WARNING: Some spoiler of ep 6 may apply in this article. If you do not want to see, please do not click the link “Read rest of this entry”. We welcome all the comments and please share your thoughts too about Love Rain. Thanks.
Author: Megha Mano
————————————————– Thoughts by Megha Mano ———————————————–
Greetings to all.. I am glad that I got the chance to write my views on one of the episodes of Love Rain. Please bear with my long post. And I just have to say that the transition from 1970s to 2012 was smooth. If there had been even a slight mistake it would have been disastrous. There are so many stark differences between the two generations. Major difference was the background music, fast pace, expression filled acting and more promises of skinship (Ok I have to admit 1970 was good but I was disappointed with just holding hands and stolen glances.. Please blame it on my age.. After all I am from 2012 era LOL)
If asked to sum up Episode 6 in one word I would say Episode 6 of Love Rain was CONFUSION!!
Yes…it was utter chaos. By Confusion I don’t refer to the direction, acting. I mean that it was a maelstrom of feelings and emotions from both the leads. Ep 5 focussed on Ha Na more. That was necessary for the viewers to understand Ep 6.
A major question which will arise in all our minds and which even Seo Joon faced was “Why her?”
The Ep5 actually gave the reason. Ha Na is a complete contrast from all the usual girls Joon hangs out with. She is different physically and also psychologically. An innocent girl who can make his heart flutter. She is a happy go lucky person who believes naively which perhaps adds to the charm.
The confusion Joon feels is mirrored in his actions. He tries kissing her but is once again thwarted by the assistant. He takes her out to eat. He buys clothes for her. He does things which are uncharacteristic of Seo Joon and that results in loads of awkward moments between the two.
Ep 5 shows Seo Joon as an emotionless guy who minces words just to get what he needs. But in Ep 6 he struggles with his inner self. Joon, a guy who never goes behind girls, follows Ha Na around desperately. He even takes measures for finding her hotel and pursuing her.
The confession he makes to her is sweet and quite unlike the suave and experienced Seo Joon.
The confession to Ha Na..
Seo Joon : “What do you want to do about us? Right.. We can’t be friends because we are in totally different levels, But we can’t just have fun because you are boring, But then it’s not like you’re someone gorgeous that I can escort around.. What do you want me to do about you?”
A perfect confession by a confused guy who is falling in love for the first time. If she can’t be your friend or someone whom you play around with then the answer is Just start dating her and claim her for your own. This occurred to Ha Na too and thus she retaliates “Do you like me?” which leaves Joon speechless.
This act of Joon is in stark contrast to In Ha who was so reluctant to acknowledge his feelings or to confess or act.
2012 Love Rain version is going to be quite a fast paced and fun filled story. I was quite amazed that we had all the clichés of K dramas packed into ONE SINGLE EPISODE.
Some clichés which most Korean Dramas have and those were found in Ep 6
• The OTP have a missed Kiss due to intruding third party or unexpected events. Joon’s kiss interrupted by assistant.
• The main leads go out to amusement parks, restaurants. Ha Na and Joon go to a restaurant.
• The guy gives a nickname to the girl. Joon calling Ha Na Rurururu
• The guy buys something like a accessory, doll, or any other gift. Joon gets a dress for Ha Na.
• A confession. Joon confesses to Ha Na.
• A misunderstanding. Joon tells his assistant why Ha Na is not his ideal type which she overhears while waiting for him without even sleeping.
• Awkward moments of girl with other guys or guy with other girls which is witnessed by the jealous partner. Joon finds Ha Na with her senior who seems very protective of her. He also sees Ha Na falling on top of his friend.
So many K Drama clichés in a single episode. What was missing was a confrontation by the parent which am sure will play a major role in later episodes as Hye Jung doesn’t look like she will approve of Ha Na.
Ep 6 also gave us a glimpse of the heroes from 1970. Yes the three musketeers have all grown old and mature. Senior In Ha is still in love with Kim Yoon Hee which is the reason for estrangement between father and son. Hye Jung is still in love with In Ha. Chang Mo is still the doubtful friend-in-between who supports In Ha`s love for Yoon Hee. Some things never change.
But here is one thing which changed. Can you see how Jang Keun Suk and Im Yoona have completely transformed?
A sad and shy artist into a cold over-confident cranky photographer.
A calm sweet Madonna to a bubbly fun loving girl.
Jang Keun Suk has done justice to Seo Joon and In Ha. He changed drastically and many of us may see Hwang Tae Kyung in Joon. But in my eyes No!
Seo Joon is completely different. There are those slick moves with girls which HTK never had. And the crankiness has reached a higher level in Joon. Joon makes HTK look like a sweet toddler. He is the perfect sadist especially in the scenes with his assistant and with the actress who had an issue about time.
He did look a little approachable when he was with Ha Na but the speech about “She is not my type.. She is too easy, naive, slow” just shows Joon has to go a long way to win Ha Na`s heart when he is faced by serious competition in the form of Ha Na`s senior and his friend.
Yoona in 1970 looked a little dull but now I understand that she was completely sick. And thus her lack of expression also seems fitting. And she really did well as Ha Na. Right from her complexion to her tears there was a complete changeover. She acted remarkably well during the scene when she was hurt by Joon`s words and her passion for even small things like the sweater and mom`s first love shows that Yoon Hee is still hidden inside her daughter. Kudos to the Love Rain OTP for a successful transformation.
I have made a very long essay of my thoughts so please bear with me!! And I would like to conclude my writeup with my favourite scenes in Ep6…These were the funniest and heart warming scenes which I adored.
The “dedicated” sweet assistant who has the worst possible timing in K Drama history..
Ha Na gets to go to the same restaurant twice with different guys. I love the effort she put the second time to eat curry rice..
Seo Joon and his not so innocent nature..
Lastly no K Drama is complete without a Love Triangle!!!! May the best man win!!
P.S. My vote is for the handsome heart stopper in maroon coat!!!!
LOVE RAIN FIGHTING!!!The wait for Ep 7 begins!!!!
[End]
outstandingly described! you have said everything!
Wonderful write-up!! Don’t worry abt the length, i loved every bit of it!
I’m gleeful with all the spars betw the OTP! And yes, the highest compliment that I can give to Yoona is that she DID NOT OVERACT! She managed to make her cute gestures natural and it’s really a breath of fresh air… I find it irritating frankly to have to put up with so many of these characters which you can somehow only find in Korean dramas… Sukkie, is without a doubt, too attractive beyond words…
His all-in-one assistant is so cute I wanna pinch his cheeks! Lol!!
I hope Seo Jun’s rivals have more umphh in them than just being nice and sweet…
Kekeke!! i liked the assistant too LOL!!! he is the perfect pair for our cranky joon…and his timing always amuses me…esply his haunted scene in ep 5 was awesome…LOL…and yoona u better dont try the Am Cute U adore me act…something which irked me in many dramas esply BOF…shudders…
Meg, I love your frank views from generation Y ^_^ really a good write up like those from Gabby.. agree with Farina that Yoona is natural in her acting, just like what Sukkie has said earlier about Yoona in an interview I saw in Chinese.. For Sukkie, whether in 1970s or 2012s.. he is perfect as a chameleon actor.. different images, different speaking tone, different smiles & facial expression, different gestures.. I believe later we will see him crying differently in his 2 roles..
I wonder if anyone notice PD Yoon in the drama during 1970s…and also if we look at the filming done.. the 1970s have that rustic setting including the surrounding backgound colors whereas the 2012 have more colors..
PERFECT ESSAY MEG , YOU DESERVE AN A+.YOU DID A RIGHT AND COMPLETE ANALYSIS OF THE CARACTERS .I’M NOW VERY IMPATIENT TO SEE MORE DUALS BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM .I THINK THIS WILL CERTAINLY RAISE THE RATING TO THE TOP .
its REALLY LOVELY to have you back Doc!! Feels like a reunion party last night!! Miss you so much!!! Wish Cri-J could have joined us but she had guests…
Received A+ doc 🙂
Oppa Jang keun suk..Saraghase…….Saraghase…..so much..I promise
I like oppa my precious song so much..fighting..fighting
Well said, meg.. Love it so much!! Cant wait for Ep 7..
Kobanwa ..Oppa Jang Keun Suk mother is beauty,cute face, ….Oppa take care your health, Oppa take care your mother health..
Annyeonghaseyo ! Saraghase…….! Saraghase..oppa jks
BRAVO Meg!!! Really love your essay. Just like farina said, I don’t mind either with long essay as long as it’s understandable and able to make me nodding my head agreeing, smiling, and even say YES RIGHT!.
Looking forward to your next awesome writing Meg!
And now….long waiting again…eps7!
Very aptly described. Thanks
dear meg, i love your writing. I love it when seo jun teased hana in the restaurant, so playful, naughty and bossy, and also dramatically handsome and sexy. These are my fave scenes in this ep: 1. when hana asked jun y he wanted to kiss her and jun denied, 2. when the cafe waiter explained to hana how jun put his sign board there and many people yelled in front of the cafe door, and the way hana yelled was also naturally cute, 3. when jun sat down and enjoyed his triumph after giving the impatient actress a lesson (I used to hate over confident person, but JKS is just too handsome that I can’t help but accept that jun’s over confidence is hot), 4. the best one: when jun said: stand by… to his staff. that’s the sexiest bossy order I’ve ever heard. If i were his staff, I’d be willing to work with him for 24 hours.LOL.
good job meg!! you said it well.. never mind of long writing just like the others love reading your review.. Love Rain Fighting!!! 🙂
My dear Meg…..Bravo!!! I love love your LR thoughts. You have said it all. If I haven’t watched this drama yet…I WILL SURELY WATCH IT now after reading this wonderful insight recap. You are such a wonderful writer. Thanks dear for sharing your thoughts with us.
Heyyy…you always know your ECI sisters like it long……* winks*
Superb analysis Meg… since i hav a few moments to spare, thought i’d just add in my few cents worth.
Seo Joon: the egoistic playboy will not stand being pushed away by any girl. The only difference is that this time , he didn’t figure that his heart would go racing 1-2-3 sec after she mocked him! And never in his life would he have imagined how hard he’ll have to work to get her … competition from other suitors & that, unlike other girls who willingly fall at his feet, this one is going to be a tough nut to crack!!! This brings me to my first point …
Hana is attractive to him too because she’s probably the only woman who has ever dared challenge his ego n one he enjoys ‘sparring’ with (eg. the ‘ru, ru ru’ scene? looks like bullying BUT Hana will never let him have the last say if she can help it).
Secondly, the screen play: is that what you call it? Anyway,my favourite part in Episode 5 is the part when he tried to seduce her in the hot spring…turn on the French song … after 1-2-3 secs..NOTHING happens! And just as he realises it n turns away, the music suddenly screeches to a halt like a broken record and I laughed my head off at his reaction… the turn of the head, shoulder in perfect synchronisation with the music!
Oh, I love the scene at the hot spring too. The moment where he turned away and the music screeching to a stop was hilariously!
Meg, you have aptly described the episode to a T. Great work!
Ah the hotspring scene…missed oppurtunities…hope Joon and ha na can recapture those moments later 🙂
Can you tell me the french music’s name on these part of seduction?
love this meg!!
Meg, I love it, right on the key points. I do love Yoona’s acting part that when Ha Na overheard Seo Joon was taking to his assistant about her.
And yes, Chris and Farina, the hot spring part, when he moved away after he failed on trying to seduce Ha Na with his “first time feeling” skill, the music and motion he did were hilarious.
Meg, I laugh and love the part you talked about 70s, that’s the Meg I knew. :))
Thanks, great job.
Can’t wait for ep 7
What can i say…u cant expect me to be completely professional while writing a review….LOL
Hi Sis Meg,long time no chat?So far I have not watch any single episode of LR but I enjoyed reading ur thoughts on episode 6..Somehow,u gave me tidbits of what I’m desperately missing,sighs!! Thank you and I’m hoping that I get the chance to talk to you in ECI one of this days..I miss u:)
Charlotte we miss u too!!!
Hi sis Char how r u 🙂
Hi Miracle,i miss u too!!
@Meg,I’m fine sis how bwt u? I barely log in ECI co’z net in our place had signal problem..Even watching LR is not possible w/c made me sad but at the same time a little bit happy co’z I can open JKS Forever here in my work.Have you and the rest of the girls joined Prince official page,the new one?Pls. let me know so I can arrange my application too.Thank u!!
Thanks Meg, well written. I finally watched Ep6 this morning and I watched it twice! I love the hotspring scenes but a bit annoyed of the over-steam occasionally blurring Joon’s face. I like it that Joon has a bit of playfulness in him – at the curry restaurant when he decided to call her Rururu and that triumphant smirk on his face after he had the upper hand. I like it that he’s not afraid to go after Hana although he is still confused about his feelings. When InHa’s wife is so obviously still in love with him, I can’t help but feel InHa is wrong. It’s after 30 years for goodness sake, it’s very irresponsible to his wife and son! Anyway, I suspect there may be an explanation for this later as the plot continues on, it’s only Ep6 so long way to go. I was happy to hear more of the CCR song again in Ep6 (around 45min), I so love Cest la’Vie’s version! Ep7 is tomorrow, yay! By the way, I was wondering why they play T-ara’s Lovey Dovey song in the car (when Hana was with her senbae) and not SNSD but it just crossed my mind that it’s a shuffle dance song, was that coincidental?!?
Meg, thanks for your thoughts! Love them! 😀