tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36187519696885148432024-03-18T02:47:48.736-07:00Drama Queen ReviewsReviews for all the things we love (and hate) about Japanese and Korean DramasUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-61531231455900667692020-04-21T10:27:00.001-07:002020-04-21T10:27:52.586-07:00Love By Chance: Thai Drama Review<img alt="Love_By_Chance_Series_Poster.jpg (263×370)" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Love_By_Chance_Series_Poster.jpg" width="227" /><br />
The Gist: Timid, rich college student Pete's (Saint Suppapong Udomkaewkanjana) life changes when engineering student Ae (Perth Tanapon Sukhumpantanasan) hits him with his bike. The two develop an immediate friendship, with Ae stepping in to help handle a student threatening Pete because of his sexuality. The strong bond of their friendship begins to pose questions for Ae about what he feels for Pete and if it goes further than friendship. Ae's porn-obsessed, nosy roommate Pond (Yacht Surat Permpoonsavat) is desperate to help the naive Ae succeed in his romance, by any means necessary. But Pete's friend, Tin (Mean Phiravich Attachitsataporn), can't help interfering in his relationship because he believes them to be in a different class from Ae and his excitable friend Can (Plan Rathavit Kijworalak).<br />
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This. This. This. THIS! Pete and Ae are serious relationship goals. Aghhhh. In the beginning of the show, Ae never makes Pete feel bad about being gay or that they have to draw boundaries in their friendship because of it. Ae is always extremely honest with Pete and never lets misunderstandings survive between them. This develops a strong trust between them. When Ae starts having romantic feelings, he tells Pete about them. When he feels jealous, he tells Pete about it. What I love best is that Ae is not dumb about Pete's feelings. He guesses that Pete feels romantically for him and he says that he can tell the way Pete looks at him is different from the way he looks at others. So may characters like Ae can't take a hint if it hits them in the face, but Ae doesn't press Pete, but is very aware of the way they treat each other. I love that Ae wants to see Pete constantly, even before they start dating.<br />
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Let's talk about the physical stuff. Man, LBC really goes for it on that regard. Rather than a chaste kiss here and there, Pete and Ae can't keep their hands (mouths, bodies, lives) off of each other). I am usually happy for a few kisses in a drama, but this goes way beyond it. To borrow a phrase from Maggie Steifvater, both boys were hungry, but Ae had been starving longer. Once he touches Pete, it's like the floodgates were opened. He can be gentle, or throw Pete against a locker long enough to get his tie off. What is great is that Ae always checks for consent with Pete, when it's their first kisses or when they have sex, Ae always make sure Pete is OK with it. Bless poor Ae for needing to google how to have sex with Pete, but it's good to see that he is fairly insecure, even when he acts so confidently with Pete. The physical side of their relationship is built up on how strong their emotional bond is.<br />
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So, Pete has to come out to his mom in episode 1 and she is my hero. She is sure to make sure Pete knows she loves him not matter who he loves. She fully embraces his independence and Ae. She can tell that Ae is a good man and is wholly supportive of them. I always love when a drama goes for a supportive parent, especially because it makes such a difference in LGBT relationships. I am glad they show Ae meeting Pete's mom and her approving of him. It's very important to have this kind of representation in this age.<br />
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Let's talk about Pond. I was super annoyed by how openly perverse he is (who watches porn this openly???), but he is a surprisingly complex character. Although he is overly nosy, he really does want to support Ae. He may tease him but is happy to give him advice and set him up on dates. He even offers to buy Ae lube and slips him condoms. Ae doesn't want this much interference, but it's so nice that Pond really looks out for him. What really pushed Pond over the top for me is his experience with ChaAim (Cherreen Nachjaree Horvejkul), who you may recognize from Puppy Honey. He is so aggressively flirtatious with her at first, but when they finally start dating, he is so respectful of her body and choices. He is willing to go at her pace and never wants to pressure her. Really he has even more restraint than Ae does. I wasn't sure how they were going to resolve the way he is, but ChaAim handles him perfectly. Pond needs someone who can boss him around a little bit and ChaAim is perfect at that. Moreso, I love how supportive Pond and ChaAim are of Ae/Pete. Neither makes them feel weird about their relationship and I love the scenes with all four of them together. Actually this show is overwhelmingly supportive of Ae/Pete overall. It has a good message of tolerance.<br />
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Let's talk about Tin/Can. I think this show draws out their antagonism too long. I love hate to love relationships, but Tin is just a jerk for way too long. Pete gives him too much leeway. I get that he's got trust issues, but you can't just treat people like garbage without repercussions. In that sense, Can is a perfect foil. He doesn't let Tin get away with anything, which makes him more trustworthy to Tin. I think the change in Tin happens too fast. He goes from hating to pursuing him really quickly. No wonder Can has whiplash. Still, it's great to see Tin soften up. He is much more handsome when he is being vulnerable and kind.<br />
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I think aside from these stories, LBC is trying to tell too much. There's also a will they/won't they? thing with two stepbrothers and a weird high school student chasing the soccer coach thing. The story-lines are so randomly inserted and spread out that I just really didn't care about them. I was somewhat invested in the stepbrothers storyline, but the whole story is like less than one episode long. I don't think it builds it up enough and the entire story is just the younger brother keeping a secret while the older brother is supportive. It just didn't mesh well with the rest of the show. If they were going to keep these stories in, they should have built them up a bit. Otherwise, I'm just not sure it's worth keeping them in.<br />
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Final Grade: AUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-72701045862819966532020-04-17T10:26:00.000-07:002020-04-17T10:26:04.119-07:00Because This is My First Life: KDrama Review<img alt="Because_This_is_My_First_Life.jpg (265×377)" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/Because_This_is_My_First_Life.jpg" width="224" /><br />
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The Gist: When assistant drama writer Ji-ho (Jung So-min) quits her job after being sexually harassed and has to move out due to her brother's recent marriage, she's desperate for somewhere to stay. When mutual friends score her a great deal living with Se-hee (Lee Min-ki), she leaps at the chance, unaware that Se-hee is male. When they both realize the mistake, they are already comfortable living together. In classic drama logic, the fix to both their problems is simple: a two-year contract marriage. Naturally, it's hard to keep feelings out of it when you're living together for the first time. Ji-ho's best friends have their own issues. Marriage-desperate Ho-rang (Kim Ga-eun) can't seem to get her clueless boyfriend Won-seok (Kim Min-seok) to propose. Serial dater Soo-ji (Esom) can't seem to shake the friendly CEO Sang-goo (Park Byung-eun).<br />
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This is a good show, but it just wasn't the show I wanted it to be. I picked this show because I wanted something light and heart-warming. While it has the benefits of sweet romance, it is definitely a more melancholy show than I was expecting. I appreciate the show's frankness about the harassment of women. Ji-ho faces it through working with her director and her co-workers try to wipe the harassment under the rug and assure her that it's not a big deal. Ji-ho stands up for herself, but in a realistic sacrifice, she has to give up working on her project to do so. Soo-ji constantly faces unwanted advances from her co-workers, but has to put on a smile to keep her job and keep her reputation. Even though they're in the wrong, she's the one who will be judged if she kicks up a fuss. Even the younger cafe co-worker Bok-nam (Kim Min-kyu) is a harasser. He doesn't back off when Ji-ho says she's married and uninterested. I appreciate that Se-hee wrecks his motorcycle. Even though it was a "misunderstanding," him being young and hot doesn't excuse his behavior. It's not OK to comment on a woman's looks or touch her when you work with her.<br />
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This show spends a long time examining marriage as an institution an it is often fairly bleak in its portrayal. Still, I appreciate how deftly this show handles Se-hee. Se-hee is initially shown as inept at love, maybe even a little high-functioning autistic in his life skills. Yet, we realize as viewers that we are assuming a lot about Se-hee. Just because Ji-ho is inexperienced, we assume that Se-hee's behavior is due to his own inexperience. Yet, there is a neat twist in the last 2/3 of the show, where we realize that Se-hee is not inexperienced, but is unwanting. His behavior is meant to push people away and build walls. He has experienced and is dealing with his own pain. He knows what it means to be in love and hasn't fully processed his own experience enough to open himself up to more pain. While he is not overly smart with social cues, he is drawing boundaries to protect himself from what he doesn't think he deserves.<br />
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I also appreciate the care that is put into Ho-rang's relationship. Their relationship is not healthy by any means throughout most of the show. Their goals are not aligned and they can't communicate clearly. I was worried this show would just patch them up and push them together and I admire the bravery to break them up. It's short-term pain but for the good of both of them. By the time they get back together, they've had a chance to examine their feelings and their goals.<br />
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Likewise, Soo-ji seems flippant, but like with Se-hee, you realize that her careful walls are built to avoid further pain. I appreciate Song-goo's willingness to accommodate the way Soo-ji is and why she's wary. Her ability to break down her walls with him are hard-earned.<br />
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My shining star is Bo-mi (Yoon Bo-Mi), who's the only female working at the Don't Marry, Date App. I appreciate that even though she fits in with the boys, she insists on wearing frilly, pink outfits. I also appreciate how much Se-hee and Bo-mi are alike and understand each other. Even though she's understated, she can let loose and party with the best of them. Bo-mi is my hero.<br />
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I have serious issues with the end of this show. So, Hi-Ho asks for a divorce. Even though she loves Se-hee. For... reasons? As far as I can tell, she just wanted to break him down completely so that he'll be honest with her and to me it just seemed... cruel. I get it if she wanted to travel and such, but she said she wanted to make love her priority, but rather than just talking to Se-hee like an adult about his past, she tortures him and makes him think she doesn't want him. Especially when she knows that he's going to confess and has real feelings for her. This just felt like such a drama move. Why have a conversation when you can have a dramatic divorce? This is just compounded by the fact that they end up registering their marriage anyway. Don't get me wrong, they needed to work some stuff out. But I think it would have been better to just talk like normal people rather than going through some huge "break-up." No bueno.<br />
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Final Grade: B-Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-86200100869281235492020-04-09T10:18:00.005-07:002020-04-09T10:18:58.435-07:00The Untamed: Chinese Drama Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Gist:<br />
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Now: Wei Wuxian (Xiao Zhan) wields the most feared name in the lands - the Yiling Patriarch. Rumored to raise the dead, practice wicked sorcery, and spread destruction alongside his Ghost General, the Yiling Patriarch is assumed dead after the Bloodbath of the Nightless City. Yet, 16 years later, Wei Wuxian has returned and is trying to avoid discovery by his nephew, Jin Ling, and adopted brother, Jiang Cheng. But famed second-son cultivator of the strict and proper Lan Clan, Lan Zhan (Wang Yibo), has been looking for Wei Wuxian and has never given up hope of finding him alive. When Wei Wuxian pulls out his signature spiritual tool, the flute, the two are destined to meet again.<br />
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Then: Teenage Wei Wuxian travels to the Lan Clan's Cloud Recesses alongside adopted siblings Jiang Cheng (Wang Zhuocheng) and Yanli (Xuan Lu). The three are inseparable, even though Wei Wuxian is a notorious free-spirited trouble-maker that often gives the Jiang Clan a bad name. He immediately clashes with Lan Zhan upon arrival to Cloud Recesses. The two are yin and yang, black and white, undisciplined and trained, energetic and reserved. Yet, in terms of skills, the two are evenly matched and Wei Wuxian will not leave Lan Zhan alone. When the two are brought together to uncover the secret of Yin Iron, a dark spiritual tool that the fiery Wen Clan is using to manipulate and murder people and cultivators, a bond is forged that develops as the looming battle grows. Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan will need all the help they can get from their peers: Nie Clan's quiet and nervous second-son (Ji Li), the medical specialist Wen siblings, Wen Ning (Yu Bin) and Wen Qing (Meng Ziyi), and the arrogant Jin Zixuan (Cao Yuchen). The Wen Clan's power grows as they continue to accumulate lost pieces of Yin Iron and slaughter at the hands of the assassin Xue Yang (Wang Haoxuan). Will Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian be able to stand together when they suffer immense loss and trials? Will Wei's unorthodox personality be an asset or lead him down a darker path? Can Lan Zhan save him?<br />
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You'll notice by this description that this drama is a deep departure from my usual fare of sweet romances between plucky girls and cold boys. The Untamed is a sprawling fantasy epic that touts a huge cast of characters and a well-developed magic system. Yet, at its heart, it is a romance. Chinese censorship laws don't allow Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian's relationship to live up to its original explicit romantic intimacy, but the two have a bond that goes beyond regular friendship. The Netflix summary calls them soul-mates, a word usually reserved for romantic bonds in Western use, but it is an apt term for their relationship. The two are drawn together and move in sync. When Lan Zhan finally puts his trust in Wei Wuxian, it is unwavering. Even when the entire world turns against Wei, Lan Zhan's faith in him is constant. Likewise, Wei Wuxian has an unfaltering trust in Lan Zhan's character and abilities. He puts his life in Lan Zhan's hands over and over again without a second thought. While the character-building in the first half of this show is important, the story truly shines when the two can spend more on-screen time together in the second half of the show. There are many great characters, but the relationship between Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan is the shining star of this drama.<br />
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I found starting this drama to be a bit intimidating as there are so many characters (with so many names!) and multiple timelines. Yet, each character feels lived-in and well-developed. They each have well-defined strengths and weaknesses. While it took a while to learn them all, they are each a crucial piece of a larger puzzle. Between the Jiang siblings, Wei is so likable, Cheng is serious and harsh, and Yanli is a sweet angel. I had long worried for Yanli since we didn't see her in the beginning of the show. Spoilers follow: After seeing how close the three were, I had to wonder what inspired Cheng's strong hatred of Wei. It became clear somewhere around episode 20 that the only thing that would really drive them apart is if Wei is responsible for Yanli's death. This realization did little to soften the blow when she was killed, as she was the only person aside from Lan Zhan whose faith in Wei was always strong. The pain of Cheng's betrayal is magnified because when his Golden Core is taken, Wei doesn't even hesitate to provide him with his own spiritual energy. Wei bends over backwards to help Cheng, but Cheng's faith in Wei is fragile. The jealousy he feels poisons their relationship over the course of the show.<br />
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In the present timeline, I was so impressed with Jin Ling (Qi Peixin). He has the most reason to hate Wei Wuxian, but he is conflicted because he can see that Wei is a good man. If anything, he shows more reasoning than Cheng does. While there is definite resentment between them, I appreciate that the two were able to take the steps towards forging a relationship. Additionally, when the viewer finally realizes that the young cultivator in the Lan Clan (Zheng Fanxing) is little Yuan, my heart felt so full. Lan Zhan is a man of exceptional character and it's beautiful that he was able to save and raise Yuan, in completion of the work Wei Wuxian was trying to do.<br />
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This show constantly asks questions of morality: what is right and wrong? Lan Zhan struggles with this as Wei continues down an unorthodox path, but ultimately he can recognize what is right for himself, even when others would judge him. The Wen siblings are an interesting case of this. Trapped under the evil influence of the Wen Clan, Wen Qing is constantly complicit in evil acts, and is resistant to rebel in order to keep her weaker brother safe. That brother will not stand idly by however. When Wen Ning sees injustice, he does what he can to help. When Wei Wuxian needs help rescuing Cheng from the Wen Clan, Wen Ning does not hesitate to commit to helping him. The two ultimately can't help doing what's right, even when it ultimately results in their punishment and separation. All of the characters suffer, but the Wen siblings get beat up quite a bit. In all of that though, Wen Ning continues to aide Wei Wuxian. Even when he is judged as the Ghost General, he continues to do what he can.<br />
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Let's talk about the fact that this show spans 16+ years. If you look objectively at the actors, I would guess most of the main cast is in their mid-20's. Which is an issue when for more than half the drama they're supposed to be teens. OK, fine, lots of 20-somethings play teens. But then 16 years are supposed to have passed and everyone looks EXACTLY the same. I mean like same hairstyles even. I don't want people to look super fakey aged, but it's awkward to adjust how old these characters are supposed to be when Jin Ling is suddenly grown up but his uncles haven't aged at all. Oh well, I'm not really sure what they were supposed to do, but having everyone in the exact same look seemed like an odd choice to me.<br />
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This show layers character development alongside action-packed fight scenes. I usually avoid these kinds of shows because I am not one for monologuing villains and drawn-out plot machinations, but this show really shines in its characters. I think the pacing is a bit off between episodes 20-30as I was in a hurry to get an explanation about how we got to where the show started. Still, the amount of catharsis at the end of this show is infectious. Wei Wuxian gets to clear his name, Lan Zhan's stance is vindicated, and the plot is uncovered. Revenge is taken and people thought lost are recovered. After the pain the characters endure, it's a well-earned conclusion. Also, there's so many adorable bunnies. So. many. bunnies.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-34034550085352411852020-03-20T11:01:00.000-07:002020-03-20T11:01:20.247-07:002Moons2: Thai Drama Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Gist: Cute Wayo (<span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Earth Teerapat Ruangritkul) </span></span>can't wait to start college with his longtime high school crush, the ever-gorgeous, smart, athletic Phana (Ben Brasier). Disappointingly, Pha can't seem to remember Wayo, but wastes no time picking on him relentlessly. When Wayo is selected as his department's moon, to represent his faculty in a school competition, he's going to give Pha a million chances to remember him. Both have supportive wingmen - Wayo has playboy engineering student Ming (Joong Archen Aydin/Chen) and Pha is flanked by fellow pre-med students Kit (Nine Kornchid Boonsathitpakdee) and Beam (Dome Woranart Ratthanaphast). Pha better get a move on as bad boy Forth (Pavel Naret Promphaopun) has clocked Wayo immediately, and he is not one for hesitation.<br />
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LET'S BACK UP. OK, so what's up with 2Moons? After I fell hard for BL with Sotus, I have been looking for another drama that is its equal (give me your recommendations please!!). I watched Make It Right (meh - too young, faking their kisses) and Love Sick (loved it but it moved a bit slow and again with the fake kissing. I now google this before I start a series. I just can't even with this.) Then I watched 2Moons. Based on a book series, I loved it immediately, watched the whole thing and then went to check in on the second season ... and the entire thing had been recast. I just couldn't handle the shock of it, so I didn't watch 2Moons2 for a long time. I think waiting meant I could come to the "second season" clean. Really, I think it's best to go into this thinking two things: this is more like a reboot than a sequel (although it runs longer into the story, it recaps the first season in the first three eps) and it's a cliff-hanger. That's a spoiler but I prefer to know that going in because I WAS SHOCKED when I hit the end. Now, I'm fairly worried about season 3. Supposedly the cast is confirmed, which better be true otherwise my heart may just give out. Still, I'm glad all this social distancing pushed me into finally catching up on this gem of a show.<br />
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So, in recommending this, honestly, I think 2Moons gives good background development with our characters but watching both, I actually prefer the new cast and I think since they recapped, you could reasonably just dive into 2Moons2. At the very least, now you know.<br />
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Prefer the new cast you say? Oh yes, let's dive into it.<br />
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So this cast had a tall order to fill. Fans of the series were really attached to the initial cast and many insisted on boycotting 2Moons2 (yeah, right) because of the change. It's jarring and people were angry, and these actors - brand-new, shiny, pretty, baby actors - stepped right up, did their homework, worked hard and crushed it. Really.<br />
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Our central pair is Pha/Wayo. Ben is such an expressive Pha, that the audience immediately connects with his feelings for Wayo. That moment when he realizes what's happening is pure gold. Ben demonstrates range, believably protective, jealous, and bullying, but with Wayo is just so soft and sweet. Also they kiss like they mean it. We are blessed, thank goodness - I just can't take this fake kissing anymore. My American sensibilities have no patience >.< So here is what I truly love about this story. Pha is a classic drama love interest. He's tall, and beautiful, and smart, and a doctor, and everyone wants him. Yet, he's always loved Wayo. Wayo didn't have to wear him down with pluck and persistence. From day 1, Pha and Wayo have been on the same page about each other, they just had to be brave enough to say something about it (specifically, Pha needed to be comfortable with his friends). I love this. Pha didn't wait for Wayo to get pretty, he loved him for who he was from the start, fully, completely, unconditionally. This speaks volumes about Pha as a character and evens out their relationship. I think about characters like Naoki from Mischeivous Kiss or Domyouji from Boys over Flowers, and Pha seems like that archetype, but doesn't put himself on a pedestal. He's humble (ok, humble-ish) and recognizes all of Wayo's best qualities. Wayo is a precious cinnamon roll, but I have some issues with the way he lashes out at Pha when he's jealous (don't run off with sexual predators to make your boyfriend jealous please!). But my love for Pha knows no bounds because rather than letting the misunderstanding continue, he tracks Wayo down and forces and honest/open conversation. This is how you have a healthy relationship, people!!<br />
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Next ship sailing is KitKat and Ming. This is a little more traditional: Ming is all about that Kit game and Kit tries so hard to just not. And you know what? I am not angry about it. Ming should have a warning sign. I'm sure all his exes thought they were special and the one. Kit is totally right to be skeptical and make Ming earn his trust and affection. In this pair, Ming definitely is the one with something to prove. It's Kit that needs to feel safe enough to open up, be vulnerable, and be loved for his flaws (not in spite of them). I love how shy but sassy Kit is. It's hilarious to watch interviews with Nine because he's so soft in person and so believably prickly as Kit (A+ job, Nine). Their story rightfully takes a little time, but the confession scene is so sweet: Ming is straight up open about being all in and Kit is open about being scared about his lovability. The kiss comes late but it feels very earned (and once again thank you for kissing like you mean it!!).<br />
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Oh my, I am still waiting for my heart to cool from watching Forth and Beam. The world is blessed now that Pavel is here. He is everybody's boyfriend. I live for this chaotic gay energy he is projecting into the world (thank you YouTube comments for this categorization, it's perfect). He hunts sweet Wayo down like an injured animal, and one kiss from Beam is enough to pounce. I'm impressed with how natural Pavel is as Forth, but I think he might just be Forth incarnate (blessedblessedblessed), so let's say well done on the casting. They say that the author of the books, Cake, saw him by his motorcycle and felt the Forth energy and the rest is history. Homie knows what's up. It seems like an understatement to say that they kiss like they mean it. They kiss like they're gasping for air.<br />
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So let's take a minute for how 2Moons2 addresses sex (don't expect R-rated material here, it's not that kind of show, unless you consider having a long look at Forth's underwear choices R-rated). Still, 2M2 knows that everyone is at different stages in their sexual readiness and respects that. Pha pressed Wayo about it, but respects that he isn't ready and waits for him (but you know, still makes sure he knows he's ready whenever Wayo is). Ming/Kit haven't quite gotten to that stage in their relationship as they're still working on the trust and vulnerability between the two of them. Forth/Beam were ready as soon as they closed the door in a room alone together and you know what? That's OK too (although my darlings make sure people are not so drunk they can't consent). They start their relationship physically and back into the emotional work, kind of working in reverse of Pha/Wayo. In short, there is no right way to have your relationship. The love is between two people and whatever is right for those two people is OK. If 2M2 shows us anything, it's that love is love is love is love.<br />
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The Angel Gang. Sassy. Fierce. Bold. Amazing. Again these girls are a bit stereotypical but rather than just having them as comic relief, they are true friends to Wayo. They comfort him through his trials, support him with Pha, and hunt down those who hurt him. I am loving their energy! They are each a treasure and when Cake shows up (reference to the author, but is also every person watching this show), she slides right into the group. They do not know how to slow down and they do not know how not to love themselves. We thought Forth was confident, but the Angels are here to slay. I hope we get more of them in season 3 because it was nice to get some development and respect for these types of characters. Again, love is love is love is love.<br />
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In short, I think 2M2 exceeded all of my expectations and did great honor to the source material. I recommend this to everybody with a beating heart. This filled the hole in my heart Sotus left, but what will I do until Season 3???? (sigh.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-80154758250442051162019-06-23T09:34:00.000-07:002019-06-23T09:34:13.372-07:00Sotus S (Season 2): Thai Drama Review<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist:</span> Kongpob (Singto) is now in his third year at college, and is reforming the SOTUS system as the head hazer. His long-term boyfriend, Arthit (Krist), is beginning his post-college career at the company of his choice, but in the procurement department instead of his preferred production department. Kongpob and Arthit navigate how to maintain this next phase of their relationship while dealing with new friendships and interactions in their separate environments. <br />
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Additionally, M finally pursues a relationship with May and Tew grapples with a new freshman to try to get him involved. <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">My thoughts:</span><br />
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So, I have lots of feelings about this show. The first season was almost perfect in my opinion. Many of the same things I enjoyed about that season, I also really liked about this one. The representation is great and the romance is sweet (if not extremely slow burning - like extremely, get to episode 9 my darlings).<br />
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With that said, I think the central relationship loses some of relatable situations with its time jump. Arthit is clearly grappling still with announcing that he is dating a man to those who aren’t close friends. Even Kongpob has been keeping this a secret from his family over this time. With that said, Arthit still seems so uncomfortable in his relationship with Kongpob. If this had picked up right after Kong’s freshman year, I would have bought it. But how many people are dating for two years and don’t kiss each other good-bye in the morning? I love that they casually stay over at each others’ places, that is very college life to me, but at 7 episodes into the show, I was still waiting for a kiss ( again, get to ep 9!). For this relationship to be this longstanding, Kong shouldn’t be begging for a kiss here and there. I understand with the stigma that Arthit wants to keep it low key, but when they’re alone, we should see them closer. As Arthit was the one who took more time to adjust being in a homosexual relationship, it makes sense that he’s the one lagging, but after two years, to me, it just doesn’t seem believable that he’s still like this. <br />
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Speaking of slow going, dear lord my little M and May. How have you both not figured it out yet. May is clearly long over Kong and they’ve gotten so close, it just defies all logic that they aren’t dating at the beginning of this show. It seems that the writers slowed their relationship down a lot so that the viewers could see the confession scene. Yet, the buildup for that wasn’t intense, so it’s harder still for me to think that they’d gone two full years without having that conversation. <br />
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Jumping back to Kong, my sweet angel of a confused boy, he really messes up in the middle of this season. It is one thing to want to be close to your boyfriend, it is another to intern at his job and move next door in the same day without asking him how he feels about it. What really grinds me about this is that there’s not really a believable reason for him not to talk to Arthit about it. Once he explains it, Arthit understands, so there’s no point in having that conversation afterwards rather than before. It seemed uncharacteristic for Kong and somewhat like manufactured drama. I will at least concede that this is a really new situation for all of them and with Kong not getting the closeness of the relationship he’s looking for, it kind of makes sense that he overcompensates. With that said, I’m glad Arthit gets mad about it because that is not a healthy way to interact with your significant other and is somewhat manipulative by backing them into a corner. Since we know Kong’s intentions aren’t so sour, I’m willing to forgive it, but I would be extraordinarily unhappy in Arthit’s shoes. <br />
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In short, the central theme of this season is Arthit becoming comfortable in being who he is. This is such an important story to tell because anyone in a non-traditional (aka straight) relationship has to keep coming out to everyone they meet ever. Coming out is not a one-and-done. There will always be more people to tell, more reactions to anticipate. So, even after two years, Arthit is facing the same crisis he did in the first season: is he confident enough in his feelings for Kong to tell everyone about it. As in the first season, the answer was always going to be yes, but it was important for them to get to this point. In one of my favorite Japanese dramas, Mischievous Kiss, there is this one scene I adore where the wife has to finally break down and say that she's the only one who is chasing after her husband, he never comes after her. This unbalanced love is what's been happening to poor, sweet Kong and he finally has to give Arthit the ultimatum. Kong can't always just be the one chasing and by the end of this series, their relationship is more balanced.<br />
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I am going to talk about the side characters for a bit. Earth is my favorite. She comes off cold at first but is a great ally for Arthit. I was so worried about a love triangle between her and Arthit, but she catches onto his feelings for Kong immediately and that's what makes her a great friend. She supports them, but lets him come out to her in his own time. I also love her relationship with Tod, which builds slow, but is very cute.<br />
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Yong and Nai are probably my favorite side couple. Yong has that same great longing that Kong is always able to portray. You can just tell how happy he is being near Nai and how preoccupied he is with Nai when they're apart. I think these two had fabulous chemistry and I really wished for slightly more concrete resolution between them.<br />
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Tew really gets a chance to shine in this in his relationship with Day. The progression is a bit odd, Day really flips from super not interested to totally sweet, but they work hard to get to know one another. Again, I was waiting for a blunt confession, but it goes a little under the radar.<br />
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Also, my favorite Prae gets a hot girlfriend. It's a quick scene, but I appreciate the world letting me know she is loved because she deserves everything!<br />
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So... I think this show had a less clear trajectory than season 1, but the great chemistry between Kong and Arthit continues to carry this show. Kong is so bold its like he is a lion hunting down a wounded Arthit. Arthit doesn't stand a chance. Arthit continues to be shy and adorable.<br />
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I will also say the flashbacks to their intervening school years are a true delight. It's great to see how they got comfortable in their relationship. I love it when Kong can't concentrate on his studies because he is so obsessed with Arthit and when Arthit carries Kong on his back.<br />
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My biggest gripe about this season is that the show takes the time to get Kong's father to like Arthit, but they never come out to his family. Kong is so close to his family and this is such an important step for queer youth, but they never tackle that hurdle together. By the end of this, they are still lying. This is totally understandable and again, very relatable for these types of experiences, but I would have liked to see that resolved before the end of the show.<br />
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So...<br />
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So, I felt a little like the show ended too quickly and then I discovered Episode 5 of Our Skyy. Our Skyy is a BL (Boy's Love) anthology that does a special episode for many BL couples. This is truly where I feel like we get the closure. Spoilers and please do yourself a favor and find this episode for yourself to finish up watching this. Kong gets accepted to his study abroad program in China. The two are finally living the way you'd expect, lovingly and in sync. This is clearly a huge hurdle for them to tackle and while Arthit wants Kong to follow his dream, it makes sense that this is a painful time for them both. I love that the show finally gets Arthit to deal with being shy and kiss Kong in public when it matters. When Kong pulls out those rings I nearly died. More importantly, I don't have to worry about my boys because they get through the separation and are together again. I truly feel at the end of this episode that my boys can conquer anything.<br />
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Speaking of my boys, I didn't watch the special episode at the end of season 1, so I went back to watch it at the end. Oh boy, what a delight! Singto and Krist are clearly very close, even in real life. You can tell that they took the time to get comfortable with each other and now like working together. All of the cast members talk about how there is no space between them and that is a real treat for the fans. I read lots of reviews saying that the chemistry between these two is one of the best. I haven't watched too many BL dramas (although now that I know it is a thing, I definitely will!), but I believe it. They worked really hard to bring this romance to life and I feel a little empty now that it is over.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: A-</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-51820158039867453232019-06-14T18:04:00.000-07:002019-06-18T16:11:57.396-07:00SOTUS the Series: Thai Drama Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/76/SOTUS_The_Series_promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="266" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/76/SOTUS_The_Series_promo.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist:</span> When Kongpob (Prachaya Ruangroj) enters college in the faculty of engineering, he also has to undergo the hazing system at the school: SOTUS. The system is run by a group of third year students, lead by head-hazer Arthit (Perawat Sangpotirat). Kongpob immediately clashes with Arthit in defense of fellow freshman and the two start a longterm stand-off during their hazing session. Yet, Kongpob becomes attached to and concerned for Arthit, despite Arthit’s constant berating, as he begins to see that Arthit does have a good heart and has good intentions towards his cohort. Yet, does Kongpob have any hope that Arthit will return his feelings?<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:</span><br />
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1. Kongpob<br />
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I am in awe of Kongpob as a character and of Prachaya Ruangroj as an actor. I was so excited to watch a drama with a queer romance. When every drama heroine is the same (poor, plucky, you know), Kongpob was a constant surprise and delight for me. He looked at Arthit with persistent longing that it was actually almost painful to watch, which is important for a show with rather low levels of skinship. The piece that really set him apart for me was the way he would come out and say the most outrageous things to Arthit with so much confidence, while clearly being so unsure of his relationship with him. The whole thing had me thinking, Kongpob is smooth as freaking silk!<br />
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Scene - Arthit gets a haircut<br />
Arthit: How does it look?<br />
Kong: You look perfect.<br />
Arthit: You don't have to sweet talk me. This is serious.<br />
Kong: It's so bad.<br />
Arthit: What? Really?<br />
Kong: Me. I'm so badly stunned.<br />
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Me: O.O I am also badly stunned.<br />
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I want to talk about the confession scenes because I think that Prachaya Ruangroj really shone in all of them with small but extremely effective choices. <br />
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Spoilers from this point on…<br />
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The first, when Arthit is staying in Kongpob’s room, Kongpob waits until he thinks Arthit is asleep and just pours his heart out to him. Prachaya Ruangroj does a great job of imbuing all of the pain, confusion, and hope when Kongpob is trying to explain this. This scene felt exactly like every first love confession, with just the raw emotion of fear but not being able to hide it all inside. <br />
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The second, when he’s on the balcony and Arthit finally calls him, Kongpob is squeezing his fist so tight, that you can tell it is actually physically paining him to get the words out. It was expertly done and when Arthit panics and hangs up the call, and all Kongpob’s worst fears come true, I was just broken inside. <br />
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Finally, when we get that long awaited kiss, Kongpob smiles so hard mid-kiss. The chemistry between these two just pops. Arthit does this little pleased, pensive v-shaped smile when he gets embarrassed around Kongpob. It’s all a great treat, but very relatable. <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">2. The Side Characters</span><br />
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I'm going to take a moment to love on Prae (Ployshompoo Supasap). She's a gorgeous, strong woman and as Kongpob is going through his whole love situation, she has the great courage to come out to her friends. I really think the nuance of this show's treatment of Prae allows this to normalize queer people for Kongpob. Not every girl within eyesight of Kong wants him. Prae has her own goals and is confident in herself and who she is. I have mad love for Prae.<br />
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M (Thitipoom Techaapaikhun) and May's (Neen Suwanamas) romance is also skillfully portrayed. May pining after Kong and M pining after May is just a circle of pain waiting to happen. Still Kong gives her a respectful if but firm no and M handles it perfectly. He is there to comfort her, let her know he's interested, but gives her the space to make her own decisions. It's all very healthy and still sweet. My only complaint about this pairing is that we don't really get to see them together. In fact, most of the girls are written off the end of the show. Still, it was great to see M overcome his shy side to make an effort for May.<br />
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Waad(Teerapat Lohanan)/Prem(Chanagun Arpornsutinan). After getting off on the wrong foot, Prem comes to Waad's rescue. They are so sweet to each other afterwords. I love the way their interactions change, however, it seemed to me a bit like they were flirting and the show never fully explores that. That really is the great thing about watching a queer romance: anything is possible. This is another thing that never gets explored much beyond surface-level, but was still a delight.<br />
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Knot (Ittikorn Kraicharoen) is the mature one of the group. He is a little underwritten early on, but is just a rock for Arthit while he figures out his romance. Knot doesn't let Arthit stew and in multiple scenes lets him know that he can talk to him about anything. And he means it! When Arthit finally takes him up on it, he is supportive and serious. He takes Arthit's problem sincerely and gives him excellent advice, the same way he would about a girl problem. Representation is so important in media and as it is in important for the gay teens specifically to see themselves represented, it is also so important to have representation on how to be an ally. People can't sort through life alone and it was great to see Arthit have someone he can lean on while he sorts out what loving Kongpob truly means for him.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">3. Healthy Handling of Rejection</span><br />
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I will continue to sing Konpob's praises. As an avid drama watcher (obviously), I am used to the characters undergoing rejection to stop eating, fainting, making themselves sick, not taking no for an answer, and a whole other lineup of very unhealthy behaviors. When Arthit pulls back from Kong, he takes some time to cry it out and be depressed, before deciding that he needs to find a way to move on and respect Arthit's decision. But he also takes the time to respect himself. When Arthit comes back to him, Kong sets the boundary that they can't just be casual friends without giving Kong too much hope. I was so proud of him because handling heartache at that age is almost impossible (or you know, any age) and he was able to be respectful of his needs and Arthit's.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So...</span><br />
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I only have on real complaint about this show. It's that in the ending episodes when M tells Kong he didn't know that Kong liked men, he says he doesn't, he only likes Arthit. I feel a little like this is doing the characters a disservice. Bi characters don't really get the visibility they should and it seems that both Kong and Arthit are likely bi and I would have liked to see that more fully embraced. With that said, I bet this is a very real experience for some bisexual people, when they have their first realization that they are interested in someone in particular.<br />
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In short, I simply adored this show. It was somehow short and also a bit of a slow-burn romance. This is the type of show you can easily watch in one sitting. The chemistry between Arthit and Kongpob was beautiful, sweet, and relatable and Kongpob was the best kind of protagonist. Looking forward to re-watching this and diving into the second season soon!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: A++</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-5207971034670276552019-05-30T08:04:00.002-07:002019-05-30T08:04:50.241-07:00CDrama Review: Well-Intended LoveThe Gist: Young, aspiring actress Xia Lin (Simona Wang) is mortified when she is diagnosed with leukemia. Determined to not let this diagnosis prove fatal, she tracks down her only matching bone-marrow donor, CEO Ling Yizhou (Xu Kai Cheng) to save her life. He agrees, with one stipulation: she has to agree to marry him for two years. With no other options, she agrees. Although she tries to convince herself it’s only an arrangement, she starts to fall for Yizhou and the fairy-tale life he offers her.<br /><br />OK. Spoiler time..<br /><br />The Real Gist: Insane psychopath becomes obsessed with a girl who is nice to him one time, stalks her for several years, forges her medical documents to trap her in a marriage with him.<br /><br />Yeah. Really. Which is beyond a shame because I actually enjoyed this show for the most part until this reveal. However, the depth of this deception totally undoes all the kindness he shows her. All of the rules he places on her, the contract he makes her sign, the loyalty of his friends, all suddenly seems sinister. I don’t mind a good psychopath, but let’s call it what it is. Ling Yizhou doesn’t just have some quirks, he has no real understanding of anyone but himself. <br /><br />To Xia Lin’s credit, she does not take this lying down. She freaks out and calls him out for every insane thing he has led her to believe and he traps her inside their home! He truly does not care for how she feels, only that he gets to keep her. I am so proud of her for standing up to him and not letting her feelings get in the way of the abuse he’s put her through.<br /><br />Because that is what it is. Ling Yizhou stalks her and then gaslights her for her entire marriage. I was waiting for him to show some remorse, but he says he didn’t think through how this would affect her and then proceeds to tell her that he would do it over again given the chance. To me, this shows that Yizhou is a literal psychopath because he lacks the basic empathy to think from another person’s perspective (especially someone he claims to love). No one with any sense of empathy or compassion would be able to do this cruel chess game. <br /><br />There is a huge issue here with consent and agency. Yizhou does not give Xia Lin any chance to make a choice with him. And the crazy part is, he didn’t even try to give her one. He is capable of kindness, and he’s good-looking, and rich and can even help with her career, but instead of earning her trust, building a relationship, and asking her out like a normal person, he forces her hand. It’s taking the hate-to-love relationship SO far. He doesn’t want to put in the effort to date her on her terms, so he plays house with her until she normalizes it. <br /><br />All the sacrifices you think he’s making for her just aren’t real. All the teasing he puts her through is really just him controlling her. Honestly, this is the first time I am fully on the side of the villain. I am not going to watch this show long enough to figure out what his deal is, but he was in the right to let Xia Lin know that Ling Yizhou is not being honest with her with something as serious as her health. <br /><br />Also, can we talk for a quick minute about how she bites him to get him to let her go AND HE DOESN’T. I think the writers were trying to make this seem romantic in that he would stay by her no matter what. But when it’s in the confines of her being held hostage, it’s honestly just scary. She is physically fighting against him and he does not let her go.<br /><br />I don’t think all drama romances are healthy. Many leads behave irresponsibly and unkindly and childishly. However, this is beyond anything I have witnessed before and I just can’t personally forgive a character who is so morally reprehensible. Everything I thought I liked about him just seems distressing now. I’d prefer to finish this show thinking that she just left him because she deserves better.<br /><br />Finally, he had a chance to come clean with her. That wouldn’t have really made it better, but it would have at least shown some ounce of self-reflection. If he eventually gets to that point in the show, I don’t need it. There are better shows out there with less toxic overtones. <br /><br />And to think - I was actually worried about the amnesia plot. Ugh. No Bueno.<br /><br />Final Grade: FUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-50299267294882033932019-01-18T12:45:00.005-08:002019-01-18T12:45:42.971-08:00KDrama Review: Cheese in the Trap<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist: </span>Poor college student Hong Seol (Kim Go Eun) just wants to live her college life under the radar when she makes a startling discovery: popular senior student Yoo Jung (Park Hae Jin) is faking some of his emotions and is causing discord between students behind the scenes. Unfortunately, Yoo Jung catches Seol watching him and sets his sights on making life difficult for her and when she can’t take anymore, she takes a leave of absence from school. However, when Seol returns to school, Yoo Jung seems determined to be nice to her (much to her terror). Can she trust that his change of heart may be genuine? <br /><br />I am going to start this review by saying I am incredibly biased. I have a huge reserved space in my heart for Park Hae Jin. Besides being so gorgeous it’s distracting, I think he is an incredibly talented actor. I was impressed with his character in Bad Guys, as a psychopath you actually feel rather bad for. When I found out the lead in this show was a sociopath and it was played by Park Hae Jin, I knew that he could lend the complexity that this kind of character requires (prideful, victim, damaged, hurt, caring, and bold all at once). For this reason, I was always going to root for Yoo Jung, even when things got dicey. <br /><br />In short, I am not a fan of Baek In Ho (Seo Kang Joon). I think there are legitimate arguments to be made from people who prefer to In Ho to Yoo Jung, as he is a much more typical drama lead and a more normal person. But, really, I disliked In Ho a lot so I’m going to start my review there.<br /><br />I am also going to say that you have to spoil the ending of this show for yourself if you are going to have any hope of enjoying it. So, don’t worry about spoilers and let’s go.<br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Hate:<br /> </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">In Ha/In Ho</span><br /><br />There is barely anything worth mentioning about In Ha. Growing up with her would make anyone a sociopath. She is totally despicable and even when she has glimmers of humanity, she is so selfish and out of touch and reliant on others, that it is impossible to find anything even quasi positive about her.<br /><br />So, let’s focus on In Ho. The siblings have a complicated relationship with Yoo Jung, but In Ho just straight up pissed me off. I feel like there was a double standard with how this show treated In Ho and Yoo Jung.<br /><br />While Seol ultimately forgives Yoo Jung for the one time he gets violent, In Ho handles all of his problems with his fists. Somehow Yoo Jung is painted as some psycho for beating up someone who threw Seol down stairs, but In Ho is just a scamp for trying to beat up her stalker? Not to mention, In Ho is the one who begins a fist fight with Yoo Jung. Yoo Jung shows incredible self-control around In Ho and In Ho just does whatever he feels like.<br /><br />Second, the way he has this tell it like it is attitude, that is actually just him being an enormous jerk. Yeah, Yoo Jung isn’t always honest, but In Ho is off-handedly hurtful without even trying. When you finally find out the reason Yoo Jung is made at him all these years, my heart just broke. For someone In Ho ostensibly sees as a brother, he bad mouths him without even trying. Worse than that, I’d have to think of how In Ha would be if In Ho didn’t degrade her constantly. From their youth to adulthood, In Ho tells her she isn’t talented, while he’s a genius, and that she has no prospects in life. Of course she is a dependent psycho, he doesn’t care about her at all. And then he just leaves her! Yes, I get him not wanting to stay in the house after his accident, but he doesn’t give a passing though to what that would do to In Ha. Of course she’s attached to Yoo Jung - he has to defend her to In Ho and is not outright cruel to her. Honestly, In Ho managed to seriously damage both Yoo Jung and In Ha, without being able to process FOR YEARS, why they might be angry with him. Don’t get me wrong, Yoo Jung has problems, but he at least understands why In Ho is angry, he just doesn’t think he’s right.<br /><br />What really was the nail in the coffin for In Ho in my esteem is the piano stuff. I had some measure of sympathy for In Ho after learning about his accident because I thought that’s why he wasn’t playing piano… and then in the middle of the show, he just decides to play again. WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? So, instead of taking the time to heal and get back to what he cares about, he sulks for years and picks it back up when it suits him, while blaming Yoo Jung all this time. At some point, at least, he realizes he’s been wasting years he could have been pursuing this, but I’m with Yoo Jung on this one, he is drawing out something bad that happened to him and using victim mentality to prevent him from doing something he cares about. That lost him all credibility for me. I’m not saying what he went through wasn’t bad, but I thought he was robbed of piano playing forever and he wasn’t. Then, to satisfying his own feelings, he beats up Yoo Jung even though it damages his hand. I mean, how thick can you be?<br /><br />Let’s also not forget about the way he clings to Seol. Yes, he is allowed to have friends. But seriously, in the whole wide world, he has to cling to her? After he figures out Seol is Yoo Jung, he is again, not mindful of hurtful things he says about either of them and their relationship. He knows this is going to put her in an awkward position, but doesn’t ever leave her alone, after it’s clear that she is not leaving Yoo Jung (not that that should have mattered). She’s a big girl, she can make her own decisions. They should have had a passing wave at most. But he sticks around until she considers him a friend, going as far to work at her parents restaurant (seriously? I mean, I know he needs money, but that seemed so tasteless to me. Go work at your enemy’s girlfriend’s place. Classy). And he has some audacity to feel bad when he starts to like her, even though she made her feelings clear long ago. It really validates how uncomfortable Yoo Jung is about him hanging around Seol. In Ho really does just feel entitled everything that Yoo Jung has. It’s gross. <br /><br />At the end of the day, I was just bored with In Ho. I found Yoo Jung to be a unique and complex character and In Ho was just so… ordinary. Once we got into his piano stuff, I just started skipping his scenes and the drama didn’t suffer from it at all. Again, I know I’m biased because I love Park Hae Jin, but I didn’t even feel conflicted between the two of them. Thumbs down from me for In Ho.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:<br /><br />Yoo Jung and Hong Seol</span><br /><br />I think these two were perfectly cast and played their characters beautifully. I love that Seol is so appropriately wary of Yoo Jung at first (smart girl), but she really works hard to understand him. I like the moment where he stays over and they actually kind of see each other for the first time. Yoo Jung needs an incredibly understanding and forgiving girlfriend and she is that for him.<br /><br />More than that though, I feel like he supports her in a way that others don’t. One of my favorite embodiments of this is when she overhears her parents saying they’re going to take her tuition to pay for her brother’s school when he doesn’t want it and she runs out, and even though they’re fighting, Yoo Jung is waiting there for her to take care of her and understand what she’s going through.<br /><br />Let’s talk about Yoo Jung. I was really wary about starting this drama after reading the reviews, but when I decided to, I imagined that Yoo Jung was going to be more…evil. Really, I feel that You Jung is a mirror. He is ruthless, but he doles out what has been dealt to him. He never attacks innocents (now whether or not he is attacking at the level they deserve is an interesting question), but always sees people for what they do. Which is why Seol is a good match for him, she is like a sponge. She never hits back (until she learns when she needs to). He helps her stand up for herself and she helps him absorb more. But really, the big thing is there is just nothing for him to lash back at her about. She is a truly kind person and on some level, they both recognize in each other that they are constantly bending over to keep others happy (family, fellow students, even friends) and that makes them kindred spirits, so that they don’t just have to bottle up how they feel anymore.<br /><br />Honestly, what gets me most about this romance is just that it is bizarre. I love that they are overcoming unusual problems. Do sociopaths not deserve love? Even when they feel bad about it and are trying?<br /><br />I’m going to say that, yes, he way crossed a line with the stalker situation. That was upfront just despicable what he put Seol through sicking that guy on her. But I appreciate that she really corners him about it and makes him face what he’s done to her. In that Yoo Jung is a mirror, him caring about Seol, actually gives him a real chance to confront himself. <br /><br />And on some level, that is why the ending works at all. He realizes that he is putting way to much on Seol and while he needs her, she can help motivate him to change. There is something really amazing about the growth he works towards in this show. When he realizes that he is still pulling the same shit and Seol will stand by him, he knows he has to take responsibility. I really admire that he recognizes his own victim mentality.<br /><br />While we are talking about the ending…<br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Mixed Feelings:</span><br /><br />Again, I do not think you can truly enjoy this show if you don’t know where it’s going. If you’re an In Ho fan, you should know now that it can’t be him. If you’re a Yoo Jung fan, the ending is going to feel a little unsatisfactory. I think he was right to break up with her, but I have two problems with the ending.<br /><br />First, is that she just seems like she’s miserable and has been for years without him. Yes, she has some friends, but even In Ha gets her love story and Seol is just waiting. Is it good to Yoo Jung to change? Yes. Is Seol happier with him changing without her, leaving her alone, than she would be if he worked through it with her? I don’t think so and in that the breakup suddenly doesn’t make as much sense. I think he leaves her alone for too long. Now, he does sometimes do things to help her that are at the expense of others and he needs to knock that off, but I think this show made a good argument for the two of them together and yet he leaves and In Ha stays??? It’s so bizarre. <br /><br />Second, they don’t show him coming back!!! AH. I would have even taken a Goblin-style starting at each other ending (although a kiss would have been better). While, I like that they hint that he’s coming back to her, after three years, he needed to get his rear in gear and go get her. <br /><br />Actually, I also have a beef with the ending that isn’t about Jung and Seol. I can’t believe after all of that In Ho just leaves. Like he hangs around long enough to just make it impossible for everyone and then he finally does the right thing and bails. I feel like at that point, he should have made some sort of effort with Jung and In Ha. If he was just going to leave again, he should have just done that to begin with. I know then it wouldn’t be a show, but I just am so over In Ho. <br /><br />I think if you’re prepared for this ending, you can appreciate it for what it’s trying to do. It’s an unusual ending for an unusual romance. I think if I hadn’t known it was coming, I would have been DEVASTATED. <br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">So…</span><br /><br />So, I think this drama was worth watching. I think In Ho and the ending are both kind of so/so (though many watchers appear to really like In Ho, which may also make you feel mixed about this show), but I think that Hae Jin and Go Eun have spectacular chemistry and I like them both so much. I really found myself rooting for their romance, even when things got complicated. It was funny to watch this show right after Love 020. It’s like this show was making up for Love 020’s total lack of conflict, but having SO MUCH CONFLICT. I will also say that this show has a very engaging and strange pilot/first episode. I loved it. It’s not perfect, but I am glad I watched Cheese in the Trap.<br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: B</span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-69175928468702618412018-12-31T09:24:00.005-08:002019-01-09T12:44:10.050-08:00Thai Movie Review: Yes or No<br />
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<img alt="Yesornor_1.jpg (261Ã381)" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/Yesornor_1.jpg" /></div>
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I’m abandoning my usual format for this review as I can’t quite seem to organize my thoughts into neat “liked this” and “didn’t like this” boxes. I’m just going to talk about this. <br />
<br />
Let’s start with a note about terminology. The subtitles on the version of Yes or No that I watched referred to Kim as a tomboy. I feel like this is not a totally accurate translation, but as I don’t speak Thai, I have to use context here. Tomboy in this movie, seems to include concerns about her that range from her being gay to her being transgender. I would say that Kim dresses more androgynous more than butch (which is what I originally pictured when reading the review of this movie) and is very adamant about being a girl. Regardless of what she wears or who she loves, she embraces being a woman. While we do know by the end of the movie (or reading the summary) that Kim is ultimately gay (or bi at least), she doesn’t seem to fully understand that herself at the beginning, so the way she dresses or presents does not appear to have much influence from that side of herself – at least, not consciously. All that is to say, I am going to keep using tomboy as the term to encapsulate all of this when writing this review, understanding that it’s a bit different from how I would normally use it.<br />
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In short, this movie is about roommates, Pie and Kim. Pie is conservative and therefore concerned when she meets tomboy Kim. Even though she wants nothing to do with Kim initially, the she warms over time as they develop their friendship and ultimately, their relationship. <br />
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In watching this movie, I was most profoundly moved by the vulnerability Kim shows. I somehow expected that because she is a tomboy, she’d be forcing a strong façade, but Kim never shies away from showing her insecurities. Whether its fear of the dark or her own feelings, Kim is constantly opening herself to the others around her, in spite of the fact that people treat her poorly. Although Pie is cruel to her for a long time, Kim waits her out and never lashes out at her. Sadly, this does seem to speak to how much she deals with this, but more than that, it speaks to her bravery and strength. Kim seems almost childlike, she wants acceptance and approval, which makes the way people behave towards her even worse. <br />
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In this regard, it is much harder to feel for Pie. She starts this movie at a place of ignorance and fear and it is really only through jealousy that she notices her feelings for Kim may be more than friendship. Between the two, Pie displays more outward confidence, but behaves much more cowardly when it comes to Kim. Yet, coming from a religious family, knowing that level of judgment so close to home, it actually takes a herculean effort to accept others and yourself when you’ve been told that it’s not right. In that way, I think Pie actually deserves a bit of slack. It takes her long than the viewer would like to be upfront with herself and others, but she does a good job of being honest with Kim about her fears. Kim, more than anyone, should know what signing up for a romance with her will mean. It’s easy to say that love will win out, but that can be impossible when the world is tearing you down and apart.<br />
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On that note, let’s talk about Jane. Jane owns her sexuality, but that’s really the only positive thing about her. Jane’s painted as a drama queen and it is heavily implied that she jumps rather quickly from girl to girl when it comes to love. There is some blame to be laid on Kim, who is not upfront about the fact that she is not interested in Jane until it is way too late, but Jane can see what is happening between Pie and Kim and constantly interferes. While she doesn’t explicitly know the extent of their relationship, it is not OK to just come into someone’s room and kiss them when they can’t see you. I have no sympathy for Jane (which is probably intentional) and waited for her to realize that what she did was wrong, but her own selfishness really makes any redemption for this character almost impossible.<br />
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On the flip side, there are supportive characters. The people that Kim is surrounded by are truly heartwarming. I love that Auntie Inn is very upfront with Kim and helps her work through issues that are difficult for her to handle on her own. Furthermore, we don’t get to see Kim’s father much, but his immediate acceptance of Pie is a nice balm on the wounds that get torn open at the end of this movie.<br />
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In terms of bravery, this movie embodies it just by existing. As far as I can tell, this is one of the first movies with these themes in Thailand. It is important for people of all kinds to feel accepted and seen and representation in the media is an important part of that. For all the dramas I watch, especially those with the cross dressing, seeing those with true LGBT representation is rare. Especially, all things considered, at its heart this movie is just a romantic comedy. The chemistry between our leading ladies and a script with vulnerability and heart made this a lovely watch. <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade:</span> A-<br />
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</style>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-77941963986391644672018-12-20T08:50:00.000-08:002019-01-09T12:43:22.192-08:00CDrama Review: Love 020<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><img alt="Love_O2O_Poster.jpg (264Ã377)" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bd/Love_O2O_Poster.jpg" /></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;">*Available on U.S. Netflix Streaming* </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist:</span> If you are looking for a show with misunderstandings, love triangles, rich moms who think no one is ever good enough for their sons, drawn out fights, and lots of suspense… Love 020 is not the show for you.<br />
<br />
When computer major and department beauty, Bei Weiwei (Zheng Shuang), is approached by a talented player in her online game to be her new in-game spouse, she accepts, not imagining that the one behind the character is campus celebrity Xiao Nai (Yang Yang). Xiao Nai, though, fully understands what he’s doing, having seen Weiwei play in a cafe and admiring her instantly. After getting to know each other their game, eventually the draw to meet is too strong and they must take their relationship offscreen. <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:</span><br />
<br />
1. Modern/Unique Relationship<br />
<br />
I love the premise of this show. There is something so modern about a relationship that begins by gaming together. As someone who games with their SO, I know how fun and engaging it can be to get to know someone through playing together. I like that this show never looks down on gaming, but uses it as a unique framework for developing this relationship. I love the costuming and looks of everyone as their characters and really enjoyed the gaming sequences. I was even pleasantly surprised at how good the effects looked. <br />
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But beyond that, this relationship is portrayed really differently than a lot of drama relationships. There is a tinge of her snagging the celebrity and the whole world is jealous, but that’s not really what this show is about. This show is more about the small things: getting to know each others’ friends, supporting each other through work, meeting the parents, planning a future together, and above all else, trust. The amount of trust in this relationship is staggering. You get used to the usual misconceptions and self-doubt that dramas normally portray, that this is a total breath of fresh air. It’s actually a fairly relaxing watch because you know that no matter what problem arise, what mischief gets thrown at our character, they are always on each others’ side, unconditionally. They believe each other first and foremost and tackle their problems together. These are the types of relationships that should be role models for young girls (and boys) out there.<br />
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2. Bei Weiwei<br />
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Oh, my love for Weiwei knows no bounds! While I will always love a show with a poor but plucky protagonist, it’s nice to have a girl who is respected in her field, considered skilled and talented, smart, capable, and pretty. I know that last one seems petty, but shows are always trying to convince me that pretty girls are ugly (like Love 020 does with Weiwei’s roommate Erxi), that it’s nice for once to have one just come out and say, yes, she’s gorgeous! Because she is!<br />
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But, I think what I love most about Weiwei is that she handles her own problems (and Xiao Nai encourages her do so). When rumors float around about her, she faces them directly and head on, even though she is a quieter personality. She is no damsel in distress and does not need her boyfriend to fight her battles for her. He always supports her, but the one time he does confront someone for her, he apologizes for it. <br />
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I love Weiwei and her and Xiao Nai have such amazing on-screen chemistry together that every scene between them feels effortless. I love that she is never jealous of how much he works, but just tries to support him as much as possible. I think despite how shocked she is at first, she is a very confident person in herself and her relationship. <br />
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3. The Cao Guang Problem<br />
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Let me start off by saying it’s been a long time since I disliked a character the same way I disliked Cao Guang. He contributes to rumors and thinks he has some right to Weiwei. Even when she is very clear with him how she feels, he does not accept her answer. Even when she start dating Xiao Nai, he doesn’t totally let go. He’s not above using her friends to get at her and is all around just problematic and incredibly selfish.<br />
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For a show with minimal conflict, his behavior is the catalyst for probably the largest issue. All of this led me to have some amount of dread about his interactions with Erxi (Weiwei’s roommate). She likes him, but I felt like he is in no way good enough. That was something I was just prepared to not like about the show.<br />
<br />
Spoilers to follow: Yet, I was pleasantly surprised how they handled this situation. Having Weiwei confront him was insanely satisfying. He totally deserved to have someone ask him genuinely what is wrong with him because he’d been behaving like a spoiled, hurt child. And you know what? He gives both Weiwei and Erxi space. He apologizes and makes things as right as you can with Erxi, but then he backs off. This is especially meaningful because that’s the biggest mistake he makes in the first place, is not backing off when Weiwei says she’s not interested. <br />
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I like that the show time jumps a bit because I think the only thing that really redeems him is having time to change. If this show had moved right into a romance with Erxi, I would have resented it as everyone was hurt by what happened. Ending this show with a hint of a relationship to come for them was the right flavor and extremely tactful. They say time heals all wounds and if Cao Guang used his time to learn how to treat people, then I’m all for some redemption for him. <br />
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4. Meng Yiran<br />
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Ostensibly, Yiran is supposed to be some sort of love rival for Weiwei, but she never stands a chance (at all). Yet, Yiran is not really the villain of the show. Her friend Nana is horrible and constantly giving her bad advice, but I’d say Yiran’s biggest flaws are jealousy and listening to people who don’t have her best interests at heart. <br />
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Some more spoilers - ultimately, I like Yiran. Unlike Cao Guang, for the most part, she accepts at a certain point that Xiao Nai likes Weiwei and lets it drop. She really only comes back in when she legitimately thinks something is wrong. Her friends go out of the way to bully Weiwei, but Yiran doesn’t really. By the end, I did just kind of feel bad for her and for that reason I was happy when she realized she wanted better friendships and a sincere relationship. She makes things right with Weiwei before heading off to a fresh start. I think that’s about what this character deserved, so I thought it was well handled. <br />
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5. K.O. and Hao Mei<br />
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I was totally stumped at the beginning of this relationship. I could not figure out if K.O. was something nefarious (and I mean, he kind of is?) or why Hao Mei liked him so much. I really was just confused and constantly, wondering… are they going to…? will they? won’t they? Because let’s face it, asian dramas are not on the forefront of LGBT representation, so while the show left it kind of vague, the two of them are definitely starting some kind of relationship by the end of the show. There is a closeness that is very cute between these two. K.O. is not expressive, but is constantly taking care of Hao Mei and Hao Mei is jealous of other people interacting with K.O. and is proud of him, not to mention K.O. protects him. Essentially, while I would have loved for this to sprout to full blown romance, I am happy at the groundwork laid for a relationship for them.<br />
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6. Let’s Talk About That Ending<br />
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Spoilers, obviously. So, this show has always been incredibly grounded and the ending is no different. Much of the last episode is dedicated to Xiao Nai getting Weiwei’s parents’ permission to marry her and then bringing their families together. I didn’t even mind that we didn’t get to see the wedding because the scene where Nai is helping her put on her wedding dress is sensual, intimate, and just touching. Not to mention, her dress is a red gorgeous thing that instantly brings back memories of her character’s red outfit, reminding the audience of the roots of the relationship. She looks all at once not totally done up, because she’s at home freshly showered, and so authentically beautiful and happy, that it’s a lovely wrap to the show. The two of them are building their home and life together and you get to see just enough of it to feel satisfied. Finally, it was a joy for him to bring him back and walk her through where he first saw her. They muse on how they may have missed each other and it really is such a wonder that there relationship worked out the way that it did.<br />
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7. Xiao Nai<br />
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This seems a little low down on my list and that’s only because Xiao Nai is the closest thing this drama has to a trope. He’s not overly rich, but he’s well off, and he’s gorgeous and great at everything from IT to basketball. Yet, despite this, he seems incredibly grounded. He doesn’t care that everyone is looking at him, isn’t embarrassed by how much he likes Weiwei, how inexperienced he is at romance. He has a great balance of dry humor, he loves to mess with just about everyone, and sincerity, so that Weiwei is never left doubting his feelings for her. He cares about whether her friends are taken care of and that her parents like him. He works a lot, but makes sure that Weiwei is never feeling less than cared for. Most importantly, though, we come back to the trust issue. When anyone casts doubt on Weiwei, he stands by her, forever, and that is what truly makes him gorgeous.<br />
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8. The Support Systems<br />
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I love the friends on both sides of this show. Weiwei’s roommates are totally her number 1 supporters when she gets with Xiao Nai, rather than being jealous that he wants her. They care for each other and watch each other’s back. Erxi and Weiwei do have some issues to work through, but the sincerity of their friendship is evident and you can see how important it is to both of them. Likewise, Xiao Nai’s friends are loyal and funny and they immediately embrace Weiwei as family. There, again, is barely any jealousy, but good natured love for each other. I like that Weiwei and Xiao Nai take the time to get to know each others’ friends (OK she gets to know his friends more, but still). This is something I feel like gets overlooked in a lot of drama romances - they’re so concerned with developing the relationship that they don’t incorporate their lives together. It’s one thing I like particularly about Meteor Garden and Love 020 does it better.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Hate:</span><br />
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OK, there is one single, solitary thing that I really didn’t like about this show. It’s small, but this show is so flawless that is stuck out to me. Tiny spoilers ahead. There is one conversation in episode 23 that grates on my nerves. Erxi and Weiwei have a falling out after Erxi realizes what’s been happening between her and Cao Guang in the game. In the attempt to comfort her later, Xiao Nai tells Weiwei essentially that she shouldn’t feel too bad because Erxi is just a small part of Wei wei’s life and he is her everything. It’s played straight, but that’s horrible advice. I think they were trying to get at the fact that he is a constant to her, but it ends up sounding like he is the only thing she needs… which isn’t right. It’s important for people to have strong friendships outside of their relationships. It’s even weirder for Nai to say that when his male friendships are so strong and important. He really should have said that they’d work it out. I did like him encouraging her that the two of them (Nai/Weiwei) wouldn’t need to fight in the future because they have other ways to solve their problems, but I wish he hadn’t followed it up with something so… immature. It also sticks way out because Nai is otherwise so reasonable, that it just tanked that scene for me. <br />
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I will say that this conversation is redeemed in the fact that he tells Erxi how much Weiwei misses her and how happy they’ll be to make up. I’m hoping something is lost in the translation of this scene, because I know he doesn’t feel like their friendship isn’t important (he even threatens Cao Guang about messing with their friendship), so it just seemed like a weird thing to say. But, I am dwelling on the tiny, tiny piece of an otherwise stellar show.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So…</span><br />
<br />
Can you tell that I loved this show? Have I been holding it in? Yeah, it’s obvious, this show was a home run for me. I like shows that are happy, fluffy, and this one was totally different than the things I have been watching recently. I am actually feeling a keen sense of loss at finishing this show because I was enjoying watching it so much (I actually forced myself to space out several of the episodes so that I could savor the experience). I plan to actually watch the whole thing over again as soon as possible - the 30 episodes seem to fly by. For a show whose main characters don’t meet for 10 episodes, it sure is awfully compelling. It’s sweet, it’s healthy, it’s inspiring, it’s warm. Perfect for a winter night watch.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: </span>Super Double A+ Perfection Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-36491402463629363692018-09-10T15:23:00.002-07:002018-09-10T15:23:40.469-07:00CDrama Review: Meteor Garden 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfv-7cJxnlCHyPRlBXkgBSpoby-h5hYwBxznwdhqx1_cbxoywa2Q4preZL42BSqmpUb6GcF04Z-uHw81tZFQR8KEIuJXfDC4SddP6X5iUOBWeXi9LXfMo2Fb-NCjmC9M-TJEPfgk_TJtov/s1600/pic.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="460" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfv-7cJxnlCHyPRlBXkgBSpoby-h5hYwBxznwdhqx1_cbxoywa2Q4preZL42BSqmpUb6GcF04Z-uHw81tZFQR8KEIuJXfDC4SddP6X5iUOBWeXi9LXfMo2Fb-NCjmC9M-TJEPfgk_TJtov/s320/pic.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist:</span> F4 are the handsome, rich, smart, quartet of bridge players at Ming De University. Poor but plucky Dong Shancai (Shen Due) is thrown into their path when bad-tempered leader Daoming Si (Dylan Wang) crushes her phone accidentally. Rather than offering to pay for the damage, Si brushes Shancai off, forcing her to take drastic action. Si’s never had a girl quite like Shancai stand up to him before and the more time he spends with her, the more he softens. But Shancai is looking towards another member of F4, Huaze Lei (Darren Chen), who is much gentler and much quieter. When both start to fight for her affection, where will she land?<br />
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Side note to get started, Hana Yori Dango, the Japanese live action drama based on the the source material for this drama was my first live action drama, so this has nostalgia for me but I am also critical that it gets done right. The KDrama version has so many missteps and Meteor Garden 2 is one of my least favorite dramas of all time, so I was skeptical going in. I must say I am really pleased with this incarnation, so let’s get into the specifics. <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:</span><br />
<br />
1. The Casting<br />
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I am floored by how pitch perfect the casting for this drama is. Shen Yue is excellent as Shancai and I had already loved her in A Love So Beautiful. Still, I think the boys are really where this drama shines. Daoming Si has the perfect balance of sweetness and temper (which was the right note in the original MG). Lei has the gentle, sleepy vibe down pat, where it felt more like he was living the part rather than acting it. Even the side characters, Si’s fiancé Xiaozi and Shancai’s friends are pitch-perfect, supportive but not static. It took me a little bit to grow on Xiaoyou, who seemed overly quiet at first, but she gets fired up as the show goes on. Most importantly, Si and Shancai do have great on-screen chemistry, which only gets better as the show progresses. This is a great reinforcement of the development of their characters as they get more comfortable (and more desperate) with each other.<br />
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2. Toned-Down<br />
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While I do love the basic core premise of this show, there was always something sort of inherently despicable about F4. In the source material, they use their wealth and power to bully the students at their school, actively encourage, nee ordering students to attack each other. The Korean version starts off with Jan Di stopping a bullied student from committing suicide. YIKES. <br />
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MG18 took real effort to tone down the harshness of these characters. F4 is still popular and unattainable and Daoming Is still has an attitude problem, but they’re not monsters (like hire-someone-to-assault-the-girl-you-like monsters; still looking at you original Si.). I was also skeptical about making them bridge players - it was just more surprising and didn’t fit with my preconceived view of them than anything else - but it makes sense to give them a framework to challenge people. It makes sense that they get card challenges, they’re card players. Makes more sense than the F4 death threats. <br />
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Another tone-down I really like is with Shancai’s classmate, Li Zhen (Dong Xin). Minor spoilers - so Li Zhen’s character in the other versions is so obsessed with Daoming Is that she is willing to hire and beat up Shancai to get what she wants, and is really just pretending to be a friend. Li Zhen in this version does take some unpleasant action against Shancai, but it is out of frustration with their friendship, which has its problems. More than that though, Shancai forgives her and she becomes a good friend throughout the show. I love redemption and it was nice to have a version of this show that finally gives her a chance.<br />
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Speaking of classmates, I could not stand Qinghe in the original Meteor Garden. He is over the top and kind of useless. I liked that they toned him down in this version and while he still loves Shancai, it doesn’t impede the progress of the story. I also like that they strengthened their friendship. They stayed good friends through high school and now college, rather than reconnecting in the middle of the show. Qinghe is a best friend to Shancai and this version really sells that.<br />
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3. HURTS SO GOOD<br />
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So, fans of the original storyline will know that things were always going to get worse before they got better. Somewhere around episode 27/28, things are going totally sideways and while I longed for the happy ending, I loved the tears and the drama. More minor spoilers. I am obsessed with the rain breakup scene outside of Daoming Si’s house, I am obsessed with him throwing the necklace into the water and Shancai having a hysterical breakdown searching for it, and I am obsessed with Si’s drunken laughter turning to full on sobbing before a straight cut to credits! Just carve my heart out. Not to mention the heartache that both Lei and Meizuo go through in the course of this show. Some of the best moments of this show, I was sitting on my couch, tearing up over my poor babies. <br />
<br />
4. Good Character Development<br />
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With a show this long, it has a lot of time to develop its characters and MG18 does not waste that opportunity. The chief among this is always going to be Daoming Si. You can see his reactions to things changing over the course of the show. He goes from violent and demanding things to working at them and keeping his cool. While this is definitely evident in his dealings with Shancai, it is even more so in his dealings with Xiaozi and F4. He tries so hard to let Shancai go, but he is up front with Xiaozi, twice, when he knows that things can’t work with them. I love the moment where he tells her to go find a good man. He doesn’t drag her along but validates her feelings. Additionally, Lei and Si have a complicated relationship, but time and time again they try to make space and accommodate each other, even when their feelings overlap. They may flare up now and then, but overall their relationship is really sweet.<br />
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5. Episode 13<br />
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So, I know this seems weirdly specific, but this is the episode that really sold me on their romance. When Shancai wants to give up, Si gives her some tough love, but then they just spend some time unwinding together playing cards, drawing on each others’ faces, and sleeping (I mean cuddling!). Although they are still a long way off from being together, it feels natural for them with each other. There is also this really nice moment where Shancai closes her eyes and would let him kiss her, but he backs off and decides not to. It’s good to see her growing more towards him and him growing more patient.<br />
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6. NO AMNESIA <br />
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Enough said.<br />
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7. Cute Cameos<br />
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Fans of the original will find a few familiar faces (and they're not very subtle about it). The mom in the original is the restaurant owner in London. It was so nice to have a few nods to the original. I also thought it closing out on the original theme music was a nice touch. <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Meh:</span><br />
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1. Product Placement<br />
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So, I am not so naive as to thing a big show like this one won’t have product placement, but they really are hitting you over the head with it. I don’t know what beverage they are drinking, but boy are they drinking it always and always and always (and now I want one - so I guess I get it?). Also, they’re sure to talk about perfume and skin care. I understand what’s happening, but it would take me out of the moment every time.<br />
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2. Caina<br />
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OK, so this is not nearly as bad as all the side characters of the original Meteor Garden, but boy did we spend a lot of time on Caina. Play-boy F4 member Meizuo finally falls hard for someone and labors at winning her over, even though it’s immediately obvious that she’s totally into someone else. I really felt for Meizuo and this was good growth for his character, having him really experience heartbreak for the first time, but letting her go to be happy. Still, there are a lot of scenes between China and Terrence and I just did not care. I only cared about her in regards to Meizuo and that made all of those scenes painful. I admit, somewhere around the middle of this situation, I started fast-forwarding through all of their scenes. There was so much else going on in the story, that I just felt like we were wasting time. I did watch the last scene to see their romance wrap, but I didn’t really feel like I missed anything jumping those scenes, if you feel like doing the same.<br />
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3. Too Long to Fall in Love<br />
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I get it. There are 50(ish) episodes to fill. I love a slow burn romance, but we know that Shancai loves Daoming Si way earlier than she is willing to admit to him. I understand there are some challenges to overcome, but she spends way too long not being honest with herself that it starts to impact the pace of the show. I had this complaint about the original as well so at least I wasn't surprised about it. The good news is once she does come around, it's so cute!<br />
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4. Ximen/Xiaoyou<br />
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First - small complaint. Why did Xiaoyou cut her hair?? It was so cute. But that's besides the point. I wasn't really sure where we were going with this story line. Their romance has a lot of different endings based on the version you watch. Some spoilers. While I'm happy their romance worked out, I don't think their chemistry is as good as other characters on the show. Additionally, I don't think Ximen does enough to prove he's serious about Xiaoyou. She works so hard for him and after he admits his feelings, he just takes her on the standard date that Meizuo did earlier. That wasn't exactly screaming sincerity to me. I am glad at the progression of this storyline, but I did feel that Xiaoyou is too good for him. At least he knows it.<br />
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5. The Wedding<br />
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Spoilers! Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled that we finally get a wedding! The original teases that story before bailing on the amnesia story from hell, so it is nice to get some closure. More than that, the wedding prep episodes were some of the cutest of the show (will I even get over Daoming Si calling Shancai's mom, mom? no!). There are some weird points. What was up with it being like a surprise wedding? Why weren't her parents there? Or his mom? What was up with the weird dancing, dream sequence? The whole thing seemed so silly for no reason in a series of events that were really serious. Also, let's talk about Si's mom. I love that we get some redemption for her, but we never see her really apologize to Si or Shancai before moving on. More than that, they're doing this dumb hunger strike when Daoming Si has a backup plan he just never gets around to mentioning to her? I know it makes for dramatic television, but that whole episode just felt force for me. Luckily them jumping ahead in their marriage a bit to them visiting Lei was a beautiful wrap up.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So:</span><br />
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So.... I think that despite some minor qualms with the show, this is as close to perfect as any of the versions of this story have ever been. It handles it's length well, subtracting and adding to the story just right. The friendships and romances were true joys to watch. The cast chemistry is excellent and I found myself really looking forward to episodes of this show. I was really worried about the amnesia thing, which basically obliterated my opinion of Meteor Garden 2 in the original series, but it pokes a little fun at this before moving on (thank god!). All in all I found this to be excellent and I was so happy to watch another, great version of this show.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: A+</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-88260391118434220762018-05-17T10:07:00.003-07:002018-05-17T10:07:42.419-07:00CDrama Review: A Love So Beatiful<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqC-aG8ja81Ra3TVrgNNedfIiYgg_B02m3APeMX7SKY7ovIgPsQMbtrC4jfIkQHQgvhV9bCe8tBQUvUjK1h3SaTwb6OokXxapaa1WtbaBydcsJUCTQUzMOmcXG60tunQpCCzBL7oia3Ub/s1600/ALSB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqC-aG8ja81Ra3TVrgNNedfIiYgg_B02m3APeMX7SKY7ovIgPsQMbtrC4jfIkQHQgvhV9bCe8tBQUvUjK1h3SaTwb6OokXxapaa1WtbaBydcsJUCTQUzMOmcXG60tunQpCCzBL7oia3Ub/s320/ALSB.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"> *Available on U.S. Netflix*</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist: </span>Plucky Xiaoxi (Shen Yue) pursues a one-sided love with her smart, but cold neighbor Jiang Chen (Hu Yitian). Jiang Chen has a hard time looking past her low IQ and embarrassing antics, but starts to get possessive when a new student, competitive swimmer Wu Bosong (Gao Zhiting) transfers to their school. Still, as both boys start to circle Xiaoxi, neither can really accurately express their feelings. The cast of friends is rounded out by tough but smart Jingxiao (Wang Ziwei) and dorky Lu Yang (Sun Ning). The five friends live out their high school days trying to sort out their hearts and chase their dreams!<br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Love:<br /><br />1. The Romance</span><br /><br />So, did this summary remind anyone of all those Itazura Na Kiss adaptations? The smart but cold boy pursued by energetic but dumb girl. They’re neighbors in this rather than living together, but the effect is similar. Readers should know by now, though, that my love for the Kiss franchises (It Started With a Kiss, Mischievous Kiss, Miss in Kiss, etc.), so it was nice to see a show that had the same vibes.<br /><br />However, there were some major differences that I found quite awesome in our main duo. Shen Yue and Hu Yitian have awesome chemistry as our main pair. While Xiaoxi is totally obsessed with Jiang Chen, she doesn’t wrap her career around him and when she feels like she’s being mistreated, she doesn’t hesitate to stand up for herself. There are some misunderstandings that arise from this, but it’s nice to see a girl who can still stick up for herself despite being so in love.<br /><br />Likewise, once Jiang Chen admits his feelings, he is very doting on Xiaoxi. It’s so lovely to see that he isn’t embarrassed of her. When he tells people that she’s his girlfriend or their getting married, it almost took me by surprise because he does grow a lot in the series from being so closed off. Into some spoiler territory, at the ending, it does take him a long time to apologize (and there was fault on both sides), but when he does, he is so sincere about it, it just wiggled its way into my heart.<br /><br />Honestly, I have heart cavities from how incredibly sweet this show is. <br /><br />Also, I will say, again, in small spoiler territory, that I loved the development between Jingxiao and Lu Yang. I was worried with the nurse plot, but they are a good match and it was nice to have their story moving along in the background from our main couple. Again, this show is just so sweet all around, I could barely take it!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">2. The Time Jump</span><br /><br />So another thing about this show that reminds me of the Kiss franchises is the time jump. We see our characters not only in high school (though that is the bulk of the show), but in college and beyond as well. I was wondering why all the characters looked so old at the beginning of the show, but once I realized the scope of what they were doing, it made sense. I like this in the Kiss shows and I liked it a lot here as well. <br /><br />It was nice to see how our characters matured and to give their relationships time to develop. Obviously, any show like this will have some relationship problems to work through and I think that progressing to working adults gave some extra opportunities to really handle the nuances and hard work of balancing life with your work. Also, the ending to this show was just so insanely adorable, I couldn’t handle it. Their relationship isn’t perfect, but it felt very relatable.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">3. Wu Bosong</span><br /><br />Oh man. I really liked Bosong. His relationship with Xiaoxi is really funny - I love that he calls her boss. He is very supportive and friendly and while you know that Jiang Chen is end game, I did really feel bad for him. Not to say I think that Xiaoxi should have ended up with him, but some triangles are harder to swallow than others and I think this one was difficult. He is willing to open up to Xiaoxi in a way that Jiang Chen isn’t for a long time, but I think he just came from too far behind, she was already so in love with Jiang Chen by the time Bosong showed up. I will say though, that a lot of the parts following him swimming when other characters weren’t present, I found myself skimming. I like him more in relation to other characters than I did on his own. Additionally, I liked that Bosong and Jiang Chen had sort of an uneasy friendship. It’s more complicated than if they just straight up hate each other all the time. I think it also allows for Jiang Chen to really have to contemplate if Xiaoxi would be happier with Bosong.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">4. Pacing</span><br /><br />I was a little worried about this show being 23 (+1 bonus) episodes long, but honestly, I watched this show so fast that I didn’t even mind that it was on the longer side. Realistically, this is one of those shows that I would have kept watching if it was even longer. Things move a little slower during the high school years, but not in a way that I minded. I like a little bit of a slow burn romance (although I was ecstatic when they finally got together). The later episodes move really quickly and I think that doesn’t leave too much room for filler. This means that most of the show at that point is just so focused on the romance and that’s just the way that I like it.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">5. Jiang Chen</span><br /><br />OK, so I said already I like the romance, but I really loved Jiang Chen. Hu Yitian does such a fabulous job of making him aloof, but also just so so caring. You can tell how much he loves Xiaoxi and is just totally committed to that. I find that he really shines in their kiss scenes. The expressions he makes before (super intense) and after (kind of an amazed dazed?) are just to die for. It’s lovely. Also, he is very beautiful, so I get where Xiaoxi is coming from. I don’t think my heart would make it either.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Meh/Hate</span><br /><br />Honestly, this is another one of those times that I am really wracking my brain to figure out what about this show bothered me and am coming up quite short. This show warmed my heart so completely and I am excited at the prospect of watching it again sometime soon. Spoilers: I think maybe my only complaint is that we didn’t get to see a wedding for them? But at the same time, we get a beautiful proposal and we did get to see Lu Yang and Jingxiao’s wedding, so maybe that would have been overkill. <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So:</span><br /><br />So… I adored this show! ADORED IT. This was one of those times that I was slowing down so that I could savor it just a little longer because I wanted to watch the entire thing in one sitting. It was a struggle. This is a great summer show - light with all the romance. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it executes familiar tropes well.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: A+</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-22398427780316112122017-11-01T14:38:00.003-07:002017-11-01T14:38:44.209-07:00JDrama Review: My Little Lover (Minami kun no Koibitio)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist:</span> Chiyomi (Maika Yamamoto) and Minami (Taishi Nakagawa) used to be best friends. After knowing each other since childhood and being neighbors, Minami suddenly pulls away when his father leaves his family. Now in high school, Chiyomi and Minami barely speak to one another. That is, until a rainy night catches Chiyomi out in the storm and she wakes up to be several inches tall (think Honey I Shrunk the Kids). After Minami tracks her down, she begs him to hide her rather than burden her parents with her mystical disaster. Minami reluctantly agrees. While the challenges of having to take care of your tiny next-door neighbor cause troubles for Minami, the new close quarters give them a chance to work out just exactly what went wrong in their relationship. <br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Love:</span><br /><br />1. Unique<br /><br />I am on a kick of shows that I had been avoiding because they just sounded so stupid. I should know by now that the dumber the premise, the better the show. After reading a couple good reviews, I decided to watch this one. It was short, so despite being skeptical, I dove in. I actually watched this entire show in one sitting on my day off. I can say I’ve been thinking about it every since I finished it because it was just a strange plot that is executed really well.<br /><br />Really, what is the bread-and-butter of this show is Minami and Chiyomi. They both have some serious acting hurdles to overcome because with Chiyomi needing to be so small, they can’t actually act directly at each other (in real life). I thought both actors handled it really well and they both managed to convince me that they were talking to one another, when it is obviously an effect. It is no small feat to handle a romance when the girl fits in the guy’s pocket, but they handled the chemistry in all the right places. <br /><br />Not to mention, it was interesting to see how they handled the tiny details of her being so small. Where does she go to the bathroom? (my biggest question and it was answered immediately). How will she bathe? What will she wear? It’s hilarious to see Minami struggle to take care of her like a small child when she’s really a peer.<br /><br />2. The Romance<br /><br />So, I think one of the things I really like about Japanese romance dramas is they tend to focus really singularly on the main pair. Korean dramas tend to build a lot of other story lines and multiple romances and it’s interesting, but can be overbearing. Every scene in every episode of this show is in service of the romance and the main problem of Chiyomi being small. This helps with the pacing of the show as it’s relationship-building is front and center. <br /><br />I also really like that they avoided any major love-triangles, although in another show, Sayori could have been the leading lady. Her and Minami had a lot in common and really her only flaw is that she isn’t Chiyomi. Obviously she serves the purpose of getting Minami to really confront his feelings, but I appreciate that they developed her into a well-rounded character and not just a set piece. <br /><br />Honestly, the show that this actually gave me a similar vibe to is Mischeivous Kiss. Now, you should all know how much I love that show (Mirai Suzuki was actually in both shows and in the hospital scene, the characters are reading the manga!). Something about the forced cohabitation and the male lead coming to realize the one for him has been there all along has a similar warm feeling. Especially as their families are both friends, even though this plot is totally different, I found myself feeling similarly to how I do when I watch Mischievous Kiss. <br /><br />Let’s get into spoiler territory here. I love that since the traditional skinship of this show has to be light (she’s so tiny!) that we make up for it with a big kiss scene at the hospital. I wasn’t totally sure how much of this we were going to get, but I appreciate that after waiting all this time, they didn’t shy away from our characters getting their much deserved intimacy once Chiyomi grows again. Also, I know some people will think this show ties up too neatly, but I love a show that ends on a wedding. Gah! It’s so cute!<br /><br />3. Our defeated rivals<br /><br />I know I touched a bit on how Sayori is a well-developed character beyond being a rival, but I was equally impressed with Chiyomi’s other potential love-interest Riku (played by the above-mentioned Mirai Suzuki). While he is definitely way too obsessed with dolls (it’s a touch problematic to want to keep a girl in your pocket…you know, without the supernatural circumstances), I appreciate him manning up and stepping aside when it’s obvious that the person Chiyomi loves is Minami and not him. I found him to be a fairly mature character and I was glad we didn’t shoe-horn extra conflict in with him. Also, he handles finding out Chiyomi’s secret like a boss.<br />
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4. Family Building<br /><br />Now, while the romance is definitely the focus of the show, the family relationships are an excellent backdrop. So much of how children see romance is colored by their parents’ relationships. We see how much Minami’s father leaving affects him, but his grandmother and mom are both so strong and so supportive. Although he feels like he has to be the protector, they are both good examples of leadership in his life. I like how when Minami gets into trouble helping Chiyomi, his mom’s first reaction is always to support him, rather than punish him. It is clear that they have a lot of trust in their relationship, which you can see mirrored in his approach to Chiyomi.<br /><br />It’s obvious throughout the show that Chiyomi’s parents have problems. We find out quickly that they got married after Chiyomi’s mom became pregnant. Their relationship is stressed as their daughter appears to be missing, but I appreciate how they resolve this storyline, especially how Chiyomi gets to be a part of this solution. Just as her parents have to work at their relationship, Chiyomi and Minami have to work at theirs. <br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Meh:</span><br /><br />1. Self-defeating problems<br /><br />So, throughout the show, I was really wondering what happened to Chiyomi and Minami’s relationship. It was obvious it had something to do with his father, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Slight spoilers ahead - finally, Minami confesses that he pushed her away because he was worried his feelings for her would change and that he would abandon her, like his father did to his mother. All that makes sense in the mind of a pre-teen teenager, but when the solution to that problem is to randomly have a change of heart and abandon her… aren’t you just becoming the thing you’re afraid of earlier? Again, I am willing to forgive this plot line because he is so young when his dad leaves, he doesn’t really have the tools to process what happened to him, but it is a little ironic that he enacts what he’s afraid of as a solution.<br /><br />Speaking of problem-solving, so it becomes obvious quickly that the reason that Chiyomi is staying with Minami is to get closer to him rather than to spare her parents, but for how much she complains about her parents reactions, they also handle finding out her secret with cool heads. It becomes obvious in the end of the show that she was creating more problems than she was solving, but again, forgivable - she’s a teen girl with a chance to get close to her crush. Eh, I’d do the same.<br /><br />2. The Special Effects<br /><br />Don’t get me wrong, as far as dramas go, they did a pretty stellar job with the effect of Chiyomi being tiny. Yet, there was always a little part of my mind thinking “the pillow’s not indenting where she is.” While they got the placement right and the acting is great, they have a hard time making Chiyomi look like she has any weight to her. It’s especially obvious when he’s holding her that it’s not quite right. Again, I think everyone does a great job and it doesn’t really detract from the writing of the show, not to mention how much did the effects cost already, it’s just a little distracting. I will say, they did a pretty good job of making her look like she’s wearing things that are tiny, large knit cloth or doll’s clothes. Additionally, her holding giant pieces of food is always hilarious. <br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">So:</span><br /><br />So… color me surprised, I freaking adored this little (get it??) show. It was an excellent watch, with all the right pieces for a good romance. It’s not especially heavy, but it does have just enough that it will keep you thinking about it for awhile (at least, it did for me). At 10 episodes, it’s much less of a commitment than a lot of other shows and the story just breezes by. I definitely recommend for any and all drama watchers, especially those who liked Mischievous Kiss.<br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade:</span> A+<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-11063483215035300632017-10-04T15:52:00.000-07:002017-10-04T15:52:25.557-07:00KDrama Review: Beating Again/Falling for Innocence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist: </span>Kang Min Ho (Jung Kyoung Ho) has a major chip on his shoulder. After his sick father’s death during his childhood, his uncle betrayed his father, took over his company and abandoned his family. The betrayal and loss prompted his mother to commit suicide, leaving Min Ho with a whole slew of emotions to work through. He lands primarily on revenge, eyeing his uncle’s company, with a plan to dismantle it before the same heart disorder that claimed his father’s life claims his own.<br /><br />It is in the midst of this hostile take over, that he is reunited with a childhood acquaintance Kim Soong Jung (Kim So Yeon). She has taken up the mantle of her father as secretary to the chairman, Min Ho’s uncle, at their company. This has not done her any favor with Min Ho, who sees her whole family as complicit in his uncle’s betrayal. <br /><br />A twist of fate intervenes when Soon Jung’s dopey and lovable fiancé is in a car accident (more on this later), and is a match to donate a heart to Min Ho. After the transplant, Min Ho starts displaying personality traits and a stronger affinity towards the now grieving Soon Jung. This relationship is further complicated by longtime friend Joon Hee (Yoon Hyun Min) who will do anything to win Min Ho’s seat at the company and Soon Jung’s heart (like, literally ANYTHING).<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:</span><br /><br />1) Min Ho Substitute Father<br /><br />So Min Ho is understandably wrestling with a lot of guilt when he realizes that he has Soon Jung’s fiance’s heart. One of the best things about this show was the relationship he builds with the heart donor’s father, played beautifully by Ahn Suk Hwan. They have a hilarious teasing relationship that turns sincere as they are trying to save their company. All the while, they are filling a void in each other’s lives, with Min Ho having lost a father and Tae Seok having lost his son. He is a great force for good in Min Ho’s relationship with Soon Jung, as he wants her to move on and be happy. *Minor Spoilers* When it is revealed that Min Ho has his son’s heart, Tae Seok is happy for Min Ho and grateful that his son’s death means another can live. The continued relationship for them I felt was very strong and added a good depth to Min Ho’s development across the span of the show. While I love the romance, this relationship was probably my favorite thing about this show.<br />
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2) Min Ho<br /><br />Kyoung Ho really gets put in some work and show off his acting chops in this drama. He does a great range from pre and post transplant Min Ho. He plays fierce perfectly in the beginning of the show, but is completely believable as the softer hearted man he becomes throughout the show. He does excellent work So Yeon, who are handling a lot of complex emotions they need to show on screen. So Yeon also does an excellent job juggling falling for Min Ho, still missing her fiance, and feeling guilty about both. Min Ho is just an instantly likable character, and even when he is being cruel, you can tell that he is just hurting. I like that they plant some seeds of empathy in Soon Jung before his transformation and you can tell that even she understands why he is the way he is. Sure, that doesn’t necessarily excuse his behavior, but he is a character whose motivations I understand completely. This is a combination of solid writing and great acting, that I really enjoyed. <br />
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3) Villain Commitment<br /><br />We are going to head back into spoiler territory. So at the beginning of this series, you really think that the uncle is going to be the big bad. Oh boy is that not the end of it. Joon Hee starts out as a fairly beige character whose biggest threat is being in a love triangle. But oh man do they double down on committing him to irredeemability. If Min Ho’s motivations are completely understandable, than Joon Hee is on the complete other side of the spectrum. He, in the course of the show, sabotages a company several times, murders his best friend and then relentlessly pursues his fiancee, treats his father like garbage even though he is willing to protect him at the cost of his life, and just has no sense of shame. I have never seen a character under the guise of a friend who I so strongly object to. I found myself just watching this play out with my mouth agape at the gall he has to continue to woo Soon Jung after murdering her fiancé. I just can’t even. <br /><br />However, I will say that this kept things interesting. I am sick to death of the second lead syndrome and Joon Hee’s actions again and again make it totally impossible for him to ever have a shot at being redeemable in any shape or form. I was impressed that the show was willing to go this far, to break Soon Jung’s heart so completely. I am also glad that the show gave Soon Jung a chance to confront him after she figures out what he’s done. It was a unique twist to this show’s development.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Meh:</span><br /><br />1) Let’s Suspend Our Disbelief<br /><br />I know most Kdrama’s really ask you to not think too hard about what it is they’re doing with the plot, but this show is pushing the envelope a little. Now, people who have transplants do sometimes start exhibiting tastes and behaviors of the people their organs are from. However, I don’t think psychic memories are included. I am willing to set this aside for the sake of an otherwise strong show, but it did have me sort of scratching my head a little bit when we would run into those scenes. If you go into this knowing that you are going to have to turn off your thinking brain for a bit to get through a few scenes, you should make it out OK.<br />
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2) A lot of Corporate Stuff<br /><br />Oof. Beyond the wonderful character building and romance development, there is a lot of time spent plotting and in corporate warfare. I think this show does a fairly good job of balancing that aspect of the story with other more interesting parts of the show, but there were definitely scenes and problems that I was just ready to be done with even before they started. Still, the reward for sticking through all the corporate problems is satisfying. More spoilers, the ending is a nice wrap-up with Min Ho getting what he’s working for and Joon Hee getting some swift justice.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So:</span><br /><br />So… my gripes with this show are relatively minor and I will say I thoroughly enjoyed watching this show. The romance was a delight from start to finish and now that I am more used to dramas being a bit both dark and funny in the same show, I think I didn’t mind that this show is a strange blend of several tones. There are definitely some heartbreaking moments, but the viewer is rewarded for powering through them with some great character development and sweet moments. I will say, when I first read the summary for this show, I thought it sounded stupid, but I was very glad I gave it a try (I should stop judging shows on their summaries. Some of the best ones have the dumbest premises!).<br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: A</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-82571061269104531792017-03-17T19:04:00.001-07:002017-03-17T19:04:32.221-07:00KDrama Review: Goblin (The Lonely and Great)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist:</span> Once upon a time there was a man. This man was a general in the king's army. This general was betrayed by his king and suffered a great curse. This man was no longer a man. He was a goblin.<br />
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Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) has wandered the world for over 900 years, waiting for the Goblin's Bride who can remove the sword in his chest and his immortal curse. Ji Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun) has always been different - the ghosts she can see have told her that she is the Goblin's Bride, although she does not know what that means. That is, until her 19th birthday when she summons a Goblin to her side by blowing out the candles on her cake. In Kim Shin, Eun Tak finds a salvation from her miserable home and school life and in her, he finds his chance to die. Unfortunately, now that he is not alone, he is not sure he is ready for his time to end.<br />
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Throw in a Grim Reaper (Lee Dong Wook), who becomes the Goblin's unlikely roommate and who can't reconcile his feelings sassy chicken store owner (Yoo In Na) and you've got Goblin. Let's settle in - it's a fabulous ride.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000;">1. The World Building</span><br />
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I have been mostly unimpressed with the fantasy dramas I've watched thus far, so I was excited to hear that Goblin was doing so well. The thing that impressed me right off the bat was the nuances of the world that were a constant delight to discover. I love the corporate feel of the reaper world; that the most troubling thing that they deal with is too much paperwork. I love the teahouse that Reaper operates out of and the mysterious questions about the reapers' pasts. Some of the best scenes are when Reaper is escorting souls on their way (the blind man meeting his guide dog! I teared up.)<br />
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I also love the touches on the Goblin lore. The doors that open between places for him and the summoning with the fire were both nice touches to the storyline. There is also a great intersection of worlds when the Goblin interferes with doomed souls. The balance between real world and fantastical elements is handled craftily and the whole discovery was a joy.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">2. The Found Family</span><br />
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This is one of my favorite story devices: when a group of unrelated people create their own family and depend on each other. This starts with the Goblin and Reaper. Their bromance really steals the show in every scene they are opposite each other. They are natural opposites, but as two eternal and empathetic beings, they are naturally poised to understand each other. Especially as they both start romances with mortal girls, they are following each others' pitfalls. The scene where the Goblin and Reaper come to save Eun Tak from the kidnappers and they're doing a nice slow-motion walk gave me literal chills. LITERAL CHILLS.<br />
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They're also both sort of tragic heroes. As comedic as they are, they are both facing down their own tragic fates. The Goblin is doomed to die now that he's met the girl he loves and the Reaper can't really connect with a mortal because he does not know himself or his past.<br />
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Next up in the family is Eun Tak. Although she's the only mortal residing in the house, she's magical in her own right. She can see the reapers, the Goblin, and ghosts, and she has her own special role to play. She brings a unique perspective to the house and it's adorable to see the boys get protective over her. I love her bright and cheery attitude in the face of her troubles - which I know is standard for heroines, but I love a strong and chipper leading lady.<br />
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Rounding out the family is Duk Hwa (Yook Sung Jae). He is likely to rub you the wrong way at first, but it's nice to see his growth through the show. Also it's funny to see him push the buttons on our Goblin friend, especially knowing the history his family has of serving him.<br />
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Sunny is fabulous in her own right, but she's not really connected to the house, so she is a little ancillary to the found family in my mind. However, her big sis attitude with Eun Tak and total confidence is refreshing. She also took some time to grow on me, but her chemistry with Reaper is fantastic and heartbreaking all at once.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">3. The Romance</span><br />
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Like Descendants of The Sun, Goblin has two parallel storylines rather than competing love triangles. The romance is well paced and well developed. On the Goblin/Eun Tak side of things, you get over the supposed age gap pretty fast. The Canada scenes were some of the best of the bunch. Eun Tak and the Goblin both have some pretty dramatic acting to do with each other and both actors rise to the occasion. Especially towards the end, there is some nice kisses and sweet touches. They are a well written pair, which makes the balance they walk of sad and funny so poignant.<br />
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Reaper and Sunny likewise are total delights. The way they meet is hilarious and without spoiling much, the ultimate framework of their love story is well woven, which kept me totally engaged. Their romantic trajectory is very different from the others, but I think that's what keeps this show interesting.<br />
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Honestly, I found myself thinking as the show went on that it was just plain romantic. Not sweet, not cute, not sexy, just so so romantic. It's one of the best I've seen.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">4. The Backstory</span><br />
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I traditionally have had trouble with stories that jump back in time too much, have reincarnations/dopplegangers, and amnesia. Goblin has quite an abundance of all three and has handled it the best of any drama I have watched so far. Peeling the layers back on this story were worrying at times, exciting at others, but all the way had me just wanting to watch all of the time.<br />
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Let's get into spoiler territory here: So the Goblin, Reaper, and Sunny are all original players in the historical backdrop. The way that the Reaper handled finding out he was Wang Yeo broke my heart all over the place, but watching him and Kim Shin work towards some kind of reconciliation that they didn't get in their past life really reinforced their friendship. I would have liked to see a bit more building between Kim Shin and Sunny (his reincarnated sister), but seeing Reaper and Sunny process who they are and sort it out across their lives made their romance ending particularly satisfying. I guessed that Reaper was the king very early on, but it was still fascinating to see everything fall into place as an organic source of conflict for our characters.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Meh:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">1. Some qualms about that ending...</span><br />
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Spoilers ahead! You have been warned. So I had this aching in my stomach that this story was going to end sadly and I was half right. Yet, I think that the show ended exactly as it needed to. I have two qualms about the ending. They aren't flaws with the plot, but are things I am still processing and feeling a few days after finishing this show.<br />
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Number one: breaking up the bromance. Now, it is necessary for Reaper to be truly happy to put aside his memories once more and live again as a person. This gives him and Sunny the chance to be happy without the burden of their past. Reaper doesn't need to feel guilty anymore. He definitely has the happier of the two endings because Goblin now doesn't have his friend to walk his immortal life with. I was hoping that if Goblin has to live on that at least they'd still have each other. I was sad to see that relationship dissolve with the end of the show.<br />
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Number two: Goblin has such a sad fate. While it reinforces the sacrifice he makes for Eun Tak, to have the time with her in exchange for his chance to die, it is gut-wrenching to think of him living on waiting for her for years and years and years. If she only has four lives, then even living long with her will leave him alone for most of his life. Essentially, Kim Shin is exactly where he started - lonely and waiting for his bride. It was pleasant to see the two of them meet again at the end of the show, it was honestly happier than I thought they would get, but still ultimately left me feeling sad.<br />
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But, that's not such a bad thing. This show is all about balance and it is funny, happy, and breath-takingly romantic, but it is also sad, and anxious, and leaves you thinking and feeling long after you've finished. I love a happy ending, but it gives a real weight to the show that the emotions linger. At its heart, this show is sad, but the beautiful world and characters are definitely worth the trade off (also it's not hopeless, which is what I truly can't stand).<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So.</span><br />
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So... let's wrap up this review. I didn't hate anything about this show and in fact, am surprised at just how impressed I am with it overall. It's one of the best shows I've watched. Period. The story is well-paced, the sets are beautiful, the effects are good, the romance is romantics, and the soundtrack is to DIE for (seriously - check out Round and Round and Stuck in Love. If you didn't watch the intro to this show every time, you are a stronger person than I).<br />
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Don't wait. Watch this show immediately and when you have a lot of time to sink into it. I can't recommend it enough.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: </span>A+++ Damn Near Perfect.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-41652364444875195302017-03-08T10:27:00.002-08:002017-03-08T10:27:23.486-08:00TDrama Review: Miss in Kiss<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know, I know... nobody sent help and I watched another remake of this show. I can't help myself! The good news is this was an excellent rendition. If you've never watched Playful Kiss (Korean), Mischievous Kiss (Japanese), It Started with a Kiss (Taiwanese), or Kiss Me (Thai), never fear, this is not a bad one to start with. Miss in Kiss is a second Taiwanese remake of the Itazura Na Kiss manga. It Started with a Kiss is fabulous, but Miss in Kiss is a great successor. Let's dive in!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist:</span> All seems helpless for plucky but not bright Yue-qin (Esther Wu), who has her eyes set on class genius Shi-zhu (Dino Lee). Fate intervenes when Yue-qin's house suffers a catastrophic accident, leaving her and her father on the street. However, a good friend of Yue-qin's father comes out of the woodwork and takes them into his home and it is only when Yue-qin moves in that she realizes that Shi-zhu is her new housemate. Yue-qin may turn Shi-zhu's life upside down, but for someone who doesn't have to try at anything, that may not be a bad thing.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:</span><br />
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1. The Ending<br />
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Spoilers. Obviously. So why start this review at the end? As you know, the best remakes keep the spirit of the original while changing enough to keep it interesting. MiK is a very faithful adaptation, which is excellent for a first time watcher, but can be a little boring for the re-watcher. However, some of the smartest changes I think came in that last episode.<br />
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MiK has the final confession in the classic rain scene, Shi-zhu hears that Ah-jin is proposing and hunts Yue-qin down to win her back. When they return home, Shi-zhu promptly asks for Yue-qin’s hand. In other iterations of this show, Yue-qin’s father lists out her bad points before wrapping up with why she’s worth it. MiK has an excellent turn where Yue-qin’s father starts listing out her bad points and Shi-zhu counters with why she is worth it.<br />
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Essentially, all versions have the main male character softening up, but MiK is the first one that has him lay out why he likes her and why he needs her this early. There is another nice moment later in the episode where Shi-zhu tells her that it’s because she’s not perfect that she is perfect for him. Round that out with a wedding where he plays Clair de’Lune for her and I am just swooning. <br />
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I am curious if there will be a second season to this show as Shi-zhu has all his barriers down by the end of this first season, seeming to be more committed to being nicer to Yue-qin. Yet, I hope they do as we don’t get to see much of Yue-qin or Shi-zhu’s medical pursuits and my heart just breaks for Ah-jin. I would like to see him get his happy ending. Still, if this is one and done, it was a nice way to wrap up.<br />
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2. Pacing<br />
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This show may seem long as Netflix has this broken into 40 1/2 hour episodes, but I like shows that get broken into smaller pieces. Dramas are such a long endeavor per episode, it was nice to have shorter episodes and just have more of them. I felt like I was able to get through this show faster because I didn’t need a whole hour carved out to watch an episode. With that said, I think that I wanted to watch the episodes faster than Netflix was releasing them, so there is that.<br />
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3. The Family<br />
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I adored that Yue-qin and Zhi-shu’s younger brother get to be friends in this version. One of my favorite episodes in all versions is when he gets sick and Yue-qin has to take him to the hospital. It’s a good bonding moment for the two characters and is a start of a turning point for Zhi-shu. The pay off of this relationship really is that when Zhi-shu starts dating another girl, the little brother is kind of an advocate for Yue-qin to him. It was all really sweet. <br />
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Additionally, I was really impressed with the writing of Zhi-shu’s parents in this version. In many of the versions, Zhi-shu’s father really forces his job on Zhi-shu. We may start there in MiK, but he quickly finds out that Zhi-shu wants to be a doctor and tells him to pursue his dreams. Even when Zhi-shu doubles down on his commitment to the company, his parents really just want him to be happy. Even Zhi-shu seems to really be pushing Yue-qin towards him because she knows Yue-qin can make him happy.<br />
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4. Cute Opening<br />
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I love the upbeat song and the mini version of the characters are adorable. I watched it the whole way through every time.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Meh & Hate:</span><br /><br />I’ve been sitting on this for a few days and I just can’t find major faults with this show. My biggest gripe would be that some of the scenes are too identical to other versions, but if that is my only complaint, I’d say this show is a success. The characters are well cast, the story moves at a good pace, and it has everything you’d expect from this show.<br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">So:</span><br /><br />So… I am very happy with this rendition! If you are looking for a more recent introduction to this story, this is actually a pretty good one. It Started With a Kiss is starting to show its age a bit, which makes it a good time for an update. I was not sure about our main characters, but they had great chemistry and Zhi-shu really grew on me. If you’re looking for a wildly inventive take on this story, this won’t satisfy you, but if you’re looking for a faithful adaptation that adds its own sweet twist, Miss in Kiss is a fun, happy, warm show.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: </span>AUnknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-46664092862297693012017-02-06T11:02:00.002-08:002017-02-06T11:02:36.347-08:00TDrama Review: BromanceSay what you will about 2017, but my drama game is off to a great start with Bromance!<br />
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The Gist: Bromance is about the kind-hearted kids of Taiwan's mafia bosses. Bromance is also about family and loyalty, sticking together and finding your happiness. It's also about love between friends, family, sworn brothers, and couples. It's about a girl with a secret, counting down to her birthday.<br />
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It's about all of those things, but really it's about Pi Yanuo (Megan Lai) finding Du Zifeng (Baron Chen). Yanuo's superstitious parents force her to live to as a boy until her 26th boyfriend after getting a bad fortune for their newborn daughter. She's done well until she runs into the mafia boss son turned clean, Zifeng, and the two become fast friends (literally). Her secret becomes harder to navigate as Zifeng's sister Zihan (Mandy Tao) falls for Yanuo as Yanuo starts to fall for Zifeng. Simultaneously, Zifeng's childhood friend, quiet Qingyang (Bii) finds a connection with a energetic coffee-enthusiast, Nana (Katie Chen).<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:</span><br />
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1. The Characters<br />
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Seriously, the amazing, lovable characters are the soul of this show. When I started thinking about how to summarize these characters, I started making lists... so, sorry for how long this post is going to be!<br />
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Du Zifeng<br />
1. Genuinely Good Person (seriously, done with the guys treating girls like garbage!)<br />
2. Loyal and Honest. He takes his friends and family very seriously - no fear of commitment here.<br />
3. Eyes that bore into your heart.<br />
4. Protective, but not scary.<br />
5. So supportive it kills me.<br />
6. Gorgeous.<br />
7. Open-minded x 2,000.<br />
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Yanuo<br />
1. Sweet and kind.<br />
2. Always trying her best for the people she cares about.<br />
3. Rarely negative, despite the keeping this secret.<br />
4. KICK ASS. Literally, she's keeps right up with Zifeng.<br />
5. Can convincingly pull off being a guy (which seems largely due to her being extraordinarily tall, a bit flat chested, and doesn't wear make-up. Bii wears more make-up than Megan during most of this show).<br />
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Qingyang<br />
1. Has a fashion sense that makes me drool (those sweaters... those rings... those jackets... dear God lend me that stylist)<br />
2. Quiet but reassuring - he emotes with such little dialogue.<br />
3. A little naive, but is willing to go the mile for those he loves.<br />
4. Like Zifeng, not afraid of commitment - friends are family.<br />
5. The way he takes care of Nana with such unwavering support and compassion.<br />
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Nana<br />
1. So positive for someone dealing with a lot.<br />
2. Not afraid to share her feelings and go for it.<br />
3. Talkative without being annoying, a great other half to Qingyang.<br />
4. Strong as hell.<br />
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Xiaojing<br />
She's just awesome. I loved her pushing Yanuo every time she showed up!<br />
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The Adults on This Show:<br />
ACTUALLY WANT THEIR KIDS TO BE HAPPY. OMG. Finally, rich parents who just want to support their kids and their decisions, who don't think that no one is good enough, who don't push their decisions onto their children. I am so stoked with the parents on Bromance, I could barely contain my surprise. With the exception of Yanuo's parents, who are well meaning... but also kind of morons.<br />
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2. Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop<br />
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Those of you who are familiar with my blog know that I have trouble starting a show that immediately has me waiting for a reveal. Yet, the pervasive sense of trust between characters not only means that there are few miscommunications but that I was not worried about the reveal at all. By the time Yanuo gets to the big reveal, I had no trouble believing that every single character would be supportive and loving (spoiler alert: I was super right). It's sort of fascinating to find a show where the characters have such a strong bond and a sense of trust that the obstacles they face aren't between them, but for them to deal with cooperatively.<br />
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3. Warm and Fuzzy<br />
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When I saw how long this show was (30 eps on Netflix), I was hesitant to start it. Yet, now I found as I was watching it that I drew out the experience as long as I could to spend more time in this universe. The warm feeling in almost every scene just made me feel like I was watching comfort food. The romances were beautiful and sweet, the family stuff was just heart-warming and watching the characters develop just made me squeal every scene.<br />
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4. Romance<br />
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Let's dive in. Starting with Qingyang and Nana. Their relationship is the epitome with sweet and gentle. Qingyang immediately connects with Nana and does not hesitate to consider her as family. When he buys her the baby bunny, I thought my heart was going to fall out of my chest. While I wish it wasn't always so innocent (one kiss maybe?), their unwavering commitment to each other, especially as they both deal with loss, was well-done.<br />
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Now, what the Qingyana pair leaves in innocence, Zifeng and Yanuo make up for in droves. Even as they are becoming closer as buddies (brothers), the tension is thick as fricking pudding. They can barely keep their hands off of each other and by barely, I mean they literally can't. When they finally get together, things get steamy! I mean not x-rated, but man, if you're sick of drama leads kissing like they're 12 year olds, this will cure you of that (the last scene alone!). Despite the ridiculousness of this scenario, Zifeng and Yanuo have chemistry that hops of the screen, a passionate romance that is laid over a solid foundation of trust and respect. This romance is just short of perfect.<br />
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Even the side romances are nice detours. While these shows can get a little matchy-matchy, I liked the added touches with Zihan and Sister Feng. If you like romance, and you like asian dramas so you do, this show is for you!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Meh:</span><br />
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1. Zherui (Lee Shiau Shiang)<br />
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I think this character was a major misstep for this show. He's nice and cute, but let's face it Zherui never had a chance in hell. I really appreciated that the beginning of the show didn't have a triangle, so when Zherui showed up, I was disappointed. Not only that, because he showed up so late, Yanuo was already so involved with Zifeng that Zherui was more like a minor footnote. Most of all though, I do not understand why Zherui is so obsessed with Yanuo after all of these years. I mean, I get if he remembers her fondly and starts to fall in love again, but he makes it seem like he never loved anyone except Yanuo... which is overkill. You're both adults now and different people. If he really was that obsessed with her, why didn't he every come to look for her. It's not like he doesn't know where she lives.<br />
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Mostly, Zherui just felt like poorly a executed plot device that didn't even cause that much of an obstacle. I thought they might work him into the general friend group, even if he doesn't get with Yanuo, but he just stays fairly pathetic and then gets written off. For a show with so many amazing characters, I could have done without!<br />
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2. Amnesia!<br />
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NO. Not the A word! As we all know Amnesia is poison to dramas. When it showed up in this show, I was horrified. Now, without spoiling too much, I am going to say that of all the shows I've watched with an amnesia plot, Bromance handled it the best.<br />
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Now, with spoiling too much - I didn't even mind that this didn't get resolved. It felt right that something had to get sacrificed. With Qingyang's parents getting murdered, it seems OK that not only did the Du family have to sacrifice 7 years but also give a little something up. Besides, with a family as supportive and kickass as this one, it's impossible to to fall in love all over again. It was definitely heartbreaking to see Zifeng suffering to get his father to remember, but the payoff made the struggle satisfying. But poor Qingyang. Seriously. Bless his heart!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Hate:</span><br />
<br />
I'm obsessed with this show. Despite all of its flaws, I could not stop watching it. Almost everything about this is on point.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So:</span><br />
<br />
So...Do you ever finish a book and want to flip it over and start it again. I feel like that after just finishing Bromance. I wanted to spend eternity with these characters. Every small moment, every little touch, little glance just built this show into a perfect romance. I think if you need action, there is a touch of it (that last gang showdown), but for a show about mafia families, this show is about as gentle as it gets (unless you're talking about Zifeng and Yanuo's hands on each other. Nothing gentle about that!). I thought this drama sounded dumb when I heard about it, but I was glad to read some positive reviews so that I didn't miss this amazing show. So, I'm paying it forward! If you're not sure about this, give it a try. It's got a great pilot and opening theme song. I can't wait to watch it again.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: A+</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-37198243143673609902016-12-30T09:30:00.001-08:002016-12-30T09:30:24.280-08:00KDrama Review: Moonlight Drawn by the Clouds/Love in the Moonlight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist: </span>Hong Ra On (Kim You Jung) has always reluctantly lived her life as a man and in her teen years has taken up giving romance advice. This leads her astray when a friend/client gets entangled with the crown princess, sending Ra On, disguised as her male self Sam Nom, to deal with it. When she ends up facing Crown Prince Lee Young (Park Bo Gum), friction sparks between them. This friction sparks to an all out flame when Ra On ends up being sold to the palace as a eunuch. Yet as Ra On supports the prince in a time of unrest - the king is haunted by a rebellion that may not be quite dead and the prime minister and court officials are working against them - his feelings towards her begin to change, even before he realizes exactly who she is. It’s political intrigue, history, and romance today in MDbtC. Let’s go!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:<br /><br />1. Crackling Chemistry!</span><br /><br />Kim You Jung is a fabulous young actress. It is hard to believe that not only is her character in her late teens, but she is as well. She was amazingly expressive in Moon Embracing the Sun, so it was a real treat to see how she has grown as an actress in this series. Not everyone can pull off the gender swap convincingly, but I thought You Jung was simply stellar. <br /><br />Despite the age difference between the two actors, Ra On and Lee Young had onscreen chemistry that was almost tangible. They were really well cast opposite each other. Although I suspect the very stoic way they kissed (did You Jung almost look afraid a few times?) was due to her young age, it still played very sweetly.<br /><br />Bo Gum has a lot on his plate as the young crown prince, but he handled it with poise and a dedicated emotion that made this character instantly lovable. I liked the steel this character had, even while being incredibly sweet. The romance really is the star of this show.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Meh:<br /><br />1. Three Friends Tragedy</span><br /><br />Let’s talk about the crown prince, his bodyguard, and the prime minister’s grandson. Spoilers to follow. All three were very close in childhood, but are torn apart by three separate causes. Lee Young is working very hard to protect his position as future ruler, the bodyguard Byung Yeon (Kwak Dong Yeon) is working with the rebellion to avenge his family, and Yoon Sung (Jin Young) is divided between protecting his family’s legacy and helping old friends. All are trying to reconcile their personal feelings with what they think are best for the country. I was really, really hoping that all three would survive, reunite, and use their separate positions as a way to work together.<br /><br />That is super not what happened and I’m still kind of bitter about it. This is not to say that the character development wasn’t great or that the acting wasn’t perfect, all three did amazing jobs, but I feel like historical dramas never reconcile broken childhood friendships and it bothers me. <br /><br />At any rate, Byung Yeon is kind of my favorite so I am glad he didn’t actually die. I also especially liked Lee Young’s unwavering faith in his friend. Despite all the warnings, his trust was rewarded and it’s nice to see such a strong relationship, even if we’re not sure how things work out for Byung Yeon at the end.. I wish I could say the same for Yoon Sung, who not only poses a threat to Lee Young’s throne, but falls for Ra On as well. It’s almost like a reconciliation then, that he gives his life to save Ra On and removes himself as a threat to Lee Young. It’s an ending that works, but it’s not exactly happy. <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">2. The Ending</span><br /><br />Spoilers obviously. Don’t get me wrong - I love that Ra On and Lee Young end up together. However, I am a bit miffed that they aren’t married by the end of this. For Lee Young to really be secure, he needs a queen and an heir! I guess we’re supposed to imagine something of that sort happens later, but I was hoping that after we see Lee Young in his King getup (nice scene btw) that we’d get a glimpse at Ra On in her queenly outfit. <br /><br />I do like that the King makes an effort for the would-be crown princess Ha Yeon (Chae Soo Bin) so that she can take her broken heart and find love elsewhere. I actually really liked Ha Yeon and thought she would have made a fine princess, which actually adds a bit of tension to the show. It would have been easy to hate her, but she is undeniably likable. In another show, she could have been the heroine. <br /><br />Now, it is not to say that the end of this show is bad. It really isn’t. There is a satisfying comeuppance for those working against the crown and is all around about how you’d expect this show to end.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">3. The Pacing</span><br /><br />I think that this show is too long. By the time I hit episode 13, I really wondered how it was going to take 5 more episodes to resolve this. While there was certainly action-packed episodes, I think the last third of this drama dragged a bit. I am stoked they didn’t extend this to 20 episodes, but I think 16 would have been a bit tighter. These dramas have too much of the villains sitting around discussing evil plans. Naturally, I suppose, you need a balance to the happier storyline, but it did weigh down a bit for a minute there.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Hate:</span><br />
<br />
Nothing really to hate, just a few missteps here and there.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So:</span><br />
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So...It may seem like I am complaining about this drama, but I honestly really enjoyed it. The characters are well-developed and interesting, the actors were all phenomenal, and the romance was well-written with chemistry to back it up. I have a few grudges with the way the show wrapped up, but it was a very entertaining and heart-warming (for the most part) watch. I definitely recommend this one.<br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: </span>B+Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-34642535033986447652016-12-02T15:26:00.001-08:002016-12-02T15:26:40.374-08:00Thai Drama Review: Kiss Me<br />
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Somebody help me - I cannot stop watching every remake this show seems to come up with. This show is based off of the same manga (Itazura Na Kiss) as Mischievous Kiss (Japanese), It Started with a Kiss (Taiwanese), and Playful Kiss (Korean). I’ve never watched a Thai show before, but when I found out about this…<br /><br />Seriously. Send help. Can’t stop. Won’t stop. Let’s dive in.<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Gist:</span> Childhood friends Tenten (D’Angelo Mike) and Taliw (Managing Sucharat) are reunited after spending most of their adolescence and teen years apart when Tenten’s family returns to Thailand from Japan. When Tenten joins Taliw’s high school, she is instantly smitten, even though she doesn’t remember their falling out many years earlier. Fate continues to draw them together when Taliw’s home is destroyed after a gas explosion, causing Taliw and her father to move in with Tenten’s family. Tenten still remembers their relationship as children, but is hesitant to pursue Taliw, who is much more outgoing, silly, and less booksmart than Tenten. Furthermore, Taliw’s overprotective best friend King (Phiangphor Sarasathapheng) is not shy about his feelings for her. It’s time for love in Kiss Me!<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Love:<br /><br />1. Changes to the Leads</span><br /><br />Let’s start with Tenten. Yes, this is the same framework of the male lead from the iterations of this show, but Tenten pretty much knows he is in love with Taliw from day one, which is new and fabulous. I like the background story of having the leads know each other as children since their families are so close. None of the other versions ever explain why the kids haven’t met before or put all of this together. Having Tenten’s family move and come back is an elegant solution to this problem, but I digress.<br /><br />Tenten recognizes Taliw immediately and seems to be in stages of realizing he likes her pretty early on. I think this story is more him trying to sort out how to make the two of them work rather than him being in denial for the entire series. For example, in Mischievous Kiss, I really believe that Naoki doesn’t like Kotoko for most of the show, but falls for her as time progresses. Tenten very early on is obvious about his feelings. For example, the classic tutoring scenes really show that Tenten is struggling with the fact that he likes Taliw. This is the only version where I really felt that the two leads were friends, rather than the girl just being someone the boy tolerates. This does make some of the ending scenes a little confusing, but we’ll get to that in a bit. <br /><br />For our leading lady - Taliw - who has all of the qualities we come to expect from this role: not the brightest, but plucky and likable. I do have to say that I appreciate that they make Taliw a little more abled in this version than others. When she gets to college, we don’t focus on her struggling through school, but let her studies fade to the background as a non-issue. I liked this change as I’ve always been a little uneasy with this character being so inept and then moving into a health profession. Taliw is the only character I feel comfortable with her moving forward with her goals in life.<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br />2. Some Very Sweet Scenes</span><br /><br />So some of the benefits to the fact that Tenten is more attached early on means we get some very sweet scenes peppered throughout the show. I’ll touch on a few of my favorites (there will be spoilers!). Tenten seeks Taliw out after their graduation, just to spend some time with her, which leads to a cute hug with their first kiss not too long after. I was kind of amazed at this scene because I cannot imagine any of the other iterations of this character just coming to find her just to see her this early in the show. It was nice.<br /><br />Second, when they go with their teacher to help build the school, Taliw gets lost when attempting to find help for a sick friend. Tenten is not shy about going out after her and when he finds her, they have a really adorable hug. Again, I imagine that if Naoki out of Mischievous Kiss was in this scene, he would have played off how worried he was about her and moved on. I like that Tenten takes time to comfort her and that builds up to another kiss later that evening. <br /><br />Super spoilers. Seriously. While I was mad they messed up the rain scene (we will get to that!), I must admit, that proposal was so ridiculously adorable, I was squealing for like a half hour. It does a really nice job of bringing up their childhood relationship to the forefront of the moment by having him read the letter he wrote so many years ago. It also says a lot about his feelings for her that he kept it all this time. It makes their relationship seem much less one-sided. It is actually also a really earnest moment from Tenten. Just lovely.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Meh:<br /><br />1. King</span><br /><br />So this character always gets the short end of the stick, but wow I feel like this version leaves him high and dry (some spoilers). Despite the fact that we can tell early on that Tenten does really like Taliw, King is still firmly working his way in for a chance with her. We all know he’s going to get his heartbroken, but because this story ends much before the source material, King goes forth without his happy ending. In other versions, this character eventually finds another to love and comes to acceptance about the leads’ relationship, but this show pretty much decimates his feelings and then just ends the show. I almost felt like I was missing scenes in this show because it seemed really cruel to just close it out that way. Anyway, for fans of this story, prepare for this character to be just trampled.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">2. Namkang and P’Dan</span><br /><br />So, in all versions there is a smart girl that works as a bit of a foil to our dim leading lady. Namkang (Bubear Pim) is that character for this version. While I don’t mind her being in this story, we spend a weirdly long amount of time with her and P’Dan developing a random side story that has very little to do with the rest of the situation. I wouldn’t even have minded the amount of time we spent with them if it wasn’t for two things. The first is that it took a lot of time out of Tenten and Taliw’s relationship development. Second and more importantly, there was very little payoff for them (more spoilers). At the end of this, P’Dan really just takes off and Namkang, who might just be getting over Tenten is left alone… again. I feel a little like everyone but Tenten and Taliw get screwed over by this ending. It made me feel a little confused that I just spent a bunch of time in the later episodes getting invested in these characters and then they fell apart. Seriously though, did I miss some episodes?<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Hate:<br /><br />1. Let’s talk Some More About that Ending</span><br /><br />OK. Besides the fact that King and Namkang get really horrible endings, I had some beef with the way things wrapped up with Tenten and Taliw. So Nana (Pimpatchara Vajrasevee), an ex girlfriend of Tenten shows up for the last few episodes of this show. It’s not really shocking, some variation of this character shows up every time.<br /><br />However, the changes they’ve made to Tenten make this plot totally bananas. Tenten has already decided pretty concretely that he likes Taliw and has gotten pretty close to her. Yet, he pretty much ditches her as soon as Nana shows up. We don’t really know too much about what’s in the past between these two, but it seems really counter to this character for Tenten to just bail on Taliw. In other versions, the Naoki character spends a lot of energy denying his feelings and trying to like this other person. Yet, Tenten isn’t really doing that so much, so I was super confused about this turn of events.<br /><br />Finally, the reason we are usually able to forgive this plot development in the other versions is because there are added stakes. For instance in Mischievous Kiss, Naoki agrees to an engagement, despite the fact that he is falling for Kotoko, because it will save his father’s business. It adds a layer when Naoki decides that Kotoko is even more important than helping his family. In Kiss Me, there are no extra strings attached. It really is just that he seems to kind of waffle for awhile before really deciding that he does, in fact, like Taliw better than Nana. The whole thing seemed weird and off-putting after his sweet sides to her through the show - I mean, don’t get me wrong, he is still hot/cold - but he’s definitely more affectionate than other versions.<br /><br />I guess the proposal makes up for this somewhat, but I still felt like the ending was executed in a way that is clumsier than the rest of the plot.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">So:</span><br /><br />So… I did enjoy this show, as I do every version, but I think it had some pretty big missteps. I loved Tenten and liked to see the relationship develop much differently between him and Taliw than the others, but the second half of this show had some confusing plot developments. Ultimately, the ending of this show left me feeling a bit mixed, despite the happy ending for Tenten and Taliw. I would say it’s worth a watch if you like this storyline, but it is definitely not my favorite version of this show.<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Final Grade: C+</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-76660271120030349372016-10-14T12:58:00.001-07:002016-10-16T11:05:37.997-07:00KDRAMA Review: Descendants of the Sun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello all! I'm not dead, I promise. I'm sorry for how much I have not posted this year. >.< Forgive me! Anyway, let's get on to it. You're probably thinking, Drama Queen, you are so late in reviewing this show and you are right. I'll let you in on a secret - I didn't even want to watch this show! GASP. I know. But it came up on U.S. Netflix and my good friend recommended it, so I got over how much I was not excited to watch a military drama and tucked in. Oh snap. I understand the hype. Here we go!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist:</span> It's fate for Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo) and Yoo Shi Jin (Song Joong Ki) when they cross paths in a hospital and it's an instant attraction. It's not too long though before Mo Yeon, a surgeon, can't reconcile her life's work of saving lives with Shi Jin's occupation as a special operations soldier, especially when he disappears suddenly for long stretches of time. Fate works again though, when Shi Jin is stationed in the fictional country of Urk and Mo Yeon, along with many of her delightful coworkers, are sent along after him on a volunteer medical mission. Can they really keep apart when they see each other every day and the stakes get higher? Secondary plot line follows Shi Jin's best friend Dae Young (Jin Goo) and his superior Lt. Myeong Joo (Kim Ji Won) as they struggle post-break up with lingering feelings. It's romance and action for days - let's dive in!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:</span><br />
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1. The Leads are Super Fine<br />
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There is not really much to analyze about this. It's just true :)<br />
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2. Superstar Romance<br />
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Yow mama, do all four of our leads have chemistry or what!? I was worried this show was going to skimp on the romance and focus on the action, but it does a really good job of framing the action sequences around the romance, stitching them together just enough to keep the plot moving. I found myself a little annoyed with Mo Yeon early on because if she is keeping apart from Shi Jin because she's scared to lose him, then, well she's lost him already. It's not like her insisting they be apart makes her any less in love. She's just in denial about it. Still, though, I like the way they worked through this issue and really developed their relationship. DotS is 100% committed to the romance stories it is telling (even the side romances are pretty well developed) and it really makes me wonder how I was ever worried in the first place. I give A++ to both lead romance stories. Adorable, heart-wrenching, heart-warming, and everything in between.<br />
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3. Holy Action Sequences Batman!<br />
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*Spoilers gonna spoil! You've been warned* I'm just going to say that the episodes immediately following the earthquake were definitely my favorite of the show and some of the best for most dramas I've watched. The tension played out perfectly and honestly, just really highlighted the work that emergency responders do. This really showed our characters at their best (well maybe not Chi Hoon, but pretty much everyone else). I've heard criticism that the action gets unbelievable and well, just think how much they went through in that time (natural disasters, disease epidemics, several major car incidents, gun fights, it goes on). Honestly, though, I didn't find much issue with it - it kept the show moving at a quick pace without too many filler episodes. You may have trouble with it, but I was sitting chanting Bring It On!<br />
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4. Diversity for Days!<br />
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I am so stroked about the sheer inclusion of this show. We have several characters, including the main bad that only spoke English. This showcased our main actors English abilities. It's always nice to actually see characters who are supposed to be from English-speaking countries, speaking English. It was also nice to not need subtitles during some scenes. Also, I love that in the Dae Young and Myeong Joo story line, the problem was that she was too high-ranking for him! You go girl! Work that female in command angle. Loving it. Also, I love that Mo Yeon's friend in the hospital is in a wheel chair and only one person ever says anything about it. She's just another character. DotS does a fantastic job of showing off some diversity and I am still pumped.<br />
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5. Ki Bum (Kim Min Suk)<br />
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Seriously, Ki Bum is such a punk at the beginning of this episode! But just think, if he hadn't been a little thief, our story wouldn't have unfolded and then where would we be? I'm glad that we didn't just ditch this character after the first episode because it was a real joy to watch his growth throughout this series. It also says a lot about Dae Young and his past, without ever really talking about it for the dedication that he has to Ki Bum. Also, sort of spoiler, that ending scene with Ki Bum and Dae Young had me crying big crocodile tears. <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Meh:</span><br />
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1. Almost Not-Quite Ending<br />
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*More Spoilers* Seriously, stop reading if you don't want to know about the ending of this show. So, does anyone find it so harsh that our poor girls thought that their guys died for a year?! I understand they were trying to validate some of Mo Yeon's concerns without actually killing anybody off, but wow, that's some serious character abuse! I found myself just like openly weeping through the 15th episode, even though I was like 99.99% sure they weren't dead (I mean, there's always the 0.01% right?). Don't get me wrong - I loved the reconciliation and the actual ending. I was literally laughing out loud at the screen, but man, get ready for feelings when you sit down for this one.<br />
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2. Myeong Joo's Dad<br />
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Cliche's don't typically bother me, but the whole my kid is too good for you so I'm going to incessantly interfere with your love life thing is really overrated. If Myeong Joo's dad really cared about her happiness and what she wanted, this would not be an issue. I mean, she's a grown woman and he's just constantly abusing his power over them both. It's pretty depressing. I feel like this show had enough original ideas that this one just seemed to stick out as overplayed. I mean, who really cares about Dae Young's ranking? Is this something people care about? Does the fact that he's super special forces count for nothing? Oof. Could do without!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Hate:</span><br />
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I'm just going to leave this part empty :)<br />
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So... I loved DotS. Loved loved loved it. I sprinted through them. I watched these in 4-5 episode batches, so I had the whole thing done in like 3 sittings. I also feel like this will be immensely rewatchable and I'm really looking forward to diving into this again in the future. This had a great balance of romance and action that made this an easy and compelling watch. Unlike some shows attempting the same thing (I'm looking at you City Hunter!). I'm contemplating moving around my top ten. If you've had any reservations about watching this - I was with you, but it's definitely worth it.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>Final Grade:</b></span> A+Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-38164294396626436162016-06-24T09:41:00.003-07:002016-06-24T09:41:30.565-07:00KDrama Review: Noble, My Love<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist:</span> Veterinarian Cha Yoon Seo's (Kim Jae Kyung) life changes when a wealthy CEO shows up at her clinic, stabbed and unwilling to go to a hospital. After treating him, Yoon Seo thinks that is the end of it, but the CEO, Lee Kang Hoon (Sung Hoon) is immediately obsessed with her. Trying to pay her back for what she's done, he offers to move her clinic to a wealthy neighborhood she couldn't possibly afford. This is just the start of their issues as Yoon Seo is unwilling to take handouts and Kang Hoon is determined to control every situation. Thus moves through a series of arguments that not-so-unexpectedly start to lead to some real feelings.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:</span><br />
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1. Short Episodes<br />
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YAY! I finally got through another KDrama! Noble, My Love has some of the shortest episodes of any show I've ever watched and I loved it. This kept the story from being super-drawn out (which, let's face it, it's not super original to need to be developed) and allowed me to get through several episodes in an hour. This is the perfect show for the busy drama fan (or like me - the working drama fan!). You could finish this whole series in an afternoon, what a nice change of pace!<br />
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2. So Cute!<br />
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Aw. Warm and fuzzy everywhere. If you're looking for gritty drama and complex characters... this is not the drama for you. But if you just want to feel good and need to watch something that will put a smile on your face, NML is definitely a good option! The characters are funny (OMG the secretary, still dying), their interactions are adorable, and the little speech bubbles from the animals were a super nice touch.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Meh:</span><br />
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1. Let's talk about Kang Hoon's Brother<br />
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So, we always knew family was going to be a problem. When the brother shows up, I thought, Oh! How cute! The sibling rivalry is funny, but his whole plot is totally bizarre. So, spoiler alert, it turns out that he swindled away Kang Hoon's girlfriend way back when, which explains the serious trust issues we've got going on. So he's mad that Kang Hoon is happy, when he's still not happy, and is confused about why he's not forgiven. Also, he decides the best way to get past the whole issue is by flirting with Yoon Seo. So, you don't get why everyone was mad at you and you're unhappy when you seduced your brother's girlfriend... but rather than being happy he's finally moved on from what you did to him, you're trying to mess with that too? Uhhh... geeze, I wonder why you're unhappy. I am pleased at the small reconciliation we do get and he's hilarious, but I kind of wanted to just push him over a few times.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Hate:</span><br />
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1. Let's talk about Kang Hoon<br />
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Ok, so disagreeable protagonists, especially rich, spoiled ones (wait - is there any other kind) are to be expected. Heck, if the main couple isn't fighting their way through half the series, how will you know they're in love? And yet, Kang Hoon is manipulative and controlling to a degree that made me physically uncomfortable. He thanks Yoon Seo by destroying her first clinic, making it impossible to rent an apartment, makes her stop dancing, won't let her talk with any other guys but her. I am mostly willing to get on board with harsh-but-heart-of-gold type heroes, but I think that Kang Hoon doesn't really develop past his controlling ways, even if he softens a bit. It's kind of like he was horrible to her, but it paid off anyway without any sacrifice from him. He really does just use his money to force Yoon Seo to him. He threatens her with serious debt at every turn. I think the romance ends up being cute, but I have serious reservations about the development.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So:</span><br />
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So... this episode is breezy and light with all the tropes you've come to expect. However, it is seriously stilted by how much of a controlling psycho Kang Hoon is. If you can look past that problem in this bite size episode series, then you'll be fine, but if you're like me, you'll be left feeling kind of mixed.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: C+</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-20351820170287065772015-12-09T15:00:00.003-08:002016-06-24T09:37:38.346-07:00KDrama Review: Bride of the Century<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist: </span>The Choi family has a problem. A spirit of the lady of the house has haunted their family for years and claims the lives of the first born wives. While most family members in the present day have discounted the stories as rumors, the believers are wreaking havoc when it comes time for the marriage of Choi Kang Ju (Lee Hong Ki), the oldest son. Matriarch Myeong Hee (Kim Seo Ra), a second wife herself, has arranged for her son to marry Jang Yi Kyung (Yang Jin Sung), whose family is in desperate need of financial assistance to keep their family afloat, despite nearly having a daughter-in-law already with the perfect Roo Mi (Jang Ah Young) in the wings. However, when Yi Kyung runs off, her mother and brother, Yi Hyun (Sung Hyuk), plot for a way to keep the marriage in the works. When Yi Hyun runs across Doo Rim (also Yang Jin Sung), an orphan poor girl, he can't believe the strong resemblance she holds to Yi Kyung. Desperate, Yi Hyun hires Doo Rim to impersonate Yi Kyung until they can find her. At first, Doo Rim agrees to pay her grandmother's hospital bills. However, the more time she spends with the cruel-with-a-creamy-center Kang Ju, she starts to dread giving Yi Kyung her life back. Everything is not how it seems, however, with both sides plotting with the lives of others and as the wedding day approaches, is Kang Ju doomed to repeat his father's life of losing the woman he loves?</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">1. Just Fun!</span></div>
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While the premise of this show is silly and convoluted, the vast majority of this show is just plain fun. While impersonating others always leads to misunderstandings and hijinks, I think BotC has the most fun with it. I was not even that concerned with the other foot dropping problem of the big reveal because Doo Rim and Kang Ju have such a hilarious chemistry with each other. The setup of them being engaged adds an interesting dimension as they get to really know one another (Kang Ju has been overseas until the opening of the show). One of the things I love best is Doo Rim getting Kang Ju in line. As ridiculous as she is, she does a good job of keeping him grounded. She has one of my favorite lines: "What's the use of being dressed head to toe in high end brands. You need to be a high end person!" <3 I had some skepticism about Lee Hong Ki playing such a serious and stern role, having only seen him in You're Beautiful, but he nails it, while adding some of that comedic element we expect from him. I was really sad when this show turned a bit darker, because I could have absolutely watched 16 full episodes of their engagement.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">2. Excellent Side Characters</span></div>
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Let's start with Roo Mi. She starts as your typical rival and is a real pain in the ass for a long time, but she turns out to be really impressive as a person. She has a lot of pride and is willing to step aside for those she cares about. Minor spoilers - I'm happy that she and Doo Rim are able to be friends at the end of the show since she and Kang Ju are such good friends. She's basically my hero from this show.</div>
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Yi Hyun is an absolutely sweetheart and is not only doomed to be on the losing side of a love square (pentagon?), but his firm character was really lovely. I loved how much he's willing to go to bat for Doo Rim with Kang Ju, despite how he feels about her. I think of all the characters, he loses the most in this show. More spoilers - not only does he not get the woman he loves, but his family is totally nuts. While they get some redemption, the events of this show totally turn his life upside down.</div>
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Jin Joo (Park Jin Joo) - Ah! She's so cute! I loved her unwavering support and side love story. I also love the brother and I'm sad we didn't get more from him.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">3. The Ghost! </span></div>
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She is technically a side character, but she is so much fun that she deserves her own point. Her introduction is hilarious and she strikes this amazing balance of being totally creepy and just pretty funny. It takes a really long time to get her backstory, but it's absolutely fascinating. I feel so bad for her - spoilers ahead - although I am a little sad she was cheating with someone's husband. I'm glad we even tied up her storyline well. I also like how that tied in the twist at the end with Doo Rim's grandmother. This is really a story of a lot of generations and how that love and tragedy bleeds forward. This show handles revealing the layers of what's really happened and what's motivating people really well. I was definitely surprised at each reveal and totally engaged.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">4. Best Proposal Ever</span></div>
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How adorable was that? The lights, the yarn, the everything? So perfect. The romance of this show is exactly what I was looking for!</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Meh:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">1. That Got Dark</span></div>
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So, I was really sad when this show started falling apart. I was hoping that the sad pieces wouldn't be too long, but pretty much everything between episode 11-15 was so sad and unrelenting that it was almost unwatchable for me. I do appreciate that Kang Ju still comes after Doo Rim, even after finding out the truth, but the scheming and sadness is just so overbearing. I really feel the loss of the fun tone of the first 2/3 of this show. Obviously, there needs to be conflict to be interesting and she's been lying to everyone, so that's got to be dealt with, but I wish that was one or two episodes instead of five.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">2. Show Logic</span></div>
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I really go back and forth on the logic of this show. Spoilers ahead. So, Doo Rim is willing to marry Kang Ju, even if she dies, and Kang Ju breaks up with her for the same reason. On the one hand, it's ridiculous to marry someone when you're pretty darn sure you're going to die. But then again, no one knows for sure how long they really have with anyone they marry. Lots of people lose their spouses young. Additionally, with this big concern, why don't they just not get married? Yes, yes, that is scandalous and all that, but seriously people! Also, I am just not sure what I would do in Mama Choi's shoes. If you really believed that the wife of your son would die, wouldn't you pick someone other than his closest friend, someone you think of as a daughter? But at the same time, that's just so messed up to Yi Kyung. Or it would be, if she and her mother weren't willing to kill someone for money. If they were really concerned about the curse, they could have just backed out of the marriage. Yi Kyung dislikes Kang Ju anyway. Really, everyone's a little bit despicable, but I'm just not that sure what I would do differently. Ok, no, for Yi Kyung's mom, I'm pretty sure I would have just gone broke and not risked my daughter's life or the life of anyone else. Ah! See me going round and round.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Hate:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">1. Can't even name this point without spoilers!</span></div>
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OK, so they have to part at the end for dumb reasons. Whatever, that's stupid, but we're moving on. What I cannot seem to get past is that Doo Rim has Kang Ju's kid and DOESN'T TELL HIM. OMG, space is one thing, but hey maybe come visit your child on the down low is another thing. I know she thought they weren't going to see each other again (um, for reasons, or something), but he didn't agree to not raise his son. In Kang Ju's defense, he handles the news with total poise, but man I was pissed at Doo Rim that whole time. If this show didn't end so well, I would have really been ticked.</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">So:</span></div>
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So... while this show did leap into the dramatic late, it was exactly the fun, funny, and romantic show I needed in my life (thanks to<a href="https://plus.google.com/116395391748292106974" target="_blank"> Alicia Loomes </a>for commenting and recommending!). The leads were great and engaging and the side characters bloomed into interesting and endearing people, who I could have honestly watched more of~ I slammed this show down in huge chunks and got mad when I didn't have time to keep watching. That's really the best indicator of how good a show is in my book. So, don't let the doppleganger thing hold you up. It's pretty well handled for being the almost dumbest plot device (behind amnesia). </div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: A-</span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-67574773619223575242015-11-13T11:44:00.002-08:002016-06-24T09:37:54.951-07:00KDrama Review: It's Okay, That's Love<br />
<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist: </span>The last thing psychiatrist Ji Hae Soo (Kong Hyo Jin) needs is famous writer/DJ/playboy Jang Jae Yeol (Zo In Sung) moving into her house. At least, that’s what she thinks. Hae Soo suffers from a trauma after witnessing her mother’s infidelity to her handicapped father. For this reason, she sees all intimacy as a bad thing. That is until Jae Yeol takes her own, determine to show her that it’s ok to be close to someone (get the title? yay!). Rounding out the house is Jo Dong Min (Sung Dong Il), a fellow psychiatrist and divorcee, and Park Soo Kwang (Lee Kwang Soo), who suffers from tourette’s syndrome. The four of them learn to deal with their traumas, especially Jae Yeol, whose past refuses to leave him alone.<br />
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So, that summary barely encompasses what happens in this sprawling show. I watched one episode of Padam Padam, thought it was a little dark for my mood at the moment and went in search of something lighter. I thought It's Okay, That's Love would be that show. In a small way, I was right. But in a more complete way, I was totally wrong... let's dive in!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">1. Intimacy!</span><br />
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Yay! A show with lots of kissing and loving and touching and it’s all totally adorable. I was definitely most immersed in this show when Hae Soo and Jae Yeol were really figuring each other out and really taking care of one another. I thought it was going to take longer to really help Hae Soo, but she takes some really significant strides with Jae Yeol very quickly. I’d say about 50% of this show is just adorable loveliness, which is exactly what I wanted (we can talk about the other 50% of the show later). I was a little bit skeptical about Soo Kwang and So Nyeo (Lee Sung Kyung), but the moment on the front lawn, with the headphones, was actually one of my most favorite moments of the show. If you’re worried that this is a show that’s going to tease and then just build up to one kiss, don’t. It’s not that kind of show!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">2. Redemption</span><br />
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For how much sadness there really is in this show, there is a good amount of redemption for almost everybody. Some spoilers to follow. Jae Yeol gets the family that he’s always wanted, which is also a good point for his mom and his brother too. Additionally, Hae Soo gets her happily ever after and even gets to a point of understanding with her mom. While this show is ultimately 50% tragedy, which I was not expecting, I was determined not to drop another show halfway through and found the ending to be pretty happy.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Meh:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">1. Annoyed with Everybody?</span><br />
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So, I was really hoping this show would have some of the magic of friendship. I was super excited when I found out everyone was roommates. I love it when people are forced to live together and fall in love and everyone’s really like family. On the one hand, they do watch out for each other and support each other, but really, they’re all just mean. I’m all for imperfect characters. But everyone seemed bipolar. One moment, sweet and nice and the next, full blown screaming at each other. Jae Yeol and Hae Soo start getting along sweetly, then Hae Soo has to assert her dominance or Jae Yeol is being aloof and it's just a roller coaster.<br />
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Point 1, when they're on their trip, Hae Soo is a total brat about how she can do whatever she wants, but Jae Yeol should feel bad about touching her. He handles it well, but I just wanted to hit her.<br />
Point 2, when Jae Yeol is moving out, Hae Soo is right. They should have talked about it or had him talk to her like a human being. It's not like he isn't capable - we've seen it. But he just decides to be mean instead. <br />
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It's hard to get fully on board. If I had to live in that house, I think I would have jumped off the roof. I really wanted a voice of reason character or even someone with a non in-your-face personality, but it really is a house full of short-tempered screamers. Sigh. Maybe that’s just me because I don’t like conflict, but I felt like this really stopped me from connecting with any of the characters (even Hae Soo and Jae Yeol).<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Hate:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">1. Jae Yeol's Stuff </span><br />
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*Spoilers* Duh. So, I’m not sure if I’m just sharp (go me!) or if it was super obvious that Kang Woo was a hallucination like immediately. IOTL has a pervasive sense of surrealism that really comes from the neuroses the characters are dealing with. I hated that Kang Woo was a hallucination. The whole time I just wanted him to go away! As a plot device, it’s at least kind of original, but once the reveal happened, everything was just so sad! Also, let’s talk about the brother. He bugged me so much. It’s enough that their dad beat up Jae Yeol, but you have to as well? Also, quit trying to kill your brother every 20 seconds? That’s not the best way to not be in jail. I also really dislike that the mom ended up being the murderer. Anyway, how is any of this not self-defense? There’s so much evidence that there’s abuse and hello, battered woman syndrome anyone? Ugh, I don’t do well with heavy and I really don’t do well with heavy that’s interspersed with light and fluffy. I feel so disjointed. I think separately the plots are fine, but as one cohesive story, it just didn’t click for me.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So:</span><br />
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So... I want this review to be longer, but I am just dwelling on how disconnected I am from these characters. If you're looking for romance, this certainly has it, but it comes with a swift kick in the heart that will leave you feeling off and sad for awhile. I think I'm harsher on this show than someone who likes melodrama's, but I usually just don't. If this was like Pinocchio, where the characters make up for how sad that show is and is committed to one tone, I think it would have worked better. But, instead, there's mostly a lot of yelling.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: C- </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-38475743230114748972015-09-11T19:54:00.000-07:002016-06-24T09:38:29.171-07:00Drama Queen's Dry Spell (Orange Marmalade, Oh My Ghostess Partial Reviews)Hello everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Unfortunately, I've been quite busy with work and I haven't found any shows I love. So, this post is going to be a mish-mash of half-watched shows. I hardly ever drop shows mid-way through and I've just had a bad run of doing so. Since I have no fully watched shows to review, let's just dive in.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Orange Marmalade:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist:</span> Vampires are not a well-kept secret. They're out in the open and not well liked. Unfortunately, this makes Baek Ma Ri's life miserable. She wants desperately to be human and unnoticed. This proves impossible when a classmate, Jae Min, takes an immediate liking to her. This is ironic because Jae Min has a serious grudge against vampires. Can Ma Ri learn to like herself and get Jae Min to accept her too?<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Why I started watching:</span> Simply - I loved this webcomic. I don't read a lot of them, but once I started Orange Marmalade, I raced right through it. The premise was interesting enough and the characters were quiet and well-developed. There's a very real examination of people and the bias we bring into our relationships. Not to mention, this story has a lot of the power of friendship, which I really love as a secondary plot.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Why I stopped watching: </span>I love when a remake adds its own twist to a story, but Orange Marmalade slashed the original story to pieces. The original story arc is reduced to a pretty simple montage in the first quarter of the show. Then there is this very odd flashback situation, where our characters are other characters 300 years earlier. And that's when I stopped being interested. I have no doubt that this show could be decent for someone who doesn't know the original, but I just lost all interest when it strayed so far from the present day plot. All in all, I don't think I got halfway through this show.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">High Society:</span><br />
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Honestly, I don't have much to say about this. I don't even know the plot of this show because I didn't make it through the first episode. I waited to hear if reviews got more positive, but they stayed pretty middle of the road, so I never got back to it.<br />
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Oh My Ghostess!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist:</span> Shy Bong Sun is a nervous mess. She sees ghosts in her waking life and doesn't have the guts to pursue her cooking dreams. Her life takes a sharp turn when she is possessed by outgoing ghost, Soon Ae, who can't remember her own death. In a desperate desire to fill her last wish, she starts pursuing Bong Sun's boss to lose her virginal status. She's on the clock, though, as it's only a matter of time until she becomes an evil spirit and Bong Sun is not sure what to do with this new persona she's known for, not to mention a potential new chance at love.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Why I started watching: </span>After reading some positive reviews, I decided to give this show a chance. It started a little slow, but it ended up being totally hilarious. I can't think of another drama I thought was this flat out funny. Park Bo Young does a great job with her possessed character. She has a great energy and commitment to her character. It's a good bit of fun. Also, the romance has some good strong sparks.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Why I stopped watching: </span>Honestly, I got pretty far along in this show, about 12 episodes out of 16. My main issue with this show is that Soon Ae and Bong Sun don't have an even enough amount of time in Bong Sun's body. By the time Soon Ae steps out of the picture, Bong Sun has barely gotten a chance to develop her relationship at all. Poor chef has this long growing relationship, but it's not really with the girl he loves (or is it? Confusing.). I didn't really want to keep watching once we got to the point when it was time to tell the truth. I don't think their relationship was really strong enough to stand it. Also, I was curious about what happened to Soon Ae, but Chef's brother-in-law basically had a neon sign above him that said "I'm EVIL." I wasn't crazy about the lack of subtlety.<br />
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Essentially, the show has a really funny strong main character, but our romance isn't really between the right characters.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So:</span><br />
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I haven't really watched a great drama in a while, one I wanted to finish. This leaves me falling back on old favorites - re-watched Shut Up Flower Boy Band - and on some American shows - I've been marathoning my way through Pretty Little Liars. It's not quite filling my drama needs! If you guys have any old or new favorites that are tried and true, please let me know! I could use a good recommendation (preferably one under 20 eps, 16 is better).<br />
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Again, sorry for the radio silence. I hope to have some new review for you guys soon. Thanks for reading! <3Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3618751969688514843.post-81506821382337313062015-05-28T10:49:00.000-07:002016-06-24T09:38:51.895-07:00KDrama Review: Sensory Couple/The Girl Who Sees Smells<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #990000;">The Gist: </span>Choi Eun Seol's (Shin Se Kyung) life is derailed when she arrives home after school and a serial killer has murdered her parents. In the process of fleeing, Eun Seol is hit by a car and the murderer has the name tag ripped right off her uniform. The night is further twisted when the murderer heads to the hospital to off the witness and ends up killing the wrong school girl with Eun Seol's name. When Eun Seol awakes, she can literally see scents and one of her eyes has changed color. Along with her new ability, her memory before the accident has been wiped. Wanting to protect her, one the officers on the case adopts her and changes her name to Oh Cho Rim, erasing all signs of Choi Eun Seol. Jump forward several years and Choi Mu Gak (Park Yoo Chun), older brother to the girl who died in Cho Rim's place has become a cop to bring his sister's murderer to justice. The chance comes when the serial killer strikes again close to home. Mu Gak and Cho Rim cross paths, where they combine her unusual skill with his intuition to help solve crimes, leading up to the crime that changed both their lives.<br />
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And that's just the first episode. O.O Let's dig in!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Love:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">1. Lieutenant Yeom (Yoo Jin Seo)</span><br />
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Seriously. Lieutenant Yeom is totally my hero. It's nice to see such a strong female character in what is essentially a romcom ... or a rommurdermysterything. Anyway, moving on. I love that she comes in and takes charge and the men are all respectful and deferential to her. She is their leader and that commands some real respect. I love it. I was worried we were going to have a weird love triangle with her and Officer Choi and Oh Cho Rim, which I think would have been a big mistake. But! They never do go that route. I am happy to say that Lieutenant Yeom and Oh Cho Rim pass the Bechdel test with flying colors. For those who don't know, the Bechdel test is when two women talk to each other about something other than men. Cho Rim is still fairly concerned with Officer Choi through most of the show as I can't fault her for, but I really love Lieutenant Yeom representing a well developed strong female character. <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">2. Originality</span><br />
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How about that! A romantic drama with originality. I love the emphasis on the senses in each of our characters. Cho Rim's ability is very unique and the effects for it were done well. It definitely had some questions - how does she not just get lost in a fog of smells. She seems to only see one at a time. Oh well, not thinking about it too hard. Officer Choi's narcolepsy/can't feel pain situation was also a new one for me and together you can really see the physical manifestations that their tragedies have had on them and how they cope with it.*SPOILERS* Ok, let's talk about our murderer for a minute here. Celebrity chef Kwon Jae Hee (Namgung Min) is our murderer and while he's not the world's most interesting murderer, his prosopagnosia is an interesting twist and at least patches up the plot hole of how he managed to murder the wrong witness. <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">3. Mu Gak</span><br />
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I'm going to give it to Mu Gak, I was consistently impressed with him throughout this show. Minor spoilers to follow. I was really worried about how he was going to react when he found out Cho Rim, the girl he loves, was meant to die instead of his sister and honestly, he took it like a boss! He took a minute for himself, but could then accept that it wasn't her fault and didn't blame her for what happened. Which, is better than how either Cho Rim or Lieutenant Yeom reacted. You go Mu Gak. I also really love that he pulls Cho Rim in for their first kiss after she hesitates. That could have been creepy, but it's pulled off real sweetly and I watched that scene like three times :)<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Meh:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">1. Comedy... WHY?</span><br />
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So, I really wish I just jumped every scene relating to Cho Rim's comedy group. She is terrible and it never gets better. It really just detracts from the meatier scenes that I am actually interested in seeing. Also, Mu Gak's comedy bits just made me super uncomfortable, even if he's better at it than Cho Rim. I think the interspersed deadpan humor doesn't quite work out and I kind of just cringed every time. Not the best plot device ever.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">2. Sugar-Coated Cotton Candy Sickly Sweet Romance</span><br />
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So Cho Rim and Mu Gak have great chemistry, but they are also corny to the point it's almost too much even for someone like me. Spoilers ahead. I think the epitome of this for me was the marriage proposal. He's going just so far over the top that I actually scrolled quickly through some of those scenes (balloons in the trunk - ah! I would hate that). Ultimately, the perfume thing was perfect for Cho Rim, but that episode was laying it on a little thick. They're adorable, but I think a little softening would have gone a long way. I do have to admit, though, I appreciate that Mu Gak is willing to set his pride aside when it comes to Cho Rim and go all out for her. It's a nice development from his stoicism at the beginning of the series. <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">3. Not Enough Side Quests</span><br />
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I get that we're working to catch a serial killer, but I think the best parts of this show are when they're solving the smaller crimes that we can really have fun with using Cho Rim's skills. Honestly, I'd prefer if this was more like Scooby Doo or CSI and less like ... I can't even think of a good comparison. Would have enjoyed more episodic crimes to solve!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Hate:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">1. Yeah, that's a lot.</span><br />
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Spoilers and spoilers on spoilers. So, I really really really hate that Cho Rim's father decides to just lie to her about her past. I get not wanting to just put that trauma on someone, but she's got to know sometime and I think not having the back story doesn't give her any time to cope about it. The biggest issue I have with this is that it puts her at really serious danger. He doesn't know that the murderer can't recognize her and even though they moved and she changed her name, it never occurred to him that he was connected with the case and might be tracked down? Honestly, Cho Rim was a champ, but the whole thing weirded me right out. It also, you know, doesn't help when she gets involved in the investigation anyway. I also really dislike that Officer Choi's sister died for Cho Rim. They move forward, but how is that something you ever get past in a relationship? This stupid murderer has decimated both their lives. Honestly, this point I feel a bit better about, but it really bothered me whiel I was watching it. <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">2. Can we catch this moron already?</span><br />
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More spoilers. So, the pacing of this show has some serious issues. Basically, once we find out that the murderer is Jae Hee, the chase is just drawn way out. Some shows can show who the murderer is and still keep it tense and interesting. This didn't. For me at least. We spent way too long with everyone knowing what was up and then not being able to do anything about it. Also, why would a serial killer become a celebrity? Now if anyone saw him, they'd be like, yeah it's that guy on TV. Being instantly recognizable has got to be the most unhelpful thing for a murderer. Anyway, I appreciate that he was smart, but every time I was like yes, finally, we're going to catch him! And then we didn't. Ugh. Too long. Also, I can't believe they just dangled Cho Rim in front of him and was like yeah, I'm sure this will go well. I'm willing to suspend my disbelief, but when she gets kidnapped, I'm almost like well, what did you expect? Also, while this isn't the worst amnesia plot I've seen, I was really hoping Cho Rim's memories would come back early enough to be helpful. But they really just came back late enough to be painful. Exciting at times, but paced poorly.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">So:</span><br />
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So...I was interested in solving the murders and figuring out the meaning behind the barcodes, but I think either they revealed his identity too soon or the show went on too long. I feel conflicted about a murderer who is equally super smart and just so dumb. I think this show was worth watching for the originality and some great chemistry, but I definitely was ready to be done with it before it was over. I thought this was going to be 20 eps. and I almost died. 16 was too long already. Fine for one watch, but will probably fall off my radar immediately.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;">Final Grade: C+</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0