Liebster Award Nomination

Since this blog is a little baby blog, one of my favorite things is when I get a comment. It means that whether on accident or on purpose, someone saw something of interest and not only that, but they took a moment out of their day to say that they liked something. It always gives me the warm fuzzies and makes me want to send out internet love to those people. Now, to make things even better there is something called the Liebster Award that helps small blogs gain more attention which I think is a lovely thought. We could all use new internet friends.

I have been nominated by the blog IKurate who compile recaps, first impressions, and reviews of different dramas. This is something I am always in need of when I am writing something about a drama and I am missing a picture that I want. Thank you recappers who are better at taking screen shots than I am! I also really like their blog lay put. It's easy use and it's pretty. What more could a person want?

Word of the Day: Secondary OTP

Secondary OTP aka Secondary One True Pairing n. 1. OTP or One True Pairing refers to the lead romantic couple in a drama, so the Secondary OTP is the romantic relationship between secondary characters in the drama. ex.My feels are out of control for this secondary OTP.

Okay, this situation has happened to all of us. We are dedicatedly watching a drama and about two-thirds of the way through the series we get frustrated with all the stupid roadblocks and misinterpretations and amnesia that the main characters keep running into. When all of a sudden, like a summer breeze a new secondary couple comes together. They are so funny and cute, we could care less about Jandi drowning in the background.

Yi Jung and Ga Eul you both look great... but can someone tell Woo Bin to stop rubbing that white girl in the background.  Woo Bin, she's not cute enough for you!!

 Here are Some of My Favorite Secondary OTPs.

1. Boys Over Flowers: Yi Jung and Ga Eul.
These two were such a popular pairing that even after Boys Over Flowers finished airing they were asked to reprise their roles for a cell phone commercial. It is all we could have hoped for and more. I say that if they ever wrote a sequel to Boys Over Flowers, these two should be the leads. And Woo Bin should get a girlfriend... and some decent plot points. Here is the cell phone commercial.

2. Dream High- Jason & Pil Suk

These two are truly the most adorable couple I've ever seen. I love how Jason calls her Miss Sushi and avoids singing with other girls because he only likes to sing with her. They just like each other so much but somehow keep slipping away from both admitting it at the same time. This is a clip from one of my favorite scenes. Pil Suk is singing with Sam Dong. Watch how Jason looks at her and then at Sam Dong. There is no question, that boy has got it bad.

3. Dream High- Mr. Kang & Miss Shi
Since the romantic love triangle for the main characters in Dream High is such a disappointing jumble, JYP was able to salvage the series by including not one, but two fantastic Secondary OTPs. Mr. Kang starts off the show as a pretty pathetic guy but finds redemption as a man and as a teacher as he puts everything on the line to help further the dreams of his students. Miss Shi is a talented, stern (& slightly scary) teacher who comes to admire and like Mr. Kang.

How can he not realize that she likes him, even after an open-eyed accidental kiss! Really Mr Kang, you should watch more dramas!

Miss Shi, you don't need a flower in your hair to get Mr. Kang to like you, you just need to spell it out in very small words for him. 

4. Protect the Boss- Moon Wan & Na Yoon

 To me, Protect the Boss is a nearly perfect K-drama and a lot of credit goes to wonderful misadventures of Moon Wan and Na Yoon. Na Yoon is a childish emotional train wreck and Moon Wan is a workaholic mamas boy, but somehow are perfect for one another. Ultimately their only problem is how long it will take Na Yoon to grow up so Moon Wan will marry her.

See, look how much she has grown! Moon Wan, if you like it her then you better put a ring on her.

5. Flower Boy Next Door- Dong Hoon & Web Toon's Company Manager

You know it is true love when she is willing to cosign a crazy loan for him and when he is able to see how cute she is beyond her crazy raccoon eyes. I only have one real issue with this couple. Why wasn't she given a name in the drama? In all the credits she is listed as "Web Toon's Company Manager." That can't be the name embellished on their future wedding invitations.

These picture make me want a boyfriend. One that looks like Dong Hoon, if possible.

6. Me Too, Flower! - Park Tae Hwa & Kim Dal
This is the oddest couple on the list. She is a young, beautiful, self absorbed gold digger and he is an old, dowdy psychologist. She worms her way into his life and eventually comes to realize that he sees and accepts her for who she really is. There are much worse things on which to base a relationship.

7. Faith- King Gong Min & Queen In Deok
Usually royalty are the main characters in a drama, that is, unless Lee Min Ho is a time traveling warrior sent to the modern age to retrieve a plastic surgeon for an injured empress. So in the case of Faith, the King and Queen are bumped down to secondary characters.

Before: They are so stiff. They hardly speak or even look at each other.

After: They love each other so much. They really grow to trust one another. 

Those are all of my favorite secondary OTPs. Leave a comment and tell me which ones are yours.

~Autumn

Word of the Day: Dragon Mom

Dragon Mom n. 1. A parenting style characterized by the extreme measures taken to control, protect, and dominate their children... and anyone who gets in their way. 2. Basically they are Tiger Moms on crack.

Dragon Moms are found in about 40% of all Korean dramas. That percentage would be a lot higher, except that so many characters in these dramas lost their mothers in early childhood. Hmm... maybe the Korean government is behind the high death rate for Dragon Mothers. They know that if all the Dragon Moms united, they could topple the current regime. Or maybe the Dragon Moms of current government officials ordered them to get rid of their competition. Either way, I smell a conspiracy.

 Lets start off with how to identify a Dragon Mom. 

1. She is beautiful and perfectly put together.

Shining Inheritance

2. She has a soft, melodic voice- but the steely glint in her eyes will hypnotize you and turn you to stone- Medusa style.

Original Dragon Mom- Boys Over Flowers

3. She is often found wearing expensive furs as a not so subtle reminder that she has no problem hunting you down, skinning and wearing you.

The fashion statement: Don't mess with me. 

4. This is one of the weird things I've noticed. Many dragon moms reach for their neck with their right hand when their children upset them.

Sure, your kid is a pain in the neck, but do you have to take it so literally?

What if you get in the way of a Dragon Mom? 

1. She will try to pay you off.
2. She will try to pit you against her child using any possible misunderstanding to her advantage.
3. She will blackmail you.
4. She will probably get your family/friends either fired from their job or evicted from their homes.
5. As a last resort she may even buy the building you are living in just so she can demolish it while you are sleeping.

How do you fight a Dragon Mom?

There are a few proven strategies that work.

1. The "Jandi Method", which is where you wait her out. All the while collecting allies among her children, mother-in-law, staff, and comatose husband.

You can't control us all forever.

2. The "I Know What You Did Method" is to publicly make known all of the Dragon Mom's crimes, including but not limited to child abandonment, kidnapping, fraud and blackmail.

Beware! This method usually causes the Dragon Mom to have a total mental breakdown. 

3. Finally, the "It Takes One to Know One Method" is where you show the Dragon Mom that you are every bit as strong willed and conniving as she is. She realizes that if she has to marry him off, it's best if it be to a future Dragon Mom in the making.

"You remind me of a young me."

Here is a list of K-dramas with a Dragon Mom(s):

Boys Over Flowers
Secret Garden
Shining Inheritance
Bachelor Vegetable Store
Protect the Boss
School 2013
Mary Stayed Out All Night (this one is actually a Dragon Dad, who knew?)

 ~Autumn

Which Dragon Mom do you love to hate? Leave a comment. 

                                                   

Word of the day: Bromance

Bromance n. 1. A nonsexual relationship between two males who are close

I know, I know, NigaHiga practically owns the word bromance (if you don't know why, go here). Unfortunately I am not friends with a Korean celebrity, so you'll just have to deal with me. Sorry.

In this post I am going to be listing my top five bromances.

5. Rooftop Prince

Joseon Power Rangers unite!

I think what makes this quartet so fun is that they are all so different from each other. You have king, a warrior, a scholar, and a eunuch who has information on everyone. He's kind of like a Korean, non-backstabbing, Lord Varys. 

My favorite character is Chi San (the eunuch), he is adorable. This drama also introduced me to Lee Min Ho (in the green). These guys were so fun to watch because they are shot 300 years into the future and all they have is each other. It is also fun to watch the relationship change and the king realizing that having subjects is not as fun as having friends.

  4. Boys Over Flowers  

Woo Bin, Yi Jung, Joon Pyo, Ji Hoo

Oh Boys Over Flowers, how I love you. These guys were fun to watch, especially when they were being exasperated by Joon Pyo's stupidity. They knew where their loyalties lay and were not afraid to tell one another when they needed to 'suck it' (I just got caught up on Psych). As usual with bromances that contain multiple people there are some highlight players, namely these two. 

Woo Bin and Yi Jung

These two are definitely the comic relief in the drama and they are always the first ones to tell Joon Pyo that he is being ridiculous. I think that Yi Jung is also the only person who really understands Woo Bin. They are both kind of outcasts who are perceived as one thing but that is not who they truly are. When Woo Bin has his little break down mid drama, Yi Jung is there to smack him around and tell him to stop feeling sorry for himself.
 
3. Flower Boy Ramyun Shop 

Don't catch a cold

Oh my gosh, what are you?

I mention Ba Ool and Hyun Woo in my post about Flower Boy Ramyun Shop and here I am talking about them again. These two were so fun to watch because in the beginning Ba Ool was totally freaked out about Hyun Woo's mother hen personality. If I were in his place I would probably be a little weirded out too.

By the end of the drama though, when they find out that they may have to 'break up' it's really sad and they can't imagine doing it. Ba Ool does try to be all manly about it, but Hyun Woo understands him enough by this point to know that Ba Ool is also sad. These two balance each other out, Ba Ool helps protect Hyun Woo and Hyun Woo reals Ba Ool back in when he is in danger of doing something stupid, which is often. 

2. Shut Up! Flower Boy Band 

Eye Candy

There is so much man love in this drama it kills me. For some of these boys, the band is all they have so they all take care of each other. Episode after episode it is about their relationship with each other and how far they are willing to go to protect and build each other up. Getting into specifics though, my favorite bromance in this drama is between these two guys.

Kyung Jong and Ha Jin

Every time they came on the camera I knew good things were going to happen. Kyung Jong was totally the wife in this relationship keeping his womanizing pretty boy husband in line. Even the other characters talked about their relationship. In one of the episodes these two fight and *cue dramatic music* don't sit next to each other during dinner! The other members then shuffle themselves and force the two to sit with each other because everyone was weirded out about it.

Kyung Jong is also the cutest thing that I have have ever seen. He's just so little and then he has the Satoori dialect. I just want to put him in my pocket and take him home!

1. Sungkyunkwan Scandal 

Moon Jae Shin and Goo Yong Ha

Of course these guys are going to be number one, I don't think I have seen any other bromance come close to what they have, except for the Eye Candy boys. The reason I loved them so much is because Yong Ha knew how uncomfortable and annoyed Jae Shin would get when he would put on the wife hat. Even though Jae Shin would bat Yong Ha aside, you know that he loved him. Yong Ha also risked his life and his status to protect Jae Shin when Jae Shin  was injured or just as general back up so that he could get safely back to where ever he needed to be.

Well there you have it, my favorite bromances. There will be a lot more in the future as I continue to watch dramas both old and new and who knows what will happen to these top five. It is going to have to take quite a bit of bromancing to beat these top two spots though. Who's your number one bromance?

~Alora

Yi Jung

Yi Jung is one of the supporting cast members from the 2009 drama Boys Over Flowers. He is the resident Cassanova and he both loves and hates that that is the label he is given.

Before I talk about the doll I would just like to mention how hard I ship Yi Jung and Ga Eul. That is all.

Anyways, I think that Yi Jung, next to Ji Hoo, had one of my favorite outfits. If Ji Hoo gets the prize for most clothes, Yi Jung gets the prize for most accessories. I gave him a tie, a belt, and (my favorite part) a pocket square.  I also really like the color that I used to make his clothes.

I'm not totally sold on the eyes though. They're.....okay.....not my best.......

Yi Jung is owned by Lindsi, member of the F4Plus1

Ji Hoo

Ji Hoo is the second male lead from the 2009 drama Boys Over Flowers which of course means that he is one of the most wonderful people on the planet, but unfortunately does not get the girl because to quote StillNotDavid's video "Things I've Learned from Korean Dramas" (watch it here) "the a$$hole always wins."

I really enjoyed making this doll because Ji Hoo's hair (before he cuts it and gives himself perpetual helmet hair) is amazing. You can't fully appreciate his hair in this picture though because most of the magic happens in the back.

I loved making his clothes too. He has a bow tie (which you can't see) and a vest AND a jacket with super cute buttons. And the winner for doll with the most clothes goes to......

Ji Hoo is owned by Alyson, member of the F4Plus1

Boys Over Flowers

How does one go about writing about this drama? It was a pop culture phenomenon and total hot mess of a drama that skyrocketed these actors into stardom. It also brought together this group of misfits called the F4Plus1 working on this blog. This may not have been the first drama that we all watched as group, but it is the drama that we always come back to and holds a special place in our hearts.

As the original five of us started along this road towards Korea we discovered that we were like our own little reverse F4. We had four girls and boy and we thought, why not. Let’s roll with this and see where it takes us. It may not take us anywhere fantastic in the world, but what better way to keep in touch and maybe make some K-poper stumbling along on the internet smile, should they find this blog.

There is something to be said for loving something like K-pop and dramas. Whether it says that the person in question is delusional, patient, or maybe a little of both is up to the one viewing that fan. It doesn’t matter what that viewer thinks though because all that matters is that that fan is enjoying themselves and has found something that inspires them to do something as silly as starting a blog that most likely no one will ever see other than those people that are working on it and sympathetic friends.

Now if we’re all done sharing our feelings, let’s talk about this drama!

Like I said before, there is so much to talk about, so how does one even start? I guess you could say that the entertainment value of this drama far exceeds the drama itself. Thinking about this drama now, while I was watching and then afterward when I had time to digest everything reminds me of when I read Twilight a few years after it came out. While reading, I thought it was an amazing story and was completely engrossed. I was not a crazy Twihard mind you, I just really enjoying the story. When I actually finished though and was able to step back and come up for air, I realized how stupid it actually was. The only difference with BOF is that I still love it even with all of its imperfections and insanity.

My main issue with the drama itself is that it was really long, like really long, and it didn’t need to be, not that I wouldn’t watch all 25 episodes again in a heartbeat. The part where it really started to lag, I think, was when they went to Macau and Joon Pyo basically said GTFO to everyone. For Pete’s sake man! Get your life together and stick it to that dragon lady of a mother of yours! You are Shinhwa so grow a freaking backbone! Hire protection or something! Lock that woman up! Geez!

I just want to punch him in his stupid face!!!

All that anger up there is why I fell in love with this drama because one moment you are hating on Joon Pyo so hard for being the biggest scum on the planet and then you want to hug him as he sobs over what he has done to the one person he has ever loved. 

Feeling all the feels right now

There is also one of my most favorite side OTPs ever in this drama. That's right I'm talking about Yi Jung and Woo Bin...wait what? Just kidding, although they do have a pretty sweet bromance. I'm really talking about Yi Jung and Ga Eul (of course) who I will forever ship no matter who these actors work with or who they may eventually marry. I don't care! (cue 2NE1 music here) I think that I may have liked them better than Joon Pyo and Jan Di just because their love wasn't so complicated, even if I did want to punch Yi Jung in the face sometimes too. Korean dramas bring out my violent side okay? They were just so sweet it almost gave me a cavity but not in an annoying way like some other couples do. 

So close, yet so far away.

But seriously, back to Woo Bin and Yi Jung. I think that every drama needs a solid bromance whether it be through background characters or main characters, it just needs to be there. While their bromance is not the best one that I've ever seen (that goes to Goo Yong Ha and Geol Oh in Sungkyunkwan Scandal) it is a good one, especially when they are laughing at Joon Pyo behind, or in front of, his back. 

Who thinks Boys Over Flowers is amazing?

As I have been writing and looking at pictures to put in this post, I ran across what I consider to be the shame of this drama. I will explain to you what I mean in a poem 

There once was a girl named Jan Di 

Who thought she was real good at free

She would jump in the pool

Thinking she was cool

.................
But all it did was piss me off!!

Oh, I'm Jan Di and I'm such a good swimmer and I could have gone to the Olympics and I can beat the boys in swimming.

 

As someone who did competitive swimming from 1997-2011 and taught swim lessons and swim team from 2005 until the present time, whenever I watched these people swim (if I could stomach it) all I did was mentally correct their form. I wanted so badly to jump into that pool with them and give them the stoke refinement that they so desperately needed. 

Just thinking about it makes me mad!

And then don't even get me started on Jan Di drowning whenever she got with in a mile of water. She is a swimmer and a 'really good' swimmer at that (so much sarcasm there), but she can't even stand up in three feet of water when her shoulder hurts. Her freaking shoulder. I have dealt with shoulder pain for a long time. I have been a flyer all my life and in high school when I started to swim the 100 fly it started to worsen. Then in college I partially dislocated my shoulder, but I'm totally fine. I can still swim, even if my shoulder is easily irritated. That's not to say that whatever happened to Jan Di isn't serious and it wasn't really sad that she would never be able to swim again, but come on! Swimmers should be able to tread water and swim without using their arms or hands. If you would excuse me a moment, I going to go take some deep breaths.   

Okay I think I'm good now. That episode with the swimming competition though.......

The last thing that I am going to say about this drama is that it follows that usual pattern of the couple gets together, then the break up, then they get together, and so on and so forth. This drama takes it to a whole other level though with the constant breaking up and getting back together and then there was this whole fiasco: 

You're not my girlfriend!!

Seriously writers? You're going to do this now? You know there are like two more episodes right? You do? Okay, I'm just going to trust you then......And then this happened. 

Oh man, this drama.....

Writing about this drama brings out so many emotions, as I have said, and if I were to write about all of them this may never get posted because there is just so much to say. Instead of writing, I think that I am going to make you all a montage of some of the things that made me roll my eyes the most

That just happened

These three 

How are you that stupid? Like, seriously, how?

Really? A saxophone? 

But, of course, I snark about BOF with an abundance of love. It is so fun to make fun of it because it is really easy, but it is also a really good drama for those who are starting their journey into dramaland.

As for whether or not you should watch this drama (if you haven't already) the answer is a resounding YES! I don't think anyone who watches dramas can go without watching this one because there are references to it everywhere. Everywhere I tell you!! You will be sitting at whatever screen you watch dramas on and feel a slew of emotions from happy to sad to angry to embarrassed (both for the characters and for the weird things that the writers put into the drama e.x. swimming and the saxophone).

This concludes the first...would you call it a review?.......review for a drama, Boys Over Flowers, the drama that started everything that you see before you.

~ Alora

Woo Bin

Woo Bin is one of the supporting characters in the 2009 drama Boys Over Flowers. He is the little gangster of the group and will mess you up if you mess with his friends, all the while spouting awkward English phrases.

Woo Bin holds a special place in the hearts of the F4Plus1 and we all love saying "Don't worry buddy" whenever possible. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go look here.

I really like the tie that I made for Woo Bin, but it was rather difficult because I was using a thin piece of felt so it kept breaking when I was tying it. He was probably the easiest doll to make. No bells or whistles, just a black suit and a tie.

Woo Bin is owned by Autumn, member of the F4Plus1

Joon Pyo

Joon Pyo is the male lead from the 2009 drama Boys Over Flowers. He is the total opposite of Jan Di and because of that, they fall in love. He is snobbish and rude and has never had to care for anyone but himself his whole life.

This was the first time that I ever had to create hair that was this complicated. Seriously! Setting all those curls and making sure that they didn't unravel while the glue was drying was awful! It's a good thing that these dolls are not alive because he had quiet a few pins in his head. I also added a special touch and gave him a fur collar (and by fur I mean a little piece of one of those skinny craft boas).

Joon Pyo is owned by me! Alora, member of the F4Plus1   

Jan Di

Jan Di is the heroine from the 2009 drama Boys Over Flowers. She is spunky and resourceful and will do anything for her friends and family.

This was the first time that I ever made a girl doll and wasn't quite sure what I was doing since I had to make a skirt and a bobbed hair cut with a little ponytail. In the end, I guess it came out okay, but still, when I look at it, it makes me a little grumpy.

I am proud that I made it, but because of that, I will always see those little imperfections, but that is what will make future dolls better. I was given a second chance though because her owner's nephew got to her so I had to do a patch job which made me feel a little better because I could also fix some of the things that I didn't like about it.

Jan Di's owner is Andy, a member of the F4Plus1. 

F4 Dolls (Boys over flowers

Our lovely Alora makes amazing dolls. Here are the ones she made of (left to right) So Song Woo Bin, Song Yi Jung, Goo Jun Pyo, Geum Jan Di, and Yoon Ji Hoo.