we are only made of air and dust

Just finished watching the first episode of You're Beautiful/ 미남이시네요 and while it is pleasantly predictable, it hasn't ventured down the path of You're Kidding Me, I may be Shojo-tolerant, but I'm not willfully STUPID - shojo fatigue yet. Yet. Early days still, but I'm willing to watch the next episode.

You're Beautiful is not the Korean version of Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, fyi, because there have been cross dressing shojo inspired tales prior to Ashiya and Izumi battling their hormones in a school setting, and there will be more following, because everyone loves it when a girl decides to dress up (un)convincingly as a boy and then has to deal with Feelings, and gender confusion. Instead, as D pointed out last night, You're Beautiful seems to be more like what would happen if 12th Night went on a drunken bender with MTV's Making the Band, and woke up in winglin.net territory - the classic girl dresses up as a boy, specifically impersonating her twin brother (how convenient), gets drafted into a dreamy idol band, and has to convince them and the rest of the world that she's actually her brother, while trying not to fall for the sullen yet strangely attractive lead singer, or the fetching guitarist, or the blonde and adorable drummer. And they have to fight their Feelings for her. It's a Mary Sue Choose your own Ikemen/꽃미남 fantasy epic with possible metafiction behind the scenes commentary on the workings of Korean Pop Music!

Eh, probably not on the last part, ie. meaningful commentary/satire. More like - have you ever imagined what it would be like if you were a part of the Hottest Pop Band in Korea, without any of the hard work, tears, indignities, sacrifices, and batshit crazy fangirls rifling through your garbage aspect of it.

You have? Great! Have some nuns!


( Yes, there are nuns in this )

Doesn't he look just like Yu Shirota? It's the nose, I think. The European nose.

The actor is French, and speaks Korean fluently, along with some English.


It is very very very hot here. And humid. Basically I've been standing in front of open windows trying vainly to feel a breeze or two, or the electric fan.