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TW/CW for sexual assault, intimate relationship violence and bullying Spoiler alert: This episode contains spoilers for F4 Thailand, the 2010 Boys Over Flowers, the 2005 Hana Yori Dango and the 2001 Meteor Garden. A year after we recorded our Boys Over Flowers episode, we’re back with a deep dive on F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers, the latest addition to the Hana Yori Dango universe. Even though Melanie, Katherine and Vickey had sworn never to watch another adaptation, Alisa knew from the first episode that F4 Thailand was something special and she managed to pull everyone back in. In today’s episode we’re joined by our good friend RK (known as @roh_tweets on Twitter).  1:56: Background on the Hana Yori Dango universe and the special relationship our podcast has with this franchise: our Boys Over Flowers episode accounts for more than half the total listens on our podcast (which is nuts). 7:31: Episode discussion begins. We all agree this production is top notch and a big surprise given the quality of Boys Over Flowers and other adaptations. 18:40: Melanie and Vickey discuss key changes to the original story made by F4 Thailand, such as the male lead being drugged and photographed instead of the female lead. Alisa points out that it’s a different type of story because of how the production is coloring in the lines of the plot.  25:16: Mel says that one of her favorite aspects of watching the show is the fan interactions and dissections of the storytelling that happen after every episode. It’s on another level because of how rich F4 Thailand’s storytelling is  (Alisa agrees). 26:42: We dive into the meaning of the honey badger stuffed animal from episode 6 and why it’s not only hugely important thematically, it’s an example of the symbolism that’s threaded throughout the narrative. 29:38: RK points out that many if not most of the viewers are bringing knowledge of previous adaptations to their viewing of F4 Thailand and that a lot of the reward of watching is in comparing and contrasting with previous versions. It not just what this drama is doing, it’s what it’s doing compared with the other versions that exist.  34:30: Melanie and Alisa discuss the costuming and how it supports storytelling (Thyme’s half animal print Prada shirts and Kavin’s teddy bear sweater) 36:19: We dive into a long discussion of Thyme, Gorya and the other characters and how they are different (in some cases very different!) from previous iterations. We agree that all of the characters are far more complex than in other versions.  1:03:43: Vickey says that she doesn’t have second lead syndrome for Ren in this version even though he’s likable because the writing makes it clear that Gorya and Thyme are the correct couple (the rest of us agree).   1:13:29: Discussion of Lita and how similar she is to Gorya and what the story is trying to do with those parallels. 1:15:59: We talk about sex! As it how it exists in the manga vs. F4 Thailand and whether or not there is any sexual energy/desire between Thyme and Gorya (Alisa spends a lot of time hyperventilating over the episode 5 storage room scene)  1:22:57: We dive into the incredible storytelling of episode 9, especially the funeral scene and how Lita falls in love with a Thyme that exists because of the influence of Gorya. (the star bandaid!) 1:28:47: Alisa points out that the social critique is foregrounded in this version much more than previous versions (the 1% reference in the episode 9 title comes from Occupy Wall Street). RK points out that class struggle is part of the entire franchise but is much more explicit in this version. We also briefly discuss how awful the Thai king is in real life (google if you want your jaw to drop) and a political critique in a scene with Gorya’s parents.  1:32:21: We discuss episode 7 and That Scene where Thyme explodes. That was a hugely polarizing s

TW/CW for sexual assault, intimate relationship violence and bullying Spoiler alert: This episode contains spoilers for F4 Thailand, 2010 Boys Over Flowers, 2005 Hana Yori Dango and 2001 Meteor Garden. A year after we recorded our Boys Over Flowers episode, we’re back with our second deep dive on F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers, the latest addition to the Hana Yori Dango universe. We all agree that this show is already a modern classic and is by far the best adaptation of this problematic teen franchise. If you haven’t already listened to our deep dive on episodes 1-9, you can listen here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8038424-f4-thailand-boys-over-flowers-episodes-1-9  1:58 Background on the Hana Yori Dango universe 4:42 Episode discussion begins.  5:47: We discuss the huge challenges that director Patha Thongpan faced while making F4 Thailand, which he shared with fans on social media. They include budget, PPL, covid, and not enough episodes to fully tell the story. Despite any shortfalls in the second half of the narrative, we all love this adaptation and think it’s a modern classic and the best Hana Yori Dango adaptation ever.  9:35: Katherine makes a bold statement and declares Thailand's F4 entrance scene to be even better than the iconic Korean entrance scene. The rest of us agree! 11:50: Vickey also makes a bold statement and declares the Thailand’s F4 to be the best looking of all the adaptations and Alisa gives and AMEN to that  13:02: Alisa reads a Francois Truffault quote she tweeted on Great Flawed Films that applies to F4 Thailand being a Great Flawed Drama:  “I want to define what I mean by a “great flawed film.” It is simply a masterpiece that has aborted, an ambitious project weakened by some errors in the making: a fine screenplay that is “unshootable,” an inadequate cast, a shooting contaminated by hatred or blinded by love, or an inordinate gap between the original intention and the final execution. This notion of “great flawed films” can apply only to the works of a great director—one who has demonstrated that in other circumstances he can achieve perfection. In an overall view of his achievements, a true cinéphile may, on occasion, prefer such a director’s “great flawed film” to one of his acknowledged masterpieces—thereby preferring, for example, A King in New York to The Gold Rush, or The Rules of the Game to Grand Illusion. If one accepts the concept that a perfect execution often conceals the film-maker’s intentions, one must admit that the “great flawed film” may reveal more vividly the picture’s raison d’etre. “I might also point out that, while the masterpiece does not necessarily arouse the viewer’s emotions, the “great flawed film” frequently does—which accounts for the fact that the latter is more apt to become what the American critics call a “cult film” than is the masterpiece. “I would add that the “great flawed film” is often harmed by an excess of sincerity. Paradoxically, this sincerity makes it clearer to the aficionados, but more obscure to the general public, which has been conditioned to absorb mixtures that give priority to gimmicks rather than to straightforward confessions.” 15:32: We discuss a photo shared by one of the F4 Thailand writers of a whiteboard where they brainstormed themes for the drama. With a special shoutout to @BeLight_21on Twitter for translating it for English speakers. https://twitter.com/BeLight_21/status/1513346654878928896   17:47: Melanie mentions that the production had to incorporate 36 different sponsors with specific requirements into the storytelling and how it impacted the drama, especially in the second half as the number of sponsors grew (including the MJ KFC ad, lawd).  19:11: We discuss how key staff dropped out of the project along the way, including their Director of Photography which is huge because a big part of

In this episode we do a deep dive on Coffee Prince, the 2007 Korean drama that is a must-see on every Kdrama lover's list and that made Gong Yoo an international star.

In this episode we discuss My Lovely Sam Soon, the 2005 drama that was one of the biggest Kdrama hits ever and that launched the careers of Hyun Bin (best known for Crash Landing on You) and Kim Sun Ah (also known for Scent of a Woman)

TW/CW for sexual assault, bullying, gun violence Katherine hates Boys Over Flowers with a white-hot passion. Alisa has seen three adaptations of Hana Yori Dango and counting but has what could best be described as a conflicted relationship with this story. Melanie thinks Boys Over Flowers is a must-watch drama just so you understand the references in other dramas and pop music. Vickey enjoyed it way more than she wanted it to. We all agree that love it or hate it, Boys Over Flowers is a classic that mixes deeply problematic elements with fairytale tropes and gorgeous men in fine suits to create the equivalent of drama crack. 1:02: We take a moment to acknowledge those who lost their lives in a mass shooting in Atlanta, Georgia on March 16, 2021. As people who love Asian films and dramas, this hits us hard. We stand with the Asian community and we will do everything we can to push back against hate and violence. 2:36: Heads up: there are MASSIVE spoilers for BoF and Hana Yori Dango. We also give a content warning for discussions of bullying and sexual violence both in the news and as part of the plot of Boys Over Flowers.  3:20:  Listener responses to our last episode—as in we got some! Also a big thank you to all of our listeners in countries worldwide, including Canada, the UK, Philippines, India, Australia, Germany, Russia, Malaysia, Singapore and Qatar. 9:45: Start of Boys Over Flowers/Hana Yori Dango discussion 12:55: One of the themes of this podcast is what makes a classic a classic. But does Boys Over Flowers really qualify? (We say yes! But we had a lot of disagreement before reaching that point). 16:24: Why is this show drama crack despite bad acting, bad writing, bad directing, and OMG SO MUCH bullying and violence? 18:15: Melanie thinks Boys Over Flowers channels fairytale tropes to make this drama irresistible. 20:08: Alisa thinks the show’s pleasures are simple: Gorgeous guys with outlandish haircuts and fabulous fashion served up for your viewing pleasure. Plus that first entrance!  27:18: Here’s where it gets deep: we have an intense discussion of rape and violence against women. 42:28: We compare BoF with the 2001 Taiwanese version, Meteor Garden. We like Jerry Yan’s performance but terrible production values mean we can’t recommend this for most viewers. 48:33: Vickey talks about BoF being her gateway Kdrama...as it is for so many other Kdrama fans. 56:30: Alisa goes on an extended rant about why Ji Hoo is a much better bet as a boyfriend than Jun Pyo. 59:08: Alisa brings up second lead syndrome in Start Up and Vickey, Melanie and Katherine have a fangirl freakout over Kim Seon Ho. 1:01:40: We discuss real-life scandals/tragedies involving Ji Soo, Kim Hyun Joong, and Jang Ja-yeon and how Jan Di’s experiences in BoF aren’t that far off from things happening in the real world. Where do you draw the line as a fan consuming content with people exposed for bad behavior? 1:20:45: BoF and makjang: evil mothers and amnesia and car accidents oh my! 1:30:40: Jae Kyung >>>>>>>>>>> Jan Di (Jun Pyo should’ve just married her) 1:35.00: The OST is an evil earworm. Almost Paradiiiiiiiiise!!! 1:38:38: Melanie dives into the fairytale elements of BoF: Ji Hoo’s first love as a fairy godmother giving Jan Di shoes and how Jan Di’s relationship with the F4 has echoes of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.  1:44:30: Why did Boys Over Flowers desex the relationship between Jan Di and Jun Pyo??? 1:48:36: Does Ji Hoo have a gay relationship in his past? Because otherwise what is up with that Macao scene with his old school friend...  1:52:01: Would we recommend Boys Over Flowers to a new Kdrama watcher? Well...   

Spoiler Alert! We're doing a deep dive on Crash Landing on You so this episode is jam-packed with spoilers (as usual). 1:16 We give a shoutout to the power of Boys Over Flowers. Our last episode had four times the number of listens of our previous two episodes combined. 😲 Pretty powerful for a 12-year-old drama based on a 30-year-old franchise. That sound you hear is feminism weeping. 2:22: Welcome India! You now make up 60% of our listeners. Since we all started out YouTubing, podcasting, and tweeting about Indian movies, we are extremely happy that you all found our podcast. 4:10 Listener feedback on our Boys Over Flowers episode! A big thank you to everyone who listened and shared their reactions with us. It was a challenging episode to record and we’re gratified by the response. 7:34 Start of the Crash Landing on You discussion. The podcast team had a LOT of disagreement on this one, ranging from pure love for this drama (Melanie!) to active annoyance (um, the rest of the Daebak team).  20:00 We discuss the elements that make CLOY very accessible to new viewers: Se Ri as a point of view character in North Korea and the Ducklings as the point of view characters in South Korea (double fish out of water!). Also, there’s a soldier obsessed with Kdramas who explains the tropes to new viewers. 22:25 We have a FANGIRL FREAKOUT over how gorgeous Hyun Bin is in this drama.  23:30 Is Captain Ri too perfect? Alisa thinks so! 25:20 Shoutout to all of the supporting actors who are a who’s who of character actors in Korea (Seo Dan’s mother and uncle both appeared in Parasite!) 28:20 Alisa braces herself for fangirl hate and goes deep on what frustrated her about the main romance. Captain Ri was too perfect (and maybe a little boring?) Vickey agrees!  29:25 Melanie astutely points out that Se Ri is a gender-flipped portrayal of the cold, arrogant chaebol who is redeemed by love. She also explains why Capt. Ri is a cinnamon roll hero. 35:52 We talk about S-E-X and the lack of it in CLOY. Why is this drama so chaste??? 43:16 How did Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin’s real life romance affect their chemistry in CLOY and how much has their relationship contributed to the popularity of this drama? 48:08 Vickey points out that CLOY serves up a lot of standard romance tropes—but when done right, they satisfy. 50:58 The mythic portrayal of North Korea and parallels with Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. 54:24 Alisa rants about the stupid villain and death truck storyline  58:26 We give some love to Seo Dan and Seung Jun, who deserved more character development and a happy ending 1:02:37 We agree that Man Bok’s story is one of the best things in the drama 1:05:26 Capt. Ri and Se Ri’s separation at the border is a metaphor for the political machinery that separates the two Koreas. 1:07:31 How come Se Ri saw Capt. Ri’s scars for the first time in the hospital? Shouldn’t she already know exactly where all those scars are on his body??? (yes, we’re going on about sex again) 1:08:42 Katherine reminds us that it’s obvious Crash Landing on You is pitching itself to an audience outside of South Korea 1:14:47 CLOY’s references to Stairway to Heaven and other classic dramas  1:20:31 Katherine compares Hyun Bin in CLOY with his portrayal of a North Korean soldier in Confidential Assignment 1:25:16 We discuss the reaction of CLOY fans to the romance between Son Ye Jin and Hyun Bin. Is it a bit creepy/obsessive? Sometimes! 1:29:15 We suggest dramas to watch after CLOY 1:32:15 Do we think this will be a classic of the future? Ten years from now, will people still be watching Crash Landing on You? 

Spoiler Alert! We're doing a deep dive on My Love From the Star so this episode is filled with spoilers (as usual). 1:05 We introduce our guest podcaster, Drama Mara, who creates video analyses of Kdramas that are a must-watch. Check her out on YouTube and Twitter. 1:45 We take a moment to acknowledge the current Covid surge. We know that the coronavirus pandemic continues to have devastating effects all over the world, with some of the worst outbreaks in the same places where we have the most listeners. We want to acknowledge the difficulty and heartbreak that so many of you are experiencing and tell you that our hearts are with you. We wish that we could do more to help, but we hope that we can at least distract you for a few minutes or a few hours. Take care of each other out there. 2:40: Listener feedback on our Crash Landing on You episode ! We love hearing from you guys. 6:30: Start of My Love From the Star discussion 7:56: This show was so popular in China that it helped lead to a total ban on Korean entertainment in China for three years. Really. Puts the Joseon Exorcist controversy into perspective. 9:22: Purely coincidentally, this episode is timed with Jun Ji-hyun’s comeback after a four year break to start a family. Her latest drama, Kingdom: Ashin of the North, a prequel to the worldwide Netflix zombie hit, is dropping on July 23, 2001. 11:03: Is MLFTS a classic? Are people still watching? Melanie argues that its huge popularity cements this show’s classic status but it’s fading from public consciousness. Vickey and Alisa agree. Mara thinks it will continue to be popular with folks who explore older Kdramas. Katherine, our OG Kdrama watcher, remembers how hugely popular MLFTS was and how it led directly to writer Park Ji-eun’s recent smash hit, Crash Landing on You. 17:11 Melanie brings up how influential MLFTS has been on the dramas that followed, including production values (first drama in 2013 to use HD cameras). Followed by Alisa going on a rant about Kdramas with expensive production values but poor storytelling. 22:17: Alisa rants yet again against perfect male leads perfectly rescuing female leads.  24:13: Kim Soo Hyun: so pretty he made Alisa forget to read the subtitles! But was his performance good in MLFTS? Vickey and Alisa say no. 28:55: Mara argues that Do Min Joon is not a perfect character and is in fact deeply flawed. “He spent 400 years on earth not getting close to anyone.” Melanie and Katherine agree. 32:00 Melanie kicks off a fangirl freakout over Jun Ji-hyun’s amazing performance in this star-making role. 42:35: We discuss the parallels between a scandal in the drama and a rumored real-life scandal in Jun Ji-hyun’s marriage and what it says about the status of women in real life. 46:04: Why oh why do so many Kdramas have the leads meet when the female lead is a child? Make it stop… 49:59: We dive into the problematic power dynamics between the MLFTS lead couple. The female lead starts out strong but is gradually cut down to size as the drama progresses. 54:26: There’s more sex in MLFTS than Crash Landing on You (with a broad definition of sex outside of actual intercourse). The couple in MLFTS clearly desire each other but CLOY is completely neutered. Also, wtf is up with KSH’s towel shower??? 58:12: The ending of MLFTS vs. CLOY: which is better/worse? Melanie prefers MLFTS but Alisa thinks it’s PTSD-inducing. Also, Melanie dives into a safe sex lecture 🙃 1:04: Some appreciation for national treasure Kim Chang-wan as Do Min-joon’s best friend and the found family aspect of the drama. 1:08: Yoo In-na is a Daebak podcast fave but she wasn’t doing it for us in this drama. To be fair, the writing for her character was...not great. 1:11: The appeal of the awful female lead. When women are socialized to be self-sacrificing it can be a thrill to see a woman behave

We are back after a two month break! And we’re celebrating by diving deep into the beloved drama Reply 1988. As always, there are MAJOR SPOILERS in this episode so if you haven’t seen it yet, go watch it and then come back and listen.  Here’s some recommended viewing and reading if you want to learn more about the events and social changes we discuss in this episode:  Watch Youth of May for a depiction of 80s era Korean student protests Read "A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present" to learn more about recent history: https://amzn.to/3oiEiKl  This article describes South Korea’s transformation from one of the poorest countries in the world to today’s economic powerhouse: https://asiasociety.org/education/population-change-and-development-korea This paper describes changes in the South Korean diet from the 1970s to the present: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/71/1/44/4729146?login=true Show Notes: 1:36: We discuss the dramas we watched over the summer:  The Smile Has Left Your Eyes: Vickey, Alisa and Melanie all LOVE this underrated drama Hometown Cha Cha Cha: Vickey and Melanie are all in on the dimples When the Camellia Blooms: Everyone was surprised that Alisa, the Drop Queen, loved this, but Kang Ha Neul won her over Arang and the Magistrate: the other Shin Min A drama!  Into the Ring and City Hall: Katherine has a thing for small political stories  DP: features two Reply 1988 actors in a very dark social critique drama 9:23: Start of Reply 1988 discussion.  10:36: Vickey and Melanie have a fangirl freakout over their new fave, Ryu Jun-yeol. 11:50: The genesis of this episode: we started out wanting to talk about food in dramas and  eventually landed on the social, economic and political history of The Republic of Korea over the past 40 years (really). 14:06: Alisa gives a very brief history lesson that illustrates the scope of the absolutely massive changes that Korea has undergone in a very short period of time. And all of that change is illustrated in one way or another in Reply 1988. 16:30: Melanie discusses the massive movement of population from rural areas to cities and how the parents in Reply 1988 have recreated their rural communities in the alley neighborhood in Seoul. Everyone shares food and resources and looks out for each other’s children.  19:20: Vickey discusses the enormous appeal of the drama: it made her cry because she grew up in Ghana in a similar community where the aunties were like second moms and all the kids played and ate together. The idea of family, friendship and love lost was deeply appealing to her. Mel and Katherine share similar stories. 25:19:  Mel and Katherine discuss how the Reply 1988 parents were not very literate but their children attended Seoul National University. A huge and poignant change in one generation. Melanie also talks about the writer’s style. She is not someone who is plot driven but instead focuses on the specificity of the characters and their lives and making you wish you could be part of the community.  28:43: Alisa also grew up in a similar insular community but she doesn’t share nostalgia for that way of life. She understands the appeal of a community of people looking out for you but she was frustrated by the drama’s sentimentality. 32:04: We get into a long discussion of Bo Ra’s political activities and how they are portrayed in the drama. Alisa is frustrated that her political interests are treated as a distraction from school and romance. Vickey points out that it’s valid for ordinary people to want to protect their children and avoid politics. Mel observes that Bo Ra’s protesting is treated as teenage hijinks instead of as something politically momentous.  40:36: We get into a long discussion of how Deok-seon is treated on the show. Alisa is appalled that the family doesn’t feed her the same

As always, there are MAJOR SPOILERS in this episode so if you haven’t seen it yet, go watch it and then come back and listen.  1:05: We celebrate a big milestone for our little podcast: 10,000 listens! When we started, we never imagined we'd have listeners worldwide in places like India, Malaysia, Turkey, Indonesia, Brazil, Finland, Nigeria, and many more countries. Thank you for listening and for your comments & support! 3:35: Introduction to My Mister/My Ahjussi, including some background on casting controversies before the drama aired because of false rumors that IU and Lee Sun Kyun would have a romantic relationship in the drama. 6:47: We refer to the show as My Ahjussi even though it is called My Mister on Netflix because the word ahjussi has meanings that the word mister can’t convey. Ahjussi means a middle aged man but also carries connotations of someone who is laughable or contemptible. Also, if you can, watch it on Viki.com instead of Netflix. The subtitles are vastly better and provide context for many words and phrases (Fighting!) 10:20: Those first three episodes of My Ahjussi are very dark and a lot of people struggle to get through them (if Alisa hadn’t strong-armed Melanie into watching she would’ve dropped in those early episodes). But it’s worth powering through because once you’re hooked, you’ll be treated to one of the best written, acted, and directed dramas of all time. 16:03: Melanie (and everyone else) got sucked back into the narrative on a rewatch—and that includes crying all over again. She also treasures this drama for keeping you engaged to the very end—especially now that she’s seen a lot of dramas and understands how rare that is. 21:29: We discuss the visual symbolism of the show. For example, both Dong Hoon and Ji An carry heavy bags symbolizing the weight of their emotional burdens. You can see more examples in a Twitter thread created by Alisa: https://twitter.com/BollywoodNewbie/status/1330736450971729920. Katherine also weighs in on the drama’s brilliant sound production and the role that characters listening plays in the narrative. 26:57: Vickey points out that My Ahjussi feels more like a Korean film than a typical Kdrama both in visuals and style of storytelling. 28:30: Melanie talks about Ji An wiretapping the phone and how that plot device gives her character access to Dong Hoon’s life and learns how a good person lives his life—something she’s never experienced before. It also gives us, the viewers, access to the character in a way that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Alisa points out that it’s a slice of life show but with genre elements that drive the plot forward.  31:03: We discuss Dong Hoon’s wife and how the drama makes you sympathize with her even though she’s having an affair. Dong Hoon is a very flawed husband. We also talk about how the drama portrays the joys and pain of family and the ways they can both support you and drag you down.  34:06: Katherine points out a real social problem in Korea, which is older men being forced out of their jobs in their 40s and 50s and ending up in dead end jobs and poverty. This is the backdrop to many of the conflicts in the drama.  37:31: Melanie launches a long conversation on the nature of the relationship between Ji An and Dong Hoon. They care for each other, they have an affinity of souls, they enjoy being in each other’s company, but there is a lot of ambiguity around how exactly they feel about each other. There’s no overt romance in the drama but do they have romantic feelings for each other? 43:22: What is up with Dong Hoon hitting Ji An hard enough to knock her to the ground? Why did he do that? Was it because he was catching feelings for her and got scared?  45:29: Melanie points out that the show uses romantic tropes in key scenes of the drama. Alisa adds that people can have romantic feelings for each other without