Two charming but clumsy men who don’t speak the same language, bumbling around Asia completing missions so they can meet up with fans and give them the best day ever? I didn’t know I needed this, but after watching all eight episodes, I can confidently say that it was brilliant!! The show’s basic premise is that Seung-gi and Jasper have to travel to different cities and visit places that were recommended to them by specific fans. And then, through completing various “Running Man” style missions, they gather clues about where their fans live, and then they try to find the fan so they can surprise her with a visit!! Sounds like a dream come true, tbh. I really loved the concept of the show. It was promoted as being a travel show, and it definitely was successful at highlighting the many sights and attractions of Thailand, Indonesia, and Nepal. They are truly beautiful and vibrant countries!! But the show was so much more than that, and that’s what set it apart from other travel programs. I thought it was really smart to incorporate “objectives” at each leg of the trip, because then the audience was able to admire and appreciate the culture and attraction, but also be more engaged because of the over-arching goal of the boys wanting to meet their fans. And I thought the fan-meetings at the end of each trip gave the show an extra layer of honesty and warmth. Seung-gi and Jasper worked so hard to be able to make their fans happy!! Because the fans didn’t expect their favourite celebrity to just show up at their door, it was often quite emotional for them, which was super cute. And seeing Seung-gi and Jasper care so much, and be touched by the level of devotion, literally made me cry at one point.
Lee Seung-gi is truly a jack-of-all-trades variety show king!! He is soooo mischievous and fun-loving, which is a hilarious source of comedy throughout the show haha. But you also see how dedicated and caring he is to not only towards his fans, but to everyone around him and to different cultures in general. He was always showing genuine interest in everyone they met throughout their travels – inviting them to introduce themselves and asking questions about their lives and experiences. He was charismatic for sure, but he is so sincere in his extroversion, and he made me smile a lot (I know I’m biased because I also just love him in general, but trust me, it’s also an objective truth).
Jasper Liu, or Liu Yi-how, was not someone I was familiar with prior to watching this show. I knew he was a Taiwanese actor, but that’s about it. I think this show helped me get to understand him a lot more, and he was truly a sweetheart!! He is a rookie in terms of variety shows, so I think that automatically made him more shy compared to Seung-gi. But he was always so willing and enthusiastic in face of all the crazy things the show producers and directors made them do, and as the show went on, he clearly became much more comfortable. I think Seung-gi was such a great complement for him!! Their personalities are actually quite similar, but Jasper might be the more introverted version of Seung-gi hahah. And It was great to see Seung-gi helping Jasper out of his shell, and teaching him how to make variety shows fun to film and fun for audiences (this often involved Seung-gi being a total prankser and taking advantage of Jasper’s innocence looooool rip him). I really loved how laid-back Jasper was. I don’t think everyone can handle the amount of ruthless and chaotic energy Seung-gi emits, but he took it all in stride and was able to laugh at himself and embrace whatever was thrown his way.
On that same vein, the epic friendship and bromance between Seung-gi and Jasper was one of the highlights for me. They had such good attitudes and positive spirits throughout, and had great chemistry together. They were affectionately referred to by the editing team (the people who put in funny variety show captions, lol) as the “clumsy brothers”, and that is 100% accurate. They were derpy together and pretty incompetent, but I guess that’s what made it so funny hahahaha. One thing that I thought was a very interesting choice on the part of the creators, was casting two celebrities who do not speak the same native language. The challenge of each mission was made more hilarious and difficult simply because of communication barriers, and I loved it. Even though it was slightly awkward in the beginning because they were basically strangers who were forced into a bewildering series of events in foreign countries, I thought it was really endearing and cute how they tried their best to communicate and get closer. They each knew some English, and little bit of each other’s language (Mandarin and Korean), so they got by with a combination of these three languages, plus a lot of shouting and pointing and charades ahaha. I love how good friends they became by the end of the series. In an interview, Jasper said that he and Seung-gi were not given any scripts or forewarning of anything, and cameras were on them at all times to capture every moment in real-time. I’m really glad the show chose not to stage anything or allow the guys to be prepared. As a fan, it was such a pleasure to see their authentic selves and enjoy every experience and surprise along with them.
(Interview source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2020/07/01/jasper-liu-shares-fond-memories-of-his-first-reality-show-twogether/#448d27136f74)
Another thing I really loved was how much of a troll the director/producer Cho Hyo-ji was. He was the guy giving them the missions, and you could tell how much joy he got out of watching these two guys suffer and make fools of themselves in order to complete the tasks. It was also really funny seeing Seung-gi and Jasper pleading for leniency, or trying to bargain with him for freebies and money hahahaha. Cho has worked on Running Man, so I guess it makes sense that he’d love making Seung-gi and Jasper jump through hoops haha.
If you love travel (and miss it dearly because covid-19 has ruined everyone’s plans for this year), variety shows, and bromance friendships, then I think you will like this program!! It was a very charming and wholesome experience being able to watch the two clumsy brothers have adventures together! Definitely check it out on Netflix! Thanks for reading, and happy watching 🙂
Thought Bubbles 