New Sexy Simpleton and stuffs

Yep, I have gone missing for a while there, mainly due to the fact that I have to watch a whole bunch of films that I don't really want to because they will be on my exams...Speaking of which, I lost my Western virginity yesterday, watching my first western film. There was a reason why I have not watched one until now, and after I watch this other one for my exams, I have no intention of watching anymore. It turned out to be a lot quieter weekend that I thought, two of my shifts being cancelled because it's a long weekend, so everyone has gone on holiday (except for me, I am stuck at home studying).

Anyways, moving on. As previoulsy mentioned I have read New Sexy Simpleton by Hwang Mi-Ri. It is completely scanlated with 9 volumes. Just a warning, there is incest as a subplot but that is only towards the end. There is also a prequal, The Sexy Simpleton, but it is not completely scanlated and you don't need to read it beforehand, the sequal has got you covered.

So the story starts off with Eun Bi, who is back in her own time with the Prince a year after the events of the Sexy Simpleton, and Prince is adjusting to life in the 21st century. Eun Bi is working as a currently popular model and actress with Prince using his 'warrior skills' to be a stunt man. The two of them, along with the production crew and other stars of the film are sent to Mongolia I think to film on location. In the meanwhile, Prince is being nice to a middle-aged actress because she has the body shape adored by men in the past (The Prince is from the 8th century and back then it is believed that volumptious women were preferred by men). 

After arriving on location, Prince comes across a pair of shoes that were traditionally used to bind feet, which was a common practice in China on women up until around 1910. The shoes carry the wrath of their owner and are strong enough to pull both Prince and Eun Bi back to the past. This time, they end up in the 13th century or there abouts. Immediately, they run into bandits, but quickly turn the situation around by robbing the bandits. Eun Bi and Prince are then seperated, before Eun Bi stumbles into soldiers who take her back to their leader who looks a lot like Prince, except with longer hair. 

Prince disguises himself and saves Eun Bi, but in the process Khubilai (the other guy who looks like prince) takes interest in Prince for his similar looks and strong fighting technique, because of this, Khubilai pursues the pair (he also cuts his hair, and now they look like twins). Before long, Eun Bi and Prince start looking for the owner of the evil shoes, but realize how hard it is because nearly all women of the era have bound feet. They soon encounter a strange man who seems knowledgable, I think his name was Yi Joo or something like that. Anyway, he helps the pair by meeting his sister who shows the pair of shoes and then another lady who also possesses a pair of shoes, but neither seem to be the pair that they are looking for. After searching some more, they find the owners of the last two pairs, one being dead, the other a princess being sold off/traded through marriage. The two decide to leave Yi Joo at his residence and follow this princess. However Yi Joo is stubborn, suggesting that both Eun Bi and Prince become his concubines (LOL).

When they finally escape, Prince realizes someone is following them, so he leaves Eun Bi on the horse and goes back to check out the situation. The person following the two was Khubilai, and he and prince then engage in a sword fight. Both manage to significantly injure each other, with Khubilai jumping off the roof in an attempted suicide to save himself from the shame. Prince however manages to get down from the roof but collapses in the street. The two are found by their opposing groups, Khubilai being taken by Yi-Joo's men and Prince taken by Khubilai's men, but neither group know that they have the wrong person because they both look similar. Eun Bi is also caught and is returned to Yi Joo. She is unable to tell that the unconcious injured man is not Prince, however Yi Joo suspects. Khubilai wakes up and can't remember anything, because when he jumped he landed head first, so he now has amnesia. Eun Bi starts telling him about her and  Prince, with Khubilai contemplating killing her, but chooses against it as he needs any hint of memories he can find. On the flipside, Prince is being attended to by Khubilai's men, and although one of his generals suspect something, Prince does not slip up give evidence of the swap. Prince plays along because Khubilai's group is responsible for ensuring the princess gets to he fiance's home safely.

Prince then orders his men to capture Eun Bi, claiming that she need to be punished. In the meanwhile, Khubilai still hasn't regained his memories and is wondering how he loved Eun Bi before the incident. Eun Bi is captured by Khubilai's men, and is shocked to see how 'Khubilai' looks like prince (yes she is an idiot). Although she tries to escape she is captured again, however she is used by Prince as a slave and lover. The princess who is about to be married also loves Khubilai, but she too does not know that Khubilai is actually Prince. Although he treats her like a slave, Prince uses the pretense of a concubine, then lady in waiting (lasy servant) for the princess to make sure she is treated kindly. This includes kissing Eun Bi in order to give her water and sleeping in his tent (just sleeping, nothing else, which makes later on so much funnier). When Eun Bi begins her duties as a lady in waiting, she believes the princess is autistic because she does not speak, but she is actually just deep in thought.

Eun Bi uses this opportunity to search for the shoes, but is caught by the princess. The princess feels that Eun Bi understands her desires to 'play around and get dirty' and such, and Eun Bi quickly becomes the princess's confidant. Meanwhile Khubilai (the real one) is searching frantically for Eun Bi because he too actually loves her. Eun Bi in the meantime is struggling with her feelings, as 'Khubilai' is so much like Prince (yes, she is that dumb, what happens later proves it) and reluctantly acts as matchmaker between the Princess and 'Khubilai'. Both bribe her to do their bidding, with the princess finally winning by offering Eun Bi the shoes. 'Khubilai' says he doesn't feel that way about the princess, but she requests to touch him, which in the end turned out to be a poke in the arm (ah, customs of a different era).

The princess is about to leave to finish her journey to her fiance's residence and wishes to take Eun Bi with her. (sidenote: this is like my favourite part just because of how stupid Eun Bi is). Just before leaving, 'Khubilai' (yes she still doesn't know it is prince) kisses her, but gives her a mouthful of water mixed with rotted fish (EWWWWWWWWWWWW!!) causing Eun Bi to be sick. 'Khubilai' claims that she is pregnant and that she should stay with him. Although nothing happened between them other than kissing, 'Khubilai' convinces Eun Bi that it is possible, with Eun Bi believing that their is some kind of pregnancy virus (*facepalm*). It is about at this time that the real Khubilai shows up. When he hears about this 'pregnancy' he intends to kill it, and this is when Eun Bi finally realizes that he isn't Prince...

At this point everyone figures out what is going on, the real Khubilai does regain some memories, and although Eun Bi and the real Prince escape back to Yi-Joo's because they figured that his sister gave them a fake pair the first time round and that she is the actual owner of the evil shoes. (There is also an arguement between Eun Bi and Prince which is rather funny, saying how dumb she can be for believing everything he said). Back at Yi-Joo's everyone is getting ready for his sister's wedding. Prince and Eun Bi find the shoes, but encounter troubles with Khubilai, and Yi-Joo elopes with his sister (although she is adopted, it would still be considered incest in that era) and they are never heard from again. 

Eun Bi is kidnapped by Khubilai and Prince manages to save her, coming up with a plan with Yi-Joo's men. Khubilai traps them with a fire, planning to kill them together, however, Prince and Eun Bi are able to go back to the present with the shows. Prince sends Eun Bi back by herself first before going back himself and the two get separated. Back in the 21st century, Eun Bi re-appears and begins walking back to the hotel. She curses Prince for choosing the past over her. Upon her return, Prince is already at the hotel and is wondering how he got there before her. The series ends with them having a 'play argument'.

Thoughts? Well, firstly, I thought that Eun Bi is really dumb. Even though it was obvious from their different clothes that Khubilai and Prince were swapped at the fight scene, she didn't believe Yi-Joo out of stubbornness. I thought this series is definition of 'idiot protagonist' (although I thought it was funny how Prince managed to convince her there is a pregnancy virus). I quite like how both this series and the prequal offer different interpretations of beauty. This one showing how in previous eras, women with bound, or lily feet were considered beautiful. Anyway, I quite enjoyed this one, it was quite a fun series overall. Despite what many others say, I was not disappointed by the ending, when I see the words 'Hwang Mi-Ri' I always believe it to be an open ending, so I got exactly what I expected.

Anyway, I don't know what's next on the agenda. Nisekoi perhaps, I can't really remember the last time I wrote anything on an ongoing series. We'll see. Anyways, that's about it for now, until next time :)