Rants and Weekly Raves #207 (RAWR)

JoAnne:  Everyone, come out from under your blankets, no ghosts will pop out or demons possess you on this blog - but we can't say as much for the dramas lately!
Trotwood: Blankets, smankets. I get so distracted by Kim Jae Wook's jawline that I don't have time to be scared. And how long will it take for me not to want to cry whenever I pass a Subway? But wow, how many people got stabbed or died in OCN dramas this week? The guy in charge of blurring out stuff must be getting paid a LOT in overtime.
Panda: Hiiiiiiii! You can keep your ghosts thank you very kamsa. I don't watch scary things as to avoid nightmares :) I am just gonna keep watching my fluffy babies in 30but17.
kakashi: I'm back, but the semester has started and I have 4 lectures this term, two of them new. I guess you won't see me here or anywhere else often....
Slim pickings this week, I think. Saki got a bit of a booboo and is resting so nothing from her this week and I've been occupied elsewhere so watched very little, too.

KOREA

17 Again 

My fluffy drama ends this week and as loathe as I am to say bye, I do feel it's ending at the perfect length. Fluffy as it is, I had tears in my eyes at Jennifer's story, so sad. I also immensely appreciated that the obligatory separation/noble idiotish arc lasted less than an episode. Caitlyn's doc has finally met her!! But it's quite late for him in the way he wants the most. So now, the remaining mystery is who was her benefactor? It's definitely not the Uncle and my mind is leaning towards one of the drivers of the accident or someone connected to them.

I agree, the flow of this show has been very good, with characters you really like and an interesting dilemma for them, too.  I'm assuming that guy was a driver, too, but I want to know why her aunt feels so bad and yet insists she did nothing wrong.  I guess the uncle is the blood relative and whatever she was fleeing was done by him?

Voice 2 (Finale)

What a wild and crazy ride that was. So crazy that they couldn't contain it to 12 episodes and are having a whole other season. We all know that she isn't dead, right? RIGHT? damn it. I'm determined. I love the intermeshing of the Golden Time team members and the regular police guys. And thankfully, all the misunderstandings have been worked out because I think they are going to have to be working on all cylinders to triumph against the real villain in season 3. I also like that the show shows everyone as being smart in their own ways good guys, bad guys, and in between. It shows that you can have an interesting show without making the cops dumb. The backstory of the villain is much more complicated and traumatizes than I thought. I want to know why that cop helped him in the bathroom though. What was his connection? I was assuming that the mysterious Japanese guy in the car was the father of the little girl who everyone said Kang Woo's dad killed, but now I'm not sure since he made the comment about Kang Woo coming back to their side.

Umm...Drama Fever has Episode 12 tomorrow?

100 Days My Prince (New) 

Kyun So is so scary as a bad guy, brrr. I am still on ep1, not because I didn't enjoy it but because I have just been so busy. I love that NJH is a fiesty character and can't wait to see more.

I did watch the first two episodes of this...don't remember anyone particularly scary? Looks like a good story, though.

Devilish Joy 

He just can't stop involving himself with her...I want to see that big handsome guy worshipping at her feet!  I know it wasn't his fault that he didn't show up and I know that she doesn't know that but in her mind...the bad luck of that night came because he bailed on her.  I admire her refusal to buckle to any of it, and I love her little family, even the drunk dad.

Time 

I had to stop half way through this week's episodes.  It's too sad.

Familiar Wife 

Elf ears is happy! Elf ears is happy!!! That was what I wanted in all timelines. Our couple is finally together but how will this affect everyone else? 

The Ghost Detective 

I know everyone was talking about the tear inducing Subway scene even before I got to it. I was sceptical at first, but when I watched I was as susceptible as everyone else.Kim Won Hae, once again, is killing his supporting role (he really seems to be in a show every cycle) once again. He's the reason that scene worked. I am enjoying this show more than I thought. I'm a bit resentful that people are surprised at Daniel Choi--not just how good looking he is here (he's always been good looking, people!) but how good he is. I think he has always been good but underrated. I'm enjoying the story and the attempt by a major network to go dark. The only frustrating thing I'm finding is that I would find it more interesting to know what the Red Lady's motives are. I find it more entertaining to know and see if the characters figure it out, but lots of people like it this way, so . . . 

Well, they told that story, and showed what happened in her life. I'm guessing that's her motive. I'm not sure how come she's taking her rage out on them in particular, though.

Hand: The Guest (New) 

So, of course Kim Jae Wook is the most delicious Priest I have ever seen. However, the show is intense and scary and well-plotted so far. Enough so that I did not really notice at all that he isn't in it until 40 minutes into the first show. I hope the kids who play the young versions of our protagonists had a LOT of light-hearted fun on set and at home because they are part of some horrifying scenes.  I always wonder about this and maybe they just don't see everything put together so it's not as scary?

Very impressively done! It's spooky and interesting and the special effects are great. Kim Jae Wook was born for a Roman collar, apparently, because he looks really good in it. Sigh.

Mr. Sunshine 

The one drama everybody in Korea knows about. "Are you watching Mr. Sunshine"? I got to hear that often when I told people I watch KDrama (which, technically, is a lie, since I haven't watched any in eons).

My Korean teacher's mother called her to tell her to watch it. Something she almost never does.

It is an especially good drama in all aspects. I haven't had a chance to watch the most recent episodes yet.

Let Me Introduce Her

I feel badly that this show is not getting better ratings because it is also top notch. Rarely, do I watch a show that continuously surprises me. As much as I like The Guest and Ghost Detective and Voice, I actually think that this show is better constructed; I really feel when on of those reveals hits that the writers have a map of everything all the way to the end and know every makjang turn coming on the road. No one I know who has been watching predicted the surprising reveal in this week's episodes. ANd the most delightful thing is that it all makes perfect sense thinking back on everything that happened. It's so well laid out, that you just nod in your mind and question why didn't you think of that perspective. I'm excited because the real revenge is about to begin.

Gangnam Beauty (Finale)

I do love this OTP, and I'm glad that they got together and that they realized that no one was going to give them a hard time about dating. I was going to go on a rampage if they tried to completely redeem Soo A. She has and is having a hard time, and just because she is horrid doesn't mean she deserves crazy stalker. I'm not sure why Yoo Eun thinks that it wa Mi Rae's job to help her, but I liked how neither Mi Rae nor Kyung-Seok completely forgot and forgave everything she did and was unlike in other shows and that the writers allowed Soo A to be bitchy until the end (meeting Kyun Seok to tell him that she never did like him). I also liked that Tae Hee didn't take Tae Young back. 

I got a kick out of Soo A telling him that, but he already knew it and had called her on it before, so what was the point? I was very proud of Tae Hee. Tae Young needs balls, and she can do better. I was glad our couple worked out well, and I enjoyed the drama overall, but man, our leads are not good actors.

Sunny Again Tomorrow

We are coming into the last 30 episodes, so it's time for our heroine to realize that she was adopted. However, I'm less interested in seeing what she does with this information than its effect in others. She still loves her mom and feels sorry to her, so there was a bit where she cried alone, but she's back to being her good natured if more mature self. However, because the antagonists can believe that she is as nice as she has been acting for 80 episodes but must be money and position grubbing as they are. I'm wondering though if the show will have Ji Eun break with her mother or follow her mom until the end. She seems to want to if for no other reason than I think she sincerely loves Do Kyung. Her mom, however, is getting deeper and deeper. The stolen designs had her sink to a new low, and I believe her sister really means it when she said that this is the last time she will forgive her. When her sister finds out that she lied about her daughter's death and identity. It will be over. I just hope that her husband leaves her as well.

CHINA/TAIWAN

Legend of Fuyao 

Couldn't watch any episodes today, because my kid had too much homework (and slacked about it!!) and needed to play the piano etc. etc. and then it was already 9pm, after I had to be Tiger Mom after a very hard day. Then, she drank about 1 liter of water while in bed and had to run to the toilet every 10 minutes, which didn't particularly endear her to me. Oh well, she'll be tired tomorrow, but NOT because of Fuyao.

The Rise of Phoenixes

Netflix dropped the first 15 episodes finally last Friday. NiNi is luminous and killing it while Chen Kun has struck a false, over-acting chord with me in about a couple of scenes but it's been fleeting. Overall, I am enjoying this so far and been really surprised by a few twists. Like that the guy who spoke so scathingly of Prince Ning was secretly working with him. That was cool.