Interview with PotUppers: SakiVI
Next up in our series of interviews: Saki! When she loves, she loves intensely and when she hates, she hates intensely.
Jung Il-woo in The Nightwatchman's Journal, actually. I was watching with a friend online and you noticed our discussion and invited me to comment. Funny thing is, I don't even remember what that show was about!
What do you like / what do you hate in dramas?
I generally hate romances. And the stock melos that South Korea does. One thing I absolutely hate in dramas is that stock sweet character who says nothing while other people cause trouble around her and for her. It's like a woman who speaks up for herself is a "bad girl" while a "good girl" just takes abuse, lies and violence.
On the other hand, I love, love, love historical dramas and fantasy dramas like Great Queen Seondeok and The Lost Tomb, respectively. I especially like it when I can research the history in a show.
Surprisingly, I also like SK daily dramas. I think it's because they have a point to their stories. They're not about obsessing over a relationship, although that happens on the side, but instead, the main plot is always very specific: revenge, or protecting a parent-child relationship, or the competition between two people.
Where and when do you watch your dramas?
At home in the evenings on my iPad, or during afternoon sessions at the gym.
Do you have "real world" people you watch with?
Nope. No one around me can understand why I like the shows I do, and I can't understand them liking the shows they like either! :-) Seriously, I can't understand why anyone would watch a show on CW when there are Korean dailies that are way more interesting.
Many people are interested in "first time" stories... care to share yours? What's your first KDrama (or Asian drama) and what happened then?
Great Queen Seondeok was my first Asian drama. I always loved costume dramas with interesting women as the central characters, and so Netflix suggested GQS. I watched about an episode or 2 every day. I shortened them by skipping over the crying scenes, and a lot of other filler stuff. Then, when I was ready to drop it, along came Kim Nam Gil as Lord Bidam. Honestly, how was I supposed to resist?
The dramas that capture you the most (recently) seem to be C-Dramas ... why do you think that is?
Their stories are just better. They move along from point to point very fast and I never feel like I could skip a few episodes like I totally do with kdramas.
The smash-hit for you this year probably was Ice Fantasy. Why?
I think, again, that it was very well-written (though I could've done without the Scooby Gang always showing up), and it was visually fantastic, and I really loved Shi and Lian Ji and Yan Da. Those three were complicated characters with ups and downs, rather than, say, straight Emo or straight goody-goody. Each one was understandable, and I could empathize with them.
And, as I was watching, I never got bored like I did at times with the Mystic Nine. There was always something keeping the plot moving along so that each episode was an adventure.
But your ultimate bias still is Jaehyo from Block B, right?
Oh, gosh, yes! I know he doesn't do anything much, and that there may be better-looking guys, but the heart wants what it wants and all that.
Is there a particular upcoming drama you are most looking forward to?
My answer was originally Candle in the Tomb. It has leads I like, namely Jin Dong and Joe Chen, and it has tomb-robbing action, and history related to the tomb-robbing which will be fun to research. And it has tomb-robbing creepy-crawlies like mummies and zombies. But as regular readers of this blog know: it's now out, and subtitled and getting recapped!
So, I'd say I'm now looking forward to Tribes and Empires (it says something that I'm not looking forward to a single kdrama, doesn't it?). It sounds like the main lead will be emo while his devoted friend will try to save him from his pain, ahem, Ice Fantasy, ahem. In any case, it will have the costumes and fantasy I love in a show.
Any drama-wishes for 2017?
For all my biases, Kim Nam Gil, Ma Tian Yu, Alina Zhang Meng, Madina Memet, Kim Hee Sun, Kim Ji Hoon, Ji Chang Wook, William Chan, that guy who plays Ba Ye, and Choi Siwon, TOP and Jaehyo, to all be in one big Korean-Chinese collab fantasy drama. This is a huge stretch, even if we take Jaehyo out of the mix.
Other than that, I'd love The Lost Tomb sequel.
Interview with SakiVI
Saki, thanks for answering a few questions about you and your drama watching life! I don't even remember when you joined PotUp ... is Jang Hyuk to blame?Jung Il-woo in The Nightwatchman's Journal, actually. I was watching with a friend online and you noticed our discussion and invited me to comment. Funny thing is, I don't even remember what that show was about!
What do you like / what do you hate in dramas?
I generally hate romances. And the stock melos that South Korea does. One thing I absolutely hate in dramas is that stock sweet character who says nothing while other people cause trouble around her and for her. It's like a woman who speaks up for herself is a "bad girl" while a "good girl" just takes abuse, lies and violence.
On the other hand, I love, love, love historical dramas and fantasy dramas like Great Queen Seondeok and The Lost Tomb, respectively. I especially like it when I can research the history in a show.
Surprisingly, I also like SK daily dramas. I think it's because they have a point to their stories. They're not about obsessing over a relationship, although that happens on the side, but instead, the main plot is always very specific: revenge, or protecting a parent-child relationship, or the competition between two people.
Where and when do you watch your dramas?
At home in the evenings on my iPad, or during afternoon sessions at the gym.
Do you have "real world" people you watch with?
Nope. No one around me can understand why I like the shows I do, and I can't understand them liking the shows they like either! :-) Seriously, I can't understand why anyone would watch a show on CW when there are Korean dailies that are way more interesting.
Many people are interested in "first time" stories... care to share yours? What's your first KDrama (or Asian drama) and what happened then?
Great Queen Seondeok was my first Asian drama. I always loved costume dramas with interesting women as the central characters, and so Netflix suggested GQS. I watched about an episode or 2 every day. I shortened them by skipping over the crying scenes, and a lot of other filler stuff. Then, when I was ready to drop it, along came Kim Nam Gil as Lord Bidam. Honestly, how was I supposed to resist?
 |
| He's so cool! |
Their stories are just better. They move along from point to point very fast and I never feel like I could skip a few episodes like I totally do with kdramas.
The smash-hit for you this year probably was Ice Fantasy. Why?
I think, again, that it was very well-written (though I could've done without the Scooby Gang always showing up), and it was visually fantastic, and I really loved Shi and Lian Ji and Yan Da. Those three were complicated characters with ups and downs, rather than, say, straight Emo or straight goody-goody. Each one was understandable, and I could empathize with them.
And, as I was watching, I never got bored like I did at times with the Mystic Nine. There was always something keeping the plot moving along so that each episode was an adventure.
But your ultimate bias still is Jaehyo from Block B, right?
Oh, gosh, yes! I know he doesn't do anything much, and that there may be better-looking guys, but the heart wants what it wants and all that.
 |
| Noona's sweetheart |
Is there a particular upcoming drama you are most looking forward to?
My answer was originally Candle in the Tomb. It has leads I like, namely Jin Dong and Joe Chen, and it has tomb-robbing action, and history related to the tomb-robbing which will be fun to research. And it has tomb-robbing creepy-crawlies like mummies and zombies. But as regular readers of this blog know: it's now out, and subtitled and getting recapped!
So, I'd say I'm now looking forward to Tribes and Empires (it says something that I'm not looking forward to a single kdrama, doesn't it?). It sounds like the main lead will be emo while his devoted friend will try to save him from his pain, ahem, Ice Fantasy, ahem. In any case, it will have the costumes and fantasy I love in a show.
Any drama-wishes for 2017?
For all my biases, Kim Nam Gil, Ma Tian Yu, Alina Zhang Meng, Madina Memet, Kim Hee Sun, Kim Ji Hoon, Ji Chang Wook, William Chan, that guy who plays Ba Ye, and Choi Siwon, TOP and Jaehyo, to all be in one big Korean-Chinese collab fantasy drama. This is a huge stretch, even if we take Jaehyo out of the mix.
Other than that, I'd love The Lost Tomb sequel.