Anne: I will try my hand at starting the weekly RAWR... Although sadly, I haven't watched much this week. I've been occupied with my new role as the party planner for my department and creating presentations for our new hirers. The new Dr. Qin debuted...and it stars one of my favorite actors (Zhang Yu Jian). Can you tell how excited I am?
Trotwood: I'm still here! Next week is my last week. What show is this? Are you adding to the dramas that look interesting but we will probably never have time to watch category? What's funny is that I had this on my list as well. Medical Examiner, Dr. Quin is EXACTLY my kind of show, but really if I don't have time to start a show when it first starts, I know I'm never going to have time to watch and catch up, especially with 3-4 episodes coming out every week.
Yikes! That's the pace? (Why am I even surprised?) I actually did start this...it's quirkier then the one with Zhang Ruoyun. Although... do not ask too many questions about the "accuracy" of the forensic science presented... Within the first 10 minutes, I was rolling my eyes. Hm... yeah, why wear booties and gloves when you put your uncovered arms on the crime scene!!! And what's with the "sterilization chamber" to go into the autopsy suite? What are you sterilizing for? Even if I never knew what an autopsy suite looked like, I watched enough Law&Order and CSI to know that this is ridiculous. But these things don't matter...I'm watching just for Zhang Yu Jian. Also, the FL is the one in Begin Again. And I like her too.
Comfort Drama of the Week
Meteor Garden (the Taiwan version) Season 1
This isn't really a "comfort" drama in the sense that it makes you feel all warm and cozy...but this is hands down the gateway drama in my adult life. (I've watched things when I was younger, but I got tired of all the torturous endings that my mom preferred so I actually avoided Asian dramas for like 10 years.) The ridiculousness of this show hooked me from the very beginning. Does anyone remember this?
And I still think they are the best looking bunch out of all the remakes!
There are so many things in here that should not be normalized, such as the bullying, the parents of the FL who were basically about to sell her to the highest bidder, and the violence. How many people flinched when he slapped her? (Under normal real world circumstance, no one would allow this girl to ever see this boy again! And he would have been arrested for assault.) But everything that was wrong about this somehow made it all the more addicting to watch. And did I have a HUGE crush on that guy with the glasses...
Confession time: I have re-watched season 1, I think, at least 10 times.
And no, no one really LIKED season 2. I basically just FF over the entire plot line with the "princess". WTF?!
UGH. Season 2. It had so much of what I hate about season 2's. They always have to break up couples again as if the ONLY trouble a couple has is being a part. Like I want a drama where people struggle with things TOGETHER, and don't tell me that you need a 3rd party to add crisis. Multiple couples breakup during weekend trips to IKEA. There is nothing like having to agree on what type of fixtures you want on your cabinets to put a relationship to the test.
The only good thing about Season 2 was Xi Men and Xiao You. Personal PotUp Favorites:
My favorite this week (and probably next) is self-indulgent, but I'm listing our squeecaps of Thumping Spike. This was my first recapping project ever, and I know I had a a lot of fun. If you want to know what Kakashi sounds like when she tries to recap episodes she only sort of remembers because she's also been drinking lots of whiskey. Read these. The show was short, the episodes were short, and sometimes we were short tempered. But we were always thirsty.
One of my favorites of all time is the squeecaps of Ice Fantasy. The funny thing was my husband was the one who started this on Netflix because it was in Mandarin, and he wanted to get more acquainted with the language. I basically told him the only time you will ever find any of this useful is if hell froze over and Ice Fantasy landed outside our front door. He actually LIKED it...as in the true definition of the word. I almost avoided watching this...and then I found squeecaps and the ladies made me see this show in a WHOLE different light. I finished the first season without my husband... And I ended up trying to figure out the freaking meaning of the ending for the next day! I still cannot believe I wasted so much time researching that.
KOREA
The Devil Judge
No time this weekend because I actually went away to a friend's. I'm on vacation for a week starting Thursday, so I will catch up. What do people think? The ratings in Korea look good.
CHINA/TAIWAN
Be Together
I hate Xaoi Lei's brother. He needs to be gone, but I don't understand how she could still be helping her friends ex, and her idea that they should be together because they were together for so long. Like has she forgotten what happened to her engagement? Pfft. At least she promised never to try to fix them up again. Let's see how long that lasts. I also hope that they don't completely tame Shuang. Yes, she is spoiled, but she isn't mean and she's loyal to a fault. Somebody else besides Xian Nan has to be the muscle in the group. I also want to know how soon Xia Nan will figure out what is the real story behind the estrangement between her boss and his rival.
Unforgettable Love
I was seriously finding it hard to concentrate because the kid in this show is sooo cute, that I stop to actually say "omg, you are soooo cute" when the appears on the screen. Still, I do like our OTP particularly because it's clear the male lead has fallen for her but has fallen for her for her skill and warmth as a psychologist and not just because she's a pretty face. We, of course, must have the stereotypical mean girl 2nd FL who is backed by his aunt because a psychologist isn't good enough for their family. However, I'm suspicious of her. I think she knows more about her son's death than she's letting on. But the dark get thrown away by this face. Be Loved in the House: I Do
So of course, we ALL want to know who the mysterious guy is and what he has to do with Yu Zhen's past, especially when impossibly sunny all the time Zhao Gang doesn't like him. What's that song? You know the one where singer says "my mom doesn't like you and she likes everybody"? Well that is what I thought during the scene when our favorite barista tells the newcomer to go away. But also, what's Si Qi talking about marriage all of a sudden? They've just started dating, and he is very young--not just in age, I don't mind that--but in maturity.
I gave up trying to make sense of the pacing. It's just not logical. Just look at it as the usual I only fall in love with the person I will marry type of thing. And let's look at how many school dramas we have seen where their life partner is basically the first person they fall in love with. I love the idea in theory... And why did we spent about a quarter of the episode with Jin Yu Zhen and Shei Lei just being silent and doing the whole I-want-to-say-something-but-I'm-afraid-to-so-I'll-just-sit-here-and-look-at-you-longingly? We only have 12 episodes! There is no time for such shenanigans!
Meow, Meow Boss
Hold on...hear me out. Each episode is short and only 7 episodes. And the ML is the cousin from No.1 For you and Fighting Mr. 2nd. You know, the hunky school doctor with the student stalker. And do we also recognize the 2nd ML? Exactly as the title states, the ML is a cat who is paying back the FL for saving him (when he was young) by building a company with the sole purpose of handing it to her so she can be provided for, for the rest of her life. The ML's assistant is a "dog" and you know how they have no concept of personal boundaries, this character is EXACTLY like that. Like every other dog, he likes to get-in-your-face. The weirdness between the ML (cat) and his assistant (dog) more than makes this a watch! It is sizzling and silly, a combination that is hard to find.
JAPAN
Kazoku Boshu Shimasu
Kakashi: I watched an episode of something! It feels like a major achievement, hahaha. This is a very cute show with an undertone that wants you wanna cry all the time. It's about single parents and a guy who is bringing them together to form a new family together. I see the second episode is subbed so there's hope this one will be subbed quickly though I can't promise I will continue watching. Still haven't gotten my happy viewing space back after such a long time...
Chef wa Meitantei/ Chef is a Detective
I made a mistake last week saying three more episodes were subbed. They have just been made available. No subs though.
Ichikei no Karasu/Inchikei's Crow
I'm still enjoying this show, but I'm wondering when I will stop because it's really the same thing over and over again. We get a case that Iruma decides to investigate, it makes Sakama crazy because he seems to be breaking all the rules, her sense of justice battles and wins out over her need for order, everyone learns a lesson, and the show ends. But somehow, I still like it. It's sort of like you knew that Perry Mason was never going to lose those cases but you watched. There's a lot of little details that I'm enjoying about the characters and even the side characters. Also, I thought I had this week's case all figured out, but the connection between the people on trial went a little further than I thought. Plus, you have to love the guys below. They are basically Iruma groupies, but I don't blame them for crying in this episode because it was a tragedy. I really like how Japanese dramas a really able to have real sad topics juxtaposed alongside comedy without ruining the other. It's like they really understand the absurdities of life. Given
This show is based on the anime made about the Manga both of the same name. I have not read the manga, but I loved the anime. It is about a high school boy who inherits a guitar that he does not know how to play. Shy, he still works up the courage to ask one of his school mates to teach him once he realizes that he knows how to play. Uenoyama not only plays, but he's the lead guitar in a band. He reluctantly agrees, but it turns out that Satou has a beautiful voice and a distinct song writing style. They show follows them and their band through ups and downs as well as their growing relationship with each other. I'm not sold yet on the show. The first episode was serviceable. I'm also assuming that they are going to do more than one season since this show says there are only 6 episodes.
