Thursday, December 5, 2013

Noonas Over Flowers: I like it . . . I think?


Hulu’s officially on my Naughty List. They promised me a subbed Noonas Over Flowers by December 2nd and I’m still waiting. I finally broke down last night and watched the RAW video while looking at the Dramabeans recap as a cheat sheet. It’s not the first time I’ve watched something unsubbed, but those were usually dramas. Variety is so much harder to follow because it has lots of interviews, and people going off on tangents and making those ever popular Korean puns. But the charm of Lee Seunggi transcends any language barrier, so I still enjoyed it. These are a few of my favorite things:

Evil Editing

I imagine Lee Seunggi groaning in front of the TV when he saw that Na PD kept his primping for the camera in. I loved this part. SO. MUCH. He adjusted the lighting. Stacked books to get a better angle. Banged his elbow against said books. And his little satisfied smirk when he got it fixed right killed me. You could just read the “Man, I look good” on his face. Then he pounds a fist on his back, like he’s already exhausted. It takes real skill to pick out little gems like that from hours and hours of footage, but this show does a bang-up job.

Sarcastic Soundtrack 

If the editing sticks it to the talent, the music just twists the knife a little deeper. Poor Hee-ae never knew her innocent comment about watching her diet would be accompanied with tons of eating clips and a singer declaring, “It’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie.” And how about the royal fanfare when Seunggi stepped out of his van at the airport, immediately followed by Na PD nagging him about his wardrobe, late arrival, etc. And I loved the use of “The A-Team Theme” as Seunggi’s eyes darted around the crowd of fans, frantically forming a battle plan to get the ladies to the gate. The editing and soundtrack form a one-two punch that adds so much to show.

Picture Postcard Scenery 

I guess I need to add Croatia to my travel list. This place looks stunning. Like a French Riviera, only with waterfalls, and autumn leaves. And a middle-eastern influence prevails from the looks of some of the turrets, towers, and fashion. (Or am I mixing up the Istanbul layover with Croatia? It's kinda hard to tell when you don't read Hangul. Ooh. Istanbul. I should add that to my list, too.) Maybe I should take note of everywhere the Noonas visit and someday I can find the same steps they sat on. Do you think there will be a plaque reading “Lee Seunggi Wept Here”?

The Queen Mum still rocks 

How cute was our head Noona being waved off on her trip by her tiny little mother as if she were a schoolgirl? And the whole debacle with the lotions that wouldn’t pass through security that left Seunggi squirting like crazy in the airport gift shop? Hilarious. She must not have heard of the cursed 3-1-1 rule. And now I know we both use Cetaphil. If I ever meet her, we have something we can talk about.

The Other Noonas

I need to give them all nicknames, because I find it hard to keep their real ones straight. Mi-yeon can be Boss Noona, cause she always seems to be on a mission, asking questions, and getting frustrated when things take too long. Hee-ae is Angel Noona, cause she projects an air of calm as she quietly watches over our puppy, collecting gifts for him from the Turkish fans and directing him to the right car rental agency without telling him she’s already spoken to them. And finally, Ja-ok, or Cleopatra Noona. She pretends to pack her fluffy poodle, scrawls in her diary, and lays down for a nap whenever she feels like it. I’m more of a Boss Noona type when I’m traveling so she would probably drive me nuts. The mix of personalities hints at an interesting trip, and I look forward to the fun.

A promising beginning, especially considering I don’t understand Korean. I bet the whole running gag of Seunggi trying to take care of everyone, and needing a babysitter himself won’t get old. If he keeps going like he started, they might need a leash for our puppy. I can just picture a future episode with the noonas holding Seunggi’s hand like a six-year-old, because they don’t want him to wander off. Hahahaha. I can hardly wait. Right now I’m wishing for a lump of coal in Hulu’s stocking, but hopefully they’ll get their act together. If not, maybe somebody will take pity on this poor sub-shackled English speaker and let me know all the good stuff I missed.

Noonas Over Flowers: If it's got Seunggi, I'm in

No comments:

Post a Comment