Encounter (2018) & the Kdrama Journey So Far

 I got my 한굴 keyboard stickers. I haven't put them on yet, but that should make things much easier for me. Happy about that.

I started a new kdrama last night, of course. It has been really cute so far. I figured since the last one was a tragedy, that a lighter one might be good. So, I started watching Encounter (aka Boyfriend). 

Encounter (2018)

So far, so good. Again, I'm loving the cinematography in these kdramas. There were so many gorgeous shots just in the first episode! Here are a few that I thought were really lovely:

The first is the cutesy first meeting in which Kim Jin Hyuk (Park Bo Gum) saves Cha Soo Hyun (Song Hye Kyo) and lets her sleep against his shoulder while waiting for the sunrise. Improbable but a cute scenario. It's a beautiful shot, particularly the silhouette of his wild hair.

After the sunset, the two have beers against the cityscape. This is cropped in just for use in the blog, but the shot is much wider with more sky and city. It's gorgeous! It made me want to visit Havana.

This shot is back in her office. On the wall, she has many clocks set to times around the world, one of which is the time in Cuba where she met Kim Jin Hyuk. She glances at the clock and the memory appears in the clock face. Beautifully done.

So far, the drama has some, by now, really familiar tropes. But it has been enjoyable. The ice queen/cheerful puppy dynamic is working. The actual filming is the star so far though.

Park Bo Gum

And the above is just a shot of Park Bo Gum with that shaggy long hair. I am a fan of long/shaggy hair in general. It has been gone for half an episode or something so far, and I miss it already.

This is my first drama with Park Bo Gum. I noticed that he was in a whole lot of stuff on Viki, but the profile picture looked really goofy. I looked him up separately to see what the big deal was and realized it was just a bad picture, but he still seemed kind of... goofy.

As it turns out, he really is goofy... at least in this role. I wonder if a serious role with fewer smiles would turn him into a fierce, sexy type. I doubt it. I've got to say that he's quite endearing in this role. He's energetic and excitable and cute.

All the Dramas

Just to keep track of what I've watched so far, I'll go ahead and make a list of the kdramas I've seen. Here they are... in order:

#1 - 1% of Something

This was my very first kdrama of all time. I just clicked on one that sounded typical, had a high rating, and seemed light. The degree of sexism was a little bit surprising to me. I know that gender politics are different in South Korean culture, but that was what stood out most to me.

I wasn't a huge fan of either main actor. He grew on me a bit and is sort of cute. She grew on me just enough to stop being annoying. 

The other big drawback for me was the super goofy and intrusive sound effects. I am not a fan of the cartoon sound effects in general, but if they're subtle, that's fine. These were loud and drew attention away from the drama on screen. Not ideal.

I still finished the entire series.

The writing surprised me. Every time I would groan to myself, thinking it was about to get bogged down in some trope that I hate, they would clear up the misunderstanding within a few minutes and just move on! I was absolutely amazed that boring/tedious bits were just shoved aside so quickly.

As it turns out, I think this is a staple writing style for kdramas. Rather than spending the entire show on how they got together, they actually get the characters together. Instead of a misunderstanding destroying everything, the characters just explain like a real person would... and they move on. I adore that!

#2 - What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?

The traumatic story from the past hooked me completely. The child actors, especially the little boy, completely floored me! I was amazed at how good he was. To be honest, every Korean child star I have seen so far has been better than all the child stars I've seen from the U.S. in decades. 

I despised the office staff. I found them incredibly annoying. I almost quit watching the show over Hwang Bo Ra... multiple times. It got to the point where I fast forwarded through her scenes because I couldn't take it. The character was loud and repugnant... but the acting was so over-the-top that I was embarrassed for the actress every time. It was... uncomfortable.

The chemistry between the leads was okay. I have tried to watch one other Park Min Young drama and had to turn it off. She is both pretty and cute... but it's a little Uncanny Valley for me. It's like watching a super stiff mannequin. Like, how many doctors did it take to create that face? 

Sometimes, I don't understand Korean beauty standards with the surgeries and the Westernized looks. The most attractive people I've seen so far looked like they had no or very minimal work done. Even for kpop, I'll think, "This is the one that everyone must be wild for"... and it turns out that people think he's ugly. Wild.

 Back on topic though, I enjoyed the show but got bored after they figured out their shared past. I skipped through the last episode to maybe the halfway point and just turned it off. This is the only kdrama that I have 1. not finished and 2. had to skip countless scenes just to make it through. Needless to say, it's my least favorite of those I've seen.

#3 - Just Between Lovers

I have nothing but praise for this one. I love Junho's performance in this. It's shocking how good it was, since he seems to be a pretty goofy sort of guy in reality. The chemistry was good too, though I wasn't a big fan of the lead actress.

This was my first full drama. No comedy to speak of. And I adored it. I wrote about it in these blog posts. Seriously, this was a beautifully done drama. Junho's performance was 100% the key to everything for me though. He had me crying multiple times... and what a stunning character too. The writers should be proud.

Of all the dramas I've seen, this is hands down my favorite. Incredibly well executed.

#4 - Are You Human Too?

I love scifi of any kind. I've seen this type of movie many many times, starting when I was young with Not Quite Human and Not Quite Human 2. 

I instantly became an enormous fan of Seo Kang Joon. He's beautiful to look at, but he's also an exceptionally good actor. I was shocked that a model... a guy clearly starring in movies because of his looks... had that type of talent. 

His portrayal of the good and bad characters... and the good character pretending to be the bad character... all well done. I loved the plot, the storyline moved nicely, and I love Seo Kang Joon.

The drawback? I found the female lead character really annoying. I've seen the tough-as-nails characters acted far better and written far better. Kudos to the writers for trying to make a tough female character who didn't need rescuing... but it didn't work. And of course, she had to be rescued repeatedly. 

Her family was insanely annoying and goofy, though not to the level of the office staff in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?. I watched the entire show, including their parts. There were even some touching moments with her dad and Nam Shin 3. 

In the end, I loved this show and will definitely watch it again some day. I love scifi, big business deceptions, and the basic plot. And Seo Kang Joon could have carried this drama alone... though he didn't have to. There were plenty of other supporting characters/actors that were great too.

#5 - The Smile Has Left Your Eyes

I wrote about this one at length, so I'll skip it. I loved it, but it did have one of the tropes that drive me crazy... people just not saying the obvious thing that would solve all their problems.

In that regard, it's a classic and very old-school tragedy (e.g. Romeo & Juliet type). I'm cool with that since it was well done, though it did have times when it was hard to watch. Like, come on people... just spit it out.

There were also a few plot issues. Like, say... the article describing the murders. Kim Moo Yeung read it... so he should have known that the other kid wasn't who he ended up thinking it was.

There are others, but I erased them because... spoilers. Huge spoilers. Watch it yourself. The holes are as big as canyons, so you'll definitely catch a couple.

That said, I really truly loved so much about this one. See for yourself:

Warming up to The Smile Has Left Your Eyes

More The Smile Has Left Your Eyes

Stunning Cinematography & Symbolism

That's all of the kdramas that I have seen to this point. I'm a big fan of them. Sure, they aren't 100% perfect, but they're better than shows here in all the best ways. Deeper backgrounds, way more character development, faster moving plots and writing, and gorgeous cinematography.

On top of that, the eye candy seems to coincide with actual talent far more often than I'm used to. Fan for life.

Today & Tomorrow

• Finished the lesson on ㅡ  & 르 Irregulars
• Went through maybe 5-6 words of new vocab
• Practiced the vocab I learned yesterday

That's it so far. I didn't finish the lesson yet. The ㄹ irregular part of the lesson looks much longer and complicated, so I'm going to practice with ㅡ & 르 irregulars tomorrow and move on to the last one when I'm ready.

Again, I'm not trying to rush. I'm trying to make sure that I've got the grammar down well enough to follow dialogue and have an actual conversation. This is the best way. Besides, I want to spend most of my day watching Encounter (2017)... it's just so damn cute.

파이팅!

*Add 17 But 30!!