The Problematic of the Unproblematic

It's time for another mission and as always, it's extremely nerve-wracking. Ming Tai teams up with Trainwreck, which ... well, we don't really like, but I guess it can't be helped. And then, Hu Ge looks absolutely gorgeous in the entire episode, especially with suit and bow tie, so I kinda did not even see her anymore. JoAnne: Damn, but he's attractive. He's made for formal wear - so elegant but yet with that cute twinkle. Eleanor: Yes, to all of the above. Then again, he could wear a potato sack and still be utterly charming and sexy and handsome I'm sure. 

Friends, it's been a while since our last Disguiser recap!! But now, the show is back, all official on viki (watch here ) and I cannot wait to continue recapping this intense gem of a drama. We left the show in the middle of a difficult mission: getting the Japanese deployment plans for War Zone 3. Also, Ming Tai has gotten suspicious that his organization may be keeping something from him. He also manages to get into a LOT of trouble in this episode. JoAnne: Look at that devilish glint!  Such a bad boy - how could you not love him? Eleanor: Oh Ming Tai. You're giving your big brother some grey hair with all your tricks. 

Most of my readers know, I find weird stuff in dramas. Most recently, I've been compiling lists of the locations that are reused in Thailand lakorns. But this particular obsession has been going on for years. An Eiffel Tower lurks in every Asian drama ever.  Dilwale Duhania Le Jayenge - India 1995

Our friends are still in Barcelona and this time, I'm safe, because I've eaten some Fondue and my stomach is about to burst. I'd say it's the weakest of the 6 episodes, in terms of friendship moments, but also in terms of food porn. But who cares. These people ... so lovely.

We're starting to deal with the aftermath of the birthday-party-from-hell, and it ain't pretty. JoAnne:  This drama is so rich in every way... it makes me want to read the novel.  Is the novel translated into English, dear Comment Crew? Or were you all reading it in Chinese?  Is it strange to want to learn a language so that you can read one novel?  ... I know the answer to that is 'yes.' Eleanor: There is no official translation, but I compiled a bunch of links to some bloggers who are translating it into English. Here are those links . And yes, I have more than once thought that I need to learn Chinese so I can read the novel etc. That and talk with Wang Kai ;)

The Third Song 第三首歌 《赤血长殷》 – "Loyal Blood Runs Forever Red" is an allegorical memorial song for the novel 《琅琊榜》- The Langya List, which is the original novel on which the drama "Nirvana in Fire" was based. It is a story-retell (剧情歌) song which narrates the life of Mei Changsu and the Chiyan army. The song was written and produced by fans of the novel and published on April 26th 2014. It became very popular amongst the novel's fan base. During the filming of “Nirvana in Fire” the production team held a competition to find songs for the drama. The collection period lasted for a month during which almost 1000 songs were received. “Loyal Blood Runs Forever Red” was eventually chosen after being highly recommended by the fan community.

Let some ranting follow the raving ! There were many, many BAD dramas this year, let's be honest...  but which ones were the worst? While there was quite a bit of diversity in what we liked, we seem to flock together in the things we hate... I see one very clear winner :D

Kakashi: For the second time, we're not doing a end-of-the-year review, but a short(ish) list of our favorites this year. Accompanied by a second post about the things we liked a bit less. For obvious reasons (= list of dramas being squee-capped), we are opening these lists to all Asian dramas. Ha! This is kind of like our own Lang Ya Bang... oh dear. Nirvana on my mind. Are you ready, SqueeCappers? JoAnne: This year is hard. I have a LOT of dramas that I really liked, because I look for something different than you do. Blessed be. I really hope that 2016 is a better KDrama year for me... That said, I love the diversity in our likes!

In the previous episode, we left Mei Changsu and Xie Yu facing each other in the courtyard. And even though there are many people around them, it is clear that ultimately, this is a duel between those two. Both are calm and collected, still smiling even - but lets not fool ourselves; this is a deadly game. And for at least one of them, this will most definitely not end well...  JoAnne: Despite my anger discussed at length in the previous post and comments, I'm hoping that it's Xie Yu who isn't happy at the end of this, of course. Eleanor: I am wishing now that I had taken one of those heart fortifying pills to get through this duel of wits and outsmarting. And it had better be Xie Yu who meets his not so happy end. 

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?! In fact ... WE ARE! Here comes the much awaited and much dreaded birthday party that changes everything. Mei Changsu gambles very high ... but can he actually control what he has set in motion? JoAnne: Kakashi, you've accidentally included the picture where Grand Princess Liyang explains to Jingrui how babies are made. Eleanor: I am so distracted by the filter they used to get that shade of lipstick on Jingrui o.O it's like cerise pink!