@ ockoala

I just came back from reading your EPIC discussion on the OT link you gave on LC novels and mainly LOCH 08. Just to add, my favourite story IS LOCH. The characters are so good I just can't help get absorbed into it more and more. The Smiling Proud Wanderer is probably not in my highest order, simply because I don't like the way LHC keeps getting framed and having bad luck after bad luck. That's just a disaster, the same way Xiao Feng in DGSD. LOCH luckily did not have that kind of tragedy going on. It's ok if you're framed for one incident. But one after another is just.. come on. Would logical thinking people think that oh, this had happened before, surely it's not HIM again? But no. Wuxia world are so.. bitchy that way, huh?

I get the rant about Mu Nianci. I always thought her character is weak and she's simply dumb and how could she engage a relationship with a smart cunning person like Yang Kang. She'd bore him to death, don't you think? It's different with the dynamic between Huang Rong and Guo Jing because although Guo Jing came up as dumb, he's loyal to his country, caring, passionate, strong in character and that's exactly what HR is looking for.

My favourite character of all is still HR. She simply shines. It's probably the reason why LOCH is my favorite.

ROCH is probably my least favourite although it has Yang Guo, another one of my favourite character. XLN just come across as another Mu Nianci. How could that couple ride across the sunset together just beats me. Good luck to a boring ever after.

@ what is:

I thought that too. I kept saying to djes that it's funny although I know the story and watched every single series of LOCH, i felt like this is a new story. While I usually get annoyed everytime that happens, for some reasons I welcome the changes. They focused on the drama & love story. Less fighting. They should say the story is loosely based on the novel. Yeah. This is a good way (and reason) to keep making series after series. If they keep making the story line somewhat different like this, people might like the version and keep watching it. It's a gamble, but I think the general audience likes it. Me included. Who knows, maybe next version WOULD Huang Rong ends up with Yang Kang, and I might like it! I normally like story to stick to the original, with original pairings and canon and whatnots. This current LOCH totally blew me away. Bring it on. In that case I'd like to see Yang Guo & Guo Xiang. Pretty please.

Hello all! Is anyone watching King of Baking?? It finally reached > 40% in ratings for this week. So, they're #1 again. It's getting good but I don't see much post/blogs on this drama.

Anyways, have a good weekend!!

@ Monica

"I’d like to see Yang Guo & Guo Xiang. Pretty please"

Okay, you are my newest friend. mookie and I hate Xiaolongnu with the heat of a thousand suns. Yang Guo, our resident hottie, should either be alone forever or ride off into the sunset with Guo Xiang, his soulmate.

@ockoala

Thank God you'd take me because djes is getting sick of me already! :D haha...

And I'd like to see this Clothing the World you mentioned.

oh I forgot to say - thanks for telling me about Mu Nianci not being YG's birth mom in first version of novel. I never knew that. Gawd that brings another blow to Mu Nianci. No wonder she died young.

And the reason why Athena Chu wore green throughout her series was maybe to match her dog beating stick. haha.

happy friday OT'ers!!

completed bad guy - i absolutely liked the ending. i know a lot of people might not be, but i feel that they tied things up pretty good. someone likened it to a noir ending, and how true. i'm sure if it ended on ep20, you guys might've gotten a different ending.. but i'm happy with 17 eps.

going to NYC again this weekend for a little shopping and maybe some ice cream. hehehe

Good morning, JBeaners,
What a beautiful day it is.
Ahem, that is if you don't think about Bad Guy's ending...
How many of you are as upset as #31, honest_will and me about this drama?
It really had the potential to be the best drama of the year..at least for me...
Sigh...Show...I hate you for wasting my 17 hours and many more for waiting...

@lovenyc52 - HURAAAHH! That's what I did too. When the tickets finally went on sale, I snagged 2 VIPs and then figured out who I was dragging to the event (bribing works wonders ^^) So glad I did that because the next day - the VIP tixs were sold out!! And yea, I've been following their series w/kevjumba - I *love* all the special Ryan N appearances (he's another fav of mine ^^). And I too have a girlcrush on "Judy" Did you see the BTS of their "Dance to this Song" vid? Man, I never knew how much work goes into making of those vids 0_o It looks like so much fun though! I'm jealous you get to see Jay Park - we'll have to compare notes from the 2 coasts!

@bluebunny - oh me me me! *bounces* I'm watching Baker King :) Is it just me or do you catch yourself staring at the main guy whenever he smiles/winks and lose all train of thought except for, "...ssooo ppuurrdy" (maybe it's just me..) Seriously. Is there a farm in korea where they breed these gorgeous people? What do you think of it? So far, I don't think there's anything very "stand out-ish" about it, but it's an enjoyable story with nice characters and there's enough cute/prettiness (and food porn) to keep me watching.

Hey, everyone! I'm writing from work right now because I'm unoccupied at the moment. (shhh...)

I've been watching a bunch of kdramas this summer (the main time of year I watch them), and I'm currently on "The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry." It hooked me from the opening scene. So good.

But alas, I'll be done at the end of the weekend, so I'll need to decide what to watch next. That's the hardest part; there are too many choices...

@ yenchan

THERE WERE VIP TICKETS?!?! that, i did not see. i think the site was offering 2 VIP tickets as a contest or something. probably cuz they were sold out already. sigh, if i could meet WongFu and Jay, that would be awesome. actually, i think i told you before, but i got super duper close to the WongFu guys once. They were doing their first Meet&Greet at a Tapioca Express and i dragged my friend with me. There were so many people there that we decided to screw waiting in line and decided to be 'customers' and just walk to the front and order drinks and hang around next to them. So I never got to actually meet and talk to them (though from observation they were all super friendly and happy to meet all their fans), but they were within 5 feet and it took all my self-control to keep myself from launching at them (Wes, specifically...lol) Oh yea, last year at the Epik High LA concert, Wes was standing right in front of me (though, at the time I didn't see his face, so all I saw was this tall guy with spiky hair, aka every asian guy, right?), and then he turned around and walked somewhere else... i almost followed him, but I had to decide between holding onto my awesome view of Epik High or following Wes... and decided that EH had to win out. Sigh, so close and yet so far.

ending of Bad Guy, I'm confused if I like it or not. but i think i rather that they had it with a happy ending like with Story of A Man and moved on (I feel bad especially for Moon Jae In bec not knowing where SGW, there is no closure for her)

been watching Kim Tak Gu
after fighting thru the first few episodes
its pretty enjoyable

but this week I got hooked on
Unstoppable High Kick

easily one of the funniest shows from any country
i've ever seen

I cant count how many times I literally laugh aloud at the ridiculous antics
of the family members

anyway hope all of you are well...

Congratulations ! lb_tmi !

I can only think of a girls name that starts with a J...
it's Japanese in origin, I know because I have a Japanese 'daughter'....anyway the name is Juie it's pronounced Joo A( a as in yay).

I posted my comments on I am Legend 2x already..but I have no problem going for the charm! as in third time is the charm...anyway

I am enjoying it a lot. As a diehard KSA fan, I have to say KJE is working her mojo on this role. Everyone involved seems to be solid actors..I am hoping Lee Jun Hyuk delivers the goods..I want to see what he's got...OH one thing why the CSW haircut??
I love Hong Jim In...she is outrageous..

anyway Happy Friday all, have a good week end!

@lbtmi: CONGRATULATIONS! So exciting.

Are you completely fixated on the Es and Js? 'cause I'd like to make a plug for Dexter. It's a classic, and "Dex" is a fab shortened form. Anyway, think about it.

But if you insist on Es and Js... For a girl, Jemima. For a boy, Endeavour ('Dev) (Morse's first name).

Happy weekend everyone!

Just finished You're Beautiful, and OMG I LOVED IT! I thought I loved Personal Taste, but YAB blew me away. I think k-dramas are helping me get in touch with my emotions, because I have never felt so strongly for any two people, fictional or real, in my life. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful show. Veteran k-drama watchers probably think there are better romances out there, and they're probably right, but I generally avoid romance at all costs, so for me to have sat through and enjoyed a romantic comedy show is a big step for me.

I'd like to watch MGiaG, but I'm not sure I'm ready just yet for the emotional commitment required for watching another k-drama. The Hong Sisters have impressed me though, so I might hazard a viewing of the first episode.

@3 Monica:
LOL!
You know, I noticed that too. He's a good actor, I saw him from the Yang Warrior and thought he was my favorite character, same with LOCH. However my first LOCH was the 1982 version by TVB (which I don't think many of you even know what the heck I am talking about LOL), with Miu Kiu Wai as Yang Kang and that was what got me hooked on Wuxia. I thought Miu Kiu Wai was the best Yang Kang to date :-) and Yuan Hong is next. That is the only Wuxia series where I love the 2nd male lead better than the first, no matter what version!

@ asianromance

Oh yeah, there is making out. Yang Guo didn't pop out of a peach, you know. Since dangermousie did all the hard work capping the kissy kissy btw YK-MNC, I'll just pimp her out. If you're wondering where, episode 42, baby.

http://dangermousie.livejournal.com/1945461.html#cutid3

@ Linh

Oh, a few of us know exactly what you are talking about with respect to 80s TVB LC adaptations. YH's YK isn't even YK. Michael Miu's YK is still the only iconic performance. YH's YK is if YK got eaten by a Gu Long wuxia hero and than spat out and formed this hybrid character. In fact, all of LoCH2008 was like fandom united and decided to rewrite everyone else's story, except keep Guo Jing and Huang Rong intact.

And on a slashy slashy day - I do wonder how quickly YK-HR would kill each other if they ever fell in love and got married - or its more likely they would take over Wulin and rule the world with their collective brain power.

And I will send MNC off with OYK to go breed snakes in the Western Plains. And GJ can marry his Mongolian princess, since that is what he was happily going to do anyways.

@ Monica, sorry for not upchucking 5000 words on LoCH2008, since you went back and read those OT posts, it's pretty clear I've said enough. Let me know if u have any questions about this version or YH and I'd be happy to answer. ;-D

Pahahaha! I just made the mistake of going back to the finale recap of Coffee House (episode 18) only to find that @Kayt and @GollyGeeWiz are tearin' it up, all vicious-like!

What is it about Coffee House that brings out the rage in people? They're practically frothing at the mouths. And the drama has been over for, what, almost two weeks?

Anyway, there seems to be lots of love for You're Beautiful on here. Good to know because I'm going to resume it, along with Soulmate. Well, I'll do Soulmate first, because I'm not sure I can handle YB and MGiaG in one fell swoop, both written as they are by the Hong sisters. I look forward to the awesomeness!

@ lb_tmi

I'd also like to toss out Elise/Elyse or Emily/Emilie/Emilia for a girl. I've always loved that name. I'm partial to names with the letter L in them (heh). L is Lyrical and Lilting and Lovely.

@ 58-YENGCHAN...

I do find Yoon Si Yoon adorable when he smiles!

The actor who plays Ma Jun is hot!

Yeah, all 4 leads are good looking and OMG the food on that show is just so YUMMY!!!

@dee,

"I’m confused if I like it or not. but i think i rather that they had it with a happy ending like with Story of A Man and moved on (I feel bad especially for Moon Jae In bec not knowing where SGW, there is no closure for her)"

It's a true noir ending. Usually noirs end with the world in chaos or the world back in order, upon the condition that somebody has to be sacrificed. Also, noirs deal with the imposition of The Outsider and often thwart the cathartic cycle of melodrama by leaving behind a disquieting uncertainty. Quite often the bad guys still win, and here the bad guy (the Mom) essentially won. Melodrama is sad, but noir is bitter.

For me, Bad Guy was a very well written melodrama. Majority of melodramas are really family dramas, and the subject all along in the show wasn't Shim Geun Wook and the troubled, troubled conscience of the Hae Shin family.

Please pinch me coz I really feel llke Christmas in August. This has been a happy happy wk for me. I feel very blessed and grateful, and, albeit delusional, the luckiest girl!

@ib_tmi Congrats again!! I'm in a v. good mood with a smile on my face reading your baby news first thing this Fri. :)

@Monica

OMG @ockoalatwin, we have company!! :)

I will out myself as the Yuan Hong fangirl the crazie variety atm. I'm proudly cyberstalking him, having a cousin living in China madfangirling him and calling me constantly is fueling the silliness, I've just started rambling on lj and posting everything YH. http://mookiehyun.livejournal.com/

I've just finished watching his newest period piece Tian Di Min Xin. This is very well done standard CCTV Qing period fare. IF that genre is not your thing, this won't change your opinion. But I'm a Qing period fiend and I <3 it. But even if that turns u off, but u r craving for MORE YH, I would recom just ffing the romance scenes of YH w/ the main heroine in there. It's scrumptious and totally pulling my heartstrings. I do lazily post screencaps in lj if u r interested

@ twinnie - wahhh, you have an active LJ post!?! Yay, now I can talk yours and Mousie and darkeyed wolf, while I keep my wordpress active on occasion. :-D Off to find more YH awesomeness.

Psss, your k-drama drought may just be about to end....I'm about to drop a review shortly that just *may* encourage you to check out a certain K-drama. Just saying, there are good stuff out there.

^ I know it's a GIANT pimping job of your and I'm totally defenseless!!! ;)

Why would you need to defend againt a drama filled with GIANT amounts of win? 8-)

I've had a really rough summer and this week has been like a massive dark cloud raining on me everyday. I just smile and nod around everyone, but I've been really tired/frustrated and generally bummed out. Tomorrow will be my birthday and I'll be chained to my desk coding all day. I've already cried enough on previous birthdays that I'm all dried up. I think I should stay off the OT for a while so I don't haul in a bag of darkness. Have a good week everyone~

begins with E

Elea
Elysia
Emi
Emia

Euan
Eleus
Ellis
Emmit

Happy friday!

@72 mookie sama

You have a blog site as well? I didn't know. Please count me as your subscriber!

Anyhow, back in July, my GF in Japan was talking about having been to Iris fan meeting just because her neighbor happened to have an extra ticket. OK, Cool, was what I thought... She is a big LBH fan, good for her... Come to think about it, she also mentioned Big Bang was there singing some songs from the drama. I was just assuming it was one of those 500 audience type thing...

I didn't know this was what she was talking about!!! OMG! I wish I could have gone as well now that I've watched them. BB's so charismatic on stage. So hot...

http://www.allkpop.com/2010/08/big-bangs-performances-from-iris-saitama-event

Oh and mookie and ockoala samatachi

I've skimmed through 27 volumes of Basara minus vol.15,19,22. It's a bit of frustrating experience missing those 3. Plus because I was in a hurry, I ended up buying some doubles of the same volumes as well. I'd love to sit back and really read them with my full concentration. Well my free time's up and it's time to get ready for next seminars. Anyhow, so far, it reminds me a bit of one of my favorite novels "The return of Merlin" by Deepak Chopra. Same sort of over all theme with some visual extravaganza.

Tkank you guys also for recommending ISWAK. It was time consuming and a bit too long but it was highly delightful.( I used up mist of my free time in this drama, I'd say!)

@janna
*hugs* do stay in OT. We r all ears and we r quite colorful a company, ne? Early birthday well wishes sending your way. I'm not a big birthday celebrating person. Most years, all I want to do on my bday was to call my mom coz she suffered thro labor to bring me here and that's all that particular date should be commemorating... and for me to be grateful for.

@twin
GIANT 50 hrs servings of GIANT amounts of epic-ness eats souls and beauty sleeps. My giant 8ball is telling me it's seeing a GIANT time sucking abyss coming w/ playful kisses sprinkled in.

@belleza
ffing rest of BG tonite, 8 eps. So, is this StH level of GREAT ending? ;)

@ twin

You are the GIANT queen of FF-ing, and I foresee an uncanny ability to FF 50 GIANT hours of epicness and spend at most a total of 20 hours on a GIANT helping of awesome story, acting, and kick-ass. Are you up for the GIANT challange? ;-) I shall as well watch Playfull Kiss with a GIANT grin with you.

@celestialorigin-sama

O GOSH, u should've gone!!!.

It's not a blog, it's very very silly and just a livejournal fandom thing. I should be very embarrassed w/ it as a grown woman hahaha.

I'm loving Basara ridic much (thanks @twin) But I can't skip a book. me anal... and I got sidetracked... it's summer, and I'm totally in the mood of shonen: Rough, then Touch and I'm in the middle of Urusei Yatsura​.

Ok this is almost midnight here and i'm surfin using my iphone so typing kinda suck...

@asianromance:
There was a little bit of action somewhere around ep 13 or 14 but YK politely refused like the gentleman that he was, promising to marry and consummate their marriage properly... *swoooooon*

@Linh:
Don't worry I'm also huge fan of classic Barbara's LOCH and yes Miu Kiu Wai is still the best canon YK. It's just this new YK is so much more humanified that now i know how MNC could fall in love with him. Their relationship is so much better and she isn't always just like a little lamb going to a slaughterhouse. The only thing memorable about mnc before was when yang phan phan sang that sad song before YK died. Still breaks my heart and i still have that song in my playlist for rainy day.

@ockoala:
Episode 42?! *insert inapropriate words here* Gawd that's such a loooooong way to go. I'm still on 18 damn it!

I get hot flushes just by thinking of those pedicures! He didn't just do it once. Twice! Once whilst completely drunk i thought he'd just take her!

@mookie:
Will definitely check your lj tomoro morning via laptop. Certain things (especially if they have pics) are better seen on bigger screen...

I'm so glad djes pointed me to the right place so i can share my addiction and get others to tickle it too! Now if you'll excuse me it's time to my beauty sleep so i can dream some more about getting pedicure! Lucky feet!

@ lb_tmi

congrats! For a girl with a "J" how about Janelle, Jamie, Janine, Justine, Jade, Janette, Jasmine, or the common Jennifer? I think Jade would be really cute, and it's not too common.

For a boy with an E, how about: Elis, Evan, or Elmo? lol
I prefer Evan, but if you want a more unique name then Elis should be your pick.

The first name I thought for you when you wanted an "E" was Emerald. But you want the E for a boy name. :(

Good luck!

@asianromance

Ohh and i thought this Ouyang ke is fanciable too. Not all the time. Sometimes. When Yang Kang isn't in the same frame, of course.

@ Monica

You might be shipping OYK like made come eps 25 onward. Just saying' This is revisionist LoCH land, right? Even OYK gets his own revisionist history and 90% personality transplant. Me likey this one much, thanks to the devilish Li Jie's portrayal.

@momosan,

"The problems are in the writing and the logic holes of how it got where it was going."

Nah, I'm dissenting there too. I think the writing for Bad Guy was absolutely marvelous. The plot devices are conventional melodrama, true, but also can be said about the devices you see in rom-com genre or the sageuks. Dialogue was coarse, cynical, and rarely sentimental. The mom was crazy evil, but I like how the show gave her character a clear philosophy and thinking, and doesn't try to make her apologize for anything she did. The ending itself reciprocated all the quiet posturing that had been playing all in the show, and in that regard, it fulfilled both melodrama and noir expectations.

Personally, I think this may be the best melodrama I've seen in 2 years. Some of the histrionics are shlocky, but for me, that's to be expected in the melo format. And in those elements, for me, it successfully moves away from class/familial resentment to touch upon the subconscious and spiritual damage that was kinda coursing the show. The idea that, Shim Geun Wook was enacting a perfect revenge, but as he got closer to the finish line, his own demons, well conversed yet rarely understood, were coming out in ways he wasn't ready to understand. And that Hong Tae Sung had started to change, not out of a evolved identification with family or familial responsibility, but that he was becoming more aware of horrifying skeletons in the family that he wasn't prepared to ask.

And so on and so on. Even at the end, there is this feeling that the ghosts will continue to haunt this family, and that the fallout of the ending has yet to drop its foot.

the CS parody was hilarious ...nick khun was a very good eun jo hahaha....

...omg i just finished bad guy...and still reeling from that last episode...i need to watch a rom com now...i dnt want to give anything away......but everyone watch its made really well, with amazing acting, and lots of twists....absolutley loved the last episode...it was a really good last episode....nd i dnt ususally download dramas, i only stream...but i only make excpetions for really well done dramas...which i loved, nd BG is one of them..

...KNG was so amazing in this, i cant wait to see his projects after he comes back from the army

...started baker king...but it seems pretty ordinary nothing special...although YSY is cute...but i think i might pass it up for the other drams coming up...nd there are loads....

...who thinks baker king ratings will drop after my girlfriend is a gumiho and playful kiss starts???

@janna -- hang in there, and hang out here; don't leave OT. Your comments are always entertaining and I would say informative, but truthfully, I have to skip the spoilers. The dark clouds WILL lift. Don't know the circumstances, but I do know that there are lots of good thoughts being sent your way. Hope there is some happiness on your birthday.

@lb_tmi -- congratulations. If you already have children, you must know that you have to choose a name that is short enough (or can be shortened enough) that they can write it in kindergarten and first grade; that the spelling is such that they don't ALWAYS have to spell it out for people. It can also be fun to choose a really different name that you can tell them you *almost* named them. Our second would have been Myfanwy if he hadn't turned out to be a boy.

@ belleza

I'm been pretending the last few eps of BG wasn't written in the sequence of events as it were. But I'm throw in my one cent. Mood: noir, Vibe: anguish, Tone: no happy ending, Execution: proper posturing and posing = all good and dandy melodrama with a squeeze of thriller and a gloss of noir.

Got it. But the plot, I mean the A + B = C were shaky from the get go, and flat out feel apart in the latter episodes. Unless we accept the premise that logic needn't exist in a noirish moody piece on familial disintegration and dissolution. But I'm not sure I can. I feel like they writer stopped trying due to timing, lack of ability, whatever.

I enjoyed watching BG, but it hurt my brain excessively. I love the untidy ending, but how it got there made no rational sense, either within the real world, or even within the dramatic narrative.

Mild spoiler - X should not have been involved in the deed, Y should had done the deed himself, he was right there anyways. Narrative fail in my book. The drama needs to be viewed as a whole, probably will stand up better.

hi to ockoala! im a fan!

It's Friday it's FRIDAY! Happy Happy FRIDAY! GTIF, Happy weekend EVERYONE.

Enjoyed the first two episodes of I am Legend. I don't know if I like the main guy (the lover) just yet, but I'll wait and see where it goes from here. :)

Happy Friday lovely people!
I just got back home a few hours ago from vacation, I miss the beach already! As well as all my money, hehe.
My kdrama slump continues. Any reccomendations for a great romantic comedy or even a romantic melodrama with good writing and great chemistry? I've seen most of the popular rom-coms so looking for something not so well known.

Names names... I once had a nanny named Jedidah. I also love Jasmine and Jessica but they've mentioned already :)

Happy Fri... Saturday morning!

I'm flying to my hometown this afternoon, one week of no ready internet at the side of the bed, but hey! there's family and better things to do :D

I might not say this often enough, but thank you JB and GF for faithfully recapping dramas, whatever you might feel about it at the moment or however snarky your audience sometimes are. BG is the first k-drama I watched with full attention and also the first time I can feel and understand the same colorful emotions and addictness of the community here... It's an amazing experience!

All the best for you girls, I admire that you love and enjoy doing what you do and in the process, make others feel the same.

@mookie,

"So, is this StH level of GREAT ending? "

Oh no no MOB sista. Only show that approached StH Greatness was the East of Eden ending. And right after that one, I was so mad I deleted all 2534 episodes off my computer.

"who thinks baker king ratings will drop after my girlfriend is a gumiho and playful kiss starts???"

Baker King is connecting with the housewife audience, and neither Girlfriend nor Playfull Kiss play to that market decisively. In fact, Girlfriend and Playful Kiss will be actively contesting.

Gumiho should beat Playfull Kiss pretty soundly though. Playful Kiss will be in the MBC Wed/Thursday slot. THAT'S BAD. Plus, Noona Killer Lee Seung Gi is Noona Killer (and Gumiho may have a slight noona romance vibe to it.) He may be able to bring in some of the 1N2D watching ajumma/housewive audience as well as the younger fanbase.

Anyway, this post is a convenient excuse to repost Lee Seung Gi's Noona Anthem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL08L96wxyE

@ockoala,

"But the plot, I mean the A + B = C were shaky from the get go, and flat out feel apart in the latter episodes. "

Nah, I felt the last 1/3 of the story was actually the strongest part of it. The writer was mirroring the disintegration of the familial bonds with the dissolution of Shim Geun Wook's ego boundary. The first episode had begun asking what was the ultimate point of his revenge scheme and who he was, and the answer was always going to involve a correlation between him and his former family But he later finds out that his former family isn't what it seems to be, and what began as convenient pressure points by which he can usurp turns into a trapdoor into more questions. Eventually, after realizing that those weakness are quicksand, he is certain he will not get out of this alive. But upon exploring it further, he realizes that his own revenge is a trapdoor by which he doesn't understand. The target becomes a new trap, and the story itself works from that mobius logic.

@momosan,

"don’t normally do melos, but I do watch revenge dramas and adore me some noir – I mean, I can rewatch Mawang or MSFFS, and I watched BG – even raw, which is saying something for how much I liked it – but for me, despite some outstanding acting and the beauty of the series, it’s not a rewatch or a saver because of the plot letdown at the end. "

The thing is, revenge dramas in K-drama world fall under the melo genre. Mawang is the exception to that rule. The definition that you're using here:

"I think I said earlier that the whole point of the revenge genre is for there to be some master plan revealed or someone to pull a string at the end and have all the pieces come together – even if the plan fails or the pieces fight back – but here nothing comes together and while they TRY to reveal a master plan, it doesn’t unfold. "

. . . is more typical of J-dorama style revenge shows, because they want the viewer to admire the intricate execution of the revenge story, not really immerse the viewer in the psychic dissolution associated with revenge. K-drama melos with a revenge backdrop are very moralizing, and that is also true of Mawang. Simple, but somehow "deep" in that sense.

I think there's the same problem with most K-cop shows and weekday sageuks. Overplay the relationships of a few people rather than give you a proper heirarchy of the thieves and keystone, court and what-not.

"when suddenly the cops got dumber than rocks. "

That bugged me too, but that's also typical of noir. Either cops in noir are corrupt or basically useless. The old cop was mostly indifferent to Shim Geun Wook; his hunches, even in the beginning, seem out of scope with his police procedure. After all, if there was no direct thumbprints of foul play, why go further to explore the credibility of the suicide? But the cop pushes that agenda until he accepts that scenario. At that point, he turns into "uncle." Meaning he's there to give some paternal advice to whoever will listen, but he and his partner are not parciularly engaged in this case over any other they are working. I found that believable within genre.

But I liked that element because the purpose of the policemen is to eventually sell to the audience that the civilizing forces in the world can no longer encroach behind the doors, private hell, of the Hae Shin corporation. It's all death-grip inside those doors. Even the ending reinforces that point made by the story. Justice is not fully served, mostly and merely the circumstances return to equilibrium. Instead of justice, the good people in the story are privately devastated (without closure, there can be no public coming-together where they may resolve their demons). And I liked that aspect, because THERE it is true to noir and family satire.

Having said all that, I'm thinking about starting Giant. Either Giant or Baker King.

@ B of the MOB

Giant. Don't believe me, wait one day, I'll be presenting some empirical evidence shortly.

What am I saying? belleza dear please watch Baker King bc I'm deathly curious about it but I am very allergic to Lee Young Ah so cannot bring myself to watch it but would love your take on. :-)

Hi back, sweet synergy. Thanks! :-D