Prior to 2010 kdrama rec post

@walkwithheroes84 asked: “What are some dramas (Japanese, Taiwanese, Chinese, and/or Korean) that are older (pre-2010) that you wish more people would watch.”

Ooooh boy, we are gonna be here all day so I am just going to do Korea and save the rest for later. I had to really cull!

A Love to Kill (2005) - I own Japanese DVDs of this, I was so obsessed. A dark, intense melo in which Rain gets a job as a bodyguard to a rising young star played by Shin Minah. His plan is to seduce and wreck her to avenge his dead brother (who he believes killed himself after she heartlessly left him for fame), but he recons without his own impossible feelings for her or the extent of SMA’s internal damage. They remain one of the most impossible, messed-up, intense, doomed OTPs I’ve ever shipped. Stock tissues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJox8iEcFMs

All In (2003) - he is a gangster, she is a nun. Have I gotten your attention yet? This was a huge hit and Lee Byung Hun and Song Hye Kyo are out of this world together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuVDFLOytQI

Beautiful Days (2001-2002) - a super classic, grown up melo about a plucky poor girl and a tortured workaholic and Choi Ji Woo and Lee Byung Hun set the screen on fire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3skKcivjJs

Capital Scandal (2007) - somehow both frothy and deeply emotional, this centers on freedom fighters and playboys and spies in 1930s Seoul. If you don’t love it, you have no heart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN-0tERlaNM

Chuno/Slave Hunters (2009) - possibly my favorite sageuk (it’s a threeway tie atm), this story about an aristocrat turned slave hunter, a general turned slave, and a slave woman turned an aristocrat, all involved with rebellion, court secrets and sheer desperation of their lives is amazing. Beyond amazing. Jang Hyuk, Oh Ji Ho and Lee Da Hae are all on fire and if you ever watch only one sageuk, make it this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vAGdXpN6no

City Hall (2009) - Kim Sun Ah as a small town civil servant and Cha Seung Won as an amoral fixer for a powerful politician sparkle beyond words in the most grown up, smart kdrama romcom I have ever seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLek2pnv8yY

Coffee Prince (2007) - Yoon Eun Hye is a woman dressing as a man, Gong Yoo as a man horrified to discover he likes her while thinking she is a boy. This was a mad hit for a reason.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKSupXmez5w

Damo (2003) - my first sageuk, this is as good as ever. Ha Ji Won is a police tea servant, a noble lady whose family was executed and she came down in the world; Lee Seo Jin as her noble superior who loves her silently. She infiltrates a conspiracy led by the charismatic, tortured Kim Mim Joon, and epic tragedy follows. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGkglLvjJ9k

Delightful Girl Chunhyang (2005) - back when Hong Sisters were consistently good, this is a modern take on the famous folk tale. Our heroine is a studious poor girl and our hero a ne’er-do-well son of a local prosecutor. There is arranged marriage, true love surviving some insane sacrifice, one of my all time favorite OTPs, and a heroine and hero that grow into people I was obsessed with. Confession time - I wrote fanfic for this drama!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kTGHJZIUvA

East of Eden (2008-2009) - a sprawling multigenerational epic they don’t make much of any more, this has its flaws but the plots and brotherhood and romances and the characters and the revenge are so worth it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6LBIo16-e8

Emperor of the Sea/Sea God (2004-2005) - a larger than life sageuk epic they don’t make any more. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j53vbAxW3d4

Family’s Honor (2008) - Kdrama does North and South. Our heroine is a widow from an aristocratic family, our hero is a noveau riche ruthless businessman who gets attracted to her. This is so so good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrAMgTKg_As

Fashion 70s (2005) - period drama about a bunch of intense cool peeps, fashion and love. Just watch it. 

https://youtu.be/qly7vkFUv3g

Friend Our Legend (2009) - the most criminally underrated drama on this list, about a group of childhood friends turned gangsters and the tragic fall out.I want a rewatch rn tbh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJQx3tA5cGs

Goong (2005) - a giddily fun take on an alternate universe where an icy modern crown prince and a bubbly commoner have to get married.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAjz-5b4P6A

Green Rose (2005) - this tale of a man (Go Soo) trying to get revenge and get back to his love (Lee Da Hae) is a modern take on Monte Cristo and has one of my fave opening scenes ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epJt6jCIOlU

Hello My Teacher (2005) - Gong Yoo is a student in love with Gong Hyo Jin’s teacher.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNFoENWvEEk

Hong Gil Dong (2008) - starts out wacky, ends up by making me cry. A wonderful take on Korean Robin Hood and the OTP omg the OTP!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ingEOTBSnt0

IRIS (2009) - in the running for my favorite kdrama of all time, with definitely the most tortured hero, this starts out as a fun routine actioner until our hero’s life details in a horrifying fashion and even his attempts to right the world are doomed in this horrifyingly bleak, intense, romantic drama. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kesXxZOBzQ

Jumong (2006-2007) - the DADDY of all traditional sageuks, with insane ep count (81) and equally insane and deserved ratings. See our hero go from zero to hero and an awesome king.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILBnGNxtwXw

The Kingdom of the Winds (2008-2009) - Song Il Gook’s last sageuk (so far, though I don’t think he’s gonna bother to come back), a story about a cursed prince and his quest for love and throne, this is wonderful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1qfC0yFIf0

Last Scandal (2008) - they dated in high school. Now she is an exhausted ahjumma with a deadbeat husband and he is a huge star. A second chance romance that starts out hilarious but turns profound follows. One of my all time faves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zquHf8-p3ZU

The Legend (2007) - I’ve raved about it elsewhere; it is arguably my favorite sageuk of all time (or maybe even just plain fave kdrama), smart and passionate and hugely epic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=853sc-s2hHE

Lobbyist (2007) - one of the very few actioners I’ve ever liked, and with more whump than you can shake a stick at, Song Il Gook is a tough as nails international arms dealer with an even tougher OTP (JJY) and this is a heaven of plot and love and hurt/comfort.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8puRJNmey4

Loveholic (2005) - a student/teacher romance AND a story about a man going to jail to protect the woman he loves all rolled into one. What more could you want?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6nVH75IRCM

Lovers (2006) - if it’s a smart adult love story you want, come right in!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgpe4VkbtNk

Mawang/The Devil/Lucifer (2007) - meet possibly my n1 kdrama of all time. Haunted past, tragedy, revenge, complicated characters and plot. If there is a perfect kdrama, this is it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkn1KYaCjVk

My Girl (2005) - Lee Dong Wook and Lee Da Hae set the screen on fire in a romcom with hidden identities and plot twists. PS it is funny but when the drama starts, I literally bawled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0jpSCN72Wg

One Fine Day (2006) - Sung Yuri and Gong Yoo in a lovely, angsty romance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVeUG5U3oCU

Piano (2001-2002) - this is like who is who before they got to be big stars - Go Soo and Kim Hae Neul are in love but can’t be together because they are stepsiblings, Jo In Sung is a young gangster, tragedy and melo all around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRG_4Uxl4Zo

Que Sera Sera (2007) - Eric and Jung Yumi play the ultimate dysfunctional couple. He uses his good looks to date rich generous women, she is a neighbor who is neither. Their levels of obsession with each other are insane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4XqW14_A7k

Queen Seon Duk (2009) - want a female centric sageuk that is intense and epic and amazing? Look no further!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwIY4poVBNw

Resurrection (2005) - a tight, complex revenge thriller that more people should see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_ZbmVAk8zQ

The Return of Iljimae/Moon River (2009) - Jung Il Woo’s debut, this is arguably my favorite take on Korean Robin Hood ever and except for Someday and Friend Our Legend, the most underrated drama on this list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YjgmHVO3n0

Robber (2008) - Jang Hyuk and Lee Da Hae break my heart and then heal it in this intense story of a man preying on desperate women and a broken widow. Yes, it’s another two messed up people heal each other story. I love those!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDyy3UtUWeM

Romance (2002) - a teacher/student romance, with gorgeous young Kim Jae Won and Kim Ha Neul.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LBs1tnc5Js

Sang Do, Let’s Go to School - Gong Hyo Jin is a teacher, Rain is a gigolo taking gigs to support his son; they used to be each other’s first loves. It’s wistful and slice of life and utterly tragic. Written by Lee Kyung Hee of the A Love to Kill and Thank You fame. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRg1q3RULWk

Save the Last Dance for Me (2004-2005) - I binged 17 episodes of this baby at a go, a record that has not yet been surpassed. Ji Sung is a rich man who is in an accident and gets amnesia, being cared for and falling for Eugene. However when he recovers his memory and forgets his amnesia time - he will end up meeting her again and falling for her all over again (hilariously, his RL wife Lee Bo Young plays the psycho secondary girl in this.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekfBrvJil8c

Say You Love Me (2004) - a much better attempt at Dangerous Liasons than the wretched Tempted. Kim Rae Won and Yoon So Yi, naive and tragic young lovers, come across a pair of jaded sophisticates; the female half of whom is intrigued by the fresh faced KRW and envious of uncomplicated young love and asks her partner to take YSI away from KRW for kicks. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niL2WJ_oAIU

Seoul 1945 (2006) - from WW2 to the Korean war, this is intense and smart and pulls no punches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYsotv2rFQI

Shining Inheritance/Brilliant Legacy (2009) - Han Hyo Joo is a young woman tormented by her family; Lee Seung Gi is a spoiled rich boy who needs to grow up. I was obsessed with this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_sWhVZA3DY

Snow Queen (2006-2007) - Hyun Bin and Sung Yuri do a tragic romance melo right. He is a poor, smart kid, she is a brittle rich girl with a terminal illness. It hurts so good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEkAbJLYVpk

Someday (2006) - a sheltered cartoonist suffering from a writer’s block meets a sort-of small time private detective. They are both haunted by their pasts but find hope and healing with each other. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLVijs891dw

Spring Day (2005) - a very solid melo where Jo In Sung ends up stealing the girl from the original leading man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps7l27OBnVQ

Spring Waltz (2006) - the last and, imo, best of the seasons dramas, possibly in my all time top 10 kdramas, it follows a haunted young pianist and his OTP and their shared tragic past and hope for the future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IGO0DST8dk

Swallow the Sun (2009) - Ji Sung as the haunted mercenary wanting revenge on his father, Sung Yuri as his tough, common-sense girlfriend, one of my fave secondary OTPs (mercenary x stripper) etc etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C51efR5Iq5I

Thank You (2007) - Gong Hyo Jin is an island woman living with the stigma and agony of having an HIV positive child. Jang Hyuk is a surgeon haunted by the death of his girlfriend. Two lost souls find and heal each other in one of my all time favorites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVk1TjvZZOw

Time Between Dog and Wolf (2007) - Lee Jun Ki is tortured a lot on his path to revenge and love. I loooove this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v24-57tLFH4

Tree of Heaven (2006) - only ten eps but bring your tissues for this tender and tragic and gorgeous love story between Park Shin Hye and Lee Wan, stepsiblings for a brief time; they reconnect when she’s a cleaner and he’s a gangster. I was sooooo obsessed with it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnAZlXZjFcw

What Happened in Bali (2005) - Ha Ji Won, Jo In Sung and So Ji Sub are a trio of desperately damaged people entangled with each other in what is probably still the darkest melo I have seen out of Korea. Money grubbing poor woman played by HJW, high-strung, abused rich son played by JIS, or a cold, ambitious man on the rise SJS - pick any of them, there is enough damage to level a city.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKHcYvK5qZM

Will It Snow for Christmas (2009) - a melodrama with Go Soo and Han Ye Seul by Lee Kyung Hee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvQ14gtCqvw

Worlds Within/The World That They Live In (2008) - the last candidate for my n1 kdrama of all time. By Noh Hee Kyung, with seemingly mundane lives of TV station personnel. But every character is someone you feel you know and Hyun Bin and Song Hye Kyo are both real and unreal as the OTP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBHrjZ8T6a4

Congrats if you made it to the end!

summer films ‘18

hi there! to clarify, this is a log of films i’ve seen this summer, not exactly films set in the summer, so if you’re here for that, i’m sorry?

anyway, here we go!

1. kasal (2018) / dir. ruel s. bayani ♡ 180525 ♡ girl is engaged to the son of cebu’s current mayor who is currently preparing for elections, but her ex comes back and tries to win her back ♡ cliche, i know, but trust me, this movie deals with this plotline in a very interesting way ♡ and come on, it’s bea alonzo and paulo avelino, two icons 2. high school musical (2006) / dir. kenny ortega ♡ 180614 ♡ iconic, i love troy bolton, thanks for reminding me ♡ i know sharpay isn’t that bad but she’s still a bully lol ♡ the choreography for when there was me and you got me dying i love it ♡  fave song: stick to the status quo 3. high school musical 2 (2007) / dir. kenny ortega ♡ 180622 ♡ my least favorite in the trilogy ♡ there was so much unnecessary drama they should’ve cut troy some slack ♡ i hate chad danforth, that’s all ♡ fave song: you are the music in me 4. high school musical 3: senior year (2008) / dir. kenny ortega ♡ 180622 ♡ my favorite in the trilogy! ♡ i still hate chad tho lol but i love taylor so much she’s my favorite character! ♡ i wish they elaborated more on gabriella though, because i like to imagine an alternate ending where she declines stanford and stays in albuquerque for another year which disappoints everyone and puts a strain on her relationship with troy. that would’ve been so interesting! ♡ fave song: i love all of them, but if i had to choose, the boys are back 5. kimmy dora 2: the temple of kiyeme (2009) / dir. joyce bernal ♡ 180626 ♡ the only reason i watched this was because i had a terrible pimple on my forehead and it reminded me of some horror movie then i realized it was this so i had to look for the particular scene ♡ the movie was really bad, as expected ♡ but i absolutely love eugene domingo!! she’s so talented i really admire her as an actress

6. before sunrise (1995) / dir. richard linklater ♡ 180630 ♡ this was the day my internet ultimately stopped working (for four days, if i may add) so i thought hey why not start that movie marathon i’ve been meaning to do ♡ i was excited to watch this because it’s a known pop culture reference, and also because it’s seulgi’s favorite movie ♡ it’s unique! it’s not easy to film a story that revolves around two people who’ve just met walking around in a city neither of them knows ♡ i liked this movie but it wasn’t that spectacular or anything, i think it lacks emotion and excitement ♡ but please, do not get off a train in europe with someone you’ve just met that is dangerous 

7. before sunset (2004) / dir. richard linklater ♡ 180630 ♡  i knew nothing about this so i was actually surprised to see the same actors nine years after before sunrise’s release ♡ i like this better than the first one! céline shows the emotions i was looking for ♡ it’s much simpler and easier to follow because it really is just them walking around and talking to continue the story because of the short amount of time they have together 

8. before midnight (2013) / dir. richard linklater ♡ 180630 ♡ this movie is the reason i watched the series! it was mentioned in it’s okay, that’s love so i thought i needed to watch this, and honestly, it helped me understand the characters from iotl a bit better! ♡ it ended up being my favorite film of the three ♡ it’s more complex than the first two because it introduces more characters and is set in more locations ♡ after years of watching and reading romcoms, this made me believe in love 

9. gone girl (2014) / dir. david fincher ♡ 180701 ♡ i knew nothing about this film except that there was a girl and she was missing and the plot is unexpected? ♡ i won’t say much on this because it’s amazing when you watch it without knowing anything ♡ but it is CRAZY it hecked me up so much wow ♡ will try reading the book when i can!! 10. the grand budapest hotel (2014) / dir. wes anderson ♡ 180701 ♡ my first wes anderson film (finally) ♡ bored me at first because sadly, i can’t relate to rich european men who live in hotels and have sex with elderly women ♡ but it is so much more than that! it’s funny and deals with loyalty, the war, and crap immigrants go through ♡ yes, the cinematography is unique and beautiful, but i couldn’t appreciate it much from years of seeing wes anderson stills on my social media ♡ i went into this without knowing anything about it, but i wish i’d watched the trailer beforehand because that would’ve helped me appreciate it more 11. the fault in our stars (2014) / dir. josh boone ♡ 180702 ♡ i was bored and looking through my sister’s hard drive and i thought hey why not watch sad western teen books-turned-movies i used to glorify years ago ♡ it was alright but knowing every line, song, facial expression that would come next made it worse ♡ john green’s cameo is so awkward it’s almost funny ♡ i hope i never meet an augustus waters in my life 12. if i stay (2014) / dir. r.j. cutler ♡ 180703 ♡ part 2 of sad western teen books-turned-movies i used to glorify ♡ the story is pretty good but the film itself isn’t as good as i remembered ♡ i’m still so in love with jamie blackley after four years he’s so handsome and his voice is beautiful ♡ chloe moretz’s acting is really awkward though it’s almost painful to watch ♡ it made me want to reread the sequel where she went though! 13. she’s dating the gangster (2014) / dir. cathy garcia-molina ♡ 180705 ♡ i started this with an open mind and some expectations because although i hated on it for no reason years ago, i wanted to give it a chance ♡ but i’m sorry it really is bad ♡ kenji delos reyes is manipulative and selfish i hope i never meet a guy like him 14. grave of the fireflies (1988) / dir. isao takahata ♡ 180706 ♡ two siblings in the middle of a war ♡ watched this because a friend wanted to rabbit with me! ♡ i haven’t seen a ghibli film in a while so this was refreshing ♡ really sad though :( 15. 10 things i hate about you (1999) / dir. gil hunger ♡ 180706 ♡ guy is paid to date girl lol ♡ julia stiles is so beautiful :( i love her ♡ pretty funny actually! ♡ also watched this because friends wanted to rabbit with me :> 16. i’m drunk, i love you (2017) / dir. jp habac ♡ 180707 ♡ i finally, finally watched this ♡ not gonna lie it disappointed me? so many people loved it but for me it was eh ♡ paulo avelino’s character was pretty lacking for me, i wish they’d elaborated more on him ♡ but i liked the group dynamic because they’re not the wholesome, fake happy kind of friends, seeing them interact made me feel like they’re people i really know in real life (which made me miss my own friends) ♡ even jasmine’s character felt real because she’s probably someone i’d know HAHA ♡ fun fact: i’ve listened to the song lloydy long before watching this because i mean? a song about john lloyd? sign me up 17. that thing called tadhana (2014) / dir. antoinette jadaone ♡ 180708 ♡ another film i finally watched after multiple pop culture references ♡ i actually kinda liked it! it literally has a spiel about john lloyd of course i do but it gets better when the main characters become comfortable with each other ♡ i find it interesting that the director also directed love you to the stars and back which is another film that revolves around two people, both dealing with stuff, who’d just met and decide to go on a journey together ♡ the characters also feel pretty realistic/relatable once you get to know them 18. the spectacular now (2013) / dir. james ponsoldt ♡ 180709 ♡ part 3 of sad western teen books-turned-movies i used to glorify ♡ the only reason i rewatched this was because it was the shortest of the films i had at the time and i needed something to pass the time while loading episodes of svt club ♡ i mean it’s okay? not bad not good and i don’t even like miles teller ♡ shailene woodley perfectly plays the part of the awkward oblivious girl (and that’s not a compliment) 19. the breakup playlist (2015) / dir. dan villegas ♡ 180716 ♡ this film was so refreshing to watch?? sarah portrayed a youthful musician just starting out so so well i love her so much what a great first sarah g movie for me ♡ piolo made me fall in love with him and later on hate him, as he should ♡ i love opm kaya seeing the gig scene, some actual artists like ebe dancel, and looots of covers of songs like wag na wag mong sasabihin by kitchie nadal and with a smile by eraserheads ♡ i understand now why people love paano bang magmahal HAHAHA 20. barcelona: a love untold (2016) / dir. olivia lamasan ♡ 180717 ♡ alright so remember how i absolutely hated sdtg? ♡ I LOVED THIS FILM SO. MUCH. ♡ kathniel matured a lot in two years and i think they were perfect for this!! they really showed certain struggles of young adults and did not disappoint ♡ it also shows filipino values for family, utang ng loob, ofw struggles, etc ♡ and of course the cinematography is beautiful HUHU i mean it’s barcelona!! 21. my annoying brother (2016) / dir. kwon soo-kyung ♡ 180721 ♡ honestly took me a bit to get into it  ♡ i expected it to be funny and although it did make me laugh a lot why were there tears :((( ♡ kyungsoo is so, so, so talented i admire him so much as an actor now ♡ really hits you in the feels! a really beautiful story about two brothers 22. so i married an anti-fan (2016) / dir. kim jae-young ♡ 180724 ♡ meh ♡ it took some getting used to seeing chanyeol being all snobbish and cool instead of his usual loud happy self ♡ of course it’s overdramatic for the comedy, but the hate-turned-love isn’t even that good lol it’s just unreasonable but whatever ♡ the lead girl reminds me of arci munoz HAHA 23. wonder (2017) / dir. stephen chbosky ♡ 180725 ♡ we watched this during my summer program and i was actually pretty excited because i remember loving the book! ♡ this honestly teaches you a lot not even just from the perspective of children but also as teenagers, parents, friends, etc ♡ i thoroughly enjoyed it!

chicago typewriter ep 15

tears sadness tears sadness tears, tears... tears everywhere ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ the drama's been giving us bits of the 1930s life of our trio since the start and that showed a great contrast to their present life. but for episode 15, they finally gave us a full-blown story of their youth in 1930s ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ a youth full of sadness, sacrifice, friendship, and love.. love for each other and for the country. it's so so so heartbreaking i had to pause a lot of times to stop myself from crying :-( (i still cant control my tears rn fml) here are some of my fave scenes in this episode: 1. hwiyoung crying while holding soo yeon's photo + reminiscing their moments FMLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL this scene hurts so fucking much oh my god asjflsjfsl hwiyoung was concealing his emotions right from the start so it wouldnt be a hindrance as a leader of joseon alliance youth ( thumbs up for being so tough, leader-nim!!) but i literally died when he finally broke down his walls and showed us his fragile side ㅠ he suffered so much for everyone 😭😭 gotta love yoo ah in's acting here.. he brought out the best of this character 😭 2. yul confessing he's the leader and seeing soo yeon/anastasia suffering go kyung pyo's acting is so daebak ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ yul's character is so daebak ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ in this scene i realized how much yul and hwiyoung differs.. yul lets his emotions rule his decisions while hwiyoung doesn't let his emotions control him, he gotta stay tough and focus for their organization. yul let out his emotions til the very end, sacrificing their plans just to save the woman he loves :-( i wanted to smack him so he could get into his senses.. like WHY CANT U THINK FIRST BEFORE MAKING DECISIONS!!! some of yall mightve rolled their eyes in this cliche scene of choosing the person he loves but this!!!!!!! was a powerful scene!!!!! it showcased a whole lot more about yul's character that overshadowed that of hwiyoung's (also got me thinking that maybe the reason why he wasnt reincarnated bc he chose soo hyun over joseon omg) and also the scene where he told hwiyoung that he'll give up soo yeon in the next life so he should let him save her in this time made me cry buckets ㅠㅠ i need to see more of yul's life/character 3. soo yeon's "eye acting" + scene with madame sofia oh my god literally all praises for im soo jung!!!!!! the scenes where shes telling yul to hold on, to not say hwiyoung's name, was brilliant! ㅠㅠㅠ she swayed the scenes with her acting.. ahhhhh i couldnt get over it. heo young min also said he could see everything in soo yeon's.. he was right bc im soo jung facial expression made it so convincing im asjfkslfjslfjaljdlsAHDIWLALAL - also that emo scene when madame sofia said that ofc she would chose her son over joseon who hasnt done anything for her. omg that line's one of my fave ever. it was full of emotions i had to pause for like a few minutes hahaha and when soo yeon said she treated her like a mother and she wouldnt forgive her ever..... i feel so sad like imagine how her mom (in the present life) felt when she left soo yeon bc of this tragedy :(( they need have a major get together in the last episode or else im gonna kms 4. hwiyoung confessing to soo yeon + soo yeon's "don't go" + goblin comparison -EVERYTHING IN THIS SCENE FUCKED ME UP SO BAD I HAD TO PAUSE AGAIN TO DIGEST WHATS HAPPENING. this is one of the saddest confession ever.... the writer really loves torturing the audience oh my god.. imho this is even sadder than goblin's letting go scene.. why???? because in goblin, atleast kim shin and eun tak had enough time to show their love for each other.. or had moments together before they separated. but here, OH MY GOD THEY SPENT ALL THEIR YOUTH FIGHTING FOR THEIR COUNTRY, PUTTING ASIDE THEIR FEELINGS, TO THE POINT THAT HWI YOUNG COULDNT DO ANYTHING TO SAVE SOO YEON BC JOSEON ALWAYS FUCKING COMES FIRST. HE COULDNT EVEN TOUCH SOO YEON'S HAND FOR THE LAST TIME *CRIES* AND ONE OF THEM DIED WHILE ONE LIVING IN MISERY. SOO YEON'S SCREAMING DON'T GO MADE ME LOSE ME SHIT FOR REAL ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ AND THE OST PLAYING AT THIS MOMENT HYPED UP THE EMOTIONS OF THE SCENE ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ in goblin, euntak's memory vanished when kim shin disappeared, but she still felt constant pain and she didnt know why. but here imagine soo yeon living after the tragedy, knowing the love of her life died protecting joseon, not having any assurance of meeting him again, continue living with the memories deeply buried in her heart and mind ㅠㅠㅠ i couldn't even imagine her life alone without her beloved friends ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ this is the saddest of all the saddest shit i dont want to feel again ever 5. heo young min's villian acts - yo raise your hands up if ya think kwak si yang did a fantastic job being the villian!!!! in 1930s or in the present life, hes such an effective villian to the point that everyone hated him and also pitied him. i love love loveeeeeeeeeeeee him as heo young min tho i hated his antics lmao honestly one of my fave villians rn (still nam goong min in #1 spot haha) 6. hwiyoung's death - well, save the best for the last right????? i admire how hwiyoung sticked to his principles til the every end.. and love his lines here omGGGGG (kudos to the writer ilysm 😭) no more words to describe this scene *insert millions of crying emojis* 7. se joo + jeon seol's hugging scene - in the 1930s, hwiyoung died while yul saved soo yeon. hwiyoung gave up soo yeon for joseon 😭😭 in their present lives, yul saved se joo and se joo finally saved jeon seol ㅠㅠㅠㅠ i died again when se joo told jeon seol that for this time, he finally saved her omg *insert tears* the power of their friendship is no joke... ㅠㅠㅠ ok so this went so long omg those fave scenes are basically all of the important scenes in this episode hahaha im sorry but i just need to let it out since none of my friends irl are watching this drama yet 😭 anyways, still lots of things we need to see in the finale! it bothers me that the stalker's sister got out.... im thinking thats she cooking something badass lmao. do yall think we'll shed more tears in the last episode? p.s the ost automatically plays in my head when i see/read stuff related to chicago typewriter omg ajdkaldhalfbwl p.p.s my fingers are so tired after typing this sorry for grammatical errors 😂 im so hypedddddddsd i didnt double check

Kdrama - Voice Episode 13

Some thoughts on the episode. Listed (mostly) chronological and featuring lots of Jin Hyuk and Kwon Joo. NOT spoiler-free!

They could not have chosen a better intro and quote than the one from “The Erlking”. It set the tone for the episode. What I found interesting was the fact that its colours were mirrored later on when Jin Hyuk and Kwon Joo were shown at the crime scene of his wife and her father.

I was as frustrated with and at the same time as worried about Jin Hyuk as Kwon Joo was. She understands him and his feelings but she also fears he’s letting his emotions rule him. And she’s not exactly wrong.

Loved how she didn’t give up though, decided to follow him and even risked alerting the traitor at the police station when she called Dae Shik.

BTW, traitor. Please, don’t let it be Dae Shik. Or Eun Soo. Or Hyun Ho. Though I’m getting a bad feeling about Dae Shik. 😢

I don’t have any pity for Dad Mo. In fact, if he had done something about his son, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. (Though we wouldn’t have gotten OTP Golden Team either, so... argh, I am torn.)

Geez, talk about gruesome death and all that. I’ve had enough blood and gore for years to come. 😵

The OST is to die for, especially 목소리 - 김윤아. It conveyed perfectly Jin Hyuk’s storm of emotions and Kwon Joo’s sorrow for being too late again.

Kyung Hak has started to grow on me. If the show were to go on longer, I wouldn’t be surprised if he came to Golden Time Team too. Please, don’t kill him.

Oh, Kwon Joo. I love how she tries to reassure Jin Hyuk and tells him right out that she knows that his wife was set up. You go, girl.

I knew Commissioner Bae was somehow involved but to this degree? Woah.

*sobs* If the scene of Jin Hyuk and Kwon Joo at the crime scenes of his wife and her father wasn’t the most beautiful choreographed and yet saddest scene ever. The composition of colors (his a cool blue/green and hers a warm red/yellow) mirrors their personalities and they way they cut from Jin Hyuk to Kwon Joo and back sometimes give the impression he’s seeing her/she’s seeing him. I love everything about this sad scene. 😢

Tae Gyu gets creepier with every episode. We knew he was at Kwon Joo’s home but not what he did there. Now we do and WHAT HE DID THERE WAS CREEPY AS HELL. He took a water bottle from her fridge (at least I think he did?), sat on her bed and got all blizzed out when he put his hand on her pillow. Being a stalker much? Yikes. ☠️

Also, what was that little happy dance when he found her suspect/murder board?! That’s the most emotional expression we have ever seen him show. That scared me even more than his usual cool mask. Maybe it’s just me but he seems to be even more obsessed with Kwon Joo than any of his previous victims?

Kyung Hak, you are trying to make for up your mistakes but don’t say it, don’t say it- "Dae Shik”. 😱 Also, Dae Shik. Don’t sneak up on people, it makes you look suspicious. And the phone call? Yeah, I don’t buy it was your father, Dae Shik.

It’s a real change, the way Jin Hyuk reacts to Kwon Joo’s requests to meet up with him. Before he was reluctant and annoyed, now he doesn’t even hesitate but goes straight to wherever she is. Talk about relationship evolution. 👌

Yeah, no pity for Dad Mo, not at all. He doesn’t think about the victims, he only thins about his image and what it means for his fate.

I knew Kwon Joo wouldn’t rest until she finds proof that Ji Hye was set up. Even more so that Ji Hye was uncovering what was really going on and was killed for that. It was another emotional scene. Like @attheexactlyrighttimeandplace​ put it, “[Kwon Joo] was [Jin Hyuk’s] best friend this episode and he felt it strongly“.

I know the situation is serious, Golden Time Team being disbanded, but they way Kwon Joo and Jin Hyuk react to the news is bad ass. Literally, the best “let’s go to war” look I have ever seen. And then the storming into the lion’s outer office, the “we’re here to trash this place” vibes coming off of them in waves. I love it. 👏

And then the glorious moment of entering the lion’s den as a team. And Jin Hyuk calling himself a member of the Golden Time Team. 😘

Well, and then everything went to hell because Kwon Joo knows now Tae Gyu is the killer and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next. (As a Jin Hyuk/Kwon Joo shipper, I’m echoing @attheexactlyrighttimeandplace again with the wish “to see him in all protective mode when she will in return need him”. OTP or BrOTP, they are one of my favourites. 😍)

Episode 14, bring it on.