[RECAP] Youth Over Flowers: Africa Episode 1

I haven't even finished watching the Iceland edition but here I am watching Youth Over Flowers: Africa. That's how much I love Na PD. This director sure knows how to do surprises. Also, how can I miss these cuties, Ryu Jun Yeol, Park Bo Gum, Go Kyung-pyo, and let's include charming Ahn Jae-hong there. 

Youth Over Flowers: Africa

The series starts with the clips of Na PD's evil planning on how to capture his stars this edition. He talked to the director of the Reply series then to the actor's managers. I admire Na PD for not taking a break because after Iceland is another travel which sure is exhausting. But then, in travelling every bit of your pain and sufferings can be renewed by the wonderful sceneries and charms of the countries that you visit. Also, Africa is a good choice after experiencing being frozen in Iceland for 10 days. I am beginning to think that Na PD's biggest dream is actually to travel all over the world and the show is just a front. Not that I am complaining though, especially in the fact that he is bringing charming men with him. 

The evil planning

The premise this edition is the super planned kidnapping of Na PD's chosen main actors. We all know that Reply 1988 is from tVN, which is a recent hit drama and whom producers and directors are minions of Na PD in real life so he is well covered up with this. The Iceland edition failed big time because Jo Jung Suk already knows the other cast members he was going to be with and also the country they were going. Na PD doesn't want that to happen this time.

So, with the help of Reply's PD everything in his mind is coming true. Things just start burning when the Reply cast and crew went to Thailand as a reward trip for the successful wrap up of the hit drama. Go Kyung-pyo was even thumbs uping a camera in the airport without him knowing what lies ahead. In a shot of a hidden camera, Park Bo gum is seen a little bored waiting then standing up immediately when Reply PD came to his table that is shared with co stars Go Kyung-pyo and Hyeri. The minion Reply PD told the cast that they have to film themselves which footages are to be added in the DVD edition of the drama as behind the scenes. The casts agreed accordingly. The BTS footage are in fact for Na PD's show.

Thailand famous beach resort

Na PD in Thailand waiting and eating alone 

The crews and casts held a mini party when they arrived in a famous beach in Thailand. On the other hand, Na PD secretly flew from South Korea to Thailand to join the group. When he arrived at the same beach resort, he couldn't even go out with the fear of ruining all his plans. He waited in his own room, ate alone in his bed and waited and waited. Until, minion Reply PD knocked at his door and to perfect the plan Na PD asked him for additional accomplices. Reply PD brought actor Kim Sung kyun, actresses Ra Mi Ran and Kim Sun Young who both played the mother role in the drama. Na PD explained to his newly recruited accomplices the things that were going to happen. When the actresses asked which country they are planning to go, Ra Mi Ran's face just screams apologetic. Kim Sun Young on the other hand said that, "This will be fun!". 

Kim Sung Kyun, Ra Mi Ran, Kim Sun Young as accomplices

After all the explaining done, the moment of capturing is prepared in a small Thai restaurant just nearby their accomodation. With all the hidden cameras checked, all the directions and locations checked, in order to safely go out, Na PD disguised himself with a backpack, a half face mask and eyeglasses. Meanwhile, the actors to be captured doesn't know anything.

Go Kyung-Pyo, Ahn Jae Hong, Ryu Jun Yeol frozen at the sudden apperance of Na PD

In the restaurant, Ra Mi Ran and Kim Sun Young starts asking the young actors if they want to go to a trip or go back to South Korea. Ra Mi Ran specifically hinted that even Kang Ha Neul recently joined a trip to Iceland for Na PD's famous show. She was like persuading and attracting them that she could let Na PD cast them if they want to. Then, she called Na PD which was their agreed signal. In the phone, Ra Mi Ran said, "Oi Na PD these young men are willing to go to a trip with you!." The young actors not knowing that Na PD is in fact in Thailand with them is maintaining their coolness. Not until, Na PD appeared right in front of their eyes. Ryu Jun Yeol, Ahn Jae-hong and Go Kyung-Pyo froze the moment they knew what exactly was happening. Go Kyung-Pyo even cried and turned red which I find so cute. When Na PD asked him why he cried, he said its because he never thought that he can be a part of a program like Grandpas Over Flowers which is loved by many. Also, he seems apologetic for the issues that he had been on in the past months. Now that just too adorable! You can see that he still has a young heart.

Go Kyung-Pyo crying

The young actors remained their coolness when they found out that they will in fact depart that day. Go Kyung-pyo still crying, hugged his co stars and PD tightly for a goodbye. Ryu Jun Yeol after asking Ra Mi Ran if she has a lotion hugged the actress and the others too. In the vehicle, the trio spot a man whom they thought was a Reply PD when in fact he works for Na PD.

Famous Sceneries in Namibia, Africa

After Na PD annonced the country which they are going, the trio attempts to search for Namibia. Armed with books given by Na PD about Namibia, footages of them enjoying the country was shown. The place looks like a big safari, with a little touch of Dubai and wondeful falls like that in Iceland minus the ice. 

Park Bo Gum's capture

Meanwhile, in South Korea is the Kang Ha Neul in this edition. Park Bo Gum who left Thailand early for his Music Bank schedule is planned to be captured. The trio called Bo Gum who is now on his car. Go Kyung-pyo asked him about a car that is following him. Bo Gum is a little flustered when he found out that there is actually a car that is following him. The trio urged him to inspect the said car. Then, the capture of Bo Gum just went fine because the guy seems like the type to just follow orders. He even sweetly offered some drinks to Na PD's staff. In his travel, Bo Gum assists the staffs and even filmed with them. The guy is a serious angel. Even the way he speaks is very soft.

One staff asked Ryu Jun Yeol of his travel pictures in his instagram account. He apparently travelled to a lot of countries already. Now, Na PD casted a person who is a professional in travelling, Hah!. In the plane, Ahn Jae-hong asked a stewardess for food but the woman said it will be given after they took off. Then, a staff asked him if he is already hungry and he said yes. When the food was given, Kyung-Pyo and Jae-hong is seen attacking it. After sometime, the plane nears its landing. The two saw the view outside and got surprised because there is a vast empty land to be seen.

The trio arriving in Namibia

Ahn Jae Hong mistaking the driver's set

In the airport, the trio exchanged their money to Namibia's currency. It is seen that Jun Yeol and Kyung-Pyo can speak confident english more than the Iceland cast. After purchasing data connection for their phones, Jae hong was suddenly missing. With the famous goat sound of the Reply series, it is revealed that he is still admiring a pick up type of vehicle that he spotted earlier. The trio cannot find a rent a car company that would allow them to take the car to their places of destination. With Jun Yeol's advice they decided to take a taxi instead. With Jun Yeol's smart tactics, they booked a taxi in a cheaper prize than usual. Jae-hong without knowing the driver's sitting position was attempting to sit on the left side until two Africans asked him to not sit there. 

Inside the car, Jae-hong hums to the Hippo Song and the other two followed him and started singing. In Winhoek the capital of Namibia, with the taxi driver's lead, the trio is still finding a car rental service. With their continued failure to booked a car, the taxi driver told them that he knows a lady that owns a car that they could rent. Without any doubt, the trio agreed to meet the lady. 

The trio waiting for the lady rent a car own

They waited in front of a big house and started to be nervous. They joked that they feel like they are going to meet Miranda Kerr or Angelina Jolie. Until the lady whom they thought is coming from the house that they were spotting arrived with the car in the main road. With arms fold, the trio greeted the lady car owner with respect. Jun Yeol began transacting with the lady owner. The lady was a little intimidating so Jun Yeol without fully understanding what she says just agreed to follow her and rent the car. Then, the doomed sound started playing, ooohh ow... In the lady's place are several cars. Jae- hong was very happy to see a car similar with the one he saw in the airport. The problem was that it was manual and he and Kyung-Pyo can only drive automatic ones. Not until, Jun Yeol read that the insurance fee is more expensive than the car rent so with that they decided to depart the place. Why am I happier with what happened? 

Namibia's fast food and water w/ lemon for hand cleansing

To ease their disappointment, the trio decided to take some selcas. After a while, they decided to stopped by a mall to eat. They each ordered a meal. One is roasted chicken with rice and little burgers. The food arrived together with a bowl of water with lemon. It is for them to clean their hands. The trio decided to order a take out for Bo-Gum who they assumed is travelling to Namibia that time. A staff gave her phone to Kyung-pyo with Bo-Gum on the line. Bo-Gum with an already red nose is speaking nervously. He revealed that he didn't catch his plane. In his shots, Bo-Gum enjoyed shopping caps and eating before boarding his plane. Upon going to his assigned gate he mistakenly went near gate A27 instead of A0 with the thought that his gate is A30 so he rushed to the correct gate but the personnel said that its already too late hence him not being able to board the plane. With the trio's dismay, the ordered take out arrived.

Park Bo-Gum revealing that he missed the plane

The trio spends more time in a taxi car. What I like in Youth Over Flowers is that the casts personally take cameras to film themselves. In Iceland edition, Jung Woo likes to hold the camera for selfies. Here in Namibia, its Jun Yeol who frequently holds the selfie stick. Kyung-pyo and Jae-hong also started playing with the camera. After sometime, they spotted a wild boar and were very surprised and happy by the sight. Namibia is a jewel country where you can see animals like lion, zebra, crocodile and many more endangered species living in their normal habitat. With the sighting of the animal, Jun Yeol started singing the Korean version of Hakuna Matata from Lion King. Hakuna Matata in the Korean version means "Don't worry, Be Happy" and the taxi driver approved the meaning and said it can also mean "It will be OK".

The trio celebrating as they successfully rented a car

Our trio arrived in their destination which is in fact the airport. They thank their African driver named Joe and proceeded inside the airport. They again came back to find a rent a car service. After sometime, they finally got to talk to a rent a car service who is willing to give them a car. After the price calculation, they decide to take the deal. It was a whole day of searching for a car to rent so the trio were very happy and pleased when they saw the car. Their journey is just starting. In the preview, Park Bo-Gum is seen to be joining our trio.

Bo-Gum joining the trio next week

My Opinion:

This season is somewhat your usual young guys kind of travel. The thing with the Iceland edition is that Jung Sang hoon who is a natural comedian is present so the casts laughing every minute is understandable. Plus, the Iceland casts with Jung Woo, Jo Jung Seok, Jung Sang hoon and Kang Ha Neul are close in real life so the camaraderie and flow is not awkward. Also, they can be quite clumsy  and a little dummy oftentimes which is fun to watch. 

This edition is slow and a little awkward. Just your usual clips of manly men in a journey together. But still, I expect a lot of things to happen. Jun Yeol is a natural charming guy, Kyung-Pyo has a young heart, Bo-Gum is an angel and Jae-Hong is your usual older brother. I am sure Na PD has a lot of things in his mind that will surprise us in the coming episodes. 

[DRAMA]What to Expect When Your Expecting the Upcoming tvN Drama "Reply 1988"?

Fans of the popular cable drama series, Answer Me also known as The Reply Series were very happy with the anouncement that was made last January. A third installment will be set to open later this year with the drama timeframe that is set during the 1988 era of South Korea.

Reply 1997, the first installment of the series revolves around six friends who lives in Busan that gathered together in a class reunion and came up with their memorable moments when they were still in highschool. It centers around idol fan culture, highschool love and achieving dreams. The drama had established the acting careers of Jung Eunji and Seo Inguk. Meanwhile, the second installment Reply 1994 centers around the lives of college students living in a dorm. It tackles events that happened in the 1994 era which includes the happenings in Korean Basketball League and the popularity of Kpop boyband Seo Taiji and the boys. The drama made a great impact to the careers of Go Ara, Jung Woo, Yoo Yeon-seok and other stars that participated in it.

Last May 18, the six frontrunners of Reply 1988 was confirmed. Idol Hyeri will be playing the female lead character with Go Kyung-pyo and Park Bo-gum that will likely play as rivals. New faces were also confirmed to star in the drama namely Ryu Joon-yeol, Ryu Hye-young, and Ahn Jae-hong.

Shin Won Ho PD told the media that this time the drama will revolve around stories of families that live in the same small neighborhood.. So we can expect to not guess who the husband may be.. Yes, Please?..

With the nostalgic feeling that the series wanted the viewers to feel we all can expect that the drama will tackle the important things that happened during the year of 1988. I am kinda curious of what were the things that happened in 1988 South Korea so I will play as a fortuneteller this time and I will try to point out the happenings that may be included in the upcoming drama.. Here are my forecast:

5. 1988 films- example: Chilsu and Mansu (칠수와 만수)

The past year before 1988 was a crucial year in Korea's film industry. The government had a big say on what will the audience were able to see in the theaters. They would censor every film that would be seen by the public. With a country that was gradually moving into a democratic cone, the film Chilsu and Mansu was a great step depicting the Korean youth dreams and hopes that comes with freedom. Although not a box office, the film had cemented talents like director Park Kwang-su, actors  Ahn Sung-ki, Park Joong-hoon and Bae Jong-ok. 

 

Chilsu and Mansu Poster

The film was a major turn over for the freedom of expression of Korean films. So I think that with the major characters in Reply 1988 set to play characters in their youths, we can obviously see them blossoming as a generation with growing freedom and more aspirations.

4. Elections and New President

I think South Korea having a new president that year will also be tackled in the drama. The year 1988 was the first term for President Roh Tae-woo whose major contribution for the country was the hosting of the 1988 Summer Olympics and his true words about the democratic reforms for South Korea. He was said to be the first cleanly elected president in the history of the country. But then, a lot of events had happened after his term and I shall not cover on that.. because I can't relate already..better just read their country's history if you wanna know more...

3. Video Games, Anime, 80s fashion

Remember those scenes in Reply 1997 where floppy disk, cassettes, walkmans, VHS, pagers, beepers, tamagochi, and huge desktops were just so important to the characters? Also that scene when Seo Inguk was so proud that he was wearing a Guess shirt only that his friend blurted out that it was obviously an imitation because Guess should be with a question mark and not with an exclamation mark.. haha, hilarious!  

Also, those nostalgia in Reply 1994, example were that game of Haitai in his super obsolete computer, the big phones, ridiculous hairstyles and fashion. Well obviously we will get another nostalgic effect from the year 1988 with what tvN is planning.

My guess is that video games will have a part for this upcoming drama. The game Super Mario 2 was introduced in the year 1988. I'm not sure though because you must be kinda rich to be able to possess those things in the 80s but maybe with the timeline.. I don't know... Also I read about the Ghostbuster toys being so popular in that year that it was sold out. The animated film My Neighbor Totoro, Akira and The Grave of Fireflies were also major success those days so maybe we could expect for those to be included in the list of cameos.

In terms of fashion, I predict there will be a lot of suspenders coming with colorful tops and pants, and also denim fashion. I mean not that it’s very different from the styles that we use today, right? We can expect for brands like Nike, Billabong and Calvin Klein to have an appearance. On the other hand, the style will always come with the hair, so expect a lot of Princess Diana hairstyling and long and wide curly with bangs hairdo for women. While on men, expect the kind of hairstyle that Johnny Depp had in 21 Jump Street movie... Haha

2. Cho Youngpil's Music

In Reply 1997, we had the music of then popular boygroups, H.O.T, Sech Kies and also then popular girlgroups, S.E.S, Baby V.O.X and Fin.K.L. while in Reply 1994 we had Seo Taiji and the Boys who gave us the blast from the past feeling while watching both dramas. Well in the year 1988, it was Cho Youngpil who had the most successful act. The Reply series had always been good in interacting and reproducing the songs from that specific year that the viewers can appreciate it and later be a fan of the singer so we can expect ourselves to be smitten by Cho Youngpil's music. 

I also can smell someone from the main character of Reply 1988 to be a hardcore fan of Cho Youngpil so we will see a lot of the life happening in Cho Youngpil's career in the year of 1988. Here are his most popular song Mona Lisa and Seoul Seoul Seoul that he released that year.

Mona Lisa by Cho Youngpil

Seoul Seoul Seoul by Cho Youngpil

1. 1988 Summer Olympics

The biggest event that had happened during the year 1988 and probably was also one of the biggest milestones for South Korea was the 1988 Summer Olympics. It was one of the most important happenings in the country. The government's prime motive was to let the whole world know that South Korea is a changing country with capabilities and potential and the biggest move was to let the most popular and greatest sports event that most people know to be held in their country.

The events theme song is entitled "Hand and Hand" which was sung by the group Koreana. It was immediately a top chart hit so we can probably hear it in the drama. Also, notable was the official mascot named "Hodori" which was said to be a Siberian tiger that depicted the warmness and friendliness of Korean people.

Hand in Hand 1988 Summer Olympics Theme Song 

By Koreana

Hodori, 1988 Summer Olympics Official Mascot

On the downside, a lot of unfortunate happenings had also happened with the year's Olympic celebration. One example was the boycotting of some countries including the country's neighbor who was still officially at war that time North Korea and its allies, Albania, Cuba, Madagascar, and Seychelles. The opening ceremony was also the talk of the world because of the alleged burning of live doves that supposed to be a symbol of world peace.

Anyways all of those events would probably take charge within the dramas plot because it was such a big and popular event that had happened during the year of 1988.

So far, the two installments had become a success... There was a famous saying that "It takes two to tango".. So what will happen to the third dancer then? Truthfully, I had enjoyed watching 1997 more than 1994 because the husband thing was just so overused in the second installment. Honestly, I think this time I expected too much with the 1988 castings and so I got so disappointed. But still I don't want to judge until the actual drama airs. Maybe, I'll just wait for the reviews until I watch it myself.. Ha! 

Credits [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]