Folks, we have a highly anticipated debut this week which I almost forgot about. It’s Okay It’s Love starts this Wednesday, and I think I’ve never seen Gong Hyo Jin look so beautiful. Just look at her:
Two thumbs up for the show’s hair and make-up, though I have a feeling lip gloss will be slathered all over on Jo In Sung. I doubt I’ll watch this one live since I’m hooked on Fated To Love You, but still…the pretty will be a powerful pull in this one. And not just with the actors too–I drool at all the frolicking under the Okinawa sunshine.
1. I guess aside from a rather bland title, the cast and the pedigree of the team behind Discovery of Romance or Finding True Love were more than enough to get some early buzz for this going. A little teaser dropped today which is basically an amalgamation of clips that were already circulating last week. We get a teeny peek at Jung Yumi and Eric Mun‘s characters’ evolution of their relationship, starting from sweet kisses to er…the F-bomb (in Korean). It seems Eric’s character Tae Ha has some choice (and bleeped-out) words for his ex Yeo Reum when she wonders if he even knows why he got dumped (thanks Soompi translators!). The last clip is the odd one out as it’s apparently a BTS shot of the pair and co-star Sung Joon who plays Yeo Reum’s current beau Ha Jin, who I’m guessing from the swearing is everything that Taeha isn’t. Rounding out the love square is Yoon Jini as Sung Joon’s childhood friend who still pines for him. As I said before, I’m wary of this one since the two I Need Romance dramas I checked out didn’t work for me, but hey, I liked the PD’s work in Big and Adolescence Medley, so may be third time’s the charm?
2. And speaking of teasers, tvN amped up promos for The Three Musketeers with clips from rest of the crew Yang Dong Geun and newcomer Jung Hae In. The first two teasers with leads Jung Yong Hwa and Lee Jin Wook were rather ho-hum but thanks to Yang Dong Geun, I finally see some sass and spark! I’m pretty sure I’ll be watching this anyway since the production team’s track record is strong (Queen In Hyun’s Man and Nine) and it’s only 12 episodes, but it’s nice to see inklings of attitude and character right off the bat rather than predictable sword-waving and posturing. The drama premiers next month on the 17th.
3. In Kpop news Rain got baptised into the Catholic faith presumably to pave the way for marriage to his girlfriend Kim Tae Hee (which he denies, of course). And the only reason why I’m writing about this is so I can link to this post on tumblr.
4. I was poking around on Dramabeans’ archives and stumbled across an old Javabeans post ruminating about her work subbing dramas and comparing the subs of dramas that were being televised. Apart from being an interesting read on what makes a better translation and why, it’s a timely reminder for me to reinvigorate my Korean language lessons which have waned for a long time. Now that subs are available for most shows within a day, it’s all too easy to get complacent. (Until a bad edit or a terrible Dramafever translation makes me shake my fist.) For another more recent post (Javabeans’ post was from ’07) with a similar slant, read Amanda’s great Q&A with subbers of Secret Love Affair on what goes in to crafting a good sub.
5. Now that I’ve been on twitter, facebook and tumblr for awhile, I’m wondering about the merits of these mediums as spaces to check in with others and chat about dramas. I’m slowly getting used to the different mechanics and the limitations of each space, and seeing how the form dictates the kinds of exchanges and conversations you can have. I’d like to ask you guys, where do you like talking about dramas (if you do at all–hi lurkers!)? Is it on twitter? Or are you a regular on an FB group? What about forums? Do you have one go-to space or are you a social butterfly? Where do you get the most out of your interactions and why? Let me know in the comments. Your responses may be used in a possible upcoming post in the not-so-distant future 🙂
Have a great week!
obsessive compulsive (k)drama-watching disorder 
To answer #5, I am old school haha and so I still prefer interacting via comments section in blogs. While I get that Twitter is (or seems like) the preferred method by many – considering I still don’t have one and don’t intend to, can’t join the wagon there. Tumblr is fun but really difficult to chat, in my opinion. FB is probably a second favorite but I don’t have FB for my pseudonym i.e. I’d have to reveal my personal info… which is an automatic no-no for me. So yeah long story short, for me it is still here :p
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I’m old skool too (as far as someone who’s only been at it for a year can be considered old skool)–I like the blogs best! I appreciate Twitter’s immediacy, that can be fun. Tumblr is fun I agree, but like Skelly said, it’s like shouting into a vast chasm! I’m not all that active on FB, not sure why but I do see loads of people in drama discussion groups & enjoying that. So yes, blogs FTW!!
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I’m old skool too (as far as someone who’s only been at it for a year can be considered old skool)–I like the blogs best! I appreciate Twitter’s immediacy, that can be fun. Tumblr is fun I agree, but like Skelly said, it’s like shouting into a vast chasm! I’m not all that active on FB, not sure why but I do see loads of people in drama discussion groups & enjoying that. So yes, blogs FTW!!
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Gong Hyo Jin is so pretty on that pic I too was stunned. I am loking forward to her playing a character that seems different for her. I don’t think I’ll watch live cause it’s too stressful but I hope it’s good so I have something to watch when Fated to love you ends and I’m hit with major withdrawal. I’m also looking forward to Three Musketeers! That has to be good! It’s from the Nine/QIHM team, two series I loved in different ways. Twitter, Im thinking its probably not the best place to discuss dramas. I find myself reacting mostly and its character limitation is frustrating. Ive been thinking on trying not to engage in discussions there although its so tempting. I like it for joking, spazzing and maybe the ocassional venting but I usually need more characters to get my point accross. Facebook is good but I still dont have a lot of friends willing to talk on my fangirling account. So that makes blogs my favorite choice at the moment. Tumblr is fun too! I’m everywhere!
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I can’t do IOIL too at the moment. I just don’t hv the time or the energy for it. I’ll wait. Ditto 3 Musketeers. As for twitter, I think writing in 140 characters is a bloody artform, one which I am probably not suited for! It’s easy to chat & I enjoy alot of it but yeah, it’s also easy to get dragged into a reactive convo and regretting you said anything LOL!! But such is the nature of these things. It’s handy for newsy stuff though, which I like! I like blogs too for convos, still the best, and the space feels more intimate which I really value.
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Ouch, this drama season is packed with good dramas so far! I don’t think I can put more dramas into my watchlist..but let’s see if I can juggle more than three dramas like I used to do two years ago.
I made my tumblr in 2010 in the midst of my DBSK/JYJ/TVXQ craze and hve since moved my drama ramblings to my blog. Since I’m not an active fangirl anymore, I only use tumblr once in a while. The blog is a good medium for lengthy discussions while my Twitter, just like what Drama Fan stated above, is mainly used for spazzing purposes. I made a page for the blog on FB and the folks there are friendly too..but I rarely use FB nowadays =.=
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I can’t juggle more than 3 either! In fact I’m trying to cut down to two but my curiosity always gets the better of me. This is why I’m refusing to check out IOIL until I either finish a review or finish my marathon 🙂
I’m not active on FB & it’s probably why I don’t have a page, but I notice a lot of people are chatting on drama discussion groups & seem to enjoy interacting that way. Sounds like I’m the last to get on board the tumblr train! But I like tumblr for the LOL & there’s good writing on there too. So many mediums, so little time!
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Here’s my take on getting and receiving drama information, in ascending order of importance:
– I hate twitter with a purple passion, it and its 144 characters can go die in a hole. Sorry, but twitter is only good for squeeing or blabbing information which will soon turn out to be partly wrong.
– facebook information tends to be short, repetitious, and chatty. If that is what I want, I know where to find it.
– tumblr is where I go to find out about new dramas, see what’s popular, and discover new blogs. I sometimes find really great commentaries, but reblogging is a cumbersome way to continue the dialogue. When I comment on dramas via tumblr, it feels like a shout-out at the edge of a vast chasm, that returns in a few faint echoes. But when I have something to say that is especially funny, important to me, or too long and involved for a comments section, I post it on tumblr because there really is noplace else for it.
– blogs, to me, are the best way to get information on dramas, and I visit the big ones once a day and my favorites from outside seoul’s Linkapoloza at least once a week. In a blog, the analysis is often more in-depth, and the comments section can be incredibly stimulating and informative. And fun.
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LOL at the twitter hate! I feel your pain, but I appreciate its immediacy. And the constant stream of news which I find useful. Your description of tumblr is 100% spot on–it IS a vast chasm. I love the pithy commentaries, but reblogging is a cumbersome way to have a conversation. I love to read your writing on tumblr, and I wish you wrote more! Blogs are my go-to as well, if I want to have lengthy chats. No place like it.
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