexiest, most flattering shirt for a man to wear is the raglan sleeved baseball tee.  It just flatters all around, and most especially the neck.  If the guy is skinny, it makes their neck and shoulders look bigger, if the guy is muscular it makes those arms, chest, back and shoulders (and neck) look so good.  It just makes a man look so sexy.

It's Okay, It's Just a Bunch of Crazy People Living Together

I don't know if it's because of the popularity of shows like Roommate, but the saving point of this show seems to be the grab bag of random crazies all living together.  Well, the saving point for me is Lee Kwang Soo.  Yep, once again I am watching a show just for Kwang Soo Oppa.  Seriously, he needs bigger roles so that I can appreciate him more... but then I always have Running Man, which was featured in like ep 2, so that is a bonus.  This is an SBS show.

Men That Make Me Watch Dramas Against My Will: Smile Edition

Some actors just have that amazing power of making me watch a drama in spite of my better judgement.  I know the show will be crap/lame/bad/cray cray/super dramatic and so on, but I still watch them because of that one actor.

Sometimes it's to the extent that I've watched every show they've been in, and some of them were so bad (I'm talking to you, Yoon Si Yoon!)

Sometimes it's because of their smiles.  Those smiles that can make me watch even the dumbest of dramas.  Stop killing me with those smiles, you... super attractive and beautifully smiling men.

Sometimes watching that show ends up to be not that bad of a deal, but sometimes you finish and say to yourself "why the heck did I just watch that?" and then you see that man's smile again and you know why and feel no shame.  In fact, you hop online to look up another show he's been in, because you just can't get enough of that smile (or that neck and the rest of the face/body too).

Those are the some of the ones that I'm talking about here.  Bad or good, these dramas were watch purely for that man and his amazing smile.

107. It's Okay, That's Love 괜찮아, 사랑이야 (2014) Korean

Jo In Sung, Gong Hyo Jin, Sung Dong Il, Lee Kwang Soo, Do Kyung Soo (D.O)

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A

The best part about the drama (besides Lee Kwang Soo) is that it is very different.  It's about a bunch of mature adults who all have issues, like everyone in the world.  Only most of their issues are psychological.  Literally.  Four roommates, half are psychologists, and all have problems, some worse than others.  There is also a healthy amount of mystery.  I did like how that developed slowly, so that we  weren't years ahead of the characters, but just a little bit, because we never knew the whole picture.  Maybe not the why when we knew the what and so on.  The main girl was kind of a selfish bitca, but not in like a hateful way, just sometimes I would get frustrated with her because of her selfishness, and meanness, but I actually liked that she was like that.  Because sometimes I really hate how perfect or annoyingly good the female leads can be sometimes.  They are so annoying.  She was annoying too, but in a different and kind of more relatable way.  Sometimes she did need a slap though... Loved the OST too.  This song, I am obsessed with.  I liked the flow of the narrative.  I was a little worried in the last episode that it was going to be draggy, but it wasn't that bad.  It kept things fun at least.  Also, bromance.  Nuff said.

76. The Innocent Man 세상 어디에도 없는 착한 남자 (2012) Korean

Song Joong Ki, Moon Chae Won, Park Si Yeon, Lee Kwang Soo

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A

This is a heavy show.  Lots of hard things, but also lots of great actors and eye candy.  Song Joong Ki never ceases to amaze me, and neither does Moon Chae Won.  But seriously, this show is about a bunch of not nice people.  The point is that there is no such thing as a nice guy/innocent man.  Kang Ma Ru (Song Joong Ki) goes to prison for six years to cover up the manslaughter of his girlfriend Han Jae Jee (Park Si Yeon), only to get out and find that she's married a rich older man and had his child.  So, after becoming a bartender and gigolo, he decides to get revenge by seducing the older man's daughter Seo Eun Ji (Moon Chae Won).  Things of course get super messy.  Even with the whole brain surgery and memory loss type deals that get thrown in, this show is super well done.  Like I said, Moon Chae Won is on of my favorite actresses, and she is super great in this one.  However, its a very heavy drama and hard to watch because of the themes and all the depressing type things that are happening.  In fact the only bright spot of the show most of the time is Lee Kwang Soo, who plays Kang Ma Ru's best friend, and Lee Yu Bi, Ma Ru's little sister, who are probably the funniest part of the whole show.  But I think the show ended fairly well for how messed up everything gets, and it gets pretty messed up.  Still, it is a very good show, well written and executed.  Basically all these actors are pretty amazing.  Especially Song Joong Ki.

75. Jung Yi, Goddess of Fire 불의 여신 정이 (2013) Korean

Moon Geun Young, Le Sang Yoon, Kim Bum, Lee Kwang Soo

Drama Rating: 4/10     Neck Score: A

I watched this for you, Kwang Soo Oppa!!!!  I sat through all that boringness just to see you in Joseon attire (which admittedly was super hot) but this was so boring!  Also, I need to admit that although Kim Bum is super hot, I really don't like the dramas that he is typically in, so that needs to stop being a factor of choosing dramas.  This was just a really long drama that made me learn more about pottery than I wanted to.  One of those sageuk/dramas where they start off as kids so you don't even get to the peeps you want to see until like episode 6-8.  Then it's more about politics and birth secrets and less about romance and happiness.  In fact there is not one kiss in this since the leading couple are a woman artisan and a prince, so it's basically about a forbidden love, but it's more about the woman artisan and that sort of thing.  Really boring.  I seriously had to force myself to finish it, but oh well.  Even though Lee Sang Yoon is not at his best in Joseon clothing, he is at his best when eating, so the scene where she cooks for him and he eats so happily is awesome.  He's got some good dimples so happy eating is a plus.  Also, Kwang Soo's character was a jerkish idiot, but he is so good looking with facial hair and Joseon clothing.  Rawr.  That made it worth it again.  Also Kim Bum as a Joseon warrior = yes.  So the show was boring and the evilness/annoyingness of the villians was lame and stupid so the only things that made this show worth it was the eye candy.  Ok, probably not enough.  Just look at pictures of Kim Bum and Kwang Soo from this show and you'll be fine.  Nothing more is needed.