Rants and Weekly Raves (RAWR) #333

Trotwood: I feel very fortunate to have been able to get the vaccine. All staff who work in testing sites in my state were on the list after first responders, health care workers, and nursing home employees. But boy dose #2 was a doozy. I haven't had body aches like that in forever. Most of my staff didn't look much better than the zombies in Kimi to Sekai ga Owaru Hi ni during our meetings on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, I didn't even bother turning on my camera--reporting out from my bed. We were all laughing about it though because we realized how fortunate we are.

kakashi: Switzerland is so slow that I will get my vaccine in May at the earliest. Hahaha. Not funny. My dad gets his first shot this Thursday though and I'm so glad about that. 

KOREA

Mr. Queen (finale)

I was really curious to see how they were going to merge the two worlds without killing off either our favorite chef or So Young. I thought it was handled very well. The show seemed to lose its footing in the middle with an effort to figure out the balance between the mixture of tone it was trying to achieve. However, I feel like it found it's way back in the last couple of episodes. And the close gave a satisfying ending to all the criminals (who wasn't cheering when Jwa Guen got that bucket of swill thrown in his face?).And everyone got their moment(s) to shine. Shin Hye Sun was stellar from beginning to end, and Kim Jung Hyun was really good, too, once the script gave him something to do. However, my favorite character was Lee Jae Won's Bul Gam. I shed the most tears at him breaking up his bromance with Kim Hwan to try to save him than I did with some of the actual deaths.

Love Scene Number: 42

So I realize that each episode is named with the corresponding number of the female lead's age, and last week, we got the one with Park Jin Hee's 42-year-old Jung Chung Kyung, who makes handcrafted furniture with her husband. They've been married for a long time and live in a gorgeous apartment and are clearly best friends even if the spark isn't there. There's questions of infidelity and how a couple recovers from the miscarriage of a child and whether you can be unfaithful to someone even if you don't actually have sex with the other person. It's not the kind of show I would have chosen to watch--and definitely not on Valentine's Day--but Jin Hee's performance was so compelling, and it's one of the first times when infidelity happens that I was hoping for the couple to find each other again. The episode reveals why they should be together in their world since they, with all their flaws, seem to be the only decent people in it.

L.U.C.A.: The Beginning

I know everyone is talking about the connections between Gu Reum and Zi Oh as well as the connection between Gu Reum's mentor and the crazy doc. Some people might even talk about how Lee Yong Nyeo (who always plays crazy) shows up as a nun, so we aren't surprised a church burns.  But I want to take a moment and say that my favorite part of the tory so far is how --- is welcomed into her new police team. The show sets us up to think that there will be antagonism like we usually get when a troublesome newbie is forced upon an already beleaguered team. GR doesn't make a good first impression either and then she is a woman and young. I almost rolled my eyes in resignation to how this was going to go. I'd seen it all before and was willing to put up with this because so much else about L.U.C.A. is or feels new. However, that isn't what happened at all. Instead, they welcome her (with teasing of course) like any other rookie and take to her like she one of their own. Jin Hwan, especially, looks as after her like she's his daughter, and I love the team turn family trope.

JAPAN

Kimi to Sekai ga Owaru Hi ni/ With You on the Day the World Ends

On Saturday, I planned to rest and watch fluff; however, the earlier than expected verdict in the impeachment trial in the States erased that mood. Instead, I was in the perfect mood to catch up on this zombie show with three episodes in a row. This may be the best show i'm watching right now. It does a perfect mix of people on the run with background crazy scientists background relationship building and excellent cliff hangers. Every episode provides another interesting layer to how the infection is spreading and why our hero and heroine are fated to be survivors. It doesn't seem to be coincidental, which makes it even more creepy. The show has also made me aware of Takeuchi Ryoma, who plays the lead with warmth and multi-layers to the point that you feel guilty not seeing him before. Someone on twitter reminded me of the 2016 film Yell for the Blue Sky, which I'd been meaning to watch but forgot, so I watched that on Saturday night, too, to calm down after all the tense zombie running.

I'm putting this here because I don't have any shirtless Max Nattapol pics for people, and why not? Ryoma is playing the absolute ideal boyfriend fiancé wannabe in this show.

Attack on Titan - The Final Season

Is it true this season will only have 16 episodes?!  

When not drinking wine soon turns out to be the smartest thing you've done in your life...

Nishiogikubo Mitsuboshi Youshudou

I'm not going to lie. I watched this show because I have a thing for men in vests and a thing for Machida Keita. However, I was delighted by the first episode because I'm feeling a little bitter and frustrated and tired in my career as well and wished I had a Three Star Bar to go to for a break even though I don't drink. Keita plays that bartender character who is more like a family counselor/therapist. I don't want to say more than that because learning the connections between the main characters is the most interesting part of ep one. It looks to be the kind of show where you'll get a customer story each episode. 

THAILAND

Manner of Death

Wow, if you thought Jane's sister was horrible in episode 12, you are going to to see that she is far far worse than you might have imagined in ep 13. Our fugitives are clearly being set up, but we don't find out the real reason behind this until Teacher Tan finds a new clue. At least we have gangster brother on their side because the only other allies with power they have right now are three teenagers, one who is hopped on drugs. Inspector M is still in hospital and a sitting duck for a "mysterious" death. We have one more episode to wrap this up, which seems about right. I'm not sure what other complication they could add at this point.

A Tale of a Thousand Stars

This is probably the only feel good show that's not a web drama that I'm watching right now, which is not like me at all. It hits every weakness I have. Last week's episode is a real turning point for Tian because he finally figures out that he needs to really integrate himself in the village and learn from them for the villagers to trust him and send their kids back to him. He begins to learn why Torfun had grown to love the place but also the people so much, so it comes as no surprise when he sticks up for them to keep them from getting cheated. It doesn't hurt that it's very clear that Chief Phuba is already a goner for him. Now it's time for him to get to the point where he's going to wonder whether his heart beats for the chief or if it's remnants of Torfun's feelings. I know. I know. Such a cliché, but they are actually doing such a good job with all the tropes here that I'm lapping them up like trope soup.