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However on my end there is no happy Friday till next week! I've got two13 hour shifts this weekend and a further 4 shifts in the week. ㅠ ㅠ And may I add, unpaid too!
On the drama front pacing myself with TWTWB. Am half way through 11 atm. I sort of know what happens in the next 2 episodes (can't avoid spoilers) and am nervous! Speaking of winter and wind, it's currently freezing here in Scotland with way too much wind and snow for late march. But then I listen to the TWTWB soundtrack and imagine the pretty drama scenes and it makes it slightly better. Thank cheese I get free accommodation with good heating atm!
Am feeling a bit homesick even though I've only been on this placement for 2 days so far. I think it's the long hours and bad weather. Just wanted to thank the DB community for keeping me company in the evenings (I sit and read everything...)
I wish I got paid! It's part of uni and it's mandatory. Scotland is home - just that I've been sent on a 'peripheral' attachment away from the city and friends! And there's no one else here at the accommodation, so feeling a wee bit lonely :(
Hoping the North Texas (Dallas Fort Worth area) Beanies will coalesce and have a meetup.
Due to too many feels and springbreak I have paused my viewing of The Winter Wind that Blows.
I truly enjoy Running Man; it makes me laugh out loud every episode. I especially enjoyed the recent 3 episodes with Lee Dong Wook. The Nine Sword game was elaborate and culturally interesting. i.e. Hoan Kiem turtle. I think Lee Dong Wook is adorable so it was great to see him on Running Man.
I have reluctantly branched out to watching Taiwanese Dramas. (yes, that is plural. *hangs head in shame)
I say reluctantly because I am naively loyal to ROK; I feel, and rightly so, that Korea produces the best dramas. hands-down, bar-none. (I could enumerate the many ways that Korean Dramas are superior but I will save that for another day)
P.S. Man- First Taiwanese drama for me. The language...which is not hangul, does not sound right!
The story is cute and the characters have grown on me.
Easy Fortune Happy Life- I am enjoying the humanizing of the hero. the second male is great eye candy which lead me to-
Because of You-Where he is the lead
I have not finished any of these as they are placeholders/timefillers for that next great Korean Drama
I am just about to finish Fated To Love You (also, Taiwanese) it is oldish, 2008, but it is a good story, the acting is not always great, but the extended family, especially Grandmother is fun. (that was an extreme run-on sentence. Poor grammar makes for an unclear message.)
Over Springbreak my college-age daughter and I almost finished Arang. We lack 2 episodes. This is my second viewing. I love sharing kdramas with her!
We watched You're Beautiful together last summer and she had second-lead syndrome so bad that it opened her eyes to the second-leads in RL. She is now dating such a boy.
Hands down, best director in TW history is Winnie. You need to watch It Started with a Kiss. You'll revise and rethink about TW dramas after that. They speak Mandarin... (Taiwanese Mandarin) I'd also recommend the sequel They Kiss Again and his earlier drama, The Rose.
What you'll see is that the pluses of K-dramas and TW dramas are merely different if they are treated correctly. (J-dramas too.)
K-dramas excel at the wacky comedy. I especially like the over the top stuff. I also like the treatment of some social issues. (Such as Alone in Love was a really good exploration.) I like the rom coms from Korean dramas.
J-dramas, I like for showing snapshots into daily life a lot. It shows single point of view from even the quirkiest characters in a relatively short amount of time. That's what makes the melodramas a lot more effective--they sometimes will preach about "Understanding other people's feelings" but if the drama lacks that and infuses it into the storyline, the drama can be amazing. My favorite genre from J-dramas is Slice of Life Warm and Fuzzy. If I'm going to watch a melo, I'll watch it from here, since they add heart and evoke it well.
TW dramas, in contrast are really excellent at the slow moving stories with the natural human drama to them. The problem with that is that TW dramas often don't realize the advantage of the long format and planning ahead is that they can play with long character arcs effectively. Skip Beat, for example, is a better choice for them (though the episodes were short)
The original Itazura na Kiss also works well in a 30+ episode format, because the character change is slow, as shown in It Started with a Kiss. (I still say it beats the Korean version hands down for both being more true to the original manga to the point of delirium and for the better acting.) J-version of it isn't worth mentioning. I'll watch the remake though. (And I doubt they'll do it justice in a 10 episode format...)
So you just need to find the right director that gets what the long format can do for the story. And I choose Winnie for that. <3
Wow, love your breakdown of the types of cultural norms/stereotypes. Am not a real expert on the Taiwanese or Chinese dramas but yeah it does seem comedies from those countries do make me cringe. Just not light. Or maybe feels too forced. As if the actors are uncomfortable with being silly.
I really enjoyed Fated to love you! It did get a TINY bit draggy in the middle but less so than the typical TW drama. Totally old-school, but have you tried Meteor Garden (aka the TW version of BoF?) - it brings back childhood memories for me and is such a classic... even though the acting is absolutely terrible. I'm really not selling it well.
I also caught glimpses of The Fierce Wife and it seemed quite watchable.
I've stopped watching TW dramas (used to watch a bit) but couldn't stand the dragginess of them (most at least).
I personally enjoy Kdramas the most, but if I want a real tug at my heartstrings, then Jdramas do that best. Sometimes unexpectedly too. I'm not sure if you've seen/heard of Code Blue (about helicopter doctors) - I watched the first season cos it was exciting and medical (i like my medical dramas and am a medic myself... so pretended it was 'revision') and then unexpectedly the second season was a so touching - nearly every case made me cry.
I guess it really depends on the mood you're in sometimes, and also what type of drama-watcher you are! I like my dramas short and sweet.
Made it up to episode 12 of Queen In Hyun's Man, but my interest is dwindling. It's definitely cute, but I thought it would pack more punch. I have been trying to watch more of Arang and the Magistrate (I was stuck on episode 10 for a while), but it moves very slowly. I think this is a drama that would have benefitted from either fewer episodes or shorter episodes, because there is so much filler. It's a shame, because I think there are a lot of good things stuck in there, but are often diluted.
Halfway through TWTWB, so behind everyone watching it live. I'm also nine episodes in to Answer Me: 1997 now, after starting it a week and a half ago. I absolutely love Shi-won, and I think the drama has a great balance between the funny and the nostalgia.
Haven't seen episode 4 of xxxHolic yet but plan to soon rectify that. This week I also watched the first episode of King of Dramas, but am trying to resist watching more until I finish one of the many other dramas I am watching at the moment.
I tried doing what you did and it took me almost 2 weeks to not look crazy from lack of sleep :P so now I know I can only watch one, probably two at a time. That's awesome that you can do all your drama viewing at the same time!
I felt the same with Arang sometime in the middle like you, but I believe you're already at the point where the story is starting to pick up as more mysteries were being revealed, and I feel they were really effective in dropping these hints enough to keep me hooked on the show leading to its ending. The same goes for QIHM, I think you should finish it as well. I recall the comments here in DB on the ending were pretty extremely for it or against it. Personally I didn't care either way, I thought it was cute and worked towards the general fabric of the story. Not going to reveal what happened, but the comments were definitely divided on what to make of the ending :)
Definitely love Answer Me 1997 and was also late to the party too! I find the pacing of the show really refreshing, Plus I feel that it has a lot of heart and moments that I related to growing up. I honestly could say it's one of my top Kdramas.
I should say that just because I am watching six dramas at one time doesn't mean I'm necessarily watching them frequently, if that makes sense. So, the more dramas I watch at a time, the slower I go. With the exception of Answer Me: 1997, I started many of the dramas I am watching months ago (or even longer in the case of Arang, which I began when it was originally airing). Usually I watch fewer at a time, but it somehow ended up this way. (It tends to happen more when I'm watching a group of dramas in which I am not particularly in love with many of them.)
QIHM should be easy to finish since I only have four episodes to go and they are 45 minutes each. However, it will take a bit more fortitude to push through Arang and the Magistrate. I might pick it back up after finishing QIHM, Answer Me: 1997, and TWTWB. Thanks for your encouragement - it helps me to hear when people think dramas didn't continue in a rut (or did, because then I know to drop them). Nothing is more frustrating than to get to the end of a drama and realize it was a waste of your time. I want my Lie to Me hours back! :)
I've watched AM97, QIHM, and AatM, and they were all pretty solid to great.
My favorite was probably Answer Me 1997, but I would definitely recommend finishing them all.
For QIHM, you're actually at the part where the stakes get higher (for the better, IMO). I do have one thing which I wasn't enthralled with in the end (which a lot of people either love or hate), but I still liked the ending (I just wish the execution had been better).
AM97, IMO, stays pretty solid throughout and though they have a convenient plot device in it near the end which I'm not the biggest fan of, it was reasonable in the context of the story.
Arang, I liked, but didn't love. There's a lot going on in the mythology (sometimes I feel too much), but are definite cute parts and interesting aspects which make it worth finishing. On the whole, my favorite parts of Arang were the acting and the mythology.
So, I guess I'd recommend finishing all of them, but probably in this order: AM97, QIHM, Arang.
Arang is a bit harder to get through because so much is going on and there are more episodes, and it wasn't quite as good as the others. AM97, if you're enjoying it so far, keeps up the pace well throughout the rest. QIHM as I stated earlier ups the ante at the time you're watching, though you might or might not like an aspect of the resolution.
I will probably try to finish QIHM first, since I have the fewest episodes left to go. I already know at least one twist related to the ending (I listened to the podcast that covered it long before I decided to watch the drama), so I probably won't have as strong a reaction either way as someone who had gone in not knowing anything about the ending.
I love the mythology of Arang, just maybe not the pacing. Also, I was disappointed that even though Arang seemed really cool and badass in the first few episodes, she quickly became more of a helpless damsel that Eun-oh has to save all the time. :/
I try to avoid all spoilers on a show until I've seen it, if it's one I want to watch. When I hear about one, it makes me not necessarily want to finish a show. I'm currently stuck with Gaksital that way.
Arang, I'm sad to say stays pretty much damsel-in-distress/noble idiot for most of the rest of the series. I think it's a kdrama thing, as I also just ran into this when I was slightly disappointed to see Tamra the Island's main female lead lose a lot of the spunk which made her enjoyable to watch (though it makes sense in the context given).
And actually, thinking about it, Tamra the Island's main female lead actually does figure into a lot of the action that occurs later on, so, it was really in the middle part where she loses her luster, but it makes a lot of sense from the story perspective....
And she wasn't really a fighty character anyways, so her damsel-in-distress rescues make a lot of sense. And she does contribute significantly later on, so I guess it's not quite the same thing.
I generally agree with you on spoilers, and I try to avoid spoilers for dramas I know I want to watch, but what happened with QIHM was I didn't originally intend to watch it but it got such good reviews that I changed my mind. However, by then I had already had some details spoiled for me.
Tamra is actually also somewhere on my to-watch list, though not currently at the top.
Tamra is pretty solid, especially if you like the manhwa-genre.
I particularly like the gender role-reversal on Tamra Island and the interaction between the characters, in general, and the cinematography is just gorgeous.
It's a bit campy at times, but it's pretty good fun. And I would definitely recommend the Director's Cut as it seems to make a lot more sense than the condensed version (particularly the female lead).
Also, I must say whenever William speaks English (particularly with other caucasians), just push on through. It's grating on the ears and the suspension of disbelief (and the first 15 minutes were enough to make me ditch it for a while), but after the first episode, you pretty much forget he's supposed to be English as he does a really credible job of speaking Korean (for a non-Korean speaker).
So, yeah, short version. Director's Cut - good. Suffer through 1st episode of English speaking. Tamra, in general, solid all around.
My K-drama observation for the week: I saw the Level 7 Civil-Servant episode 17 recap and thought, "That's still going on?". I find I have little to no interest in the show. I dug the movie though. It was so much fun. Le sigh.
Other than that I am anticipating TEN season 2.
In other world TV, sibling's husband told me she was watching a show called LOST GIRL from Canada. I looked into it. I luurve it to itty bitty pieces. Fun writing, entertaining monster's, certain amount of cheese-tastic goodness. I am slow to find such things, as I don't use cable, just the internet.
I'm going for a classic this time and watching "Stairway to Heaven". 2003
I was so excited to see a young Dok-Mi playing on the beach! (Park Shin Hye) I think FBND has imprinted the actress as Dok-Mi forever in my mind.
Random Thought: I think one of the reasons I dislike Melodramas is that bad people doing evil things get to be in control thru the majority of the drama. Fake fist punching and yelling at the screen doesn't relieve my stress over seeing the bad guys winning.
I repeat the mantra "It's ok, they'll get their just punishment in the end" but I'm rarely satisfied.
You ran over my puppy, slept with my man, killed my father, etc. and you haven't even shown remorse, but because I'm a good person I'll forgive you in the end? Pfft. I'm not that nice a person. I want retribution like the movie "Ever After": where wicked step Mom is forced into servitude and humiliation and poverty.
FYI, pretty much everything you dislike about melodramas will come up in Stairway to Heaven, and then some. I haven't seen many melodramas, but Stairway to Heaven was much more like Stairway to Crazytown, with the most dramatic soundtrack ever.
I can deal with baddies in control in melos but what I can't stand is the unbelievable lengths the writers go to in order to keep the baddies in charge. There is a point where one just wants to say, "I can believe in evil if you make it real for me but the incredible bad luck of the heroes and the incredible good luck of the baddies is just something one would find in drama." Once something stops feeling real or organic, I lose much of my interest.
Hi beanuts!! Just had to log on to say that I am on board the NInE ship after the first two episodes.. It is doing a good job at revealing the mystery to the main character and us at the same time. As daydreamer noemi(?) commented in the first thread, the main character is a cold analytical journalist and he applies that mind to unravelling the mystery ahead of him. Conceptually, its pretty well thought out so far. I like this type of time travel - reminds me of a ray Bradbury science fiction short story a long time ago, can't even remember the title. Any minor change to the past having repercussions on the present and future. Very interesting.
AND ALL THIS WITHOUT HAVING SEEN THE LJW kisses yet!!
On other drama notes, I am eagerly awaiting god of workplace on the basis that it has the same writer as FBRS.
Finally, since the sung joon wish has been granted, need to renew my wish for Jung il woo to be back in a drama.
![[Drama Chat] The drama you didn't know you needed](https://d263ao8qih4miy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/mmh1516_0-scaled.jpg)
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51 umbanana
March 22, 2013 at 11:58 AM
Happy Friday Beanies!
However on my end there is no happy Friday till next week! I've got two13 hour shifts this weekend and a further 4 shifts in the week. ㅠ ㅠ And may I add, unpaid too!
On the drama front pacing myself with TWTWB. Am half way through 11 atm. I sort of know what happens in the next 2 episodes (can't avoid spoilers) and am nervous! Speaking of winter and wind, it's currently freezing here in Scotland with way too much wind and snow for late march. But then I listen to the TWTWB soundtrack and imagine the pretty drama scenes and it makes it slightly better. Thank cheese I get free accommodation with good heating atm!
Am feeling a bit homesick even though I've only been on this placement for 2 days so far. I think it's the long hours and bad weather. Just wanted to thank the DB community for keeping me company in the evenings (I sit and read everything...)
Anyway happy weekend everyone!!
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Lizzy4e
March 22, 2013 at 12:15 PM
No Pay?! wow, that is very generous of you. If Scotland is not home, where is home? (my home is Dallas, Texas USA)
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umbanana
March 22, 2013 at 2:38 PM
I wish I got paid! It's part of uni and it's mandatory. Scotland is home - just that I've been sent on a 'peripheral' attachment away from the city and friends! And there's no one else here at the accommodation, so feeling a wee bit lonely :(
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52 Lizzy4e
March 22, 2013 at 12:08 PM
Howdy Y'all!
Hoping the North Texas (Dallas Fort Worth area) Beanies will coalesce and have a meetup.
Due to too many feels and springbreak I have paused my viewing of The Winter Wind that Blows.
I truly enjoy Running Man; it makes me laugh out loud every episode. I especially enjoyed the recent 3 episodes with Lee Dong Wook. The Nine Sword game was elaborate and culturally interesting. i.e. Hoan Kiem turtle. I think Lee Dong Wook is adorable so it was great to see him on Running Man.
I have reluctantly branched out to watching Taiwanese Dramas. (yes, that is plural. *hangs head in shame)
I say reluctantly because I am naively loyal to ROK; I feel, and rightly so, that Korea produces the best dramas. hands-down, bar-none. (I could enumerate the many ways that Korean Dramas are superior but I will save that for another day)
P.S. Man- First Taiwanese drama for me. The language...which is not hangul, does not sound right!
The story is cute and the characters have grown on me.
Easy Fortune Happy Life- I am enjoying the humanizing of the hero. the second male is great eye candy which lead me to-
Because of You-Where he is the lead
I have not finished any of these as they are placeholders/timefillers for that next great Korean Drama
I am just about to finish Fated To Love You (also, Taiwanese) it is oldish, 2008, but it is a good story, the acting is not always great, but the extended family, especially Grandmother is fun. (that was an extreme run-on sentence. Poor grammar makes for an unclear message.)
Over Springbreak my college-age daughter and I almost finished Arang. We lack 2 episodes. This is my second viewing. I love sharing kdramas with her!
We watched You're Beautiful together last summer and she had second-lead syndrome so bad that it opened her eyes to the second-leads in RL. She is now dating such a boy.
I hope all of you have a blessed weekend.
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KimYoonmi
March 22, 2013 at 12:28 PM
Hands down, best director in TW history is Winnie. You need to watch It Started with a Kiss. You'll revise and rethink about TW dramas after that. They speak Mandarin... (Taiwanese Mandarin) I'd also recommend the sequel They Kiss Again and his earlier drama, The Rose.
What you'll see is that the pluses of K-dramas and TW dramas are merely different if they are treated correctly. (J-dramas too.)
K-dramas excel at the wacky comedy. I especially like the over the top stuff. I also like the treatment of some social issues. (Such as Alone in Love was a really good exploration.) I like the rom coms from Korean dramas.
J-dramas, I like for showing snapshots into daily life a lot. It shows single point of view from even the quirkiest characters in a relatively short amount of time. That's what makes the melodramas a lot more effective--they sometimes will preach about "Understanding other people's feelings" but if the drama lacks that and infuses it into the storyline, the drama can be amazing. My favorite genre from J-dramas is Slice of Life Warm and Fuzzy. If I'm going to watch a melo, I'll watch it from here, since they add heart and evoke it well.
TW dramas, in contrast are really excellent at the slow moving stories with the natural human drama to them. The problem with that is that TW dramas often don't realize the advantage of the long format and planning ahead is that they can play with long character arcs effectively. Skip Beat, for example, is a better choice for them (though the episodes were short)
The original Itazura na Kiss also works well in a 30+ episode format, because the character change is slow, as shown in It Started with a Kiss. (I still say it beats the Korean version hands down for both being more true to the original manga to the point of delirium and for the better acting.) J-version of it isn't worth mentioning. I'll watch the remake though. (And I doubt they'll do it justice in a 10 episode format...)
So you just need to find the right director that gets what the long format can do for the story. And I choose Winnie for that. <3
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Lizzy4e
March 22, 2013 at 1:06 PM
I appreciate the suggestions and your insight. I will dig deeper so I might see what you see.
Thanks!
Also, your information on kimchi was very interesting.
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CaroleMcDonnell
March 23, 2013 at 7:36 AM
Wow, love your breakdown of the types of cultural norms/stereotypes. Am not a real expert on the Taiwanese or Chinese dramas but yeah it does seem comedies from those countries do make me cringe. Just not light. Or maybe feels too forced. As if the actors are uncomfortable with being silly.
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umbanana
March 22, 2013 at 2:51 PM
I really enjoyed Fated to love you! It did get a TINY bit draggy in the middle but less so than the typical TW drama. Totally old-school, but have you tried Meteor Garden (aka the TW version of BoF?) - it brings back childhood memories for me and is such a classic... even though the acting is absolutely terrible. I'm really not selling it well.
I also caught glimpses of The Fierce Wife and it seemed quite watchable.
I've stopped watching TW dramas (used to watch a bit) but couldn't stand the dragginess of them (most at least).
I personally enjoy Kdramas the most, but if I want a real tug at my heartstrings, then Jdramas do that best. Sometimes unexpectedly too. I'm not sure if you've seen/heard of Code Blue (about helicopter doctors) - I watched the first season cos it was exciting and medical (i like my medical dramas and am a medic myself... so pretended it was 'revision') and then unexpectedly the second season was a so touching - nearly every case made me cry.
I guess it really depends on the mood you're in sometimes, and also what type of drama-watcher you are! I like my dramas short and sweet.
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53 hydrangeabloom
March 22, 2013 at 1:00 PM
Happy Friday, Beanies!
Made it up to episode 12 of Queen In Hyun's Man, but my interest is dwindling. It's definitely cute, but I thought it would pack more punch. I have been trying to watch more of Arang and the Magistrate (I was stuck on episode 10 for a while), but it moves very slowly. I think this is a drama that would have benefitted from either fewer episodes or shorter episodes, because there is so much filler. It's a shame, because I think there are a lot of good things stuck in there, but are often diluted.
Halfway through TWTWB, so behind everyone watching it live. I'm also nine episodes in to Answer Me: 1997 now, after starting it a week and a half ago. I absolutely love Shi-won, and I think the drama has a great balance between the funny and the nostalgia.
Haven't seen episode 4 of xxxHolic yet but plan to soon rectify that. This week I also watched the first episode of King of Dramas, but am trying to resist watching more until I finish one of the many other dramas I am watching at the moment.
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Mashimomo
March 22, 2013 at 5:09 PM
I tried doing what you did and it took me almost 2 weeks to not look crazy from lack of sleep :P so now I know I can only watch one, probably two at a time. That's awesome that you can do all your drama viewing at the same time!
I felt the same with Arang sometime in the middle like you, but I believe you're already at the point where the story is starting to pick up as more mysteries were being revealed, and I feel they were really effective in dropping these hints enough to keep me hooked on the show leading to its ending. The same goes for QIHM, I think you should finish it as well. I recall the comments here in DB on the ending were pretty extremely for it or against it. Personally I didn't care either way, I thought it was cute and worked towards the general fabric of the story. Not going to reveal what happened, but the comments were definitely divided on what to make of the ending :)
Definitely love Answer Me 1997 and was also late to the party too! I find the pacing of the show really refreshing, Plus I feel that it has a lot of heart and moments that I related to growing up. I honestly could say it's one of my top Kdramas.
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hydrangeabloom
March 22, 2013 at 8:46 PM
I should say that just because I am watching six dramas at one time doesn't mean I'm necessarily watching them frequently, if that makes sense. So, the more dramas I watch at a time, the slower I go. With the exception of Answer Me: 1997, I started many of the dramas I am watching months ago (or even longer in the case of Arang, which I began when it was originally airing). Usually I watch fewer at a time, but it somehow ended up this way. (It tends to happen more when I'm watching a group of dramas in which I am not particularly in love with many of them.)
QIHM should be easy to finish since I only have four episodes to go and they are 45 minutes each. However, it will take a bit more fortitude to push through Arang and the Magistrate. I might pick it back up after finishing QIHM, Answer Me: 1997, and TWTWB. Thanks for your encouragement - it helps me to hear when people think dramas didn't continue in a rut (or did, because then I know to drop them). Nothing is more frustrating than to get to the end of a drama and realize it was a waste of your time. I want my Lie to Me hours back! :)
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Requiem
March 23, 2013 at 2:24 AM
I've watched AM97, QIHM, and AatM, and they were all pretty solid to great.
My favorite was probably Answer Me 1997, but I would definitely recommend finishing them all.
For QIHM, you're actually at the part where the stakes get higher (for the better, IMO). I do have one thing which I wasn't enthralled with in the end (which a lot of people either love or hate), but I still liked the ending (I just wish the execution had been better).
AM97, IMO, stays pretty solid throughout and though they have a convenient plot device in it near the end which I'm not the biggest fan of, it was reasonable in the context of the story.
Arang, I liked, but didn't love. There's a lot going on in the mythology (sometimes I feel too much), but are definite cute parts and interesting aspects which make it worth finishing. On the whole, my favorite parts of Arang were the acting and the mythology.
So, I guess I'd recommend finishing all of them, but probably in this order: AM97, QIHM, Arang.
Arang is a bit harder to get through because so much is going on and there are more episodes, and it wasn't quite as good as the others. AM97, if you're enjoying it so far, keeps up the pace well throughout the rest. QIHM as I stated earlier ups the ante at the time you're watching, though you might or might not like an aspect of the resolution.
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hydrangeabloom
March 23, 2013 at 3:39 PM
I will probably try to finish QIHM first, since I have the fewest episodes left to go. I already know at least one twist related to the ending (I listened to the podcast that covered it long before I decided to watch the drama), so I probably won't have as strong a reaction either way as someone who had gone in not knowing anything about the ending.
I love the mythology of Arang, just maybe not the pacing. Also, I was disappointed that even though Arang seemed really cool and badass in the first few episodes, she quickly became more of a helpless damsel that Eun-oh has to save all the time. :/
Requiem
March 23, 2013 at 3:54 PM
That makes sense.
I try to avoid all spoilers on a show until I've seen it, if it's one I want to watch. When I hear about one, it makes me not necessarily want to finish a show. I'm currently stuck with Gaksital that way.
Arang, I'm sad to say stays pretty much damsel-in-distress/noble idiot for most of the rest of the series. I think it's a kdrama thing, as I also just ran into this when I was slightly disappointed to see Tamra the Island's main female lead lose a lot of the spunk which made her enjoyable to watch (though it makes sense in the context given).
Good luck with the series!
Requiem
March 23, 2013 at 3:58 PM
And actually, thinking about it, Tamra the Island's main female lead actually does figure into a lot of the action that occurs later on, so, it was really in the middle part where she loses her luster, but it makes a lot of sense from the story perspective....
And she wasn't really a fighty character anyways, so her damsel-in-distress rescues make a lot of sense. And she does contribute significantly later on, so I guess it's not quite the same thing.
hydrangeabloom
March 23, 2013 at 4:29 PM
I generally agree with you on spoilers, and I try to avoid spoilers for dramas I know I want to watch, but what happened with QIHM was I didn't originally intend to watch it but it got such good reviews that I changed my mind. However, by then I had already had some details spoiled for me.
Tamra is actually also somewhere on my to-watch list, though not currently at the top.
Requiem
March 23, 2013 at 7:07 PM
Tamra is pretty solid, especially if you like the manhwa-genre.
I particularly like the gender role-reversal on Tamra Island and the interaction between the characters, in general, and the cinematography is just gorgeous.
It's a bit campy at times, but it's pretty good fun. And I would definitely recommend the Director's Cut as it seems to make a lot more sense than the condensed version (particularly the female lead).
Also, I must say whenever William speaks English (particularly with other caucasians), just push on through. It's grating on the ears and the suspension of disbelief (and the first 15 minutes were enough to make me ditch it for a while), but after the first episode, you pretty much forget he's supposed to be English as he does a really credible job of speaking Korean (for a non-Korean speaker).
So, yeah, short version. Director's Cut - good. Suffer through 1st episode of English speaking. Tamra, in general, solid all around.
54 izocha
March 22, 2013 at 2:52 PM
My K-drama observation for the week: I saw the Level 7 Civil-Servant episode 17 recap and thought, "That's still going on?". I find I have little to no interest in the show. I dug the movie though. It was so much fun. Le sigh.
Other than that I am anticipating TEN season 2.
In other world TV, sibling's husband told me she was watching a show called LOST GIRL from Canada. I looked into it. I luurve it to itty bitty pieces. Fun writing, entertaining monster's, certain amount of cheese-tastic goodness. I am slow to find such things, as I don't use cable, just the internet.
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55 verte
March 22, 2013 at 6:03 PM
I happen to be reading L7CS just for my loyalty to Joowon :'(
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56 Julia the Berkshire Beanie
March 22, 2013 at 7:33 PM
I'm going for a classic this time and watching "Stairway to Heaven". 2003
I was so excited to see a young Dok-Mi playing on the beach! (Park Shin Hye) I think FBND has imprinted the actress as Dok-Mi forever in my mind.
Random Thought: I think one of the reasons I dislike Melodramas is that bad people doing evil things get to be in control thru the majority of the drama. Fake fist punching and yelling at the screen doesn't relieve my stress over seeing the bad guys winning.
I repeat the mantra "It's ok, they'll get their just punishment in the end" but I'm rarely satisfied.
You ran over my puppy, slept with my man, killed my father, etc. and you haven't even shown remorse, but because I'm a good person I'll forgive you in the end? Pfft. I'm not that nice a person. I want retribution like the movie "Ever After": where wicked step Mom is forced into servitude and humiliation and poverty.
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hydrangeabloom
March 22, 2013 at 8:51 PM
FYI, pretty much everything you dislike about melodramas will come up in Stairway to Heaven, and then some. I haven't seen many melodramas, but Stairway to Heaven was much more like Stairway to Crazytown, with the most dramatic soundtrack ever.
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CaroleMcDonnell
March 23, 2013 at 7:43 AM
I can deal with baddies in control in melos but what I can't stand is the unbelievable lengths the writers go to in order to keep the baddies in charge. There is a point where one just wants to say, "I can believe in evil if you make it real for me but the incredible bad luck of the heroes and the incredible good luck of the baddies is just something one would find in drama." Once something stops feeling real or organic, I lose much of my interest.
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57 Enz
March 23, 2013 at 9:18 AM
Hi beanuts!! Just had to log on to say that I am on board the NInE ship after the first two episodes.. It is doing a good job at revealing the mystery to the main character and us at the same time. As daydreamer noemi(?) commented in the first thread, the main character is a cold analytical journalist and he applies that mind to unravelling the mystery ahead of him. Conceptually, its pretty well thought out so far. I like this type of time travel - reminds me of a ray Bradbury science fiction short story a long time ago, can't even remember the title. Any minor change to the past having repercussions on the present and future. Very interesting.
AND ALL THIS WITHOUT HAVING SEEN THE LJW kisses yet!!
On other drama notes, I am eagerly awaiting god of workplace on the basis that it has the same writer as FBRS.
Finally, since the sung joon wish has been granted, need to renew my wish for Jung il woo to be back in a drama.
That's all folks!! Happy OT.
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Requiem
March 23, 2013 at 7:10 PM
Ray Bradbury short story = A Sound of Thunder
Sounds intriguing.
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Enz
March 23, 2013 at 11:14 PM
Ooh, thanks requiem!
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