Boys Before Flowers + The dramas that had "uneasy" factor

[alexandral]

I have finished watching the Korean version of "Boys Over Flowers". Quite predictably, I loved it. Overall , I think I really enjoyed this drama, because many things have been done differently than in the previous versions, because all loose endings have been nicely tied and also because I finally got my Yukki/Sojiro and this ship has ended so well, fulfilling all my fannish dreams. I also liked that the love between the main couple has endured the 4 years gap, something we never got to see with the previous adaptations, I have always been wondering if they still would be together after 4 years.

Also I have been re-watching "Meteor Garden" during the recent weeks and one particular scene made me very uneasy (meganbmoore mentioned this scene before). This gave me a thought to make a list of Asian dramas that I found difficult to stomach for one reason or another. ** sigh ** I am much better with squeeing and explaining why I like things than explaining why I don't.

1. Hong Gil Dong - I have a problem with the main hero always putting the main herouine down and calling her an idiot all the time. I have a problem with the main female character being shown as an idiot. Also with the most unconsistent story development.

2. Meteor Garden - with the scene where Domyoji hits Shankai and she thinks "oh, but this must be my fault!"

3. Forbidden Love (Majo no Jouken) - a teacher having sex with her pupil in the SCHOOL LIBRARY.

4. Bara no nai Hanaya (The Flower Shop Without Roses) - a girl pretends to be blind and makes the main character pity her and fall in love with her. And no-one notices that she isn't blind, even when she cooks elaborate dishes. I am through 5 episodes of this drama and I don't know if I should finish it..

Also, not so connected (I found this drama hard to watch but it didn't feel wrong) - does anyone know how Zeni Geba ended? Has Everyone died?

This is of course just my personal "dramas that make alexandral uneasy" list, most likely/definitely other people have other dramas that push their "wrong" button.

Comments

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Re: HGD. We, of course, bring a lot of our background into watching stuff. I am someone who is super-comfortable with "affectionate insults" (whether they are affectionate in HGD is obviously a subjective matter and I bet our views differ) - my college roommate friend and I spent 4 yrs of college sniping at each other to a degree that people who didn't know us thought we fought. But we like it. In fact, insult nicknames sort of stuck, and she still calls me "Worm" (and I call her by her insult name) and it's been over 10 yrs since college.

Blind people can cook, btw :) I loved BnnH.

About hitting: not sure what I think of the scene in MG - he slapped her, and she's slapped him before, so even? Or maybe not, but the drama doesn't sugarcoats him being a psycho, even if a lovable one.

Hmmm, dramas that bother me in the sense of pinging my "wrong" button as opposed to just being bored? Not many, I am usually just willing to go with the flow.

Devil Beside You - heroine is utter dishrag dominated by her bf. Yikes. ISWAK (on rewatch, I loved it the first time around) because ditto, only even worse. KKK2003 - it a great drama but it's so dark I can't deal: when a teacher who makes his student believe she is dying and has an affair with her is about the nicest and their relationship is the healthiest in the show, I am out. East of Eden: yay, fall for your rapist! Not my thing. Oh, and actually BOF, because I ended up despising both the lead characters and did not want them rewarded.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

HGD: I agree that we always bring our background into our watching. I might have ignored the insult overall (but it felt as if he meant and because the female character was shown as an idiot) but there is also the fact that he pretended to be dead, the complete change in direction, etc. etc. This drama is my biggest "It started so well but I ended up disliking it for many reasons" thing.

BnnH: I am torn. I can't see the way the situation can get any better. Mio's lies and betrayal are so HUGE that I don't see any way out of it apart for everything to end tragically. I am not sure if I am ready for a tragic ending in a drama that includes children.

MG/ISWAK: I don't dare to re-watch ISWAK. I think I will have the same reaction as you had. I wish I didn't start the re-watch of MG too - I loved it the first time round and I also just thought "she hit him, he hit her", but the converstaion with meganbmoore made me notice the inner dialogue Shankai had: "I always provoke him. It is my fault". GRRRRR. I totally didn't notice this before.

KKK2003: I only ventured into a very quick fast forward. It also pushed my many of my "wrong" buttons. I haven't included the drama in my list because I haven't watched it properly.

East of Eden: yay, fall for your rapist! Not my thing

Did she REALLY FALL IN LOVE with him?? Oh gosh, this is so bad!!!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I think Hong Gil Dong is the only drama on which we disagree so utterly :) Btw, did you know that Group 8 wanted JGS, Emo Prince from HGD, to be Jun Pyo? That might have been interesting.

Re: Shancai's dialogue. That's the only time she thinks anything even near that and she does not come across as a battered woman at all (I am scared for the life of anyone who tried :D) and honestly, I agree with her - she does keep acting in a manner I find ridiculous during the fiancee thing (and combined with her wibbling earlier). Now, I am not advocating slapping, but I can see why she thinks that thought at that instance. Plus, we needed something drastic to make DMS give up and think she is better off without him, and his loss of temper at her would be one of the very few things to do it - horrify him into abandoning trying to be with SC.

Re: BnnH. It has a happy ending, I swear.

EoE: yes. Don't get me started on that. And speaking of things I can't stand - in Thai dramas hero often rapes the heroine and they fall in love afterwards. In wildly popular Defendant of Love, e.g. hero kidnaps heroine to torture her (!!!) because he blames her for jilting his younger bro who offed himself. He kidnaps the wrong girl though, but before he finds out there is mistreatment and also there is rape. Guess what? True love! UGH.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Btw, did you know that Group 8 wanted JGS, Emo Prince from HGD, to be Jun Pyo? That might have been interesting.

This is indeed very interesting! I think I can see him better as Ji Hoo (and I might have joined Ji Hoo/Jan Di ship in this case :P).

That's the only time she thinks anything even near that and she does not come across as a battered woman at all

I noticed the scene that darkeyedwolf mentioned too, Shankai was saying something like "oh, what a terror of a boy!" (as in "he is such a silly boy!" way) when DMS almost forced himself onto her.

Re: BnnH. It has a happy ending, I swear.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I am so happy! Also I'd like Mio to show some remorse for what she is doing!

I am so gald I didn't get invested in EoE. I had a feeling that Evil Rapist Brother would be reedemed somehow. this is too bad. No Tai dramas for me too!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I think I read too many romance novels - forced kissing and a bit of shirt rip doesn't bug me, in fact I like scenes like this in fiction even if not rl as sourxe for conflixt/angst. Clearly am disturbed in the head :)

Evil Rapist Brother was, unfortunately, redeemed. I still hated him though. I was fine with him deciding to atone and becoming a good human being gradually, but his wife forgiving him and falling for him made no sense.

[darkeyedwolf.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about MG -- for me it was the early scene where he forces himself on Shancai and rips her blouse, then refuses to apologize for it, claiming it was her fault. I got the feeling it was supposed to be a funny bit of banter -- haha, look at them arguing again, isn't he such a pighead -- but it just pressed all the wrong buttons for me to see such textbook abusive behavior.

I still love the show, but I sure skipped those scenes on rewatch.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I didn't think it was supposed to be funny, I thought it was because he clearly has no idea how to act human (or apologize). Ehhh, I read so many novels when younger where DMS' actions seem like child's play so I think I am warped :)

[darkeyedwolf.livejournal.com]

I'm probably a hypocrite, because the intensity and borderline behavior of DS/Shancai is part of the reason I love MG so much (especially coming off the weepy trainwreck that is BOF). That scene just bugged me because it was such classic abuser behavior. Yeah, it's her fault you assaulted her, you ass.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I also still like "Meteor Garden", but I wish I haven't started the re-watch. I used to think of this drama as "awesome awesome awesome" and now I don't anymore.

But I am willing to skip these bits because it is not like Shankai is easy to subdue so I can explain them away as inconsistencies.

[darkeyedwolf.livejournal.com]

Yeah, when both partners are equally abusive, it's somewhat easier to swallow. *laughs*

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Also Jerry Yan is hot. May be I love Korean "Boys Over Flowers" so much because Lee Min Hoo is so hot. See- I am honest. :D

[seven-trees.livejournal.com]

I get what you're saying about Hong Gil Dong. I really did like that drama a lot, but it bothered me how they always showed that HGD was stronger or smarter than the main female. I mean, fine, she might have not as smart or as good of a fighter as he was, but was it necessary to make it seem as though she were retarded?. I HATED that.

But the one drama that really did it for me in a bad way was ISWAK. The guy was just a complete bastard to the girl, and she just let him walk all over her.

It also had to do a lot with how she never wanted a life for herself. That's something that always gets to me. She never had any goals that had to do with herself. She became a nurse to be with the guy she loved, not because that's what she truly wanted to do as a living.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I think I felt about "Hong Gil Dong" the way some people feel about "Boys Before Flowers". It started really really well, I loved it and I was even willing to ignore the fact you mentioned, "was it necessary to make it seem as though she were retarded?" . But somewhere in the last 3 or 4 episodes the drama completely changed the direction from a happy story to a story with "important message" and nothing made sense anymore. Why did the Emo Prince shielded the guy he disliked enough to kill later?
The ending with everyone dying or turning into a monster is probably my most hated ending of all times.

I liked ISWAK on my first watch, but I would not dare to re-watch. I am hear all that you are saying - it is all there. And more. I grown to dislike one of the favourite cliche's of Asian dramas - silly girl with a heart of gold. Why do girls have to be empty-headed to have a heart of gold?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I like silly girls with a heart of gold, but I want to point out in the interests of fairness that the other cliche just as beloved of dramas is womanly woman with a heart of gold :) See anything played by Choi Ji Woo (e.g. Beautiful Days) so heart of gold seems to be quite common among females in dramas, with or without silliness :)

Btw, re HGD: I never liked Emo Prince one bit (in fact, disliked him from the start, to be honest), so that is why his arc didn't bother me. I can see that if one liked him, it wouldn't be the same case...

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

but I want to point out in the interests of fairness that the other cliche just as beloved of dramas is womanly woman with a heart of gold :) See anything played by Choi Ji Woo (e.g. Beautiful Days) so heart of gold seems to be quite common among females in dramas, with or without silliness :)

Yes, this I noticed this too. I wish we could have more of no-nonsense heroines. I also noticed that Korean drama herouines often HAVE to be good cooks.

Btw, re HGD: I never liked Emo Prince one bit (in fact, disliked him from the start, to be honest), so that is why his arc didn't bother me. I can see that if one liked him, it wouldn't be the same case...

I understand. I am the same with "Boys before Flowers". I like Ji Hoo but not in THAT way. ;D I could have been annoyed by his suffering if I liked him more.

But it is not just that - in HGD I totally bought "this is Hong sisters drama, it is going to end well". And the original story had a happier outcome. And nothing foreboded everyone's death. It was a stab in the back.

[seven-trees.livejournal.com]

The Hong sisters totally let me down with that ending. I specifically went into HGD knowing about their previous dramas and that they had all ended happily, so I thought to myself, yeah, it's a segeuk, but it's by the Hong sisters. Everything always ends happily with them, right? WRONG, GIRLIE. I'm still traumatized. NEVER TRUST KDRAMAS. They'll win you over with their adorable, silly antics and then kill you dead with flaming arrows of DOOM.

I don't know why a lot of dramas always make it seem as though all girls are just silly and dumb at heart. I can count on one hand the number of dramas I've seen where the girl is smarter than the guy.

I heard about this scene that got cut out of BOF, where F4 was talking about how JP really had this high IQ. That just made me want to bitchslap the writer.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

The Hong sisters totally let me down with that ending. I specifically went into HGD knowing about their previous dramas and that they had all ended happily, so I thought to myself, yeah, it's a segeuk, but it's by the Hong sisters.

This is exactly how I thought too. Also some people posted the synopsis of the original story and everything ended happily there - Hong Gil Dong became a king in some other country. So I thought - YAY! And even more, I am usually very good at predicting how drama is going to end; you can usually pick up some clues from music and such. I tell you - Hong Gil Dong didn't look like A DRAMA THAT WILL END WITH EVERYONE DEAD.

I can count on one hand the number of dramas I've seen where the girl is smarter than the guy.

Yep. And the girl always HAS to be a good cook?

I heard about this scene that got cut out of BOF, where F4 was talking about how JP really had this high IQ. That just made me want to bitchslap the writer.

I am so glad this was omitted. :D

[joonni.livejournal.com]

Yes, I can't remember specific dramas but I hate the ones where the female gets bullied or hit and she thinks it's her fault. Or she "understands" that that male did it only because he is some poor tortured creature. Have you heard of Akai Ito? It just recently aired in Japan and it had some version of that. Ugh.

I also didn't finish ISWAK. I couldn't get why everyone thought it was great.

As for BOF, I liked episode 24 a lot, 25 a little less but came out feeling satisfied. Some people think that loose ends were left, specifically in terms of the Goo family but I thought implicitly, things were tied together. As for Jihoo though, it seems that they left him still loving her in not so platonic way so I have a problem with that. But I'm trying to think about it. Like seriously trying. Because I don't want to open a can of worms.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen Akai Ito but I have heard of it. It didn't grab my attention because it looked like several separate stories rather than one. But I don't like stories with the guy hitting the girl.

I liked ISWAK but I am 100% sure that I might have hated it if I watched it now.

Some people think that loose ends were left, specifically in terms of the Goo family but I thought implicitly, things were tied together. As for Jihoo though, it seems that they left him still loving her in not so platonic way so I have a problem with that. But I'm trying to think about it. Like seriously trying. Because I don't want to open a can of worms.

I thought that Goo family was implicitly resolved, that Jun Pyo just has "grown up".

I loved that Korean BoF resolved Yukki/Sojiro. I would have loved it even more if it resolved Rui/Ji Hoo issue too, but because him left alone is a part of canon I don't really worry too much. But I wish we get a story where Rui gets a girl. I really wish. May be he and Seo Hyu/Shizuka can get back together or something.

[fivil.livejournal.com]

It's odd, 've probably never experienced "this is so wrong/makes me feel uneasy, I'll stop watching it now" in Asian dramas. It's always been more about the drama being boring, so I quit watching it before anything questionable happens. And there's a few I did enjoy but thought the OTP could've been more ideal (like Xiang Qin in ISWAK could've had more more of a backbone) but I never really get to watching dramas that I eventually end up having a serious issue with.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about being bored. At the beginning of my "drama addict" life I didn't get bored easily but recently it seems that I get the feeling of "Oh, I have seen this already 100% times. BORING." more often

[uisceros.livejournal.com]

I can honestly say that there is no drama I've disliked because it made me uneasy. I come from a fanfic fandom background, so I think I'm jaded to a lot of the things that happen in dramas. Like, Kou Kou Kyoushi 2003 didn't weird me out at all despite the utterly screwed up relationships. Because honestly, I've read a lot stranger things.

I don't really remember Shan Cai blaming herself for the slap thing, but it's been awhile since I watched it...

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I find that my borders of "gosh, this is weird" moved dramatically since I joined LJ. At first I kind of was half-horrified by everything but I got quickly used used to everything, I guess.

On the other hand, I have become more aware of the certain issues, like sexism, racism, etc. and started noticing this more. Where before I used to be "oh, this is just another story" now I find that sometimes I can see certain patterns emerging and I don't like then.

Plus I still have a big "wrong" button for underage stories, I guess I just imagine my own daughter in these situations..

[uisceros.livejournal.com]

Hehe, my tolerances were a lot lower at the beginning too. Course I was only 13 when I entered fandom.

I think I've had the opposite reaction; at the beginning of my drama watching, I noticed the cultural sexism a lot. I don't notice it as much anymore because I guess I'm used to it. I do still notice the racism though!

I'm sure if I had children I'd feel the same way. I know I have issues with anything touching on beastilaity (most people do, but I think I have a stronger reaction because I'm an animal rights activist). I haven't come across it in dramas at all, but I do see it in fanfic sometimes and it just creeps me out quite a bit.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I know I have issues with anything touching on beastilaity (most people do, but I think I have a stronger reaction because I'm an animal rights activist). I haven't come across it in dramas at all, but I do see it in fanfic sometimes and it just creeps me out quite a bit.

I do have huge issues with bestiality too, as you said - I think most people have.

I do still notice the racism though!

I know I am so wrong about this but the reverse racism of doramas makes me laugh sometimes. All the stereotyped Americans..