Rants and Weekly Raves #260 (RAWR)
Kakashi: A very hard choice. Beautiful pictures of Mark vs. sexy pictures of Chang Chen. Oh, and Hu Ge too? Decisions, decisions.
Trotwood: Who said that you have to choose? That's just silly talk.
It's a trick question. I never wanted to choose.
It's a trick question. I never wanted to choose.
KOREA
When the Camellia Blooms
I'm going to try to watch another two episodes of this show because I really want to like it because I love love love Gong Hyo Jin. I like the character that she plays here as well. I like Kang Ha Neul's character, and I'm intrigued by how Kim Ji Suk's character has gotten himself stuck in a celebrity marriage with a baby when he clearly dislikes his wife as much as she dislikes him. I'd even like to find out why the women seem to own everything in this town to the point that all the men not on the police force seem to work for their wives or mothers. However, the hints that Gong Hyo Jin isn't going to survive this story contrasts oddly with the comedic vibe the show seems to be going for, and I don't like how the heroine seems to be without any female friend in this show.
Secret Boutique
I'm hooked on this show the way I was hoping to hooked on When the Camellia Blooms. Kim Su Ah is cold and calculating from the very beginning with an opening that has her being released from jail and looking like a boss making an entrance that has her enemies seething within the first minutes of the drama. There are quite a lot of flashbacks in the first two episodes which sometimes I find irritating, but they work so well to help us with where the loyalties are. There have already been painful deaths, but you know there has to be those to prep for the revenge, but I'm also glass that unlike some shows where we have to watch the lead suffer for 4-6 episodes before we get to the revenge, we get to watch revenge from day one. I'm just going to say it here, but I'd wear lipstick if my lipstick could look like our heroine's every day.
CHINA/TAIWAN
The Fearless
Before I get into the review, I need to give a shout out to whoever worked on this production that is also part of the HIStory franchise because there have been at least six actors from that franchise that have shown up in this show already!! lso, the closing theme is such a good, haunting song, but I can't find it anywhere probably because I don't know language, so anyone can help . . .
Last week, I said that this show had a calming effect that I wasn't really expecting anything new. I'm not going to say that the show is groundbreaking, but I am surprised a bit in every episode. The premise is old--a near death experience triggers the main character's ability to see ghost and thus help solve crimes--but the details and the nuanced performance by Lego Lee really add a level of depth I wasn't expecting. I watched up through episode 6 this week, and the most recent death is even more heartbreaking than Zhi Hai's father, and when his friend's wife tells him that she is going to have "Hai" as one of the names for the new baby, I felt sucker punched. I really want to know the answer to the mob boss's question: "How will Zhi Hai act when he uncovers the secrets behind the ultimate betrayal?" I doubt everything is as it seems yet.
Last week, I said that this show had a calming effect that I wasn't really expecting anything new. I'm not going to say that the show is groundbreaking, but I am surprised a bit in every episode. The premise is old--a near death experience triggers the main character's ability to see ghost and thus help solve crimes--but the details and the nuanced performance by Lego Lee really add a level of depth I wasn't expecting. I watched up through episode 6 this week, and the most recent death is even more heartbreaking than Zhi Hai's father, and when his friend's wife tells him that she is going to have "Hai" as one of the names for the new baby, I felt sucker punched. I really want to know the answer to the mob boss's question: "How will Zhi Hai act when he uncovers the secrets behind the ultimate betrayal?" I doubt everything is as it seems yet.
JAPAN
Nagi no Oitoma/Nagi's Long Vacation
There was so much gnashing of the teeth after episode #8 that I was tempted to drop the show. However, one of our commenters, Maryam, assured us that we should watch the next episode. I'm glad I did because my real fear did not happen and what happened not only surprised me but satisfied me. The confrontation when the parents finally meet was epic--so many more secrets come out that I did not expect. I kept asking myself why they wanted to have the parent meeting at the grandmother's birthday, especially when it became clear that Shinji's mom did NOT like what she learned about Yui's mom. Still, both Yui and Shinji needed to this horrid experience for them to move on. Do I think they should be together now though? No. I'm voting for PullApartBun (he got beat up getting all those keys back didn't he?), but I'd be happy if she just stayed by herself for awhile working to make the laundromat a success.
