Rants and Weekly Raves #57 (RAWR)
JoAnne: I don't know why but this picture bothers me. You know how when paint dries sometimes on wood and it gets those little wiggles/wrinkles? Seeing that really creeps me out, and this feels like that. Don't get rid of it or anything, I'm just saying.
kakashi: Right, not getting rid of it. Just close your eyes :) (Is it Friday yet, is it Friday yet?!)
(becca: Sadly, no.*sigh*)
Okay, I swooned.
Him becoming all timid around her and basically jumping away if she touches him .... *dead*. Him going: "I become like this when I'm stressed." ahahahha. Suuuuuuuuure. In-love Cha is the best Cha so far. He's totally rattled and it makes him the cutest, tamest boy in the room. You really just want to ruffle his hair (before cutting it) (Jaehyus: This actor is the only person who hasn't annoyed me with this hair. I do not understand why this hairstyle is so popular in SK. Do they think it makes their faces smaller? Because it just emphasizes small eyes and a broad jaw, both things SK is not supposed to like beauty-wise.). And then, in 10, when he tries to burn those things from the past, my heart broke for him (again). When he tells Sang-Ye: "Don't worry about me, I've come to my senses", he has come to accept that he can never have her. "This will pass", he says, like a true adult. But so oojawooja cute!
I think they think it makes them look younger, more boyish. A visual key to their gooey insides which need love and affection.
It totally works on Lee Sang-yoon. But if you've studied him like I have in the last few weeks you know that his eyebrows and forehead are almost as sexy as his dimples. I just think it's a shame the're hidden. Whenever I glimpse a bit of an eyebrow, I greet it enthusiastically.
Hyun-Suk getting to care for her and pissing fuckwit fucksweater husband off ... I LIKE IT SO MUCH! Me too! It was glorious. And funny. Hyun-Suk's devotedness to making her feel better made me awwwwww loudly (he was so delighted when she burped, hahaha). Still, even though he is completely ready to piss Woo-Chul off until he dies, we shouldn't fool ourselves and the drama quite clearly told us so. He would NEVER butt in. It's just not the person he is. He does this all because of No-Ra's happiness, just like any 2nd lead-fool out there, trying to make Woo-Chul take care for her as she should - by making him jealous. And as before, it is working. On how many levels is it working though? He certainly is the best thing that could have happened to No-Ra. But as we have said before, No-Ra is completely blind towards his true feelings for her.
This is where I wish No Ra was a bit more clued in to life. She started this show with no idea how to use the internet, nor did she even have a phone in SK of all places and acts like Joseon lady-housewife. And she seemed completely unable to read facial expressions or respond to anyone else's feelings, something that, luckily, stopped with her fake scare. I've known people who were poor and had pretty much nothing and they knew more about life, romance, common tech etc. .
I've called it out as a weak spot before. Kakashi says he kept her pretty isolated and she was convincing at the time, but I still think the show overdoes it, on reflection.
By the way, this totally feels like a noona-romance to me! Don't you all
think Lee Sang-yoon looks so much younger than Choi Ji-woo? I totally
like noona-romances done right, by the way. And this one IS done right.
In the show, maybe by a few months? IRL, no idea, but it's all so cute.
It's the hair, I'm telling you.
In the show, they have the same age. IRL, he is 6 years younger than her.
Why is this so slowly subbed? Why? I need my sageuk fix, come on.
I haven't seen it yet, waiting for the subs. But come on, it's our guy. You know I'm gonna watch it.
He looks so attractive, so hot ahjussi. Give me a decent story and I'll love it all, laugh included. Also, I think KBS may be providing this show with subtitles, so that could be one reason subs are so slow. We should fondly expect them by October 7.
According to Asianwiki, this drama premiered on September 23rd. I'm writing this on September 28th, and Episode 1 (and 2 and 3) still is not available with 100% Eng Sub on any of the three streaming sites I use. Also, HOLYSHITIT'S36EPISODESLONG! But yes, it's Hyuk, and it's a sageuk, so I will be watching it...eventually. On a side note, Asianwiki also says Hyuk-oppa made a movie due out in 2015 called Empire of Lust. Obviously, this is now on my must-see list.
Mary/Kdramalaws has started reading A Song of Ice and Fire and it made me rewatch Season 5 of Game of Thrones. "Hardhome" is most likely the best half-hour of TV ever produced. I'm also re-reading the books, but am currently stuck at volume 2. I'll pick it up again when mary catches up ... it's fun to see her reactions.
Update: She is reading so quickly she has moved on to volume 3 .... 4......... already.
That's okay, those books can be reread several times over. I now officially confuse Game of Thrones with Wars of the Roses.
And I gave up on Hwajeong, and Yong Pal suddenly got boring, and I couldn't take it any longer, so I'm done there. I also tried this Taiwanese drama Moon River, and I have to say, girls these days are so lucky to have so many adorable geges (oppas).
Moon River! I inhaled the first ten episodes and for some reason it's taking FOREVER to get the next episodes and Viki is suddenly telling me it's not available for me and I am pouting about that because this has that boy down there, the one in the middle, the scowly one, and he's at the point where he's starting to recognize that he's starting to like her - well, he ALWAYS liked her, but it took him a while to catch on - and I need to watch his skinny self strut in leather jeans and motorcycle boots some more, please. Sam Lin. Yes, thank you. Please. Brother Che is sweet, too, but his mouth is very very tiny like the opening on the middle of an octopus. The red head kills me with matching his clothes to his hair, and I think they only dyed it to hide the fact that he's actually pretty handsome and much more manly looking than the pretty boy and Tiny Mouth.
Oops, that last one isn't a gege, she's a jiejie. The bowl cut is confusing, though. :-P
She does a good job of making herself unattractive, between the hair and jutting that chin out. And the clothes, holy hell, the clothes. But when they dress her up? Wow! I like the character, too. Nice kid!
Oh cool, we're starting a fun Taiwanese drama together! Love the comments about the red one being the hottest. So true.
Of the new US shows, I've seen Blindspot (thumbs up) and The Bastard Executioner (everything I have, pointed down, down, down) and have yet to see Minority Report.
I'm reading a couple of Japanese books, in English, called Lady Nijo's Own Story, which is the autobiography of a 12 century Imperial Consort, and a novel from the Heian Era, called The Tale of Lady Ochikubo. And tonight, Gabi with friends on Twitter. Will report back on that movie.
Watched the first episodes of The Muppets, and as a long-time fan who dislikes a lot of the movies and particularly the newer ones, you can trust my good judgment when I give this an enthusiastic thumbs up! It has all the best things about The Muppet Show and Muppets Tonight - the backstage setting, the characters, the absurdity and meta jokes. I'm so in. I'm also looking forward to Grandfathered because UNCLE JESSEEEEEE!!! *passes out from excitement*
kakashi: Right, not getting rid of it. Just close your eyes :) (Is it Friday yet, is it Friday yet?!)
(becca: Sadly, no.*sigh*)
Nabi: The only episodic TV I've seen since the last RAWR is Running Man and Law & Order:SVU, and the latter was only because it was the season premiere and required very little attention on my part to watch. I am officially in a KDrama slump. Happily(?), DF announced a contest last weekend that requires me to watch only movies and answer trivia questions in order to win a trip to Korea. So far, they have yet to include any movies in the contest that I had actually planned to watch except those I had already seen, but I still enjoyed Miss Granny (mostly), and Tazza 2 wasn't terrible (if you have a high tolerance for double-, triple-, quadruple-crosses). Of course, A Moment to Remember is one I already knew quite well, but I watched it again anyway because it's good enough to bear repeated viewings. I won't dwell on it here, but suffice to say (again) that I love Jung Woo-Sung. Also, I cry whenever Jung Woo-Sung cries, so now the dog I'm sitting for this week is a little freaked out.
Jaehyus: Hi Everyone!
Twenty Again
kakashi: Oh, the feeeeeelz! Both 9 and 10 take us through many, many, many different kinds of emotions. I might have shed a tear or two... Cha Hyun-Suk looking at the love letter he never got to give her and then repeating the words .... *dead*. How unfair it all is! Fucksweater Woo-Chul just stole her away from him. And what did he write about her back then?! I'm so curious! Where is the time capsule? We all know they'll go to that house again, maybe at the end of the angst phase, and it'll be super romantic, right?!Okay, I swooned.
I think they think it makes them look younger, more boyish. A visual key to their gooey insides which need love and affection.
It totally works on Lee Sang-yoon. But if you've studied him like I have in the last few weeks you know that his eyebrows and forehead are almost as sexy as his dimples. I just think it's a shame the're hidden. Whenever I glimpse a bit of an eyebrow, I greet it enthusiastically.
Then, the extremely awkward dinner ... wow! Imagine a situation like that! Nobody at that table knows the full truth: Woo-chul does not know Hyun-Suk knows about his affair (yet), No-Ra does not know Yi-Jin
is her husband's new woman (and does not know that Hyun-Suk knows about her husband's affair), Yi-Jin has no clue AT ALL and Hyun-Suk may know that Woo-Chul is cheating on his wife with the other woman at the table, but he does not know that Woo-Chul does no longer mean "the world" to No-Ra. It's quite clever, because it's the source of so much tension.
Anyone else annoyed by Yi Jin and her excessive prissiness? Raise hands here.
I do not in any way find her as amusing as Kakashi does. Setting aside her bad decision to fall in with Woo Chul, her self-satisfied, smug, stick-up-her-ass airs make me want to scratch her. Or push her down a flight of stairs. I would pray for her to walk out of the ladies with her skirt tucked into her panty hose.
becca: I'm with Kakashi this time because I find her utterly hilarious. She's so absurdly out of touch with reality! That said, I cannot wait until she gets knocked down off of her high horse.
Anyone else annoyed by Yi Jin and her excessive prissiness? Raise hands here.
I do not in any way find her as amusing as Kakashi does. Setting aside her bad decision to fall in with Woo Chul, her self-satisfied, smug, stick-up-her-ass airs make me want to scratch her. Or push her down a flight of stairs. I would pray for her to walk out of the ladies with her skirt tucked into her panty hose.
becca: I'm with Kakashi this time because I find her utterly hilarious. She's so absurdly out of touch with reality! That said, I cannot wait until she gets knocked down off of her high horse.
This is where I wish No Ra was a bit more clued in to life. She started this show with no idea how to use the internet, nor did she even have a phone in SK of all places and acts like Joseon lady-housewife. And she seemed completely unable to read facial expressions or respond to anyone else's feelings, something that, luckily, stopped with her fake scare. I've known people who were poor and had pretty much nothing and they knew more about life, romance, common tech etc. .
I've called it out as a weak spot before. Kakashi says he kept her pretty isolated and she was convincing at the time, but I still think the show overdoes it, on reflection.
A few words on Shin Sang-Ye ... so it looked like she was going to be
their cupid, but she was doing it so that No-Ra could spend time with
her husband. She still likes her sunbaenim ("I also did it because of my
own greed"), but in a very cute, non-invasive way. She is willing to
wait for his heart to become free, if she needs to forever. I really
like her - Hyun-Suk is lucky to have such a good friend in her.
I hope she finds a cute guy. Maybe that adorable student choreographer. (I'm convinced of the need for Noona romances in this world, fictional and real.)
Yeah, my heart wasn't broken to discover that our glee was misplaced; she's a good person with a realistic mind. I wonder if she could hit it off with Choreo Cutie, like you, but I sort of want him and the hard-working girl to like each other, too.
Ooh, I like that ship! Never mind, then the assistant can get someone else.
I hope she finds a cute guy. Maybe that adorable student choreographer. (I'm convinced of the need for Noona romances in this world, fictional and real.)
Yeah, my heart wasn't broken to discover that our glee was misplaced; she's a good person with a realistic mind. I wonder if she could hit it off with Choreo Cutie, like you, but I sort of want him and the hard-working girl to like each other, too.
Ooh, I like that ship! Never mind, then the assistant can get someone else.
In the show, maybe by a few months? IRL, no idea, but it's all so cute.
It's the hair, I'm telling you.
In the show, they have the same age. IRL, he is 6 years younger than her.
The Merchant - Gaekju 2015
Bravo, drama, on the BEST title ever. There is no Jang Hyuk yet and I flicked through it raw (only)... I'm not sure I am going to watch this attentively. It feels like all the other sageuks ever, with the conflict between the merchants (=good) and the nobility (=bad). From the previews, it looks like we're getting Jang Hyuk in episode 3 though (I hope so).Why is this so slowly subbed? Why? I need my sageuk fix, come on.
I haven't seen it yet, waiting for the subs. But come on, it's our guy. You know I'm gonna watch it.
He looks so attractive, so hot ahjussi. Give me a decent story and I'll love it all, laugh included. Also, I think KBS may be providing this show with subtitles, so that could be one reason subs are so slow. We should fondly expect them by October 7.
According to Asianwiki, this drama premiered on September 23rd. I'm writing this on September 28th, and Episode 1 (and 2 and 3) still is not available with 100% Eng Sub on any of the three streaming sites I use. Also, HOLYSHITIT'S36EPISODESLONG! But yes, it's Hyuk, and it's a sageuk, so I will be watching it...eventually. On a side note, Asianwiki also says Hyuk-oppa made a movie due out in 2015 called Empire of Lust. Obviously, this is now on my must-see list.
She Was Pretty
I love this show. I especially love Siwon's goofy character. I do not understand, though, why the Hwang Jung Eum heroine doesn't know basics like BB cream and hair conditioner in a country with a massive beauty industry like SK. She's not even living in the countryside! The main guy is a pain, though, but I love ShinHyuk (look, I even bothered to learn a character's name), played by Siwon, and I love the bestie too.
Again, a situation where the show overdoes it. I really find it annoying. She was a calm, composed, savvy child. Why would ALL of that be lost just because she didn't grow up to be a raving beauty? It's not like she's hideous. Siwon is all kinds of awesome and funny, but we knew going in that he would be. He does this well. Like Hye Jin, the character of Sung Joon is overdone. Why would he be such a massive prick? Why wouldn't his love for his pretty Hye Jin, who saw through HIS awkwardness, bring out kindness and compassion in him? He could be a tough boss without being an asshole, is all I'm saying. And the bestie, yes, even though I don't like what she's doing, I can see her struggle and I know her affection for her friend is genuine. We all have our struggles.
Hmmm... some mixed reviews there. I had been planning on picking this up, but JoAnne's criticisms sound like exactly the sort of logic fails that drive me the most crazy about KDramas. Eotteohge?
Hi, this is Shuk here, long time, no see! I took a short hiatus from LakornLand thanks to the clamoring of many of my chingus to watch this. I ended up marathoning all 20 15-minute mini-episodes over the course of two days, a pint of chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream, a coworker wedding, and a large amount of smiling. Sometimes it's nice to have something to watch where almost every side character is two-dimensional, leaving little more than the main couple to focus on. Sung Hoon could read a telephone book out loud and make it sexy. And Kim Jae-kyung was cute enough, although I desperately wanted to braid her hair out of her face, epecially during the somewhat medical scenes. It's a nice watch for a rainy afternoon if anyone needs it!
I didn't even take a full day, and I didn't fast forward. (I never do.) If Sung Hoon read the phone book to me I'd need medical assistance, I'm not sure I could take his voice for that long of a period. Listen. If you like contract relationships but hate the long drawn out angsty portion? WATCH THIS. There's no time to drag anything out and despite literal liplocks, our hero is about the sexiest thing to hit the screen since the invention of KDrama. Just go, now, right now, and start watching this. Do it!
Gosh I love Jaekyung, Sung Hoon and the Secretary. I don't love how creepy the CEO Hero character gets, and in real life or a normal length drama, I'd be turning off the screen in disgust and probably the drama would kill my love for the actor like Heirs did my love for Woobie. Luckily, it's 15 minute spurts of prettiness. And Jaekyung has some killer lines! (Everyone, re-watch Black Swan. If we get enough views, Rainbow might get a comeback.)
I'm saving this one to marathon over the weekend.
Again, a situation where the show overdoes it. I really find it annoying. She was a calm, composed, savvy child. Why would ALL of that be lost just because she didn't grow up to be a raving beauty? It's not like she's hideous. Siwon is all kinds of awesome and funny, but we knew going in that he would be. He does this well. Like Hye Jin, the character of Sung Joon is overdone. Why would he be such a massive prick? Why wouldn't his love for his pretty Hye Jin, who saw through HIS awkwardness, bring out kindness and compassion in him? He could be a tough boss without being an asshole, is all I'm saying. And the bestie, yes, even though I don't like what she's doing, I can see her struggle and I know her affection for her friend is genuine. We all have our struggles.
Hmmm... some mixed reviews there. I had been planning on picking this up, but JoAnne's criticisms sound like exactly the sort of logic fails that drive me the most crazy about KDramas. Eotteohge?
Noble, My Love
I didn't even take a full day, and I didn't fast forward. (I never do.) If Sung Hoon read the phone book to me I'd need medical assistance, I'm not sure I could take his voice for that long of a period. Listen. If you like contract relationships but hate the long drawn out angsty portion? WATCH THIS. There's no time to drag anything out and despite literal liplocks, our hero is about the sexiest thing to hit the screen since the invention of KDrama. Just go, now, right now, and start watching this. Do it!
I'm saving this one to marathon over the weekend.
Other Things
I'll probably never be done with Angel Eyes. Even though everything and everyone is so beautiful and Gu Hye-sun and Lee Sang-yoon are a very cute and sweet couple. But ...... It's so darn boooooooooooooring. I'll just keep watching this Opening Title video over and over again.Update: She is reading so quickly she has moved on to volume 3 .... 4......... already.
That's okay, those books can be reread several times over. I now officially confuse Game of Thrones with Wars of the Roses.
And I gave up on Hwajeong, and Yong Pal suddenly got boring, and I couldn't take it any longer, so I'm done there. I also tried this Taiwanese drama Moon River, and I have to say, girls these days are so lucky to have so many adorable geges (oppas).
Moon River! I inhaled the first ten episodes and for some reason it's taking FOREVER to get the next episodes and Viki is suddenly telling me it's not available for me and I am pouting about that because this has that boy down there, the one in the middle, the scowly one, and he's at the point where he's starting to recognize that he's starting to like her - well, he ALWAYS liked her, but it took him a while to catch on - and I need to watch his skinny self strut in leather jeans and motorcycle boots some more, please. Sam Lin. Yes, thank you. Please. Brother Che is sweet, too, but his mouth is very very tiny like the opening on the middle of an octopus. The red head kills me with matching his clothes to his hair, and I think they only dyed it to hide the fact that he's actually pretty handsome and much more manly looking than the pretty boy and Tiny Mouth.
She does a good job of making herself unattractive, between the hair and jutting that chin out. And the clothes, holy hell, the clothes. But when they dress her up? Wow! I like the character, too. Nice kid!
Oh cool, we're starting a fun Taiwanese drama together! Love the comments about the red one being the hottest. So true.
Of the new US shows, I've seen Blindspot (thumbs up) and The Bastard Executioner (everything I have, pointed down, down, down) and have yet to see Minority Report.
I'm reading a couple of Japanese books, in English, called Lady Nijo's Own Story, which is the autobiography of a 12 century Imperial Consort, and a novel from the Heian Era, called The Tale of Lady Ochikubo. And tonight, Gabi with friends on Twitter. Will report back on that movie.
Watched the first episodes of The Muppets, and as a long-time fan who dislikes a lot of the movies and particularly the newer ones, you can trust my good judgment when I give this an enthusiastic thumbs up! It has all the best things about The Muppet Show and Muppets Tonight - the backstage setting, the characters, the absurdity and meta jokes. I'm so in. I'm also looking forward to Grandfathered because UNCLE JESSEEEEEE!!! *passes out from excitement*