Well goddamn...

There's so much to unpack in just one episode here and pretty much all I can say right now is 'Wow'. Just, wow.SHJ's acting is just on a different level here, I mean the scene at the end where she's cradling the child in her arms and sobbing... just holy crap that gets you right in the feels.There wasn't so much of HIY in this episode- makes sense since it's about Soojae and Jaeyi- so I won't talk about his character for now. That chairman though... what a bastard! It's actually amazing how well the actor portrayed him as a genuinely terrifying and despicable character. I think it's the stone-facedness he has, with just enough expression to let you know how pissed off he is, while still appearing sunken and cold.

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Ep. 2 Notes:

Chuugakusei nikki ep 2 notes:Hijiri the gigachad just saying 'thank you' and walking off like a total boss.I was wrong earlier, I actually love Haraguchi-san even more now. What a f***ing legend.Hijiri's fiancé is cute af. I already dislike her mom though... like what kind of parent puts their own child down like that? Also I think 'it's a respectable hawaiian band' is just such a great sentence, that I will totally not be translating into 20 different languages later.Oh my god, my heart literally sank as Akira's mom said she wanted him to be happy (because I remembered what Haraguchi-san said in the previous episode about love and happiness always killing each other): especially when she told Hijiri she was counting on her, after she (Hijiri) said she wanted to help him achieve that happiness... (I don't want to see Akira's mom lashing out at Hijiri the way all those parents did in 'Melancholia'). I love this writing.Omfg Kawai is adorable (not tautology- his name has only one 'i', so y'all can just suck it in the comments section) marching in like that to protect his love-mentor.Awww the way Akira tied his (gross, sweaty) headband on Hijiri's car was too sweet- dude has to understand, though, that what she CANNOT like him back (or admit to it, at the very least) because she will likely end up in jail otherwise... that's why he needs to give it a break, at least for now.Haraguchi-san is just like master f***ing Oogway- how is she so freaking wise???Biiiiig mistake, taking someone who has confessed to you, who you don't and really cannot like back, of whom your liking him back is directly proportional (fig. 1) to prison time, back to your house!_____Fig. 1:https://www.gcse.com/maths/graphs3.htm

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Review:

In my review for the previous episode, I opted out of reviewing Gong Chan and his actor, Hwang In Youp (HIY), so this time it's ALL about him.Let's start off with something I've noticed a few complaints about in the comments section: the acting. HIY's acting in particular appears to be a common source of discontent among viewers. Now here's the thing, folks, I've watched 'Rookie Historian GHR' and so, I'm sure, have many of you... What I'm trying to say is, not only do I know bad acting, I basically have a reference for it at '0° Kelvin'. This is why you can trust me when I say that while, sure, this is clearly not his greatest work (I will admit, that post-baywatch therapy session on the beach was painfully awkward), it is still not 'bad' acting.(Also, let's cut the guy some slack-- since when did any of his characters get the girl in the end? Poor dude probably has no idea what to do at this point!)Next up, let's discuss his character: Gong Chan (GC)... So many comments about his character 'not really doing anything', it makes me wonder if y'all fell asleep while watching. Seriously, did nobody else see him literally stop Soo Jae (OSJ) from killing herself? How about in previous episodes where he recovered the USB drive or informed OSJ that the money laundering was being conducted under her name? The man straight up started the whole 'take them down at the hearing' plan and y'all tryna tell me his only contribution to the story was that OSJ defended him [and threw the trial] 10 years ago? I call BS.On a similar note, many have argued that GC's entire character is just an accessory for OSJ and I actually agree, in part. However, would like to direct your attention to the show's title [Why Oh Soo Jae?]. Now, can anyone guess WHY so much of GC's character revolves around OSJ?...If you answered "Because the whole f***ing show revolves around OSJ!", you win a cookie (but you have to buy it yourself)!That's why, even if his character does sometimes feel like a mere plot device to get OSJ to turn Super-Saiyan, it's really not that big of a deal!So, in short, while I understand many of the issues some viewers seem to have with HIY and his character, GC, I still found both HIY's performance (and, let's be honest, his irritatingly gorgeous face), and GC's characterisation fun and enjoyable to watch.

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