[Short Dramas] Drama City 드라마시티 Drama Special

[Felicia Soh]

@irilight, thank you so much for the latest update.  I think the sensitivity of the genre says it all and I wonder whether KBS aired a new drama special in replace of 18 years old?!? Back to changing schedule again....

Here's a short review of "That Kind of Love" dedicated to all the beautiful and diehard fans of BSB and LYJ especially @cynkdf, @conankung and @irilight - hope you guys enjoyed watching the DS.

 

This drama reminds me of the awkward and yet engaging movie by Dir. Kim Ki-duk, “Breath” starring Ha Jung-woo, Chang Chen (Chinese actor) and Park Ji-ah. It bears some similar tone where both character of the female leads were married and had fond interest in one of the prisoners – as in “Breath”, Park Ji-ah’s character was obsessed over Chan Chen’s desirous attempt to end his life while serving a death row for murdering his family.  In “That Kind of Love”, Lee Yoon-ji’s character found herself entangled with an inmate who shared the same passion route “an escape”.  Both female characters eventually found themselves in a cross road when they developed passionate love for these prisoners. It was weird watching “Breath” because they showed some inexplicable sexual tension scenes that I didn’t expect  –  and on top of that, there’s a bit of voyeurism thrown into this film – Dir. KKD is uniquely unpredictable.

I am not a huge fan of film or drama based on a systematic structure to the drama’s non-linearity.  I am a lazy viewer and I don’t really enjoy watching the jumping back and forth segments of the show.  With age catching up, I am kind of slow in picking up where the story left off and then progresses chronologically to one of the segments where it began.  Luckily though, this drama has an easy plot to follow.  

By the way, I spotted a typo error in the medical report – it should have been spelt as “colon cancer” and not “coion”.  KBSW translated the title of this drama as “That Kind of Love” – hence, I will refer it as “TKOL”.

Loosely inspired by the movie, “Breath” thematic, (sorry can’t help not connecting these two together….you’ll appreciate this kind of genre if you have sat through the entire movie by Dir. KKD), the drama takes pride of people who volunteer for correction and edification role (as in Lee Yoon-ji’s character).  Heo Jin-uk is serving a life sentence but en route to his 8 year imprisonment, he was diagnosed with Colon Cancer.  Devastated by the news, he asked “Why is a doctor ending my life, not a judge?” – as if the heaven had collapsed, he just wished the authority to execute him.  With his life about to end soon, they gave him an early release. Ta-da….thanks to the make-up artist, we finally get to see handsome BSB in his normal attire and looking fresh and about to conquer the world with the little time left for him.

I am happy to see some subtle romancing-telephone-conversation between JU and YS – at least, it’s not always gloomy expression as in the context of inmate character.  His voice dripped with playful seductive moves, and you can see his face lighted up when he talked to her on the phone.  I’ve missed seeing him looking all so passionate and lovey-dovey about liking someone (Joon-se comes into mind).  At the same time, Yeon-su always make sure she looked her best in front of him – flashing him with the brightest smile and sometimes, it can be interpreted as seductive smile.

Ji Yeon-su is lovely person – full of charms, positive and cheerful inside the four walls of the counseling room (this is different from the usual cubicle room for visitors).  She smiled a lot whenever she sees him and the freedom of expression and communication was limitless within these walls.  She would drop anything and rushed to see him if he wished to see her – she took the trouble to transform her bruised face with all the necessary make-up to camouflage it.   Once she stepped out of non-confined walls, she is hopelessly devoted to an abusive husband.  I don’t seem to understand how she could have tolerated his abusive and violent manners – not that her life solely depended on this gangster-looking hubby! She is young and beautiful and on top of that she has skills – so why thoughts of killing him crossed her mind and not divorcing him?!? Fear eats the soul!

Both of them came from some kind dysfunctional family – so somehow, I can understand how this two can connect with each other. It’s my first time seeing BSB donned in a flowery print long-sleeved tee-shirt and baggy-farming pants – so typical ahjumma-ish look! For a second, I had the urge to paint his face and apply mascara to enhance his already-lengthy eye-lashes……hahaha….such artistic thoughts!  To tone down the awkward moments, the writer created a “game of thoughtless” for bonding time. It was their moment to open up and reveal their secrets and it ended up with YS confessing her feelings for JU – “I grew fonder of a man by the name of Heo Jin-uk”!  Whoa….such explosive words would of course lead to an explosive-mouth-resuscitation act but am I the only one who felt that KBSW cut short that scene? I thought drama “special” would have given us the privilege of such “exclusivity special treat”!  I think the explosive kiss (maybe it wasn’t that explosive to some viewers….) was appropriate. They were building all those restricted passionate feelings and it grew stronger and stronger with each passing day.  YS had tried to keep JU at arm’s length – she found herself standing way too close to the edge, getting sucked into his orbit.  So when they kissed, naturally, it just exploded out of the world! They felt alive.  Like there was a whole other world out there. For a moment, they let themself believe that there is another universe where they get to see their story through, where they reach for more happiness, maybe more love, than they had each thought they deserved.  To be silly, and madly and shamelessly in love.  To attain that elusive dream of a do-over.  Heartbreaking to think his life will end at the exact moment when she thought it was just getting started.

Both Bae Soo-bin and Lee Yoon-ji gave strong, natural performances, especially in the emotional scenes.  I’ve enjoyed watching Lee Yoon-ji in “Wang’s Family” and seeing her taking up this melodrama was a challenging feat though it’s only 1-act play – she’s amazing when executing heartbreaking scenes and I think she is one of those actors, who mastered the art of crying beautifully.

Bae Soo-bin always has a knack for playing extreme mellow characters and he does pride on this specialty.  Having said that, I am not against him taking future heart wrenching roles but I think an actor should balance his work genre – there’s a wide range of selection of diverse films/dramas out there.  Acting is an adventure of curiosity and I really wish he will be offered more challenging and diversified roles to expand his talent. The same wish goes to Lee Yoon-ji too - she is in an awesome agency and I believe they will be busy embarking on her next project. 

Pictures above credit to original poster/blog owner
 

[conankung]

@Felicia SohThank you so much for the well written review of That Kind of Love. Now that you mentioned it, you're right, the kiss scene seemed a little bit shorter. LOL. Why did you do that to us, KBSW?  (
I may be a little bit biased in saying this, but I think TKOL is one of the strongest episodes of Drama Special this season, mostly because of strong acting by both leads, though it might not be everyone's cup of tea. Despite a somewhat happy ending (it's a happy ending, right? lol.) I was left with a heavy heart after watching it. Having said that, it doesn't mean this is a bad thing. The drama itself is heavy and it's only fitting that it left me that feeling afterward.
Btw, I don't think KBS aired any new episode of DS yesterday. It was again pre-empted.

[Felicia Soh]

You are most welcome chingu @conankung.  KBSW might consider the kissing scene a bit over-the-top and the airing time could be one of the factors they decided to cut the scene abruptly...err...that was really unnecessary!!

@conankung, not sure of the general opinion of other viewers on TKOL but I did enjoy the drama, not so much on the storyline but because my heart goes out to the actors who played the characters. They moved me to tears and that matters the most.  I think so far, (2014) TKOL is the "most mellowed" drama story produced for DS and sadly, the worst rating garnered too.  Having said that, this is really a gloomy-horsy year for KBS – they are suffering from low ratings on prime time slot….not sure how this (DS) is connected but it sure looks like all the recent dramas aired from KBS is mostly targeted on melo-cum-revenge thriller type. Maybe, netizens are sick of melodramas.

Honestly, this is not my favorite genre but for the love of the actors, I really wanted to see their chemistry – not much expectation since BSB is married. But on the other hand, I am curious as to how far both the actors are willing to go. Boy, I wasn’t at all disappointed – Lee Yoon-ji, whom I showered her with heaps of praises for her total immersion as Gwang-bak in “Wang’s Family” did another excellent job in this drama.  There’s truly no boundaries and it was the same too for Bae Soo-bin, I was wondering how he could dive into another emotional character after “Secrets”?!? Afterall, in reality, he is definitely on cheery and happy mood since his wife is going to deliver their 1^st baby very soon. I must salute him for going into a complete changeover mood for the sake of acting.

It all depends how you like to interpret the ending – in a way, they did get to cherish and treasure all the happy moments together. And JU was truly blessed till the end with YS serenading a sweet song as she sent him away.  So I would say, it was a sad-but-meaningful ending.   

[irilight]

@Felicia Soh, thank you for such a beautiful review (once again) of "Love Like that." I liked your comparison to Kim Ki-Duk's "Breath" which left a big impression on me at the time, especially with the colorful posters/wall decorations she made - especially in comparison to the dreary reality - in and out. Your description of the kiss, esp. in contrast to the dreary reality is very powerful.  Another good film about relationship between a prisoner and a female visitor was "Maundy Thursday" with Kang Dong-Won and Lee Na-Young.   (http://asianwiki.com/Maundy_Thursday). In that movie too, the female visitor has finds her own redemption in a way, with those visits and getting to know the prisoner.

BTW, I thought the kiss scene was "restricted" because it is a drama special. ?!

@conankung, I also think "That Kind of Love" was one of the strongest episodes of drama special, mostly because of the subject matter as well as Bae Soo-Bin's powerful performance.

[cynkdf]

@FeliciaSoh @irilight @conankung @adikkeluangman @robbo4  thank you again for your wonderful contributions enlivening this thread.
@FeliciaSoh, your review of TKOL is beautifully-written, thank you. It does justice to a wonderfully acted and directed drama. I watched it once again on KBS World yesterday and though I've seen it several times, cried again at the end. What a pleasure it was to see two great actors at work -  would just love to see BSB and LYJ team up again in a mini-series (especially a rom-com).  Agree completely that BSB should tackle something other than a melo again - let's see you flash that killer smile of yours more often onscreen, Soo Bin-ssi!
@irilight, thank you for posting that link to the KBS World FB page. It was a  brilliant idea of the admin there to ask 'ingat dia?" because it drew so many responses (and hopefully got more people to view the video on Youtube).
 @conankung, TKOL has a bitter-sweet ending for me. Jinuk spent his last days with someone special who cared for him. I don't know if this has been mentioned before - one of the fans on BSB's Baidu Bar mentioned that Jinuk had wrist cuts (suicide attempt) and Yeonsu, upon noticing those cuts, gifted him her brown bracelet to cover the scars. For me that was one of the most touching moments of TKOL.

[conankung]

@cynkdf One thing I like about it is that it's the story of two people who may seem different but similar in many ways, two people who can truly understand each other in a very unique circumstance. They've both been imprisoned, one physically and one mentally. She understands his reason for killing, why he would feel angry and unfair about it, while he understands her desire to escape. I don't know about others but this makes this sad love story beautiful for me.

[irilight]

@conankung.. beautifully said.. yes..that is what I felt too...

@cynkdf, yes, I noticed those scars. It is sad,that this man who wished to die, ended up dying against his will, after he had found true love and wanted to stay alive.

 I came across this review of a short 2 episode drama by SBS. I am not even sure if it is available for viewing anywhere with English sub, but I'd love to see it.

I get a kick from the name of this blog,  "The cat that watches TV"

First (and last) impression: Case number 113

Read more Here

[irilight]

An update on 18 Years.

KBS 2TV 드라마 스페셜 <18세> 가 드디어 

5월 11일 일요일 밤 11시 55분에 방영 됩니다. 

아 그리고 이 사진은 최근 모습입니다.

<18세> 때 찍은 머리가 쫌 더 길어졌죠?

▶◀ 하나의 작은 움직임이 큰 기적을...제발KBS 2TV drama <18세>is finally on May 11, will be aired on Sunday night at 11: 55 am. 

Oh and this picture recently.

 (Translated by Bing)

[cynkdf]

@conankung, well said.  The storyline of TKOL is actually quite simple but as you have pointed out, it is a beautiful and meaningful love story. 
@irilight, you are more observant than me as I'd not have noticed those scars had the Baidu fan not pointed it out. Thanks for the update on 18 Years - let's hope it finally gets aired.
Love the name of that blog - cats rock! I remember seeing a trailer for Case Number 113 on cable TV last month, on Channel One (SBS shows). I don't think that the drama is available for viewing online.  Really really appreciate how KBS subs and uploads their dramas on Youtube - which is why I hope their prime-time dramas will get better ratings than the present rather dismal state of affairs.

[Felicia Soh]

[conankung]

Awww... @Felicia Soh You put it so well, I almost cried reading your post.  Thank you so much.  ^^
Thanks a lot also for the lyrics of All I know Is Love. Bada really did a great job singing this song on Immortal Song.
Looking forward to the return of Drama Special this week, though it means another 3 weeks for me to be able to watch the new episode. Thank you @irilight for the update. 

[Felicia Soh]

My pleasure to share @conankung - there are indeed many heartfelt scenes.  The lyrics were so beautifully penned and I think among all those singers who sang this song, Bada's version is one of the most heartfelt - she poured all her sorrows as she delivered the song in front of the original singer in "Immortal Song".  Shim Soo-bong was moved to tears.

I guess KBSW will re-run some of the past DS in the following weeks until it resume to their normal schedule.

Coming next in KBSW should be "Climbing the Sky Walls" - here's a link to watch ZE.A Dongjun singing the theme song, "Hold My Hand" and BTS scenes from the drama (caution : Spoilers). It was reported that all proceeds from the recording of that song will go to charity for the disabled. So far no news on this DS, I wonder whether KBS got the clearance to air as scheduled on last 18th and 20th April through KBS 1 & 2.      

  

[conankung]

Preview of this week's Drama Special. A comedy for a change.

credit kbs

[Felicia Soh]

Thanks @conankung for posting the preview of "Illegal Parking" - KBS is now back on track with the airing schedule.  This should be a maddening ride topic to delve into - can't imagine two men fighting for a parking space.    

Btw, KBSW aired another re-run drama special - "Monster" on 16th May.  While watching "Golden Cross", I saw a familiar face - the actor whom I adored in "Monster" (the Prosecutor) is now playing a reporter role.  

[conankung]

This casting news is just released and it suddenly caught my interest. Another promising talented young star Kim So Hyun is cast for Different Crying (Crying Differently ??? I don't know how to word this nicely. Haha.) This is the script that won the top prize for a short drama competition. It's about a high school girl who grew up with only a divorced mother and gets to know her father for the first time.


http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LS2D&mid=shm&sid1=106&sid2=224&oid=108&aid=0002302400

[irilight]

Thank you @Felicia Soh for another fantastic review. I liked that song...Now that I read the lyrics I like it even more, and I like the rendition you presented. To me TKOL is similar to "Maundy Thursday" (2006) film which I mentioned,  on so many levels. In both the prisoner comes to appreciate life through the relationship with the lady visiting him. In both the lady visiting is living in an emotional prison of sort, and through the relationship with the prisoner she is able to escape from it. In both, as well as in "Breath" the lady visiting is eager for a connection... for a "color" if you will - that is absent in their daily lives.

I am sad that 18 Years has not made it to KBSW. I Hope it will in the future. A script that won top prize?  you certainly got my attention....

Thank you @conankung for shedding light on what we may soon see.

[irilight]

I recently watched the mini drama "Some Kind of Goodbye" aka "Another Parting" by Won Tae-Yeon, with Seo In-Guk and Wang Ji-won



It is a short 5 episode drama, (each episode about 10 minutes long.)

This drama was written and directed by Korean poet turned director - Won Tae-Yeon.  I have loved his work since I have seen his first (and only - so far) film "More than Blue" aka "A Story Sadder than Sadness" with Kwon Sang-woo and Lee Bo-Young. That movie was so lyrical I have been waiting for more from him.

Some Kind of Goodbye did not disappoint me.

Seo In-Guk and Wang Ji-won are excellent in their respective roles, and the story is being told like a painting being revealed, one layer after another...It truly is a "visual poem."

I created a short list for this drama on YT so it can be viewed easily, each episode coming on after the previous one ended. Since it is a total time of an hour (or less)  I thought that would make sense to view it as a whole.

Here it is.

Here is an OST movie, song by Melody Day.  This OST movie contains spoilers.

[conankung]

@irilight Thank you so much for the recommendation on "Some Kind of Goodbye", as well as YT links. I'll sure find time to check it out.

I think 18 Years should be broadcast on KBSW this Friday? The episode's title has been changed to "Youth" (청춘).

[irilight]

oooh.. thank you @conankung....

[conankung]

This week's episode "Pitch Black" preview. Looks pretty interesting. I recognized the guy from School 2013 and Puberty Medley. )

Preview of last week's episode "A Dreaming Man"

credit kbs