In our last Fashion Face-off, Kim Tan and his Cookie Monster turtleneck were able to hold off some stiff competition from the Yzma lookalike on Miss Korea.
This time around, we're going to look at Kdrama tracksuits, which I secretly love. I mean, it's like wearing pajamas, but outside of the house. What's not to like? My only complaint is that Kdramas rarely allow women to take off their absurdly high heels and lounge around in comfy sportswear. I call sexism! Kdrama women, unite and demand your right to wear zip-up polyester from head to toe!
There are a few standouts in the arena of Kdrama tracksuits, so let's look at the challengers, shall we?
Obviously. I mean, by the end of the show, I felt like his custom-made jogging suits were a character all on their own. They certainly did catch the eye, but on the downside, I can't imagine wearing those things to do any actual exercise. I have a strict no-running-in-sequins policy.
Contender 2: The Joseon Entourage, Rooftop Prince
It's like a couple's outfit, but for best friends! Suddenly, Lee Gak's entourage was transformed into the Joseon Power Rangers with the use of matching suits.
Contender 3: Kim Kwang Soo, Emergency Couple
This tracksuit inspired this post. Look at that camouflage magnificence! This guy knows what he likes, and he wears it like a boss.
Contender 4: Jo Gook, City Hall
I guess we can toss in a serious tracksuit for good measure. Don't be fooled by the fact that he actually plays sports in this thing--it's all a political statement in the end. But a handsome political statement, I must admit.
In the realm of Kdrama tracksuits, there can only be one champion. Vote below!
I think that our last Fashion Face-Off, the Battle of the Facial Hair, might have been the closest contest we've ever had. As of this minute, Hyun Bin wins for his character in The Snow Queen, but it's been pretty back-and-forth between him and Cha Seung Won in City Hall this entire time. Can I take this as a sign that we wouldn't mind a little more scruff on our leading men every now and again?
I spent last weekend at my little brother's wedding (I can't believe he's married! Awww, but also weird?), and it put me in the mood to write about kdrama nuptials. Now, most wedding fashion that appears in these shows doesn't actually make it to the altar. I feel like the prettiest gowns and suits are usually wasted in those dramatic "Omo, he's marrying the wrong person!" or "We're gonna get married, but in a terrible twist of fate, we need to wait five more episodes!" kinds of scenes. So instead of writing about wedding fashion, I want to devote this week's face-off to something that isn't clothing, but still requires a lot of style: kdrama proposals.
Many kdramas leave us with the couple staring off into the sunset and allow us to assume that they will live lives of blissful commitment. Other dramas fast forward to show us wonderful snippets of future married life. Other dramas are terrible, stingy buttfaces and don't really give us much romantic closure at all. But every once in a while, we get to see the actual engagement unfold, and the proposals are usually tailored to match the characters. This week's contenders might not all be the best kdrama proposals (at least in my opinion), but they are a diverse selection that will hopefully meet everyone's unique tastes.
Obviously, there will be some spoilers here.
Contender 1: The "It's the Thought that Counts" Proposal (Protect the Boss)
I'm terribly biased in favor of this show, and Noh Eun Seol and Cha Ji Heon are one of my favorite kdrama couples. So when Eun Seol shows up to a romantic candlelit dinner and Ji Heon croons a cheesy ballad to her by way of expressing his feelings, you would think it would be heart-melting swoon material, right?
You know that feeling when you're watching a singing show and one of the contestants has a hilarious personality, so you're really rooting for them to win, but then they open their mouths and it's so painful that you have to change the channel? That's kind of what happens here. My reaction went from "Awww, he put 'I love you' inside of a fortune cookie!" to "Why is this happening????" in about 0.2 seconds. Poor Ji Sung has kind of a cringe-worthy voice, but at least he has a nice heart!
If you're someone who values effort over execution and secretly applauds the William Hungs of the world, this proposal is for you.
Contender 2: The Big Gesture Proposal (A Gentleman's Dignity)
I never really understood the allure of proposals that happen in front of gigantic groups of people. Making me come down to the field in a baseball stadium? Blech. Putting my face on a Jumbotron for the whole world to see? No, thanks.
I have to admit, though, that I'm a huuuuuuuuuuge sucker for anything that involves a massive choreographed dance number. Maybe it's my childhood dream that my life would transform into the movie Newsies:
Why yes, that is 17-year-old Christian Bale belting his lungs out. And be-eyepatched Trey Parker, before he became old and gross. And the guy from The Mighty Ducks. Okay, okay, his name is Aaron Lohr, and yes, I do remember that from eight-year-old Vivi's mild obsession with this film.
Choreographed dance numbers have become an increasingly trendy way to propose in recent years, so it's no surprise that A Gentleman's Dignity matched Yi Soo's highly stylish outfits with an equally stylish proposal. No matter how you feel about Kim Do Jin as a character, you gotta give the guy mad props for planning this whole thing and then tacking on a throwback to episode 1, as well.
Aside from Newsies aficionados, this proposal also suits those people who enjoy announcing their love to the world.
Contender 3: The Heartfelt Speech Proposal (King 2 Hearts)
Poor Hang Ah had two big-gesture proposals early on in this series, and both of them ended up being hoaxes. It's only fitting, then, that the real deal would come without any fuss as they stand next to some military vehicles. It might not be the fanciest proposal in the world, but who needs balloons when you get lines like "I'm going to shower you with kisses every morning"?
We're focusing on substance over style here, but those conveniently falling blossoms don't hurt the mood, either.
Contender 4: The Lazy--I Mean, "Low Maintenance"--Proposal (Secret Garden)
Gil Ra Im is a pretty low-maintenance kind of girl. She usually prefers comfort, practicality, and kicking butt to anything frilly, so bringing her to city hall and announcing immediate marriage might be the best bet for her personality. After all, she has already declared her disdain for chocolates, wine, and all other romantic fluff.
On the other hand, "Because I said so" isn't the most compelling reasoning I've ever heard to get married, and I simply can't bring myself to believe that anyone--Gil Ra Im included--actually hates a good box of Lindt truffles. Impossible!
Estonians have this phrase, "laiskvorst," which directly translates to "lazy sausage." I personally feel like this is kind of a laiskvorst proposal, but hey, maybe it works for some people. If you've got a no-nonsense attitude and prefer to circumvent all of the obnoxious wedding planning in favor of getting right to the honeymoon, then you've found your dream proposal right here!
Contender 5: The Classic Fairytale Proposal (City Hall)
Roses? Check. Candles? Check. Waltzing? Check. FREAKING TWINKLE LIGHTS? Check. It might not be new or exciting, but sometimes they're classics for a reason.
Yes, she WILL dance with you through life. She's not a crazy person!
I just noticed that 3/5 proposals here come courtesy of Kim Eun Soook. Does this give us a hint for the future of Heirs?
And, just because you all read through this so nicely, I will share what might just be my favorite ending love scene of anything ever created:
Okay, so Richard Armitage doesn't technically say the words "Let's get married" with his voice, but I don't even care because he SAYS IT WITH HIS EYES.
So which proposal scene best matches your style? Did we miss one of your favorites? Vote and comment below!
Well, folks, it's been about a million years since we had one of these fashion face-offs. Our face-off of rich ladies went to Joo Won's mom in a landslide. I heartily agree with that decision!
For this week's face-off, I have decided to break from the norm. We usually cover trends that appear frequently in kdramas, but this time, I wanted to look at the lone wolves fighting against the pack. And that's why I've chosen facial hair.
It wasn't until fairly recently that I noticed the consistent lack of facial hair on most kdrama leads. Even in historical dramas (which I have excluded here for consistency), half of the men look like someone glued a few strands of fur to their chins and called it good. I don't know if Korean men just tend to grow patchy facial hair or what, but I wanted to let those few guys who weren't clean-shaven have their moment in the spotlight. I couldn't find any good full-on beards, so it's just goatees and shadow-staches for now!
Sorry, Yoochun. You're not fooling anyone.
Now, I know that facial hair isn't everyone's cup of tea. Personally, I can appreciate a decent amount of scruff. In fact, I once based an entire Halloween costume--including sewing myself some neon green pleather pants--around my husband's innate talent for growing Wolverine-like sideburns. I also tend to let mustaches slide because my husband thinks they are hilarious. Exhibit A: His face in its currently mustachioed glory:
I know what you're all thinking. How can so much awesome happen on one face?
In addition to spicing up boring family Christmas cards and making small children cry, facial hair can also make for some excellent jokes:
Ok, ok, I'll stop now. If I have one weakness, it's mustache-related puns. Maybe it's because I share a birthday with Chuck Norris?
Let's meet our proud contenders!
Contender 1: Jo Guk (City Hall)
Cha Seung Won as Jo Guk was the one who reminded me that kdrama men can actually grow hair on their faces. Maybe the drama writers only let it slide because of his status as a smarmy politician, but whatever the reason, he works that goatee for a full 20 episodes.
Contender 2: Tae Woong (The Snow Queen)
I haven't actually seen this drama, but I stumbled on a poster for it and decided it belonged in this battle. I was genuinely surprised at how a little bit of stubble can transform ole baby-face Hyun Bin.
Contender 3: Han Yi Soo (Shark)
Shark pictures have been popping up all over Pinterest since the show started, and I swear that the characters are either crying or gazing into space in every. single. one. Keeping in character, Kim Nam Gil rocks what I like to call the "sad stache."
Contender 4: Kim Hyun Jun (Iris)
Don't let the faintness of the facial hair fool you--a little bit can go a long way! Lee Byung Hun actually has one of those faces that looks like it needs a mustache. Even when he's clean shaven, I can see the ghosts of mustaches past dancing on his upper lip. Besides, we all know that mustaches, when combined with a sweet pair of shades, have been scientifically proven to help you shoot people better.
So out of the few kdrama leads who actually grew their own scruff, who pulled it off the best? Are there any of them who look better when they aren't clean-shaven? Vote below!
City Hall was an interesting watch for me. I went into the show with really, REALLY high expectations because every person who had ever mentioned it made it sound like it was the best thing that they had ever seen. I have to be honest. It wasn't the best thing I had ever seen. (Cringes and waits for angry protests)
Now, don't get me wrong; there were some elements of the drama that were quite good, and I think if I had watched it earlier in my drama-watching career with lower expectations, I might have enjoyed it more. That being said, I didn't quite feel that magic that I get with the best of the best dramas. You know what I mean--the kind of magic that puts a permanent smile on your face and makes you want to start the whole series over the second it ends. With City Hall, I was mostly engaged, but not mesmerized.
Here's the breakdown:
Highlights
I have found that most dramas start out strong and then start to drag through the last few episodes. Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I am a fast-forwarding monster when it comes to the last 5-ish episodes of most dramas. Not so with City Hall. This drama, if anything, started out kind of slowly and gained steam in the second half of the series. For the first 10 episodes, I actively disliked about half of the main characters, but then they suddenly started to grow on me in sneaky ways. The male lead was a complete dirtbag for a really long time, but looking back, I kind of like that he didn't give up on his dirtbaggery all at once. He grew in baby steps, but you still had time to enjoy a full, satisfying personality change for several episodes, unlike some other dramas I know (*cough* You're Beautiful *cough*). The chemistry between the two main leads similarly grew over the course of the drama. At first, I didn't buy it at all, but by the time they started kissing (and I mean kissing), I was 100% sold. I blame it on this smolder:
Uh, hello.
The building nature of the series also means that it has one of the most satisfying kdrama endings ever. You know how you sometimes invest 20+ hours into a show only to get to the last episode and you get absolutely no closure on any side characters and the main characters don't even kiss and they just end in a freeze frame where they are staring at each other from opposite ends of the scene and then you double and triple check that it actually is the end and that your computer didn't just freeze up and then you throw something (hopefully not said computer) across the room and immediately start a different drama that will hopefully fill the hole in your heart left by that terrible, terrible ending? No? Never mind, then.
If you get all the way through City Hall, you will finally be rewarded for all of those lame kdrama endings that have made you tear your hair out all this time. They give you closure on basically every single side character, and they round out the love story with an appropriate amount of "Awwwwwwww" moments. This was definitely in the top 3 final episodes I've seen.
Low Points
One consistent kdrama problem is finding the right balance in the heroine's personality. It's a fine line between being upbeat and being obnoxious, and for me, Shin Mi Rae falls on the wrong side of that line more often than not. I had seen Kim Sun Ah in My Lovely Sam Soon and Scent of a Woman before this series, and I liked her characters in both of those. In this drama, though, her character is so over the top that I cringed almost every time she talked. And when she did her squeaky baby talk voice? ("Mi Rae want purse! Mi Rae want horsey!") I vomited a little.
Mi Rae want pukey puke from cutesy overkill?
My scale for kdrama female leads is pretty simple: Would I want to hang out with them in real life? Sadly, while Mi Rae is a great person who undergoes a lot of character development, I don't think she's going to be my new imaginary kdrama bestie any time soon. For the record, I WOULD be best friends with Mi Rae's buddy Boo Mi. I kind of wish that they had made her single and written the entire show around her instead. Then she and Vampire Prosecutor's Lee Young Ah and I would get together and have really sarcastic conversations together.
My other MAJOR complaint with this show had to do with the way the characters reacted to Jo Guk's engagement. This is something that drives me crazy in romantic comedies. Just because someone is engaged to a terrible person DOES NOT make cheating okay. Mi Rae mentions in one of the early episodes that a fiancee is different from a girlfriend because you made a promise to that person, but after that brief conversation, they both still go ahead and do whatever they want. That's not okay.
Late in the series, Go Hae confronts Mi Rae about the relationship, and the sighing and crying and reminiscing makes it seem like we should feel sorry for Mi Rae. After all, she's the plucky heroine and Go Hae is the evil corporate monster-lady, right? Wrong. Mi Rae slept with an engaged man, and her only worry seemed to be about what their relationship would do to her duties as mayor. And then that man told his fiancee to deal with it like Hilary Clinton. And we're supposed to loathe the fiancee for being bitter? Even though I hated Go Hae, I would have been right by her side chewing Mi Rae out on this one. I also don't buy the excuse that Jo Guk was trying to let her leave with dignity since he basically used her for as long as he could before dumping her anyway. Even if your fiancee is a serial killer, you should at least have the honor to end one relationship before you begin another one. And then maybe call the police so she stops killing people. *Steps off soapbox*
Random Observations
- One of these days, I'm going to make a list of weird things in kdramas that shouldn't happen in real life. Somewhere near the top of the list will be the ole eyelash-stroking-while-asleep move. I don't care HOW dainty his eyelashes are. If you aren't dating someone, don't touch his face when he isn't conscious. It's weird. Also, how are these girls always so surprised that the men wake up? You've been creepily patting his face for five minutes. He was bound to notice at some point.
No. Just no.
-While City Hall tends to rely pretty heavily on flashbacks (and my personal favorite, the flashback-within-a-flashback), I appreciate that some of the flashbacks, like the one above, actually give us information we didn't know in the original scene. It's like a hidden treat!
- If there were a sequel to City Hall, it should just be about Soo In finding love. I would totally watch that show.
-Cha Seung Won has a great smolder, but in terms of Kim Sun Ah tango scenes, the one in Scent of a Woman wins by far.
- (Mini spoiler) Uhhh, is it just me, or is gagging NOT a foolproof pregnancy test? All I'm saying is that maybe you should make sure your wife didn't just eat a bad tuna fish sandwich for lunch before you announce her pregnancy to half the town.
All in all, City Hall got a very solid meh from me. I can see why people enjoy it, but it just wasn't that magical watch I was hoping to find in my next drama.
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