Rants and Weekly Raves #292 (RAWR)

JoAnne: We had two days of sunshine! In a row! It's a quarantine record! I actually got to go outside!
kakashi: This is week 490802098 of quarantine and our lockdown is lifted next week, May 11. I kinda feel like I'm in that place between 0 and 1.
Trotwood: We've had lots of sun, and even one day where it was warm, but I feel under a cloud seeing all these crazy people demanding (with guns mind) that we open everything back up even though people are still getting sick and dying and I'm afraid that we'll have to open up too soon. I went to buy another sympathy card last week on my one day i the office, and there were only 4 left.

KOREA

365: Repeat the Year (Finale)

This show ended with 12 episodes which is only the second thing that is similar to the Japanese drama. I’m glad it was only 12, it didn’t need any more, and I hope kdrama writers will take note, but probably not because I’m not sure it made the ratings to make a lot of people pay attention. I heard negative things about the finale, but I really really enjoyed these last two episodes. They pealed back the layers of the ways people were entertwined—how some of it was random and how some of it was not and the way everyone was affected by multiple layers of lies. Still, people did care about each other. For example, I think Shin helped our leads because of the way Ga-Hyun saved her daughter and Secretary Song got to hear the truth because she and Shin had become close enough to know details about the other’s lives. It would have made me sad if Hyung Joo ended without her, but not only do we know this is going to be a crack pair, but he’s finally going to get the autograph he’s always wanted. I liked that we didn’t get a big romance. They were busy trying not to die. I’m tired of watching shows where things are in dire straits but somehow people are taking time to make moony eyes at each other. The cops get engaged, but even they focus on work and their friends. Good job show.

Good Casting

This was a show that I really really want to like. It has everything I’m in the mood for: older female leads, kick ass fight scenes (and the one in the prison kitchen is a doozy), people motivated by revenge and redemption, and a sense of humor. But I have to say, I wasn’t feeling it the way I hoped. They really went for the humor, but the backstory is too dark for the show to be light. And I’m tired of Sung Hyuk playing these bit parts where we don’t see him after one or two eps. I also don’t like the link we have between the heroine and the newbie and I don’t know if I want to be around when they find out how they are connected over a death unless they bond completely.

The King: Eternal Monarch

You know what? I like this silly drama. I don't feel swoony about the OTP but I like 'em fine and Lee Gon is a cutie pie, admit it. The war scenes were silly and what the hell with that space between one and zero? Apart from Evil Samchon being hot, I really don't care about that part of the plot. I just like seeing the doppelganger pairs, and I like all the pretty, and I desperately want Sad Puppy Cop to be happy, but we all know it won't be with his first (and so far only) love.
Between one and zero is = the superposition of the qubit in quantum mechanics. KES has discovered  the many-worlds interpretation (MWI) = there are an infinite amount of worlds and Schrödinger's Cat can be both alive and dead at the same time but in different world. Much more mind-boggling: I thought Maximus was male and now I'm confused... that horse is a lady?
PS I fell asleep watching episode 5. But it WAS late and I WAS very tired
And: I'm so into him -->

ExtraCurricular


This appeared on Nextflix Thursday, I guess? I didn't realize until I was watching it that all 10 episodes dropped at once. I had no idea what it was about, but I clicked play and ho hum, it's about this boring cookie cutter bland high school student and I'm thinking nahhhhh but then...holy shit, he runs an escort service! And Choi Min Soo is his muscle! And then he's getting blackmailed by the most natural born gangster girl you ever could think of, but not for long. Things go spectacularly wrong for everyone - they couldn't go any other way; this HS is riddled with escorts, thugs, blackmailers, and pimps and you know Korea has to deliver the 'don't try this at home, kids', right?

No real surprises, other than the more than ample allotment of fake blood - but well-acted and entertaining for all that. I particularly liked the tender turn of the relationship between gruff Mr. Lee and the HS hooker. Watch this! Just, you know, save the later episodes for when you're not eating
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Want a Taste (Finale)


They really added things up until the very end with this show. 124 episodes and they managed to even have a hit and run accident with one of the main characters while saving his ex-wife from getting run over by the ex-wife of her fiancé while she was crossing the street to give him a wedding invitation. Cheesy yes, but they had one of the best confrontation/exposure scenes I’ve seen in awhile and the real scumbag people get deliciously punished. Happy endings all round.

CHINA/TAIWAN

Amensalism

I really like the heroine in this drama and the woman that she works for now. I’m hoping that they didn’t allow this woman to be kidnapped and have this extraordinarily long scene that really did nothing much for the story just because they really are going to write her off like her father does to her character in the show. I’m thinking that the real reason why he doesn’t want her around is because he’s still hiding his secret. However, this is one of those shows that is hurt by the director rather than helped. The characters, their relationships to each other, and their challenges are really interesting, but it’s like the director wants to use every trick he/she learned in art school. Too much use of slo-mo. Too much use of music when not necessary. Scenes that drag on too long. Still, I keep watching for the characters and the fact that no one seems dumb.

Girlfriend

This show continues to be what I want, comforting use of tropes with enough freshness that I’m charmed. It is good to see a hero who isn’t falling for the ex-girlfriend’s tricks—I watched the scene where he shows her the video of her being a jerk more than once—and a MIL who genuinely would rather have a nice hardworking daughter-in-law than someone famous or from a good family. The 2nd couple have gotten past the lie, and I think they are going to be a solid couple that works to bring our leads together. I like how our heroine—though feeling intimidated and unsure of herself also doesn’t let herself be trod upon. I’m sure we are going to have angsty times to come because the exes here—man the female’s leads ex is such entitled smug trash who clearly only wants her back so she can only depend on him—are not going away any time soon unfortunately. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if their behavior just pushed our main couple together more?

Ancient Detective

The reason why I started watching this is because someone on twitter posted a clip of the female assassin character and being really tired of weak female characters lately, I was sold. Plus, there are only supposed to be 24 episodes, so I should be okay with it. I’ve only watched six episodes so far, and I’m interested in the mystery and really wanting to find out what really happened in the past. I like the lead, who seems to be the only person in this world who doesn’t know how to fight, and his brand new best friend—who looks like he’s going to play wingman to future romance with the assassin.

 JAPAN

Rental nan mo shinai hito/Rent a Person Who Does Nothing

In the 2nd episode, we find out why our hero, Shota, “does nothing” when his next client hires him to walk with him to work. It turns out that the client is not being harassed or anything but just under so much pressure that he basically suffering from anxiety. I’ve been wondering what Shota’s wife thinks of all this, but turns out that Shota stopped smiling and wished tomorrow wouldb’t come at his old job. It’s interesting to me to see so many Japanese shows in the last year especially be offering options for just checking out of the crazy work as duty ideals.

THAILAND

2Gether

Let’s get the discomfort out of the way. Mil’s determination to get Tine needs to stop. He’s been told more than once and has heard it from everyone that Tine and Sarawat are a couple, but he just keeps pushing his suit as if Tine is going to change his mind. Not attractive, dude. Especially not in this episode when we get the flashback to end all flashbacks. In love Sarawat is a sight to see; he’s positively giddy at the idea of seeing the person he fell for at the concert again. The whole video that he made if his wish came true was just so unabashedly love filled that the most hard-hearted person would’ve had a hard time resisting, but Tine already likes you dude. It was a flashback felt in hearts of fans all over.

My Engineer

This is one of those shows where you wish the main couple would just break up. They have good chemistry, but they are actually pretty unhappy with each other because Duen is always so nervous and afraid of what they might do when they’re alone and Bohn is crazy jealous every time another guy so much as breathes near Duen. They both need to grow up. I was almost distracted from this realization by the beauty that is RamKing when King knew just by looking at Ram that he was going through a hard time. I sure hope that his dad really isn’t cheating on his mom. That scene where Ram admits that King knows him best was perfect. Everyone does ship them, but they are such good friends first before anything.