SeoulFire

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

I’m baaaaaacccckkk!! No really. I’m back.

Did you miss me? ‘Cuz I missed you guys. A LOT. Apparently, not enough to actually post anything but, just so you know, in the back of my mind, I was thinking of all of you. I have noticed that some of you are new to the BBF world and I’d like to say, “Welcome!”. I’d also like to say, “Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.”

Warning: May cause emotional instability and the need to sing songs about "Paaarrraadiiiise"!!

If I’ve scared you with the previous sentence, then I do apologize, but I just thought you should know. Be prepared for not only the eventual addiction that borders obsession, but serious nail biting cliffhangers, shameless product placement, unrealistic plots, and unhealthy amounts of time on Soompi. Because just like “Grease”, BBF is not just a word…it’s a feeling/motion. Although, to be fair, that’s what we sign up for when we enter the world of KDramas. It’s a blessing and a curse.

Where have I been? Wait...where have I been?

I guess there’s one question on everyone’s mind…..Where the heck have I been?! It seems like we go through this a lot, don’t we? I hate to disappoint, but I have no good excuses. Unemployment has brought many things into my life, but mostly severe laziness. While the job hunt is an ongoing endeavor it’s truly mind boggling to have the chance to sit for longer than 10 minutes and realize what it feels like to, you know, relax. It’s the best drug out there if you ask me.

In my working days, most things I had trouble doing because I either had no time, no energy, or both. That included adequate maintenance of SeoulFire. I think you’ll be happy to know I’ve found a good balance as to where I want to put my priorities and I think SeoulFire will be the better for it. I am helping on other sites but the workload is manageable so that shouldn’t have too much of an effect on posting here. I am continuing the Korean classes on Edufire and so far, so good. I say that with full knowledge that my tutor is probably mortified at my abhorrent pronunciation but positivity IS the key. More importantly I’ve had a blissful opportunity to watch the dramas that have been piling up on my harddrives for months. My recommendations from the past few weeks?

Kekkon Dekinai Otoko aka The Man That Can’t Get Married (JDrama): You might have heard this title recently in  various K-news outlets. That’s because KBS will be broadcasting a Korean remake of this series which will feature Kim So-eun (half of BBF’s SoEul couple). As always, I suggest you check out the original before watching the Korean version. The show itself is a further testament that love can happen at any age and to anyone.

F-rated title; A-rated series

Proposal Daisakusen aka Operation Love (JDrama): I mostly watched this one because I have an unexplainable love for Yamashita Tomohisa. I eventually realized the series itself was pretty darn good. If there was ever a JDrama to get the Korean revamp it’s this one. Strong writing, actors with good timing, and a fairy that lives in a church. What more could you ask for?

This is one of those "You just had to be there" moments

It Started With a Kiss (TWDrama): Ok. Before you scream at me for my extreme lateness in watching this great drama let me explain. I started this many moons ago but by episode six I was so sick of Xiang Qin’s constant pursuit of Zhi Shu as he continued to ignore her that I couldn’t take it anymore. If there’s one thing I HATE is to see a woman chase after a man. After hearing such great reviews about this series I decided to give it another shot. I’m happy to say it was very funny and annoyingly charming. It has cemented my ArJoe love (that’s Ariel Lin and Joe Cheng, the main actors and most popular “drama couple” in TWDramas, for good reason). I just started watching it’s sequel, “They Kiss Again”. The general rule is that sequels have a tendency to suck and this one is, unfortunately, not an exception. I won’t say it’s horrible and I love the fact that their story continues (Because I LOVE epilogues, remember?), but their not so subtle attempt to deliver all the cuteness and chemistry they unknowingly displayed in the first installment makes it feel forced. The beauty of “It Started With A Kiss” was that the cast actually liked each other and it showed. It still shows in the second installment but something like that doesn’t have to be forced. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Shining Inheritance (KDrama): I had every intention to ignore this series. The posters for the show 

did catch my attention with their neutral color scheme and beautiful people. Then I realized one of those “beautiful people” was Lee Seung Ki. I can’t say that I have a huge problem with Lee Seung Ki (I still think he’s adorable) and I know he tends to be the tween/ahjumma favorite but being the “1 Night 2 Days” fan that I am I’ve found that there was always something that rubbed me the wrong way about him. I feel like he holds back the fact that he’s this anal, difficult, overachieving B-rated personality in order to present this cute, bashful, slightly air headed Kang Ho Dong sidekick on the show. I could be wrong. I could be slightly blinded by my partiality to MC Mong. You know you have a favorite member too! Although, this show slightly alludes “Que Sera Sera”, a personal favorite of mine, and that basically clenched my decision in what series I would follow next. So far the drama delivers the, well, drama. KDramas are like alcohol; sometimes you need something fruity poured in a pretty glass you can take home at the end of the night, sometimes you need something that goes down smooth but still has that occasional kick, and sometimes you need a straight shot of, ” Hey, where’s that stuff I had when I found out my boyfriend of three years cheated on me with my best friend?” This show could be considered the latter. 

SuJu and milagirll come together to say, "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry......."

So, basically: Sorry for my inexcusable absence. SeoulFire will now be following “Shining Inheritance”. Sorry for abandoning “Cinderella Man”. I think the general rule will be I’ll just surprise you guys with any future SeoulFire features. Not because I’m trying to be mysterious, but because it cuts down on the feelings of commitment I am so afraid of. Plus, I am all about surprises, don’t you agree? Ok, just nod your head and agree with me.   

Also, if you’re wondering whatever happened to “Cinderella Man” well…..to sum it up…..**YAWN** I did follow it for the first few episodes but KSW was basically playing two characters that were a combination of every character he’s ever played. I’m sure fans of SNSD were rejoicing as Yoon Ah plays opposite KSW as his love interest. I hate to say it but it just wasn’t enough to keep me hanging on. Particularly for the fact that seeing her reminds me of the ridiculous amounts of time spent in hearing that “Gee” song. But, hey, if you don’t have a problem with young women with jealously inducing figures and colorific skinny jeans then more power to you. 

I’m still getting into the groove of things and I really do consider this an update so sorry if your funny bone wasn’t tickled enough on this post. Of course, that’s nothing new, right?

Picture courtesy of utanteuk @ Soompi. Thanks!!

I am flying out to California tonight to go on a cruise (mentioned in the previous post). Which means not only will I be away from any form of internet connection but I’ll probably/hopefully be too inebriated to write an Aftermath or to post links. The worst thing about it is that I won’t actually see the last two episodes of BBF until I get off the boat…NEXT THURSDAY!!! So enjoy the last two episodes while I am away and I will be sure to give you the best last 3 BBF Aftermaths you could ever wish for. And I promise there won’t be any more long breaks on SeoulFire for a very long time. Not just because I’d miss sharing my thoughts with you guys on whatever drama they hand to us this week but also because…..I’ve already used all my vacation days at work.