Ma Boy: Episode 3 (Final) by javabeans | September 4, 2012 | 73 Comments

We wrap up mini-drama Ma Boy with Episode 3, which shows that being pegged into a particular genre and market have little to do with telling an effective story. Theres plenty of lightness and laughs in this episode in particular, which wraps up the soonjung-manhwa-esque story neatly and cutely.I know theres nothing terribly novel about this show, but even so it kept a silly grin on my face throughout. Id say Episode 1 started us out with a solid baseline of cute, which dipped a little in Episode 2 to make way for the romantic development, and then came roaring back (and then some) with the wrap-up, which had me laughing quite a bit. Plus, its just nice to see youth programming being given a decent production budget and a name actor or two (e.g., Kim So-hyun), instead of being relegated to grainy low-budget affairs. I hope dramaland keeps it up, whether on Tooniverse or other stations. SONG OF THE DAYMa Boy OST Pink Lens by Chi Chi [ Download ]EPISODE 3: My Boy

Geu-rims teacher takes a hard line about the budding scandal, demanding to know who the boy in the photo is. Geu-rim cant give away Hyun-woos secret identity, so she stays mum.Hyun-woo realizes that shes going to bear the brunt alone and insists he has to step in. He and Uncle head over to figure out a way out of this mess. (Yeah, this scandal is pretty small beans, but heres a case were Im taking it in stride. Knowing the genre and market, I think these stakes suspension from school and Hyun-woos possible outing are adequately dire for this world.)The majority of the student body enjoys the gossip, and a few actively celebrate. The fanboys exult at the idea of getting rid of her and freeing their beloved Irene-nim from Geu-rims inferior clutches.

Hye-ri is notably subdued and chides her friends for sending around that photo without telling her. So shes not rotten through and through after all. Dumb, maybe, but not without conscience.Tae-joon comes running in and confronts Tackle about spreading the gossip, calling them cowards. Aw, hes great. Im a little sad that we wont be getting more of this character, since its so rare we get two nice guys as leads.Hyun-woo charges back to the workshop retreat, where Geu-rim is told shell be suspended unless she reveals who she was with. Shes ready to take the punishment and a voice calls out, It was me.

Its Tae-joon! That is so adorable. Even better is that Hye-ris with him as an accomplice/corroborator. He tells Geu-rim hed only meant she should keep quiet so as to prevent gossip, not to get in trouble over it. Then he puts his acting skills to use, saying that he was walking along last night when he saw (of all things!) an injured deer. He couldnt bear to leave it, so he dashed off with the deer to the vet, And on my way back from saving that precious life, I heard someone else crying out for help. Even though the storys fake, hes totally willing to brag about his heroism, which cracks me up.

The teachers are doubtful that Tae-joon is really the boy in the picture, but Hye-ri pipes up to confirm. She saw it with her own eyes and they all know how much she stalks him, right? The teachers are like, She has a point. Thankfully the soft-hearted principal is eager to let it drop.Geu-rim wears this skeptical expression on her face throughout the explanations, and Tae-joon shoots her a wink. Hyun-woo (as Irene) arrives at school just as the dust is settling. Tae-joon informs Irene not to worry, the he stepped in and said he was the guy, and now everythings fine. Hyun-woo should be relieved, but this just makes him upset and he walks off silently.

Tae-joon wonders if Irene is angry at the news. Is she jealous of him helping Geu-rim? LOL. Hes so pleased at the idea, the dork.Geu-rim thanks both of them and heads off after Hyun-woo, leaving Tae-joon hilariously confused at her lack of swooning at his grand gesture. Thats it? I popped up like a prince on a white horse shouldnt she be crying and wailing?Pesky Paparazzo hears the gossip, but doubts that Tae-joons the guy in the photo. In fact, he saw Irene heading for the pool that night But dont worry about him putting two and two together (at least not correctly), because his mind takes that in a different direction; he assumes Irene was at the pool with Tae-joon. Ha.

Geu-rim waits up for Hyun-woo that night in concern, and finally sneaks out to look for him. She finds him alone on a bench, in a broody mood.Trying to lighten things, she assures him that everything worked out, thanks to Tae-joon and Hye-ri. Hyun-woo returns, What if they didnt step in? Then what? Would she have just taken the fall for him, like a dummy? Geu-rim says she wouldve given up his secret, but thats a lie and they both know it. It makes Hyun-woo feel worse, and he calls himself a loser.

Geu-rim tells him hes the one who jumped in the pool to save her, regardless of his disguise: Not Irene, but you. Hyun-woo. Hes all, So you do know my name. She jokes, Wait, was it Gyun-woo? Corny, but cute, and it gets a smile out of him. As a pick-me-up, Geu-rim asks Hyun-woo to teach her to dance, so off they go to the rehearsal studio. Shes all goofy elbows and knees, but when he tells her to do the dance properly, she says the only thing that matters is having fun.

He insists there are rules and techniques. Geu-rim: If you dance like its a math problem that you can solve with rules, is it any fun? If the process is fun, whatever the result is at least you have no regrets. Dont fight with dance, but play with it. She pulls him back on the dance floor, and they do this dorky, adorable dance. Irenes dogged paparazzo (Reporter Kang) insists hes given up the tabloid lifestyle in order to get his many, many confiscated cameras back from Uncle, even signing a contract to that effect. But on his way out he runs into Hyun-woo, who immediately ducks his head and turns away. Reporter Kang wonders who it is, noting that hes as pretty as Irene. Could he be Irenes brother?

Tae-joon pokes at his lunch in irritation, stabbing at his beef (jang-jo-rim, a pun on her name, Jang Geu-rim), wondering why Geu-rim hasnt called. You know, to thank him properly and all. Stab, stab.Then he wonders, Maybe she doesnt know my phone number? Pshhh. love the dimwitted idol hottie character.Tae-joon spots Geu-rim entering the cafeteria and bolts up from his chair, slamming into Hye-ri. She goes flyyyyying backward and lands in the arms of a fanboy. HA. They both stammer and bicker at each other. Aw, is this the birth of a new loveline?

Tae-joon sidles up to Geu-rims table doing his cool hero pose (hilariously out of place here) and asks for her phone. Hearing that its broken from the pool dunking, he perks up in relief: So even though you wanted to call me, you couldnt! He asks to see her after class, and gives her a new cell phone. No big deal, one of his endorsement freebies. Nothing he cant do for a friend.

Then he asks who the mystery pool boy was. A boyfriend? She says no, and he seems awwwwfully happy with that response. With a wink, he skips off. Gahhh, so cute. But wouldntcha know, Hyun-woos also got a gift of his own. Too bad hes been scooped by Tae-joon, and when Geu-rim shows him the new phone, Hyun-woo keeps his own gift out of sight and passive-aggressively snipes about Tae-joon (he calls him Tae-bal, or Tae-foot). Then Geu-rim heads to the bathroom, just as her phone beeps. Hyun-woo ignores it for about a second.

He caaaaaasually picks it up and reads the text from Tae-joon, who prefaces his question by saying that hes asking ALL the girls (sure, sure): What kind of guy do you like? Omg, adolescent boys. Thinkin youre all smooth, being so awesomely transparent. I luff them both. Hyun-woo immediately sees it for the play it is and smiles as he types a response. Cut to: Girls falling over in shock. At the sight of Tae-joon. And his glorious flowing red side-mullet. Omg, did Hyun-woo describe Fantastic Baby G-Dragon as her ideal man?

Why yes, yes he did. Tae-joon struts up, all idol confidence, and greets Geu-rim and Irene. I want to know how many NGs they had to work through to shoot this. He asks what she thinks of his style, reminding her that its her favorite look especially when that side-mullet whips around all sexy-like. Geu-rim immediately realizes what mustve happened and covers by saying he looks great, but was handsomer in his original style. Diplomacy for the win.But now only now! does Tae-joon wonder why hes acting this way. Why is he responding to Geu-rim the way he used to with Irene? Gasp! Do I? Her?

So next he finds Irene in the library, doing his usual hero entrance, and asks to talk to her. Feeling his heart, hes relieved that its still pounding for Irene. Snerk. You sure thats the thing you want to cling to as reassurance? But what about Geu-rim? What does his reaction to her mean? He gasps in horror: Then am I a playboy?!I love the way Irene just silently shakes her head throughout his monologue. Tsk-tsk. Its really the only thing you can do in the face of his ridiculousness. I mean, without bursting into hoots and giving your secret identity away with your deep manly laugh.

Tae-joon apologizes for his momentary lapse in devotion, and asks what to do. Hyun-woo thinks, Dont you dare approach Geu-rim.And wouldnt you know, theres Reporter Kang at a distance, snapping away on his camera. Thankfully this is a low-stakes drama and hes basically the most incompetent paparazzo ever, because he gets stopped by Irenes fanboys. Reporter Kang says hes her fan too, but the boys chide him for crossing the line and instruct him to go to her online fan cafe if he wants photos so badly. Hee. Ethical fandom for the double win.Tae-joon asks Geu-rim out on an almost-date, which is when you ask a girl on a date but couch it in a lame excuse so she doesnt actually know its a date, you dolt. (His excuse: Hes preparing for a musical and wants to go study one will she go with him?)

Hyun-woo watches this from the second story, eyes narrowed at Tae-joon only Tae-joon glances up and sees Irene storming off in a huff and interprets this in a totally different way. He sighs about the perils of being too popular. If anything, his reactions make me feel less sorry that hell lose the girl(s) in the end, cause at least hell have his enormous ego to cushion the blow.That night, Geu-rim complains about Hyun-woo messing with her text messages. She bangs on the bathroom door and demands he come out, so he does, and the motion sends them lurching at each other. Gulp.

Hes testy about Tae-joon and snipes, Why, are you gonna pamper your skin for your DATE? Then he asks Geu-rim to call him after the musical, which leads to bickering (Why should I?) and ends with her huffing that shes gonna have a great time with Tae-joon, yup!The next day, Geu-rim heads out for her date and runs into Irenes manager, who asks if shes gonna be at the agency tonight for Hyun-woos birthday party. She realizes he was trying to bring it up last night before she cut him off.Hyun-woo gets dropped off at his dorm, not interested in a party. His manager says Geu-rim will be coming, which makes him reconsider for a split-second. But he decides she wont show, since she has her date.Nearby, Reporter-Kang-in-disguise lurks, and notices that Irenes voice sounded funny. Did he hear a boys voice by mistake?

Geu-rim cancels her date with Tae-joon, saying she forgot about a friends birthday. He notes that it must be a really important friend, and sits scratching his head, wondering who could be more important than idol star Tae-joon. Could it be that mystery pool boy?Irene spots Tae-joon grumbling to himself on campus and wonders why hes still here. Geu-rim arrives at the management company with a cake and sets up party decorations on the rooftop. She anticipates his reaction, and that night when Hyun-woo shows up, she surprises him with a cake and a song, which leads to teasing and a kiss.

IN HER MIND. Ya big fakeout. Geu-rim wakes up with a start and resumes waiting. Alas, the manager comes by and locks the roof door for the night, leaving her stuck outside. And when she tries to call Hyun-woo over, she realizes she left her bag downstairs. Hyun-woo tries her phone to no avail, and texts the other students asking about her. Tae-joon says the date got canceled for a friends birthday party, which sends Hyun-woo to the rooftop.

He finds her asleep, amid all her party preparations. Shes eaten most of the cake, too, HAHA. I love that cause thats exactly what Id do.He wakes her up, and of course since hes so touched by her gesture, his first reaction is to yell at her. Oh, boys. He says he never asked for a party, and wasnt she supposed to be on a date anyway? Why is she even here? Geu-rims flustered and on the verge of tears, and exclaims, I dont know either! Because I like you! Because your birthdays more important than Tae-joon.

She starts to walk off, but he yanks her back to hold her close. She hears his thumping heart, and he says gruffly, From now on, if you moon after Tae-joon, youre dead. Reporter Kang keeps tabs on Irene, determined to get to the bottom of this, and photographs her entering the bathroom and Hyun-woo leaving it. Oh noes!But fear not! Reporter Kang nearly craps his pants waiting outside the bathroom for hours for Irene to come out. Omg. Are you that dumb? Ha, I love this drama. Hyun-woo is on his way to their first date, and takes Geu-rim to a museum where they do cutesy couple things. Afterward, Hyun-woo heads to the dance studio for his evaluation, and Geu-rim sends him off with the reminder to have fun.

He does look looser tonight (dancing along to Touch, aka Sun-woongs idol group), and has a big smile on his face as he dances in front of his judges and dance crew buddies. Everyones amazed at his vast improvement, and his manager figures hell be ready to debut soon. Uncle takes that to heart, and he announces later that today hes officially striking Irene from the roster. Theyll fulfill their outstanding commitments, then put the persona to rest. Uncle apologizes for putting Hyun-woo through it, and only cries a little at the thought of quitting while theyre so successful. Theyll un-enroll Irene from school, then find a way to enroll Hyun-woo.That night, Reporter Kang sees that Irenes profile has been pulled and wonders at it. Only NOW does he link the resemblance between Irene and Hyun-woo who are wearing the same hat and shoes in his photos.

Time to take this blackmail to Uncle. He goes armed with his demands, ready to sell his silence.Uncle gathers his team to deliver the news: All activities are to be suspended, and Hyun-woo will stay out of sight while they quietly clean up the mess. Itll take a lot of money to shut up Reporter Kang, which Uncle will scrape together somehow.Hyun-woo wants to see Geu-rim, but is advised that its better not to she might get caught up in the scandal. Thus shes taken by as much surprise as everyone else when Irenes retirement is announced.

The news sends the fanboys into a tailspin (We cant live in a world without Irene!) and they go crying to the management company, begging to know the reason. Theyre kneeling on the ground as Reporter Kang comes in to gloat, which makes manager hyung growl under his breath about the damn paparazzo. That in turn gets the fanboys brain-wheels turning. Wait that ajusshi was at the schoolNext thing we know, theyre conspiring with the Tackle girls, telling them that the ajusshi is using Tae-joon and Irene photos to blackmail them. Oh, this just tickles my heart. So theyre all banding together? The annoying gnats actually have a narrative purpose? Daww.

Agreeing with Uncle that keeping Geu-rim out of this is better for her, Hyun-woo keeps his distance. He hopes she can wait till he can show himself without, you know, causing a huge uproar, but shes hurt by the ignored phone calls. Grar, youd think he could at least text her a quick heads-up, but he goes for the cold-turkey route in cutting ties. Tae-joon laments the loss, too, thinking Irene left because she was upset he took an interest in Geu-rim. You doofus. He cries dramatically to himself that he must be an homme fatale: Im sorry, Irene! Well, the heart may be bruised but that egos as robust as ever.

Determined to protect their crushes, the two idiot trios make another pact. Lets hope this collaboration ends better than the first. To that end, Reporter Kang finds himself suddenly accosted by the Tackle girls, who accuse him of secretly photographing their legs and being a big ol pervert. Ha.Thats their excuse for grabbing his camera to find the proof, and vote to wipe the photos blind, deciding they cant bear to see romantic photos of Tae-joon and Irene. Delete!Geu-rim shows up at the management company, only to find that its been put on the market for leasing.And then we come back a year later.

Tae-joon is still after Geu-rim to date him, but she turns him down, which seems to be a recurring thing. They have a cutely bickering relationship, where she takes him down a peg or twenty by informing him that hes actually kind of tiresome now that she looks at him. Heh. Their attention is diverted by the TV being watched by a group of students, which features an interview with an idol. Its the leader of a group called Ma Boy and its Hyun-woo. Who happens to be the newly arrived student.Everyone drools over the beautiful idol, and even the fanboys get unexpectedly excited. For Geu-rim, though, the painful memory makes her deflate.

Hyun-woo lets the students get their gossiping quota in, then heads down to them, beelining straight for Geu-rim. He asks, Am I too late? He leads her away from the crowd, and the air is a bit awkward shes not quite sure how to react, or what he wants from her. She stiffly congratulates Hyun-woo for his success, keeping her distance and trying to appear indifferent.

You get the sense they could dance around the main topic for days without a push in the right direction. So Hyun-woo finally just pulls her in for a hug, and that eases everything. Skinship for the triple win!He says, Sorry for making you wait so long. He tells her he cant be with her as Ma Boy leader Hyun-woo, But Ill stay by your side as Daehan Arts Highs class 3-1s Jo Hyun-woo. And this time when he leans forward for a kiss, shes not dreaming.

Ma Boy: Episode 1 by javabeans | August 21, 2012 | 125 Comments

Aww, this show is super cute. The gender-bender mini-drama Ma Boy initially got on my radar for its simple twist of taking the very familiar girl-dresses-like-boy-to-infiltrate-boy-world premise of so many dramas, and giving us a boy dressing as a girl. I know, right? Finally!Some of the cross-dressing offerings in dramaland have been awesome and cracktastic, while others have been less so, so the premise alone isnt enough to make this great. Thankfully, though, the show works with a charming vibe and enough heart to sustain its plot beyond the initial gimmick. Thats always a worry with these one-gimmick concepts, that the show will forget to have an emotional throughline or characters we care about. But one episode in and Im already feeling for our hero(ine)s predicament.Ma Boy is definitely geared toward a younger crowd, airing on cable station Tooniverse, and theres a distinct Disney Channel sort of vibe to it. Its adolescence through a kaleidoscope, not quite real but enjoyable in a light and fizzy way. But its a Lizzie McGuire kind of Disney (What? The Lizzie McGuire TV series was great), not I dunno, whatever forgettable stuff theyre churning out these days. And you know, I have a lot of fondness for those Disney and ABC Family movies/showsI have seen waaay too many Hilary Duff and Amanda Bynes projectsor at least the good ones, which take little slices of life and make them engaging and relatable. This is a very short offering, clocking in at a mere 3 episodes, so thats one limitation. If you watch knowing that this is aimed at a different audience than the prime-time broadcast dramas were used to, and adjust expectations accordingly, you might find Ma Boy to be a pleasant watch. You know, if this stuff is your kind of thing. SONG OF THE DAYTouch (Lets Walk Together), the group our lead, Sun-woong, belongs to.[ Download ]EPISODE 1: Who are you?

This is our heroine, GEU-RIM (Kim So-hyun), a newly arrived transfer student to the Daehan Arts High School in Seoul, which is basically another Dream High. A big fish in her old, smaller pond, shes about to find out that shes not automatically the coolest at her new school. That doesnt get her too down, though, because Geu-rim has a bright personality. She keeps her outlook sunny and brushes aside the naysayers. Kim So-hyun has built her young resum playing evil charactersnotably the young queen in The Moon That Embraces the Sun and the sister-burning (and -abandoning) character in Rooftop Princeso its a change of pace for her to play the cheery heroine. As it turns out, I think she suits upbeat roles and shes got a bit of an Amanda Bynes vibe; overall I find her endearing.

Geu-rim has a huge crush on the teen idol of the day, TAE-JOON (Min-hoo), whos in her class at school. Hes essentially the schools marquee star, going to class in between shooting music videos. She quickly learns that even liking idols isnt fair game at this school; a trio of mean girls claims exclusive rights to Tae-joon stalking/fawning/adoring. The call themselves Tackle, derived from Tae-joons Club, although it may as well refer to the way they attack anyone who dares look in beloved Tae-joons direction. Geu-rims all, Whatever, weirdos, which makes me like her even more because Tackles fuming all on their own and she doesnt care.

Then theres IRENE (Sun-woong), the schools other megastar. Shes a CF queen, Koreas little sister, and cultivates an aura of mystique that stirs a frenzy of curiosity about her. Tabloid reporters stalk her trying to find a crack in the mysterious facade, and at school she literally leaves boys drooling in her wake. Too bad for them Irenes a boy. Ill give you a moment to let that sink in. Scroll up. Scroll down. Scroll up again. Yep, still a boy.

Irenes real identity is HYUN-WOO, who is a very reluctant participant in this masquerade. Hes grown tired of playing the role, and especially balks at the news that hes been assigned a roommate. A girl roommate.Hyun-woos uncle/manager tries to argue with the principal to keep Irene in a single room, since the school has hitherto been accommodating of their big stars peculiarities (Irene doesnt speak, for instance, doing schoolwork only in written form). But the headmaster is feeling the pressure of favoritism complaints and Uncle is unable to give a good reason for Irene needing a single so roomies it is!

So how did Hyun-woo become Irene? We flash back to a year ago, when Hyun-woos just a teenage boy with a dream of becoming a performer. But despite his hard work and drive, he keeps getting rejected from auditions, so hes not even a proper trainee. Just a wannabe. Uncle, who runs his own struggling entertainment company, has a last-minute cancellation and worries about filling the schedule. His manager-assistant jokes that they should use pretty-faced Hyun-woo to fill in for the girls spot and out of desperation they twist his arm into agreeing.

Who could know that Irene would become an overnight sensation? One job only turned into another, and another The money was a much-needed boon and now that Irenes a huge star, its tough to let go of that income stream. Still, Uncle reminds Hyun-woo that thanks to Irene, he got admitted into his dream school. Itll just be a little while longer, he promiseswhen he gets the company in better shape, hell support Hyun-woos own dreams so he can take off the disguise and pursue a career in his own name.

Which is how Irene and Geu-rim end up sharing a room. Its a bigger trial for Hyun-woo than for Geu-rim, who extends a friendly hand and suggests they get along well together. Hyun-woo keeps his mouth shut per usual, but notably his inner monologue groans that of ALL the students in the school, it had to be her. You know, the pretty new girl. His covers at risk, though, so he hides behind his wig (covering his Adams apple is a nervous tic for him) and the icy persona. At least this way it seems like Irene shuns her out of disinterest rather than, oh, abject fear.

Geu-rim runs afoul of the Tackle girls again, who are fiercely protective over Tae-joon. The thing I like about Tae-joon is that although hes a national star and the big man on campus, hes actually a nice guyeven kind of dorky at times. Take the time Geu-rim runs into him and sprays him in food, and he just smiles and tells her its all right.Tackle doesnt think so, and bully her around. Fortunately, Tae-joon steps in and orders them to back off, coming to her rescue.

The hilarious thing is, Tae-joon thinks its Irene hes saving, because he has a huuuuuge crush on her. Its common knowledge that hes been following Irene around and showering her with gifts, which she pointedly refuses. But hes not one to give up, and tries at every opportunity to win her favor. Its actually really adorable; he kind of turns into a moony-eyed dolt around her. You also want to tell him hes barking up the wrong tree, but yknow, the truth just might be a bigger shock than thinking Irene merely doesnt like him.

As for Hyun-woo, he keeps his dancing hopes alive, although its fueled with this undercurrent of desperation. His dancing crew buddies are all better than he is and encourage him to do better next time, that its just a string of bad luck. But Hyun-woo says humbly that he failed because hes not good enough.His audition failures weigh on his mindand that translates into a depressed-looking Irene. Shes got her own fanboy following, who assume shes upset about her terrible living conditions. Thus they gang up on Geu-rim in a misguided sense of chivalry (ah, the ironybullying a girl to defend a girl), telling her to get lost. Geu-rim, thankfully, has a lot more pluck than they do and sasses them right back, which gets them off her back. For now.

Sharing continues to be uncomfortable for Hyun-woo, who has to contend with Geu-rim barging into the bathroom (Whats the problem between roommies?) or walking around in a camisole after a shower. On the other hand, Geu-rim is half-annoyed with Irenes constant aloofness. The other half is determined to break down the barriers and become besties. Aw. Shes sweet.With Irene constantly rebuffing his overtures, Tae-joon turns to Geu-rim for help. As the roommate, she should be able to figure out what Irene likes, right? She can ask around and give him hints so he can figure out how to appeal to her, cant she?

Thats a blow to Geu-rim and her own monster crush, but she cant refuse to help him. And so, she looks around the room for clues on Irenes preferences. Theres nothing very telling, except for a dance notebook and a photo of Hyun-woo. Ruh-roh. Geu-rim notes the resemblance and wonders if its Irenes oppa, which, hey, is probably more logical than the truth.Just then Irene returns, sees her looking at the photo, and angrily snatches it away. Geu-rim assumes Irenes upset about the snooping, but Hyun-woo directs his ire toward his Uncle, insisting he wants to put an end to the charade. Hes thisclose to getting caught!

That night Geu-rim waits outside the school for Irene to come back so she can make amends, and gets in a bit of a pickle with some leering ajusshis. Just in time, shes helped out by a mysterious stranger, who takes care of the thugs. Hyun-woos shrouded in shadows so she doesnt recognize him. He, on the other hand, is touched that she was waiting for him. Er, her. Her-him.

Hyun-woo takes out his frustration at the dance studio, practicing late into the night. His manager hyung warns him not to overdo it, asking teasingly whether he isnt satisfied with all the work hes doing as Irene.Hyun-woo scoffs sadly, Irene? Without Irene, what am I? Aw. Its an unexpected touch of bittersweetness, seeing our hero searching for some sense of identity when all hes got as himself are a string of failed auditions. Then he shakes it off and gets back on his feet.

But all that overworking takes its toll on his body, and that night Hyun-woo shivers in bed with a fever. Geu-rim hears him in the middle of the night and wakes up, instantly alarmed at the fever and shaking, declaring that shes off in search of a doctor. But he grabs her hand and shakes his head no insistently. She says shes going anyway, and when he falls out of bed to stop her, his wig falls off. Then he slumps over and Geu-rim grabs him to hold him up and her hand connects with a very unmaidenly bosom.

Eyes wide, she gasps, You youShe thinks back to the photo she saw and connects that this is the guy. But just as she starts to panic and blurt something, Hyun-woo reaches up and covers her mouth to shush her.

COMMENTSThis show is super adorableit put a smile on my face practically the whole way through. No, its not doing anything edgy or genius, but it accomplishes its goal and does it with a nice, light touch. Its benign and friendly.Furthermore, while Ma Boy falls into the category of easy-breezy dramas, I wouldnt automatically call it a throwaway. Theres a heart here, and Hyun-woos character is actually really compelling; I love the way he has this identity conflict beyond the obvious setup of him pretending to be a girl.

Thats actually something we didnt see in many of the girl-dresses-as-boy dramas, even the better ones: Youre Beautiful and Sungkyunkwan Scandals heroines, for instance, didnt experience internal turmoil over their disguises. Their motivations were always noble and their big fear was getting caught by others, but it didnt cast them into the throes of identity crises. That isnt to say that Hyun-woo is going to spiral into a deep existential dilemma, of course. But I appreciate the subtle, sad, questioning attitude he holds about being Irene. This is a drama that could easily have run away to the crazy train simply on the basis of its one gagpretty boy looks like a GIRL!but Sun-woong plays Irene with a sort of quiet dignity. Sure, there are the requisite comedic bits, like Irene cringing at his pretty roommate trying to use the toilet while hes in the bathroom (oh, Korea, you and your love affair with the toiletwhich, okay, I get after generations of having to use those terrible squatting commodes). Or hastily covering his throat every time anybody gets near. But you get the sense that Irene isnt the sum of her joke-parts. Theres something to this guy, and I feel for him. Theres a melancholy aspect to his understanding that he is failing on his own merit (as dancer Hyun-woo), and succeeding with someone elses name.

By the way, I like how theres a distinct difference between the way Hyun-woo carries himself in both personas. Irene isnt super-feminine (she pulls off the surly, silent, mysterious star reasonably wellthank goodness for hipsters making the slouch trendy), but he does hold himself differently when hes being her. Hes light-footed and more flowing. That makes it extra incongruous when hes walking around as himself in the Irene getup, all broad shoulders and lumbering gait. HA. You definitely dont look at the boy version and think he seems girly in behavior. Not aside from that face, because there are some angles where he just looks so much like his female half that its disconcerting to see him walking, dancing, and talking (with his deep voice) like an ordinary dude.

I also like the way they portray the Other Guy, aka Tae-joon, who could have been an ass. Thats such an easy archetype in dramaland that he could have stepped right into the shoes vacated by so many other haughty star characters and not missed a beat. But I like that he turns into this dork around Irene, all teenage infatuation and starry eyes. Its so cute.In fact, I like Tae-joon enough that Im hoping he sees Geu-rims charms and goes after her instead, while Hyun-woos stuck pretending to be Irene, unable to challenge the rival. Alas, at a short 3 episodes, I dont know that well get to explore that angle. But I can hope!Last but not least, theres Kim So-hyun. Honestly her character doesnt have much depth, and I dont know that were going to get much backstory or internal struggle from her. Theres just no room for that in this show.

Thankfully Im okay with Hyun-woo getting the bulk of that emotional storyline, and Geu-rim being the clever little helper bee. Based on the previews, it looks like the next episode will have her playing lookout/sidekick/cover-up for Hyun-woo, helping him keep his secret hidden from the rest of the school. Silly, but cute. Granted, youll have to take my comments with the caveat that Im totally adjusting my expectations for this genre and the length of the show. The acting isnt extremely bad or extremely good; its a little green but pretty solid for what it needs to accomplish. I had no great hope that this would be any good, so Im pleasantly surprised at the execution and enjoying a world thats sunnier than the one we inhabit. Maybe a little more candy-coated and rosy-colored, but in a good way.

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Ma Boy: Episode 2 by javabeans | August 28, 2012 | 54 Comments

I will say this about Ma Boy: If the entire thing must hinge upon a single conceit, then at least its got that one conceit down pat. Because Hyun-woo (er, idol Sun-woong) is so pretty in both gender personas that you really cant take your eyes off him sometimes. The show continues with its frothy-light campus hijinks, and now our heroine finds herself entangled in this lie as well. She happens to be much more committed to protecting the secret, but on the downside, much less good at it. But hey, two heads put together are better than one right?SONG OF THE DAYTTS (of SNSD) Twinkle, which is used in this episode. [ Download ]EPISODE 2: HeartBeat

Geu-rim gasps in shock. Irene is a boy? She doesnt call a teacher after all, and Hyun-woo confirms his identity speaking at last! saying that hes got his reasons for the disguise. Shes all, What reason could possibly explain this? That is a long story, so he just asks her to keep the secret.Geu-rim protests that shes still going to tell the teachers in the morning. Hyun-woo sighs, Do whatever you want. He takes his usual exit by hopping out the window.

Schoolyard. Irene huddles fearfully, surrounded by a mob of angry students, which include the girls jealous of her popularity and the boys humiliated at having liked a fraud. They hurl things, scorning, You, a girl? Get lost! How dare you toy with people?! Our Head Mean Girl, Hye-ri, pulls off the wig and dumps water over Hyun-woos head. She leads the cheer to oust Irene from school.This, of course, is all imagined. Geu-rim snaps back to real life shes mid-meeting with the principal, who welcomes her to the school in an oddly enthusiastic way, urging her to make her dreams come true. Hmm. Is she someone important?

Geu-rim overhears Tae-joon singing A Gooses Dream in a rehearsal studio. Its the same song shed sung in class saying it was a source of encouragement during a tough time which spins us into flashback:Tae-joon performs the same song at a hospital, for a group of patients. Ah, things are starting to make senseAfter he performs, he asks for a patient to sing for him and a little girl volunteers Geu-rim, outing her as a huge fan. So she gets up and sings Over the Rainbow in her pretty voice, which is noted by the principal in the audience.

Irene is missing from class the next day, so Geu-rim goes looking for her at her management company. The manager-hyung freaks out when Hyun-woo walks in and tries to stuff his head into a plastic bag. Yes, thats helping. Hyun-woo sighs that its fine, roommie knows all. Uncle nervously asks her to play along, since they cant have the scandal blowing both Irenes and Hyun-woos future to bits. Geu-rim isnt thrilled about lying, but she says she doesnt want anyone getting hurt because of her a comment that makes Hyun-woo consider her curiously.Geu-rim declares that fraud is still wrong, though, so her agreement to keep silent is only temporary. Only until they clean up the situation themselves. She adds another condition so tiny, so sassy that since the situation is going to inconvenience her life, Hyun-woo has to do everything she says. LOL.

Hyun-woo figures the upside of being outed is that he can walk around as himself in the dorm room, and the sight of him with shower-damp hair and in his undershirt has Geu-rim slapping her hands over her eyes in modesty. Then she peers between her fingers to sneak a look at all the pretty, glistening in slow-motion, soft-filtered backlighting. Why is he just as pretty as Hyun-woo as he was as Irene? Hilariously, in the ensuing days Geu-rim ends up hovering over Irene at school, swooping in every time she thinks s/he might be in danger of discovery. (Which gets Irenes fan club fuming at Geu-rims interference.) She clucks over her-him like an annoying mother hen, acting as lookout while Irene changes into gym clothes and tugging her hair to hide the Adams apple.

Hyun-woo protests that Geu-rims concern is going to draw more even attention which isnt wrong. Shes about as subtle as a tiptoeing elephant. Irenes fanboys interpret their bickering as harassment, though, and plots to get back at Geu-rim, only to be stopped by Tae-joons fan club Tackle, who argue that they get first crack. Tae-joon persists in courting Irene, asking her to be his dance partner for the upcoming school festival. Today, she gives him a nod yes, and he hoots in victory. So cute, you dense puppy boy. The exchange is witnessed by Irenes most persistent paparazzo, however, who has been snooping around the school to get at her secrets. The two mega-stars, flirting with each other? Ive got you now, he crows. At least manager-hyung is on the ball, and he drags the tabloid reporter aside and confiscates his camera.

That night Hyun-woo slips out of his dorm room, this time in Irene disguise. Only, tonight he finds Geu-rim standing there as disapproving watchdog, holding up the rules shes drawn up, pointing at the curfew clause. Aw, its funny cause shes tiny and hes huge, and yet he grumbles like a Saint Bernard ceding to an angry kitten. Their budding argument attracts the attention of a guard, so they duck and head for cover, ending up in an empty dance studio. Ignoring Geu-rim, Hyun-woo starts practicing and she watches, impressed.

They take a break on the terrace, and she asks about couple dance Tae-joon asked Irene to partner him on, though she clucks in disapproval when Hyun-woo says hes thinking of doing it just to poach some of his dance moves. Now that weve seen her flashback, we know her soft spot for Tae-joon isnt just his idol status, but because hed been a source of moral support. Geu-rim explains being quite sick for a while, spending a lot of her time in a hospital due to leukemia. She describes the painful treatments and being afraid but when she liked Tae-joons music, she felt just like the other healthy kids.

Then one day Tae-joon happened to visit her hospital, and as hed signed an autograph hed promised theyd meet again, someday when she got better. That gave her a lot of encouragement, and made her want to get better to fulfill that promise.She assures Hyun-woo shes healthy now, and asks why he practices so hard at his dancing. He says, Just because I want to do it well. She asks, Not because you like it? That idea catches him off-guard. Hm, light bulb moment, perhaps? She says it didnt look like he enjoyed it: It looked like you were fighting with dancing.

Irenes Idiot Trio and the Tackle Idiot Trio converge to make an idiot hexagon. More brains, but somehow not more smarts. They reluctantly join forces to prevent the Tae-joonIrene couple dance. Geu-rim finds an mp3 player on her desk, loaded with the song Twinkle (posted above). Hyun-woo awkwardly coughs and does the I-was-throwing-it-away-so-you-might-as-well-have-my-castoff thing, where its clearly an excuse to give her nice things. Adorable. He turns away like it doesnt matter, but smiles to himself at her reaction.

Shes also excited about the upcoming class trip, which doubles as the workshop for their festival performance. She chides Hyun-woo about his lax attitude, telling him that partnering with Tae-joon is something shed love but doesnt have the chance to do. So hed better do a good job, especially since Tae-joons so enthusiastic about working with Irene. That gives Hyun-woo An Idea, and he goes to bed smiling.

The next day, Tae-joon finds Geu-rim and tells her shes going to be part of their performance too. It was Irenes idea to make Geu-rim the main singer while they do her backup dance, and hes over the moon that she texted him. Aw Hyun-woo, you big softie. Why is this silly teen love triangle so heartwarming? Theyre just cuddly and good-natured, which is so refreshing. Plus, Tae-joons enthusiasm is cute; hes even come up with a group title: Taegurin (a mashup of their names). That has Tackle fuming, and they get to work strategizing. Leader Hye-ri deems the fanboys scheme dumb and lo-tech (lock Geu-rim in a shed somewhere), and this unholy union meets its end.

Instead, Hye-ri comes up with a plan of her own, which involves offering Geu-rim a soda as apology gift. Dont take it! Havent you seen every tween camp movie ever?Thankfully Geu-rim is rightfully suspicious and decides to throw it away just as Tae-joon appears and snatches the can. Glugglugglug! Oh noes.Sure enough, the dosed drink gives him a violent case of diarrhea and renders him unable to dance. Geu-rim soothes him by rubbing his belly comfortingly (moms ole medicine hand treatment) and tells him to hang in there.

Meanwhile, Hyun-woo spends most of the day out on another job as Irene. Hes eager to get to the workshop camp, which shocks his uncle and manager since this is the first time hes ever been interested in a school event before. With the clock ticking and his car stuck in traffic, Hyun-woo urges hyung to drive faster to make it in time. The Tackle girls rub their hands together gleefully at the thought of Geu-rim being taken out of the performance and thus usurping her spot. Just then, they get a message from Tae-joon, who asks them for a favor

Tae-joon heads for the hospital and asks Geu-rim to go onstage in his place he doesnt want to ruin this opportunity for Irene. Ha, are we setting up for a Shakespeare In Love merry-go-round where the participants get swapped in and out, leaving our OTP? But no, its Tackle who fill in as the backup singers. Theyve only got half their hearts in it well, if theyve got any to begin with but no matter, because Geu-rim shines as she sings TTSs Twinkle, which is a crowd-pleaser.Its enough to get Geu-rim on the festival performance list. Tackle is furious that their plan went awry, but vow that theyll make sure Round 2 succeeds.

Theyll have to get in line, because its the fanboys turn to strike: They send Geu-rim a congratulatory text and invite her to a celebratory party. Then theyll humiliate her and post that on the school homepage, which ought to send her far, far away. Oh, these evil schemes are so quaint and adorable, especially after a string of actual evil drama schemes. However! Hye-ri realizes she dropped her trendy new bracelets while fixing up that laxative-laced drink, and she heads back to the building to search for it. That gets her locked inside instead of Geu-rim. Commence humiliation!

Geu-rim arrives outside the room to hear Hye-ri screaming in horror (at spooky noises and other ghostly pranks), and rescues her. Funny how the joke wouldnt have done a thing to Geu-rim, but Hye-ris so trembling and weak that Geu-rim has to help her walk. Geu-rim: If youre scared this easily, how did you ever manage to pick on other kids so much? Haha. Its sweet, though, that this brings the girls together, even if just a little. Geu-rim tells Hye-ri that if her behavior were as pretty as her face, shed be liked by everyone. Hye-ri retorts that shed better not use this against her, but theres no bite to her words.

Hyun-woo arrives late that night, annoyed to have missed the performances. He peers inside the room wondering where Geu-rim is, and sets out in search of her. Shes outside, walking out a leg cramp while listening to Hyun-woos mp3 player by the pool. So shes taken by surprise when the other two Tackle girls shove her into the water, laughing and trying to take a picture of her drowned-rat look. Too bad they forgot the camera. Really not so bright; its like with three heads put together, theyre almost as smart as a regular person. Missing one, theyre doomed.

But Geu-rim loses the player and fishes around the water looking for it. Just then, her leg cramp acts up; she starts to flail and calls for help.Thankfully Hyun-woo has an eye out and sees her from their balcony. Diving into the water, losing his wig and female accessories in the process, Hyun-woo pulls her out to safety. The shock sends Geu-rim to tears, and he comforts her. The girls return with a camera and see Hyun-woo and Geu-rim together. So does the lurking paparazzo, for that matter. Thankfully hes not recognizable from that vantage point, but it IS a curious sight.

Hyun-woo isnt so great dealing with a crying girl, so he blusters, Are you crazy? Why would you swim at this hour? She holds up the mp3 player in response. Aw, do you feel like an ass now? They have an awkward parting, with each one telling the other to go already, hiding their reluctance to leave behind a facade of irritability. But he sneaks a look at her heading back inside, while she stays up tossing and turning.

The next morning, theres a hot gossip item spreading amongst the school, which features Geu-rim by the pool with her mystery man. She gets pulled aside by a teacher, and her first worry is that Irenes identity has been outed. The real problem is that dating at school is prohibited, though, and shes told to explain herself. Geu-rim says the boy helped pull her out of the water thats all. The teacher asks for the students name so they can check her story and well, she cant do that. Tae-joon and Hyun-woo both get the same photo text. Realizing the implications, they both immediately head back to school.

COMMENTSOkay, so the situations are pretty stock, as far as school-age rom-coms go, and Im pretty sure theres no plot point that we dont see coming way in advance. What makes Ma Boy work is in its very smallness its like shojo manga (or soonjung manhwa), where the plots are everyday and slice-of-life with relatively minor, contained arcs. Its a vibe we dont often get in Korean dramas, where the conflicts are large, the tension heightened, the emotions played up for dramatic effect.This is the inherent conflict, I think, in translating a manga/manhwa to the miniseries format, because you have to tell this small-scale story but drastically ramp up the drama of everything. I wont say all adaptations fail at this, but it does make it more difficult for them to hit the right balance, because many dramas are then stuck with these minor beats that have to carry huge emotion. And often those two things dont scale together just right. Its why a drama like Playful Kiss really could have been a great adaptation, if it actually had a plot. (By which I mean an actual narrative per episode, instead of stuff just happening.) All of this is to say that the abbreviated length and contained world of Ma Boy actually benefit the story its telling by keeping everything small and on the same level. (You dont get cute hijinks leading right into attempted rape, for instance, which isnt something you could say of Boys Before Flowers or To the Beautiful You.) Because Ma Boy is so low-key, its refreshing not to assume the dramatic worst of every setup. The fanboys plot is juvenile and harmless, and Tackles laxative plot equally so. Its simple stuff, but this is a different level of storytelling.

On the flipside of that coin, its also why the show doesnt really channel much true feeling. Which is fine, because I know the limitations of its format. So you do get a romance that you dont quite believe in (it makes sense, but are we feeling it with the chemistry or the attraction? Not even close) and a low level of emotional engagement. Admittedly, if this were offered as a prime-time broadcast show for 20 episodes, for instance, Id probably have a different reaction, because that structure comes with different expectations. Maybe the reason I have affection for this show despite not feeling any romantic spark is because Im still totally with Hyun-woo, who feels like a person rather than a stock type. Heres proof of how much mileage a drama can get out of a single appealing character, isnt it? There are others I like, like Geu-rim and Tae-joon, but Hyun-woos the only one I care about. And somehow thats enough. Plus, I really liked Geu-rims note that he didnt seem to enjoy dancing all that much, because it struck a chord with him maybe for the first time ever. Hes so desperate to succeed at this thing and hes pursued it with such tunnel vision that it must have been ages since he stopped to consider the why of it all. Theres only one more episode left to the show so weve got a limit to what we can explore with this setup, but more than a cute loveline, Im hoping our boy finds what hes looking for.

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