Simply…Fantastic!

Well well well, we finally get to this movie, huh? It might just be me with my usual Quantum leap issues – I have these a lot by the way. Sometimes when I perform a task, it feels vaguely familiar as if I have done the same thing before but for the life of me, I can’t seem to remember doing it ever. It’s what they probably call deja-vu but it happens to be so often that I am starting to think I am either living a double life or my time here is about up.

Scary…..

As I was saying, it feels like I’ve blogged about this movie before. It was probably on Diva’s Dimension but that blog has long since been deleted any way so no harm in blogging the movie again, right?

Right

Hellcats AKA I Like It Hot, is a 2008 release from Korea that has one of my favourite kisses in a movie [Three of them actually and all making it into that list). Better still was who was doing the kissing/being kissed. The movie follows the lives of a family of three; a mother, her teen daughter Kang Ae (Ahn Soo-hee) and the mother’s younger sister Ah Mi (Kim Min-hee – The Main Heroine, you might say). The movie walks us through these three’s lives, love lives to be precise, and since the adults are cursed to be boring, what I was most interested in, was the daughter’s part of the story.

Yes, that is Wondergirls’ Ahn So-hee I was referring to. She plays the daughter Kang Ae who falls for her best friend Mi-ran (Kang Hae-in).

Her story is what was more our cup of tea. What about the other two? Irrelevant! To this blog they are any way.

Ahn So-hee as Kim Kang Ae	Jo Eun-ji/Kang Hae-in as Yoo Mi-ran

 

To any of you who haven’t been to ShoujoAi Forums, or have been there but not read the whole Kannazuki no Miko thread, I will let you know that the reason that series is almost at the top of my list is because there was a fight for a girl’s (Himeko) heart between a girl (Chikane) and a boy (Souma). The fight was so intense and so hopeless, at times, for Chikane that when she finally won Himeko, I felt something come to life within me. I believe before Kannazuki no Miko, I looked to yuri as simply some source of excitement but after that, I was reborn and started seeing yuri in a new way – the right way.

Now before you scratch your heads, dear Readers, wondering why I am bringing up THE yuri anime right at this moment, it is because this movie reminded me of that. No, the Dude here wasn’t as cool as Souma (actually he seemed kinda of feminine and Mi-ran used to make fun of him being gay, oh the irony), also Mi-ran wasn’t fighting for Kang Ae’s affections with the Dude and in fact, she didn’t have any romantic feelings for her either while Kang Ae on the other hand was dating the Dude, even before the events of the movie.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Where we pick up with the movie, there seems to be trouble in paradise for Kang Ae and the Dude. The problem is that Kang Ae wasn’t getting any no matter how she tried to get some. Hence her friend always making the gay jokes about her boyfriend. With her not getting any and her friend taking it upon herself to play the cupid, they start planning on getting the Dude to give up some. The pan was executed at Kang Ae’s home when her mother and aunt were out. Mi-ran had showed her some seductive moves she apparently picked up in Brazil before so it came time for applying the knowledge. Sadly, when the Dude showed up, he came as if he was dropping in to his best pal or something because he had videos games and everything in his bag. When Kang Ae started to put her game on, get this, he ignored her come-ons and instead suggested they play video games!

Like, WTH?!

What kind of hormonal teen turns down an invitation of fun while alone in an empty house with their girlfriend?!

Seriously, who?

Oh wait, this Dude!

Kang Ae is so rightfully pissed off at him she chases him out of the house. And while I was there laughing my butt off thinking ‘what a loser’, I am almost forced to choke on my laughter when Kang Ae calls for Mi-ran to come out of hiding.

 
 
 

“…”

Wait, what?

So let me get this straight. Mi-ran was in the back room all this time, probably watching the events unfold in the living room as well, right? So if the plan had been successful and the two ended up doing the funny business on the couch, so what, Mi-ran would have been watching from where she were hiding playing under-cover boss?

I think I might have needed a minute to process that – I’ve had years to process that, and the conclusion I came up with was that it would have been the hottest thing ever – NO, not the couch business but the idea that Mi-ran was watching Kang Ae make all these weird faces that are only possible when above cloud nine. And if ‘Life is Peachy’ taught me anything, it’s that girls watching other girls have sex, is the hottest thing ever!

So anyway, Mi-ran steps out of hiding like it ain’t no thing. They walk over to the dining table while Kang Ae complains to her friend that her plans fellow under water. Mi-ran argues that she was sure it would work, I am rooting for her when I say too that it should have worked, on a straight guy, nay, even a gay guy wouldn’t have been able to resist that! There was something seriously wrong with that Dude. Mi-ran goes on to make this very point as she goes about studying Kang Ae for any flaws that might have led to the fall of her perfectly thought out plan but finding none. Okay, Kang Ae probably needed to let loose one extra button on her blouse, or two, and she also needed to push her chest out more but still, she was perfect. For crying out loud, she even smelt heavenl-

 

Kang Ae suddenly plants one on Mi-ran!

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was my exact reaction when Kang Ae leaned in and trapped Mi-ran’s lips with her own in an awesome kiss as she had leaned in to smell her neck. I was like ‘what the hell just happened?’ in the deepest level of my mind that could still think straight (straight, geddit?) while the rest of my being was screaming in awesome joy!

The straight girl with a boyfriend, with whom she was only, like, 50% away from making the funny business on the couch with, had just made the first move and kissed her best friend!

What’s more, the atmosphere that followed when they were both shocked at the turn of the events as the kisser wasn’t at all sure what in God’s name she had done and why while the best friend who was kissed obviously also doesn’t have any words – was simply delicious. I don’t think any more words were exchanged between the two that night.

 
 

As expected, the two get awkward their next meeting but at least they didn’t avoid each other. They just sat there in silence both either having deep thoughts or none at all. Mi-ran being the type of girl to always ‘DO’ broke the ice by making it seem like Kang Ae only wanted to practise kissing and that she should have warned her before planting on her instead of surprising her like that. Seeing as going with the lie would take them back to normal interactions and thus getting rid of this tension, Kang Ae agrees that it was just practise, but she doesn’t believe it at all.

Who does, really?

Kang Ae’s feelings grew stronger from then on of course to the point of her having wet dreams about Mi-ran. One of these dreams happened in the library as she took a nap. She dreamt that she was having a nap when Mi-ran walked over to her, woke her up, kissed her deeply, then moved on as if it was no thing and Kang Ae went back to sleep.

 
 

 

Yep, they showed that too! Like, is this movie real awesome or what?!

That makes two kisses already and both real kisses. If only Japan made their drama/Idol kisses like that too.

Sigh

Kang Ae started questioning her sexuality and sanity in the days that followed. She had coded conversations with her aunt about it, kissed her boyfriend (yep, they were still together) to make sure she was still straight too…BUT, fear not, she of course didn’t feel that spark she felt when she had kissed Mi-ran.

Verdict?

She was so deep into Mi-ran – her female best friend. In layman’s terms – Totally gay!

 
 

As with every story having a climax and conclusion (unless you were reading mine, LOL) we get ours here when we find out Mi-ran has been keeping a secret from Kang Ae and that is that she was to soon return to Brazil. When Kang Ae learns of this, and with her new feelings and all added into the mix, she of course doesn’t take it very well. They have a fight about it and soon a falling out happens. It takes up to the actual time that Mi-ran is to leave for Brazil (because her father back in Brazil was not feeling well).

On the day she was supposed to leave, Kang Ae didn’t even intend to go see Mi-ran off. She was busy working at the café she and Mi-ran had part-time jobs at, when Souma drives up to Chikane’s house-Wait, wrong show. Gay Dude (it wasn’t made clear if he was BTW) comes over to the shop to deliver a present from Mi-ran. It has a message on it in Portuguese (They speak that in Brazil, right?) which means ‘Love is Courage’ or something like that.

 
 
 

The message seems to have struck something in Kang Ae as she suddenly asks the Dude to give her a ride to the Airport (Fuck the job, they can fire her anytime. Love comes before everything else). Any way they get over to the Airport and on the way she apologises to the Dude (Goodbye, you aren’t the one for me) and thanks him (For the lift? For understanding? Whatever).

In the waiting area, Kang Ae frantically begins searching for Mi-ran. She doesn’t call out for her name but instead tries to speak the Portuguese words that her friend love had written her. She of course says them brokenly but they get the job done when Mi-ran shows up while correcting her vocab.

 

 

The two hug and cry and hug and kiss and hug some more…while still standing there in the middle of the Airport with many people possibly watching. But really, who would give a tick at that moment, were they in the same situation? Besides, they kissed the surroundings out of each other with that heated third and final kiss of the movie!

Lord, I can’t even believe it as I type it. They kissed thrice in the movie –THRICE! Add in the possibility of re-takes during the filming and Lord knows how many times these two actually locked lips! Best still was the fact that they were all awesome real kisses not the teases and stuff!

This movie totally kicks curb!

But I am going way off course here. Back at the Airport, Kang Ae cried for Mi-ran to stay. She finally makes a proper confession of her feelings which…May the Goddesses of Yuri bless this movie…are reciprocated by Mi-ran. I am not sure if Mi-ran left or not, though she might have since her father was sick and it was only logical but I know it was not goodbye for Kang Ae and Mi-ran. There was still happily ever after waiting for the two of them and this movie wasn’t meant to be one of those drepressy ones so I believe!

—Za END—

~

Sadly the movie was not in episodes since that way we could cut out the other two parts so if you want to watch it, you will have to suffer through the other stories too, that is if you are as troubled as I am in that watching straight romance mysteriously pains you greatly, like it does me. But it is so very worth it to watch this movie.

Wondergirls’ Ahn So-hee, kissing girls in movies since 2008 (16) – What is there to not like.

Go watch it!

PS: Finding Eun-ji’s character’s name in the cast list on the internet is the hardest thing ever! I had to watch the movie again to get it myself from the movie! Like, the hell is up with that?! They have less relevant characters’ name-listed but noooooooo, not her! And it’s not like she ain’t famous because she has been in the business for more than 10 years (BTW, it is funny when you find out what her age was at the time of filming. I will leave you to find out for yourselves). For reference, So-hee was 15/16 at that time.

So yeah, this is an awesome romantic movie and as a whole I am sure others will find it pretty enjoyable, as Kim Min-hee seems to have made a name for herself for her handling of the difficult character Ah Mi. Speaking of Kim Min-hee, she was also in the movie – The Actresses where she triggered my sensors with none other than Kim Ok-bin (Thirst, Whispering Corridors 4).

Okay, I better stop here.

As for source, google is your friend. Just do “Hellcats 2008” or “I Like it Hot 2008”. The results will be more than satisfying, I can assure you.

Ja