This is for ...
Fishing Village Season 1 at Manjaedo.
Language
Korean with English subtitles
Episodes
9
Broadcast
2015
Tidbit
Jang Geun Suk was the original maknae as you can see in the poster above. He actually filmed I believe a quarter of the series as in the 1st 3 or 4 days on Manjae Island. He even attended and did an indepth interview at the splashy launch event for this series. Because of his tax scandal, which wasn't a scandal at all, somehow he felt it was good for everyone to leave the show. Na PD, with god of editing residing in his body, somehow manages to work around Jang Geun Suk and edited him out. But you can still see his hand, his head, his luggae (I assume the leopard skin luggage is his) and even his laugh. It was an amazing achievement but I feel wholly unnecessary to erase him out. So for a while I thought he was not there at all and the timeline looks jumbled up. When Son Ho Joon appeared in around Episode 3 if I am not mistaken, I believe he was still there. Son Ho Joon later replaced him which was excellent for me. But I feel Jang was treated unfairly through no fault of his cast members or Na PD. It was just how K Entertainment world works. A whiff of scandal and off you go. If he had still been on board, I believe we would have had subtitles from day 1 thanks to fansub. A dark spot in an otherwise glorious TV moment.
Info including ratings
Here
A BRIEF REVIEW
I never really blogged about this series whether in words or in pictures except once (see below). I may pick it up later on since there is an English subtitle torrent out there. Not exactly fansub quality so I hope a Korean fan will take up this task because seriously, Season 1 is the mother of all 3 Meals A Day series. This is my most favourite of all seasons and of all reality show. Super Chajumma is created through necessity and Resourceful Papa Yoo was as amazing too. The bicker, they fight, they argue, they love and then there's poor Ho Joon stuck in the middle. This is real bromance. There was lack of supply and yet Na PD gave challenges, making sure he could bamboozle Chajumma into defeat and each time Chajumma rises to the occasion. If you have never watched this, I beg you to watch it. It was slow to start but things pick up in Episode 2 and the celebrities who came along also suffer along. This is a show with purpose and there is a sense of real danger of starvation and yet there's real love, concern and genuine affection amongst the cast, two of whom are old friends and these two were genuinely fond of the maknae. It won't change your life but you will love me for it. A must watch.
A LONGER REVIEW
First posted on 11.11.2015
I am not into K-dramas lately, and rarely watches K-reality show except for 1 Night 2 Days or its variant, The New Journey To The West. But the other day I caught half an episode of Three Meals A Day : Fishing Village Season 2 in M Channel which has English subtitles and I recognise one actor who was from Season 2 of 1N2D whom I quite like. The next thing I know, I chased down Season 1 and watched it without subtitles and felt like I knew what was going on. The concept of the show is so simple, that even the super cruel PD aka Na PD admitted he never forseen it to make any impact but it did make an impact in the ratings; like major impact. I myself am perplexed why I enjoyed watching it so much. Maybe because it is essentially a cooking show but not very scripted and shows a life I kinda like; by the sea. It comprised of 3 actors, 2 of whom I do not know. One cooks (aka wifely stuff), one fixes stuff and catches stuff (aka husbandly stuff) and one is perpetually on standby to serve the other 2 (aka sonly stuff). Their rule is; eat 3 meals a day using available ingredients. Can't buy them, but can use whatever is in the garden, on the beach, in the sea. And my god, I could spend 1 and a half hours watching one go fishing, one chopping and dicing, the other washing pots and pans. For me they do such mundane stuff and I see so many eating; 3 times, munch munch and yet, I am absolutely hooked.
First of all, the guys are easy on the eyes. I love how in reality shows, the K-actors always ask "Are you wearing make up? Did you go to the salon?" to the other MALE actor. Because in reality show, it is expected for them NOT to wear make up. Some of these are actors who are reliant on looking good and yet in such shows, they dress simply, use a cap to hide un-permed hair, less make up, etc. When interviewing, they do not hesitate to use lip gloss. Or ordinarily, do the 3 steps facial cleansing routine, or cologne. Mind you, MALE actors ok?
Then there's the cooking. To see a model like actor like Cha Seung Won who is able to cook so well, he must have his own cooking show. All his food looks simple and yet so very delicious. I mean for once I genuinely salivated over the food I see. I love to see how K-entertainers will unashamedly drool over food when they're very hungry and they will ask to be fed and I love to see them enjoying their meal without fuss or hesitation or drama. And they actually eat all the time at proper times at proper place with rice and all and yet maintain their slim figure because they eat small portions. Half a fish shared between 3 grown men. Seriously! The kim chis look seriously drool worthy. Cha or Chajhumma (love the moniker!!) even made bread, jams, pizzas ... whatever is asked by Na PD, he did it, with limited resources.
Then there's the McGyver moments by Yoo Haejin, the only actor I know from the 3 thanks to 1N2D Season 2. I always liked him. He has such old mannerism but very very fit man who hikes and eats heartily. I like his sincerity and genuineness and it shows in here more than anywhere else. He is also inventive with his ability to fix stuff or make racks, etc. His fishing skills however needs an urgent upgrade.
Finally I love the comraderie between the 3 men, especially with their adopted son whose name I only know as Hoojoon. He is not young; he looks young but he is 30 I believe. He does stuff quietly and without fuss. When people try to jostle for attention, he is one guy who is content with standing at the side and yet still stand out because his adopted mother, Chajhumma always look to him for approval with every first bite of the food. I love how he ended up smiling when eating good food or is on standby with the chopping board or onion or knife. One time his mother was in the other room speaking on the phone and the son heard a sound and immediately sat straight up in attention and asked "Yes?" when he realised he wasn't called, mother was on the phone. It shows at one hand who is the feared one, on the other how diligent he is at his duties which is mostly play with dog, fetch stuff, wash pots. Wash a lot of pots.
There are also a cute dog and a sly cat but overall, it makes you wonder, how can such a series even be entertaining, more so a ratings hit? Well you gotta watch to know why. It is just so magnetic, so addictive.
I really don't know why or how Na PD did it but I suppose it helps that Cha Seung Won is easy on the eyes and he actually makes cooking so sexy and masculine. He even did it in pink gloves and some very ugly clothings. In fact in Season 1 he had his porn-stach too.
Why ah? Why is it so addictive huh? Oh god, I am still salivating over the food I see. Wow.
What I don't like is why blur out certain parts of Cha Seung Won? Well I looked and looked and then I realise the mosaic covers are to cover his tattoos. Seriously? And originally the "son" is played by another actor who was edited out completely from episode 1 of Season 1 because he had a scandal; for not paying tax. And that tax scandal wasn't his fault, probably overlooked and he had fully paid his tax. I don't get the small whiff of scandal and poof, edited out.
Like how they joked in The New Journey To The West; gambling habit is scandal. Fine. Did not pay tax a scandal. Fine. Divorced from wife, also a scandal. Breaking up with girlfriend is also a scandal.
Getting ridiculous.
What I don't like is why blur out certain parts of Cha Seung Won? Well I looked and looked and then I realise the mosaic covers are to cover his tattoos. Seriously? And originally the "son" is played by another actor who was edited out completely from episode 1 of Season 1 because he had a scandal; for not paying tax. And that tax scandal wasn't his fault, probably overlooked and he had fully paid his tax. I don't get the small whiff of scandal and poof, edited out.
Like how they joked in The New Journey To The West; gambling habit is scandal. Fine. Did not pay tax a scandal. Fine. Divorced from wife, also a scandal. Breaking up with girlfriend is also a scandal.
Getting ridiculous.
I know they're super huge pictures but the subject matter deserves to blow your mind out. Relive this excellent reality show through pictures. All were posted in Instagram.
Warning. Huge images follows after the jump. By the power of Chajumma, let's begin. The posts are in ascending order.
Warning. Huge images follows after the jump. By the power of Chajumma, let's begin. The posts are in ascending order.
