Coffee Prince Ep. 17

I have to admit that the show came to a satisfying and somewhat realistic ending. Unlike many American dramas, the writers did not feel the need to have some big wedding at the end for Han Kyul and Eun Chan. Instead, the viewer is left with knowing that the two characters love each other and they are going to take things one day at a time and in doing so, they will be married soon. Also, another difference is the fact that Eun Chan is able to study abroad in Italy for a couple of years away from Han Kyul and their love remains strong. In American dramas, the woman usually changes her mind about leaving at the last minute and her and her boyfriend remain together. It was refreshing to see that this did not happen in Coffee Prince. American drama writers should seriously consider taking some notes. Perhaps, the only thing that they should not take notes of is the male characters singing over the phone to their female love interests. Those scenes were really cheesy and went on for entirely too long in my opinion.

Another aspect that I like is that most if not all of the main characters ended up with either a significant other or at least a possible love interest. It was good to see Sun Ki finally getting over that older woman he was desperately pursuing with the help of the new female employee who also seems to know how to speak Japanese. The only couple that I did not like at the end is the same one that I have not liked since the beginning of the show. That couple is Min Yeop and Eun Sae. Eun Sae seems like she is still just using Min Yeop, but now, she is using him as a meal ticket. She always seems to depend on others for everything and never cares about the other person's feelings. The writers should have given him another love interest like they did for Sun Ki. Overall, I thought the show was well done and I would recommend it and "My Lovely Sam Soon" to other people who have never seen a Korean drama before.

Coffee Prince-Last 3 episodes

The last three episodes of Coffee Prince shows more about the values and family expectations of one another. It interesting to see Eun Chan and Han Kyul’s relationship grows as the drama comes to an end. I think he is sweet to not object to her going abroad to study barista for this is a good opportunity for her to learn and explore places outside of Korea. By him chosing to wait for her and not objects shows that he really do care for her and love her. The final episode is touching as they both keep their promises. Makes me wonder if it will truly last because not all long distance relationship works, but then again it might. He never visited her but instead they kept in contact through letters. That’s lame but whatever floats their boat. She looks a bit different to me..like she became more feminine in some way. Good to see that the drama has a happy ending with her reuniting with them but doesn’t the dramas usually end in a happy way anyways? I have to say that I only enjoy watching dramas for my own pleasure and knowing that it was a homework assignment..it was kind of time consuming. Either way, I enjoyed watching it and I can see why it is so freakin’ addicting.

Pasta episode 17/18

this weeks episodes were overall very boring in my opinion. I dont even know if I'll be able to write much -_- So Hyun Wook and his pasta chefs return to La Sfera and they get straight back to business. The only one who is happy about the chef's return is of course Yoo Kyung. Hyun Wook makes the ginseng pasta apart of the chef's specialty menu and Yoo Kyung is saddned/annoyed? by the fact that she has to give up her "modified" recipe to another cook. I felt kind of bad at this point because she tried really hard to come up with that recipe (although most of the work was done previously by Hyun Wook) and ultimately she had to share it and teach it someone else. The cooks tested Hyun Wook to see if he can judge both ginseng dishes and he passes. Then it gets boring again . They go on and on about scallops...Oh Sae Young reveals her secrets to a reporter and so everyone knows that she sabotaged Hyun Wooks recipe in Italy, and blah blah blah.

coffee prince EpS 17

It's the final episode! How touching to see that both main characters kept their promise. Hmmm I wonder if she ever did cheat on him with those European boys. It's not like he ever went to visit her. I mean c'mon they only wrote to each other for how many years. But I guess the audience is suppose to believe in their faithful love. It was nice how she surprised him when he was interviewing the other baristas. But dang did she get fuller or what? The change in hair and clothes to me represented a more transnational view of her as well as the more feminine. She was sitting on his lap in public! seriously get a room! j/k. But the ending was very good and exciting to see them reunitig together again and the family approving of their continuing relationship and future marriage. Acceptance in the male side of the family is key. I wonder if there will be a coffee princess, who would be the lead character and how could they portray that if this series already breaks many of the rules of asian tradition. I guess we'll have to wait for the writers to think up something genius. But overall this experience of watchig a drama and analyzing it is very engaging and forcing us to focus on the details rahter than wanting to skip over the boring parts that most of us tend to do or maybe have done. Now I confess I'm now an addict for Korean drama.

Coffee Prince 15, 16, & 17

I will start off by saying how painful it was to watch episodes 15 through 17. These last three episodes meant "the end" and I was not ready to say, "good bye" to the show, but like all things with a beginning, there is an ending. I can honestly say that I have grown attached to these characters and hope the network brings along "Coffee Prince 2" or "Coffee Princess".

Episode 15 and 16 revealed more about family and values. Han Kyul reveals to his family that Eun Chan is in fact a woman and his girlfriend. His family is not accepting of her and his grandmother even refers to her as a "thing". Later on you see Han Kyul's mother meets with Eun Chan and talks about their relationship, and then Han Kyul's grandmother makes a deal with Eun Chan. Grandmother sponsors her studying abroad to become a barista. While Han Kyul objects to the idea, he can't do much, but support Eun Chan and wait for her.

Again, like I have stated in the last blog, Coffee Prince shows a lot of modernity. Episode 17 was a turning point for me as a viewer. Eun Chan and Han Kyul's relationship showed a sort of balance. I don't know if its because Eun Chan looked a lot more feminine than she did in previous episodes, but what ever it is, it showed balanced.

Although I am not at all satisfied with the "final cup", I throughly enjoyed watching "Coffee Prince". Watching the show awakened a lot of ideas and feelings that I have set aside and has me wanting to follow other dramas.

Coffee Prince 13 & 14

Episode 13 revealed a lot about Han Kyul, Eun Chan, Han Sung, and Yoo Joo. First off, Han Kyul's biological father is really his uncle and not the father he grew up with. Second, Yoo Joo reveals to to Han Sung how much more she loves him and that she was afraid that he would just let her go, which is why she ran away. Third, Han Kyul and Eun Chan's relationship blossomed. Eun Chan spends the night at his apartment, they talk about how they can make their relationship work if and when he decides to go back to New York. Aside from the character and story development, the "Princes" at the coffee shop treat Eun Chan like a "Princess" because Han Kyul notices that the guys are taking advantage of Eun Chan.

Episode 14 is where you see the two couples have a "couples" night at Han Sung's house. I thought it was sort of strange that the couples split off; Eun Chan and Han Sung were in one room, while Han Kyul and Yoo Joo were in another, but I guess for the story's sake, it revealed more about the characters. In this episode, the viewers also find out that Yoo Joo is pregnant and that Han Sung and she talk about marriage, but he does not make a formal proposal. Later in the episode, we see Yoo Joo propose marriage to Han Sung. I was blown away by this episode because of the modernity. I was always under the impression that Korea was a conservative country that followed Confucian and Christian values, but to see couples engaging in pre-marital sex and cohabitation, it goes to show that society and/or viewers are more accepting of these "new" practices.

Coffee Prince 15 & 16 & 17 (the last cup)

Can't believe this drama is going to the end. There was a scene YooJoo's mom told her the difficulty in the marriage, which were typical conflicts between the in-laws, but also said it's good to have two people living together as one. In episode 15 Han Chan proposed to YooJoo. At least it was surpring to see Han YooJoo knelt down and told Han Chan her commitment;it was good to see YooJoo and Han Chan finally had a good happy ending. On the other hand, with Han Kuyol's background, it is no wonder their family would oppose the marriage with Eun Chan esecially his grandmother. Once again Han Kuyol talked about the cohabitating with Eun Chan, I am not sure if is a modern concept in Korea, but apparently it is getting common in Taiwan. Couples live togethe to see if they could really fit with each other at the first place.

The marriage issue continued to episode 16, Eun Chan has a modern concept in gender roles. She insisted paying Han Kuyol back the mney with the interest. She also mentioned not only between couples but also this could refer to parents-children relationships as well. She said that each individual should be responsible for themselves. that she wants to support her family with her own hands. I think that was because she worked at a very young age and was used to depend on herself besides others. Han YooJoo, on the other hand, represented the career woman facing conflict between her work and her family. It is hard to say which is the priority came first.

I The twist that the grandma solved the problem interested me; not only helped Eun Chan to pursuit her dream but also gave both of them some time to think twice. Af the beginning Han Kuyol gave up the New York job to stay with Eun Chan, but in the end it was Eun Chan who may go abroad. Either one or the other has to give in so they could grow together. In the las episode audience could tell Eun Chan and Han Kuyol went to the next level of intimacy, but I wonder was it appropriate in Korea? I thought it was still conservative though. By the way the two years passed so fast, I thought there would be scenes shooting in Italy, but the idea of Coffee Princess was adorable!

All in all Coffee Prince is the first drama I watached from the beginning til the end. And it was a good expereience indeed. Of course there were cliche such as the love triangle and the family issues, even the birth secret, but Coffee Prince has brought into a new perspectives. It is a pity that they didn't shoot the weddding ceremonry part, I think it'll be interesting to let Eun Chan disguises as a man in the wedding.

coffee prince ep. 15&16

This show is getting good towards the end. I mean, it was already a good show,but now it seems that all of the main characters are understanding each other and they are all basically on the same page. Of course, there is still a selfishness problem with Han Yoo Joo and Eun Sae. In the case of Han Yoo Joo, I do not mean that she is being selfish when it comes to spending time with her newly wedded husband, Han Seong, but with caring for their unborn child. When she first found out that she was pregnant, she poured a glass of wine without thinking, but remembered that she was now carrying a child and decided not to drink. Then, in one of this week's episodes, she actually did drink while she was working late with her design team. Once Han Seong confronted her about this, she seemed to not have any remorse whatsoever.

In the case of Eun Sae, she is just selfish and mean to Min Yeop as ever. I don't get what he sees in her. She is an eighteen year old student with no real skills and anything, including singing. She does not bring anything to the table and that includes a home cooked meal. She is so spoiled that she even has a mosquito net around her bed while her mother and sister do not. With all the parents hitting their disrespectful children upside their heads, why has Eun Sae not been hit? Min Yeop also needs to man up and realize that he can do a lot better than some spoiled high school girl. As a matter of fact, why is Jin Ha Rim pursuing a high school girl after he just spent all of that time trying to get Min Yeop to stop? The girl that Jin Ha Rim is involved with seems to have an attitude towards men like Eun Sae. If I could give Min Yeop and Jin Ha Rim some advice, I would tell them to stop trying to date high school girls. How old are these men anyway? No matter how old they are, they both need to date women and leave the girls alone.

Speaking of male characters leaving certain female characters alone, Sun Ki should do that with the woman he keeps stalking. It is obvious that she does not want a relationship with him, but he seems like he will not take no for an answer. She even told him that if he kept coming over, she would move again. Once again, he did not listen and he is all alone again. One big question I had about this part of the drama is how did Sun Ki get into the woman's apartment? Does he acutally have a key or did he pick the lock? If he acutally picked the lock, he should have a restraing order brought against him.

To end off on a positive note, it is good to see Han Kyul's grandmother accepting Eun Chan and even acknowledging their similar backgrounds. I wonder if Eun Chan is really going to go to Italy or if she is going to stay in Korea. I guess I will just have to watch the final episode and the special next week to find out.

Coffee Prince Episode 15, 16 & 17

I can’t believe it’s coming to an end of watching Coffee Prince. I love watching this series that I actually bought it before I even enrolled for this class. ^_^ So onward with Episode 15 I have to say it’s really cute how EunChan and HanGyul act as a couple. He really has changed from the beginning of the drama towards the end. I’m so happy that HanSung finds his happiness with YuJu. HanSung shows off to HanGyul that YuJu is pregnant with the picture on his phone. I loved how YuJu proposed to HanSung and how he was so shocked. I really think in this episode that HanGyul is obsessed with EunChan like crazy. The wedding dress is really YuJu in it but shows EunChan in his head. I like the family meeting. Everyone is happy that YuJu is pregnant and no one is mad that it’s before they got married. I hate the fact that closer to the end of the episode EunChan and HanGyul are having troubles once they found some happiness. So onto Episode 16 YuJu and HanSung are married. Yay!! Finally. But while this is happening the grandmother is sent to the hospital. Thank goodness that HanGyul was joking about breaking up with EunChan I would have been so mad. I don’t personally like that MinYub is back with EunSae but I guess we can’t do anything about it. Problems are happening for both HanSung and HanGyul but they seem to move past it for the most part. Ending off with EunChan and HanGyul kissing… Episode 17 was sad at the beginning. EunChan left to go study abroad and YuJu lost the baby. 2 years later and now we see MinYub as a model, who would have thought. MinYub and EunSae seem to be together so they have their happy ending. As well as SunKi since they hired someone new and seems to match him well since she knows Japanese like he does. EunChan comes back and everyone is overjoyed, especially HanGyul. And we have a happy ending for Coffee Prince. ^_^

Pasta Episode 15-16

In episodes 15 and 16, there are a lot of dramas are going on in the kitchen. President Seol (ex-president) and other members in kitchen doubt if Hyunwook really dates with Yukyung, but Yukyung denies it. At the same time, president Kim San tells Yukyung that he like her and asks if she is interested in him. Yukyung tells him that she likes someone else. President Seol tells "domestic chef members" that other three Italy background elite chefs are getting paid more than them, and it is not fair. At the same time, Yukyung tells Hyunwook that preseident Seol, who is currently working as an assistant waiter in the hall, is getting paid more than anyone else in the restaurant. Hyunwook tells president Kim San that he should raise domestic chefs member's wage if he pays president Seol a lot. After president Seol finds out that he is going to get paid less, he finally blows the big secret of hyunwook dating Yukyung. Hyunwook quits his job and says that he love Yukyung and does not want to deny that.
After Hyunwook quits, the kitchen is in panic. Chef Seyoung trys to lead the kitchen, but it seems it is not on the right track. Three Italy background elite chefs tell Hyunwook that they will also quit if he does not come back to La Sfera, and Hyunwook tell them to go back right away. what was interesting was when one man orders ginseng pasta. It is unclear who he realy is, but I assume that he is the one who taught cooking to Hyunwook and Seyoung in Italy. Because Hyunwook does not work at La Sfera anymore, Yukyung cooks Hyunwook's recipe for the ginseng pasta. Actually Hyunwook's recipe was not perfect, but Yukyung corrects it and cooks in her own way based on Hyunwook's recipe. I was amazed that Hyunwook praises Yukyung that her recipe of ginseng pasta is better than his now. He always shouts to Yukyung and very stubborn, but it was kind of new side of him saying Yukyung is better than him. It still did not show how Yukyung and Hyunwook's relationship going to be since Hyunwook wants to go to Italy. When he asks Yukyung to go to Italy together, she rejects and says that she wants to stay in Korea. I think their relationship will be clear in next couple episodes.

pasta episode 15/16

after all the fuss about trying to find out if the two were dating, the ex-manager seol is forced to keep quiet of their relationship by San. San(alex) finally gets enough courage to reveal his feeings to yookyung..dude took ages to grow some balls. Of course, his love will remain one-sided , but he already knew that. Of course there has to be more drama in the kitchen. I dont think there is a day when they aren't fighting about something. This time its a fight between the pay between the cooks and the thing escalates to the point where Chef decides to quit the kitchen but of course yookyung decides to stay. The biggest drama of the episode was when the two female chefs yookyung and saeyoung battle it out to make the best in-sam pasta, or ginseng pasta. The truth about how she sabotaged hyunwook's pasta years ago comes out and it turns out she didnt even have to sabotage him in the first place. girl got a reality check and she ran away ashamed.

Pasta ep 15-16

Well, finally they get to the point, we have the main dude in the drama, finally confessing to the lady, although I find the way he did so on a roller coaster is somewhat old classed, but it worked for him I guess, because she doesn't seem to understand him, or she is just faking it [maybe avenging for his way of treating her back then {he is a jackass}]. And like most K-drama we see a love triangle, and the relationship between the two main characters seems to go into peril.

Also due to all these tensions the kitchen is also affected, chefs does not learn etc.... i guess because the new head of chef has no control or authority over the chefs, well things gets worse.

Coffee Prince Ep. 15,16,17

In these episodes, I like how the drama didn’t end right away after Hankyul and Eunchan fell in love with each other but the writers decided to play off on real issues they have to deal with as a couple. Hankyul and Eunchan have a little fight over Eunchan’s stubbornness to pay Hankyul’s loan back. Even though they are now dating, she still feels she should pay it back. There is also the marriage issue between them. Eunchan wants to marry in 4-5 years when she feels she is successful enough and has an identity for herself. Hankyul wants to get married now but Eunchan does not want to yet because she still needs to support her family. He offers to help her support her family but Eunchan is still affected by her father’s death and doesn’t want to depend on Hankyul as she did with her father. Hansung and Yoojoo also decided to get married. We see a gender switch role where Yoojoo was the one who gets down on one knee and proposes. After they got married, Yoojoo goes back to her work habits while she’s pregnant which worries Hansung. These days women are more career oriented than focused on marriage. Both Hankyul and Hansung realized they’re dealing with independent women in modern society. They would like it if the girls depended a little bit on them for help. The boys discuss that women probably do not want to get married because they believe that they would have to follow their man’s wishes. Hankyul’s grandmother offers Eunchan a trip to Italy to study abroad to become a barista. In the end, Eunchan decides to go and puts off marriage until she comes back. The idea of Korean dramas having purity when it comes to sex is also shown here when Hankyul puts his hand under Eunchan’s shirt and she backs away which shows she is more traditional, young, and innocent. However, there is a slight implication they slept together in the end of episode 16. American shows are more skanky and trashy compared to this which shows how Korean and Asian dramas are more conservative but can capture the essence of love well. The last episode wraps up with Eunchan leaving and a time jump of two years later. It’s sad that Yoojoo and Hansung lose their baby due to medical problems but they’re relationship is still strong and loving as ever after 2 years. We see Hankyul opening up a Coffee Princess shop. I thought that was cute since Eunchan is his coffee princess =]. And we also see all of the coffee prince boys end up with girls in the end. Lastly, Eunchan finally returns to Korea and everyone seems shocked that she looks more feminine and we see a playful Hankyul and Eunchan to close off the drama.

Pasta Episode 15-16

Alrighty, the fun begins! In episode 15 and 16, Yoo Kyung is in for quite a rollercoaster. Kim San confesses that he likes her - but she either doesn't quite get it or is pretending not to. Either way, the love triangle is out there now. The former president starts meddling again, causing tension once again between Team Korea chefs, Team Italy chefs, and Hyun Wook. With all that tension in the kitchen, along with the former president's nosiness, Yoo Kyung and Hyun Wook are backed in a corner with questions about their relationship.

Surprisingly, Chef admits to all of it - saying he loves Yoo Kyung, that he's in a relationship, and that he would now leave the kitchen and La Sfera. The camera pans to other characters reactions, and it looks like this proclamation is a slap to the face for Sae Young. This type of scene is interesting, because although he's saying he loves her, it's a pretty sad and tense scene... I want to kick the ex-president. Chef Hyun Wook leaves, and Team Korea is really happy with working with just Sae Young. I guess if the boss that tormented you leaves, you'd be happy too - but it's a little sad that they don't show an inkling of missing Chef or wonder what's going to happen next for them. It's also true that Sae Young doesn't discipline the chefs, so they're not going to learn.

I'm liking how Yoo Kyung is dressing as the episodes progress - it feels like there's some changes. The earlier episodes, I found her unkempt and kind of frazzled looking, and now she's more put together as she becomes more confident in her cooking and life.

Chef's Chef - the former chef that taught Hyun Wook and Sae Young in Italy, I believe - comes by and is impressed by Yoo Kyung. Yoo Kyung solves the mystery of Hyun Wook's failed recipe, thus verifying her importance and talent as a chef. She's not completely useless. This also ends the strife between Sae Young and Hyun Wook - she was really not an inferior chef the entire time. Therefore, she didn't need to come back and prove herself to him at all...

coffee prince EpS 15/16

These episodes are funny! But it shows a lot of the characters breaking away from tradition.
First off, we hear Han Kyol proposing to Eun Chan, and while she accepts the proposal, she does not rush into marriage. His reaction to her seems as if she is rejecting him but the issue is actually more surprising because not too often that women would hold off their marriage for that long. Even her sister is surprised by Eun Chan's time frame. She even suggests that if Eun Chan waits too long he might cheat on her. But what we really see is the new generation as well as transnational ideas coming into play as women are taking on new goals and careers instead of marraige and child bearing.

then there is also the issue of the female purity in the asian culture. Sex before marriage can be looked down upon for the woman. Yet here, there urgency to have sex questions the traditional attitudes. And another thing for the woman to go to the man's house that late is also surprising. Was that a heated passion or love? I guess we're suppose to think it was love, but dang it seemed like Han Kyol less of an urgency than Eun Chan. Her hormones were running high!

Episode 15, 16, 17, and Special

The coming to the end of, Coffee Prince brought several additional several twists that some I saw coming and others I did not. For instance, the opportunity for Eun Chan to go study abroad in Italy was not expected, nor the love between Eun Chan and Han Kyul to be so strong as to stay together throughout the time she was studying. These final episodes also took the time to challenge other stereotypes of expected gender roles, specifically when Han Yoo Joo's character proposed to Han Seong and the support Han Kyul demonstrates for Eun Chan when she tells him she wants to study and train to become a world class bartista.

When Eun Chan expressed to Han Kyul her desire to become a bartista so that she could support herself rather than just marrying him and depending on him and his wealth. This added depth to her and exemplified that she was determined to become successful and self-sufficient. How this complicates matters is that Han Kyul does not understand her "stubbornness," as he calls it, but then Eun Chan later reveals to him that she had promised her father that she would etch out a life for herself. This brought out a very real issue of women who never work before they marry and so they do not have the experience in working for themselves. As Eun Chan expressed to Han Kyul, she did not want to become helpless like her mother became after their father died. Therefore, this responsibility in having to support her mother and sister helps fuel the desire to become self-sufficient that Han Kyul does not understand. However, Han Kyul's grandmother does understand where Eun Chan is coming from and confronts her that, Eun Chan's mother must learn how to economically support herself rather than expecting her daughter to support her. This I am sure rang true for the cultural community.

Another event that I particularly enjoyed was when Han Yoo Joo denied Han Seong's proposed and then later on actually proposed herself. This of course fit her character as she was the independent career orientated women-- so of course she would propose marriage to man rather than accept a marriage proposal from one. It seems like maybe more and more women today are taking the initiative to decide how to define and declare their love for their partners.

Finally also, it appears that Han Kyul and Eun Chan have sex with one another after all the building tension between them for the past several episodes. What was interesting was when the morning after- Eun Chan is embarrassed what seems with her actions and nakedness. It appeared that after they had sex their relationship seemed to solidified and become calmer.

I honestly did not think that Eun Chan and Han Kyul would remain together when Eun Chan left to study abroad. So when they did stay together, I felt that it was an easy way out to finish the tv series. When Eun Chan returned to Korea from Italy, she was sophisticated and appearing feminine. What was interesting was that she seemed to have returned from Italy more mature than when she left. It was because of this new mature and different form of confidence that Eun Chan's expressed from her presence that allowed me to accept Han Kyul and Eun Chan remaining a couple. I finally felt that they were equals and possible could be lovers rather than just friends.

The post- Coffee Prince Special was very helpful as it brought the audience behind the scenes. This more in-depth look at what and how the actors had to endure throughout the series allowed me to know what their thought was on the script. Also, with the comments from the director guiding us in why he decided certain themes and styles over others gave me assurance and provided understanding in how I was suppose to perceive the show. Especially when the actors and director were aware that Coffee Prince is a "trendy drama" but they were determine to supplement that with sincere emotions and a spin on traditional topics. Were they successful? Well it was still trendy, but I thought they managed to engage in many topics society deals with in a manner that made it interesting to their audience. As Coffee Prince proves, the blend and mix of popular media and society's pressing or controversial issues can be accomplished.

Coffee Prince Episode 13 & 14

In episodes, 13 and 14 many issues and events occurred that gave the plot of Coffee Prince a new spin and direction not expected. Some of the issues that were raised dealt with marriage, feminine behavior expectations, family pressures and duties, knowledge and act of sex, and a re-occurring one; class expectations and differences. As all of these matter's unfolded throughout both episodes, the characters I felt returned to a more complex storyline that engaged in serious issues, rather than just sticking to a simple love story. This made sense to me as a writer of the soap opera, because I am not sure the audience would still tune in- if the plot just became one of a love story. After all, many of these shows are appealing because they have twists and turns that complicate simple story-lines such as love.

Throughout both episodes, the relationship between Eun Chan and Han Kyul develop even further and I was curious to see if Eun Chan would remain her tomboyish self or would undergo a change for a more feminine persona, that is now that she is with Han Kyul, who has the reputation in dating ultra feminine women. I was happy to see that Eun Chan does not change her tomboyish ways, but she does pay attention to Han Yoo Joo's behavior with Han Sung. Especially, since Han Yoo Joo has become the feminine character opposite of Eun Chan's character within the drama. In particular, I thought it was funny when Eun Chan tried to replicate Han Yoo Joo when her (Han Yoo-Joo) hair kept falling in front of her face and Han Sung brushed aside. It was this subtle move, that Eun Chan tried to copy so that Han Kyul could also brush her bangs out of her face. Of course, when Eun Chan attempted this move, it failed tremendously. Thus, making it a funny scene, but also tells the audience that Eun Chan can not change, she is who she is and that is what makes us (the audience) like her and root for her within this drama. After all, she is the underdog.

As Han Kyul and Eun Chan become closer, their physical affection for one another becomes increasingly more sexual. However, we never do see Han Kyul and Eun Chan placed in a situation that would lead us to believe that they have had sex. Therefore, the sexual tension that arises between them is obvious and for me, not until a more passionate relationship surfaces between them, I can not accept nor buy into the plot of them loving each other. I have always felt that the two of them are more confidants and good friends than lovers. Which would still be a good plot, because it begs to ask the question of men and women becoming and maintain good friends without having sexual or love interests feelings. The writing leans towards depicting Eun Chan as a virgin and I think that plot is written around how she is a young, naive, and inexperienced young lady.

Which brings us to the other issue of family responsibilities both Han Kyul and Eun Chan face. Han Kyul obliviously is faced with the duty to be fiancial successful and his other duty is to marry a woman from a good family; money and education. On the other hand, Eun Chan also has the heavy load of supporting her mother and sister. They are both caught in this bind, but Eun Chan's family is a lot more receptive to the idea of dating a wealthier man. However, what makes me really cheer for Eun Chan's character is her fierce hold on her independence. When Han Kyul's assumes that Eun Chan will accept money from him, she proves him wrong that she wants to earn her own money. Ultimately, this provides the audience with a female role model who comes from a lower economic background and does not expect financial hand-outs, especially from her wealthy boyfriend. Another factor was age and how Han Kyul's mother and grandmother both thought that Eun Chan was crazy when she told them she wanted to wait till she was 30 years old to get marry. This brought back memories of our class discussion of "Christmas Cake" and how Korean women older than 25 years old are not viewed as desirable nor marriage. So here is Eun Chan who boldly tells Han Kyul's matriarch family that she has not desire to marry until older.

Towards the end of the episode 14th we are met with the complicated choice of Han Kyul turning down the opportunity to go to New York for a high and distinguished job position for wanting to stay in Korea. For me, this moment was a shift for Han Kyul in being immature to bold against family pressures. Also, I am sure this provided a different trajectory for Koreans who were watching the show in deciding to go with what they personally want to accomplish versus what their family and society expects them to accomplish. We are no dawning towards the end of the soap opera, Coffee Prince and am eager to see where the show decides to end.

Pasta Episodes....

I'll admit, I have completely forgotten about blogging. As you can see, my last entry was about episode 3 and 4... But, I've also committed the common crime of staying up one night and marathoning a bunch of episodes - well, all the way to episode 19. I think our class is on episode 13 and 14, so I'll try to make up for my lost blog entries.

The first half of the entire miniseries (about episodes 1-10) are kind of slow, so it wasn't the most interesting thing to watch - but I've mentioned before, I am biased and like the cast, so I kept watching. A lot of people I know mention that they didn't like it at first either. It definitely picks up during the past few episodes we were supposed to watch - the romance between Chef and Yoo Kyung picks up and becomes "official," but for a while, a secret. Of course, we know that in dramas, nothing that is supposed to be secret remains a secret - whether it be a dark past, a long lost sibling, a supposed to be dead lover, a horrible disease, or in this case a secret lover. Yoo Kyung is like someone experiencing her first love - she smiles to herself when she catches his glance, shamelessly shows her feelings when he's around... While on the other hand, Chef, still acts cold and mean to her now and then, but it's obvious that Yoo Kyung is turning him into a softie. Hey, at least we know he has emotions now. I find that this type of couple is pretty common in Korean dramas - most male characters act stoic and cold, until an innocent girl who wears her heart on her sleeve comes by and slowly changes everything.

I think this is why more people begin to watch and enjoy this drama at this point - these episodes are more drama and less about giving a background (about cooking and the kitchen hierarchy).

This drama has a lot going on though - I find myself sometimes annoyed and wanting to fast foward through the other subplots going on - the tension between team Italy and team Korea chefs, the annoying annoying ANNOYING ex-president and his meddling, and the goings on of the fired female chefs. I also found the character Oh Sae Young intriguing - yes, she's the ex-girlfriend from the lead male's past, who is still somewhat in love with him. That's common. However, she's a little different than most ex-girlfriend characters in other dramas. She is kind of portrayed... more passive-aggressive, rather than sneaky and scheming. She doesn't outwardly challenge Yoo Kyung and play mean tricks, unlike characters in Boys Over Flowers and Stairway to Heaven, etc. The way her character is written in is very wishy-washy. Sometimes I find her helpful and kind to Yoo Kyung, and sometimes she's selfish. It's hard to tell which side is she on.

So in the past episodes, the drama has developed its love triangles/squares. I have to rewatch the coming episodes to recall what exactly is happening, but... until next week!

Coffee Prince Ep. 13&14

This show is still somewhat interesting.Why did Han Yoo Joo put the used pregnancy test under the clean towels in the cabinet? Did anyone else notice that? That's kind of nasty. Let's just hope that she isn't pretending to be pregnant or that the father of the child is DK. I could see that being a real Maury Povich moment("In the case of one month old Han Seong jr., Han Seong, you are...not the father").

I was also happy with Min Yeop for finally standing up for himself and telling Eun Sae, "no". He also got to see what it was like to be with a woman who did not treat him like a lowly servant. However, it seems like Eun Sae is still trying to put him back in his "place" by pretending to move on and giving him one "final kiss". I hope that he will stay strong and just move on with his life and not backslide. I guess only time will tell. Eun Sae is just a spoiled little brat. She is looking for Han Kyul to take care of them because he is rich. She go jealous when Eun Chan started dating Han Kyul and her response was that if Eun Chan moved to America with him, she does not know how her and her mother will survive or how she will be able to attend a university. Hmm...here is a suggestion, why doesn't Eun Sae just get a job like her sister did and pick up the slack. She is just too self centered.

As for Eun Chan and Han Kyul, I did not expect that reaction from Han Kyul's grandmother and mother. I thought they would accept Eun Chan with open arms, but it appears that they are too concerned with family status to care about Han Kyul's feelings. I still cannot believe that they called Eun Chan a thing. That was pretty extreme. I we have to wait and see what will make them change their minds about Eun Chan. After all, there are only a few episodes left.

Pasta

ugh, don't you find it annoying when someone boast about their relics of their own past? What a show off, but the romance is acceptable, although not too much to my taste, it is like watching an ajumha and ajjusshi romance *barf* and i am starting to get annoyed of their kitchen clothes.... i mean come on, you are not French or Italian who cares if you wear European chef's clothing or not you in Korea, not in Europe, i mean look at picture above....

CP 13/14

Episodes 13 and 14, the drama is started to fold into a more enjoyable drama and i am truly enjoying it. I am glad that Eun Chan and Han Gyul are going out in public and are making their relationship noticeable to everyone. An issue that came up that I can relate in terms of issue of inter generational and Asian traditions because most Asian family are very traditional and for a girl to up and move into a boy’s house and the fact that they are not married, is a No, No, because it goes against tradition. Since Eun Chan comes from a more traditional family, which makes the concept of her moving in with Han Gyul is a weird thing to deal with because apparently Han Gyul doesn’t have the same traditional values as she does. Also with her being the oldest and also being one of the main providers for her, her family will suffer and would have to work harder if she does decide to move out.
I am so happy that Min Yub finally is moving on! And dating some else, and maybe this girl will be way different from Eun Sae because Min Yub and Eun Sae relationship was just terrible and dragging. I say GOOD RIDDANCE!

pasta ep13/14

annoying oh sae kyung telling yoo kyung about her and chef's past relationship in italy. Its like she was telling her to "silently" back off..kinda. She's like a nice bitc*..shes not straightforward about it haha . I thought it was kinda cute how chef got all protective when yoo kyung said that she got hit by somebody ^^ alex totally wimped out -_- also kiss scene at the end of the second episode (:

Coffee Prince Ep. 13 & 14

It’s nice to finally see Eunchan and Hankyul in happy and playful relationship. However, Hankyul has a decision to make about receiving an offer to go to New York to work in his ideal job. It seems that Asians view going abroad as a better work opportunity such as Yooju also wanting to leave to New York to work. Hankyul wants Eunchan to go along with him to New York but Eunchan feels she has responsibility here still to take care of her family. Also Eunsae feels that if Eunchan left, she is abandoning her family to take care of themselves. I feel she’s being a bit selfish for her own needs. Eunchan has been the one to work endless jobs to provide for the family. They can’t depend on her forever. It would be great if her mom helped out more. There is some uneasiness about how Eunchan and Hankyul’s relationship will work with him in New York.

I feel so sorry for Minyeob because Eunsae keeps taking advantage of him and ordering him around. When he started going out with a different girl, it looks like Eunsae realizes she misses him and wants him around when she didn’t before.

Yooju comes back and Hansung and Yooju finally seem on the right track of their relationship. We later find out Yooju is pregnant and she and Hansung are both delighted with the news and excited to become parents. I’m glad they’re both happy about the baby and it didn’t turn into more drama.

Business is running well and back to normal at the Coffee Prince shop. Since Eunchan is now Hankyul’s girlfriend, it’s funny how the rest of the employees want to get on Hankyul's good side and pamper Eunchan so she's comfortable.

The story about Hankyul’s birth parents becomes complicated making Hankyul’s current parents and grandmother not biologically related to him at all. However, we see more respect Hankyul has for his mother for taking him in. She also tells him he should also respect his biological mother which this ties to traditional value family closeness and raising children with morals.

Hankyul’s grandmother and mother finds out Eunchan is a girl and dating Hankyul. The grandmother was fine with Eunchan being a boy but as his girlfriend, she highly disapproves of it since Eunchan has a lack of femininity and comes from a poor family. She suspects Eunchan is only after Hankyul’s money. His grandmother pushes Hankyul to go to New York even more but he decides to stay because he will miss Eunchan. Awww :]

Coffee Prince Episode 13&14

These two episodes finally includes Eun Chan and Han Gyul to publicly display their relationship to everyone. They have a cute reliationship going on and Han Kyul wants Eun Chan to move in with him. This is not an easy concept for Eun Chan to understand since she believes that only married couples can live together. I guess she is still stuck in her traditional ways in some sense. I’m guessing this is more of the traditional side where only married couples live together and would be taboo if couples who are not married lived together. Then again in this new decade, we see more and more couples living together who are not married. Things are surely changing even for the Asian race. I think for this reason, it would be difficult for Eun Chan to leave her family because they rely heavily on her for financial support. Like most Asian families, it is hard to let the first born leave. So as the episodes continue on we see Min Yub going out with another girl besides Eun Sae. Finally! Because I was starting to get really annoyed with Eun Sae. She is a spoiled little brat who complains all the time yet she doesn’t want to do anything about it. This is good to see because we get to see that he is capable of getting a girl that will treat him right! I like how Coffee Prince shows different couples relationships and how each one of those relationships, there is always an issue that can be talked about or seen. This makes the drama more interesting as it doesn’t always focus on Eun Chan and Han Kyol’s relationship.

Coffee Prince Episode 13 & 14

Here we go with another week of Coffee Prince. ^_^ We get a lot of cute moments between HanGyul and EunChan at the coffee shop and also at his place. Finally we get to see that MinYub gets treated right for once with another girl. EunSae can get so annoying. Esshh… Now that there are no secrets at coffee shop EunChan can just ask SunKi for help, I think that’s pretty cool and well deserved. :D I kind of wish that they didn’t include the story line of his birth father. It brings so much seriousness when there are other things to be focused on. I love the fact that HanSung finds YuJu there, he’s happy though I’m not entirely sure if she deserves him though. This episode ends up nice.
Episode 14 continues on with EunChan finding out that MinYub is going out with someone that’s not her sister. I don’t know what is it about MinYub but he’s never treated right by the girls. Argg… And omg really HanGyul gets a little jealous that EunChan knows Terry so well, he’s just a dog. I love the interactions between HanGyul, EunChan, HanSung and YuJu, it’s so cute and playful, that’s what this drama is about. ^_^ Eeee…!!! YuJu is pregnant and she just tells HanSung about it. She doesn’t hide it or anything, it’s not drawn out and that’s a good thing. Their going to be parents, it’s so cute. (Essh.. I keep writing cute…) Now the mother in law to be and grandmother talk to EunChan about her relationship with HanGyul and so on. It’s kind of a common thing to find the mom, grandmother not liking the girlfriend/boyfriend in a Korean drama. Oh well. It’s getting good. I can’t wait for next week. ^_^

coffee prince EpS 13/14

by Han Kyol having to decide whether or not to take the position in America or stay and build his franchise becomes a difficult conflict in this episode. Join the company that is well known or start from his small company even when other franchises are more dominant. But it also conflicts with Eun CHan moving with him and leaving her family. Sometimes it is difficult for the eldest child to leave when the family depends on you. We see this mostly from asian families. Then again, when Han Kyol asked his grandmother if he was a problem child, she replied that every child is like that. Are they really? I don't think this applies to Eun CHan, she practically had to raise her family. So would that apply more to boys? lol.

But now we also see the scenario of the couples, whose couple problem i worse? By showing the different couple scenarios we see that every couple has their own issues, only it might take one couple a bit longer thant he other to reconcile their differences. I'd say Go Eun Chan's relationship is just a bit more funny. I'm pretty sure everyone agrees with this statement. And jealousy really does heighten the dramas, but then again is it fun to make the other person jealous? I see this a lot in Thai dramas as well. Oh wells at least they all made up and we see the right couples back together. NO mORE love TrIaNGLES! ( I mean QUADRANGLES).

Coffee Prince13 & 14

Han Kuyol's birth secret exposed! I was as shocked as Han Kuyol; the story was still kind of complicated to me, seems like its a more than a love triange!? But I do look up to Han Kuyol's mom because of her tolerance and kind hearted.

I like the interaction Eun Chan and Han Kuyol had as the story led, it went naturally like a friend but more intimate. The "five-word game" seems fun, Taiwan has similar games though, but usually limited for three words only. However base on the Korean drama formula I think soon there will be conflicts that reach to its climax (then goes to happy ending in the end).

Also the episode 13 brought out the topic of "cohabitate". Apparently Eun Chan is still conservative, thinking that only married couples can live together. I'm not sure if it is common in Korea though, but more and more people in Taiwan are willing to try to live together before they decide to go into marriage. The reason is just like picking a dress and try it in the fitting room, to see if the two people could really cope up with each others' life style and daily habbits. Meanwhile the older generation would consider this too open or modern, thinking that this comes from Western influences. The future plan discussion also link with the long-distance relationship. Since the drama hasn't come to its end I have no idea how will it deal with the long-D, but I'll be looking forward to seeing if there is any creative results in this drama. The result came out in episode 14, that Han Kuyol decided to stay, which is also cliche but there seems no other better ways. The other traditional view on sexes happened when Han Kuyol brought Eun Chan back to introduce her as his girlfriend. Han Kuyol's mom and grandmother still consider girl should behave like girl, being feminem and girly, which irritated Han Kuyol. In episode 14 they still couldn't accept the fact that Han Kuyol was dating Eun Chan, and hopefully things will turn out better afterwards.

There is Eun Shin I want to talk about, she is such a spoiled daughter and sister. She is mean to Huang Min Yuao and her family as well. It was such a epitome for the image of "My Sassy Girl" that Eun Sin is so bossy to Huang Min Yuao. I never see her sacrifice herself for her family but still she kept complaining about their economic condition. Why didn't she think about getting a part-time job so she could have supported herslef to college? Almost everything in her life is followed as she wishes, but still she felt no satisfaction. She wanted her sister to marry some rich guys and bought them big house, supported their life. To me her character is such an annoying one and I almost try to fastforward her part!

As the story goes to its end, I'd like to see what ending will Eun Chan and Han Kyuol had.