End of Year Drama Review – 2012

Another year down and another end of year post – Thanks for everyone that dropped by and read our fangirling, ranting and rambles this year. We thought this post would be short and sweet but by the time we had gathered all of our thoughts on 2012’s drama offerings we had somehow created this mega drama post that sort of took on a life of it’s own, so we hope you enjoy it and of course, please feel free to add your own thoughts, it’s always more fun with company!

2012 was a really busy year for us. We didn’t watch as much as we wanted and certainly didn’t blog as often as we wish we could. Which is a shame because we adore nothing more than sitting down and fangirling our way through dramas. Having less time to dedicate to our habit and becoming more picky over the years has meant that we have physically watched fewer dramas this year and have found that we have shelved more dramas than ever before.

This years offerings have been a lovely combination of the good, the bad and the dramas you wish you could erase from your memory. With cable dramas holding their hold and giving the mainstream networks a run for their money, we’re pleased with the vast number of options we’ve had this year as well as a positive shift towards dramas pushing the boundaries in terms of genres and plots on offer, which is always a good thing in our book. With two of our favorite dramas of 2012 coming from cable networks, we certainly look forward to see what they can offer us next year, so come on cable give us some goodies in 2013!

Below is our list of noteworthy dramas we’ve assembled from everything we’ve seen and shelved in 2012.

Completed dramas in 2012:

Korean dramas:

Answer Me 1997 – The jewel in our 2012 drama crown

Despite completing this drama very recently it still finished off the year as our favourite drama of 2012.

For us Answer Me 1997 felt like it was made with so much love. The writing is heartfelt, seamless and by the time it ended we knew we had finished something special. Something that would stay with us for a very long time. As drama viewers we watch plenty of dramas throughout the year all in anticipation that it will be ‘the one’ and guess what folks, Answer Me 1997 is it!

Funny, romantic, sweet and old school in the best way possible. Watch it, you will love it.

Wild Romance – the prize for the worst hair cut goes to….

Okay, this drama was all over the place. At first it was pee your pants hilarious. It was wacky, zany and so much fun to watch. We didn’t know that Lee Dong Wook was capable of being so funny and more importantly who knew that he could work a porno moustache but he did! Sadly, the drama took a dark, moody twist where the lead lost her spunk and became all needy and pathetic and the story went from silly fun to downright creepy with a crazy stalker.

The genre change gave us a little whiplash but despite that, the drama is well worth checking out especially if you’re a Lee Dong Wook fan.

Me too, flower – Our messy pick of the year

Technically this drama was a mess. The plot fell apart towards the end and the characters lost their spark. However, the OTP kept us coming back week after week. We loved them, they felt like a real couple to us. They were two very screwed up characters that came together and were somehow functional as a couple. When everything else was a mess in this drama, this couple somehow made it alright. Both actors were brilliant, especially Yoon Shi Yoon. He was all wrong for the part but  he managed to carry this mountain of mess and made it work.

If you’re looking for an unexpectedly good OTP then look no further.

Nice Guy – The prize for the most screwed up couple goes to…

This drama was dark, depressing and intense. The writing, the acting and the way it was filmed was brilliant. That said, what was wrong with every single character in this drama???!!! Our heads hurt trying to rationalize their insane actions and there were multiple times when we wanted to punch a few of these characters in the face.

Reasons to tune in: Song Joong Ki

We’ve waited for so long to see him as a leading man in a drama and he delivered in spectacular fashion. Of course he was all kinds of hot but his acting was also wonderful. We look forward to his future projects where hopefully he doesn’t annoy the hell out of us.

If you like your dramas dysfunctional and screwed up in perfect Kdrama style, this one ticks all the right boxes.

Queen In Hyun’s Man – A nearly perfect moment in time

Nearly but not quite there.

2012 is most certainly the year of the time travelling drama and this drama is definitely up there as one to watch. We loved everything about this drama, it was beautifully executed, the OTP owned us completely and the plot was excellent throughout its run and then came that ending. Sighs* It was almost too good to be true and we were hoping that this would be that rare drama that was perfect but sadly the ending left a distinctly bitter taste in our mouths.

A lot of people loved the ending but for us it felt like a cope out. It was far too convenient and it killed some of the magic for us.

Don’t get us wrong, we gave this drama 9.5 out of 10, so we’re not going to complain that much, it’s just that it was sooooo close to being that perfect drama for us. The rare gem that we would love forever and having seen so many dramas of the years now, it’s no easy challenge to fall in that category.

Watch this drama, you won’t regret it, in our opinion it is one of the best romantic dramas to come out in a long time.

A Gentleman’s Dignity – Overgrown boys, bratty sisters who needed a slap and the realisation that we have no idea why we bothered tuning in…

Seriously, thinking back now, we don’t know what drew us to watch this Ahjussi drama where pretty much nothing happened across 20 episodes.

All we can really remember about this drama is our very strong desire to murder Im Me Ah Ri. She was a freaking grown woman that acted like a spoilt brat that cried and stomped her feet throughout the drama’s run. Groan*

The drama has left no real impact on us as viewers and there are no real moments that stick out from the dramas run.

Would we recommend it??? We’re not sure, we can’t actually remember.

Japanese Dramas:

Rich Man, Poor Woman – Our unexpected crush goes to…

This was our favourite (and only completed) Jdrama of 2012. It reminded us exactly why we love Jdramas and that maybe we shouldn’t give up on them just yet.

As well as being our favourite Jdrama, it also opened our eyes to Oguri Shun – why, why have we failed to notice this guy before???

The winner for unexpected crush of the year most definitely goes to Oguri Shun. He oozed chemistry, charm and strangely worked dodgy haircuts. Trust us, this drama has made fangirls out of us. heheh.

Back to the drama – the story was a simple love story between a socially awkward millionaire genius and a smart graduate who happened to end up working together and of course falling in love. The plot and the execution of the story was nothing to write home back but it was a pleasure to tune into every week. We were comfortable in the knowledge that the drama would make us smile and satisfy our  fluffy drama needs in the best way possible.

If you’re looking for a decent Jdrama look no further, this one will steal your heart.

Taiwanese Dramas:

Skip Beat! – Our surprise delight of the year

Who would have thought that this would be the only Tdrama we completed in 2012? Definitely not us!

The drama had so much going against it – a very loyal and obsessive fan base for the manga, two Korean actors in a Tdrama – wtf?, terrible dubbing and our expectations in the gutter before we even began.

The drama wasn’t a ratings winner but we adored it. Once the drama fixed the dubbing issue and found their feet, this drama was great fun. Ivey Chen was fantastic as the crazy but lovable leading lady and Siwon made us even bigger fangirls after his brilliant performance as Ren/ Du He Lian. He played cold and damaged so well. Considering he could only act using his facial expressions, he was pretty wonderful.

When a drama has a broody Siwon and Donghae looking hot being bad – what are you waiting for?

Shelved Dramas:

Miss Rose – Another Roy Qiu drama we just couldn’t finish..

We know, we know, what is wrong with us? It’s not you Roy, it’s just everything else that ruins it for us!

Why are all of Roy’s leading ladies so hesitate to fall in love with this HOT HOT man? Why do we have to sit through so many episodes watching these annoying leading ladies cry over past loves or cry over the fact that they are scared/ poor/ stupid???

We were so excited by this drama but it got draggy so quickly. We wanted to love it but we just couldn’t.

We have no doubt we will one day finish a Roy drama but until then we’re more than happy  to keep watching perving our way through all of his dramas until we find one. heheh

Shut up flower boy band – The best cameo in a drama goes to…

Oh, Lee Min Ki you came and went so quickly but we’re pretty sure that you made everyone that watched miss you just a little bit.

Not completing this drama is strictly an oversight on our part. All of the ten episodes we completed were brilliant. The drama was so good we made a freaking GIF out of the famous hug scene and considering we’re incredibly technically challenged that’s definitely saying something!

Life happened and we just never got around to finishing the drama. Maybe this drama will be in next year’s review or may be not…

I need Romance 2012 – When love rivals make you switch off

We switched off for one reason only – the loval rival made us want to vomit into the nearest waste basket. He was so sickly sweet and was such a soppy puppy that we just wanted to kick him. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t for the fact that he shared ZERO chemistry with the leading lady. How is that possible – two attractive, young actors and still they failed to generate any chemistry between them- none, zero, zilch, how???

The King 2 Hearts – We know what you’re thinking, are we mad???

Yes, yes, we hold our hands up and question our sanity and poor taste in dramas for not having the desire to complete this drama. It just didn’t click for us. We didn’t have that emotional connection with the characters and as a result didn’t really care what happened to them.

Plus, watching the leading man shot his OTP in the chest sort of kills the romance for us. Just saying…

Big – The biggest disappointment of the year?? Possibly, maybe, yes…

How is it possible that the Hong Sisters could make such a boring drama???

Why did Gong Yoo  have to look so damn hot in this drama?

 (you’re welcome)

For that reason alone, we’re gutted this drama was a complete waste of time. Sob*

Other notable dramas for 2012:

Rooftop Prince – The other time travel drama

 

What is with his horrible hair???

It was a toss up between this and Queen In Hyun’s Man at the time and we picked the latter. Frankly was there any point starting another time travel drama after you’ve completed something that was so nearly perfect? Anything we watched after that epic, romantic drama would have just been crap.

Gaksital/ The Moon that embraces the Sun – When leading men turn you off…

Sorry Kim Soo Hyun and Joo Won, we’re just not fans.

 

 

– We’re sorry!!!!!

It’s the strangest thing. Pretty much everyone loves these guys with a passion but we just need to know their name is attached to drama and it’s a pass from us.

Maybe we will grow out of it like we did with Hyun Bin but until then it will take something seriously special to make us tune in or a shiny sequined tracksuit…

Time Slip Dr. Jin – We found the car wreck of the year

Thankfully we saved ourselves from this nightmare. We confess that it was endless fun reading the hilarious bitching and disgust at this poor excuse of a drama. Muhahah.

Final rambles for 2012

As you can probably tell from this post, this year hasn’t treated us too badly but of course heres hoping 2013 gives us a few more drama gems worth fangirling about.

Thanks for popping by and joining us in our rambles this year, we hope you return in 2013.

Happy New Year everyone!

Love,

The Musthavesubs girls, xoxo

Shut Up Flower Boy Band: 9-10

It appears that we have reached that frustrating mid section in a Kdrama where it’s no longer fresh and exciting but now tired and repetitive.

Be warned we’re always harder on the dramas we love more.

Quite a few people annoyed us in this week’s lot of episodes. Okay, pretty much everyone did.

Clearly, Hyun Soo fascinates us as a character because we seem to dedicate a section in our weekly posts especially to him but at the same time we really can’t really bring ourselves to love him. He obviously plays a pivotal role and will no doubt be a catalyst for progression and change in the drama but it doesn’t mean we have to like it. He has no loyalties to the guys and that just kills us. He’s the character sitting there going through the motions in their band discussions but inside he’s thinking and feeling something completely different. Hyun Soo is all about the ambition and career progression whereas the others are more focused on friendship and going through the journey as a group. We can believe he would ditch the guys for something bigger and better and frankly we hate that quality especially when you know exactly what their friendship and band means to the others especially Ji Hyuk and Do Il.

“Because without them, I have nothing.”

The worst thing is the fact that Seung Hoon now knows exactly how to attack to ruin the band – damn it! He’s blatantly going to stir the pot and ensure that Hyun Soo’s ambition is really utilised in his evil schemes. We sense a lot of heartache coming for this band it makes us nervous because we love them as a group so much. If we’re right with our Hyun Soo predication – we’ve got our fingers crossed that he redeems himself in spectacular fashion.

Hyun Soo’s behaviour highlights Ji Huk’s major flaw which we feel is his complete lack of drive and ambition. As much as we dislike Hyun Soo, we can understand his frustration with Ji Hyuk. As the leader he needs to step up. He’s needs to stop going through the motions and make decisions, plans, something! Aside from his love of music, he has no drive. As viewers we want more for them and we definitely want them to want more for themselves! He appears to be far too quick to suggest that they cut ties with the record label, when it has the potential to make them huge and more importantly allow them to do what they love most – be a band and play their music. We wish the writer would place more emphasis on them wanting to make Byun Hee’s vision a reality.

They spend a great deal of time reflecting on their friend’s memory so it would the greatest testament to him if they decided to aim to be huge mega stars who perform at Glastonbury rather than just aim to win some small time rock competition. Something needs to change in their attitudes or else it’s going to effect the storyline and will impact how engaged viewers remain for the rest of the drama. At least Hyun Soo appears to know why he wants to be big; there is obviously something wrong with his sister’s health. Also if we could make it big, we too would love it if our parents could retire in style. For us, this is the only reason why we don’t hate him as a character. His reasons and actions are redeemable because he wants it so badly and has a valid reason to succeed.  

Seung Hoon has become a really pathetic character for us. The ultimate conflict in the drama is about Eye Candy trying to make it in the music industry and also remain true to themselves as a band and as friends. As a result watching Seung Hoon’s actions come across as really petty and yes, annoying. We really hoped that he would have more to offer as a character but it appears that the writer has decided to go for the standard irritating love rival role for him. We would love it if we were proven wrong but it looks like it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

 Oh get lost Seung Hoon!

Woo Kyung continues to remain completely oblivious to the fact that Ji Hyuk is not interested at all and that every time she opens her mouth she breaks poor Do Il’s heart just a little more. We can’t help but feel that her role in the drama once again highlights Ji Hyuk’s lack of action – come on put the girl out of her misery and give your blessings to Do Il to finally confess his love!!! How is it possible that none of these guys notice Do Il’s puppy dog stares of longing? We guess that’s boys for you. If this was a friendship amongst girls, you better believe they would have zeroed in on that from day one.

Pyo Joo needs to die! What a bastard. Seriously, what type of fecking school allows students to behave like that and not get punished? Only in a drama we guess…

Soo Ah’s friend just needs to be removed from the drama completely, how is it possible that one character can remain consistently annoying throughout 10 episodes? Now that is a real skill.

Things that didn’t annoy us as much:

We loved the sequence when Shil Ba revealed himself as the band’s manager – it was hilarious! We’re really pleased that Shil Ba hasn’t been relegated to the sidelines after getting fired. We think he’s so funny and we adore his love/ hate relationship with the guys.

Ye Rim’s interactions with Hyun Soo are still brilliant. They couldn’t be more different from each other  – he’s cold and keeps his thoughts/ feelings to himself (he’s so going to get high blood pressure or worse an ulcer by the time he’s 25!) and she is honest and wears her heart on her sleeve. We can’t wait for her to wear him down with her randomly frank comments. Bring on their duet! Heeee.

 

Once again the OTP scenes owned us completely! Ji Hyuk and Soo Ah are still soooo cute together. We love how their relationship isn’t all dramatic and doom and gloom (yet) but is still really sweet. Awww, how happy did Ji Hyuk look when he got his present from Soo Ah.

Do Il made us laugh quite a bit this week – the hair scene and the multiple retakes of his introduction scene were so funny.

Final thought:

Ahhhhh, can’t this band get through one performance without drama???

Shut Up: Flower Boy Band 7-8

I’m going crazy, I’m going crazy because I like you.’

Hooray!

His actions were impulsive, sincere and oh so romantic to watch. We loved that scene.

Yes, he took his sweet time about saying anything to her but it was well worth the wait. That said if we were Soo Ah, we would have reacted in exactly the same way to Ji Hyuk’s behaviour. We love how she made up her mind and took the necessary steps to make it clear to Seung Hoon and to Ji Hyuk exactly how she felt. It’s just a shame that Seung Hoon can’t get the hint and Ji Hyuk is caught between a rock and a hard place in regards to his feelings for Soo Ah.

The Muse issue is interesting for us…

We can imagine exactly what the fallout will be like when the guys find out about their relationship and on one hand we get it but on the other hand we hope we’re wrong about their reactions. Personally, we hope that the guys will get over it quickly. After all Ji Hyuk is always first to sacrifice his happiness for the guys. They know deep down that Ji Hyuk would never do anything to disrespect Byun Hee’s memory unless it was serious. We know there is bound to be angst/ anger and yes we love some hot angst, especially when it involves purrrty guys but it’s so predictable. We want to continue to be pleasantly surprised by their fresh, realistic reactions.

Woo Kyung using the Muse card was really annoying. Did she really have to go there? Woo Kyung as a character is frustrating to watch at the moment. She spends all her time throwing herself at a guy who clearly isn’t interested in her. She needs to get some self-respect and move on. Also Ji Hyuk really needs to have ‘the talk’ with her. Sure, he resists her advances but clearly it’s not enough. You need to be cruel to be kind. It would be nice to not have repetitive sequences where she’s rejected and cries and Do Il watches over her. Once was more than enough.

Speaking of Do Il- seriously dude, it’s time to man up and take a chance! He’s like one of those dull love rivals that watches but never does anything. Groan* We’re dying for the moment where he finally lets loose and confesses his feelings for her. The way he looks at her is so sweet and you can clearly tell he cares a lot about her. We anticipate their union to be one of the more romantic and thoughtful ones in the drama and that’s saying something as Ji Hyuk and Soo Ah continue to own our hearts. We say this because we think Do Il never fails to come across as anything other than a complete darling. He’s such a thoughtful, sensitive soul and so we imagine that it’s going to have to be something big to motivate him to finally take some action and confess his feelings for Woo Kyung.

Seung Hoon is going to become annoying isn’t he? Damn it, we hoped he would surprise us but it appears that he’s going to be that annoying love rival that just doesn’t get the hint when a girl rejects him multiple times. We like the idea that he’s decided to be his own man and pursue his own interests rather than what he thinks his father would want. However unfortunately for us, we think he lacks charisma which the Eye Candy boys have in buckets. We wish he was more compelling as a character. He comes across as so flat and even when he’s angry or upset, we can barely muster up any sympathy for him. His character and his actions have been presented in a million dramas before and frankly he’s not bringing anything new to it, well except for his looks. Hehe.

This drama is teasing us to death with the development of Hyun Soo and Ye Rim’s relationship or lack of relationship in this case. The brief moments in the past few episodes have been a fangirl’s nightmare. We spent the whole time reading into every little action. Like the way she grabbed his hand without any hesitation or the way he glares out her so intensely. Their scenes may be brief and they have barely shared a real conversation together but still we’re obsessed. Sometimes a OTP doesn’t need a lot of dialogue to be interesting. It’s all about the eye contact and the atmosphere and this couple have it nailed. Their scenes have been intense with a lovely undertone of chemistry to keep us excited with the possibilities.

We want them to scream at each other and then make out against the nearest wall already!

Other thoughts:

We really liked how the writer handled the reconciliation between Hyun Soo and the guys. Normal people would feel upset and angry over losing the competition and it’s a natural reaction to feel resentful, especially when it involves something really important. The time and space between the group was realistic and once again managed to convey that authentic nature to their friendship that viewers have fallen in love with.

We really like how the writer manages to deal with conflict in the drama in such a realistic and relatable manner. We loved how the writer presented the contract dilemma. We adored the thoughtful scene between Do Il and Ji Hyuk where they discuss the contract issue and Ji Hyuk flat-out rejects any possibility of leaving his boys behind and going solo–

Ji Hyuk has so many great lines in this drama. We love him.

How cute was the scene where all the parents gathered?! We spent the whole time giggling at how adorable they were. We were especially surprised by Do il’s gangster father rocking up and taking a real interest in his son’s career choice. A gangster with a heart, we approve.

 Lucky!

Ji Hyuk serenading Soo Ah over the phone was sooooooooo sweet. This was the moment that sealed the deal for us. They are just so adorable together without being boring or saccharine – We declare them our favourite OTP of 2012 so far.

Shut Up: Flower Boy Band 5-6

Best episodes so far!

Where do we start, everything was just so awesome that we feel completely and utterly spoilt.  How can one drama satisfy our drama needs in just the most perfect way???

For us it was all about the hug. THE BEST BROMANIC HUG EVER. It was so heartbreaking to watch, it managed to make our hearts ache for Hyun Soo and the guys so much. The way Ji Hyuk stopped playing and hugged Hyun Soo until he stopped was one of those scenes that will stay with you long after the drama ends. It was just so unexpected and emotionally charged. For three episodes we have watched this band do all they could to win this competition all as a testament to Byun Hee. It probably meant more to them than anyone else in the competition and so to see Ji Hyuk stop midway through to take care of his friend was just so touching to watch.

It was one of those bittersweet moments watching the band finish their performance. On one hand they fulfilled their promise to their friend but on the other hand they knew they had no chance of winning. Watching Ji Hyuk stop the performance was so much better than if something predictable happened to ruin their chances at winning; like if Hyun Soo was just late or their instruments were tampered with. For us, this had so much more of an impact as it clearly highlighted the fact that their bond as friends is far greater than any competition could ever be.

Hyun Soo is a really interesting character for us. The scene that made us take notice of him was the scene where he shouted at Ye Rim.

“I wanted to give my friend one last gift, but it’s all ruined because of me. I’m about to go crazy right now so shut up and get lost!”

It was just such a great scene; he was barely holding it together, there was so much pain and anger radiating from him. For us it was just such an intense moment that was incredibly emotionally charged. We look forward to watching Ye Rim and Hyun Soo’s relationship progress after their unfortunate first meeting. We do love the drama troupe where enemies fall in love. All that hostility and anger, plus Hyun Soo smouldering glare…hehe, we can’t wait!

We adored practically every moment between the OTP. Seriously, we don’t know who we love more Ji Hyuk or Soo Ah, both of them are so great to watch. Our favourite OTP scene from last week has to be the moment where she’s describing how Ji Hyuk’s song/ voice makes her feel and then they share her ear phones to listen to the song. Heeee, it was so sweet. We loved that smile on Ji Hyuk’s face, it was so cute.

”When I’m lonely it makes my heart feel warm, and when I’m excited it makes my heart race, and when I’m sad it makes me want to cry.”

Also, yay for the leading lady taking the first step and confessing her feelings! How unexpected was that final scene? Was it just us but wasn’t that last scene just the icing on the cake, it was so perfect.

A love confession, handholding and then a kiss.

We love you drama –you spoil us too much!

Other thoughts:

Prior to watching episode 6, we had only seen snippets of Strawberry Fields performing but we have to say disappointing or what, seriously, this is the rival to Eye Candy, really? What are they doing performing their lame arse jazz music at a rock festival? We can only describe it as boring lounge music at best.

Someone needs to kill Pyo Joo already, that guy is ruining the drama for us. He’s like a very evil stereotypical villain. This drama is too good for a character like him. Hopefully the drama cuts him out or at least reveals why he’s such a bastard as he currently just comes across as a standard 2D villain you want to smack around the head. Although we did take alot of satisfaction watching Ji Hyuk hit him with a basketball. Haha.

Soo Ah standing up for herself was also great viewing. We love how she’s finding her way and being the person she wants to be, regardless of what people think and say about her.

Can’t wait for next week!

Shut Up: Flower Boy band: 3-4

Why isn’t it Monday already, we want to watch the next episode now!?

After four episodes this drama owns us, it’s as simple as that.

Naturally, Byung Hee’s death was going to leave a void but we like how the writer has used his death as a positive catalyst for them to move forward as a band and more importantly as friends. Their pain and grief hit us right in the gut in the best way possible. We loved watching them do their unique tribute to him. The scene where Kyung Jong (the cute little one) put his coat around Byung Hee’s photo got us good. It’s such a small, sweet action but it had so much sincerity attached to it. For us, moments like that just sum up the whole drama.

If you’re not watching Shut up Flower: Boy band, you need to be. It’s like Boys before Flowers’ grittier, dark but hopeful cousin. Trust us, when we say it’s got that same level of crack that made you that obsessive mess while watching Boys. As finding a crack drama is like finding a needle in a haystack, we felt it was our duty to let everyone know that this drama is pure awesome. You can thank us later. Hehehe.

Anyway back to our rambles on episodes 3-4…

We adore Ji Hyuk- where can we get one, gimme, gimme, gimme!?

Fangirl crushing alert – Angsty, broody and hot, we wish he was real.

He’s tough and broody but deep down he’s a complete sweetheart. We love how he’s willing to put his pride aside for the greater good of the band and has found a purpose/ direction after losing his friend. His transition to leader was seamless in our opinion. His grief and lack of purpose resonated with us perfectly and we couldn’t help but connect with him as a character. We like the fact that he is so much more than what he presents. For a leading man, that is exactly what we want to see. He is a character that will surprise us, one that is thoughtful and compassionate but at the same time unpredictable enough to keep us excited by what he will do next. 

Soo Ah is one lucky, lucky girl!

Ji Hyuk and Soo Ah’s exchanges are just pitch perfect at the moment. We love how awkward they are, how they share that simmering tension which is strictly not mentioned and most importantly the way they look at each other. We like the fact that the drama has brought them together so quickly. Hello cohabitation already, we love it! Heheheh.  The writer has built that foundation of trust that will lead to friendship and then love really well. Building up their relationship is something we appreciate as viewers and rabid OTP shippers because we want to believe their love for each other when they eventually do get together in the drama. At this point, they have too many barriers keeping them apart, not to mention the fact that Soo Ah already has a sort of boyfriend in Seung Yoon. We like to call him boyfriend lite because seriously, they must be the most innocent 17/18 years in the history of dating!

We nearly wrote Seung Hoon off as the stereotypical love rival/ 2D villain but we were pleasantly surprised by episode 3 and 4. Seung Hoon’s rivalry has that extra level of interest for us because both Seung Hoon and Ji Hyuk now share that small amount of mutual respect for each other and are aware that their bands may be equally as good as each other. We love a good competition where egos and passions collide. 

Also, he clearly cares for Soo Ah, despite the fact that they are completely lame together as a couple. He needs to man up already and take some initiative. Seriously, clothes vouchers, really???

Random thoughts:

-Omo was it just us or did Do Il look upset when Woo Kyung (Nosy fangirl/ hairdresser) kissed Ji Hyuk? We never expected the brooding, silent drummer to crush on her. Odd couple alert. Heee.

-The reasons for handing out points in episode 4 were hilarious! Thick accents, immoral behaviour, being girl crazy- we love it.

-Is it just us or who else wants to kick Soo Ah’s friend in the gut until she finally stops talking so much crap!?

-Also Seung Hoon’s older sister is far too nosy for her own good. Come on woman, get your own life.

Shut Up: Flower Boy band – episode 1&2/ First Impressions

We loved the first two episodes! We’ve got our fingers crossed that this is the drama crack we’ve been waiting for, it sure feels like it.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BROMANCE!

We confess we are complete suckers for a good bromance and this drama has it in bucket loads. We love the band’s friendship so much. It feels so genuine and natural. We adore how they have each other’s backs in the good times and bad. They get each other and their conversations and interactions reflect that level of closeness that you only have with those dearest to you and it’s just so lovely to watch on screen, especially when it’s done so well.

Not only do we have a bromance but we also have a wonderful depiction of misfits trying to make good. We love rooting for the underdogs and this band of friends have us rooting for them until the end. The band appears to be made up of characters that all come from broken or troubled families and as a result the drama feels slightly darker than the fluffy drama we expected, which is fine with us. It makes their bond feel stronger and their band’s value more important because it’s the only good thing that they have in their lives.

The drama had a scene where the band needed to raise money to buy their school uniform and yes, the uniform was expensive but it’s one of those things you don’t ever think about really. However we’re sitting there watching this group of friends desperately work together to make money all so they can go to school and well its hard not to feel even a little bit touched by them.

We’ve got to hand it to Lee Min Ki – his cameo was epic! Honestly, he played such a wonderfully, eccentric, broken but hopeful character. He was our favourite character in the drama and let’s just say the end of episode 2 had us clamping our hands to our faces and screaming NOOOOOOO! It was that good but so tragic. We’re not that worried about the direction of the drama now that LMK has left. The writing and the way it’s been produced has been solid so far. Also the writer has already planted the seeds for unveiling the different stories that may be addressed in the drama and they all appear to be really promising so far.

The romance is better than we expected. We don’t really like when all the male characters in the drama like the same girl as it shows a lack of originality on behalf of the writer. Also, everyone liking the same girl is sooooo boring to watch, however, it’s handled really well in this drama.

Soo Ah is actually really likable as a leading lady. She’s confident, compassionate and has her own issues. We like how she indulged Byung Hee in the drama. She could have easily shaken him off and called him a freak but she judged his character and sensed that he wasn’t a bad guy, just a bit eccentric and we like that. We’ve watched so many dramas now where the leading lady goes from super rich and bratty to completely broke in an instant and it’s annoying to watch them have their tantrums and cry about their lives. However, this girl is just getting on with life, despite her family being financially ruined. We really look forward to her integrating herself with the band, especially with Ji Hyuk. We really liked the OTP’s scenes together so far. You can already see the sparks of a good romance and we can’t wait!

We like how Ji Hyuk is the silent, sensible one that takes care of the guys and keeps them out of trouble. We look forward to watching him step up and become the leader now that Byung Hee has gone.

Bring on the battle of the bands – we can’t wait for Eye Candy to crush those horrible Jin Sung boys, who need to have their arses kicked ASAP!