[Drama 2010] Life is Beautiful 인생은 아름다워

[Guest JayDK]

I've just watched up through episode 30 of this series and I really love it. The series is very special in terms of bringing the viewer into the heart of this family and their daily lives. I love the way the writing, direction, production and acting combine to create drama that feels real and warm and funny and heartfelt, without overwrought melodrama but with real connection and heart. I love that the little moments of life -- making dinner, talking to your mother, welcoming someone into your home -- are shown to be the big moments of life in the making -- can your conflicting family members enjoy a peaceful meal? Do you call your step-parent "mother" or "mom"? Is your boyfriend welcome in the family home?

Although the beauty of this show is that it's truly an ensemble, for me the most amazing part of the show is the relationship between Tae Sub and his mother. Tae Sub is the character I love the most -- I love watching this smart, reserved, frozen character start to step forward in his life and finally stop hiding himself, risking everything in his heart in the process. And Min Jae -- man, I want to be her. Her love, her warmth, her heartbreak -- when Tae Sub came out to her, his future depended on her, maybe even his life, and she did it, she got him through without question, and with love and acceptance and everything else family is supposed to be but often is not. Watching the two of them connect, watching Tae Sub allowing himself to be himself, watching this family deal with this and go on, because life doesn't stop, it just goes, with all the good and bad, foolish and crazy, fun and love -- it's been great.

I know that extensions often ruin series, but I love these characters and this show, and I'm glad there will be more, because it feels like it's going by too quickly. I have faith in this writer -- this show is so good, I look forward to what the additional episodes bring to the overall story.

[Guest typoprone]

^ +1

Very eloquently stated, and I agree completely. I love this show...

[Guest Masaya]

A few things:

Mom - Dad: It looks like the person who appears in the preview before mom may be her ex-husband. This may cause some frictions.

Kyungsoo - Taesub: Kyungsoo's mom appears again with the attempt to cure him from homosexuality. Who knows, maybe she will say she wants to send him to America since she just found a great doctor there who specialize in dehomosexuality. That's probably the reason why Taesub laughs and cries in the car.

Hosub - Yeon Joo: Yeon Joo's grandma may have been one of Hosub's grandpa's old lovers. Grandpa keeps saying Yeon Joo's eyes look familiar or something. If that is so the person who objects to their wedding would be dear grandma.

Uncle Jun - Ara: She has been pursuing him and he reluctantly gave in but it doesn't seem like he's smitten. I don't see any obstacle between them other than the fact that Uncle Jun is just being himself, the lone ranger in the desert. This man doesn't seem like he needs a woman.

Although the beauty of this show is that it's truly an ensemble, for me the most amazing part of the show is the relationship between Tae Sub and his mother. Tae Sub is the character I love the most -- I love watching this smart, reserved, frozen character start to step forward in his life and finally stop hiding himself, risking everything in his heart in the process. And Min Jae -- man, I want to be her. Her love, her warmth, her heartbreak -- when Tae Sub came out to her, his future depended on her, maybe even his life, and she did it, she got him through without question, and with love and acceptance and everything else family is supposed to be but often is not. Watching the two of them connect, watching Tae Sub allowing himself to be himself, watching this family deal with this and go on, because life doesn't stop, it just goes, with all the good and bad, foolish and crazy, fun and love -- it's been great.

Lovely thoughts.

Taesub is quite a contrast to Kyungsoo. That is why I think this couple complements each other very well. Taesub is so reserved and old fashion and he often beats around the bush. Whatever he says also doesn't reflect his actions. He definitely subdues very well the fact of how crazy he is in love with Kyungsoo.

Min Jae being a step-mom has its significance. There's no doubt that she's a very warm and understanding person. But being a step-mom to Taesub also gives more of a reason and emphasizes as to why she is very accepting to his coming out. She or anyone for that matter would have expectation for her own children to love her unconditionally. But with a step-son like Taesub, she has to earn his love. (Knowing this, Taesub came to her first.) She's more forgiving to him because she always has this feeling of guilt that maybe maybe she wasn't being a good enough mom. Therefore she tried and tried and continues on trying to earn his love, a genuine love of a son to a mom. However that is not to say all step-moms are like that. Taesub is blessed to have a step-mom like Min Jae.

The characters overall are good people and I like that. Some of them have annoying quirks but overall are still ordinary good people. Maybe that is the way of family drama. Everybody are supposed to be good so that it'll make me feel all warm and fuzzy at the end of the day.

[Guest harumi_chikamatsu]

Mom - Dad: It looks like the person who appears in the preview before mom may be her ex-husband. This may cause some frictions.

Yes, it's her ex-husband. He's terminally ill and wishes to see Ji Hye before dying. He must've treated Min Jae very badly seeing how she really has to think about the request before giving her reply. The one who called her was her sister-in-law from the first marriage.

[denise31]

Every weekend i'm soo excited for the next episode of Life Is Beautiful. I'm soo hooked on this drama... haven't been soooo excited since Prosecutor Princess days. I'm sooo in loooove with Kyung Soo & Tae Sub coupling ... have loved Lee Sang Woo since "Don't Hesitate & 9 End 2 Outs and i'm sooo glad the writers chosed him for the part. And looved Song Chang Ui since "Golden Bride".

thanx Masaya & JAYdk for your awesome analysis ... loved reading it.

[Guest eucharis]

Could anybody tell me how the relationship btw YJ and HS developed ?

Is there any scene that HS proposed YJ ? Are they getting an arranged marriage ?

[Guest Masaya]

I took me 2 weeks to finish download the 30 some eps (with my crappy slow speed). Here's the 2nd MV:

A KyungTae MV - Nothing will stop us now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wsyWZZ3QQg

Could anybody tell me how the relationship btw YJ and HS developed ?

Is there any scene that HS proposed YJ ? Are they getting an arranged marriage ?

HS was chasing YJ and they flirted back and forth. He mentioned it to her and she finally said "go for it". That was when HS spitted out his drink. I think over time YJ realizes that HS is not a bad catch. Well she doesn't have passionate attraction or something to him but she likes him and he's a good guy and he's very devoted to her. She knows that he will be a good husband to her. I think HS is a pretty good catch myself, seeing that he cooks and all.

[Grumpy82]

Actually I do think she has a passionate attachment to him. It's just that she is used to keeping her feelings bottled up and not letting her feelings show to other people which gives the impression. And the misunderstanding Cho Rang has towards her is perhaps due to this.

Speaking of Cho Rang, I love her wanna-be boyfriend. He is hilarious and I think they both go well...throw him a bone before you lose him!

Big Uncle and Crazy Laugh Lady - I continue to love them. I want to see them happy and both breaking their vows constantly.

[Guest Masaya]

I have the impression that YJ didn't find HS hot, the kind of hotness that KyungTae find in each other (as you see them jelly ogling each other all day.) However she slowly got to know him and grew to like him as a good guy who loves her. Then she started to look at him. It's a good way to start a relationship as well. He loves her. He's devoted to her. He's innocent and sweet and he ain't bad looking. Even if she has no feeling for him she would fall in love with him eventually. In this case, she did have good feeling for him. Her feeling toward him was more of a subtle good feeling seeping in kind of thing. There's a saying you'll be happier if the other person loves you more than you love him. I don't know how true that is but some happy marriages come out of that. I'm not saying this is the case but somehow I feel YJ may have thought so.

*edit*

I'm still working on more MVs, maybe Korean song this time. Maybe I'll do more crack caps after that to spam the thread.

[Guest irres]

Hey, I'm new to the show and addicted to it quickly... I am no Korean speaker so I need the sub to comprehend and understand the show. However, I found it is really weird and unclear of how KuyngSoo cried at the end of the 23th episode. He kept saying his sorry and then Taesub join him by showing his tears. Why KS blamed himself was an idiot? I tried to re-watched the episode (of course, skip those unnecessary part like the moment of Second Uncle with his Japanese lady and those couple on the restaurant) and found nothing wrong happened to KS, except the Youngest Uncle wondered KS is gay or not.

And, how many way you say "mother" in Korean. I heard some people use "Um-ma" or something familiar. But after Taesub came out to his family, he told KS that when the little uncle refused to have breakfast with him, he went to his room and cried with his stepmom and this was the first time he called her "mom." I read the sub and watched from the very beginning, he always call her mother... so is it mother and mom are supposed to be the same? What make difference between them?

Like KS once mentioned to TS that he removed his mom from mom to mother... and if she insisted to give him trouble, he called her old lady. Again, the mom and mother are really confused to me.

Last one,

Where does this scene take place? Is it a photoshop work or real capture?

[Guest fattahshi]

hi irres,

KS cried in ep 23 because he was touched by the warm and kind welcome for TS family (he was never treated like that from his family) and also he is envious of TS, that's why he was sorry for acting stupid since he should just be happy for TS instead of envy him. Then, knowing how KS feels at that time, TS follows him and try to comfort him. That ep made me cry T____T~

hope this clear you doubts

few more hour till ep38 *anxious*

[Guest Shiuan]

Where does this scene take place? Is it a photoshop work or real capture?

It's a photoshop work.

It's ep104 of First Wives Club of Sangwoo.

I think it's a great photoshop work. ha!

[Guest harumi_chikamatsu]

And, how many way you say "mother" in Korean. I heard some people use "Um-ma" or something familiar. But after Taesub came out to his family, he told KS that when the little uncle refused to have breakfast with him, he went to his room and cried with his stepmom and this was the first time he called her "mom." I read the sub and watched from the very beginning, he always call her mother... so is it mother and mom are supposed to be the same? What make difference between them?

Taesub used to call Min Jae "mother" (omoni), which is more polite than "mom" (omma). After his coming out he started using the latter one, and it shows that now he is closer to his step mother.

[Guest irres]

Thanks fattahshi, Shiuan, and harumi chikamatsu for answering my questings. So, "omoni" is more polite but it not closer to "omma." And, it is a tradition for Korean people greeting their friend's mother as "omoni" as well?

[Guest harumi_chikamatsu]

Thanks fattahshi, Shiuan, and harumi chikamatsu for answering my questings. So, "omoni" is more polite but it not closer to "omma."

The difference between "어머니 omoni" and "엄마 omma" is the level of politeness. "Omma" is less formal, and that's why they are translated as omoni-mother, omma-mom. The same goes for "father" (아버지 aboji) and "dad" (아빠 appa).

And, it is a tradition for Korean people greeting their friend's mother as "omoni" as well?

Yes.

Kyung Soo calls Taesub's mother "omoni" when he's not working for her and "teacher/instructor/ma'am" (seonsengnim 선생님) when he is working for her. As for Taesub's father, KS calls him either "aboji" or "abonim". Abonim (아버님) is even more polite than aboji.

[Guest flydolesqueue]

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[JTanis]

@ irres

your picture drives me insane!!!! haha

I've never seen it before so I scream(with happiness) like hell when I saw it

sadly, it's from photoshop haha

@Shiuan

"It's ep104 of First Wives Club of Sangwoo" <<< what is this club??

after watching on Youtube with KS&TS-cut version, I start rewatching this drama with subtitle

I can feel the development in KS&TS relationship

their intimacy is continuously growing (I'm sure it's not only because of the story, but chemistry between LSW and SCU also)

their love is very strength that on ep38, Taesub even goes to face KS's mom together, compare to the first time he met KS's mom with trembling.

And not only mental intimacy, but also physical intimacy haha, from when TS first came to KS's room and now they share bed sometimes which I really wonder what happened when we can't see them ^^

I love these progressions and want to see more

HEY anybody!!  May I ask you where you guys live? what country?

I live in Thailand. here in the past, gay characters seemed to be just for colouring the show-for funny, so they most are transgenders

but now, there are more gay-man characters showing love story, just like KS&TS

That really pleases me because I'm Yaoi girl and I want the society to understand that they're just like heterosexual love

Thai people seem to open mind to it more than Korean and it's fine, it takes time for Korean

the most intimate scene of gay love aired on TV is the kiss, looks like they kiss on the lips but actually on the near area haha

I hope to see it on Korean TV also, start with KS&TS will be best hahaha

[Guest harumi_chikamatsu]

"It's ep104 of First Wives Club of Sangwoo" <<< what is this club??

Lee Sang Woo's drama from 2008.

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/First_Wives_Club

after watching on Youtube with KS&TS-cut version, I start rewatching this drama with subtitle

I can feel the development in KS&TS relationship

their intimacy is continuously growing (I'm sure it's not only because of the story, but chemistry between LSW and SCU also)

their love is very strength that on ep38, Taesub even goes to face KS's mom together, compare to the first time he met KS's mom with trembling.

And not only mental intimacy, but also physical intimacy haha, from when TS first came to KS's room and now they share bed sometimes which I really wonder what happened when we can't see them ^^

I love these progressions and want to see more

I think the actors are doing well considering that they can't show that much physical contact in the drama. All the smiles, glances and touches are quite intimate. And if we compare TS from the early episodes to TS now, the difference is huge.

[JTanis]

All the smiles, glances and touches are quite intimate. And if we compare TS from the early episodes to TS now, the difference is huge.

Yeah, I totally agree!!

A friend of mine says that when she sees TS glances at KS, it feels like he's declaring that "I really love this man"

and so does KS which I can hear "my cutie!!" from his glancing

[Guest irres]

I have a feeling that if the drama turn out to be happy ending, KS's mom will accept Taesub. She (or her husband) will have health issue and need a specialist doctor, turn out to be Taesub. KyungSoo insists not to return his previous "normal" life. Seeing Taesub's care to his patient (either to her or her husband) no matter how hash she is to him and how strong they are together no matter how much obstacles they face, she get moved and gradually accept him.

If the drama turn out to be so dramatic, either one of them contracted to some cancer and die... (you know the motive of Korean series is always like that, people fall in love, get rejected by either side and one one them pass away due to some illness, most of the time is blood cancer), hinting that the society rejects and not tolerate homosexual. I highly not expected this will gonna happen.

Anybody have other idea?