Rants and Weekly Raves #109 (RAWR)

kakashi: Lee Sang-swoon is doing it again - I'm under his spell. Twenty Again was pretty much a year ago and now it's happening again. Plus, he even has a Nespresso machine!  
SakiVI: I am now increasingly intrigued. Sadly, no time..... 
Oups, I spoke too soon. I started. And I need to drop things.
Shuk: I'm gearing up for two weeks of out-of-town and out-of-country. So I'm loathe to start anything new.
Sigh, I'd love a passionate kiss with someone cute.

Korea

Moon Lovers

Ha! I saw both versions of episode 14. The changes are minor, so it really makes one wonder WHY they think they need to re-edit this. Idiots. As for the drama this week ... I was a tiny little bit bored? With episode 15. Don't hit me, JoAnne! I even caught myself thinking: They're so STUPID. The whole lot of them. Minus So, he isn't stupid. 
So is wonderful, at this point.
I saw a funny YT video of four guys freaking out at the (finally) Soo-So kisseu. Of course, I might have been doing that much jumping up and internally. The end of 14 no doubt leaves the expectation that nothing but tears awaits us in the next episodes, I'm preparing plenty of tissues. 

Go Ho's Starry Night

I finished the entire series in about 24 hours. Absolute crack. Giggles and squees from the first moment to the last, minimal tears, NO bitchy second leads, just one woman with an entire office's worth of men vying for her heart. I loved it. Loved it! These short form dramas manage to handle plot better, generally speaking - there wasn't a ton of irritating side plot here, and they crammed it FULL of cameos, and I love love loved Psycho Kang and Ho, so it was just a joy from beginning to end. AND I have Kakashi and Trot scarfing it up, plus others - at least two or three - who've said they have to check it out now. YES.
Watched all of it - and what is more, liked it! It's a warm drama, with some depth, too. Do not too easily judge people, the message is. Somebody lied to me that Kim Ji-hoon would be in it (he is not, unless he completely changed appearance) but in the end, I did not miss him  
I didn't lie. I trusted Wikipedia. Which is probably worse, right?
I trusted it too! Is that corpulent Director Park one called Kim Ji-hoon as well? Or is it simply a vicious rumor to get me watching?   
Trotwood: Yup, I got sucked into this world and I love every minute of it. I even got up early to watch a 20 minute episode which took me 45 minutes to watch because of bad hotel wifi. I got out of a meeting early and watched another ep at the conference center before another session--laughing out loud in the lobby area! i only have four eps left which I'm saving as a treat to myself for finishing the week's worth of Korean homework I'm going to have to pack into Sunday! Is this not enough testimonial for you? Well what about this? This show is seriously making me reconsider my vow not to recap a show ever again (or at least until next summer).
Do iiiiiiiiiit. It will give me a legit excuse to watch it again.  Psycho Kang forEVER!  'I was in a one-sided love story for a long time.' *sigh*

MoonBogummy

Many people say it's boring. Oh well, another KDrama goes down that route. What's new.  
It's odd. I wouldn't have said I was bored, lately...but I did find myself thinking 'this isn't over yet?'
It's a curse these dramas are so long. At least do a 45 minute format

Woman With a Suitcase

Until I got sucked into Go Ho's Starry Night, this was the only Korean drama I was watching and not sorry for it either. I really like this show, and the funny thing is that Joo Jin Mo, who makes me feel this odd sensation in the pit of my stomach always, isn't even the thing I'm liking the most about it. In fact, I like his character the least. I really like the working relationships in that firm. I love love love Jin Kyung's character. Every woman needs a friend like her. I  like the way she confronts Hamburger about his confusing ways and tells him how he's putting Geum-Joo in a bad situation. I love how they all work together. And can I tell you how much I love the clothes the women are wearing?
Behind on this and many others, sadly.

Drinking Solo

Looks like Crush Puppy gets his heart broken next week...I'm not looking forward to that.  I guess it's too late for Min and Jin to get together if she's just now breaking up with her jerk of a boyfriend, too. I don't like her, but I recognize that underneath the enormous shiny forehead, ugly clothes, and desperate bids for attention lies the heart of a decent human.  It's just too bad that human comes with that horrible, horrible voice.  Min deserves better.  As for No Gu Rae and Premium Trash - he's kind of adorable when he's not being an ass. Oh and Kim Ki Bum and his beloved Top Despicable!  I wonder how that will go.

Jealousy Incarnate

SakiVI: why is it such a big deal on dramabeans that the two moms don't want to date the asexual chef? Why does that make them bad people? If some guy said to me he never wants any physical involvement whatsoever, I'd tell him I'm not wasting my heart on him. Anyway, after catching up with this show, I realized it goes on for 24 episodes, and my heart is just not with it anymore.  I'll just read recaps if I remember it.
I haven't read it, so I don't know. But I'll take a flying leap and guess that openly stating that sex matters to you in a relationship is somehow verboten? Bullshit. It's one thing if you're married and something happens that affects that aspect of the relationship. You don't abandon someone for that - it's part of for better or worse, and you can live without sex. Relationships are made up of other things that are just as important, or more important. But if you know going in that a relationship would be asexual and that's not what you want, then you are perfectly free to say no, thank you. That's the exact point at which you SHOULD be saying no, thank you, if something isn't to your liking. Judgement free.
But this is my OT3, and I won't be happy if this isn't what we get

Shopping King Louis

I don't think I've seen any episodes past the first week, at this point, but I know people are loving it.
I'm downloading the episodes, to marathon it when the cruise ship is "at sea". I hope I don't embarass myself by squealing too much next to the pool.

One Percent of Something

And only one or two episodes of this under my belt so far, too.

On the Way to the Airport

kakashi: Never have I been happier about a kiss (and what came after that we did not see?). Seriously, people stuck in marriages with horrible people should just get a voucher which says: "Go find soulmate and adulter to heck out of it". That said, this is my favorite drama at the moment - by a long shot.
Oooh, they kiss? Hmm.
I watched the first episode, mostly for Lee Sang-yoon's dimples. I'm not totally sold on the premise, but I might look at it again post-travel.
Helps that it is gorgeous. And that each and every character is human. Some of them are horrible humans, some of them are lovely humans, but that's how it is in real life too, isn't it? And even the horrible humans, they're not cliché villains. They're not even true villains. They're humans with flaws, humans we dislike a lot, but humans that are carrying burdens of their own.
Very true.
 
Much of it resonates deeply with me - not with someone who has ever had an affair, but with a working mother, who knows these kind of pressures and who knows how hard marriage can be, especially when there is a lot of pressure. Our two protagonists are good people, through and through. They have always put the interests of other people first. Maybe. Until now. That they have met each other (in a time of tragedy) is a gift from heaven, really ... but it will end in bitter tears if they do not do the right thing, which is divorce their horrible spouses. Even though we still do not know what exactly his wife is hiding or planning, she is clearly cold and horrible and lied to him again and again. And her husband is a horrible father and an unfaithful bastard to begin with. Both of them have not had any love in their marriages. But they deserve love.
I just started this, and I seriously just want to know what is wrong with our hero's wife.  Why did she hate that child? She wasn't even the hero's kid, yet in family line-obsessed Korea he and his mother and brother all adored her as if she was his. That said, I'm not feeling the about-to-happen affair that's hanging in the air at the end of episode 2. I get that they are attracted to each other, but that must happen plenty in real life, and people don't have affairs, so my feeling on that point, is well, so what?
My guess is that the child was hers, unplanned.  She ran off when the kid was a baby, leaving her with the father, because she didn't want to be a mother (then, or maybe ever) or didn't feel up to the challenge, or was focused on finishing her schooling.  Whatever the reason, the dad plops the kid back in her life and at that exact same moment, Do Woo noticed her and she clicked on the idea that it could be to her benefit to have the kid around. I think she sent her off to school because that's a huge lie for a kid to keep track of, and I think she feels horrible that the girl is dead, but her driving fear is being caught, at this point.
  
I have a hard time understanding parents who can walk away from their children, but I know it happens, and I know that they really feel like they need to do it, too.  In some cases it's probably the right thing to do, even. But 'Because I want a career' is not ever going to be a reason I will accept. Period.

Fantastic

The villains are imploding, yes!
 I have seriously forgotten what this show is about.
It's about good people versus bad people.  I don't think I'll be watching the last two episodes because of time constraints, but I'll read the recaps online and feel satisfied the baddies all suffered a lot.
It's about living well. The lead has Stage 4 lung cancer and in the midst of that plus career trouble due to one of the baddies, she reconnects with a lost love and learns to rely on her dearest friends. One of those friends is also very ill but lives with determination and the best attitude you can imagine. He serves as a guide for her, really. Another was in a terrible marriage and finds the courage to break free, and the re-found love has been blackmailed for years with a youthful indiscretion and finally stands up for himself. It's very enjoyable, but I haven't seen this week's episodes yet.
At this point, I fear you will never catch up *said in ominous tone of voice* 

The K2

Oh yes.  FITNESS.  In spades.
Every time I read a recap and think, yes, let's try this because YooJin is icy, scary, and fragile all at the same time, and thus interesting, that Yoona/Anna girl ruins things. I dunno, I'll think about it again some other time. Or not.
She doesn't ruin things, really, but you're right, Yoo Jin is fascinating. I love how each week my thoughts shift re who is good and who is bad. This week, I'm wondering - is it that she was a little unbalanced anyway, and then her husband's affair drove her over the edge? Or did he have the affair because she's this terrible person? He seems like he has the remnants of a decent guy inside him - has living this life with Yoo Jin holding his daughter hostage numbed him to what is right and wrong? Or does he really, truly care more about being President than he does about his daughter's life?
People on my T-list are dropping this like hot coal.  
cherkell:  *puts head in hands after downing several Tylenol 3s with a tumbler of scotch* WHAT THE HELL, SHOW?!? I was actually truly happy that Episode 7 was more substance over fluff, because I'm mainly watching for the political intrigue over the swoony parts. But after Episode 8's EPIC man-battle between Jae-ha and Shinichi, the rest of the show fell flatter than an underdone Dutch Baby Pancake.
And why did the production waste an OST offering by releasing an idol crooning "Amazing Grace?" *facepalm* Sorry YoonA, but you're going to have to step up your game here if you're going to be taken seriously as an actress. I understand why the Korean audience is still enthralled with the canon OTP (since they are cuter than two bugs in a rug), but you're losing the international audience in droves. (Granted, not like that matters since anyone outside of Korea isn't taken into consideration for ratings anyway). Song Yoon Ah is sure rockin' the 'Helter Skelter' mindset, though. I think she and Creepy Secretary Kim should have their own spinoff show after this one rides off into the sunset. I don't know what more to say, other than we're at the halfway point and there's been NO REVENGE to speak of. Were we not promised hot, juicy revenge on a stick? So far the only stick we've seen is the umbrella that My Precious used back in Episode 5. I think bigger sticks should be brought out. NOW. *grrrr*
I could watch this for days on end...

Not Korea

Fo Ye, The Man

I did not watch this weeks episodes and will not until it's time to recap them.
Our biases were all handsome and lovely.

Lucifer

Na, this show isn't good if it focuses too much on the crime cases. They're all so ridiculous. Not one you don't know immediately who the culprit is. Didn't like this week's episode much because of it. As always, several good if not excellent lines though.

Ice Fantasy

I'm waiting for my girl to come back. I'm not watching until next week!  
Then, I'll leave off saying anything, but just leave these Lian Ji and Ice Flame Lord pictures here.
Ohhhh, have they been to the salon?
The best part of this show for the actors must be wearing the fabulous costumes, especially for Kim HeeSun, since her costumes have all been high-end designer outfits. One day, she can show her kid her pictures and say, I looked that gorgeous.
I remain fairly detached from the whole thing, but yes - Kim Hee Sun is a goddess. And I genuinely like Li Luo.