Final Thoughts on The King 2 Hearts

The two dramas that possessed me the past two months and have been sucking up what little spare time I have are finally over.  As sad as I am to be at the end this crazy journey, I sighed with huge relief.  Hopefully, I can go back to a semi-normal life which will include picking up my photo project and blogging again.

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The King 2 Hearts is a drama I almost didn’t watch.  Initially described as a black comedy about an arranged marriage between the modern-day South Korean King and a North Korean spy with some political intrigue thrown in, neither the story line or the lead pairing sounded remotely interesting.  I liked Ha Ji Won in Secret Garden and I could see her as a tough North Korean spy. But, Lee Seung Gi, who is almost 10 years younger than Ha Ji Won, has a baby face to boot, is her 30-year-old counter-part?  The paring didn’t look realistic until I saw the poster stills.  Then, I watched the preview and I thought, okay, I’ll buy whatever they are selling for now.

20 episodes later, the King 2 Hearts and Lee Seung Gi has won my heart and soul, but with some caveats.

There were some missteps along the way, some gaping holes here and there.  Bong Gu, the villain took too long to become a worthy opponent.  Then, he became too all-powerful to be truly realistic.  An individual powerful enough to start WWIII?  The final resolution of Bong Gu was anti-climatic.  The political intrigues and resolutions, too simplistic, again to be believed.  And don’t get me started on the mind-blowingly bad acting by foreigners. Hearing Korean actors mangling English words is painful.  Guess what, hearing supposed Americans mangle English is torture.

Oh and the death of a beloved character that was unnecessary to move existing story forward, especially happening at episode 19 was surprising from a drama that managed to avoid most drama cliches.  Between the shocking death and inclusion of a final story arc of major consequences, the final two episodes were in a word disappointment.  It was a case of trying to fit too much too late, resulting in poor execution and glossing over some final points that they shouldn’t have.  The final story arc could have and should have happened earlier, developed as part of the final confrontation with Bong Gu.  In which case, the death of the beloved character would have made much more narrative sense.

What the King got right though, it got so right.  The cast was perfect, aside from the foreign actors.  Lee Seung Gi owned his role and basically stole the show with his raw emotions.  The music, the OST and the score all added to the overall experience.  The pacing was fast with very little treading of the waters.  Mostly, the drama created strong and believable characters, from the leads to the side characters who in turn created strong believable relationships.

This drama isn’t about the political intrigue, the villain or even the main OTP or the STP’s romance.   If I focused on those points, the drama would be a fail.  The drama is really about the making of a king.  It is about the various characters in Lee Jae Ha’s lives, family, friends and even the enemy who help him grow as a man and change into a King worthy of ruling his own people.  In that the drama was a resounding success.  (4.5/4.5)

For detailed and fantastic recaps that enhance the overall experience, check out Dramabeans and A Koala’s Playground.  To view online, check out Viki.com… I helped sub some episodes!!!

Sesame Shrimp

I made this Sesame Shrimp dish in April, but I never got the chance to post the recipe.  The recipe is modified from dashrecipe.com and is very easy to pull together for an quick dinner option.

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Sesame Shrimp

Prep time: 15 mins  Cook time: 15 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon cooking oil (canola or vegetable)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 package mushroom, sliced (6 – 8 ounces or any variety)
2 small zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 carrot, sliced diagonally 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 lbs shelled and deveined shrimp
2 scallion, chopped
1 tablespoon crushed sesame seeds

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil

In a large wok, place 1 tablespoon cooking oil and garlic. Turn heat on high and quickly stir-fry the carrots, zucchini and mushrooms until they start becoming tender. Add the shrimp stir-fry until the shrimp are cooked. Add the scallions and soy sauce mixture and toss until throughly mixed. Sprinkle sesame seed for garnish. Serve with steamed rice.

K-Drama: The Rise and Fall of Royals

I can’t believe it has been less than a year since I became a Korean drama addict.  Now that I’ve watched 30-plus dramas, I have a better understanding of Korean dramas, especially the common plot devices and characterizations. I’ve also come to the sad realization that: 1) not all Korean dramas are good; 2) many start good, but falter and even tank to the point of no redemption; and 3) regardless they are highly addictive. Like crack which is why in K-drama land, fans use words like “cracktastic” for really addictive dramas.

After my last cracktastic experience with Flower Boy Ramyun Shop and Me Too, Flower, I took an unintentional break.  Sure, I watched a few older ones, but nothing current and not with nearly the same fervor.  Hello, towards the end of Me Too, Flower, I was watching RAW, meaning without subtitles.

Beginning of 2012 had two highly anticipated dramas, the Rooftop Prince and The King 2 Hearts, mostly due to the lead actors.  I hadn’t watched either male actors before so I wasn’t all that interested. Plus, they weren’t  even cute for me to be all fan-girling.  I liked Ha Ji Won, but the premise behind the King 2 Hearts sounded boring and possibly too melo.  Rooftop Prince with time-travelers from Joseon era was at least novel.  Then, there was Queen In Hyun’s Man which came out a little later, another time-traveler from Joseon era.

Then, I watched the Rooftop preview and I was sold.  Then, The King 2 Hearts preview came out and I was intrigued enough to watch the first episode.  Queen In Hyun’s Man looked like a copy-cat so I wasn’t going to bother.

Well, well, well.  Final 2 episodes left (out of 20) of Rooftop Prince and The King 2 Hearts and waiting on episode 11 (out of 16) for Queen In Hyun’s Man and what’s the verdict thus far?

The Prince rose quickly, but lost steam and then the engine.  The King started off slowly, but winded up being a twisty, scary rollercoaster ride that’s left me and the rest of us fans breathless again and again.  Now we’re building up to the final plunge and I’m not sure I will survive.  The Queen’s Man wasn’t even contender, but it has built up so much fan base it’s unbelievable.

I’m watching the Prince only b/c it has actually made me a fan of Micky Yoonchun and I feel like I need to support him to the bitter, bitter end.  Seriously, I feel like I’ve sucked on lemon by the end of each episodes now.  I’m watching the King because it’s just so freaking good all around, the story, the action, the characters, the relationships… need I go on? Oh, and Lee Seung Gi who I thought was totally miscast?  He’s killing it.  I’ve turned into a LSG fan.   I’m watching the Queen because she’s all heart with the best OTP I’ve ever seen.  EVER.  The leads are so cute, the OTP is so believable, the chemistry is off-the-charts, the kisses to die for, by K-drama standards.  EEK!

By the way, Queen In Hyun’s Man has thus far avoided all K-drama pitfalls, clichés story lines, characters, makjang, noble idiocy, slowing down of the drama, and manufactured problems to keep OTP apart and going into episode 11, that’s quite the feat.  Even some of my favorite dramas have had an episode or two that made me roll my eyes or tap my fingers impatiently.

In conclusion, I highly recommend Queen In Hyun’s Man for the romantics out there and the King 2 Hearts for drama, romance and comedy all rolled into one.  The Rooftop, I would watch the first 6 episodes and then the final two just to bring closure unless I’m a huge fan of  Yoonchun or dramas riddled with makjang and clichéd characters.