Wall-banger: to throw a book at the wall (or trash bin) even before finishing to read it because it’s so bad

If I could throw my laptop at the wall to vent my anger and disgust for a stupid kdrama, I would. But my clenched hand always hesitates at the thought of wasting more money after I’ve already wasted time watching an asinine plot unfold.

Therefore, I’ll give these stupid kdramas, my Wall-banger Award instead.

I’ve reiterated this in another forum, but I’ll say it here in my blog: I don’t ship actors in a kdrama. Their behavior and action after the cameras stop rolling are their own private business. If they end up marrying each other after filming, then best wishes to them. If they end up not contacting each other afterwards, then my best wishes, too, on their future endeavors.

Instead of actors, I ship the script and the writer-and-director team that made the script alive on screen. As many of you know by now, I obsess when I love a show. I’ll analyze every word said, write long notes about the scenes, turn the dialogues inside and out… and generally go overboard with the story. It’s almost embarrassing…the way I bitch about a drama. 😀 But to me, if a beloved kdrama were a book, I’d have annotated and dog-eared every page of it that I found memorable.

On the flip side, I hate with a passion, too.

Look: I dislike scripts depicting women with stunted emotional growth and men who humiliate their women (cough. She Was Pretty. cough). I avoid “makjang” and plots where the destitute heroine tolerates tongue-lashing from the chaebol hero and abuse from his mother or girlfriend because she ~lurves~ him. (“Whipping girls” are so 19th century!) I skip kdramas involving this actress because…

she’ll eventually ruin the script for me. (hahaha) I also skip kdramas with Lee MinHo because I know he’s been cast to cover-up a missing script (ha!). I dislike script involving politicians and lawyers because kdramas are my escape from work. I reject kdramas with forced kisses — and this kind of angry kiss, courtesy of tvN’s Another Miss Oh. This preview so disgusted me I didn’t even bother put the show on my “To Watch” list although I likeD Eric Mun.

 

But what I absolutely detest is a script that insults my intelligence. Don’t. Just don’t. 

I already have a few names of writers and directors on my blacklist. Last year, two (only two!) writer & director combo joined the ranks of “Enemies of Intelligent Kdramas.”

In my mind, I’ve physically lifted their kdramas and hurled them to the wall.

(🤦‍♀️ This is NOT a shooting star called kdrama. This is a kdrama hitting the wall. 🤪 I’m not an artist, as you can see.)

Wall-banger Award Recipients of 2018

1. Poem a Day or Crap a Day as I renamed it.
Director: Han Sang-Jae
Writer: Myung Soo-Hyun, Baek Sun-Woo
Network: tvN (source: Asianwiki)

The director admitted to changing the loveline to suit fangirls whom I have the honor of calling “Low-IQ roaches.” They have brains as penetrating and incisive as that of bug that feasts on feces.

To me, the director showed no confidence in his writers and insulted them by giving into popular but utterly sophomoric demands. He ended up with a disastrous show where final 1/5th of the show doesn’t match the 4/5th of the show. He had to apologize to the young actor for crapping on him too with that ending. It wasn’t the ending that was planned from the start.

I’m copying here @sansukini’s comment which she copied from a fan in Dramabeans.

******************
Here I copied the translated part about Jang Dong Yoon, c/o fan from DB.

Han said he was “Sorry” to Jang Dong-yoon who played Sin Min-ho who frustrated Bo-young(and us) with one-sided love. “I was sorry because Jung Dong-yoon ssi’s character was cursed. There was some part changed from what we planned. As viewers wanted the loveline with Ye Jae-wook, the story went that way. We didn’t decide that loveline in the beginning. Actually there were 80% possibility Sin Min-ho was the person. But as we took the path of loveline with Ye, Min-ho character became annoying, and because of him, Ye Jae-wook was able to shine more. In a sense, Jang Dong-yoon ssi made sacrifice. Jang Dong-yoon-ssi looks girly outwardly, but actually he has various licenses including emergency medical technician and Scuba diving. Also he does work-out, so he has good build. I only found out while filming, but he is actually very manly. He already finished his army duty. He is strong actor.” Han said Jang also did action scenes without using double.”

2. Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter
Director: Kim Yun-Cheol
Writer: Dol Bae (webcomic), Yoo Kyung-Sun
Network: tvN (source: Asianwiki)

This time, it’s the webtoon writer that I blame for the stupid script. In a nutshell, the stupid fairy started the man-trouble when she stalked a man whom she thought was her long-lost reincarnated husband because she heard him urinate.

That’s it: PEE.

I don’t care if the story’s about fairy pee or unicorn pee. Pee is pee. And since I knew the ending (thanks to the manga readers), I didn’t bother stick around.

But I also blame the director for casting that callow actor to be endgame husband of MoonChaeWon’s character. If the director had picked another actor, then perhaps their romance would have been palatable (No, not really. lol). But as they were, the two actors had zero chemistry. Unless you’re into bestiality…errr… Auntie-and-puppy romances.

3. tvN

This is an extra award this year for the tvN for being THE Wall-banger TV station of the year for two years in a row. I don’t know what’s up with their producers. They hype their kdramas so well but once I watch them, the kdramas are nothing like they were originally packaged. They’re the prime reason I have trust issues with my kdramas lately.

Crap a Day, Grandma Fairy, Revolutionary Love, Bride of the Water God (whoops, this was 2017), About Time, Let’s Eat 3, the aggrandizing Mr. Sunshine and the disappointing Hwayugi.

Do better, tvN! Or I’ll start thinking of you as a Tryhard Vacuous Nuisance.