Rants and Weekly Raves #178 (RAWR)

JoAnne: In this RAWR, Trot and I have a series of conversations - sometimes with ourselves, sometimes with each other. I show up very late in the game, but Hiiiiii Jo :)
kakashi: A new RAWR just shows me another week has gone by. It's so scary. 
Panda: Hi Marky Mark
Panda! Hi! (Saki is still in Fairy Land.)

KOREA

Radio Romance 

When Soo Ho decides to go all in, he sure does. I think that this is something that the two leads have in common. When the big reveal occurs, she calls him out on it and asks what we would all ask: How did you expect her to recognize you after all this time when she was blindfolded?!?! But she can't object to the strategy he plans to use on her because he is using the exact strategy she uses on him. I know some people are excited about the director's confession, but I'm disappointed because I didn't want a typical love triangle, and there is so much Bromance potential there. The show still hasn't given me enough about his parents to tell me why they are so awful. I also want to know Soo Ho's history with Ha-Joon. 

I like that we have the question between Soo Ho and Geu Rim pretty settled - they like each other - while we still have so many questions about their relationships with other people.  Well, mostly his relationships with other people, but we do have some unresolved business with PD Namaste. 

I haven't given any real thought to his awful parent situation or to the doc, but here's what I've settled on as a possible explanation for other things:  The hospital stuff comes before the accident; Soo Ho is either encouraged to limit his interaction with the friend or is upset to learn that he also likes Geu Rim; the latter gives him a reason to have conflicted feelings about her, the former gives him a reason to be mad at Ha Joon who didn't pick up the phone.  Either will be enough to make him susceptible to the idea that people who get close to him end up hurt. 

As for Lee Geon's confession - couple that with his earlier admission that his parents spent a lot of time in hospitals and I think maybe he also met Geu Rim as a youth.  Otherwise how to explain the fact that he was clearly very into her from the moment he returned?

Laughter in Waikiki 

Boy, they didn't waste any time - practically the minute Gang Do realizes that he likes Yoon Ah, the ex girlfriend comes roaring back into the picture.  Since this IS primarily a sitcom, I hope they don't spend a lot of time on that.

 

Should We Kiss First (new) 

More fun than I expected, these first episodes.  So far it's more of a rom-com that can have serious moments than it is a melo.  We have Kim Sun Ah divorced from Oh Ji Ho, who is married to Park Si Yeon.  The first couple lost a child, the second couple have a child.  The bit where Sun Ah teaches the little girl to cal her mother Mistress was hilarious, but very wrong!  Shame on you Kim Sun Ah!

It seems that marriage #2 started with adultery, although Ji Ho seems like a kind-hearted guy who felt pretty guilty about it and continues to try and take care of Sun Ah.  Misguided, of course. The two women work together, wife #2 is super jealous of wife #1, wife #1 has major money problems, and I feel like they've all known each other a really long time, maybe even since they were kids. 

Meanwhile Ye Ji Won, friend to Kim Sun Ah, is married to Kim Sung Su, friend to Kam Woo Sung (also divorced.)  They're trying to fix up Kim Sun Ah and Kam Woo Sung, and no one (including KSA and KWS) realizes that they live one above the other and, as neighbors, have a fairly contentious relationship.  This practically feels like a weekend family drama at this point - I like it so far!

So, yes, the show does have a funnier vibe than what the previews led us to believe, but I have to say that I found it much much sadder than the comments on twitter led me to believe. I was teary for much of the time. I even found the supposedly funny moments poignantly sad--even the relationship she has with her ex-husband and "frenemy"'s child I found as sad as I found it funny. I wonder why she has such money troubles when she has a great job or is it just that she can't afford that apartment now that she is divorced? I was teary the entire time he followed her after the flight. He's seen her in her misery and felt for her--like she was expressing everything he wanted to but couldn't. And when she went back for his photo out of the trash . . .He now knows that she is that neighbor, so we will see what that entails. I don't know if I am up for the emotional drain. I find her friend annoying but her husband is so delicious that I'll put up with a lot.

Mother 

With so many people trying to figure out what's going on, it's no surprise that Soo Jin and Hye Na get caught by Hye Na's mom.  No worries, though, because she decides to give Hye Na to Soo Jin and basically says 'no take backsies' although it's clear that it pained her, at least superficially.  She doesn't last long, though, and tells the cops at the first opportunity and paints herself, once again, as the victim.  

Meanwhile, Soo Jin's mother cuts her off from the family - to protect her other children but also very much to make things easier for Soo Jin in the long run, with the decision she's made.  Hye Na runs away rather than cause the disruption, but they bring her back quickly - only to have her stolen away by that fucking demon of a boyfriend who's been following all along.  

Now what?  The police are on to Soo Jin 100% but when they get there, will they believe her when she says little Hye Na has been stolen? I am not sure my heart can take more of this.  

Return 

Another week, another surprise for me. But first things first: the actress switch. In US soap operas, this happens quite a bit. They recast an actor after someone else has been playing them for years. Usually, they have people call that person by their name a LOT to get viewers on the same page. I didn't notice that very much here, and I'm not sure I'd understand anything if I didn't know the background story. That being said, the new turn of events is very interesting. While not being in ep 16 hardly at all, Ja Hye is in this week's eps quite a bit, and she needs to be because the direction they are taking is to give us more of her background and her connection to the case. Still it seems too easy to have her be the culprit of everything. I also don't fully trust the police guy's partner. What was with the look the doc gave him? Really I trust no one except police guy and good wife.

I'd say US viewers are more accustomed to actor switches than viewers from Korea, for sure. And they picked a replacement actor who has the same general features and way of speaking, but there ARE differences.  I can't tell if they're just because of being different people, or it the story is taking a new turn - I kept wondering how it would have been with the original actor. I suppose the hair cut was meant to explain that away somehow, but this new version of Ja Hye is better dressed and coifed, more polished overall - and her attitude is different. Old Ja Hye was deceptively soft-spoken and clearly judging you but you were on the fence about whether she was good/bad sane/insane; new Ja Hye is soft-spoken and judgy, but also menacing. 

 I no longer wonder whether she is an innocent party to these events - even without the little cut scenes that show us for sure she's involved, I wouldn't trust her. I did love getting more info about her - she has a bone to pick about the case from 10 years ago, there's loss in her past, and those scars, wow! This plus the set up for something that happened even before the events of 10 years ago make me very curious about what comes next. Did you also love the scene where she is walking along that white wall, followed by the two shadows that were clearly meant to be the kids we'd seen in the previous scene? Her and someone younger, I think.

I did. I was thinking that the younger girl was the rape victim somehow or the person who is in the grave she visits. We learn that she has gone by a different name as an adult than she did when she was in elementary school at least. And those scars. . .No, I don't trust her, but I am wondering now if she is working with doc--notice the look between them at police station.

Hwayugi 

Well, the burning question has been answered.  YES, Sam Jang and Son Oh Gong do the deed.  (No, really, the question was whether he really loved her not, but still...once he knows the answer to that question, the fact is they DO IT.)

He beat the bracelet long ago, apparently - and that means that they can change fate, although I'm not sure how fate is tied to whether or not you are stronger than a magical device.  Especially when the truth is you just submitted to it wholeheartedly.  The important point is that maybe they will both live after the black dragon comes.  Stay focused on that.

Honestly, I don't mind that they took so long to answer the bracelet question.  If they'd answered it earlier, it would be a different show.  I'd have been fine with that show, too - lots of episodes of them being all snuggly and touchy and fighting monsters would have been fine, but I honestly liked lots of episodes of them pining for each other, reaching each other, then stepping back from each other, too.

I don't know about y'all but I am more than ready for Monkey business.

The other thing I like is that Son Oh Gong has co-opted Ah Sa Nyeo, and with the help of PK who desperately wants Bu Ja to be okay...we see glimpses of the priestess's human self and the pain she fet.

Misty 

Wow, Eun Joo is more than I expected. Also:  it seems the 'secret' was that Hye Ra's friend/boyfriend went to prison for murdering someone who molested her?  I have a hard time figuring him out, though - she clearly cared deeply for him and him for her, but I think he's a little nuts, and while we're on the subject I'm not entirely sure that Tae Wook didn't know about him, or that he doesn't know who he is now.  I'm also not sure I understand whether Hye Ra's recent behavior toward Ji Won has a deeper motive or not, but I think I'd like to see them team up.

 

Happy Sisters

I peaked in to the last couple of eps this week. Finally, the heroine learns that the best friend she made, who all this time she thought was jobless, is really the chaebol heir of the company for which she is about to interview. She clearly feels betrayed (Pfft). The second couple is still pretending in the middle of him pretending that he isn't falling for her while she cries thinking he is having an affair when he isn't. Sigh. Best part though is that the ex-husband gets beaten up by his new wife, HoeJo, with gimpap. I can't make this up.

WESTERN

The Magicians 

Turns out Frai isn't Elliot and Fen's daughter after all. Are we surprised? No. What did surprise me: putting Julia's magic in Olivia would apparently end up killing Olivia - it's akin to organ rejection, according to the show. So the magic is now back in Julia, and she'll have to work on accepting that it's really hers, no longer Renard's. As for the rest of them, it's mostly trying to get rid of the Fairy Queen. Things aren't going so well in Fillory these days, to put it mildly.

C-&T-Drama

A Seven-Faced Man 

I finished my fast forward watch this week, and it wasn't a waste of my time. I actually enjoyed it and cried at the end when Cui Hao Yue (Shin Se Gi in the original) left. The chemistry between the leads was there and their story worked, but fast forwarding was perfect because the show didn't do anything really to warrant making this into a 38-episode drama. For example, the episode where the leads go on their heartbreaking first and "final" date is in episode 16 of the original but not until episode 29 in this version. I wouldn't mind if the show gave more character development and more story, but they didn't. There were scenes that were not only the same in content but often seemingly shot the same. This is a shame because this story is complex enough to give us more development of character. For example, I always (as usual) want to know more about his faithful secretary--had time for this but, nope, didn't get it.

Memories of Love 

Sigh. I LOVE Wallace and have a soft spot for Aaron, but . . . From a couple of episodes subbed last week to 15  19 subbed (between the time I wrote this and the time I went to watch shows it went up to 19)?!?! I'm never going to catch up. I probably won't even start this drama until summer holidays when I can marathon. Anyone watching?

Me, but I've only seen 1 and a half episodes so far.  I won't even try to keep up, it's too fast, but I do intend to watch an episode or two a week.

JAPAN

BG: Personal Bodyguard 

We get more background about our politician lady and while I do feel sorry for the choice she felt forced to make in her past and for how her so-called colleagues treat her like a pretty appendage, I still don't like her. I also don't want her to be put in some sort of romance with Shimazaki, I don't think the story needs it, and, frankly, he deserves better. They really pushed that "My Bodyguard" bit in ep 5 to the point I thought they were going to start playing "I Will Always Love You." Pfft. She didn't need to use his jacket. She got into the van with a coat. Where the heck was it? She should've taken it at least so the police wouldn't find it when they inevitably searched the van at the checkpoint. Was the continuity fairy sleeping? I still really like the show. I think that is why it makes me mad that they feel the need to force such scenes in. Why when you get Saito being called an old guy?

I'm back because there was another episode subbed this week, and we get the background on Shimazaki and the reason he quit being a bodyguard.  Can we have full on bromance instead of romance in this show now?

Trot, I doubt we will get romance in this show although it's extremely clear she is very interested in him and he also seems to affected by her. I am more sympathetic towards her now although I still strongly distrust her. Saito is already coming over (reluctantly) to Shimazaki's corner and I know the ultimate bromance is not far off. I wonder how the upcoming battle between him and his ex will shape up. 

Repeat 

I was live tweeting about this week's episode while I was watching because I needed to calm myself down, and I was hoping that someone else would start watching so I could talk to somebody. Surprising pairings occur. The only things that isn't a surprise is how crazy the ex-girlfriend is, stalking everyone to keep her man--spying (including secret cameras), pushing people down stairs, and wielding a knife. Still the end of ep 6 did surprise and dismay me. Only because I'm worried about how our leads are going to get out of this. The only complaint I have is that they play the show's theme song ("If We Meet Again," the Japanese debut of one my favorite Korean bands Day6) at the most odd times. 

I've only seen 3 episodes so far, but have only heard the song at the ending credits or slightlly before them. I knew that Kazumi was untrustworthy! I bet you anything he brought them all back specifically, not randomly like he said, and that he's trying to fix something in his own life by using them. I do like these three, although Mouri is a bit sullen.

All caught up! How any of these people trusted Kazumi is still a mystery. The guy reeks of shadiness. Now they are all being killed off one by one, I am glad Tendo was wary from the beginning. However, judging from the preview for ep7, I wonder how smart he actually is. His proposal to fix their big pycho problem is quite nuts.

Unnatural 

Satomi Ishihara is probably my favorite Japanese actress. She always brings something to each of her characters that makes me wish I was friends with them even if they would make me crazy and we'd end up having a falling out. Her role in this show is no different--although I think the character is probably my most favorite of her characters (and I have NOT liked all of them--cough Dear Sister cough). I love how she stands up for herself and her friends. It's going to be painful to her character, Misumi, to find out that Kube has been spying on them all along, but he is clearly torn. And I like that he is clearly falling for her for all the right reasons but with the blackmail . . .What a great episode with the cops supporting them in the investigation and the work from the team overall. Kamikura's stall tactic when HD showed to investigate was hilarious. I'm glad that our two female friends admitted they were friends and not just colleagues. Great show and great cases of  the week. Also, I know some people are having problems with Iura's hair in this, but I LOVE IT. It makes me have grabby hands.

Favorite jdorama airing. I love Satomi in this and everyone really. The intern/undercover reporter tugs at my heartstrings although I see clear heartbreak in front of him. She is clearly more pulled towards the tortured Iura. I like the cases also! Ep 5 was so sad and tbvh, I supported that stabbing. I am not done with the last subbed episode but it's also shaping up to be fun.

Ima kara Anata wo Kyouhaku Shimasu (May I Blackmail You)

Dean!!! DEEEEEEEEAAAAANNNNN!!!! Okay. I will stop squeeling. I patiently wait for eps of this drama to be subbed because of Dean Fujioka (and his hair). It's actually an intriguing and fun drama about a woman (played by Emi Takei) who gets involved accidently with a professional blackmailer. Each episode is a specific case that his blackmailing company takes on, but of course it's part of a larger plot concerning her rich grandfather and her desire to live independently of his nefarious ways. The group thinks she's really naive, but she isn't as naive as they think nor are they as heartless as she thinks. Only 3 episodes subbed, but I get the feeling that this is going to be one of those rewatch dramas later when I want heartfelt goof.

I cannot believe I was not aware there was a Dean drama being subbed. I watched 2 episodes in one go. She's so cute! Squeeeee! And DEANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN. The cases are also fun. I really like the format of this drama. Seeing Yuko in here being normal is taking a bit of adjustment though. LOL

Ani ni Saresugite Komattemasu (My Brother Loves Me Too Much)

This is a Japanese drama and movie based on a manga, starring Tao Tsuchiya (actress from IQ246), as a girl who has been confessing to guys and getting rejected since she was 8. Come to find out hat almost all of them reject her not because they don't like her but because of her brother. It's light fluff romantic drama, but I found the format interesting. The drama aired last spring and was five episodes, but at the end of those five, it clearly was not complete. Instead, they advertised the movie that was coming out in the summer which would conclude the story. I'm finally commenting because I just found subs for the movie last weekend. I'm not going to lie. I was grinning like a loon at the end. despite the "it's my first real acting gig idol lead" guy because his smile of happiness was infectious especially in contrast to the sullen idol look he had for most of the drama and movie.