Wow, it's great to see so many people pop up here from all over the world! JB, you are a one-woman United Nations!

@ Chasen8888

Thanks for your thoughts. They are interesting, and I'm impressed that you engage with Asian culture, not just watch the dramas mindlessly. I think you have picked up quite a few things*, which speaks well of your powers of observation as well as of the fact that dramas do really give us a window into other cultures.

* e.g. preferences for sons over daughters -- it may be lamentable, but it is a part of the culture. And importance placed by the older generation of continuing the family line over newly-weds having own time - again, you may not agree, but that has been the culture (though times are changing and young people have ideas of their own).

@ 36 Momosan

But, Nobuta wo Produce is good stuff! So I assert. It is full of heart, and even has some profound things to say about life and about growing up.

Now, Gokusen, *that's* silly mindless adolescent stuff!

@ samsooki, ockoala

When I was still in ep 6 of CitC, I complained on OT#115 that I hadn't cried yet. I finished CitC yesterday and, nope, still not one tear. I mean, I thought it was great and am in awe of how well-conceived and layered it is. I wish you would do recaps, samsooki (but totally understand if you can't) because I know there's so much more to it that I'm missing, e.g., the dead man's bow. I did care, in that I wanted to find out what was going to happen next and how people were going to resolve their dilemmas (hence the ill-advised headache-inducing marathoning). And I'm definitely going to re-watch this again one day. It made me think quite a bit. But I didn't cry.

And I cried in nearly every one of the last episodes of City Hall, arguably a less well-conceived affair. I mean, the political machinations in City Hall are pretty Mickey-Mouse compared to those in CitC. Both have the Grand Passion, but while City Hall's was the core of the story, I found the Great Love in CitC a little incongruous.

Anyway, would love to hear what you both think when you finish!

@chasen8888
You must watch the Taiwanese drama My Queen. It has a great female character (she looks like a greek goddess....looks a little bit like Cate Blanchett.) and the lead actor is so likeable. And the kisses are great. I have a feeling you will really like this drama. Tho' I think Koreans are at the top of their game when it comes to dramas I have a soft corner for TW dramas. In the middle of the wackiness they will come up with exquisite romantic moments or amazingly sexy scenes like when the male lead in Fated to Love has fever but still can't stop kissing the female lead in his hotel room. And I love TW osts. I have to confess I really don't like Kpop.

@ momosan

It's interesting how one thing can work so well for some and not for others. One of my very few complaints about CitC was the falling plum blossoms. The first time they spoke to each other in the courtyard and the blossom petals fell among them, it was a nice effect. The second time it happened, I was like... eh? The THIRD time the blossom petals fell on them I could not stop the eye-rolling. A show as awesome as this shouldn't have to resort to repeating gimmicks, er I mean of course, motifs.

To my shame, I have watched not just season one, but also season two of Gokusen. In my defence, the latter mostly when travelling for work, and while brain-dead and alone in a hotel room and needing to kill time before bed. Recently I watched Gokusen the Movie on a long-haul plane-flight, and it was *perfect*! It kept me happy with the multitudinous eye-candy and didn't tax a single brain cell. Is it possible to film an entire movie and not have one single original idea nor use even one single original piece of dialogue? Now we know -- you can!

I'm starting Fantasy Couple, because after CitC I feel a need for the FUN and SILLY! Heehee. It's pretty fun watching Ji Wan be a complete b*tch.

Currently watching the MBC Gayo. Unfortunately, I keep replaying the opening musical number with Lee Bo Young and Nickyung covering "Way Back Into Love." I love this song so much, I went and played it 7 times in a row in 3 different languages. BTW, I love the Mando version best:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRgx2l5hfps

(The above video also expresses a core difference between TW-drama and K-Drama. Korean romances excell in passion, whether it's melodrama kind or the slapstick kind. TW romances excel in, well, ROMANCE. Without honorifics or a true public-private dialectic to promote social tension or relationship heirarchy, the Taiwanese emphasize in, well, public displays of BOBADORABLE GOODNESS.

"To my shame, I have watched not just season one, but also season two of Gokusen. "

Gokusen's great. It's the Law and Order of idol school dramas.

At 27:00: Yukie-san cries to the camera -- "How can I reach this kids?!?"
At 45:00: Ohnos!! Student in trouble!
At 48:00 minute mark: Yukie takes off the glasses. Ass kicking about to ensue. And usually in a warehouse.
At 48:30: Ass kicking finished.
At 50:00: Cue scene with all the Johnny boys running in a grass field chasing after Yukie.

Yaaayyyyy!!! :D

Hong Gil Dong is still my Numero Uno all time favorite sageuk, and that will change only if Chuno knocks it from the top spot.

I thoroughly enjoyed CITC. It was absolutely brilliant, flawless in just about every way. I think my IQ rose exponentially just from having watched it. And I knew when it ended that I'd just seen something profound and truly special.

Same with Damo...it was so beautiful and poignant, with the most perfect ending I may have ever seen. I loved it.

But Hong Gil Dong's gang were like family to me. I didn't just cry, I moaned and screamed and wailed and sobbed. I couldn't stop thinking about them for days and days after I finished it. I missed them terribly and wanted to go back to the very beginning and start all over, to pretend that I knew nothing and we could all be one big happy family again. I still want that.

So it doesn't really matter which one is "better" than the other. All that matters is what we take away from each one, and how lucky we are that they exist.

Oh, just watched Speed Scandal (Speedy Scandal, Scandalmakers) again... Enjoyed it as much as the first time, when I saw it by accident on a plane with no pre-info or expectations (somehow 'discovering' something adds a level of specialness). Love the music. Last night I watched Baby and Me (first in my JGS pre-YB project) and enjoyed that too. Given the discussion raging above, I think I might not be deep enough for CiTC. Now I'm worried I'm going to be too shallow for Chuno.

@momosan Thanks for the info; I'll keep dithering about which one to get for awhile longer, and see if there are any firmware upgrades.

PS Gokusen --- so far I've only seen Season 1... oops! I should have had that on my list for this year, too. I suspect I may have seen more dramas (and thus spent more time watching dramas) than I think I have. But I thought Gokusen was great fun. I probably would have gone right on to Season 2 but when I worked out Matsujun wasn't going to be in it, the enthusiasm waned a little, I confess. I have it though. One day...

@ 106 djes

"I love the old Louis Cha’s series, the 80s ones. The new versions are kinda ridiculous with weird costumes and too sophisticated kungfu moves. That’s why I move to Kdramas, I haven’t found any wuxia serial worth to watch."

I feel the same way in my own drama-watching history. That is a huge part of my move away from HK dramas, and my inability to watch mainland dramas. I believe the golden age of dramas is now shining on Korea, and I want to enjoy it. The golden age of dramas for HK was the eighties, for Japan was the nineties IMHO, and for Korea its now (all in terms of breadth and scope, there may be the BEST drama ever in another time period, but for the most part, the decades dominance remains relatively true).

And yes, the Duke of Mount Deer edition we've been talking about is the Andy and Tony version (of course, is there any other one worth discussing, or even remembering?). mookie and I had a nice discussion in OT 116, I know you don't want to read all the comments, but we discussed a lot of wuxia TVB classics, all stemming from my missing Barbara Yung.

As for the Yang's Saga, I'm just waiting for random OT folks to pipe up about it, like you just did. Remember the Dream Team Barcelona Olympics 1992 Basketball? Yeah, that was the entire cast of the Yang's Saga. The story, on the otherhand, was pretty freakin unintentionally hilarious, because they really took liberties with the Yang's brothers folklore, and then added fantasy elements (i.e. the Gods' intervention in the warfare).

Anyways, mookie and I loved the glorious stylings, and then I just like to remember TVB did it once, and hope maybe SBS/MBC/KBS can join together and make an awesome production that will air simultaneously in all three channels and have 100% viewership.

@ serendipity

You're watching Fantasy Couple? Ooh, I really enjoyed that drama, especially the first half, and seriously, Han Ye-seul as Anna Jo is pure love, I freakin love her character and her portrayal. I see it as the epitome of Tina Fey's latest maxim "Bitch is the new Black."

And HYS and OJH have pure sizzling sexual chemistry, its so intense it's half the joy of watching them bicker and strain against each other. Unfortunately, the second leads are like wet noodles, which made me fast forward their scenes, but I can watch OHJ and HYS scenes over and over again anytime. Neither may be the best actor, but this was a drama where they were perfectly cast and genuinely sparked as a couple, which to me is often times harder than being a very good actor. Go Soo is rocking so hard as Kang-jin oppa, but he's carrying the chemistry solely, so it's no fun for me to invest in the "couple".

Just dropping by to say Happy New Year everyone!

@ langdon813

Watch Alone In Love. Son Ye Jin and Gam Woo Sung were fantastic.
Some people found it boring (to which I went - huh???). I was guffawing on many occasions.
And you'll get to see [normally-scares-you-with-his-smiles] Kim Gab Soo in a poignant, touching role as Son Ye Jin's father.

@ Samsooki
"But is the drama better? That entirely depends. I look at dramas in terms of whether I am moved by watching it, and HGD certainly moved me quite a bit, despite its lesser acting, directing, writing, cinematography, etc.

IF CitC moves me more, in the end, then I will like CitC more. But if not, then I might say that HGD is a better drama, even if every aspect of CitC, from a quality standpoint, is better. Does that make sense?"

CitC is a better drama than HGD, but I loved both..for different reasons.
CitC is a better drama than QSD, but I didn't love both. (not by a long shot)
Kyung Sook, Kyung Sook's Father is a better drama than most, but there are many I love more.

So...what it all comes down to is which one moved you more. ;)

"holy moly, Ep 3…. "

hehehe...will wait till your faculties of speech return *chuckles*
but don't teach Ji Hoonie expletives yet, k? (assuming you used words other than 'moly') :P

@ serendipity et al

I didn't cry in the last episode of CitC. I cried all throughout the middle. The ending was too beautiful for me to cry.

@ reluctantbutaddicted

Don't worry, Chuno will be more approachable than CitC to the mainstream. :D

addition to my post #115:
YB is better than BOF, but I was addicted to BOF more. ;)

--------

ICOMYM anyone?
This one deserves a new club name, though.

http://www.viikii.net/channels/goto/donthesitate#TOPIC/1247

I don't visit viikii much, so credit must be given to my dear friend, Auntie Mame, for bringing this to my attention. :D

--------

Okay, off to watch Sherlock Holmes!

@belleza,

thanks for that Mandarin version of "Way Back Into Love." I too love the song; my favorite version is Ivy singing it with Yoon Do Hyun on "Love Letter." They were fab together ~~ of course YDH is the master of duets but he needs a good partner. Look at the contrast of him with ... is that Jaurim? Anyway, here's a fun compilation with different artists:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d6lOQoh3YE

If anyone knows where that Ivy/YDH ones exists on its own, i'd be most grateful.

@ hjkomo

Thank goodness. I really don't want to have to work at a drama. I mean, I like to be intensely involved, but that's different. Someone was saying earlier, there's a moment in a drama when you've been cruising along, enjoying maybe, probably, but not chained to it, and suddenly, whoosh, you are pulled right in and you HAVE to finish it. I love that, although I know it spells the end of rationale thought and a good night's sleep for a while. But I don't like to do thinking work with a drama. Drama life is for getting away from thinking-work life.

Phew. OK, ready for Chuno.

@116 momosan

It's true, you never forget your first Doctor, and for me that was Tom Baker. But my BEST Doctor is without a doubt Ten, and the fact that we're about to say goodbye is tearing my heart into little tiny pieces. I'm going to watch The Waters of Mars and The End of Time all in one go tomorrow night, and then I will probably cry myself to sleep. :-(

@ockoala,

"The golden age of dramas for HK was the eighties, for Japan was the nineties IMHO, and for Korea its now"

Actually some speculation that the "International Mindshare" may be shifting back to J-dorama. Hallyu's big achilles heel is lack of idol dramas, which is why something like YAB will have big appeal in the market.

The big dream -- shared by a lot of us -- is for some kind of fusion between K-drama and J-drama. J-drama industry can't accomplish this because the teen demographic wants their idols. K-drama industry isn't accomplishing this because the housewife demographic wants their soaps.

Roughly a fusion looks like Alone in Love or Goodbye Solo from the Korean side, or Bara no Hai Hanaya from the Japanese side. Filters always go up depending on what I watch. Doesn't necessarily have to be "Japanese" or "Korean" for me.

@ 119 paula253

This is what you're looking for, I think, but it takes an age to load:

http://clip.vn/watch/IVY-Yoon-Do-Hyun-Way-Back-Into-Love,4tQ

@paula253,

THANK YOU!! Didn't know this one exists

(Learned about this song during karaoke night. It's kind of a favorite one to do.)

@reluctantbutaddicted,

thank you!! my hero. and HNY to you too. :)))

@ belleza, most welcome.

126 paula253 : you're welcome... Happy New Year!

@ belleza

I really wonder, what the new 2010 decade will bring, I hope like you said, a more k-drama/j-drama collaborations. Or perhaps, in my blissful daydream, collectively all the dramas will continue to improve and we will only broaden the pie for everyone to enjoy the various different stylings.

I'm getting back into j-dramas after a 10 year hiatus, as well as TW-idol dramas, and both have lots of fun when done right. But for melodramas, nothing beats k-dramas, and like you, melodramas are my achilles heel.

leading to:

@ djes

Qiong Yao dramas from TW in the eighties and nineties! It's been way to long since I watched one, but if I hear an overwrought theme song, I'll know where its from. Yeah, I (okay, my mom) watched ALL of them, even the early early 80s ones with Qin Han and Liu Xie-hua. I prefer actually her novels (though there were glorified Chinese romance novels, so I cannot recommend them the way I can recommend a Louis Cha wuxia novel or even a Ni Kuang Sci/Fi novel).

Every Qiong Yao drama/novel had the EXACT same centrol conceit - the lovers cannot be together because of some societal moral code of conduct barrier. She just repackaged it into various different locales and time periods. Hey, it's like a Nicholas Sparks novel/movie, you see one, you've seen them all!

I much, much prefer Louis Cha novel drama adaptations - one is pulp (QY), the other (LC) is sophisticated fiction. And yes, wuxia is also my first drama love, even more than Qiong Yao and her love stories. Though I've always been a slave to melodrama, so my fave wuxia dramas are ones that incorporate a love story that is credible, emotionally touching and ultimately fulfilling.

My last TVB drama was 1998's Secret of the Heart with Gallen Lo (I don't like Gallen, but I give him credit, he's a great small screen actor, and the last of a dying breed of TVB male leads).

For the entire 90s, I was only watching the anniversary production of TVB dramas (for those not familiar, an anniversary production is the one drama a year that TVB dubs its tentpole drama, and pours all its huge stars, money, production into - in the 80s, all the Louis Cha wuxia novel adaptations were the anniversary production in the year it was aired, hence one adaptation a year). Secret of the Heart is my last, I totally lost interest after that.

However, the best TVB drama of the entire 1990s was Cold Blood, Warm Heart, with Adam Cheng, Julian Cheung, Louis Koo and Gallen Ko. If you haven't watched it, check it out, it's TVB drama at its absolute finest storytelling (for a non-wuxia piece, it's set in the modern times).

Here's the opening theme song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZKPUD2jLuc&feature=related

One of the best elements of a HK drama is their lack of fear in having the main coupling change.

Paula, gotta thank you for the brilliantly edited version of that one. It's just the perfect thing for this time of the year.

Ultimate INTL WAY BACK INTO LOVE list:

Hugh Grant + Haley Bennett
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vS49_v4ZlU

Fish Leong + Victor Wong (Mandarin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRgx2l5hfps

Heringer Olivia + Yahoo (in Brazilian):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xgTbbPEnRc

Solbi + Kim Jong Kwok (live and in Korean):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-qp6jPCSuE&

Lee Bo Young + Nichkhun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMKMJPjmNCg

SNSD + SUJU:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOZXnjn2E2Y

Sung Yi Kyung + Lena Park:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJTbaClkQJE

Hwayobi + Kim Do Wook:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBxVFIje3eg

Ivy + Yoon Do Hyun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b0rva1CSXs

Kim Yun Ah (Jaurim) + Yoo Do Hyun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhvEbPKl6kE

Sohyang + Kyul:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYn3b_nTydQ

SeoHyun + Shin Seung Hun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSxGMWCH74Y

happy new year everyone!!!! JB thanks for a year supply of our kdrama fix!!! and expecting more to come this 2010!!!!

@ 112 reluctantbutaddicted

Hi there, my YAB fellow-noona! *waves*

The premise of Gokusen II is, if you liked Gokusen I you should also like G II because it is... exactly the same! Just a new school and a new crop of photogenic boys with impossibly beautiful hair.

Season 2 of Gokusen sadly lacks Matsujun, but may compensate for that by having... get ready for this... Kamenashi Kazuya, Akanishi Jin, Koike Teppei, and Hayami Mokomichi. And if you watch carefully, there's Mizushima Hiro (Tokyo Dogs) in a non-speaking bit part, merely one of the class boys (obviously, pre-stardom).

How beautiful is the concept? Boys get to cement stardom without having to do any serious acting. Fans get to swoon over the latest idols and discover new ones. In the meantime, scriptwriter and director sleepwalk through the process. Win all around!! Forget about taking JGS on a joint date. Let's take these boys out on a school outing!

One of these days when I really feel like going into a stupor (ah, but, a *happy* stupor), I shall watch Gokusen III.

@serendipity,

"Boys get to cement stardom without having to do any serious acting."

Gokusen is basically a vehicle for Johnny to introduce his next generation of boys. And in that way, it's also good to evaluate the next generation.

After watching half of Gokusen 3 (and, yes, you can feel the fatigue from everybody), I had a strong feeling that we may seen Johnny's best acting talent pass us by. I really feel that post-Arashi, it hasn't been the same.

@ockoala,

"I really wonder, what the new 2010 decade will bring, I hope like you said, a more k-drama/j-drama collaborations"

Oh I know! STILL waiting for the SBS K/J Telecinemas to be released already.

One of the things I liked about YAB was how episodic much of the show was written. A lot of what the Hong Sisters do is similar to how TW-dramas are written (ESPECIALLY in how villain characters are written.) But the way many of the episodes are written and resolved around an idea or theme is similar to J-dorama.

One of the devices that J-dorama does, which I'd love to see more in K-drama, is the Climactic Argument (cousin to The Big Speech.) It's when you have two people arguing -- really arguing -- for a lengthy scene. Usually in this scene, the two people are really restating the basic themes of the story, and so this scene is usually when the story is often summarized. And usually this scene is long. There's a lot of talking, there's a lot of emotions, and above all, there's a lot of character development.

The key difference between this and the K-drama version (or melodrama version) is that the J-drama works on neither the principle of incomplete details (in other words, you won't see often a J-dorama love argument where suddenly some new information is going to "make things okay"), or that substantiation of desire will resolve the story.

Both elements are staples of the "soap opera" narrative, and really the soap argument turns into either "I love you" or "Our love is possible." What K-drama gives you is love story as release, whether it's funny or sad. J-dorama riffs on the question "What do "we" mean as a couple?" In other words, it's not about our "love"; it's always about "you" and "me" and "us." Therefore, J-dorama romances are more about understanding

When it's tied to a sad ending, the result can be heartbreaking. In a K-drama romantic tragedy, one still feels a release or a sense of haunting melancholy that permeates after the show. This is because, usually, the desire of a hero or heroine is still substantiated within the framework of the fall. In other words, people can still die with salutation. In a J-dorama tragedy, there's usually a numbing sense of the absurd coming home to ruin your viewing experience. In other words, there's often a quiet sense of outrage, because there is no release. If there is a salutation, it is explicitly as a salutation en memoriam. The show holds to a thematic resolution, and so it's the theme that you take. If the theme is "don't let this happen to you", that is what you take.

The ending to Mawang is actually written that way. Most of the show is written serio-episodically, where each episode kinda covers a facet of moral sin and human nature. Then the show ends with a climactic argument (lots of talk by both sides, lots of things done by both sides)), and then the duality with which the show has been converging, finally synthesizes into a new conclusion. It's heartbreaking in a way that quietly leaves you really hurt and chastened by the experience. But in a good way that satisfies from a dramatic level.

And it can be heartbreaking in a filmic, romantic way. Anyhoo . . . in 2008, there was a 4-episode SBS show called Tokyo Showers. A K/J collaboration (but not true fusion, per se), and I felt basically the 3 first episodes were kinda so-so.) But the last episode was great, and the 2nd-to-last scene of that episode was an example of The Climactic Argument. (The lead female character wants the lead male character to run away with her, after finally be reunited. But he's now married with children.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp6h6p3c83Q

What I loved about the above scene is that, going into it, nothing has been resolved. He may or may not do it, but as the scene goes on, we realize that though the desire is expressed, it is not substantiated That either party loves each other is kinda besides the point. It goes back to "what do WE mean?" There's a few cuts here and there, but more or less, it's a very long Climactic Argument, almost 6 minutes long, where the emotions of both character develops and evolves. They are getting out their feelings; they are negotiating; they are restating the themes of the story; everything comes together.

Above all, I love the above scene because it's two K-drama actors doing it. And it's like feeding honey to a bear. There's presence; there's complex emotions; there's dramatic line readings. We see J-drama actors do scenes like the above all the frigging time, but to see it done with that typical K-drama presence and relationship with camera, it was just awesome.

In any case . . .

Whenever the K/J telecinema comes out, look for Climactic Arguments and Big Speeches like the above done by Kang Ji Hwan, Kim Ha Neul, Ji Jin Hee, Kang Hye Jung, (AND Jaejoong and TOP OMGSXEOMGOMGOMLOL.) You'll love it. :)

@ 129 belleza

I'm speechless! The Hugh Grant one must be the most bizarre...

@ ockoala

Watching Fantasy Couple serves several purposes quite nicely for me. It's a mind-break after CitC. It rounds off the Hong Sisters cannon. It introduces Oh Ji Ho in time for Chuno. And it saves Han Ye Seul from total WiSC wetness. So far it's super-silly and super-fun!

"The Hugh Grant one must be the most bizarre…"

Curiously, it's the original version. ;)

Can't help it, was going to lurkdom but @129 belleza you miss one. Just because I'm in love with this couple. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hayeyFueRt0
Lee Min Jung and Jung Kyung Ho

@hjkomo you're sweet Thanx

@onemorepls,

OMG I totally forgot this one! Because I actually remember watching that clip last month and thinking "Lee Min Jung is a star!!"

I actually wonder about these two too . . . ;)

@ 137 belleza

By golly, so it is. Learn something new on OT everyday!

#93 Samsooki

I went back and I read Thundie’s dramabeans review of Hong Gil Dong, which she saw after CitC, and I can see why she was grumpy.
...

But is the drama better? That entirely depends. I look at dramas in terms of whether I am moved by watching it, and HGD certainly moved me quite a bit, despite its lesser acting, directing, writing, cinematography, etc.

Hi Samsooki

Just a quick reply since family is visiting from out of town and Internet time will be severely curtailed the next few days.

I love CitC for many reasons, but the main one is not because of quality but because I'm moved by its love story (or love stories, since there are three: between Na-young and Sang-gyu, Na-young and Man-oh, and the king and his Joseon). Man-oh (Lee Chun-hee) moved me the most; I cried when he told Mr. Creepy-Smile that his foolish love for Na-young empowered him more than anything else. He was so devoted to her.

My favorite dramas always break my heart and CitC sure broke it into many pieces. But CitC isn't my all-time top sageuk, Shin Don is. Maybe I should rate the sageuks I've watched. :lol:

from 0-10 (10 means it's pretty much perfect, keke)

Shin Don - 15 (my top kdrama, any genre, for the rest of my life)
Conspiracy in the Court - 12
Damo - 9
Immortal Yi Soon-shin - 8.5
Eight Days: The Mystery of King Jeongjo's Assassination - 8.5
Painter of the Wind - 7
Strongest Chil Woo - 6
Kingdom of the Wind - 5.5
Legend of the Wind - 5
Queen Seondeok - 3

The ones I watched partially (just a few episodes):

Emperor of the Sea - 8
Jumong - 7.5
Hwang Jinyi - 7
Hong Gil Dong - 6
Yi San - 4

I don't like or dislike a drama because of quality. Strongest Chil Woo's quality sucked (especially the directing), but it was such a big-hearted drama, so gung ho and unabashed about its failings. It had characters I could care for, even love (hi there, Yoo Ah-in!).

To be honest, I've hated (with a vengeance) only a handful of dramas. (Queen Snoredeok is one of them but it isn't my most hated. That 'honor' belongs to Stairway to Heaven.) Although I care deeply about the writing (the most important thing for me), I don't approach a drama as though I'm analyzing a text. I just want to feel transported, to laugh and cry with its characters, to care for them long after the drama is over. I missed Strongest Chil Woo after it ended; I even missed the fake horses!

What I really want to say is this: I LOVE my kdramas. (I'm a certified addict, after all.) It takes a lot to make me hate something. Conversely, it doesn't take much for me to love a drama. I fell in love with CitC in Ep 2 when we were shown the flashbacks of Na-young's life. I cried with and for her. That was all it took.

Oops, that should be Legend, not Legend of the Wind. Sorry, Yonsama! :oops:

Watching City Hall Episode 2 right now. . .

"Oops, that should be Legend, not Legend of the Wind"

Heathen!! Yonsama will punish you with his, uhhh, Pantene-endorsed mane!!! ;)

Yay, thundie joins OT! :D

Ah, Shin Don...I was blown away by the first episode, but I haven't had a chance to continue watching. Definitely on my list for 2010.

IYSS - I wish I had been aware of its reairing on KBS World this year. Should I just get the abridged version...or hold out for the entire series?

And I agree, Strongest Chil Woo was horrible in the quality department, but it was so much fun to watch.

Mr. Creepy-smile was soooo creepy!!!

Enjoy your family time (but I hope they leave before Wed. ;) ).

Happy new year!

First of all...

@434 bspanda from the last OT.

Yep, yep. It's exactly that store somewhat across from 888 building. I usyally go to AV super store on George if I ever want to buy something. Nowadays, I'd rather download stuff onto my hard drive and watch from there. But authentic CDs, I might consider if the price is reasonable. Are you in Sydney? I come here about twice a month working.

Whoever mentioned Infernal affairs on the last thread(was it ockoala?). Thank you! I just watched it last night. Wow, it's pretty disturbing but tightly woven plot with great actors! I really enjoyed it. Now, have to wait for #2 and #3.

And also whoever was talking(langdon813, you actually explained what it was to me, I think...) about Avatar on this thread some time ago. Thank you! too. I just saw the 3D version here and it was fantastic! The plot wise, it was too black and white(simplistic) and the depictions of the militant characters were way too one dimentional. The good thing was that since it's a Hollywood movie, I knew a happy ending was expected even as I was watching the horrific battle scenes and sure enough, a happy out come! You know there is no guarantee for this in Asian(or from any countries) dramas like in Infernal affairs(sniff).

Dramabean's OT thread, a place to be for all sorts of recommendations from dramas to recipes to music to what not. Thank you everybody!

Haven't had a chance to catch up reading the actual comments of this thread yet. I'm looking forward to it after getting home tomorrow.

@ celestialorigin

Yep - am outing myself now LOL - am a Sydneysider! Hope you enjoy 'my place' whenever you are here! BTW Is there a bulding called 888? LMAO! Probably is I just never noticed name, or rather it's current name (some of which changed names a few times over the years.).

Having said that - if 888 is the one facing DVD w Poster shop (I am NOT gonna advertise that place!) with the food court below, there is a great Japanese ramen shop right at the back. They are closed till the 4th but if you like your pork bone ramen soup with no MSG that is the place to go. And if you love Malaysian head to Mamak (Goulburn St), just around the corner. Be prepared to queue but well worth the wait

Let me know if you want any food recommendations.

Re: DVD / CD shops
I shop at AV Superstore which is roomy enough to browse and have nice staff. Only complaint is while I know what they meant to mean by AV, really should consider changing their name, as it makes me laugh to see my pals reaction the first time when they ask where I bought stuff from. Or is it cause I am immature and warped? O_o Probably!
The 'other' place is huge but really need a new cashier, as he is often surly and unhelpful. *sheesh* customer service dude. My fav is a smaller one, not great to browse but use to have a great Buy 1 get 1 free offer. My groaning shelves of K2 (kdramas 2 be watch) have it to thank.

Re: Infernal Affairs
Like the Godfather, the 1st in this trilogy is the best. By the 3rd I was confused. Although did enjoy seeing the 'long feuding' Heavenly Kings (aka Andy and Leon) in the one movie.

Happy New Year 2010, JB and everyone at OT!!! May God bless all of you and your families with good health! :-D

Happy New Year! :D

I'm so glad that 2009 is over. I hope 2010 will bring us more and better dramas(and since WISFC has been a disappointment so far I hope Chuno will compensate.).

I'd like to thank Jb and all the guest writers for their reviews and I also want to thank Sere for recommending "Painter In The Wind". It's awesome.

@ 132 serendipity : Hi! Happy New Year! Oooh, school outing... Great idea! You're on. But not instead of, poor ol' JGS is still desperately in need of fashion counselling. I begin to suspect he's had some kind of hunting or road accident trauma in his early life which is causing all the faux-fur faux-pas. What explains the pixie-Vampire look I do not wish to speculate.

One thing I do like about J-dramas is their brevity. I mean, I wouldn't have wanted YB to have any fewer episodes, but in a drama in which I'm less invested emotionally, it's nice to get in and out without using the FF too often. I appreciate the zippiness. Sometimes when faced with a new drama of 16 or 20 episodes, I'm a bit hesitant to get involved. But 10 or 11? I can always fit that in. All to say, I think I'll find a moment to work Gokusen II in now that you've explained its eye-candy appeal...

I keep thinking of other dramas I watched in 2009 that I forgot when making my list... I really did spend more time in k-drama land than I thought I did. (What's Up, Fox? should have been on my list, though I missed a few episodes in the middle.) No wonder the year just flew by.

@ mookie

From OT 115:

"However it was very interesting for me to watch the 08 version of LoCH, to Ariel Lin’s credit, she gave a good fight to the ‘best Huang Yung’ crown owned by Barbara for all these years without remotely a contest. She did not look the part, it was sheer acting powess that made her HR worked whereas Barbara had the physical resemblance working to her advantage. For a purist, all the alterations in the plot may be hard to stomach, but it worked for the overall narration and I actually welcomed them very much."

OMG, you are totally right. I saw a few episodes of the newest mainland versions of Duke and RoCH and both were weird and/or abysmal. Just like WTF all around is happening, other than a lot of weird camera angles and lots of wind blowing.

But hubby and I watched 4 episodes of LoCH last night, Ariel Lin and Hu Ge version from 2008, and it was very very good. I am very pleasantly surprised. I may even end up liking it better than the Julian/Athena TVB version from 1994 (which was a worthy remake). Whether it can match up to the Felix/Barbara version from 1982 remains to be seen.

Ariel Lin - that girl is something. I hated the character of Xiang-qin in ISWAK, but Ariel made me love her reluctantly which is quite a feat. I know she won the Golden Bell for ISWAK 2 (in which I went, wah? are you guys rewarding her for ISWAK 1?). But until now, I have not seen her works which really moved me with her talent. I shall now happily say that Ariel is a very good actress. Her Huang Rong is pure acting talent and she's by sheer force of will become Huang Rong. Barbara *was* Huang Rong, Athena tried to become her, but Athena just didn't have the natural acting gravitas.

Barbara brought out the elvish quality of Huang Rong, Athena did the OPW the entire time (which HR did use on occasion), but Ariel's showcases the eccentric HR, the girl who has no care for convention and code of conduct. I firmly believe LoCH is a drama that lives or dies by its casting of Huang Rong, Guo Jing is pretty much a block of wood, you can really substitute a mannequin and it'd be okay (though thus far, Felix is also still my fave, though Julian was way too handsome to play the stupid, ordinary GJ).

Anyways, hubby knows nothing about the novels or the dramas, but he enjoyed watching with me. The 2008 adaption is so fast paced, by episode 4, they are already sneaking into the Jin Palace to search for an antidote. I was like, woah, that took 12 episodes before. This version completely eliminates all the varying side stories and repackages it in a very streamlined way that I actually also like, weird, I'm usually a purist, but it works here. It's like a very long TV movie almost.

Thanks, mookie, for mentioning Ariel was good, otherwise I would have also skipped this version, I've been burned too many times.

As for my CitC, it was getting too much, I love it, but I needed something a bit less dense, and with some kickass kungfu with awesome wuxia stylings, and LoCH 2008 version is delivering like I can't believe. I'll be watching both dramas in tandem. :-)