Rants and Weekly Raves #251 (RAWR)
Shuk: It's a Long Way to Tipperary, and a long time since I've joined RAWR. Blame it on a more intense RL with aging parents and increased responsibility. Despite this, I have been able to watch a few shows hither and thither. It's a good excuse NOT to get out in the weather and turn myself into a cinder while mowing the lawn.
kakashi: Welcome back, Shuk! I'm watching a lot for my recent standards. It's so quiet at work (NO MEETINGS cause it's summer and everybody is away). I was super efficient last week even though I took two days off. Planning to go to the office early every day next week because it's gonna get HOT.
Trotwood: I have been traveling, so I am not on any kind of regular drama viewing schedule. I'm also reading a lot more lately, so that gives me less time. I am sitting in my room all day today, trying not to feel guilty about not seeing more of the sites, but I'm exhausted and vacation should be relaxin, no? So I'm going to watch dramas and read all day long!
Panda: Hiii Shuk! Goodness I'm exhausted with RL stuff. Not watched 1 sec of tv in 2 weeks. Idek what's going on. Cos i WANT to watch stuff, I'm just too tired.
KOREA
Search Query: WWW
I may be in the minority here, but I think that the break up for Ta Mi and Morgan was inevitable and may be permanent. They were so busy trying to ignore the fact that marriage is very important to him and not to her that they were never going to be really comfortable and always feeling like the other was going to leave. I really liked Ta Mi's comment about how even though he isn't pushing her, she still has to defend her reasons why she doesn't believe in marriage while he doesn't have to defend his position about wanting to be married. This is important; marriage always changes the way society views a woman and almost never how it views a man in the workplace. The other relationships are just as interesting. I knew Jin Woo was going to be the best ex-husband ever, but I teared up when Ga Kyung signed those divorce papers. My favorite OTP of this show finally declared their real feelings, and the scene with them watching his kissing scene together was hilarious. Evil MIL is still not done though, and I think they are all going to have to work together to defeat her.
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| I want my own slo-mo moment!!! |
CHINA/TAIWAN
Love and Destiny
Watched all 12 available episodes. I'm glad it's not going to slow down anytime soon! Subs were stalled for a bit but now 4 episodes are subbed and recapped. Hey, I kinda enjoy doing this kind of highspeed, highpressure recap-stuff again! :) I totally adore the leads, they're so cute. He, the grumpy ice-block, her the bubbly, smiley little fairy who's such a fangirl. Muah! Here's two teaser gifs:
Go Go Squid!
I have to admit, I needed some serious fluffiness in my life recently. This fits the bill! Gruff, older, hidden-emotions guy falls for the cute, perky computer genius who posts videos singing happy cover songs. All in the guise of a CTF competition team (kakashi may be able to help with the description, but it's a cybersecurity competition between two teams trying overwhelm the other's server). Old loves, old angst, and old issues don't stand a chance against our ever-positive female lead. No doubt, in the long middle stretch so prevalent in Chinese productions there will be anger and noble idiocy, but the teasers tell me good things are ahead. And I've already been very happy with the first 20 episodes.
The Untamed
Anybody who knows me, knows I have a hard time with historicals or ancient settings, whether saegeuk, Boran, wuxia, or xianxia. But this one immediately sucked me in for some reason, and I find myself watching the beauties in live action (still airing), marathoning the 15-episode donghua, and reading the entire 113-chapter novel. It's the good-versus-evil storyline, with BL and clanging swords and Manes of Glory. Here's the plot: A soul belonging to a man thought to be The Ultimate Evil ends up in another body 16 years after his annihilation. He now has to face the consequences of those dark days, including evil magic, evil people, and evil deeds. But he also gets to meet the remnants of his family, and the only man he's ever respected and loved. Together, they work to fix things, while the backstory slowly explains his choices that ultimately let his previous destruction.
Novoland: Eagle Flag
I wanted! But couldn't. Yet.Before We Get Married
Wei Wei is getting more and more conflicted, and it's not helping that her boyfriend all of a sudden has to go to live in Shanghai for 6 months for his job. (Why don't I have a job like this?). Anyway, I don't know why he didn't just tell her right away since becoming a director is great for them. He doesn't seem to get that she'd be upset that he didn't tell her or that she wouldn't mind getting pregnant or not working anymore. I think she'd be upset even if she weren't being tempted by Jasper Liu's Ke Huan who clearly adores her. Crazy ex-girlfriend is now planning Wei Wei's wedding and being as manipulative as ever, but I want to thank her because we got to see Ke Huan see Wei Wei in a wedding dress. I don't know how WW kept upright seeing him look at her like that.
THAI
2Moons2
The slooooow pacing of this show remains, but it's sugary sweet like when you were falling in love at 15, so I'm still in. I was not convinced by the casting of the new couple, but this weekend's episodes really sealed it for me. This version of Pha is much less a player than a nice guy that has always pined for Wayo, and the look of love on face during this episode made him ten times better looking than any still shot could show. I also like how this director is interpreting his relationship with would-be rival. It's a good choice since he isn't going to have the time of three volumes to convince readers that the rival simply gives up and happens to fall madly in love with someone else unless we see this smooth transition and a not so deep affection on his part.
I watched the 2017 2Moons and thought it was pretty good, although they left the side relationships unresolved. This one is definitely on my radar, and I hope we see all the happy endings.
Theory of Love
The long anticipated Kai in pain arc is in full force, and I'm enjoying every moment of it. He has finally realized his feelings for Third and now has to contend with a Third who has finally stopped crying and moved on. It's difficult for him to see Third as so many other people see him, and his jealousy is everything he deserves. I'm completely not interested in the potential romance between his friend and their lecturer. I'd rather see two minutes of Kai pining for every 30 second Third has cried in the past instead.
JAPANESE
Kakashi's Slow Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin Watch
I made it to the end of Season 2 and.......... WANT TO WATCH EVERYTHING THAT REMAINS IN ONE GO! I need aaaaaanswers!!! I've been talking so much about this that my kid got really curious. "No, you can't watch this. Not until you're... 16." - "There must be one episode that isn't scary?" - "No." - "Not a single bit?" - "No." - "Can I watch the intro?" - * mommy caves * - kid: "Who's this? Who's this?! Oh, and who is this? I want to waaaaatch!"
My favorite soundtrack to date:
Watashi, Teiji de Kaerimasu/I Will Not Work Overtime, Period
The two episodes I watched this week covered the trials of mentoring younger workers through their mistakes. In ep. 3, our heroine Higashiyama needs to address an employee who to be cool with his friends breached confidentiality which could have led to disastrous results and in ep 4 she needed to address a worker who was not as efficient as he needed to be because he just didn't have any goals for his life. She cares but isn't perfect and having to deal with her own employment issues herself. I don't trust her boss at all, and the end of ep 4 makes that even worse. I also feel badly because as happy as she is with her fiance, I don't feel the same interest in that relationship as I do in the one with her ex-fiance. And will somebody please explain her mysterious online friend who does everything from give her industry intel to making dinner reservations without ever leaving his room. Who is he? ANd can I have one?
Anata no Ban Desu/Your Turn to Kill
I've watched two episodes of this show, but I'm concerned because even though season 1 is completely subbed (it was broadcast this past spring), there is a special and a sequel out there. I don't know if the mystery will be wrapped up this season, and that will be frustrating if those other parts don't get subbed. The story centers around a newly married couple who move into a new apartment, and the first residence meeting turns into a game where everyone writes down the name of someone they want to kill. Someone takes the game seriously, and by the end of two episodes, two people are dead and linked directly to the game.
Fujoshi, Ukkari Gay ni Kokuru
I actually wasn't planning to watch this drama, but Kakashi's question about the popularity of BL dramas made me wonder how a show would depict the friendship between a Fujoshi (the name given to girls and women who are fans of Yaoi--manga and anime that features male homosexual relationships) and a gay boy. The story centers around Jun, a high school student struggling to accept his sexuality by keeping it secret at school but dating and sleeping with older men, and Miura, a classmate he meets because he sees her while she is buying Yaoi. She is so embarrassed that she ends up following him around to keep him from telling others and they end up being friends. Only one ep has been subbed so far, but it's interesting to watch him ask her about her attitudes about gay people and be both relieved at how she fights for their rights and horrified at her glorified vision of their love.
