Shin Jung Tae is VERY Popular!!! Episode 8

First I would like to say that I apologize to those who read/follow my blog and check for updates. Between not knowing how to put the awesomeness that is Kim Hyun Joong into words,  watching two other dramas at the same time AND having to work... getting this post going was difficult.

BUT 

Episode 8 was great and once again even with the short scene time of Kim Hyun Joong, I fall in love with him more and more each episode.

It's his eyes. 

It seems like Shin Jung Tae has become very popular among those who are both allies and enemies. Its seems like everyone was saying: Shin Jung Tae.

SPOILER...if you haven't seen episode 8 don't read any further**** Heads Up!!!

Did Poong Cha  kill Dobi leader Hwang Bong Shik?

It looks like this is a huge turning point. Shin Jung Tae kicks Shinjyo's butt, sort of... Shinjyo tries to come at Jung Tae without the sword but once Jung Tae gets it together he gets him pretty good. Unfortunately Shinjyo's swords gets Jung Tae.

Poong Cha comes to collect Jung Tae who was lying on the ground seemingly life less. SPOILER!!!! Poong Cha dies lying on Jung Tae. The scene brought tears to my eyes.

The Show ends with Mo Il-hwa coming to collect Shin Jung Tae. The last scene is Mo about to fight Gaya.

HOW ABOUT I AM JUST REALIZING THAT MO IL HWA IS PLAYED BY SONG JAE RIM OMG OMG OMG HELLO...He was only one of Cha Chi Soo's hot besties in Flower Boy Ramen Shop, AND he was the King's RIGHT HAND MAN in The Moon Embracing the Sun!!!!

 Guess I couldn't tell because of the haircut. I am so mad at myself for not realizing this... I see that he also must be in Two Weeks which is another drama I MUST WATCH!!!

BACK TO INSPIRING GENERATION....

I think my thoughts from a previous blog were correct. I was thinking that although we see adult Jung Tae, we still aren't caught up to where he was on episode one. We are still in back story. BUT I think that after episode 9 it will brings us to the present (well not our present but Jung Tae's present)

**** SPOILER****
What about Ok Reyeon? Who did she accidentally kill?  Well I guess Wednesday we will have our answers!!!


OH an anyone in love with Second Male Lead yet???

If not let me help you out:

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!!! 

Actor Spotlight: Jung Il Woo

Jung Il Woo

As I mentioned before Flower Boy Ramen Shop (2011)  is the K-Drama that changed my life and made me the K-Drama Fan that I

Charismatic Cha Chi Soo

am today. Much of that has to do with the Male Lead Character, Cha Chi Soo, played by Jung Il Woo. Cha Chi Soo was the average male lead. (You will soon learn if you haven't already that the male lead is usually a charming jerk, that is insensitive to the others around him, but in the end is actually a sweet guy who was just ignorant of things due to the sheltered lifestyle of the rich).  I guess because I saw that Cha Chi Soo, was ignorant of his feelings as in he didn't know that it was love that he felt and he had no idea how to handle it which led to hilarious antics between him and Eun Bi. I loved his acting so much I wanted to see him in more. That is when I found Moon Embracing the Sun (2012), although this time he had the role of the second male lead and worse the 2nd son (by another woman), Prince Yang Myung (a double whammy in the Korean Drama world as far as the fate of the character) the show only added to my love for K-Drama. I will discuss The Moon Embracing the Sun thoroughly soon.

Although Flower Boy Ramen Shop and The Moon Embracing the Sun were top shows it was Jung Il
Woo's breakthrough role as the "scheduler" in the 2011 Drama 49 Days that really  proved he would be ready for his role as Cha Chi Soo and later his role as Prince Yang Myung. As the scheduler he was a modernized grim reaper who would help a young woman who was in a limbo of life and death, but wanted
to live and had 49 Days to do so in her outer body state.

In just two years Jung, excelled at portraying 3 very different characters, which shows his skill as an actor. What is similar about all of his roles is that each character has some comical aspect as it seems he is the guy who is always trying to find the light at the end of the tunnel.

He is able to be funny in one instance, then serious in another, all the while his eyes are so expressive. 

Aside from the dramas mentioned Jung Il Woo has be in many other dramas such as, Unstoppable High Kick, The Return of Iljimae, My Fair Lady, and was also in the movie My Love.

In addition to his bringing his characters to life Jung Il Woo also has had songs on the OST (Original Soundtracks) of the drama's 49 Days and Flower Boy Ramen Shop. 

Currently Jung Il Woo is in the drama Golden Rainbow alongside K-Pop and K-Drama star Uee.

For more about Jung Il Woo check out these articles:
http://www.kdramastars.com/articles/13997/20140108/jung-il-woo-transforms-as-filming-director.htm 

http://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/71789/20140103/jung-il-woo-90-servings-of-rice-cake-soup-on-new-years-for-golden-rainbow-staff-team.htm

 http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/news/golden-rainbow-jung-il-woo-becomes-an-ice-062525712.html


Do you love Jung Il Woo? Why is he your favorite actor? Which is your favorite character? Are you watching Golden Rainbow? Which of Jung Il Woo's dramas do you want to try? Let me know what you think!

Korean Drama Themes: The Flower Boys

Ultimate Flower Boys

 "kkonminam" or The Flower Boy has become a staple to Korean Drama. He is good looking, rich, arrogant, metro-sexual, tough, tall, slim, snobby, and did I mention good looking? I mean he is what I call a pretty man. The funny thing is up until I found Korean Dramas I had always liked the appearance of a good-looking guy with lots of muscles. I was the girl that liked the big football player type with a beard who was more like a bear than a flower. After Korean Dramas my tastes fell for the flower boy. It actually made me feel funny about myself as these flower boys are pretty like women. (As in prettier than me).  Although there have been many flower boy icons the best examples are the beloved F4 from Boys Over Flowers. Now I don't want to go into detail about Boys Over Flowers right now, but these guys are the ultimate example of the flower boy. Unfortunately this wasn't my first drama, but I am glad it wasn't because I would probably have more issues than I do now as this show was amazing. These guys are rich, drive NICE cars, will also kick someone's a$$ if they have to and,  they do what they want and are all in high school. I didn't know any flower boys in high school, but let's get back to my previous comment: they are pretty like women. When I talk to non-drama fans about K-Drama, I usually show them the picture above as an example of flower boys and they usually point to my bias, Kim Hyun Joong (if you aren't familiar he's the one with the auburn hair) and they say: "That's a boy?!?!" and I usually say: "Yeah isn't he gorgeous?" LOL!!! He is quite gorgeous. I was looking at pictures of Kim Hyun Joong from a few years ago and I said out loud: "He's a pretty man." 

He's pretty and that's hot!

I tell you what I don't know if its the fashion (as I would wear that fur collared coat Lee Min Ho has on) or the hair (I love the auburn on Kim Hyun Joong and I love the curls on Lee Min Ho) or if its that they are rich (when I say they own the school I mean they literally own the school) all I know is that I could just "eat them up." I laugh at myself because in America we don't really appreciate a pretty man. We have good looking guys, for instance back in his Romeo and Juliet days, Leonardo Dicaprio would have been called a flower boy, and back in the day George Clooney had women pining over his good looks (I never got it). Today there are the big stars of Twilight, Robert Pattinson

Channing Tatum

and Taylor Lautner.  Channing Tatum is good looking, but his body is not like that of a flower...boy, but then again there is Song Seung Heon and he has nice body and pretty face. Wait what was I talking about...oh yeah but in America we

Song Seung Heon

want our men to be tough guys and roughed, even the pretty ones, being pretty is ok, but being effeminate is a no- no and although the flower boys of Korea are tough guys at times, they have many effeminate tendencies that make some people raise an eyebrow. Like there is a scene in Boys Over Flowers where we see Goo Joon Pyo (Lee Min Ho) get his hair curled. Now I mean the reality is how else would he have those beautiful curls, but in America beauty rituals are for girls. According to a few article Korean men weren't always in to the flower boy trend, but now days, having good skin and a nice appearance is good for... well... business. So just as women the men have beauty rituals and they wear make-up. (Korea is the male make up capital of the world apparently)

Lee Min Ho sponsors make-up products

Being American and knowing our views on such ideas I always felt slightly odd for being attracted to these pretty Korean men, but I am sorry, I am going to have step over the silly ideas of society and go with the flower boy. I have always liked a pretty face anyway. And if that pretty face comes with random trips to the Jeju Islands than all the more merrier. For more flower boys watch, The Flower Boy Next Door, Boys Over Flowers, The Heirs, Flower Boy Ramen Shop, Pretty Man, Nail Shop In Paris. For more Song Seung Heon check out: When A Man Loves and My Princess.

Check out F4 in this fan made video 

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For More on flower boys check out these articles:
25 Ultimate Flower Boys  
http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/blogs/okpop/understanding-lure-flower-boys-050944369.html
 http://www.kdramastars.com/articles/10210/20130820/seven-prettiest-flower-boy-actors.htm
 http://mydramalist.com/article/2013/04/19/the-origin-of-the-flower-boy-trend#.Ut1EF7ROnIU
 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2204587/The-flower-boys-South-Korea-spend-beauty-products-men-world.html

What do you think about men being "pretty"? What do you think of men using make-up? Would you want to date a flower boy (yes probably)?  Who is your Flower Boy bias?