Split Screen: Beaches and Pros (and Villains Getting Froze)

Thanks for tuning in to another edition of Split Screen! We flipped the schedule with Clickbait Boyfriend this week because of scheduling conflicts, but never fear! Your weekly dose of k-drama/anime-superhero sister snark is here! Madelyn (that’s me!) is gearing up for vacation next week, so of course we’ve got a hefty dose of tropical paradise in store on Boys Over Flowers, and Emma’s starting to prepare to head back-to-school, so we have…uh…actually maybe we don’t want Emma’s university experience to be like the UA kids.

(Catch up on our previous episodes here!)

Boys Over Flowers Episode 5 (from minute 33)

E: Well, let’s start by acknowledging that we just discovered that there is a season 2 of Boys Over Flowers

M: It just finished airing at the end of June, so I don’t know when it’s going to be available in the US.

E: We’ve got 20 more episodes to go of season 1, so we’ve got some time.

M: AKA forty episodes of Split Screen, so that’s gonna take a full year. Still, something to look forward to.

E: Unfortunately, it means we’ve got much longer before we can watch recommendations from k-drama aficionado “Clickbait Boyfriend’s sister.” Since, according to her, this show is kinda trashy. If you readers hadn’t reached that conclusion already.  

M: She gave me some good suggestions. Who knows? Maybe someday I’ll meet my own member of F4 and become independently wealthy. Then we’ll be able to run Split Screen four times a week.

E: Living the dream. Dreaming the dream?

M: Speaking of which, this episode was just a huge exercise in wish-fulfillment

E: Yes. Jan-di and Ga-eul (her poor friend’s name!) get kidnapped and then whisked on a fairytale adventure to New Caledonia. 

M: Kidnapped in the lightest sense of the word, especially compared to previous abductions on the show.

E: It was a very considerate kidnapping! Jun-pyo let Jan-di’s parents know what was happening, and F4 also arranged for replacements at the store they work so the manager wasn’t all alone!

M: Hot replacements too! They didn’t need to do that, but F4 is always super thoughtful about their mischief. Well, except when they could get in real trouble. Throwback to that time Jun-pyo’s mom was suspicious of Jan-di, and they were just like “she’s here! She’s got nice clothes on!”

E: They’re self-motivating thinkers. It’s when real external pressure is added that their thinking skills break down. 

M: Wow, dropping some psychology on us. That’s heady stuff. Speaking of heady stuff, how much better did all of their hair look this episode?

E: Woo-bin’s wig especially. Maybe it was more noticeable since it’s always been the worst. But now it seems to have individual hair strands as opposed to just big chunks of hair. The color seemed to have been toned down a bit too.

M: WOO-BIN!!! He has a name!

E: Yes, we learned Woo-bin and Ga-eul’s name on this episode. We’re on a roll!

M: What even happened before the spontaneous vacation? My mind has gone blank. 

E: Ji-hoo said he would have asked Jan-di out first, then immediately backpedaled with the classic “cat ran over my keyboard”- type routine. 

M: Haha, just kidding! My friend took my phone. We had another fake-out with Ji-hoo on the island. The classic “native fortune teller dream sequence.” You know how that one goes.

E: Setting the racism aside for one moment, it’s not the worst concept. We always think of “soulmate” romantically, but it doesn’t have to be. So it might be refreshing to explore a romance story where the soulmate and the husband are two different people. 

M: I was fully ready for it to be subverted with Ji-hoo as the husband and Jun-pyo as the soul mate. But then, after all that build-up, it was all just a racist dream.

E: I wonder if it will still be prophetic though.

M: We probably won’t find out until season two. 

E: When you said “fake-out with Ji-hoo” though, I thought you were talking about where he looked at the poor child’s flowers closely, put it back, stood up, and then peaced out without even saying anything to her. 

M: I thought he still had a chance of earning some good karma even after he put it down. He could have decided not to buy anything, but instead just handed over a million dollar bill. But no! And then, I thought Jan-di was going to buy it, because she’s poor and it would have shown what a good person she is and how little she values money. But no! Probably because Jun-pyo literally owns these people.

E: He owns the island, not the people on the island!

M: They’re set dressing! A touch of local color. C’mon, the guy could order murders with a snap of his fingers, you don’t think he owns extras for his tropical island?

E: Well then, I guess he and racist Jan-di truly are soulmates.

M: This whole episode, including the section we watched last week, was pretty light on real action. We’ve come a long way from fire extinguisher assault in the opening in terms of jumping from place to place, but nothing much of substance happened, except maybe Ji-hoo’s return, but who cares about that?

E: I said last Split-Screen that it seemed like the first half of episode 5 was a lot of wrap-up. This time, the second half of episode 5 seemed to be a lot of set-up. They’ve got a new location, that “give this to the one you love” flower is gonna cause some drama, and we got the start of what has to be some kind of b-romance between Ga-eul and Yi-jung. 

M: It has to be, right? Because he’s my favorite member of F4 by a mile. The detective thing really won me over.

E: I would be with you, but the vest.

M: It’s part of his charm!

E: For now, I’m with Woo-bin. Until he starts having a personality

M: So let’s break down the last five minutes of the episode. We get the touching and, for me, second-hand embarrassing video chat with the family

E: I thought that was cute. Usually her family is embarrassing, but I thought that this was cute.

M: Until they’re screaming that she’s the family’s only hope while Jun-pyo can hear them.

E: Her mom is probably the most embarrassing out of all of them, I will give you that.

M: So okay, we have this nice moment, and Jun-pyo promises to bring the family to visit next time. It’s touching. And then. Let’s get down to business.

E: It would have been fine in any other part of the episode as a little *wink wink* gag, but WHY IS IT THE SUSPENSEFUL END SCENE? 

M: *Paradiiiiiise*

E: I guess the point is she’s having some anxiety about this, since the fortuneteller in her racist dream told her that she’ll soon lose something important as a woman. Wink. Sigh.

M: I mean, all of the “next on” montages have kind of been foreshadowing you know, a sexual thing. The quotes they’re picking for Jun-pyo are all in the realm of “don’t make me wait.”

E: I bet it’ll be just that he wants her to teach him how to swim.

M: Yeah, it’s obviously not what they want you to think, it’s a fake-out. The same way they set up the cheating montage a few weeks ago to seem tied to with Ji-hoo coming back, and those weren’t related at all.

E: Speaking of Ji-hoo and cheating, based on the next-on, it seems like we’re going down the whole Jess-Dean-Rory road with the bracelet (or anklet in this case). Except Ji-hoo is Jess and Jun-pyo is Dean which is backwards. 

M: It’s blatantly ripped from Gilmore GIrls season 2, something like episode fourteen or fifteen. It’s the one where Rory loses the bracelet Dean gave her and Jess finds it, but doesn’t give it back right away. Maybe we’re leading up to a car crash too, that happens in Gilmore Girls.

E: Maybe we should take our predictions from Gilmore Girls from now on.

M: But it might be Pride and Prejudice, that’s the thing! I can’t get my adaptation prediction wrong! I do kind of like that Jun-pyo has the horrible mother, she could be either Emily Gilmore OR Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

E: Well, maybe it’s taking influence from both to hide its…influences.

M: Yes, that seems like the most likely option. A k-drama based on not one, but two Western stories from completely different pop culture buckets. Although, Jan-di does spend a lot of time in a Korean diner equivalent.

E: Although, the difference is that she works there. That’s more Lane than Rory. 

M: Look, just a reminder: Lane is Korean.

E: *insert Twilight Zone music*

M: Romance Tracker time?

E: Seems like we’re finally diving in to the full love triangle next week.

M: Maybe. There’s still plenty we’ve haven’t seen from previous preview montages.

E: I feel like most of the stuff we haven’t seen has to do with Ji-hoo though. Hence the full love triangle.

M: That’s fair. It’s not gonna be pretty. Someone is gonna get killed.

E: I mean, Jun-pyo freaked out about the “genie” because he didn’t understand the reference and thought she was talking about something else. Like. He’s on a hair trigger.

M: Oh, I just understood the mall trip! Because I was thinking while we were watching that  he was going to hit her with a shoe, but it was just the fire alarm. No violence yet. And then, I thought he was trying to buy her underwear, but it was just a bikini!

E: You didn’t know it was a bikini!?

M: I thought it was a matching set!

E: And somehow it still took you til the genie thing to say “that’s a red flag!” It wasn’t the forcing matching underwear on to her!?

M: I thought it was kind of weird and invasive, but they’re been foreshadowing all this pushy sexual stuff, right, so I don’t know. It seemed in character.

E: Jun-pyo is a red flag walking.

M: Anyway, you have to pick: who will Jan-di end up with?

E: Jun-pyo as the husband and Ji-hoo as the soulmate, that’s my prediction.

M: That’s way too obvious. That’s what the show wants you to think now, in episode five of like twenty five. Come on. Rory didn’t end up with Dean.

E: I don’t think the show is thinking far enough ahead to trick me.

M: Wow, oh ye of little faith.

E: Well, what about you?

M: I think, and this is pretty radical. But I think she’s going to end up alone at the end. Which is why season two happened because she’s finally going to end up with the soulmate she deserves.

E: Hmm, I’m unconvinced.

M: What’s your non-romantic prediction?

E: Okay. They’re going to have an impromptu study session, and Jun-pyo will bring food. Like Chinese food? Or burgers? And then some sequence of events will happen, and they’ll get into a car and crash it. 

M: You’re combining two separate episodes.

E: What? No I’m not!

M: No, there’s one where they have a study session with Paris where he brings food to the Gilmore house. There’s another near the end of season two where she’s tutoring him at the diner, they go to get ice cream, they crash the car.

E: Well, I guess I’m not a Gilmore Girl expert after all.

M: Owned. Okay, I’ll try to make a Gilmore Girls-inspired one too. Let’s see. Does that make her friend Paris or Lane?

E: Lane, because she’s her poor friend.

M: Right, right of course. Okay, so that means that means that Yi Jung is Zack, but that’s BS because Lane and Zack were not right together at all. It means he’s Dave Rygalski.

E: He’s kind of Dave-esque honestly.

M: I agree. Anyway, my prediction is that Ji-hoo plays sad violin under a palm tree.

E: I think there’s a 100% chance that that happens..

M: I’m trying to up my average.

 

My Hero Academia S1E11: Game Over 

E: Let’s go ahead and get my dub v. sub corner over with. Last time I mentioned that I liked the use of the word “hype” in one of his lines as opposed to something less internet-y, because Shigaraki definitely has a huge fanboy personality. Like, a toxic fanboy. So using that terminology fits in very well with his existing use of game metaphors. It gives you a sense of him from the very start.

M: Yeah, I can see that. The way he was like “you’re so cool” to frog girl, Toadette.

E: I think he was saying it to Eraser Head.

M: But he said it right after running over and grabbing her, so you’d understand why I was confused.

E: Well, it was because Eraser was still erasing his quirk despite being pretty much dead.

M: I really thought they were going to kill him. They still might, but the imminent danger seems over, for Eraser Head anyway.

E: He’s still real messed up though.

M: Yeah, but they’ve got the magic nurse lady, so who cares? He’ll be fine.

E: Until a recent episode, Shigaraki’s (the hand guy) quirk used to be the one that freaked me out the most. Just the way your skin just gets hard and flakes off, paired with the sound effects. It just wigs me out so much.

M: Yeah, I thought Aizawa was literally just going to crumble to pieces and that would be the end of it. I guess they already did that to Thirteen.

E: Did you notice that their body is just the big marshmallow suit? There’s nothing else in there.

M: Nope, but not surprised. I would be a marshmallow suit if I could. That would be fine. Toast me up.

E: As our teachers get beat down, we also get to meet the rest of Class 1-A for real this episode. What’s your impressions so far? 

M: I was surprised that some of them still got big, fancy intros? Isn’t that what the heroes vs. villains exercise episode was for? Also, I loved that Electro Guy was like “you guys don’t remember my powers? Wow, let me tell you what they are!” Thanks for looking out for me, dude. 

E: They tend to space out the actual explanation of the powers until it’s actually relevant to what’s happening. Otherwise there would be a ton on top of each other.

M: That’s fair, but I was still surprised. Also, now that I understand, uh, what’s her name, I’m trying not to objectify here.

E: Momo

M: Momo’s power. I still don’t understand why she needs to be naked.

E: Well, the more skin she shows, the less she has to make new clothes.

M: So what? She can make new clothes, apparently, and doesn’t seem to care if she’s flashing people. Doesn’t she want to be able to run comfortably?

E: Making new clothes takes time though. And she could just make herself a moped.

M: A sports bra, at least, come on. Speaking of things that are gratuitous and unnecessary, the opening line of the episode! I paraphrase, but it was something like “I had a nice poop that makes my balls more sticky.”

E: I really hate everything about Mineta. Just everything about him.

M: Like, we wasted like two, maybe three minutes of the episode, the whole pre-credits scene, on recap, and then you launch with that old chestnut.

E: Yeah. It draws you in?

M: Emma is literally crying.

E: Um *calms self*, but I find Kaminari’s (Electro Boy) quirk particularly relatable. How he fries his brain when he uses his electricity too much. I mean, that’s me after doing anything for a long time. I also become a huge idiot for awhile

M: That one was pretty inspired.This is another opportunity, speaking of quirks, to ask: why hasn’t Deku tested out the power poke?

E: Okay, all I’m saying is a poke is the same as a punch, just more concentrated. It uses arm muscles, so it’d still break his arm.

M: A power tap then. I don’t know. Seems like a waste of a finger to do the flick.

E: He doesn’t seem to know how to use it at anything but full force. Although, he didn’t break his arm this time when he punched!

M: Well, obviously the guy sucked up his power or something. I’m no fool. 

E: Yeah, but I’m sure you felt stupid when that happened. This whole episode, you were like, “Deku punch him! Punch the final boss!”

M: Look, I’m just saying the fact it took him so long is pretty humiliating. He didn’t know his power wouldn’t work, and he just watched Aizawa get mutilated. He should be thrown out of hero school

E: But he was right about Eraser Head. Score one for the hero-splainers.

M: Yeah, I know. I was pissed that he right.

E: Well, Deku is also a fanboy. He knows everything about heroes.

M: It was the two fanboys who were like, “Aizawa you suck at this. You piece of sticky poo”

E: Please stop bringing that up. We can just forget it.

M: I can’t.

E: MOVING ON…Madelyn also mentioned her worries that Todoroki (Ice Man) would become a villain. 

M: I was, until I saw what all the other students were doing. I was seriously concerned when he froze all those guys and threatened them if they didn’t help. He’s so powerful, and also to be so manipulative, it seemed like a bad combination. But then everyone else just like, fried the villains, that’s it, no questions asked.

E: Ice is helpful for incapacitating someone without hurting them immediately. Harder to do that with electricity.

M: But he can do heat too, right?

E: Yes, he can also do heat, although we have not seen him do it very often.

M: So he could have blasted them just like everyone else. But he didn’t.

E: Yeah, I guess so.

M: Great, we’ve settled that one.

E: Finally, to wrap up our impressions, Tape Man is the true hero.

M: How did he get in? Actually I have a theory. Aizawa was like “oh, All Might gets to have Lil All Might, so I’ll have Lil Eraser Head. AKA Tape Arm”

E: I mean, you know, it’s helpful. Seems like very strong tape.

M: I bought some packing tape this afternoon. I wouldn’t have had to if Tape Man was on the scene! You know what his favorite dance move is?

E: Tell me his favorite dance move.

M: The Tape Worm.

E: Ba dum ching.

M: You hear that sound? It’s time for Lawsuit Watch!

E: Well, they were even at Shinwa for the majority of this week while the U.A. students were in immediate mortal danger, so I’m not sure.

M: Also, there was sexual harassment in My Hero Academia with the pointless boob grab. Boys Over Flowers was positively tame this time.

E: Until he started taking his shirt off at the end.

M: He’s on a beach! That’s allowed. Free the Nipple.

E: Actually, the fire alarm is a crime right?

M: He owns the building so who’s gonna press charges?

E: True.

M: Even apart from the fact that they weren’t at Shinwa for more than five minutes, there really wasn’t any lawsuit-worthy behavior at all, so it definitely goes to U.A. this week.

E: Pretty easy “win” for U.A. this week. They went Plus Ultra.

M: Alright, gimme the next episode title.

E: Uh, the next episode is called “All Might.”

M: Oh come on. Seriously?

E: Yes, that’s the title.

M: Okay great, prediction one: All Might is in the episode.

E: You sure about that? I’m not so sure.

M: I know it’s kind of a risky prediction, but I feel good about it.

E: I’m pretty sure after he walks into the building, he turns around and walks back out.

M: Aren’t you supposed to respond in emoji?

E:

M: Throwback to when Jan-di’s friend threw the peace sign for her cell phone photo.

E: And he took really terrible photos.

M: Anyway, back to predictions. Number two: Tape Man does something really bad-ass.

E: (why is there no tape emoji!) 

M: Number three: …no, I won’t do one about Mineta

E:

M: Actual number three: probably in this episode, Deku takes himself out of commission saving All Might or Aizawa or something.

E:

M: You’d think it would happen in the finale, but no, it’s gonna be much more tense this way. Deku just having to writhe around the whole final episode.

E:

M: Number four: Axel and Bakugo do something stupid and someone else has to rescue them.

E:

M: And finally, number five: we hear that sweet quasi-rap track again.

E: That was in Boys Over Flowers

M: No, there was one in both. *does the instrumental*

E: Oh true, I know the one you’re talking about now.

M: Drop the beat.

Emma here! As you jam out to Hero A, let me thank you once again for watching and/or experiencing Boys Over Flowers and My Hero Academia with us! As always, you can catch up with us by checking Boys Over Flowers on Netflix and My Hero Academia dub on Hulu.

I’ll be doing a solo Split Screen on what I’ve been watching next week since Madelyn will be having an exotic Roman vacation! Look forward to whatever that becomes. Next time on our regularly scheduled programming, we continue our adventures in New Caledonia and All Might is HERE. Or is he? Maybe he’s not. Who knows.

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