[Drama 2012] A Wife's Credentials 아내의 자격

[Auntie Mame]

shotsy said: Seven episodes are now fully translated at Darksmurf.  The subbing software is very user friendly so if anyone is interested in subbing, be it translating or editing, go to the site and give it a go. The translations can be done from the Chinese subs or the Korean audio. While it occasionally seems that everyone on the site has a different opinion re: a particularly difficult line of dialogue, that can also be viewed as a challenge that makes subbing rewarding:}}  If you're interested in completing this drama, I urge you to join in the translating effort at Darksmurf.

[denny]

Auntie Mame, the site has been tweaked a bit but, be assured, it's still there.  When you get to the subtitle index page, look at the black menu bar near the top. You'll see that the "sort by" default has been set to "latest".  Click the pull down menu and select "alphabet".  At that point, "A Wife's Credentials" should appear. 

[Guest Eja]

Auntie Mame said: shotsy said: Seven episodes are now fully translated at Darksmurf.  The subbing software is very user friendly so if anyone is interested in subbing, be it translating or editing, go to the site and give it a go. The translations can be done from the Chinese subs or the Korean audio. While it occasionally seems that everyone on the site has a different opinion re: a particularly difficult line of dialogue, that can also be viewed as a challenge that makes subbing rewarding:}}  If you're interested in completing this drama, I urge you to join in the translating effort at Darksmurf.

[Auntie Mame]

@Eja and shotsy:  Thank you!

[monalisa]

I'm enjoying this drama. I'm happy with the strong ratings this drama garnered. Every couple should watch this. Lee Tae-ran always looks charming in every drama she is in.

[baduy]

Just a heads-up into anyone who needs subs for this excellent drama and may be misled by the advertising of the subscription site mvibo.com, one of the new breed of subscription commercial sites that prides itself on its legality, meaning it devotes some of its revenue to get as many sites that threaten its income by making English subs freely available closed down.

They claim that "all" their dramas have "excellent English subs" but that is simply not true, or at least not at the moment Some of the jtbc dramas there have no subs at all, and Wife's Credentials has subs up to Episode 10 only (looking suspiciously similar to the DSS subs, even though the rights holders attempted to stop DSS making those subs available to all comers)

I raise that here because I know that there are people so desperate for subs for this drama that they might be drawn into subscribing to mbvibo in the hope of viewing it subbed all the way through.But you won't find any episode subs there that aren't already available elsewhere.

This is really ironic, because it was the monopoly-seeking activity of such self-righteously "legal" sites that stopped Mister X completing his subs for this drama (and from continuing to offer his superb subs for some of the finest past dramas) which was the worst single blow inflicted in recent years on people who appreciate Kdrama but don't have enough Korean to understand in raw format

[msmy]

Yes, I noticed that MVIBO was not getting the subs either, so thankfully I didn't subscribe.  What a sham!  It looks like everything they have is what is free elsewhere.  Anyway, I printed out your last summaries that were so complete, so I thank you for that.

[peyutnduy]

dear baduy, thanks a lot for the recaps of ep.16. but i 'm really sorry that i still couldn't figure out: 'did SR and TO continue to live together or TO reunite with his former wife'?  i, myself, guessed that they became a real couple by watching the last scene where they had fun doing their common interest, biking. so, please kindly tell me if my guessing was right.

[msmy]

I don't want to get overly optimistic, but episode 11 just appeared out of the blue on dramacrazy.  Keep your fingers crossed for the possibility of all 16 episodes!

[minggay68]

just watched eps. 11 & 12  with subs and i say had a lot more understanding of the situation....cried a lot in ep 11's scene with Soe Rae and her son, when they are to part from their hidden date (Gyoel about to go down to take the metro) this scene is tearing me a part...i think that what is more hard for Gyoel is his father's family, they're too much - a family of hypocrite to the max, even a child like him cant stand them at all....Then i fell more in love with Tae Oh, he's more and more caring to Soe Rae but they cant go forward to more than just being lovers  because of the undergoing annulement and such vicious ex-husband....Even though the subs in ep 12 are not synchronized, still wants to thank the one who works on it and will patiently wait for the rest to be subbed.

[denny]

'I've tried 2 dramas on MVIBO and found that the subtitles were in Engrish.  Some of the "translated" lines were incomprehensible. It was frustrating to actually pay money for garbage.

[msmy]

Well the good news is that the last 2 episodes are finally subbed, and they seem to be in better sync than the previous episodes.  The bad news is that there are some real gaps in subs with missing parts,  but hey, I guess we'll take what we can get.

One of the best parts of this drama is the music.  When lawyer's wife goes walking through mistress's apt. and discovers her husband has another family, the music is awesome!    Later on during the teacher's interrogation, the music is dreamlike as if she's in another world, which I'm sure would be her feeling.

Anyway, from the writing to directing to acting to production, this is truly one of the best artistic works we've had in a long time.

[Auntie Mame]

msmy said:

Well the good news is that the last 2 episodes are finally subbed, and they seem to be in better sync than the previous episodes.  The bad news is that there are some real gaps in subs with missing parts,  but hey, I guess we'll take what we can get.

One of the best parts of this drama is the music.  When lawyer's wife goes walking through mistress's apt. and discovers her husband has another family, the music is awesome!    Later on during the teacher's interrogation, the music is dreamlike as if she's in another world, which I'm sure would be her feeling.

Anyway, from the writing to directing to acting to production, this is truly one of the best artistic works we've had in a long time.

[denny]

I am able to report that subs for episodes 1 through 14 have been fully translated and edited at DarkSmurfSub.com. Episode 15 is almost completely translated. Please come & join the translating/editing project for your favorite drama.  The site is extremely user friendly and many dramas need the help of competent translators and editors.  

[Gasenadi]

I may have never seen this drama if not for the raves and recaps by drama bloggers (some of the episodes, anyway; which is what eventually brought me to soompi where I hoped the remaining recaps could be found). 

What absolutely BLOWS my mind in this drama is the attention to the topic of education as a product to be bought and sold, up to and including "designer" and "premium" models (Red Devil brand).  Love how the academy moms can rattle off the acronyms for standardized tests as well as any college administrator.  Just as they can probably rattle off designer brands for their consumer goods.  Even Red Devil, education-entrepeneur Ji-Sun, can value SR's methods with her son while urging SR to attend to the academic competitiveness of her "station".  The differences in educational philosophy personified by the main protagonists are reflected in every other aspect of their personalities and just make the attractions and conflicts all the more believable, imo.  I am soooo glad this has come up in an era of rising tuition costs and dwindling job prospects for graduates.   Kudos to the writer!

[Gasenadi]

Just want to add a few thoughts:  One, thanks for keeping this thread alive with info about the subs,etc.  The drama deserves it.

Second, thanks to everyone here for enlightening me about the attempts by viki, dramafever and crunchyroll to control English subbing. (Did. Not. Know. This.)  Please keep us posted and aware of these maneuvers so we might make wise decisions when viewing.  As a matter of fact, I didn't find A Wife's Credentials on any of those previously mentioned sites - which I used to call home when my addiction started. 

Third, thanks for the info about DVDs, or rather, the lack thereof, and the implications for us the viewers in our digital dividedness. 

4th, thanks for the info about Mister X and df. (Did. Not. Know. This. EITHER!)  Huge fan of Mister X's sageuk subs. 

Lastly, thanks for the wonderful recap of the finale:  the Ivan Illich de-schooling significance and the final voice-over (which differed somewhat from the subs I read). 

Noticed similarities between this drama and the same director's Behind the White Tower, especially in the complex portrayal of characters.

Am I nuts?  Or did HT undergo a last minute transformation?

[Gasenadi]

How awesome is this drama that I'm STILL obsessing about its message(s)?  And the subtlety with which said messages are conveyed!  I'm amazed....

I'm a retired public school teacher (Puerto Rico, later NYC) so the education issue was a huge draw for me, more than the romance.  I realize, as teachers do, that what occurs in the classroom and the surrounding school community reflects the state of society.  And, man-oh-man, did this drama go even THERE!  (I don't know how to use the spoiler button, so I'll just leave it at that and just urge everyone to see, this, DRAMA)

Something that irked me a bit was the choice of music.  Being relatively new to Korean dramas, I fell in love with the OST of most of the dramas I saw, more beautiful and moving to me than current pop offerings in Latin American or US soaps.  Sooo, whenever I hear US "oldies" being used in kdramas, I cringe and ask myself "WEH?! Your music is breathtaking!  Why would someone want to use the Monkees' Daydream Believer, albeit in different styles and tempos, or biblical Turn, Turn, Turn?"

And THAT has been one of my reveries since finishing AWCs.  I think I understand now:  that music represents that period of time in which Ivan Illich wrote about deschooling.  People were questioning many, many accepted norms and educational practices didn't escape examination.  But, through the years, innovative methods and practices gave way to even more standardized testing and ever more brutal competition, thus breeding tutoring businesses like JS's and the opportunities for cheating, lying and stealing (of test model questions, for ex.)  I won't go into detail, but experienced teachers and administrators know what's been happening, and it's not just in SKorea.

Anyway, I may not have been a  Monkees fan (loved Turn, Turn, Turn, tho) nor fan of some of the other English songs I heard in the drama.  But I think I now understand how those songs are integral to the overall message(s) of AWCs. 

[Auntie Mame]

@Gasenadi:  Welcome to the thread and to soompi, in general. It's really unfortunate that you weren't with the few of us watching this drama, as it was being televised.  We could have used a few more fans to pep up the thread.  LOL

We were very fortunate to have Baduy sharing tidbits with us.  It is so funny that a bunch of non-Korean speaking viewers will watch unsubbbed raws.  And, then, have to hope for the kindness of strangers to give us tidbits, answer our questions or substantiate our guesses. 

I find the educational aspects of this drama very disturbing.  Those children aren't learning to think.  Rather, they are learning to regurgitate.  And, even worse, are the 'lessons' these children are learning from their parents.  One has to wonder what kind of human being these children will be as adults.  :-S

[Gasenadi]

Thank you, Auntie Mame.  And, of course, thanks to Baduy for the awesome tidbits.

I wish I had joined all of you for AWCs.  Except that after my negative experience with Ohlala, I'm avoiding dramas as they air.  I'll watch when all the episodes are in and I have an inkling I won't have WASTED my time!  *Grrrr*

As I said, I only just learned of it by reading the 2012 year-end reviews and finding it buried among the readers' comments, not the reviewers.  To top it off, it's not available at dramafever, etc.  Luckily, I'd just discovered a site where I could watch dramas not available on the Big 3 and I literally binged during the holiday break devouring long-awaited The Slingshot and Conspiracy in the Court, then The Chaser (another absentee from the year-end reviews, but recommended by viewers). 

So when I couldn't find AWCs, I wondered if it was on my new favorite site and VOILA!  At first, I wasn't attracted to the adultery theme.  In addition, as a one year kdrama addict, I didn't recognize any of the actors, really, altho I appreciated their being veterans and not just cutesy idols. 

But the education plot grabbed me right from the start, followed by the complex portrayal of the principal characters.  And what you say, Auntie Mame, is spot on.  What it says IS disturbing, not just about what and how kids are learning, but what society has urged parents and children to value in the process and who is PROFITING from that value system.  I think THAT's also captured at the end, primarily by way of HT, of all people. 

And then the clear message it conveys about the toll adultery takes on a woman as opposed to a man, no matter what country.  Very realistic and thorough:  socially, emotionally, and financially.  The writer/director did such a fantastic job of showing that rather than just saying it.  Superb...

[Auntie Mame]

I always thought that the lyrics of the songs were subtle messages either support or commenting/answering a plot line in this drama.  Some of the songs are from Korean-American artist in the U.S.  You can find their MV's on Youtube.

@Gasenadi:  If you haven't given it a try, I can recommend the current drama, "School 2013".  Again, it is the highly debated issue of how to teach, i.e. for a test or for the subject matter regardless of what is on the official and supposedly life-determining exams.  Along with all the pressures encountered by students across the board. 

If you haven't, give it a try.  http://www.viki.com/channels/10704-school-2012

And, since you like AWC, here is another drama that a few of us loved last year.  Get pass the first two episodes and you'll find a gem.  http://www.dramacrazy.net/korean-drama/fermentation-family/
http://forums.soompi.com/discussion/369841/drama-2011-2011-12-07-fermentation-family-%EB%B0%9C%ED%9A%A8%EA%B0%80%EC%A1%B1#latest

Enjoy!