korean hana yori dango
Uwah, stupid LJ wiped my entire post when it went into maintenance mode.
So anyway, trying to cash in on the phenomenal success of Meteor Garden (TW) and Hana Yori Dango (JP), Korea produced its own version of Boys Over Flowers.
If you enjoy the Korean version this post might offend you, so I suggest you don't read further.
The first episode was 70 minutes, which isn't long considering that Kdrama tend to be around 60 minutes, and premieres tend to be extended. I had to force myself to sit through the last 40 minutes because I didn't want to waste the bandwidth I spent in downloading it.
As soon as I saw the casting for Makino (Geum Jan Di in Korean, according to Wiki), I started having doubts. She looked like an OBASAN, but let's not discriminate on physical appearances, I thought to myself. But 30 minutes in, I was so pissed off at...just everything about her that every time she screeched, or screwed up her face, or stretched her mouth in that really fake smile, I wanted to chuck rotten vegetables at her.
Now, I think part of it comes from the reason why I never got into Kdramas. Strong heroines in Jdramas, rare though that they are, still retain that streak of feminine gentleness. Makino was the voice of justice, but that was because she was a kind-hearted, well-meaning girl who understood the suffering of others. Kdramas, ever since My Sassy Girl or whatever it is that started the trend, seems to sprout a peculiar breed of aggressive loud-mouthed hysterically unreasonable heroines.
One of Makino's key strengths was her sense of filial duty, a trait that's preserved in both the Japanese and Taiwanese versions, but is trampled all over by the Korean version. She was willing to swallow and sacrifice so much, just to repay all the efforts her parents put in. Having "Makino" being accepted on a shifty scholarship, and having her parents pretty much tow her screaming and kicking to the school just completely obliterates that virtue.
Now, moving on from Makino. Admittedly, on first glance, the F4 ensemble look much better than both the Jap and TW versions. BUT THEY CAN'T ACT. OMG. When MatsuJun was cast as Doumyouji we were all floored because like, seriously, he's short and to the unaccustomed eye, he's pretty ugly. But MatsuJun has a gift for hauteur that's more a part of his personality than his acting. He can pull off Doumyouji's domineering presence without even needing to open his mouth. The TW version at least managed Doumyouji's aggression right, even if he didn't get that inbred arrogance. WTF is the Korean version? If the camera isn't on him he'd fade into the wallpaper. There's no sense of violence or aggression, just a stupid leer. The bit where she threw the ice cream into his face is totally IMI WAKANNAI. The punch in the face is memorable and actually recalls his sister smashing him in the face. It makes no sense that he'd be so fixated on a girl rude enough to throw ice cream - the main reason he became obsessed was because he was reminded of his sister AND HE HAD A SISTER COMPLEX.
As for Hanazawa Rui, whom I've always liked much better than the bullheaded Doumyouji, I have to admit that the actor is as pretty as a picture. BUT HE CAN'T ACT. Does he think he's doing an impression of Edward Cullen from Twilight?! Standing around pouting and posing with a frozen expression on his face?? I mean, neither Oguri Shun nor ZaiZai are perfect either. Shun at first glance isn't pretty enough, and ZaiZai can't act - but at least both of them keep their characters consistent. ZaiZai keeps Rui drifting in a permanent state of daydreaming, breaking out only in the important moments. Shun, on the other hand, can act, and easily keeps Rui navigating between distant and gentle. This guy just...walks around with his face looking like it's been botoxed, then breaks out so randomly in smirks and grins that it just looks completely out of character. And nothing...absolutely NOTHING beats Shun's singsong, "Ma~kino~~"
The pace itself is so painfully slow it's killing me. There is no comedy, or perhaps the humour of screaming rows conducted 20kHz above normal speaking range is lost on me. Makino's house had always been noisy in all versions, but there's only so much conversation the human ear can bear to hear at 100 decibels. ARGH.
There's so much about this drama that pisses me off, and I don't think I'm walking in on it unfairly. From character inconsistencies like Makino screaming and yelling all the time to suddenly crying without a fight when she's bullied; to the stupid "Oh. My. GAD." quirk of the three sisters; to the ridiculously overdone bullying - oh sure, AS IF it's not going to plastered across the headlines if a student at the MOST BLOODY PRESTIGIOUS SCHOOL jumped off the roof AT THE SCHOOL, COVERED IN FLESH WOUNDS NOT ACQUIRED FROM THE FALL.
I've never been (still not) a huge fan of the plot itself, and I thought the TW version was pretty good when I first watched the Jap version...whose Doumyouji and Rui I hadn't liked when I saw the pictures. The Jap version has its own flaws, but nothing quite interprets the story like the culture that bred it.
Wow, I haven't been so pissed off at a piece of entertainment for so long. I mean Twilight was just amusing.
So anyway, trying to cash in on the phenomenal success of Meteor Garden (TW) and Hana Yori Dango (JP), Korea produced its own version of Boys Over Flowers.
If you enjoy the Korean version this post might offend you, so I suggest you don't read further.
The first episode was 70 minutes, which isn't long considering that Kdrama tend to be around 60 minutes, and premieres tend to be extended. I had to force myself to sit through the last 40 minutes because I didn't want to waste the bandwidth I spent in downloading it.
As soon as I saw the casting for Makino (Geum Jan Di in Korean, according to Wiki), I started having doubts. She looked like an OBASAN, but let's not discriminate on physical appearances, I thought to myself. But 30 minutes in, I was so pissed off at...just everything about her that every time she screeched, or screwed up her face, or stretched her mouth in that really fake smile, I wanted to chuck rotten vegetables at her.
Now, I think part of it comes from the reason why I never got into Kdramas. Strong heroines in Jdramas, rare though that they are, still retain that streak of feminine gentleness. Makino was the voice of justice, but that was because she was a kind-hearted, well-meaning girl who understood the suffering of others. Kdramas, ever since My Sassy Girl or whatever it is that started the trend, seems to sprout a peculiar breed of aggressive loud-mouthed hysterically unreasonable heroines.
One of Makino's key strengths was her sense of filial duty, a trait that's preserved in both the Japanese and Taiwanese versions, but is trampled all over by the Korean version. She was willing to swallow and sacrifice so much, just to repay all the efforts her parents put in. Having "Makino" being accepted on a shifty scholarship, and having her parents pretty much tow her screaming and kicking to the school just completely obliterates that virtue.
Now, moving on from Makino. Admittedly, on first glance, the F4 ensemble look much better than both the Jap and TW versions. BUT THEY CAN'T ACT. OMG. When MatsuJun was cast as Doumyouji we were all floored because like, seriously, he's short and to the unaccustomed eye, he's pretty ugly. But MatsuJun has a gift for hauteur that's more a part of his personality than his acting. He can pull off Doumyouji's domineering presence without even needing to open his mouth. The TW version at least managed Doumyouji's aggression right, even if he didn't get that inbred arrogance. WTF is the Korean version? If the camera isn't on him he'd fade into the wallpaper. There's no sense of violence or aggression, just a stupid leer. The bit where she threw the ice cream into his face is totally IMI WAKANNAI. The punch in the face is memorable and actually recalls his sister smashing him in the face. It makes no sense that he'd be so fixated on a girl rude enough to throw ice cream - the main reason he became obsessed was because he was reminded of his sister AND HE HAD A SISTER COMPLEX.
As for Hanazawa Rui, whom I've always liked much better than the bullheaded Doumyouji, I have to admit that the actor is as pretty as a picture. BUT HE CAN'T ACT. Does he think he's doing an impression of Edward Cullen from Twilight?! Standing around pouting and posing with a frozen expression on his face?? I mean, neither Oguri Shun nor ZaiZai are perfect either. Shun at first glance isn't pretty enough, and ZaiZai can't act - but at least both of them keep their characters consistent. ZaiZai keeps Rui drifting in a permanent state of daydreaming, breaking out only in the important moments. Shun, on the other hand, can act, and easily keeps Rui navigating between distant and gentle. This guy just...walks around with his face looking like it's been botoxed, then breaks out so randomly in smirks and grins that it just looks completely out of character. And nothing...absolutely NOTHING beats Shun's singsong, "Ma~kino~~"
The pace itself is so painfully slow it's killing me. There is no comedy, or perhaps the humour of screaming rows conducted 20kHz above normal speaking range is lost on me. Makino's house had always been noisy in all versions, but there's only so much conversation the human ear can bear to hear at 100 decibels. ARGH.
There's so much about this drama that pisses me off, and I don't think I'm walking in on it unfairly. From character inconsistencies like Makino screaming and yelling all the time to suddenly crying without a fight when she's bullied; to the stupid "Oh. My. GAD." quirk of the three sisters; to the ridiculously overdone bullying - oh sure, AS IF it's not going to plastered across the headlines if a student at the MOST BLOODY PRESTIGIOUS SCHOOL jumped off the roof AT THE SCHOOL, COVERED IN FLESH WOUNDS NOT ACQUIRED FROM THE FALL.
I've never been (still not) a huge fan of the plot itself, and I thought the TW version was pretty good when I first watched the Jap version...whose Doumyouji and Rui I hadn't liked when I saw the pictures. The Jap version has its own flaws, but nothing quite interprets the story like the culture that bred it.
Wow, I haven't been so pissed off at a piece of entertainment for so long. I mean Twilight was just amusing.