Rants and Weekly Raves #290 (RAWR)
kakashi: I'm reading books, have no time for dramas. And I mean non-academic books! It's an achievement. I'm very deeply into the Chronicles of St. Mary's, it's loads of fun. I've stumbled across this author quite by coincidence. Well... because a mutual on Twitter did one of those online quizzes called "who's your historical ex" and I got "A Bachelor" and the book cover of The Bachelor Establishment. Which is by the same author. Turns out that quiz was a very clever way to market some books, but it intrigued me enough to start reading and now I'm still reading. Over and out, otherwise, the morale is quite good. I'm so used to living in lockdown I'll have a hard time adjusting back to normal life, that much is clear !
JoAnne: I'm actually about a third of the way through the first book, myself! I didn't do the quiz but must have seen some of the conversation because I looked it up and was intrigued.
Trotwood: Today is a holiday where I live, so I'm forcing myself not to do any work, and, funny enough, I was thinking of starting the first book of Chronicles of St. Mary's today. Bought it yesterday! I am loving living this way, too, and not going anywhere and having the excuse to avoid people and am really worried about getting panic attacks once we have to go back to regular interactions since I suffer from anxiety. But I'm thinking that it will be a slow build up for everyone. At least the snow is all gone.
Panda: Ohhhh are we talking about books? I have been averaging a book a day reading mostly very easily digestible chick-lit in many forms from werewolves to hot Scottish renegades to icy English Dukes (I don't discriminate 😉). I want to watch the record breaking jtbc, drama but I need to make sure her revenge works out fully and the terrible people do not get redeemed so I am waiting till it ends.
JoAnne: I'm actually about a third of the way through the first book, myself! I didn't do the quiz but must have seen some of the conversation because I looked it up and was intrigued.
Trotwood: Today is a holiday where I live, so I'm forcing myself not to do any work, and, funny enough, I was thinking of starting the first book of Chronicles of St. Mary's today. Bought it yesterday! I am loving living this way, too, and not going anywhere and having the excuse to avoid people and am really worried about getting panic attacks once we have to go back to regular interactions since I suffer from anxiety. But I'm thinking that it will be a slow build up for everyone. At least the snow is all gone.
Panda: Ohhhh are we talking about books? I have been averaging a book a day reading mostly very easily digestible chick-lit in many forms from werewolves to hot Scottish renegades to icy English Dukes (I don't discriminate 😉). I want to watch the record breaking jtbc, drama but I need to make sure her revenge works out fully and the terrible people do not get redeemed so I am waiting till it ends.
KOREA
I'll Find You on a Beautiful Day/I'll Go to You When the Weather is Fine
In my fantasy version of this show, last week's episodes would include the last we see of Bo-Yeong. She really has no function in this plot since she isn't even the kind of 2nd FL that we either love to hate or actually makes us concerned about our main couple. The only satisfaction from her character is to see how Hae-won treats her like we wish every FL would treat such characters. The only problem is that even though she apologizes, she still doesn't seem to learn or be really sorry for anyone but herself. Her character actually doesn't affect plot at all, so she is just an annoying addition. I'd rather spend more time on the awful choice Myung-jeo asks Eun-Seob to make and the fall out from Hae-won finding out what really happened in the car accident years ago.
365: Repeat the Year
So many layers of lies and the feelings of betrayal. I thought we had hit a high point in the Kim Se Ra arc. I had believed everything as part of that story, too, so I felt Ga Hyun's sadness at feeling like she lost a family member. Now that I think about it, Ga Hyun doesn't seem to have anyone. She lost her fiance to her best friend and then lost that best friend, so it's not surprising that she felt so much for Se Ra. I also knew that gamer guy was a jerk, but who knew that he was a scary Kdrama rich kid bully. Still, I did not see the ending of this week's turn. I'm hoping I'm being trolled, but I doubt it. This show seems to not want us to like anyone. Is it so we will be fine if everyone dies?
The King: Eternal Monarch
I'm not watching this show despite really loving 3 of the 4 main leads. Plot synopsis not something I would watch, but it's the most anticipated kdrama of the spring because of the writer's previous super popular shows, so I'd feel remiss not mentioning it.
Yeah, I'm a little bit tempted but won't force myself.
Well I love 4 of the 4 main leads AND two of them are playing double roles (tho we've only really seen one of them actually doing it, so far) and it's hitting me right. Just enough of that slight snarkiness, soooo much pretty, and then the fantasy element? All I know right now is maybe not everyone has a place in each world, and time does not seem to run at the same speed. I'm not worried, they'll explain it. Or not...this is a KDrama after all. Did I mention all the pretty?
Color me shocked that I actually saw the first episode of this especially since I am not a fan of either KES or LMH. Ep 1 was fun. I think my best male eye candy actually is Kim Kyung-Nam (the police detective). I loff him. So far in middle of episode 2 but not hooked yet.
He is the bestest puppy EVER, wait til you see the scene from when he first laid eyes on Kim Go Eun.
Managed to watch 5 minutes. But now I've got to post this RAWR.
Well I love 4 of the 4 main leads AND two of them are playing double roles (tho we've only really seen one of them actually doing it, so far) and it's hitting me right. Just enough of that slight snarkiness, soooo much pretty, and then the fantasy element? All I know right now is maybe not everyone has a place in each world, and time does not seem to run at the same speed. I'm not worried, they'll explain it. Or not...this is a KDrama after all. Did I mention all the pretty?
Color me shocked that I actually saw the first episode of this especially since I am not a fan of either KES or LMH. Ep 1 was fun. I think my best male eye candy actually is Kim Kyung-Nam (the police detective). I loff him. So far in middle of episode 2 but not hooked yet.
He is the bestest puppy EVER, wait til you see the scene from when he first laid eyes on Kim Go Eun.
Managed to watch 5 minutes. But now I've got to post this RAWR.
The World of the Married/ A Couple's World
I am sticking to my resolve of pretending that the show ended before the last five minutes of last week's episodes, and I'm glad based upon the rage people have who are still watching. Rage because of what is happening to heroine not show quality. It's wracking up the ratings, breaking 20% and almost reaching SKY Castle numbers even though it's only 8 episodes in. I love it when a high quality drama also gets good ratings.
I watched the first of this week's episodes and I just hate them so much, so very, very, VERY much, that it gives me heartburn. I couldn't watch episode 2. I probably WILL watch it, but I hate them so much that for my health and sanity, I cannot watch 2 episodes in any kind of proximity to each other. Did I mention that I hate them? Pretty much all of them? Because the woman who triumphed in the first 6 episodes, who made us cheer? That dip into batshit crazy is coming back, I think, and then I will despise her, too, and her thoughtless son. And then who is left to like? That new doctor who wants to date her? He's too rational to be real. I don't trust him.
I watched the first of this week's episodes and I just hate them so much, so very, very, VERY much, that it gives me heartburn. I couldn't watch episode 2. I probably WILL watch it, but I hate them so much that for my health and sanity, I cannot watch 2 episodes in any kind of proximity to each other. Did I mention that I hate them? Pretty much all of them? Because the woman who triumphed in the first 6 episodes, who made us cheer? That dip into batshit crazy is coming back, I think, and then I will despise her, too, and her thoughtless son. And then who is left to like? That new doctor who wants to date her? He's too rational to be real. I don't trust him.
Want a Taste
I thought I was safe coming back to this drama for the last 20 episodes of its 120 episode run because usually we are in the closing arc and winding our way to the triumphant end for the heroine. However, instead, we have all these attempts by the writers to rehabilitate the character of her ex-husband and now making him her assistant while her daughter refuses to "let her" marry the man she now loves (really? She's 8 years old!). They are even trying to rehabilitate our vixen, but if they make her commit suicide I'm done. I wish she'd team up with the wife of the man she had the affair with to bring him down. Both of them are better than the guy they've been fighter over!
CHINA/TAIWAN
Amensalism
I watched last week's and this week's episodes, so I'm all caught up. Now we know why there is such hostility between once best friends--Chen You Kuan and Li Yao Qing, but our intrepid heroine is correct. Yao Qing really doesn't have a reason to still hate his friend. He made decisions himself that night. He could have gone home. The whole arc of the bride stalker reveals that there Bi Ke Zhen was not mistaken in what she saw in that accident, and Yao Qing is correct, she isn't over it, but the difference between him and her is that she doesn't hate anyone or try to ruin anyone else like he's doing. But really if he wants to keep her away from You Khan, he should actually help her find a job. Geeze. And please show, can you stop with all the slo-mo and artsy slow shots and close ups? The show is interest without them & would be at least ten minutes shorter.
Danger of Her
I marathoned this whole show over two days. It's 14 episodes, and each episode is only 30 minutes. It fit my mood perfectly (because I was so angry about things happening at work) plus it is about getting out and away from horrible people. The whole story is about four women who end up becoming a team to break away from the abusive men in their lives. And man are these men putrid. I was condoning murder before I was even through the first four episodes! It's tightly crafted and there are surprises up through the end; the major reveal completely surprised me, but made perfect sense AND made the end/revenge even better than I thought possible. People need to watch.
Joyce gave me a link and I tried yesterday but IQIYI kept telling me to register. I am going to try again today.
Joyce gave me a link and I tried yesterday but IQIYI kept telling me to register. I am going to try again today.
JAPAN
Sousa Kaigi wa Living de!/The Investigation Meeting is in the Living Room
Our detective family is back! Or rather the subbing is back. It's another quaint episode with a double puzzle treat. I've decided the mysteries here are more like puzzles or escape room type riddles than regular mysteries which is fine with me. I'm getting really tired of the way the FiL treats our ML, so it was nice to have him forced to watch how good his son-in-law really is in his work. I just hope he gets it through his thick head that his grandson may not want to be a cop if he keeps pushing it. I'm also sorry that despite how good she is at her job, he doesn't seem to acknowledge the fact that his daughter is really the person carrying on the family legacy. It's going to fun though now that the nosy neighbor actually recognizes who her mystery writer idol really is!
THAILAND
WHYRU
On their official channels, Thai shows are often broken up into four parts, and the first part of this week's episode of WHYRU was so painful to watch that I almost didn't watch the rest of the parts. Both Fightor and Tutor are so wretched because of their break up that I can't believe that it takes so long for people to notice. It says something that Fightor's dad is still completely ambivalent about his son's mood, and it takes direct confrontation for him to face anything. He still doesn't feel bad, but it's clear that Fightor doesn't care. I wonder how he found out because I'm pretty sure that Tutor didn't say anything. The acting is actually really good, so it's a shame that we are getting truncated scenes because the production is forced to cobble things together from what and where they are able to film with COVID restrictions.
2Gether: the Series
This series just keep getting more and more popular, and it deserves it. If you like a good college romance with not a whole lot of angst but involving people you like than this is it. We get to watch Tine begin to accept that he has feelings for Sarawat and that instead of being fake friends they realize that they've become actual friends. Seeing Tine show up at the soccer match wearing his jersey gift was a treat. I'm also finally glad that Phukong finally admitted to his crush that Sarawat is his brother. I'm ready for him to move on. I'm hoping they don't make them get together in the end, but I'm not holding my breath. I have plenty of SaraTine moments to treasure.
Girl Next Room: Midnight Fantasy
The next story arc for Girl Next Room is Midnight Fantasy. It's about another one of the girls who moves into the dormitory, but this student is completely frightened about living alone. She has clearly been babied by her dad for forever, but her mom is forcing her to live on her own now that she is in college. She is so afraid to stay by herself that she begs one of her friends to spend the first night with her only to be left alone because her friend's girlfriend gets jealous. She ends up finding nightly solace from an overnight radio show and its DJ. Of course, this is the guy she hates at school, but I think he's just a jerk because he's so sleepy from being a DJ overnight. It's slow and draggy though, which is too bad, because I really like the actors in this, too. I don't know why they are wasting the company's talent on such a sub par script.
My Engineer
This is another show that actually has too many stories to tell. There are four couples, and I know they are trying to include something for everyone, but it also leaves many of them under developed because the writers give us enough of each to make them seem slightly more important than regular supporting characters. I'm also starting wonder about whether our manin couple should be together. Bohn is too jealous and jumps to too many conclusions even now when Duen has agreed to date him. It's not just that Duen's friends have problems with it; even his own friends aren't sure of his dedication. They even bet against him in the fight he has with Ram, but then again Ram does box on the regular. Good thing Duen's cousin is a doctor.
