Now I discover Im Joo Hwan in Tamra

Written by Masaya

I finally finished the last ep.... raw. I also made a MV to show the overall feel but youtube got me. *weep* Bloody hell! I feel like I should say something since it's the end. (Speech starts... *clear throat*)

Like all things, Tamra is coming to an end. It's the end folks. I feel like I should say something lengthy, something philosophical, something meaningful, something transcends time and space to express how it changed the very meaning of my existence. And most importantly, I need an excuse to spam the thread. (Okay, that's the real reason. I did graduate with a BS degree. Alright alright, I'm lying. I wish I graduated with a BS.)

I've been watching Kdramas but not that many (in the last 4 years or so.) My background is along the line of Chinese dramas, then Japanese dramas, then Korean dramas and I discovered artists that way. I found Lee Young Ae in DJG. I found Kim Hye Soo in True to Love. I found Joo Jin Mo in Fashion 70s. I found Park Yong Woo in Crystal. And now I discover Im Joo Hwan in Tamra. Im Joo Hwan reminds me of Park Yong Woo. They're both very good actors but not popular. 

I have to admit that I do enjoy Kdramas in ancient setting a lot. (Ancient Kdramas are definitely better than JP ones.) This is the 3rd drama I like in ancient setting behind Dae Jang Geum and The legendary Hur Jun. I know they're very different but I'm kind of eccentric and don't necessarily follow rules. I don't need to say I love Tamra. I think it's very apparent that I love Tamra. But that is not to say I think it's the perfect drama nor it was well done. In fact, there are quite a few flaws. If I am to describe it, I would say it's kind of sloppy from characters development to pace of story (because while some characters are really well developed the others just float around like fuzzballs.) There are two characters I like in this drama. That is Park Kyu (obviously) and BJ's mom. Seo Woo is good as Beo Jin and I do like her but sometimes her acting is not consistent. Through the drama, I feel like Im Joo Hwan became the one who carried the series on his shoulder and he carried it really well. His soothing voice, his tears, his longing eyes, his love for BJ melt my skeptical heart and made me love Tamra. BJ's mom, the no nonsense head of the household, just kicks ass. In fact she kicks ass from the beginning to the end. She has that bad ass look. She has her commanding tone. She throws lines that silences people. She gives meaningful philosophical speech about clams (which I really like.) She is just badass and I love badass characters. The rival of sir Park, William, on the other hand is almost as flat as a pancake (but he did gain some sympathy points toward the end and his acting improved a bit.) Sir Park's rival's friend, Yan, is so so mysterious. The actor who plays him is good looking but I think his speech pattern is a bit stiff. Maybe it's intentional (or maybe not.) The problem I have with Yan is that he wears heavy eyeliner which can be quite distracting. I mean when he's in a scene with Seo Rin cooking up the so so evil plot (I think), I found myself comparing their eyeliners thickness. (And that must be the reason why I missed out on their evil plots.) The bad guy I mean girl, Seo Rin's character, is even flatter. Her depth is more along the line of a taco shell from Taco Bell. I don't know. She has a bit of screen time but throughout the drama, she's always busy plotting something and I'm not clear of whatever plot that is or how it is connected together. (You see how Yan's heavy eyelining ways can be so damaging? But regardless, there's little depth to her character and all I can remember of her is her evil eyes from time to time.) She reminds of those 2-D bad guys from Disney fairy tales. (Don't get me wrong. I do like Disney fairy tales. In fact, I have a collection.) At any rate, I think if they tweak it a bit and add more time, it will be perfecto.

Despite its flaws, it is still a lovely drama. It has good music. The music to the under water sequence is really fitting. It's very uplifting. "Hey yeah" is really nice. I like the windpipe background. It's very addictive. It has exceptionally good acting from actor Im Joo Hwan. I think his acting alone makes the drama worth watching and collecting. It has endearing side characters like BJ's mom and dad, Yibang, and the Tamra folks. It has gorgeous shots of Jeju as well as some very beautiful and romantic scenes between the leads. It has a very satisfying ending. The ending makes me forget William was once a pancake and a door knob. It makes me forget Seo Rin was once a taco shell (just by showing her humanity through the simple act of holding her "brother's" hand before going down.) It makes me forget that Yan's eyeliner is heavy. (Okay it's still heavy but maybe he's showing more expressions than just the model pissed off look.) I forgot all the things about Tamra that bothered me. The ending makes everyone so lovable and I was totally bewitched. It leaves a warm and fuzzy feeling. It makes me want to watch a slice of life version of Tamra starting from now onward because I can't bear the feeling of missing them. Before I knew it I found myself crying and I'm not sure why. Maybe I'm really missing it after all. What a soft shell I've turned out to be!

In short, Tamra restaurant serves some Western side dishes to their Korean main course. While some of the side dishes are average, the main course is delicious and it makes you forget that the side dishes are really average. It's not a perfect meal but you will still love it and enjoy it nevertheless.