Split Screen: Use Your Noodle!

Thanks for tuning in to Split Screen! It’s your intro host Madelyn with a content warning for the week: none of your favorite teenagers are safe. There’s theft of noodles. There’s neighborhood snooping. There’s a beatdown by the world’s number one hero. It’s tough to be a kid on Split Screen this week! But never fear!Sor of not kids Madelyn and Emma will guide you through with laughs aplenty.

(New to Split Screen? Catch up on every single episode here!)

Boys Over Flowers Episode 18 (from minute 35)

M: Well, it seems like we’re back to square one, just with a whole lot of extra baggage.

E: I made a joke with the neighbor set up that we were starting a whole new romance series. It feels right in a way

M: Jan-di and Jun-pyo have gone back to their combative relationship from the very beginning, Ji-hoo looks like a valid love interest, and Woo-bin is nowhere to be seen.

E: Where was Woo-bin? We had that dramatic revelation about him so recently, and now he has faded into the shadows of his crime double life once more.

M: Contractually, he can only be in half an episode at a time.

E: It really does seem that way. And if these shows have taught us anything, it’s to be careful of potential lawsuits.

M: Gotta follow those contracts to the letter.

E: So, we start the half-episode off with Jan-di having found a place for her and Kang-san to live, but their peaceful life is soon interrupted by a noisy, cup-noodle-loving, afraid-of-bugs neighbor named Jun-pyo.

M: I can’t believe Manager Jung is letting this go down. He’s letting young master Jun-pyo stalk a commoner. Literally letting him buy real estate.

E: Manager Jung just does what he’s told. You know? Nothing suspicious or weird going on with Jun-pyo here. Nothing that needs reporting whatsoever.

M: He’s going to lose his job, that’s all I’m saying.

E: Butler Lee has apparently already lost his job.

M: He let F3 into Jun-pyo’s room that one time. A fireable offense.

E: That is probably what did it. I mean, that was the night that ruined everything, like Jan-di’s swimming career.

M: Oh, Jan-di’s swimming career. I made Emma promise not to talk about this, so let’s just pretend we ranted about it for a page again and move on.

E: Jun-pyo did finally put the pieces together and realize that Jan-di is not swimming anymore, which took him long enough honestly.

M: He’s pretty self-centered. It’s a character appropriate delayed revelation.

E: I’m honestly having trouble remembering some of what happened this episode. It felt like it went really fast but also that not a terrible lot of import happened. Besides the Yule stuff at least.

M: Yeah, I thought it was going to be a nice, light episode when we saw Jun-pyo had become Jan-di’s neighbor. It didn’t quite live up to those expectations, but other than the crushing Yule rejection, not too much happened that looks super significant.

E: Jun-pyo has discovered the pure joy that is Cup Noodle or whatever equivalent they were eating together, which just continues to confirm that Cup Noodle is the one true dish as Final Fantasy XV assured me.

M: I know there will be a lot of good food when we go to Japan, but we should probably just stick to Cup Noodle.

E: There is a Cup Noodle museum just a day trip away.

M: That’s a must-see. Anyway, Jun-pyo ate all of the food, so Kang-san has to starve again.

E: Jun-pyo delights a little too much in commoner food.

M: Nothing wrong with that! Except when you steal food from an eleven-year-old.

E: That is the line, yeah.

M: The love music played when Jan-di tucked Jun-pyo in, after he revealed his fear of roaches. Which is fair. I mostly live with Clickbait Boyfriend so that he can deal with rodents and I can deal with bugs.

E: Both Jun-pyo and Ji-hoo did a lot of sleeping this episode. Clearly they just didn’t feel like acting during filming.

M: Sleeping believably takes skill! Don’t underestimate their performances.

E: True enough, especially if you know someone is going to jab at you. I would be anticipating it probably and would look super tense while asleep.

M: That’s why you aren’t starring in a K-drama.

E: That and my lack of ability to speak Korean.

M: Mostly the former though

E: Now that I’m thinking of it, it really feels like nothing happened this episode part. I know I already said that.

M: Yi-jung predictably, if relatively charitably minus the idiot thing, rejected Ga-eul. That was something.

E: Yeah, I did say besides that particular part. It just felt like little progress was made on the main romantic threads. But I would say he did not do it particularly charitably, because it felt very condescending to me. Also I was concerned by his efforts to smash his hand afterward.

M: That was alarming. That was “Deku on his twentieth flick” levels of alarming.

E: When he was swinging the hammer, I really thought he was going for his hand before it hit the vase. But you know. It’s fine.

M: He wasn’t. That’s the important thing. He might still swim again. Wait.

E: No, he’s ruined. He’s ruined for life. Never hurt yourself kids or accidentally break your hand or something, just never be in danger or go outside or whatever. You’ll be ruined for life, that’s what I’m getting at. That’s why I stay indoors in my pajamas and watch anime and K-drama.

M: Good advice, Emma. Romance Tracker is looking sort of bleak.

E: Yeah. I feel like Jun-pyo falling on Jae-kyung is a bit of an artificial cliffhanger. But still, nobody’s doing good. Except for the fact that apparently Jan-di is going to become a maid for Jun-pyo next episode.

M: That Next On, and it’s been awhile since they’ve given us one of these, it was wild. I had no idea what was going on.

E: Kang-san was on a train, Jan-di was a maid, Yi-jung finds out about pottery girl, I assume. Just a lot happening.

M: I should have expected no less. We completely skimmed over the museum not-date with Jan-di and Ji-hoo. I think that’s for the best.

E: It was just the latest tourism stop. And a place to further the weird lotus metaphor.

M: That lotus metaphor needs to go far away. To muddy waters far away.

E: I mean, it’s a nice thing to think about someone, but it also puts a lot of burden on them to be a “lotus” that can just suck up all the bad things and make it better.

M: Pretty dysfunctional, but not surprising. Was I expecting functional wooing from the man who lives in a glass cage?

E: It’s nice that there was that connection between him and his granddad using the same metaphor, even if Ji-hoo got his from the weird old man at the shrine from last time. I don’t think we even talked about that scene either in the last Split Screen.

M: There’s too much going on these days. We can’t be expected to process it all.

E: Too much and yet not enough.

M: How much longer will I be asked to endure Jae-kyung? Too much longer.

E: Oh yeah, she burst in to Jan-di’s new apartment in what I assume was the late evening to leave housewarming gifts. Which, I guess is nice, even if she could have waited until the morning or something.

M: It just caused me anxiety, so I rule that it was not nice.

E: Back to the museum for a minute, it was nice to be reminded that Jan-di goes to school and has homework sometimes. They seem to forget about that a lot, I was wondering if Shinhwa was one of those progressive schools where they don’t have homework.

M: It’s a rich kid school. Their homework is to go to pricey art exhibitions.

E: Ayyy, it’s just like my homework. Anybody got any ideas for cheap and easy “themed attractions”? Hit me up!

M: So, got any non-romantic predictions?

E: I’m gonna steal one of the things you mentioned during the next-on, even though I’m surprised they’re moving on from this so fast, but Kang-san is gonna go live with their parents and Jan-di will lose the apartment. So why did they get this set? Who knows?

M: It’s not fair to steal my prediction!

E: Sue me!

M: My blaster moves! My prediction is that Jan-di will re-gift the lotus to the grandfather, and he’ll reveal that he’s a crime lord and Ji-hoo and Woo-bin are second cousins.

E: I thought you were just gonna go with “and it’ll be a point of connection for Ji-hoo and his grandfather to come back together” but that works too. Second cousin crime lords also works.

M: Second cousin crime lords always works.

My Hero Academia S2E24: Katsuki Bakugo: Origin

E: We wrapped up the final exams with literal child death.

M: All Might should not have taken part in this exam. For a number of reason, but chiefly because he has no self-restraint.

E: There was one time where Deku should have died during this exam and about three times where Bakugo should have died during this exam. But you know, this is a serious test I guess. That’s what you’ve smoochy Recovery Girl for.

M: I just…they were dead. It was so irresponsible. Plus, he was still taking villainous pauses for monologues! Imagine if he had been fighting with full strategy!

E: I like that he had the nerve to say to Bakugo at the end that he “doesn’t like it when students break their own bodies,” when he had literally punched Bakugo so hard he vomited earlier.

M: All-Might is not good at this teacher thing.

E: They did manage to pass though, despite your predictions and All Might’s best efforts to permanently damage them.

M: Right, but they shouldn’t have. I think I should still get credit for my prediction because they should have died.

E: Too bad, so sad.

M: Even just the times they hit each other in the face probably should have been pretty bad.

E: Yup. There was a lot of violence. But they still passed!

M: Deku was really dumb about how he tried to talk to Bakugo. As if trying to lay out a paragraph-long justification for running had even a tiny chance of working.

E: I just like how he started out by repeating the situation of the exam. “We’re up against All Might. He’s playing a villain. We should either fight or run, but mostly run.” Very mansplainy, Deku.

M: For real. Didn’t he learn anything from Momo and Todoroki’s fight?

E: But running was also not exactly the right answer since All-Might could send a punch from across the city to get them. Sort of an unstoppable force.

M: Again, how did they pass?

E: Well, by- well, I guess Deku didn’t break his arm this time, but Bakugo sure at least came close to doing so.

M: No one will have fully functional arms by the time they get out of this school.

E: Todoroki The Hand Crusher strikes again.

M: No swim careers for any of you.

E: Well, besides the child violence, what else stood out to you from the episode?

M: Honestly, it was mostly the child violence. I was surprised by the minimal flashbacks. This is a show that loves its flashbacks, so they were pretty sparing.

E: I thought it was interesting back when I first watched this episode that it’s called “Katsuki Bakugo: Origin” but unlike Todoroki’s similarly named episode, it stays pretty well in Deku’s perspective.

M: It would be scary from Bakugo’s perspective. I respect that choice.

E: The flashbacks are very framed as Deku admiring someone. Like he’s literally hiding behind a tree and watching for one of them.

M: Crossover theory: Deku is Jun-pyo’s photographer.

E: Crossover crossover theory: he also sells pictures of Spiderman to the Daily Bugle.

M: The Daily Bugle is a podcast now.

E: But I feel like that’s an attempt to show the good points about Bakugo, which gets emphasized as they’re seen through the perspective of someone who has a lot of reason not to think Bakugo is good in any way.

M: My big takeaway from all of these flashback episodes is that these kids are super mainstream. They all love All Might so much. Isn’t anyone an Eraserhead fan? No?

E: I don’t know how you can ask that question with a straight face? Like, who would be an Eraserhead fan?

M: It was bad example. Mostly an excuse to dunk on Aizawa one more time. But still, same point. Nobody likes an indie hero?

E: Well, throwing it way back to a throwaway line pretty much, Kirishima chose his hero name based on another hero he admires.

M: Yeah, but Kirishima is going to flunk out of school. Hmm, I wonder where he’ll go after he’s expelled? What organization could he join?

E: I demand that you stop.

M: As much as I enjoy seeing all the chibi babies fanboy over All Might, it would be cool if someone other than Mineta had a different favorite hero.

E: I mean, it’s just saying how influential All Might is on this current society. Nobody else compares.

M: Yeah, yeah, I know. I just want some love for the hipster heroes too. Although that probably includes Best Jeanist, so I take it back.

E: See, when your other options are Eraserhead, Best Jeanist, and Endeavor….I mean, All Might would be your favorite.

M: They aren’t literally the only heroes!

E: But they’re all like that, you know. They all make puns and they don’t name their punches after US states.

M: He uses different names for the size of the punch, right?

E: The size and the style I think. Detroit Smash is the biggest I believe.

M: That makes no sense.

E: It throws the villains off. They think “oh what’s that, a city? This will be a small punch.” and then it is a large punch.

M: It’s the nose caress all over again. Back to my real point: has All-Might memorized the respective sizes of each US state?

E: Maybe! Maybe he really likes maps.

M: No, he likes Tamagotchi Cedar.

E: Do we even need to do Lawsuit Watch this week?

M: There’s actually a fair bit on both sides. Obviously UA is in hot water over the number one hero beating up some teenage boys.

E: Honestly, nobody else’s exam even came close to inflicting that amount of damage. I don’t think anyone else even really got hurt, except maybe a few scratches on Kirishima and Sugar Boy from the first test.

M: Snipe got real lucky he didn’t inflict serious collateral damage. But Jun-pyo did some serious stalking. That’s no joke.

E: I just have to assume that UA has some sort of waiver the students sign too, so their lawsuits are always questionable anyway.

M: This seemed beyond the pale. They’d have to settle out of court.

E: Well, anything else, or are you ready for next week’s SEASON 2 FINALE episode title?

M: I thought we had to be getting close to the finale, that’s crazy!

E: This title! I really like this title personally, but it just gives you soooo much to work off of.

M: I’m not sure which way the sarcasm is going there.

E: Season 2 Episode 25 is called “Encounter”

M: What?

E: “Encounter.” Definition: An unexpected or casual meeting with something or someone

M: Like, did Endeavor decide to change his hero name?

E: Is that a prediction?

M: No, it’s not. Ugh, this is so hard. Encounter? I barely know ‘er.

E: Is that a prediction?

M: No. Fine. Prediction one: the villains finally come to UA now that all the teachers have gotten their asses kicked. Most notably Shrivel Might.

E: They’ve got some new recruits too, we didn’t mention that.

JUST KIDDING.

M: Oh man, and that’s only prediction one. Prediction two: Shigaraki is not a good leader. Every time someone face palms in response to his childishness, he takes it as a slight.

E:

M: Prediction three: A love triangle begins to develop between Tsu, Earjack, and Mineta.

E: ( ͡☉⁄ ⁄ ͜⁄ ͜ʖ̫⁄ ⁄ ͡☉)

M: Oh no. Prediction four: everyone gets to go camping because none of the teachers want to stay for summer school.

E:

M: And prediction five: we get some good good Deku narration, a hefty dose of flashback, some broken limbs, and All-Might coughs up some blood, but the good guys prevail.

E:

–

Hello! Emma here! Thanks so much as always for watching along in our journey through Boys Over Flowers and My Hero Academia. If you want to catch up, we’re doing the MHA dub on Hulu (soon to be Funimation as we reach season 3) and Boys Over Flowers on Netflix.

Next time! Deku has an unexpected encounter while out shopping and Jan-di and Jun-pyo continue to have relationship problems while Yi-jung SELF-DESTRUCTS LITERALLY probably.