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[Drama 2019] Extraordinary You / Suddenly One Day, 어쩌다 발견한 하루 - 2019 MBC Drama of the Year


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2 minutes ago, stargazer187 said:

Welcome back. This drama is so much fun no wonder lots of us come back after some hiatus. 

 

The webtoon is still ongoing on daum. So they haven't got any ending yet. And I believe this is the reason why they choose to drift the storya bit different from the original but still keep its essence intact. Well, I always love happy ending too. I never never like sad ending.:D

 

We still have eight episodes left. So let's see then. 

 

 

 

LOL - its like in the Drama - I guess the Flower book is ended - no change possible - but for the ongoing (Secret) we can hope. :D

 

Only the writer knows....

 

I checked the webtoon - but only the start. I kinda like the drama more right now. I blame the cast. ;)

But from what I read I can say I like the differences. I just hope the writer of the webtoon too.

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I believe ONJ's mum is also a frequently featured extra in the writer's manhwa because JMC commented something about extra (can't recall exact details) when he saw her in the campus. Haru also had the look of recognition when he first saw her, so perhaps she was from Flower too. Maybe the empress or dowager of sorts?

 

I just chanced upon a YouTube video in Chinese where the video creator shares some of her analysis of the show and one of the points she suggested is that unlike the others, Haru wasn't meant (by the writer) to be in Secret.

 

DO and Haru definitely were in Flower and DO is likely "recycled" in Secret but Haru wasn't. She might have died in Flower and Haru forcefully broke out from Flower into Secret to follow/find DO. This forceful transition could have resulted in the black hole, which connects both stories.

 

The points she mentioned to support her opinion include:

 

It is unlikely for a writer to bother with specific traits for an extra (especially one who isn't even named, unlike DO and some other classmates), but Haru has a scar on his hand. This scar might be an injury from events in Flower, and it might have been a result of Haru trying to change the story and then causing DO's death in Flower.

 

His forceful transition might have resulted in his memory loss, but his skills and knowledge (e.g. hanja, flute, drawing, etc.) is retained.

 

The hanging ornament (shown in the Flower flashback) they picked up from the ground might be a key to some of the mystery, because Haru asked BK for the one (though not the same, it's similar in that both have the same flower) that DO gave to BK and told him he needs it.

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3 hours ago, chubbz said:

I believe ONJ's mum is also a frequently featured extra in the writer's manhwa because JMC commented something about extra (can't recall exact details) when he saw her in the campus. Haru also had the look of recognition when he first saw her, so perhaps she was from Flower too. Maybe the empress or dowager of sorts?

 

I just chanced upon a YouTube video in Chinese where the video creator shares some of her analysis of the show and one of the points she suggested is that unlike the others, Haru wasn't meant (by the writer) to be in Secret.

 

DO and Haru definitely were in Flower and DO is likely "recycled" in Secret but Haru wasn't. She might have died in Flower and Haru forcefully broke out from Flower into Secret to follow/find DO. This forceful transition could have resulted in the black hole, which connects both stories.

 

The points she mentioned to support her opinion include:

 

It is unlikely for a writer to bother with specific traits for an extra (especially one who isn't even named, unlike DO and some other classmates), but Haru has a scar on his hand. This scar might be an injury from events in Flower, and it might have been a result of Haru trying to change the story and then causing DO's death in Flower.

 

His forceful transition might have resulted in his memory loss, but his skills and knowledge (e.g. hanja, flute, drawing, etc.) is retained.

 

The hanging ornament (shown in the Flower flashback) they picked up from the ground might be a key to some of the mystery, because Haru asked BK for the one (though not the same, it's similar in that both have the same flower) that DO gave to BK and told him he needs it.

I've just been writing the same theory on another blog, that Haru was not meant to be in Secret.  That's why he has memories of Flower - plays the flute, the sageuk language but no English, the trumpet flower, etc., - but Dan Oh does not. 

 

Dan Oh still has feelings (and likely the same personality) from the other manwha but no concrete memories.  Her Flower  'memory ' was overwritten with the character details of Secret Dan Oh.

 

Haru, on the other hand, has intact memories and he is possessing the extra.  It's like extras are thumb drives the writer can inject anything she wants onto, but Haru (or Dan Oh) gained possession and wrote the script for the extra instead so he became Haru.

 

Writers always talk about characters getting away from them, doing things without the writer's consent or conscious volition.  To me, Extraordinary You is a telling meta about the scriptwriting process, where a writer tries to force her characters into the acceptable rom-com formula but her imagination and common sense keep rebelling in the form of her shadow characters.  The battle between stage and shadow is the writing process.  Order and chaos.  Obedience and free will.  Formula and honesty.  Formula and creativity.

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Hi! I’ve been lurking on this thread for a few days now because I’ve been hooked on this drama. This happens to me when I get so invested on an ongoing show. 

 

Maybe someone has already mentioned it, but I think someone was able to recover Trumpet Creeper that DSF burned. You can see in the preview DSF going back to the rooftop.4-BA3-B6-A7-64-D1-4-B69-9358-81009774-FE

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On 10/26/2019 at 1:58 AM, bebebisous33 said:

Like many others posted, I think that BK has not redeemed himself in the last two episodes. He might have been nicer to DO sometimes, yet it was all about himself. He wanted to take advantage of the situation. First, we shouldn't overlook that BK left DO behind on the track field. He never tried to help her to stand and give back her shoe. Then he hurt DO immensely when HR appeared with the flowers. He even said that now she should experience how he felt, when he had a similar experience in his eyes. So it really showed that BK was somehow petty.... Deep down he clearly hopes that DO would love him back, since there is no one who really loves him in this manhwa. Even his "followers" stopped pursuing him, when HR appeared. What BK doesn't understand is that in order to be loved, he needs to show more love and care and be less self-centered. BK is definitely selfish as he prioritizes his own situation. The fact that he thought first that DO wanted to change the story in order to become the main lead... No, she wanted to change her fate: she doesn't want to die, which is a normal reaction. The rivalry between HR and BK is not over.

 

22 hours ago, sal2 said:

Regarding BK totally feel for how lonely he have been true the years and DO have been the constant friend in his life. this is why I think he have a hard time seeing her laying her eyes on another man. To BK DO have been the only person giving him unconditional love and maybe been the one lighten up is dark life. But this do not give him right to behave like she is his possession and she do not have any autonomy. Even in those scenes where he do show that he care it do not come off as pure intention with her wellbeing in mind. But he do seems to struggle with feeling that he gonna lose her. But yeah like the scene where he make Haru giving those flowers just comes off as he is taunting them and that he enjoys seeing Haru not remember....with that said I would love for BK to get away from his family though and can find peace with himself. this more than getting DO as I think this is more important for his character growth.

I've noticed in other discussion sites of Extraordinary You that the watching population is highly divided on Team Haru vs. Team Kyung. I think it's a teeny bit ironic that while the drama is meant to subvert normalized kdrama tropes of having the male lead as a jerk and the second lead as the nicer guy, but the response is exactly the opposite here. I just thought this was really interesting! I think it's so rare to have this kind of setup where the main lead is nicer than the second lead.

 

While our E3 team is at the top of my favorite characters from the drama (DO is superior and one of my most favorite female characters of all time), I have a soft spot for Kyung. Why? Because I think he's the most realistic out of everybody that's been fleshed out (so far), in the sense that he hurts and he loves in only the ways he knows how. In fact, I'm rooting for him! He's had a tough upbringing for sure, and his actions are definitely a result of that. I sympathize for him as well. He's had to come to terms with the fact that all of a sudden, his relationship with DO has been just one big entire lie. So he does what he knows best and retaliates to defend himself in hopes that acting in such a way that we see as very petty and selfish would bring DO back. I really do appreciate the fact that he's trying for DO, but only in ways he knows best. In turn, I think that's where most viewers turn to compare between Haru and Kyung (and where ship wars tend to occur). But he's trying for sure, even if it's not the best method for DO. I remember being a wee child thinking that the fantasy of a bad boy turning good for a girl was the best kind of ship (PHEW WHO WAS I!). But as some others have mentioned, I think the best kind of ending for me with Kyung is that he frees himself from his father's reigns, his friendship with Haru especially is as tight as a brotherhood, and his love for DO as a friend and someone he genuinely supports and will be happy for is true and pure. For those who read the webtoon:

Spoiler

AND ALIVE!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

Also, I wonder if it would be better if Kyung came across Flower/Trumpet Creeper first -- will he stop trying to pursue DO knowing that both in the past and what he knows is the present right now, he was and never will be DO's endgame? Or will he keep trying to see if he too can change things like Haru, even in the Shadow?

Kyung's character still has a lot of obstacles to cross, and I don't think romantically linking himself onto DO is the method to do so. I really wish for Kyung's happiness, but his happiness does not lie within DO's romantic love. She's made this perfectly clear multiple times. And ofc, I'm expecting even pettier scenes of Haru vs. Kyung in the 2nd half -- @ drama, give me some time to prepare myself :sweatingbullets:  I just want Haru and Kyung to be an unstoppable force for DO already ㅠㅠ

 

Also, I am honestly not sure anymore where I saw this, and I'm sorry if you're here and I didn't tag you, but I am totally on board with the theory that Kyung was actually just testing Haru throughout the entirety of Ep.16 (/8). Like this would give me such massive respect for Kyung. There were quite a few instances where his gaze towards Haru implied so in my opinion, but I guess we'll have to find out on Wednesday. I think this theory applied to the bouquet scene is quite a stretch however, especially because he had to turn it into such a jerk move by giving his thoughts and reasoning (his revenge).

 

---

 

On 10/26/2019 at 4:27 PM, Jillia said:

I wonder though now that Ha Ru is back if Dan Oh is really willing to risk him disappearing again by making/letting him change the story? I wonder if this will lead to some conflict in the 2nd half of the drama. It would be interesting to see Dan Oh struggling. Especially now that we know that she acknowledged in a way that she missed Ha Ru so much and that she likes him more than she wants to admit.

22 hours ago, sal2 said:

So finally manage to catch latest episodes :D 

Really hard to watch Dan oh struggle with losing Haru and him returning without memory. But also great way to establish how much Haru means to Dan oh. Seeing Haru frustration was delicious angsty. also the way he was grasping for air after Dan oh did walk away in the stair scene. oh man it was like he was struggling seeing her leaving him. 

This was great forward arch as he now have to figure out where they come from with his dreams.  Anyway great to have our Haru back! loved the scenes between him and Dan oh at the road. I can´t believe how much our man have gonna true just to save our girl already. even so he still manage to find his way back to her every time. it´s like there is strings between them bulling them back together :wub:

 

AHHH MY HEART! I am a total sucker for this selfless, wholesome, and fated kind of love, and I can't help it, especially when DanHaru just happen to execute this perfectly. The kind of love that not only transcends time and place, but quite literally parallel universes and timelines :D I think the most endearing part about their relationship is that they can't explain why or how they're drawn to each other, yet they don't and can't deny that force, no matter how much they try. And I can't wait for more moments seeing Haru's feelings for DO, especially when the drama explains why Flower is important for the two of them. Despite the puffy eyes we all got this week, DO and Haru only became stronger through this ordeal. They both lost each other once (but was it really just once ;) hmmmm), but I think that they're going to be even better and stronger together using what they know now. Knowing Haru, he is willing to go through these changes over and over again as long as DO is alive, and he'll be sure to remember her each and every time. 

 

And a random thought about the ending scene:

Spoiler

d843a30a251228ae467d07303342e1823f54fe9a

(Credit: oh-haru)

 

My heart was literally choked up watching the ending scene, from the apology to the most gentle of Haru's reassuring words. But excuse my fangirling for one hot second but...did it NOT look like Haru was about to lean in for a kiss :sweatingbullets:? I'm just delusional at this point HAHAHAHA. I mean...it is the 8th episode...and if the normal kdrama timeline is correct...it's time for the 뽀뽀 :phew:

(@ self: this kdrama is not like the others and subverts typical tropes and is not confined to normal timelines PLEASE STOP)

 

Ok but seriously though, would it be too much to ask @ PD-nim??? 

 

But in all seriousness -- I have to give it to Rowoon. The amount of pent up frustration, relief, and overflowing "I missed you" written all over his face in just one gesture!!! He's never letting DO go. Wow!!!

 

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So I keep playing the drama as a background noise lmao while multitasking and every time Haru and DO are at that waterfall scene at night I get this uneasy feeling when DO's shoes touch the water and that creepy soundtrack plays in the background. The scene is beautiful obviously and the cinematography is gorgeous and that intimate moment they shared laying in the grass and being all gorgeous when she names him Haru makes you forget what happened before, but that momentary shot with a close up on DO's shoes and how startled she was when she got too close to the water is weiiiird! So, like... what if in Flower...

Spoiler

She died by drowning? And Haru watched it but couldn't save her because he was on stage and couldn't move cuz he isn't just an extra? That location seem like their hideout in Flower and maybe BK found them and snapped or something...and things went really wrong.. and...idk! Also, the drama has so many other scene related to water like when she fell into that pool and immediately lost consciousness, but thankfully got rescued by Haru, but then that's exactly the moment he disappeared ...?!!!?!?? Also she almost drowned in the beach and Haru didn't move and help her that time....(now that I think about it, why didn't he? was it because he still didn't have a name and thus couldn't move THAT freely...idk I am starting to get really confused lol)

Just a guess. But anyway, I am loving the fact that a teen romance drama is making all of us theorize so much...That's quality entertainment! 

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1 hour ago, kawaiibooty said:

So I keep playing the drama as a background noise lmao while multitasking and every time Haru and DO are at that waterfall scene at night I get this uneasy feeling when DO's shoes touch the water and that creepy soundtrack plays in the background. The scene is beautiful obviously and the cinematography is gorgeous and that intimate moment they shared laying in the grass and being all gorgeous when she names him Haru makes you forget what happened before, but that momentary shot with a close up on DO's shoes and how startled she was when she got too close to the water is weiiiird! So, like... what if in Flower...

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She died by drowning? And Haru watched it but couldn't save her because he was on stage and couldn't move cuz he isn't just an extra? That location seem like their hideout in Flower and maybe BK found them and snapped or something...and things went really wrong.. and...idk! Also, the drama has so many other scene related to water like when she fell into that pool and immediately lost consciousness, but thankfully got rescued by Haru, but then that's exactly the moment he disappeared ...?!!!?!?? Also she almost drowned in the beach and Haru didn't move and help her that time....(now that I think about it, why didn't he? was it because he still didn't have a name and thus couldn't move THAT freely...idk I am starting to get really confused lol)

Just a guess. But anyway, I am loving the fact that a teen romance drama is making all of us theorize so much...That's quality entertainment! 

 

I wasn't paying much attention while watching the scene at the hideout in the forest but now that you mentioned it, I do see a coincidence in those incidents, so it may be possible.

 

@Jillia I thought the same about his ability to move and change things on stage unlike others, that this freedom could have been due to his not being part of Secret, therefore he isn't limited by the "rules" until he had a name...

 

I was also thinking about how he doesn't seem to be comfortable mingling with others at first. Partly because he was an unnamed extra but partly possibly because he wasn't meant for modern times, so he didn't quite fit in. He only mingled naturally when he reappeared as a named extra with character details as BK's sidekick. That meant he now has a background as a high school student, so his whole setup changed.

 

I saw that scene of him outside the gate but I didn't quite analyze it. What you say sounds possible too.

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2 hours ago, kawaiibooty said:

So I keep playing the drama as a background noise lmao while multitasking and every time Haru and DO are at that waterfall scene at night I get this uneasy feeling when DO's shoes touch the water and that creepy soundtrack plays in the background. The scene is beautiful obviously and the cinematography is gorgeous and that intimate moment they shared laying in the grass and being all gorgeous when she names him Haru makes you forget what happened before, but that momentary shot with a close up on DO's shoes and how startled she was when she got too close to the water is weiiiird! So, like... what if in Flower...

  Hide contents

She died by drowning? And Haru watched it but couldn't save her because he was on stage and couldn't move cuz he isn't just an extra? That location seem like their hideout in Flower and maybe BK found them and snapped or something...and things went really wrong.. and...idk! Also, the drama has so many other scene related to water like when she fell into that pool and immediately lost consciousness, but thankfully got rescued by Haru, but then that's exactly the moment he disappeared ...?!!!?!?? Also she almost drowned in the beach and Haru didn't move and help her that time....(now that I think about it, why didn't he? was it because he still didn't have a name and thus couldn't move THAT freely...idk I am starting to get really confused lol)

Just a guess. But anyway, I am loving the fact that a teen romance drama is making all of us theorize so much...That's quality entertainment! 

You know, this manwha Secret is a formula based on previous kdramas, most obviously Heirs and Boys Over Flowers for me.  It would therefore make sense that Flower is a knock-off of popular kdramas too.  Because something came up about a princess, I suggested on another blog the Princess's Man, Queen Inhuyans Man...but isnt there o ne along these lines that specifically deals with drowning?  Rooftop Prince?  I can barely remember it.  But that was a drama where his beloved princess dies by drowning - actually doesnt his present day character die by drowning too? - and he and his F4 gang journey from their makjang Joseon sageuk into a modern day rom-com.

 

It seems possible Flower was based on kdramas we would recognize, so maybe the drowning thing stems from one of those kdramas?  Out there, maybe, but fun to speculate lol!

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I wonder if there is a deeper meaning to Harus name too...

When he really was somekind of an assasin in the Flower Book - maybe he was on stage every night. And he could meet her in the daytime because then he was in the shadow and they could fall for each other.

I read it a lot that people say Haru has his old memorys - but actually I don´t think so. Its more like he has his old experiences - and deep inside of him hidden memories - but he too need to remember first what happend. I too believe he first was not a part of Secret. But I have trouble to find a solution why he is now an extra. I wonder if they will show us later how the writer is involved and if he or she can see something in the shadows too...

But i guess I can´t find a reason for everything - magic is still magic.

 

I love this story on so many levels

(and I only hope it will not ruin me like it happen with W - Two Worlds).

 

8 hours ago, brielover said:

To me, Extraordinary You is a telling meta about the scriptwriting process, where a writer tries to force her characters into the acceptable rom-com formula but her imagination and common sense keep rebelling in the form of her shadow characters.  The battle between stage and shadow is the writing process.  Order and chaos.  Obedience and free will.  Formula and honesty.  Formula and creativity.

 

Love that - I know what you mean - but for me writing is not a battle between both - but a story starts to feel alive and I can love it more when the characters starts to direct the story and sometimes what I had in my mind before changed completely.

Characterdesign is very importend for me and I try to pay attention to that for smaller characters too - so it often happen later that i change a scene because what i first had in my mind would not be how he or she react.

 

Basing on that - Secret is ongoing and if the characters change - the story can change too - but only Haru can do that - or he could before - because he could change on his own.

What I wish to know now is - can he still act on his own after he became an extra? I hope so - I hope when he became self aware again and his scar came back to - he can move freely again too. And I wonder if he gain more memories - maybe from his old book too.

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@Jillia Even though our Haru is back and we might get more cute scenes of Haru and Dan Oh. He is still BK's sidekick so he might still have to say lines like "Dan Oh is your fiance take care of her" and watch them being romantic. Like Dan Oh and Dowha he won't be able to do anything. But there is still hope as in the preview he threw a racket bag or something at BK so there are chances that he will be able to change them little by little. He has already changed future before but then again he is now a character with a set up.

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Thanks to @packmule3 (she’s blogging about Extraordinary You with her insights there too), she mentioned this legend... not sure how much inspiration the writer has drawn or will draw from this legend and I guess you can make of it what you will. :lol:

 

http://mokajing.blogspot.com/2009/07/flower-of-july-chinese-trumpet-creepers.html

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