tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post2246198301387776420..comments2024-03-28T13:54:32.155-04:00Comments on Outside Seoul: Drama Review: Spring Waltz (2006)Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18062557298628072047noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-54822475719917711762017-06-27T18:59:03.060-04:002017-06-27T18:59:03.060-04:00Watching Spring Waltz again 06-27-2017 at 3:58 PM
...Watching Spring Waltz again 06-27-2017 at 3:58 PM<br />\... still love it... <br /> indzportzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708598369008588114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-62908984623633223102012-07-26T23:14:21.264-04:002012-07-26T23:14:21.264-04:00OMG!! Okay so Que Sera, Sera is definitely my kind...OMG!! Okay so Que Sera, Sera is definitely my kind of crack. I am on episode 6 and am officially obsessed with it!! It is so freaking good!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-31886809508286105682012-07-26T12:55:46.264-04:002012-07-26T12:55:46.264-04:00None of the Hong sisters' dramas have really r...None of the Hong sisters' dramas have really rocked my wold—I liked You're Beautiful and Greatest Love a lot, and enjoyed Gumiho. But I still expected better from them when it came to Big. How could they have wasted what really might have been a great story and what was definitely a great cast? I still haven't watched the last two episodes, and am not looking forward to them :b<br /><br />I'll be interested to hear what you think of Que Sera Sera, Julie. It's not at all the standard Kdrama romance, but there's something really compelling about it. And that Eric grew on me a lot...Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18062557298628072047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-51576413536221223292012-07-26T12:47:47.072-04:002012-07-26T12:47:47.072-04:00It's funny to see American culture filtered in...It's funny to see American culture filtered into Kdramas—in its homeland, Love Story was completely forgotten about 2 years after the movie left theaters. And yet it still seems to come up all the time in dramas, as do random musical references like the X-files and Terminator theme songs. <br /><br />One of my movie geek friends was discussing Leon the other day, and literally the only reason I'd heard of it was because it came up in Who Are You =X I didn't admit this, so he now thinks I'm smart and well-informed instead of freakishly obsessed with Asian television. Go me.Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18062557298628072047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-64211605766262790892012-07-26T12:42:50.676-04:002012-07-26T12:42:50.676-04:00I loved Gumiho just because I loved Gu Mi Ho's...I loved Gumiho just because I loved Gu Mi Ho's character so much and I love Lee Seung Gi in all his adorable nerdiness, but every other Hong sisters drama has been terribly disappointing for me, and Big was the worst disappointment of them all. I am swearing them off for good now.<br /><br />Amanda, I looked at your top 10 and decided to start watching Que Sera, Sera while I am waiting (for a painful 2 weeks) for the last 2 episodes of A Gentleman's Dignity to air. I only watched the first episode yesterday, but I like it so far. I didn't realize Jung Yoo Mi was in it. I've seen her in The Crucible and Rooftop Prince and she was great in both of those!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-39610292525735231732012-07-25T20:32:50.076-04:002012-07-25T20:32:50.076-04:00That's one reaseon I love it too. There are ju...That's one reaseon I love it too. There are just some things I'll never be able to understand. Things like the kdrama overlords' apparent love for the movie Love Story and the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Both of the have been mentioned or featured in numerous dramas and I have to say that I'm disappointed in the overlords' taste. If I hear that song or that stupid line from Love Story (you know the one) one more time, I might hurl. They are also enamoured with the movie Leon (or The Professional), but I find that one acceptable.Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-50105415347322710052012-07-25T20:21:56.428-04:002012-07-25T20:21:56.428-04:00I'm kinda glad I never even started watching B...I'm kinda glad I never even started watching Big. The Hong sisters have let me down too many times for me to get really excited by one of their projects, though I did love Best Love. I know a lot of people didn't like the Dokko Jin character, but I loved him. He wasn't nearly as wacky as people talk about. Compared to many characters in kdramas he seemed almost normal to me. But maybe that's just me.Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-68109213406730018362012-07-25T18:54:11.885-04:002012-07-25T18:54:11.885-04:00LOL...asshole/doormat status seems to be decided b...LOL...asshole/doormat status seems to be decided based on age/gender/rank, I think. Which is why characters like Sam Soon from My Lovely Sam Soon are so great. She's an equal opportunity asshole, as I myself aspire to be ;)<br /><br />I still don't get why the uniforms are necessary at the saunas. What's wrong with people sweating in their own shorts and t-shirts? <br /><br />This sort of stuff is half the reason why I love Kdrama so much...down to the most basic things, it's a whole new world to discover.Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18062557298628072047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-51153701925143885432012-07-25T18:46:36.657-04:002012-07-25T18:46:36.657-04:00I'm going to hold off watching Big until this ...I'm going to hold off watching Big until this weekend, I think. It's such a pity that it imploded--they had great materials but just lost their way by around episode 7. If only the Hong sisters had let us critique the script, this never would have happened ;)<br /><br />I'm glad you liked the end of Spring Waltz. It could not possibly be more different than all the other Endless Love endings, which are like a catalogue of awful things. Hooray for wedded bliss, Kdrama style!Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18062557298628072047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-86029254808386439242012-07-25T17:43:55.306-04:002012-07-25T17:43:55.306-04:00I just watched the last episode of Spring Waltz!! ...I just watched the last episode of Spring Waltz!! You were right, it had such a wonderfully happy ending!! So sweet and adorable :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-57633838073209414312012-07-25T15:16:16.921-04:002012-07-25T15:16:16.921-04:00LOL...a homeless shelter where you have to wear un...LOL...a homeless shelter where you have to wear uniforms! I nearly spit my drink all over my monitor. :)Getting the in-jokes is great, though there are many that go over my head. <br /><br />I just hope one of these days I can figure out why people get mad in certain situations and not in others (when I think they should). Watching White Tower right now and was again scratching my head at someone's anger that seemed uncalled for and other people's failure to be angry when the situation warranted it. How do they sort out who gets to be the asshole and who gets to be the doormat?Donnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-31514086567611185232012-07-25T14:21:34.373-04:002012-07-25T14:21:34.373-04:00Ha ha ha!! I thought it was weird when I first sa...Ha ha ha!! I thought it was weird when I first saw a sauna scene too. I am loud and proud about my kdrama addiction, whether I should be or not, it's who I am lol.<br /><br />OMG!! The ending of Big was awful, it was happy, but it was slow and left a million things unanswered and I have another huge gripe, but I don't want to spoil it if you haven't watched it yet so I will wait to complain further until I know you guys have seen it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-15143639734765708402012-07-25T12:58:15.453-04:002012-07-25T12:58:15.453-04:00Getting the Kpop in-jokes is an awesome thing! (If...Getting the Kpop in-jokes is an awesome thing! (If you're comfortable with drama addiction, anyway.) The other day the perfect example of how far I've come occurred to me: Shining Inheritance was the third or fourth drama I watched, and when the lead and her brother went to stay at the sauna my interpretation was that it was a Korean homeless shelter where they forced people to wear uniforms ;) How uninformed I was back in the old days...Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18062557298628072047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-31735562933299616822012-07-25T12:51:18.550-04:002012-07-25T12:51:18.550-04:00I felt the same way about Autumn in My Heart...par...I felt the same way about Autumn in My Heart...partially, I think, because for once the child actors were genuinely good. That drama's setup was sad in an interesting way, too, while the finale was just like any other disease-of-the-week ending. Also, the fact that the couple had this totally sexless love (for lack of a better phrase) really turned me off. It was supposed to be sweet and courtly, but it just felt cold and disingenuous, so I had kind of checked out of their relationship by the time the tragic ending got really tragic. (How could the female lead's first conclusion after visiting the doctor not be "Well, I better shag that oppa of mine rotten while I can"?)<br /><br />I also liked Winter Sonata better, but thought it was less emotionally powerful. It was so plotty that you were whisked right through all the sadness.<br /><br />I love a good tear-jerker now and then, too. The Kdrama that made me cry the most was probably Who Are You?. Even though it was mostly played for laughs, the whole dead dad thing was too much for me.Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18062557298628072047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-46771694922245147862012-07-24T15:59:39.418-04:002012-07-24T15:59:39.418-04:00I just laughed SOO hard when I read your nutshell ...I just laughed SOO hard when I read your nutshell summary of the other endless love dramas. Yeah I think that definitely makes up my mind for sure, I know I cannot sit through that lol.<br /><br />I had read that AGD may be postponed, but then I never found anything definite after that so I wasn't sure. I'll search again and see if I find anything. It will suck if that is the case for sure, but alas I will survive by watching other dramas in the meantime ha ha. They better not screw up the ending or I will be heartbroken!! But they haven't disappointed me yet, so I think it will be okay. Stinks that I will probably have to wait 2 weeks to find out... One thing I know you will appreciate when you watch it because I've heard you mention it before, is there are a ton of kpop-culture jokes and cameos that a few months ago I wouldn't have picked up on, but now am familiar enough with all of it that I can understand and appreciate them. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing lol.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-55908238758844967262012-07-24T13:59:49.828-04:002012-07-24T13:59:49.828-04:00Hehe. I do admit that when a drama's well done...Hehe. I do admit that when a drama's well done, it can definitely be worth the kind of melodrama that makes me cry for about 5 hours non-stop. That was me during the first 5 episodes of Autumn in My Heart. Unfortunately, by episode 6 I ran out of tears so by the end I had nothing left and just wished it would end already. Strangely enough, I liked Winter Sonata more, but I never shed a tear - maybe it was because Choi Ji Woo did all the sad/miserable faces for me.. <br /><br />Per yor comment below, it definitely takes a sadist to get through these - I might take your suggestion on Summer Scent, just to say I tried. The funny thing is though, I really like crying through some dramas - I always want to find something else that is completely cry-worthy. I know I'm weird. I just really get in the mood for a cry fest somedays, only it's so hard to find something that good and that deep emotionally! I haven't cried so much since Autumn in My Heart, and when I finished the second season of Doctor Who. I want to be that sad again!! (I'll take all suggestions - but apparently not every 'tearjerker' show is that awesome. :(Saranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-64373450205700835912012-07-24T13:05:19.921-04:002012-07-24T13:05:19.921-04:00Oh...and did you hear Gentleman's Dignity got ...Oh...and did you hear Gentleman's Dignity got pre-empted by the Olympics? The finale is put off for two weeks, I think. (Eeek! I'm looking forward to watching this, but am glad I didn't start, now.)Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18062557298628072047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-45506974490371091982012-07-24T12:51:41.521-04:002012-07-24T12:51:41.521-04:00LOL. The whole of Spring Waltz is giggle-worthy, r...LOL. The whole of Spring Waltz is giggle-worthy, really. And yet, I loved every minute.<br /><br />Compared to the rest of the Endless Love dramas, this is a walk in the romantic-comedy park ;) The others are insanely over the top and full of awfulness of all kinds. Which is not to say that I didn't enjoy them...but it definitely takes a special kind of sadist to sit through them. Here's all you need to know about this series, in a nutshell: babies were switched at the hospital, there were three different cases of amnesia, like ten car accidents, two attempted rapes, multiple sets of (sort-of) siblings falling in love, evil parents, suicidal ex-girlfriends, and one female lead who just happens to have been implanted with the dead girlfriend's heart (and then pretends to be dead).<br /><br />Good luck with the last five episodes—you'll recognize a lot of the plot twists if you make it through, because they've been used to death ever since. If you can't take it, just skip to the last episode, which at least has a lovely ending :)Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18062557298628072047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-49789200053798486382012-07-24T12:32:47.777-04:002012-07-24T12:32:47.777-04:00I know you're also a fan of things with a dark...I know you're also a fan of things with a darker, melodramatic bite, so you might really love Spring Waltz. Then again, you might hate it—it was definitely tailored for the Boys over Flowers pleasure center of the brain.<br /><br />I think Summer Scent was a case of the production team suddenly having tons of money after Winter Sonata was such a big hit, and then blowing it all on fancy cameras and locations instead of focusing on getting a script together. Maybe you could do an abbreviated viewing—the first three episodes and the last one are probably all anyone really needs to see. And then you could still say you watched them all in order ;)Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18062557298628072047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-31683091758018657972012-07-24T11:04:08.580-04:002012-07-24T11:04:08.580-04:00I don't think I can sit through the other Endl...I don't think I can sit through the other Endless Love dramas. I know myself, and I am enjoying Spring Waltz, but it is right at the threshold of the amount of overly serious melodrama I can handle, so if the other ones are worse I won't be able to tolerate them. But I am glad I am at least watching this one, I should probably finish within the next two days or so. I have been unusually busy and haven't finished as fast as I normally might (I have also been watching 3 dramas at once because 2 are currently airing.<br /><br />I agree with you that Eun Young is actually a capable and competent and not annoyingly ditzy and spineless female lead. Jae Ha is also a really interesting lead. I nicknamed him Dracula because he is all brrody and mysterious and he is always playing the piano in a minor key in a dark room, and in some scenes the room has even been lit with candles. It makes me giggle every time I see it lol. But despite his broodiness he also has a ridiculously infectious smile, so his softer side is very enjoyable too. So for me both of the leads are interesting. That is part of what makes the show enjoyable for me despite the fact that it is a little more serious than what I normally watch. After reading your comment about the last 5 episodes I am bracing myself, because that's about where I'm at right now. I'm on 14 I think. I may end up having to skip a little if it gets too bad, but so far the back and forth drama hasn't been too awful so I am holding my breath.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4952798172649226841.post-47735946400765790272012-07-24T10:27:44.938-04:002012-07-24T10:27:44.938-04:00Well, Amanda - you place me in a bind.. because yo...Well, Amanda - you place me in a bind.. because you see, now I reallllllly want to watch this... but I promised myself months ago to watch all the Endless Love drams in order, and I just can't stomach the idea of trying to deal with Summer Scent anytime soon. What to do!? (Favorite translation of "Oh-to-kay?!?!?! Oh-to-kay?!?" *Insert whiny Korean girl voice here*)<br /><br />I think that was just a pointless exercise of me trying to say: I'll probably start Spring Waltz sometime this week. :)Saranoreply@blogger.com