Inspiring Generation Weekly review: Episodes 5/6

This is EXACTLY how episode 5/6 of Inspiring Generation has me feeling. Episode 6 had me standing in the middle of the floor shouting at the TV, falling to the floor and near tears. I couldn't handle it. I don't want to go into detail about either episode, I just want to say that I ship Ok Reyeon and Shin Jung Tae. Seriously I didn't like Gaya from the start. I also adore characters who love someone who doesn't always love them back. I would have been ok with Gaya if she hadn't of gone all "I will kill your father in front of you," on Shin Jung Tae.  Ok Reyeon has been the perfect friend/girlfriend/bestie who waits for Shin Jung Tae, but episode 6 seems like another change is brewing. First I am not sure if we have really reach present day. Remember on the first episode Shin Jung Tae was told to go back to Shanghai by that guy (who most KDrama fans know as the guy who helped Goo Jun Pyo out in Boys Over Flowers, sorry I am terrible with names) we see adult Shin Jung Tae begin to reminisce about young Shin Jung Tae, but I am not certain the reminiscing is over. That is really beside the point. We are only on episode 6 and I want to hurt someone, I am not sure who.... I guess I relate with Ok Reyeon as I have found myself crushing on dudes only to be easily let down. Shin Jung Tae is not letting her down easily he is throwing imaginary darts at her heart due to his inability to walk away from a fight. I don't know how this one will work itself out....and every episode adds another character and its almost confusing. I am also nervous about the Japanese/Chinese/Korean war type stuff going on as well...seems like this is the prelude to the Korean War. Also not one episode goes by where Shin Jung Tae doesn't fight. It's terrible. Parts of me wishes that Ok Reyeon can be like Oh Ha Ni from Playful Kiss

and love Shin Jung Tae even though he keeps messing up (where as Baek Seung Jo was just a jerk). Part of me also wants her to walk away. Which is why I am not sure if the flashback is truely finished. I guess it is. I don't know. But the situation that Shin Jung Tae has gotten into at the end of episode 6 could be why we see him as a loner in episode 1. I don't know. I really can theorize right now. My head could explode right now. This drama is great but it could be too much for me to handle. I am feeling the same way I felt as I watched City Hunter, which I marathon over the course of two days. Fortunately for my HEALTH Inspiring Generation is new and airing weekly, other wise I would probably faint at work for lack of rest and like high blood pressure from the extreme changes in emotions.

Things that happened in episode 5/6

Even with scars Kim Hyun Joong is gorgeous. Something about his makes him shine. Maybe he really truely is Mr. Perfect. He has the best eyes EVER!!!

Weekly Review Inspiring Generation Episode 4

AIGOO!!!! 

WOW
Inspiring Generation....

Where do I begin? I wasn't quite sure how this episode was going to keep the suspense rising and going for the viewer. Those feelings between Gaya and Jung Tae have changed drastically due to a misunderstanding that neither one of them was expecting. I will say that Jung Tae's father and Gaya's father are intertwined in some way, but I think there is so much more to the story between the fathers and the mothers who are both dead or so we think.

One thing I will give away about episode 4 (some what of a spoiler so watch out) we see Gaya and Jung Tae train for the fate of their futures. Gaya trains with the mysterious guy I call a samurai and Jung Tae trains to jump, well, trains.

This drama is amazing in that all these characters became related in some way, more complexed than that of the Lee Min Ho drama, The Heirs, and additional characters are added every episode. I can see in the end everyone will more than likely have it in for Shin Jung Tae and he will probably find an ally in an unlikely place.

I am feeling more and more sorry for Ok Reyeon as it is obvious she is someone Jung Tae loves but in that "you are like a sister to me way."

Shin Jung Tae does succeed in jumping a train only for some interesting events to occur where we see the Dobinoris save him with the help of another group in which they become indebted to them. Unfortunately Jung Tae wakes up and receives bad news.

Towards the end of the episode, and adult Gaya is now seen as well as the adult Shin Jung Tae.  I will truely miss seeing  Kwak Dong Yun. He was excellent in showing us how Shin Jung Tae developed to be the man he becomes bringing us to Kim Hyun Joong's Shin Jung Tae.

In the last scenes of episode 4 (spoiler) we see Kim Hyun Joong (fangirling over here) now Shin Jung Tae walk through a building beating men up the whole time. I couldn't help but be reminded of him as Yoon Ji Hoo in Boys Over Flowers and how he and F4 would always come to the rescue. Kim Hyun Joong can't help but to be a beautiful guy. I mean in this drama he is really trying to go for a tough guy, but we know him as the calm Yoon Ji Hoo. Its hard erasing all those flower boy thoughts away. Even though through his music he has had many identities. He certainly showed a rougher image with Breakdown and I know he was trying show a tough boy image with Unbreakable, but his pretty face makes us forget that image. We see a tough guy image, but we know he doesn't have a tough guy heart. This is true for Shin Jung Tae and his heart will lead him to trouble.

I am excited to see Kim Hyun Joong in more action scenes and I am excited to see more of his acting as well. I am interested to see the characters unfold as revenge and love are both apparent in this drama. I really wonder in the end will this be anything like City Hunter.

Inspiring Generation Review Episode 3

How can I begin with this first installment of this week’s Inspiring Generation review? Hmmm? How about….

 OMG!!! OMG!!! OMG!!! 

Kwak Dong Yun is really bringing Shin Jung Tae to life for us. Or am I just falling in love with him? Looks like we are dealing with the Type B Male Lead here.  (I will discuss the difference between Male Lead type A and type B later). He is so sweet and caring that he could almost be killed from it. He wears his heart on his sleeve, but that might all change, because when we first met Kim Hyun Joong’s, Jung Tae, he was quiet and mysterious, he didn’t seem very nice at all. 

(Memories of Baek Seung Jo appear…Playful Kiss is another blog post for another day  *sighs*) 

Episode 3 shows us that things are slowly changing for Jung Tae as he is getting in deep with the Dobinori Gang and showing feelings for Gaya (poor Ok Reyeon).

Jealousy is everywhere.  (**Spoiler ALERT**) Ok Reyeon sees Deguchi Gaya kiss Shin Jung Tae on the cheek; there should be some rivalry there, but after I saw the ending of episode 3, I am not sure what could happen with these two. The rivalry could be um…deadly. At first I was a little confused about which of the ladies are the lead. I am not sure if this drama is going to be as cookie cutter as some of the previous drama’s we have watched such as “The Heirs” where we know who the male lead is and the second male lead so therefore we already know who will get the girl and who won’t, but with Inspiring Generation and the twist we see at the end, I am not sure how all this will work out, but now I see how Gaya (*Spoiler Alert**) becomes  Shin Jung Tae’s enemy. What is obvious according to all things Korean Drama, Shin Jung Tae will pretty much love Gaya and Ok Reyeon is probably forever the yeodongsaeng  (friend zone little sister also known as forever alone). But this is just a prediction.  Honestly I am confused about this love triangle.  

It also appears that there will be some clashing with in the Dobinori as one character seems to “feel some type of way”(also known as jealousy) about Shin Jung Tae and the attention given to him by the other Dobinori. There is also Do Ggoo from the other gang who has the thirst for revenge on Jung Tae as well.

Episode 3 also shows us a lot of the fathers’ backstory both Jung Tae and Gaya’s as they were once comrades. (Can someone say City Hunter? Remember that that plot twist, of course that is another one for another day, so much drama so little time!) 

I thought episode 2 hooked me, but episode 3 succeeded in making me an official fan. After the episode I said out loud to myself: “Ooooo, it hurts inside. Ooooo it hurts inside.” Meaning there were too many “feelz” and I almost couldn’t handle it. Love that turns into ugly revenge. Fathers, sons. Fathers, Daughters. A sick sister. A gang of smugglers. The chance of dying to jump a train. Random samurai killing folks. That one guy with that one weird eye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 It’s all so much!!!! 

 I tell you what I really can’t handle is waiting for 10 o’clock in Korea so it can air there so then Viki gets it and gets it translated so I can then watch it!!!! 

  Can’t wait to see Kim Hyun Jung return as Shin Jung Tae!!! 

Inspiring Generation!!!! Hwaiting!!!! Fighting!!!! 

Did he make that jump? Check of the video and go watch this drama!!! 

Weekly Review: Inspiring Generation

Drama: 감격시대  Inspiring Age, Generation of Youth, Inspiring Generation: The Birth of the God of Battle, Age of Feelings

Genre: Period, Action,  Romance, Thrillers (Gangsters/fighting)

Air date: January 15,  2014

24 episodes

Where to watch: http://www.viki.com/tv/20024c-inspiring-generation-age-of-feeling

Kim Hyun Joong 2009, 2010, 2014

For all of Kim Hyun Joong’s  fangirls, the wait is over; his 4 year hiatus from drama is over. He is back on the small screen with this Action/Period piece, Inspiring Generation. More than likely I will spotlight Kim Hyun Joong as he is well known for being the calm, quiet, voice of reason, Ji Hoo in Boys Over Flowers and the mean and indifferent Baek Seung Jo from Playful Kiss, so he has had quite an influence on K-Drama not to mention K-pop as he was in the group SS501 and has had a great solo career.  For this drama he shed his Flower Boy appearance, buffed up and is showing us a new tough body image.

With just two episodes one can already see that there will be many plot twists and turns, not to mention character entanglement. 

Not a Flower Boy anymore

We first meet Shin Jung Tae (Kim Hyun Joong) as in adult in a fight that appears to be one sided. A massive fighter yells to Jung Tae, “il-eona!” (Get up!). This is when we see the fighting spirit that is in Jung Tae. We soon find out that Jung Tae actually throws the fight. He is told he must go back to Shanghai and with that the back story ensues, where we meet the young Jung Tae (Kwak Dong Yeon) and learned that even as a young man he is fearless. Working hard, earning little by little to pay for Cheng Ah’s (his sister) medicine and take care of her other medical expenses.  This is Jung Tae’s only goal at the time. We also see that Jung Tae and Cheng Ah have been abandoned by their father and their mother is dead. More on that will be revealed as the story evolves. With his friend Jjang Ddol (young) (Kim Dong Hee)  and Ok Ryeon (young) (Ji Woo)  (the girl who loves Jung Tae, but he keeps her in the friend zone) the four stay smiling while dealing with their issues. Jung Tae also meets (young) Dekuchi Gaya (Joo Da Young) a young girl who has gotten herself involved in smuggling to earn money.  She is in a very similar situation to Shin Jung Tae. It appears that Jung Tae may also like Gaya. Unfortunately due to naivety, money Jung Tae had saved was swindled in a scheme.  Fearlessly he goes to the gang (Dobinories/Smugglers) and demands his money be given back to him. Episode 1 ends with Jjang Ddol finding a bloody Jung Tae at the feet of the gangsters pleading with them telling his story about how he earned the swindled money. 

Kwak Dong Yeon

Now to be honest I wasn’t completely impressed at this point. I enjoyed the show, and I could follow along. I saw that there was something interesting going on but I was a little bored.

But...

Episode 2 sold me (without Kim Hyun Joong’s star power). In this episode we find out that the dobinori gangsters have taken Jung Tae and Jjang Ddol under their wings as it was found that there was a case of mistaken identity and someone else had taken the money. Additional characters mean additional sub-plots. There is also hard evidence that this is indeed the beginning of a love triangle between Gaya, Jung Tae, and Ok Reyeon. We also discover there is a rival gang to the Dobinori. On top of all that, there is a mysterious guy around, who saves Gaya in an epic martial arts fight scene where he says the coolest lines to a scared Gaya, who has her assailant’s blood running down her face between her eyes down her nose.

 “You probably wanted to run. You had enough time, but your feet probably didn’t move. That is fear. From now on, you will live under unimaginable fear. You have to be victorious over them all. That way you can live. Live so you can take revenge.” 

One thing that no one can deny is that the show is beautiful. The money put in for costumes, and sets were well worth it. Those who love period dramas would love this one.  So far I’ve learned about Korean Geishas in Shanghai which is a mix of three different cultures. Personally I was excited about this drama when I saw it was based on the 1930’s. I knew that meant there would be gangsters. I know that it is sort of different as I am a female who should like romantic/melodrama, but my favorite genres are gangster flicks and ninja/martial art films (with romantic sub-plots). So Inspiring Generation is right up my alley, of course I am bias as I also love Kim Hyun Joong. 

After episode 2 I am quite impressed with Kwak Dong Yeon. Of course I can’t wait for Kim Hyun Joong to return as the adult Shin Jung Tae. I am not sure if his regular fangirls will be able to handle him in this role but, many have already put out the word all over the dramasphere. This drama is perfect for men. If you have a boyfriend, husband, brother, father, grandfather, or that guy you friend zoned, grab them to go with you on the journey. I am sure they will enjoy this drama. It could possibly be just what they need to them started with K-Dramas. 

Stay tuned for updates about this drama next week. You can watch this one on: http://www.viki.com/tv/20024c-inspiring-generation-age-of-feeling In the meantime, tell me what you think of this drama? Are you a girl who loves gangsters or martial arts? What do you think of Kim Hyun Joong’s transformation?