Rants and Weekly Raves #286 (RAWR)

kakashi: Everybody, stay healthy! Like Kim Ji Hoon, see below.
Trotwood: I knew he was buff, but I had no idea he was so flexible. It makes a person think things.

KOREA

I'll Find You on a Beautiful Day/I'll Go to You When the Weather is Fine

I know I said the pacing bothered me in the beginning, and my anxiety still doesn’t allow me to relax and be wrapped up in the warmth of this show as much as I would like. However, I do enjoy the thoughtful conversations that people have here, I’m especially loving Hae won’s character. Thus far, she has acted in the way I wish so many of our FL would act, which surprises me. Like last week when she directly confronted Bo-Yeong’s victimhood, this week she asks important questions of her mother and her aunt. I even love how the story allows her to thank the boy who helped her in high school w/o making it be about that particular first love. We can see why he liked her and why he likes her still. She has been broken down by life, but she is still a force. I love her all on her own. I get the feeling that Eun-Seob is going to need her strength soon.

Hospital Playlist

I think I’m going to drop this show. It’s too bad because I really like these characters. I like them better than any other group of characters in any drama I’m currently watching even better than the characters in the Weather is Fine Show—even though the book circle is precious. I just can see myself in this group of loyal driven friends. However, the story isn’t engaging enough to keep me watching for such episodes or caring to make space in the same way I don’t think I’d watch a show about my real friends’ lives (except for Kakashi because her real life is actually drama-worthy).

Tell Me What You Saw (Finale)

I was really fascinated by this ending up until the actual end when I realized that the main question I had wasn't going to be answered. Fast-pace and watching Jang Hyuk fight with a pair of collapsible batons was deliriously tasty. He is really such a good fighter. The bts of them practicing the scene is also great, too.  Fight choreographers must get so excited when he’s cast in a show they’ve been assigned! Anyway, I’m still working through my resistance to forgiving team leader, but my respect for our heroine grew even more in this close. But wtf finale. Can I get some of my questions answered? I mean I know that look of hers was to set up a possible new season (not holding my breath—Signal’s ending also set up another season), but I’m still not certain why there was a cover up. I even asked Jo, who hadn’t watched yet, to be on lookout in case I missed something.

Kingdom

Lots of zombies. 

CHINA/TAIWAN

Skate Into Love

The subtitle of this show listed on the official YT channel, “ a sweet rom-com about ice sports,” pretty much sums it up. This show follows Tang Xu, who has seemingly given up her dream to be an Lympic short track racer and who used to bully Yu Bing when they were in elementary school, starting as a freshman in the university where Yu Bing is a sophomore (because he skipped a grade of course) and already the Ice God as the best player on the school’s ice hockey team. There is going to be love rivals with figure skaters as well. I can smell the Zamboni from here. As a former hockey player myself, I’m always excited for hockey in dramas, so I’m in for now. Can’t imagine why they need 40 episodes though it looks cute. 4-5 eps subbed a week.

JAPAN

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

What’s with the stabbing? First in Shira and now in this. People out for revenge and need to stab people. Will this be the thing that pushes Sato to decide between him and the good doctor? I think if she had just met the doctor, they could’ve been happy together. She would bring him out of his solitary life and he would give her someone to bond with over their love of animals. He also makes her laugh at his combined brilliance and naivete. BUT, we know he isn’t the end game, and despite not “liking” the president, it’s really clear that she has come to care for him deeply.

Shiranakute Kariyama/No Need to Know/Off the Record

Kate and Yuichiro make the mistake I feared they would, but he loves her truly and refuses anything else because he knows that he can’t do anything halfway with her or his wife. I was ready for this episode to merely focus on how they were going to get past this, but then we have threats to making a deadline and from a famous writer and then a stabbing and then a hospitalization. All creating a very tense episode, but then wasn’t enough. However, as much as I don’t like her ex, I never thought his betrayal would run so deep or that his guilt over his own weakness would turn him into someone so low.

THAILAND

Why R U?

Sorry SaiZon fans, this episode was all about FighterTutor and their beach vacation. Really. That’s it. The whole episode was them in a lovel Thai beach resort (of the kind I will neve be able to afford but which I’m sure Oprah visits) and watching them eat and frolic and then . . .wow, was that a thigh lick I saw. . .fade to candle and then bubble baths. Exactly what I needed at the end of a week  of COVID-19 logistics.

2Gether: the Series

So the question on everyone’s mind has got to be: Does Tine realize Sarawat’s true feeling NOW? NOW? He’s basically confessed to you multiple times. He’s brought you snacks, carries around cleanser just for you, rescued you when you were drunk, sang you a love song, was jealous of you with Pear, came to be by your side even though your were cheering for the opposing team, and now has drunkenly kissed you. Wake up and decide. Now that you know. What are you going to do? But will you acknowledge now that you miss him when he isn’t around?

Girl Next Room: Motorbike Baby

Another show I’m dropping—for now. I’ll keep glancing at it to see if/when they bring up the other couples. But geeze, it’s boring. And really there is so little chemistry between our main couple, which is disappointing because they are a couple in real life and really adorable together. And the show keeps dragging out their push/pull relationship to the point that I don’t care anymore.

My Engineer

Interesting plot points easy to miss if you are fastforwarding to get to the cute. Duen’s freak out about his little (1^st or 2nd grade) sister getting kissed may overshadow the fact that his parents don’t seem to take him very seriously. They love him, but seem to see him as a bit hysterical & his dad is set up to be this cartoonish macho military guy who has a soft spot. Both of them want him to go out to meet girls. We know that dream is going to die, right. Bohn may be a playboy, but he isn’t mean. Typical ML would’ve just taken girl’s word for what happened in bar, but he knows Duen, so he knows Duen would not be culprit. However, Duen’s friend Ram was a true friend—sticking up for Duen, being pissed that Bohn used him to get back at girl, and confronted him about what Duen is to him to insist upon taking him home. Team Duen scored more points than team Bohn in this ep. Warning: I'm not paying extra for VIP access to extra episodes per week (yes this is a thing); So I'm going to be watching when it gets regularly aired once a week. Please do not do spoilery things in comments.

I'm officially a Ram fan: Bring on his subplot show!

MOVIE

Emma 2020

Just lovely. Me, a very non-romcomy person, enjoyed everything about this movie. Acting, sets, humor, etc. 10 out 10 from me.