Rants and Weekly Raves #283 (RAWR)

kakashi: How's the virus situation with y'all? I'm feeling under the weather right now, but I think it's just a normal cold... Lots of dramas starting in March, right?
Trotwood: I spent the weekend working on communications with students traveling abroad, especially in Italy, reviewing our quarantine protocol and pandemic plans. There are loads of dramas starting in March. Just the thought makes me feel tired rather than energized though.
The first case at my university is confirmed. We are no longer allowed to shake hands or kiss.

KOREA

I'll Find You on a Beautiful Day

I started this show because of Park Min-Young. She has been female characters that I really like in her last couple of dramas. Lee Jae Wook’s dorky-earnest best friend character is a bonus. It’s beautiful and the characters all seem to care about each other in this town, but I don’t know why I don’t like it more. Initially, I thought it was because the first episode was so slow or because I was so uncomfortable with job situation. But I can’t put finger on it. People on my Tlist are loving it though, and I really like characters, so I might just read recaps for awhile to figure out whether I will still remain interested.

The Game: Toward Zero

I will keep watching this show through the last two weeks because I want to see how it ends, but there is so much idiotic behavior that it makes me want the villain to get away with EVERYTHING because despite him being, you know, a  murderer, he thinks the most logically. I will quote from my live tweets while watching. I call these the "Let me get this straight" (LMGTS) posts.  LMGTS #1  You walk up to a house that is clearly broken into, and instead of getting back in your car, locking the doors, and calling the cops, you just walk into the house looking for intruder. LMGTS #2 The murderer is at the hospital. You are not. He starts unplugging the machines attached to the patient in coma and a) nothing goes off in nurse’s station & b) you decide to drive there yourself instead of actually calling the nurse’s station or the cops? LMGTS #3 The murderer tells you that the only person he ever really wanted to kill is his mother, and yet you let the mom go to the airport alone—no police protection, no surveillance. Nothing. 

Tell Me What You Saw

Of course Jang Hyuk is good in this because he is good in everything, but I’m liking the rest of the cast as well, and the script—even with a fairly farfetched premise—works. We know the chief is a bad guy, but he has a point about JH’s character going off the grid. I’m very happy that our minion that seems so beholden to him is really waking up to where his loyalties should be. I just hope he isn’t punished too severely and the team forgives him when they find out. This week’s case deals well with trauma and the ways different people respond but more importantly, I think Soo Young empathy is influencing Hyung Jae. Give JH more fight scenes, please. He’s a master.

CHINA/TAIWAN

Because of You

I didn’t comment last week not because I didn’t watch but because I didn’t have anything to say really. Their father is a jerk who clearly only loved one woman but has had three wives none of whom was the woman he loved. It’s amazing that these brothers like each other so much, but then again they probably bonded over their disgust with dad. Relief ensues because the guy that older brother likes is NOT their brother. Usually, dramas drag this out much longer.  So, hurray for no incest, but will their father ever learn? 

JAPAN

Kono Otoko wa jinsei Saidai no Ayamachidesu/ This Guy is the Biggest Mistake of My Life

So of course the female old friend becomes the stereotypical “I will trick you into taking me home and pay someone to take pictures to try to pressure you to be with me” character. However, even this has a twist because she makes some scientific breakthrough to prove herself worthy. I find it hilarious that the press doesn’t care about the “scandal” but she is the one that wants to talk more about that then they do. Still, the main focus is on Yui and her conflicted responses to this. She can’t stand it that she is bothered by Sei. I just hope that her bonding with Koichi over his dog doesn’t lead him into falling for her truly. He doesn’t deserve to have his heart broken. After all, we all know the end game is Koichi. I can’t wait to see what the date is like.

Shiranakute Kariyama/No Need to Know/Off the Record

I was in a year-long leadership seminar once where we met once a month and had to read up on a topic before each months’ meeting. Each month, I felt like the authors of the book seemed to have predicted the things that would be going on in my life at the time. This is what’s going on in this show. We have the weekly stories, but they are deftly written to be commentaries on the journey Kate is going through to reconcile the story of her life that she’s known vs. the new version as a murderer’s daughter. She is asked by one of this week’s targets whether it’s okay if some things remain unknown. But her nature & training as an investigative reporter fights against it. Her conflict with her ex this week proves that though the break up was painful, it’s probably a good thing it happened since their values are so different. I wonder why he keeps trying to listen in on her conversations. Dude. You dumped her. Move on!

I just love watching her be so good at her job!

THAILAND

Until We Meet Again (Finale and Special episode)

This weekend, instead of having the finale air during the regular scheduled time, the company showed a special that included interviews and behind the scenes footage of the show. What I liked best was the interviews with the older veterans, people who do not usually act in BL dramas and their ideas about the script and the importance of acceptance. They aired the finale on Sunday night instead. The finale was everything we’ve come to expect. It kept with the slow pace, but it also included everything we wanted going from the KornIn funeral to forgiveness to reconciliation of the past and present to happy endings for multiple couples. A shout out to our member BL drama club "President" who was actually in Thailand to watch the finale with the actors and an auditorium of other fans.

Why R U?

CUTE! CUTE! CUTE! I like this show more and more. Episode 6 was the best so far because there was hardly anything of the annoying side characters. We don’t see Zon’s sister at all. Good riddance. We really don’t need them anymore since Zon has agreed to do the performance. So we get to spend the entire time with him and becoming (more than) friends. I could definitely relate to Sai’s blanket scene because of too much air conditioning, but it was so random! Their rooftop scene was perfect. I know people are getting tired of the push pull of FighterTutor, but I still love them & it makes sense since Fighter is still struggling with his sexuality. What people need to be wondering about is why his dad wants him to date Hwa so much when dad is dating Hwa’s mother. Also, that was the fastest my boyfriend broke up with me so I’m broken hearted to new boyfriend turnaround I’ve EVER seen. Her face was still wet with tears when she accepted Day. I would be more bothered if I weren’t sure that he was the person she should’ve have been dating in the first place.

2Gether: the Series

This show is just bopping along. I still like everyone despite how dumb Tine’s friends are. They are loveable and supportive as possible at least until they’re distracted by the swimsuit girls. I also think I’d know Sawarat was interested in him even if I didn’t hear about the spoiler from the novel where apparently he’s liked Tine since high school. I also think that Tine likes him but doesn’t realize it because he thinks what he feels for all the girls he wants to date is really love when it’s more like some middle-school boy fantasy of what dating is like.