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Ok now.
A little more dramas this week
My secret hotel – interesting. I have the impression the writer and PD leave more space for the actors to interpret the emotion behind the lines. Yoo Inna acted her character much bigger than the rather laconic text. I like that it is eventful, rather than heavy in dialogue.
That policeman is so hilarious.
Both main guys are good-looking and managed to get me sympathetic towards them right away. Don´t even know where I stand ... some people said Sung-Gyum is confusing them with the eerie note in his kindness, but I kind of like it, cause sweet all over makes me puke. Kind, yes, but too sweet is really cheesy. Speaking of cheese, I made cheese! It is setting right now in the cool (we have this pantry that is connected to the outdoors. Gosh this was really random, but I was thinking of cheese.
Still need to understand the importance of fancy weddings in general, but that´s not really a problem.
The scene where Sang-Gyo hides under a blanket (if you watched it, you know when and where) is so familiar! Just like a kid in a dark room! (somehow reminded me of the Jane Eyre scene in Red Room when she was a child).
Why are there so many older borther looking for his missing sister stories [lately...or maybe all the time, just now they really stand out]? Joseon Gunman, Fated, Discovery of Romance.
Lastly I heard of this movie trop called „women in refrigerators” and found it intrigueing. That means women being sacrificed / victimized / endangered so that the male characters´emotional suffering and angst would look more dramatic. In the interests of the male protagonist, using women as bait etc.
Then maybe wittle, small, younger women make it even more dramatic... little sister enslaved, kidnapped, killed, sick, paralyzed. Why not the big brother? Well, he has to save her... or bring about justice. On the other hand we have also seen big strong men (with emotional dilemmas) being helped, covered, hidden, conspiring with a little but awesome girl-ally. Those moments have been great.
What aree your thoughts do you see „women in refrigerators” in kdramas and how is it handled? And are there opposite examples?
Ha! I agree. It's like Hercule Poirot and Jacques Clouseau had a love child and it became Kim Geum-bo. He's so hilarious, plus I like the actor. He was all kinds of fun in Dream High.
I agree! When he came on the screen I think I literally let out a loud squee. He does quirky so well and is definitely bringing up the enjoyment factor.
re: women in refrigerators.
On the one hand, it's a bit overdone. But on the other hand, let's face it..in the real world it is often women who are oppressed. Women are generally more victimized. On the third hand, it's a good short hand. Young kidnapped younger sister? That's endangered youth, endangered female, endangered sibling, and the violation of someone's freedom. These are people one "should" protect. And there is guilt and a feeling of irresponsibility for not having been there to protect one's woman, one's doensang, the poor, etc. The endangered or killed older brother is more about being left orphaned. This is the person who you unconsciously look to for help and now you are alone in the world. This is a person who is like god to you and therefore this person -- dad, brother, etc-- should NOT have died. The hero who avenges or saves the hyung has to find his own strength and to take up a duty that wasn't originally his own.
Have to figure out the little girl ally. Maybe it's innate intuitive female power without all the sexual baggage. Not sure though.
True, Carole. Women often do end up victims but sometimes it is so overdramatized. like many forms of torture! I understand that Joseon time was probably like that, but for example, Soo In tortured and Yoon kang looking was the exact "woman in the refrigerator" moment.
I guess if we see "little sister" and "big brother" as symbols it kinda falls into place.
btw these guys want to cycle from Berlien to South Korea in the name of reuniting the two Koreas. how will they ever get through Russia? they were in our west coast city Pärnu and then kept cycling
"fridged" women in kdramas? Well, usually the women who get fridged are pretty much only there to serve as a cause for the hero's angst, so I'm knocking out cases like I Miss You etc. I can think of the following dramas with male leads who have fridged women in their past:
That Winter, The Wind Blows - dead pregnant ex-gf whose death our hero feels responsible for
You From Another Star - Yi-hwa aka dead lookalike of our heroine from 400 years ago, whom Do Min-joon has been obsessing about ever since.
Monstar - Ahn Nae-dang's character's student who died in the car accident and the guilt causes him to become a recluse
Now that Yoo In Na broke up with Ji Hyun Woo (I refuse to believe it for sometime, I love them in Queen In Hyun!) it is time for her to nab that Nam Goong Min. The hell with we got married! Yoo In Na, since we are in the same age and I am married, while you are a beautiful successful actress, I give you my invisible blessing and force. Whoosaah!
Oh: situation in Ukraine, as much as I know, to keep you updated. Terrorists killed the staff of a hospital and all ukrainian soldiers being treated there, badly wounded, and destroyed the medical supplies . all together 50 people, including one child. There are photos but I dont recommend them.
Soldiers´moms in Russia who demanded their boys be returned home and fighting stopped, added to „blacklist” of foreign agents and planning to send them out (This is so WTF that I can´t even comment!)
Also, lots of bear sightings in Northern Lapland, not sure if this is the start of Russian invasion or not LOL (see, the situation is really crimea, but I can still choke about it).
Please keep in mind: in Russia, being a criminal is honrable. (platnoi culture = nations leader acting like a prison leader) Being strong means having power over others. Demonstration of power means attacking the weak. Attacking the weak and defenceless is rape. Putin is an unmanned automated tank without a soul and concsious, there is no use screaming „STOP!” (but at this moment, the world is not even screaming, it is whispering). This aint enough.
Russia under Putin is becoming more and more like Nazi germany: totaliutarian power and control, leader worshipping, total censorship, talking about ukrainians and russians as „practically the same people” (compare: Hitler talking about Austria, anschluss!), racism (crossing all borders, they literally hate EVERYBODY in Moscow!), putting everyone from its own people who opposes or stands up against abuse of power on a „blacklist”, economic manipulations in neighboring countries etc.
Do freedom and human rights really mean so little? Does the Geneva convention no longer hold? Do secrets meetings and deals AGAIN decide the fate of half of Europe, so that Western countries can live carefree? And do they really think they can be carefree, cause living next to Russia is just like standing under the ice bucket all your life. Except it is liquid nitrogen in there.
I am so frustrated and disappointed. I do not trust anybody. all they do is mumble and talk behind everyones´back. You shitheads! you only live one life, can you not live it with decentcy and dignity?
sorry for using OT as a platform for this but world peace is in danger. WWIII has practically started.
Thanks for the update. I don't even want to say anything much, the whole situation is just too depressing but.... ((hugs)).
I hope we know better than to start WWIII. I think if you look at little things – things individual people do, not politics – it's not so bad. That's why I follow groups like the Parents-Circle Families (Israeli and Jewish who have all lost family members that get together to talk and share their experiences, united by their common belief that reconciliation must be through peaceful means) or support the United World Colleges, which educate kids from 70+ countries together because knowing and understanding each other are a better approach than fighting wars.
We can all identify with your frustration. It sucks to feel so powerless. It's also frustrating that there are so many people out there who don't condone the (lack of) response, but it doesn't carry over to elections and other areas to force change. Vent all you want. We don't mind.
I'm truly sorry about the situation affecting your country, redfox. I cannot even imagine how bad it must be for you. But I hope WWIII does not actually start, it's frightening to think.
well technically, I live in Estonia, but I have over 20 friends in Ukraine so it feels like it is happening to my closest family. Some of my Postcrossing friends still haven´t answered if they are ok and I am worried. Two were in Luhansk and one in Donetsk.
and since Estonia is so small, the smallest of all the so-called Eastern Europe countries, yet in Russia 63% of people answered a poll stating us their worst enemy and threat to the country! Like a 1 million nation (well, 100 000 are russians, so 900 000 estonians) would be any threat to a 150 million nation! What could we possibly do? Ridiculous.
Also, everyone keeps saying we are next. I wish they´d stop being annoying. it is probable, but those predictions are turning into a form of terror on their own. lets work to prevent it that´s all.
I'm really sorry to hear about the Postcrossing cards, I hope your friends are all right!
Scaremongering is never about rationality, really. I just hope that this wave ceases so that life can go back to normal for you and everyone you care about.
The world is basically unraveling along the seams on all sides atm. I am hoping we can find a solution before WW3 does irrupt, although it's looking more and more unlikely atm.
I think its outrageous what Russia is doing and I hope they get stopped but NATO isn't doing anything right now. Ugghh! I feel so bad for Ukranians right now, their country is literally being stolen under their feet by someone on a power trip. I wish he would just drop dead.
the United Nations Security Council meetings are turning into a Monty Python absurdity club. everyone says the same thing, which is nothing much, and Russia rambles on how they are not in Ukraine, the only give humanitarian aid, everyone is a nazi and hates them unfairly etc. I just want to make a Putin-shaped punching bag and kick his balls until cotton flies
the history will not repeat. I will stay and make sure of it. I will not leave even a foot of this land to anyone! they will just trash it and take the next target. but thank you for the offer!
What is astounding to me is the amount of public support that Putin still has inside Russia. That will eventually crash and burn of course when things start to really fall apart, but it seems like people forget past history very quickly.
And of course since Europe relies so much on Russian oil and gas, it is not likely they will do much but pontificate, and perhaps impose sanctions on rutabagas.
the gas and oil is stolen from Siberians, but Putin and his bunch get rich on it now that Hodorkovsky is out. the real reason he was put in jail was he thought siberians should have most of the money for their oil. Buildt some community centers and aid programs for unemployed. well taking things in his own hands wqhich doesn´t suit the one and only leader of course.
I am starting to think Putin will declare himself god to keep being the leader even after death. you know, like with priests who convey the gods´ words to people. seems like he thinks he is either immortal or the only person in all of Russia who can have any power.
in truth he is an untalented shithead, who can do nothing but talk and even then the text is written by someone else.
It's chilling to realise that we criticise the appeasement policy of the Allies pre WWI and WWII, and question how it's possible that they didn't do anything about it - and here we are seeing exactly how it happens. It's also frightening to see a lone man who's so power-mad, with so many supporters.
Everyone knows Putin will not stop with Ukraine. He clearly doesn't care about international opinion - and now that it's becoming clear that there are human rights abuses and atrocities occurring there, and sanctions aren't effective, our leaders can't just watch it happen!
It's frustrating to feel so powerless, and all I can do is to lend my support via NGOs etc, but I sincerely hope they put a stop to it sooner rather than later.
And happy first day of SqueeCon 2014! There's a meetup happening this weekend in Washington DC, with our star power kakashi flying in! There will be about 9 of us together, some meeting for the first time, and all of us hoping we can smile through the broiling heat!
In terms of drama watching, I've veered into different territory, marathoning Humsafar, a Pakistani drama; and Walking, Crying, a Vietnamese one, as well as my usual Taiwanese and Thai stuff.
Anyways, cherkell is on the ground and I'm heading out to pick her up. Toodles everyone!
We spent most of yesterday travelling, and finally meeting up with everyone in Maryland. We ended with a spontaneous dancing spree to Big Bang's live album. :-D
I finally met kakashi! And I thanked her for allowing us to take over her website for our squeeing purposes.
For Thai dramas, I recently watched Raak Boon, a 2012 horror / mystery staring Mike Pirath (the lead from Full House Thai that I squeecapped this year). Basically it's set in a funeral hone, where the female lead assists ghosts that only she can see. The second season is currently airing, and one of the only Thai dramas to have more than one season.
For SK stuff, the only one I am avidly following is FTLY. I like JoAnne's pictorial caps of NWJ so much that I'd rather read them than watch the show, and Surplus Princess hasn't grabbed me. MSH seems interesting but I've only watched the first two episodes. That may pick up once this weekend is over.
I hope everything is going great where you are! When Cherkell arrived on the East Coast, she said the air quality was down where she lives, and I thought about you.
Thank you. It was an adventure getting to the meeting place, thanks to a grumpy rental employee and a bunch of enthusiastic state police.
Today, we meet up in Washington DC, to visit the Freer Museum of Asian Art, sweat (it's predicted to be upper 80F / 30C), then have dinner at Mandu's Korean Restaurant, followed by my first ever noraebang experience. 8-) I brought my own tambourine just in case. lol
Thanks! It's been a blast so far. Today we troop to Washington DC to go to the Freer Museum of Asian Art, have dinner at Mandu's Restaurant (check their website - it all looks yummy!), and then follow up with my first ever noraebang! I brought my own tambourine just in case.
It's predicted to be 85F / 30C, so we plan to stay indoors as much as possible. I expect we will have our adventures documented in a post. Last night there were seven of us, meeting for dinner in Oxon Hill, MD.
I had my first ever vegetarian meal (who says you can't teach an old dog...oh who am I kidding, I'm ready for a big rasher of bacon).
Last night, the group staying in Maryland finished the evening with a pitcher of cosmos and a spontaneous dancing spree to Big Bang's Alive Live Tour album.
The storyline wasn't anything new (contract marriage, plucky poor girl versus chaebol who just needs love), but the cultural background of the story and the acting really drew me in. I ended up marathoning all 23 episodes over three days, and grinning hugely over the last 15 minutes of the last episode. It was great!
*** SPOILER ALERT
Some of the things that struck me as vastly different from my usual Asian fare:
- Very little skinship. But this did not take away the emotions of these two people finding common ground and forging their relationship. Okay, I admit I yelled a couple of times for a backhug, but really, it wasn't needed to bring that love out.
- The language. It reminded me of my first Filipino drama, with the english - urdu - english conversations. From what I could hear, though, the language sounded very melodic.
- I was surprised that, after the pair was more or less together, it took very little action on the part of Fareeda to tear it apart. I understand that jealousy was supposed to play a part, but it felt a bit contrived. One screaming fit from the mother-in-law, and she was out in the streets. I thought maybe it was a cultural thing?
- When we were in the misunderstanding phase, Khirad never rose against Asher and his accusations of deliberately hiding their child from him. I thought she was needless accepting punishment for something that he did. However, his meltdown when he remembered the cruel words he said three years before was epic and awesome! Self-reflection for the win.
Thank you for replying and I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)
***SPOILER***
-For the most part (which is like 99%), Pakistani dramas will have very little skinship due to the conservative culture regarding PDA. This is why expressing love through the eyes or words is important and really enhances the chemistry between the couple, so this needs the bare minimum of skinship like hand-holding and maybe a hug or two. lol
-Hardly anyone in Pakistan speaks pure Urdu anymore and this is partly due to the influence of the British in colonial India. Education in Pakistan is mostly taught using English books. Urdu itself is a very poetic and refined language, especially the Urdu spoken in dramas.
-It was surprising for me too, since this was the first PKDrama that I had picked up in a long time. And you're right, it was contrived and this is more of a drama trope than a cultural norm.
-I think she thought that he would eventually find out anyway since she left that letter for him saying she was pregnant. She probably assumed that once he found out, he would care enough to look for them again. But I guess as a matter of pride and her dignity, she didn't want to have any contact with him after the way he abused their trust. And yes, epic meltdown was EPIC! :D
Here are some other PKDramas that I'd recommend if you're interested:
Zindagi Gulzar Hai- Same actor, Fawad Khan with a more fiesty female lead. Both come from opposing ends of the financial spectrum, but their growth and understanding of one another is what makes this a great watch. Also, crackling chemistry ;)
Dastaan- Also Fawad Khan. A period drama focusing on the circumstances that the main couple deal with during pre- and post-Partition, with the politics of that time serving as the backdrop. Fair warning, bring your tissue box with you. lol
Aunn Zara- A romcom where a spoiled boy (who's looking to escape his family's smothering affections) meets a spoiled girl (who's looking for the love and comfort found in a bigger family) meet and get married. Hijinks ensue. ;)
Haha there's really no way to say "you're welcome" in Urdu, otherwise I would have done so. The closest phrase would be "koi baat nahin" which essentially means "no problem".
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts about Zindagi Gulzar Hai! Hope you enjoy it! :)
Shukmeister, what a coincidence! So in a crazy effort to take time off K-dramas this week, I also landed up watching Pakistani shows.
I tried Humsafar, was pleasantly surprised by the broody, melancholic tone, but stopped watching halfway because the female lead just didn't do it for me. I think it was a combination of her not being that appealing as an actor and the way the story had built her character up. All her goodness could be summed up in how she made great tea.
How do you find it? I'm curious to know.
Thankfully I stumbled upon another Pakistani show called Zindagi Gulzar Hai. It's got the same actor, and the actress in this one is...boombastic. It's zippier with more humour and a tangible romance. There's a significant transformation both leads undergo, plus they are so flawed in this very realistic way, rooted in their social, sexual and familial contexts. I found it to be gripping. One of the best dramas I've watched lately. And I've been fumbling ever since, trying to find another Pakistani drama to love. Because what I have heard is that they are soooo good. But haven't succeeded so far. So if you find any that you think are worth a watch, please do recommend.
About Humsafar, I kinda agree. I loved the romance, but the female lead (both the actress and the character) was the weakest link in the first half, though she pretty much made up for it in the second. So if you're done halfway, maybe grit your teeth and finish it? Coz the payback is quite satisfying.
ZGH is one of my favourite Pakistani shows. One of the strongest female leads I've seen. It gets a bit crazy towards the end, but all in all, is a very good watch.
You could try Maat. & Daastaan. Both are angst-fests though, so...be prepared. And there's this old classic called 'Dhoop Kinarey', which might seem dated but is a beautiful watch nonetheless.
Thanks for the recos. From the little that I've seen of them though, I feel like there's something very different about Pakistani television. Is it Islamic sensibilities? Something of a Sufi touch? There's this dreamy aesthetics I hadn't expected to find and was blown away by. How can TV be drenched in so much poetry? And silence? Pak dramas and Korean films have a lot of similarities that way. I'll give Humsafar another try...but only when I'm really, really desperate. :)
FTLY has fried my brains and burnt my soul for now. Who knew drama watching could be such an all-consuming, exhausting experience. Like you, I too need a break. I'm going to revert to books and nature for a while. Hug some trees, heal a bit. Haha. Live out some cliches instead of watching them onscreen.
Let's see how long I can keep the dramaholic within me dormant though.
You have got to try Dil-e-Muztar after Zindagi Gulzar Hai. Hot male lead & the womans role is somewhat good too. I have practically watched most Korean & Pakistani & Uk dramas in the last 3 years (yes I am a dramaholic ... tho i don't know how I fit in uni work lol) but you need any help or recommendations, I'm always happy to help :)
Ooh. Humsafar. It probably falls for a bit into the category Koreans call 'makjang' and is super-angsty, but...Fawad Khan. And amazing chemistry, that too with almost zero skinship. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did.
Only watching (and loving) It's Okay It's Love and the Japanese Wakamonotachi.
No time for anything else at the moment, but also no interest as my tolerance level for chaebols & candies premises, getting-back-together-with-the-ex stories, aegyo, contrived premises/twists, misunderstandings due to not talking for no good reason whatsoever and a whole lot of drama tropes seems to be close to zero at the moment (not saying those things are always bad, just that at the moment I can't handle them).
Felt a bit bored by the second ep of Three Musketeers and concluded that sageuks aren't for me (with rare exceptions, e.g. Arang), so I dropped the drama. I mean, I think I would enjoy it as a 2-hour movie but I'm dreading 16 hours of political manipulations and have zero interest in the love story, at least the one between the crown prince and princess. On the upside, I did think that Yonghwa was not half-bad in the episode (except when he had to look surprised, when it was just too obvious that he was trying too hard).
Sad that there's such a lack of Japanese subs. Henshin is probably halfway through its run by now and I haven't seen it anywhere. Or that the final episode of Nazo no Tenkosei still hasn't appeared (it's been months between the different episodes subbing). I could go on and on, with several J-dramas I would like to watch that have been half-subbed or not subbed. So I'm just adding to my stuff-to-watch-when-I'm-fluent-in-Japanese list.
Cheering on Saya for the Secret Hotel recap... sorry that I'm not watching although I promised I would. *slightly guilty*
Three Musketeers is really smartly written in my opinion. but I am not sure all the modern puns are that necessary. like the pop songs. then again it draws a parallel that basic human nature doesnt change. is that what is called fusion?
I usually drop saeguks and historical dramas at some point, I don't have patience for the political schemes and whatnot. Three Musketeers is different, it's short and goes down to business( the plot is developing fast). But I hope they don't concentrate on the love triangle, I don't like the crown princess, I can see why one might like her but I just can't...
is Wakamonotachi still good? Been interested in starting this, but just not had the time atm.
And I completely get you in loosing tolerance for cheabols and all that. I feel a bit of the same atm. Stories just blend into each other. And then I end up just rewatching older stuff where I can jump all the annoying bits.
I'm also with you on the lack of Japanese subs. I miss watching japanese drama's (that I haven't rewatched a 1000 times) but no idea where to start on the new stuff. Plus so many have just half finished subs and it just becomes frustrating.
I love Wakamonotachi. Mostly because the characters are fully rounded and so well-acted (that cast! that cast!!!) and because it's... all so real. The story and these people are so real. Some of them are immensely flawed and sometimes I hate what they do (Hikari's cheating X_X), but it's just... life.
Honestly, I'm not even sure if there's any new Japanese stuff being subbed... other than detective serials (or things of that sort), which I have very little interest in. Well, The Long Goodbye I'll tackle at some point, and maybe the River Edge Detective one because it does it own thing from what I've heard. Some people loved Border as well, so maybe that one too...
Well, truth be told, I don't have much time for drama watching at the moment!
Yeah the cast is my main attraction to the drama. I'm definitively checking it out once I have the time to do so.
That is true, there have been quite a lack of jdroamas being subed at all recently. Which is a shame. Kdramas have pretty much just taken over, which good for them. But still miss my jdoramas,, they were what got me into asian dramas after all.
I'm halfway through The Long Goodbye and quite like it. The 1950s setting definitely sets it apart, and all that jazz/blues music really does add to the old-world, nostalgic factor (if one is into those). Asano Tadanobu is fantastic as Masuzawa, I like his laidback screen presence (in the drama, that is). Give it a watch if you do get the chance :)
I watched the first episode when it first aired, but I just haven't gone back to it (another case of waiting for subs and then just deciding to wait it all out rather than get frustrated).
Oh, it's all subbed! You should get to it when you can ^_^ Ayano Go doesn't appear much beyond the first episode, but he was good while it lasted. I'm not big on Koyuki, but she has been very good in this.
I know it's all subbed now, I just haven't gotten round to it. (Though at least it's only 5 eps, so I should be able to squeeze it in sooner than some other things.)
I have a soft spot for Koyuki... a Kimi wa Petto soft spot.
Manin.
There is a website, http://www.asiatorrents.me, that has all sorts of dramas and movies from lots of Asian countries.
They are pretty good with getting subtitles as well. But it's a download site, not a watch on the web site.
Ahh downloading. My bane of life. I'm just a big coward and have no knowledge about it. Though I have realized that more and more things are downloads only recently though. Maybe I should get my sister to teach me soon.
AT's registration is open until the end of August, if anyone is wanting to sign up, now is the time!
If you're a person who tends to leave their computer running, and have a good connection, managing your download ratio shouldn't be too hard, just leave the client you use running - you rack up seed hours *and* upload. Also, check out their dmca policy if you're worried - just add a "/dmca.php" to the main link to see it.
Interestingly, if it's not blocked in your country, kat has kdramas, too, so that's another option (at least, it *did*, but then it got blocked here, so I don't know about since).
I know exactly what you mean about the frustration of half subbed jdoramas. I've been searching for a year for the last 50 subbed episodes of the old classic Oshin, but NHK seems to be very efficient in scrubbing all Oshin postings off the Internet.
When the giant Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten bought Viki last year, I was hoping that Rukuten would have the necessary contacts to help Viki get licenses from the Japanese entertainment companies so that Viki could ramp up their jdorama subbing group and we could all start to get prompt subbing of current Japanese dramas. But, unfortunately, Viki has not gotten any licenses to sub any current Japanese dramas. Either Rakuten is no help at all, or Rakuten's business model is to ignore jdoramas and instead expand their advertising platform into Spanish novellas.
So, I enjoy what is available while impatiently waiting for the latest episodes of Yoo Na's Street to be subbed and uploaded. Just finished marathoning on YouTube the 1997 jdorama bromance classic Beach Boys.
I also recommend myasiatv.com . They've subbed up to ep 24 (as of last night) and seem to be subbing at a reasonable pace now. At least 2 epis per week!
I'll save it for later though, I can't be sucked into watching 24 eps (which I would likely be unable to resist) because I just don't have the time at the moment.
Need to give credit where it's due. The Yoo Na's Street subs are actually created by the good people at DarkSmurfSubs and made available as a soft sub. Someone else is apparently uploading the subs and videos either to myasiantv or elsewhere with a link to myasiantv.
I think some of the "problem" as well is that atm the money really is in kdramas with it current high popularity. Along with the japanese tendency to just keep everything they produce within it self and are generally more reluctant to give out subs.
Totally agreeing with you on this part: " my tolerance level for .... getting-back-together-with-the-ex stories, aegyo, contrived premises/twists, misunderstandings due to not talking for no good reason whatsoever"
I do find myself wondering about folks' ability to keep so weirdly closed-mouth in so many situations..and all the coincidences and perfect drama timing that keep (and keep on keeping) the secret from being revealed.
I do love sajeuk though. And i love political machinations because i'm such a history lover. I just love the whole what if game stuff
I don't think it's folks' ability to keep closed-mouth... I think it's writers that need to create conflict and can't come up with any other, more logical way to do it.
e.g. I just get really cynical when I'm supposed to believe that if X hugs/kisses Y (against the will of Y) and Z sees this, Z automatically concludes the worst rather than giving Y the benefit of the doubt (or a chance to explain – 1 minute is all it would take!) even if Z has never ever ever met X before but knows Y reasonably well enough to know that this might be out of character / one-sided. Of course, the fact that Y always just stands there like a frozen board and doesn't run screaming from X (or slaps X) never makes any sense to me either. Or scenarios when Z believes random person L (that they don't know at all or only barely) rather than talking to person they supposedly are in love with (love implying trust & communication for me).
Yeah, I think sageuks are a "either you like them, or you don't" kind of thing. Enjoy it. :-)
i totally agree withthe laziness or inadequacy of theplotting. Sometimes the writersjust seem to lack courage to go deeper into a story. There is often too much writerly control which creates the impression of an outline with characters merely being pulled from plot beat to plot beat without any true organic or logical movements
in that sense, my family must be really healthy, I guess it is that little bit of fiery armenian blood in me and Mom but we fight hard and spit all out, and then forget. well, some things are still up for an eternity, but we get by somehow. same with mom and dad and mom and her sisters, or me and some people I disagree with. goodness I wish I could hold back a little but then everything goes sour and once it goes sour and you dont splurt it out right away then it is hard to say it at all. maybe thats also the reason why people in dramas hold back on things. they stalled to say it and missed the right moment? and you dont want to mention these sour things but you cannot speak normally either.
<maybe thats also the reason why people in dramas hold back on things. they stalled to say it and missed the right moment?
I get that... but with, hmmm, 75% of such situations in dramas I always have the impression that it's the writer creating conflict artificially (because otherwise half the drama wouldn't exist) rather than there being an actual understandable reason for them not saying something (whether missing the moment or feeling too awkward). And sometimes it comes coupled with character inconsistency (e.g. Witch's Romance, when the female lead raises questions with her mom, but becomes incredibly meek-mousy with her ex and decides to marry him rather than ask about the elephant in the room????).
Misunderstandings/miscommunications do arise in real life, but when they are used only as lazy narrative device... it's so frustrating.
IOIL and All About My Siblings are the 2 dramas on my love list right now, too, alua. I am so worried for Jae Yeol (and Jae Boem, also. The back story scene that played out what really happened through the eyes of Dr Jo was pitiful and of course, revealing. awful all around from abuse to extreme protective reactions)
Asa and Saturo are so different but both want to defend/uphold family, just in their own way. I like how the sister finally came around in great part because of them both.
The whole truth for Jae-yeol and Jae-boem and the mom is a dark and difficult one, that truth being revealed will only be the beginning of any chance at recovery. Dark times coming.
Yeah, Asa and Saturo are at opposite ends of a spectrum... I have to say I'm more with Saturo, although kudos to Asa bursting out "I can't do this anymore". I didn't like him asking the wife for forgiveness, though, I mean, it's fine for him to want to see his sister as more than a cheater, but he certainly has no right to ask that of the wife (however much she was a silly person). What I didn't understand though at all was the no one even considered Shinjo. No one yelled at him, blamed him, or anything... but he had just was just as much at fault as Hikari – and, with respect to his own wife (and child) , even more. I guess the wife is in denial of sorts and in some way Asa / Saturo should of course care more about Hikari, but then Shinjo was apparently a long-time family friend.... so the message that Hikari's is to be blamed while creepy Shinjo just gets away with it all (all silent and with a pitiful face – so creepy!) I'm not okay with.
Shinjo is creepy, the whole concert thing was awful - a memory of meeting his wife mixed with feelings for Hikari - how does that work, jerk? I think that dinner scene is what made Asa approach the wife the way he did. Saturo is definitely more objective and calling the affair what it is - sister or not. Now the two younger brothers have a love conflict...
The fact that Shinjo took her to that concert of that singer... makes me such a creep completely devoid of any feelings and empathy for others that I could never forgive him. (I hope his wife realises this at some point.)
The two younger brothers... I'm sort of looking forward to that. I doubt the older one is 'cheating' there, but definitely the younger one has a problem because the girl he likes likes someone else. Why she agreed to date him... that's the mystery we'll have to find out about. I feel bad for the younger guy, but I'm shipping Emoto and Hashimoto!
Have you tried Surplus Princess? NO chaebols there. There is fantasy though, after all she is a mermaid. Not sure if you're into that. I'm loving it and one of the things I'm finding refreshing is that people just talk about stuff so no big weird misunderstandings so far. Some people got put off by the main girl, she is sort of a selfish brat, but she is not human, never had much time to learn, I like her. :)
the fantasy elements are so...how to explain. I just can´t get into that world. I have been disappointed in nearly all fantasy dramas unless it is something that doesnt float like hearing peoples thoughts. they are never convincingly done in kdramas. in short, I think even BBC would do better
I'm with you there alua. The only sageuk I followed til the end is Arang. I thought I can watch JG for LJG but I just couldn't follow through. Same thing with 3M. I was so looking forward to seeing LJW back in action but ..... I dunno what's wrong with me *bawls*
I feel the same about saeguks - I don't think I have ever managed to make it more than 1/3 of the way through any of them, and anymore I don't even bother. To me they are just boring.
Just saw this now, alua! Yes, you did say you would watch my show, but I'm having fourth dimension problems myself (like, I ONLY watch MSH, multiple times XD) so maybe I will save that for our Korean-night, although I was thinking Princess' Man, even though you aren't a sageuk junkie, because it's just one of those shows you can't *not* have watched.
I'm worried about this comment showing up as yellow. I logged out! WHY IS IT STILL YELLOW. Please don't be yellow, I want to be inconspicuous here, dammit.
I think we'll have to discuss what to use for our Korean night, especially now that I've realised that sageuks just don't quite work for me. Maybe I'll gang up with one of your sisters and we'll make you all watch something Japanese instead, ha!
Or maybe we can watch your show (are your sisters watching it? Do they lurk here?).
You are not yellow! I was scrolling down looking for yellow, thinking I'd find you quicker this way ;-)
Finally back in my city, my apartment is awfully quiet, I miss my family already. School resumes on Monday(Nooooo I’m not mentally prepared yet and I totally forgot about my school project *sigh*) and I will be starting the new semester with a leg cast, so annoying!! But where the heck did my summer go? The months just flew by.
Discovery of romance : I’m still enjoying this show very much but I do not like the female lead at all, she just rubs me the wrong way, she’s also the reason why I dropped INR2, could it be I don’t like the actress or the characters she portrays? Anyways I’m going to keep watching DOR because of my new found love Eric.
FTLY : I really loved this drama when it first started, I still do but my love for it has dwindled a bit. The first half was so much fun and cute, and the 2nd half BOOM almost 7 episodes of angst, it had me wondering if they changed writers or something. Two more episodes to go, hopefully the cute is here to stay, If the writer tries nonsense, i'm going to hunt he/she down and give d person a good beating. I've cried enough show!!
IOIL : I used to really like this show, but somewhere along the way I just lost interest in it. I have the episodes on my pc, but bringing myself to play them is a problem.
Surplus princess : Lol I’m confused, who Is the main male lead? Cos I’m slowly starting to ship the mermaid and the unemployed guy together. Next time the mermaid wants to beat up that bitchy ex-gf, they should let her, the girl be getting on my nerves yo.
High school, Love on : Who is the weird guy that sees the sunbae reaper but pretends not to (in a hilarious way) how did he know that Woo-hyun and Seul-bi were home alone? what is his agenda? And of course it wouldn’t be a Kdrama without one person with a terminal illness.
The three musketeers : Boy am I loving this show or what? I love everything about the show, the actors, costumes, style etc, they could do better with the fight scenes though especially Dal-hyang’s fight scenes.
Roommate : So-ra is leaving the show, first Bom now her, lol who’s going to be next? Won’t be surprised if they ended up cancelling the show. They could try bringing in new people though, spice things up a bit and give the show a bit of direction.
Tried watching Devil beside you, couldn’t make it past episode 8
Watched pride, long vacation, love shuffle. Now that school is resuming, won’t really have time to marathon dramas, I have definitely watched a lot this summer.
havent watched Roommate for a good time now. I always intend to see if anything is new, but same old, same old... new people is a great idea. or moving.
Me and you and the female leads. Although i think in my case, i still have to start liking the mermaid. I think she and the unemployed guy are the OTP though. Although i want her with Song Jae Rim... but... right now now really watching. So i should just jump back in?
@ FTLY - the bed scene in the latest episode was annoying to me since they've already been there and done that, so what's the big deal? It felt contrived and at this point in the story, actually silly.
Roommate: Just read Ga-yeon is leaving too, which means a totally empty room. Don't know if the show can recover by bring in new people, will that even gel? I have doubts. But Ga-yeon is the darling of the show as far as I'm concerned.
But Considering they have only had a one night stand when hopped up on aphrodisiacs I think they were entitled to feel a bit shy.
I mean they only had sex once right?
I found that scene pretty annoying also. Not just because they have "been there before", but because she seemed totally oblivious to the fact that he was coming on to her. Like, OK, we had sex once, what do we do now?
>Cos I’m slowly starting to ship the mermaid and the unemployed guy together.
I think the show is shipping those two, which kind of makes me sad. Once again, I think I'm shipping the female lead with the second male lead, which means I'm doomed to an unsatisfactory outcome. Again. ::sigh:: (I still have serious SLS issues from "Flower Boy Next Door". ::flings arm dramatically across eyes::)
I want Ha Ni and the Chef to fall in love and open a wildly successful chain of seafood restaurants. And Hyun Myong to meet a nice girl who doesn't care what he does for a living. And everybody to stay happy friends. Show, stop trying to make me ship that other couple!
>After all the incense burnt and prayers offered to drama gods to give Song Jae Rim a show, they give me this.
Of course, they did sweeten the deal by providing shots of Song Jae Rim's underwear-clad, mighty-fine booty. And that dream sequence of him moaning while said booty got squeezed. ::whistles appreciatively::
Me too. I have no idea who the main lead in SP is and that is good mystery.
I'm shipping the chef though. She kissed him first, he has to be lead, right? Right? :P Best of luck to the artist too, he is a good guy and has a funny temper.
More and more I like shows like this and High School King and Let's Eat. Shows I can like and understand mostly all the characters and there are no evil chaebols and lunatic second leads.
In Surplus Princess, I'm pretty sure the unemployed guy (On Joo Wan) is the main lead (and thus the mermaid's true love), as he's higher than Song Jae Rim in the credits and cast lists that I've seen. Also the amount and kind of screen time that SJR is getting feels like second-lead stuff to me, compared to OJW.
Even when I think I'm shipping the lead, I still end up shipping the second lead. I'm starting to think this says way too much about my personal issues.
Considering if Jang Hyuk is the best male actor of Korea because of how well he can play different parts.
He is definitely up near the top of the list.
Hello Beanies! Happy friday!
I feel exhausted and had a bad chinese lesson today. And I dislike purple, I just cannot pronounce this word at all in chinese. Brain does not compute.
Last week I was asked what I would miss from China, and it had me thinking. What will I miss? Obvious answer is my friends here and the children. But then? Food I think, oh and hearing random kpop songs everywhere :p I'm sure there will be thing poping up as soon as I leave. Though I cannot properly identify them atm.
Oh and I think I will miss some aspects of the education here. Although I think that children should be allowed to play around more, I still think some of the logical classes are a good idea.
Kdrama toddlers The week of confessions:
- Girl b: "okay you are my best friend!"
Boy C: "No! I'm your boyfriend!"
- Girl Y was following boy Y around saying "I love you"
-player 2: telling 2 girls he loved them. Then ended up being fought over by two of the boys.
- The player was acting like a married couple with girl 3, mean while the rival got chummy with girl 1. The result was a fall out between the boys.
- Boy D tried a wrist grab confession to girl N. It failed. Spectacularly.
Dramaland
- 3 musketeers is still awesome. Cannot wait for the next episodde
-High Shool love on: still cute. I want to know more of that one guy though. Oh and the rules.
-rewatching "ohisama" <3
-waiting to start Reset and pick up Yoona's street as I'm falling behind. (Still blaming Brandon Sanderson's books for this)
From the stories you've shared with us, I think you've had a very unique and interesting experience which you'll look fondly back upon in future years!
I already know some of us will miss the toddler stories! Heh. ...... Speaking of which, I wish I could've seen the wrist grab confession in person!
I'm okay. Starting to feel like I need to start packing and generally feeling both stressed and not stressed about traveling back. Part of me don't want to leave, another just want to get going rather than just waiting for it to come about.
How are you?
Yes it's been a fun year indeed. Haha I think I will miss observing stuff for the kdrama toddlers too!
Haha the wrist grap confession was a sight. There was unhappiness. The girl was not impressed at all. Had she been older I imagine it would have involved a slap. But instead she glared at him, shock off his grip and came over to me for comfort.
Certainly take your time packing. ..... I have a friend who travels a lot but she always, always waits until the very last minute. As a result, she always finds that she forgot something. ...... Best to take your time, do it slowly and make sure you have everything you need.
I hope that before you leave you'll get a little time to still got out and take pictures and buy stuff you really want to take back home with you ..... or to go out and do other fun stuff you really want to do before you leave.
Clearly the wrist grabber needs to work on his technique! *laughing* ...... I'm kidding. :)
Haha yes I tend to wait until the day before when it comes to packing. But this time I think I need a bit more time. Need to decide what to abandon as well.
I am hoping to get some time, but work kinda makes it hard (will be working up untill the day I leave pretty much)
Haha, he certainly doesn't have the smoothness of a drama wrist grab indeed ;)
It was a failure indeed. The girl was not impressed so say it mildly.
Most of the food is good. Some is a bit odd (like chickens feet and pork intestine). The big exception is the school lunches though. I'm not gonna miss those at all! (the school chef is not very good. We've pretty much figured out that we can't tell f something is good or bad anymore, we just know it's better than the lunch at work)
that is truly gold, the wrist grab confession failure! Your toddlers now officially have more sense than most kdrama writers and characters, it's quite something. And if this is how they are now, imagine how they'll be when they get to actual high school :D
I'm loving Three Musketeers too, mainly for Lee Jin-wook (I'm really hoping his character's death as told in the first ep, is a fakeout). That intense stare of his, and the facade of perfect niceness but imperviousness he puts on with his wife....wow. Gong Hyo-jin (his current gf) does have good taste in men!
Haha yes I'm kinda sad I don't get to see them once they hit high school. Some of them do seem to have promising futures indeed :p
Lee Jin-Wook is just awesome. It will be interesting to see how they mix history with the 3 musketeers story. The way he handles his wife is so well done as well. You can feel how annoying it is and how hurtful he is actually being at the same time there is no fault as such that you can latch on to.
Lee Jin-Wook and Gong Hyo-Jin makes a pretty and talented couple indeed.
Hey Manin! I'm good, thanks! You may not see your kids in high school, but I'm sure they'll remember you fondly, just as you do them :)
Lee Jin-wook is reducing me to puddles in his sageuk getup, which is funny because he wasn't doing it for me in Nine. But yeah, he and Gong Hyo-jin make a great couple, so effortlessly talented.
Anyone else following Kim Hyun Joong's assault case? It's so despicable. Equally bad are all the fans saying that they will stand and support Oppa and hope for HIS recovery and that his girlfriend probably deserved to get her ribs broken. So horrible. His persona in dramas and fan meetings is not who he is in real life. Ugh humanity.
I have such low tolerance for people who do this. There are so many talented people that don't beat the people they love so let's just ship KHJ to the army with the dishonor he deserves.
I've been seeing some of the updates posted on soompie and koalasplayground. What I'm fearing atm is for the case to turn into a replay of the PSH case with media play and leaking of evidence.
I do also feel that dispatch should be a bit more careful about what they do leak. Weather or not they get the info from the victim or an inside source it won't be long before her name will be out and about as a result of the evidence they present. And then hell will be out. Especially with how some people are already reacting.
And with the press release from his own agency it does pretty much confirm that there have been violence happening. Which is unacceptable. No matter what happened for it to come about, getting violent towards a person in unacceptable. Weather this is a guy towards a girl, or a girl towards a guy.
blaming the woman is so typical in assault and rape cases and even job arguments. always blame the victim! AND IF A WOMAN IS DOING IT, SHE MAKES HERSELF A VICTIKM OF THOS BELIEFS AND POLICIES AS WELL!
Indeed KHJ's scandal is truly shocking because I guess I never pegged him for the type to hit a woman, but then again I don't know anything about his personality or life. I know lots of people who have had to deal with an abusive significant other and I always think the same thing every time, "if he hits you once, he will do it again. don't wait for it to happen a second time before you get yourself out of there." In my part of the world, domestic abuse is something of a taboo topic. Women who get hit can't talk about it because they feel stifled by society, sometimes even by their own families. They bear the pain and always say "if I leave him, what will become of my children?" It's really disturbing and saddening.
But, why did she wait until now to report him? Why didn't she say anything the first time it happened? Maybe she was scared? Perhaps, did he threaten her? Another thing I've noticed is, women usually say "Oh he will change, he was just angry, he didn't mean it, he loves me, maybe I did something to upset him." Newsflash, women beaters never change. And no matter how mad you made him, he doesn't have a right to beat you. Please, don't let someone treat you any less than you deserve.
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1 redfox
August 29, 2014 at 6:18 AM
Ok now.
A little more dramas this week
My secret hotel – interesting. I have the impression the writer and PD leave more space for the actors to interpret the emotion behind the lines. Yoo Inna acted her character much bigger than the rather laconic text. I like that it is eventful, rather than heavy in dialogue.
That policeman is so hilarious.
Both main guys are good-looking and managed to get me sympathetic towards them right away. Don´t even know where I stand ... some people said Sung-Gyum is confusing them with the eerie note in his kindness, but I kind of like it, cause sweet all over makes me puke. Kind, yes, but too sweet is really cheesy. Speaking of cheese, I made cheese! It is setting right now in the cool (we have this pantry that is connected to the outdoors. Gosh this was really random, but I was thinking of cheese.
Still need to understand the importance of fancy weddings in general, but that´s not really a problem.
The scene where Sang-Gyo hides under a blanket (if you watched it, you know when and where) is so familiar! Just like a kid in a dark room! (somehow reminded me of the Jane Eyre scene in Red Room when she was a child).
Why are there so many older borther looking for his missing sister stories [lately...or maybe all the time, just now they really stand out]? Joseon Gunman, Fated, Discovery of Romance.
Lastly I heard of this movie trop called „women in refrigerators” and found it intrigueing. That means women being sacrificed / victimized / endangered so that the male characters´emotional suffering and angst would look more dramatic. In the interests of the male protagonist, using women as bait etc.
Then maybe wittle, small, younger women make it even more dramatic... little sister enslaved, kidnapped, killed, sick, paralyzed. Why not the big brother? Well, he has to save her... or bring about justice. On the other hand we have also seen big strong men (with emotional dilemmas) being helped, covered, hidden, conspiring with a little but awesome girl-ally. Those moments have been great.
What aree your thoughts do you see „women in refrigerators” in kdramas and how is it handled? And are there opposite examples?
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LillyLee
August 29, 2014 at 6:43 AM
I like the Korean Inspector Clouseau also.
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Ek Ladhki Thi is Kim Eun-sooks no 1 fan
August 29, 2014 at 6:53 AM
Ha! I agree. It's like Hercule Poirot and Jacques Clouseau had a love child and it became Kim Geum-bo. He's so hilarious, plus I like the actor. He was all kinds of fun in Dream High.
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D
August 29, 2014 at 7:37 AM
I agree! When he came on the screen I think I literally let out a loud squee. He does quirky so well and is definitely bringing up the enjoyment factor.
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CaroleMcDonnell
August 29, 2014 at 7:20 AM
Liking the inspector as well.
re: women in refrigerators.
On the one hand, it's a bit overdone. But on the other hand, let's face it..in the real world it is often women who are oppressed. Women are generally more victimized. On the third hand, it's a good short hand. Young kidnapped younger sister? That's endangered youth, endangered female, endangered sibling, and the violation of someone's freedom. These are people one "should" protect. And there is guilt and a feeling of irresponsibility for not having been there to protect one's woman, one's doensang, the poor, etc. The endangered or killed older brother is more about being left orphaned. This is the person who you unconsciously look to for help and now you are alone in the world. This is a person who is like god to you and therefore this person -- dad, brother, etc-- should NOT have died. The hero who avenges or saves the hyung has to find his own strength and to take up a duty that wasn't originally his own.
Have to figure out the little girl ally. Maybe it's innate intuitive female power without all the sexual baggage. Not sure though.
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redfox
August 29, 2014 at 8:22 AM
True, Carole. Women often do end up victims but sometimes it is so overdramatized. like many forms of torture! I understand that Joseon time was probably like that, but for example, Soo In tortured and Yoon kang looking was the exact "woman in the refrigerator" moment.
I guess if we see "little sister" and "big brother" as symbols it kinda falls into place.
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windsun33
August 29, 2014 at 1:46 PM
Every time I think abuse of girls and women is over dramatized, something like this hits the news. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28953549
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redfox
August 29, 2014 at 11:36 AM
http://www.parnupostimees.ee/galerii/40091/korealased-edendavad-rattatuuriga-kahe-maa-uhendamise-ideed/3308117
btw these guys want to cycle from Berlien to South Korea in the name of reuniting the two Koreas. how will they ever get through Russia? they were in our west coast city Pärnu and then kept cycling
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pogo
August 29, 2014 at 11:57 AM
"fridged" women in kdramas? Well, usually the women who get fridged are pretty much only there to serve as a cause for the hero's angst, so I'm knocking out cases like I Miss You etc. I can think of the following dramas with male leads who have fridged women in their past:
That Winter, The Wind Blows - dead pregnant ex-gf whose death our hero feels responsible for
You From Another Star - Yi-hwa aka dead lookalike of our heroine from 400 years ago, whom Do Min-joon has been obsessing about ever since.
Monstar - Ahn Nae-dang's character's student who died in the car accident and the guilt causes him to become a recluse
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Julia the Berkshire Beanie
August 29, 2014 at 12:02 PM
Hi Redfox and the rest of the Beanies!
Hope you have a great weekend.
Can you believe September is almost here?
Take care. You are in my thoughts. :-)
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Misskania
August 29, 2014 at 1:40 PM
Now that Yoo In Na broke up with Ji Hyun Woo (I refuse to believe it for sometime, I love them in Queen In Hyun!) it is time for her to nab that Nam Goong Min. The hell with we got married! Yoo In Na, since we are in the same age and I am married, while you are a beautiful successful actress, I give you my invisible blessing and force. Whoosaah!
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2 redfox
August 29, 2014 at 6:28 AM
Oh: situation in Ukraine, as much as I know, to keep you updated. Terrorists killed the staff of a hospital and all ukrainian soldiers being treated there, badly wounded, and destroyed the medical supplies . all together 50 people, including one child. There are photos but I dont recommend them.
Soldiers´moms in Russia who demanded their boys be returned home and fighting stopped, added to „blacklist” of foreign agents and planning to send them out (This is so WTF that I can´t even comment!)
Also, lots of bear sightings in Northern Lapland, not sure if this is the start of Russian invasion or not LOL (see, the situation is really crimea, but I can still choke about it).
Please keep in mind: in Russia, being a criminal is honrable. (platnoi culture = nations leader acting like a prison leader) Being strong means having power over others. Demonstration of power means attacking the weak. Attacking the weak and defenceless is rape. Putin is an unmanned automated tank without a soul and concsious, there is no use screaming „STOP!” (but at this moment, the world is not even screaming, it is whispering). This aint enough.
Russia under Putin is becoming more and more like Nazi germany: totaliutarian power and control, leader worshipping, total censorship, talking about ukrainians and russians as „practically the same people” (compare: Hitler talking about Austria, anschluss!), racism (crossing all borders, they literally hate EVERYBODY in Moscow!), putting everyone from its own people who opposes or stands up against abuse of power on a „blacklist”, economic manipulations in neighboring countries etc.
Do freedom and human rights really mean so little? Does the Geneva convention no longer hold? Do secrets meetings and deals AGAIN decide the fate of half of Europe, so that Western countries can live carefree? And do they really think they can be carefree, cause living next to Russia is just like standing under the ice bucket all your life. Except it is liquid nitrogen in there.
I am so frustrated and disappointed. I do not trust anybody. all they do is mumble and talk behind everyones´back. You shitheads! you only live one life, can you not live it with decentcy and dignity?
sorry for using OT as a platform for this but world peace is in danger. WWIII has practically started.
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alua
August 29, 2014 at 6:40 AM
Thanks for the update. I don't even want to say anything much, the whole situation is just too depressing but.... ((hugs)).
I hope we know better than to start WWIII. I think if you look at little things – things individual people do, not politics – it's not so bad. That's why I follow groups like the Parents-Circle Families (Israeli and Jewish who have all lost family members that get together to talk and share their experiences, united by their common belief that reconciliation must be through peaceful means) or support the United World Colleges, which educate kids from 70+ countries together because knowing and understanding each other are a better approach than fighting wars.
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LillyLee
August 29, 2014 at 6:52 AM
((((((Hugs Redfox))))))
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a_diva
August 29, 2014 at 7:04 AM
We can all identify with your frustration. It sucks to feel so powerless. It's also frustrating that there are so many people out there who don't condone the (lack of) response, but it doesn't carry over to elections and other areas to force change. Vent all you want. We don't mind.
I'm sending hugs your way too.
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pigsnout
August 29, 2014 at 7:15 AM
I'm truly sorry about the situation affecting your country, redfox. I cannot even imagine how bad it must be for you. But I hope WWIII does not actually start, it's frightening to think.
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redfox
August 29, 2014 at 8:19 AM
well technically, I live in Estonia, but I have over 20 friends in Ukraine so it feels like it is happening to my closest family. Some of my Postcrossing friends still haven´t answered if they are ok and I am worried. Two were in Luhansk and one in Donetsk.
and since Estonia is so small, the smallest of all the so-called Eastern Europe countries, yet in Russia 63% of people answered a poll stating us their worst enemy and threat to the country! Like a 1 million nation (well, 100 000 are russians, so 900 000 estonians) would be any threat to a 150 million nation! What could we possibly do? Ridiculous.
Also, everyone keeps saying we are next. I wish they´d stop being annoying. it is probable, but those predictions are turning into a form of terror on their own. lets work to prevent it that´s all.
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pogo
August 29, 2014 at 11:35 AM
I'm really sorry to hear about the Postcrossing cards, I hope your friends are all right!
Scaremongering is never about rationality, really. I just hope that this wave ceases so that life can go back to normal for you and everyone you care about.
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CaroleMcDonnell
August 29, 2014 at 7:22 AM
Good heavens! It does feel as if WW3 is near, doesn't it? All the big bads seem to be merging.
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Manin
August 29, 2014 at 7:32 AM
The world is basically unraveling along the seams on all sides atm. I am hoping we can find a solution before WW3 does irrupt, although it's looking more and more unlikely atm.
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Shiku
August 29, 2014 at 8:01 AM
I think its outrageous what Russia is doing and I hope they get stopped but NATO isn't doing anything right now. Ugghh! I feel so bad for Ukranians right now, their country is literally being stolen under their feet by someone on a power trip. I wish he would just drop dead.
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redfox
August 29, 2014 at 8:31 AM
the United Nations Security Council meetings are turning into a Monty Python absurdity club. everyone says the same thing, which is nothing much, and Russia rambles on how they are not in Ukraine, the only give humanitarian aid, everyone is a nazi and hates them unfairly etc. I just want to make a Putin-shaped punching bag and kick his balls until cotton flies
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Lizzy4e
August 29, 2014 at 9:27 AM
Oh my. Thank you for an insider's view. I thought Russia was the bad actor here but was not sure.
In the case of history repeating itself... have you a plan to leave Estonia?
Want to come to Texas?
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redfox
August 29, 2014 at 9:44 AM
the history will not repeat. I will stay and make sure of it. I will not leave even a foot of this land to anyone! they will just trash it and take the next target. but thank you for the offer!
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Lizzy4e
September 2, 2014 at 7:23 AM
Well, you are just AWESOME.
(you would make a great Texan, fyi)
As a divorced woman I believe we are entitled to change-our-minds therefore, if you change your mind, just holler.
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windsun33
August 29, 2014 at 1:52 PM
What is astounding to me is the amount of public support that Putin still has inside Russia. That will eventually crash and burn of course when things start to really fall apart, but it seems like people forget past history very quickly.
And of course since Europe relies so much on Russian oil and gas, it is not likely they will do much but pontificate, and perhaps impose sanctions on rutabagas.
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redfox
August 29, 2014 at 10:17 PM
the gas and oil is stolen from Siberians, but Putin and his bunch get rich on it now that Hodorkovsky is out. the real reason he was put in jail was he thought siberians should have most of the money for their oil. Buildt some community centers and aid programs for unemployed. well taking things in his own hands wqhich doesn´t suit the one and only leader of course.
I am starting to think Putin will declare himself god to keep being the leader even after death. you know, like with priests who convey the gods´ words to people. seems like he thinks he is either immortal or the only person in all of Russia who can have any power.
in truth he is an untalented shithead, who can do nothing but talk and even then the text is written by someone else.
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thursdaynexxt
August 30, 2014 at 4:23 AM
It's chilling to realise that we criticise the appeasement policy of the Allies pre WWI and WWII, and question how it's possible that they didn't do anything about it - and here we are seeing exactly how it happens. It's also frightening to see a lone man who's so power-mad, with so many supporters.
Everyone knows Putin will not stop with Ukraine. He clearly doesn't care about international opinion - and now that it's becoming clear that there are human rights abuses and atrocities occurring there, and sanctions aren't effective, our leaders can't just watch it happen!
It's frustrating to feel so powerless, and all I can do is to lend my support via NGOs etc, but I sincerely hope they put a stop to it sooner rather than later.
We'll keep you very much in our thoughts, redfox!
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3 shukmeister
August 29, 2014 at 6:29 AM
Happy Friday DBOT's!
And happy first day of SqueeCon 2014! There's a meetup happening this weekend in Washington DC, with our star power kakashi flying in! There will be about 9 of us together, some meeting for the first time, and all of us hoping we can smile through the broiling heat!
In terms of drama watching, I've veered into different territory, marathoning Humsafar, a Pakistani drama; and Walking, Crying, a Vietnamese one, as well as my usual Taiwanese and Thai stuff.
Anyways, cherkell is on the ground and I'm heading out to pick her up. Toodles everyone!
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Manin
August 29, 2014 at 6:45 AM
Hi Shuk!
How are you? Long time no see!!
Have fun at the SqueeCon, sounds like it could be a blast to attend.
Any new drama recommendations to throw out? =)
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shukmeister
August 30, 2014 at 6:16 AM
Hi Manin!
We spent most of yesterday travelling, and finally meeting up with everyone in Maryland. We ended with a spontaneous dancing spree to Big Bang's live album. :-D
I finally met kakashi! And I thanked her for allowing us to take over her website for our squeeing purposes.
For Thai dramas, I recently watched Raak Boon, a 2012 horror / mystery staring Mike Pirath (the lead from Full House Thai that I squeecapped this year). Basically it's set in a funeral hone, where the female lead assists ghosts that only she can see. The second season is currently airing, and one of the only Thai dramas to have more than one season.
For SK stuff, the only one I am avidly following is FTLY. I like JoAnne's pictorial caps of NWJ so much that I'd rather read them than watch the show, and Surplus Princess hasn't grabbed me. MSH seems interesting but I've only watched the first two episodes. That may pick up once this weekend is over.
I hope everything is going great where you are! When Cherkell arrived on the East Coast, she said the air quality was down where she lives, and I thought about you.
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a_diva
August 29, 2014 at 7:05 AM
Sounds fun. Enjoy yourselves!
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shukmeister
August 30, 2014 at 6:21 AM
a_diva
Thank you. It was an adventure getting to the meeting place, thanks to a grumpy rental employee and a bunch of enthusiastic state police.
Today, we meet up in Washington DC, to visit the Freer Museum of Asian Art, sweat (it's predicted to be upper 80F / 30C), then have dinner at Mandu's Korean Restaurant, followed by my first ever noraebang experience. 8-) I brought my own tambourine just in case. lol
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shukmeister
August 30, 2014 at 6:29 AM
a_diva -
Thanks! It's been a blast so far. Today we troop to Washington DC to go to the Freer Museum of Asian Art, have dinner at Mandu's Restaurant (check their website - it all looks yummy!), and then follow up with my first ever noraebang! I brought my own tambourine just in case.
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shukmeister
August 30, 2014 at 6:55 AM
oops! Since I'm still kind of half-asleep, I thought my lappy had disappeared the previous post. Sorry for the duplication!
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korfan
August 29, 2014 at 7:08 AM
Shukmeister -
How fantastic that several of you are meeting!
Have a wonderful time at SqueeCon!
If time permits, let us all know how things went!
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shukmeister
August 30, 2014 at 6:36 AM
korfan -
It's predicted to be 85F / 30C, so we plan to stay indoors as much as possible. I expect we will have our adventures documented in a post. Last night there were seven of us, meeting for dinner in Oxon Hill, MD.
I had my first ever vegetarian meal (who says you can't teach an old dog...oh who am I kidding, I'm ready for a big rasher of bacon).
Last night, the group staying in Maryland finished the evening with a pitcher of cosmos and a spontaneous dancing spree to Big Bang's Alive Live Tour album.
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meenuby
August 29, 2014 at 7:09 AM
Hi Shukmeister! I'm interested to know what you thought of Humsafar?
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shukmeister
August 30, 2014 at 6:54 AM
mems -
The storyline wasn't anything new (contract marriage, plucky poor girl versus chaebol who just needs love), but the cultural background of the story and the acting really drew me in. I ended up marathoning all 23 episodes over three days, and grinning hugely over the last 15 minutes of the last episode. It was great!
*** SPOILER ALERT
Some of the things that struck me as vastly different from my usual Asian fare:
- Very little skinship. But this did not take away the emotions of these two people finding common ground and forging their relationship. Okay, I admit I yelled a couple of times for a backhug, but really, it wasn't needed to bring that love out.
- The language. It reminded me of my first Filipino drama, with the english - urdu - english conversations. From what I could hear, though, the language sounded very melodic.
- I was surprised that, after the pair was more or less together, it took very little action on the part of Fareeda to tear it apart. I understand that jealousy was supposed to play a part, but it felt a bit contrived. One screaming fit from the mother-in-law, and she was out in the streets. I thought maybe it was a cultural thing?
- When we were in the misunderstanding phase, Khirad never rose against Asher and his accusations of deliberately hiding their child from him. I thought she was needless accepting punishment for something that he did. However, his meltdown when he remembered the cruel words he said three years before was epic and awesome! Self-reflection for the win.
As my first PKDrama, I think I picked a good one!
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meenuby
August 30, 2014 at 6:08 PM
Thank you for replying and I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)
***SPOILER***
-For the most part (which is like 99%), Pakistani dramas will have very little skinship due to the conservative culture regarding PDA. This is why expressing love through the eyes or words is important and really enhances the chemistry between the couple, so this needs the bare minimum of skinship like hand-holding and maybe a hug or two. lol
-Hardly anyone in Pakistan speaks pure Urdu anymore and this is partly due to the influence of the British in colonial India. Education in Pakistan is mostly taught using English books. Urdu itself is a very poetic and refined language, especially the Urdu spoken in dramas.
-It was surprising for me too, since this was the first PKDrama that I had picked up in a long time. And you're right, it was contrived and this is more of a drama trope than a cultural norm.
-I think she thought that he would eventually find out anyway since she left that letter for him saying she was pregnant. She probably assumed that once he found out, he would care enough to look for them again. But I guess as a matter of pride and her dignity, she didn't want to have any contact with him after the way he abused their trust. And yes, epic meltdown was EPIC! :D
Here are some other PKDramas that I'd recommend if you're interested:
Zindagi Gulzar Hai- Same actor, Fawad Khan with a more fiesty female lead. Both come from opposing ends of the financial spectrum, but their growth and understanding of one another is what makes this a great watch. Also, crackling chemistry ;)
Dastaan- Also Fawad Khan. A period drama focusing on the circumstances that the main couple deal with during pre- and post-Partition, with the politics of that time serving as the backdrop. Fair warning, bring your tissue box with you. lol
Aunn Zara- A romcom where a spoiled boy (who's looking to escape his family's smothering affections) meets a spoiled girl (who's looking for the love and comfort found in a bigger family) meet and get married. Hijinks ensue. ;)
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shukmeister
August 30, 2014 at 10:36 PM
mems -
Pardon me for an ignorant American, but what is The Partition?
meenuby
August 31, 2014 at 3:40 PM
It's when India and Pakistan separated into two nations in 1947.
shukmeister
August 31, 2014 at 9:33 PM
mems -
Thanks for the info. Based on the thread convo, I will watch Zindagi Gulzar Hai as my next PKDrama.
آپ کا شکریہ
meenuby
September 1, 2014 at 10:16 AM
Shukmeister-
Haha there's really no way to say "you're welcome" in Urdu, otherwise I would have done so. The closest phrase would be "koi baat nahin" which essentially means "no problem".
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts about Zindagi Gulzar Hai! Hope you enjoy it! :)
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Sabreena
August 29, 2014 at 7:36 AM
Omg so excited to hear ur trying Humsafar. As a Pakistani, I think ur really gonna enjoy it. Have fun. Are you watching it on Viki with subs?
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shukmeister
August 30, 2014 at 6:56 AM
Sabreena -
Partially Viki, partially YT. Viki had a few broken links and such, but with a little Google Fu I watched the entire thing.
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redfox
August 29, 2014 at 8:33 AM
a meetup? fun fun fun! wish I could join.
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shukmeister
August 30, 2014 at 7:07 AM
redfox -
The last minute changes to the people are tensing my neck muscles, but it's to be expected. So far it's going good.
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jhu
August 29, 2014 at 8:43 AM
Shukmeister, what a coincidence! So in a crazy effort to take time off K-dramas this week, I also landed up watching Pakistani shows.
I tried Humsafar, was pleasantly surprised by the broody, melancholic tone, but stopped watching halfway because the female lead just didn't do it for me. I think it was a combination of her not being that appealing as an actor and the way the story had built her character up. All her goodness could be summed up in how she made great tea.
How do you find it? I'm curious to know.
Thankfully I stumbled upon another Pakistani show called Zindagi Gulzar Hai. It's got the same actor, and the actress in this one is...boombastic. It's zippier with more humour and a tangible romance. There's a significant transformation both leads undergo, plus they are so flawed in this very realistic way, rooted in their social, sexual and familial contexts. I found it to be gripping. One of the best dramas I've watched lately. And I've been fumbling ever since, trying to find another Pakistani drama to love. Because what I have heard is that they are soooo good. But haven't succeeded so far. So if you find any that you think are worth a watch, please do recommend.
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Boxed-In
August 29, 2014 at 9:04 AM
Hahaha. OMG. You too? This has gotta be fate. :D
About Humsafar, I kinda agree. I loved the romance, but the female lead (both the actress and the character) was the weakest link in the first half, though she pretty much made up for it in the second. So if you're done halfway, maybe grit your teeth and finish it? Coz the payback is quite satisfying.
ZGH is one of my favourite Pakistani shows. One of the strongest female leads I've seen. It gets a bit crazy towards the end, but all in all, is a very good watch.
You could try Maat. & Daastaan. Both are angst-fests though, so...be prepared. And there's this old classic called 'Dhoop Kinarey', which might seem dated but is a beautiful watch nonetheless.
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jhu
August 29, 2014 at 1:45 PM
Hahahah. We meet again!
Thanks for the recos. From the little that I've seen of them though, I feel like there's something very different about Pakistani television. Is it Islamic sensibilities? Something of a Sufi touch? There's this dreamy aesthetics I hadn't expected to find and was blown away by. How can TV be drenched in so much poetry? And silence? Pak dramas and Korean films have a lot of similarities that way. I'll give Humsafar another try...but only when I'm really, really desperate. :)
FTLY has fried my brains and burnt my soul for now. Who knew drama watching could be such an all-consuming, exhausting experience. Like you, I too need a break. I'm going to revert to books and nature for a while. Hug some trees, heal a bit. Haha. Live out some cliches instead of watching them onscreen.
Let's see how long I can keep the dramaholic within me dormant though.
Thanks again!
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Sabreena
August 29, 2014 at 10:51 AM
You have got to try Dil-e-Muztar after Zindagi Gulzar Hai. Hot male lead & the womans role is somewhat good too. I have practically watched most Korean & Pakistani & Uk dramas in the last 3 years (yes I am a dramaholic ... tho i don't know how I fit in uni work lol) but you need any help or recommendations, I'm always happy to help :)
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Boxed-In
August 29, 2014 at 8:50 AM
Ooh. Humsafar. It probably falls for a bit into the category Koreans call 'makjang' and is super-angsty, but...Fawad Khan. And amazing chemistry, that too with almost zero skinship. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did.
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Sabreena
August 29, 2014 at 10:53 AM
I know this is dramabeans, all things kdrama.But ... Fawad Khan *swoon*
What else have you been watching lately that you enjoyed (korean & pak)
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shukmeister
August 30, 2014 at 7:28 AM
His eyebrows are the stuff of legends. :-)
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Julia the Berkshire Beanie
August 29, 2014 at 12:09 PM
Shuk the drama world traveler. :-)
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shukmeister
August 30, 2014 at 7:31 AM
Julia - I visited a hundred countries (in my mind). lol
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owl
August 29, 2014 at 6:58 PM
Here's to fun times!
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shukmeister
August 30, 2014 at 7:46 AM
[nods nods]
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4 alua
August 29, 2014 at 6:33 AM
Only watching (and loving) It's Okay It's Love and the Japanese Wakamonotachi.
No time for anything else at the moment, but also no interest as my tolerance level for chaebols & candies premises, getting-back-together-with-the-ex stories, aegyo, contrived premises/twists, misunderstandings due to not talking for no good reason whatsoever and a whole lot of drama tropes seems to be close to zero at the moment (not saying those things are always bad, just that at the moment I can't handle them).
Felt a bit bored by the second ep of Three Musketeers and concluded that sageuks aren't for me (with rare exceptions, e.g. Arang), so I dropped the drama. I mean, I think I would enjoy it as a 2-hour movie but I'm dreading 16 hours of political manipulations and have zero interest in the love story, at least the one between the crown prince and princess. On the upside, I did think that Yonghwa was not half-bad in the episode (except when he had to look surprised, when it was just too obvious that he was trying too hard).
Sad that there's such a lack of Japanese subs. Henshin is probably halfway through its run by now and I haven't seen it anywhere. Or that the final episode of Nazo no Tenkosei still hasn't appeared (it's been months between the different episodes subbing). I could go on and on, with several J-dramas I would like to watch that have been half-subbed or not subbed. So I'm just adding to my stuff-to-watch-when-I'm-fluent-in-Japanese list.
Cheering on Saya for the Secret Hotel recap... sorry that I'm not watching although I promised I would. *slightly guilty*
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redfox
August 29, 2014 at 6:39 AM
Three Musketeers is really smartly written in my opinion. but I am not sure all the modern puns are that necessary. like the pop songs. then again it draws a parallel that basic human nature doesnt change. is that what is called fusion?
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alua
August 29, 2014 at 6:45 AM
Oh, it might well be smartly written, but I was just... bored. I'm not even sure why. The weeping princess didn't help though.
The fusion parts don't work for me, in Duelist I loved them, here, I don't find them that well done. Again, it's just a personal, subjective reaction.
The sword-fighting through the seasons was beautifully shot though, that was a lovely bit of cinematography.
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fab
August 29, 2014 at 1:24 PM
I usually drop saeguks and historical dramas at some point, I don't have patience for the political schemes and whatnot. Three Musketeers is different, it's short and goes down to business( the plot is developing fast). But I hope they don't concentrate on the love triangle, I don't like the crown princess, I can see why one might like her but I just can't...
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Manin
August 29, 2014 at 6:50 AM
alua:
is Wakamonotachi still good? Been interested in starting this, but just not had the time atm.
And I completely get you in loosing tolerance for cheabols and all that. I feel a bit of the same atm. Stories just blend into each other. And then I end up just rewatching older stuff where I can jump all the annoying bits.
I'm also with you on the lack of Japanese subs. I miss watching japanese drama's (that I haven't rewatched a 1000 times) but no idea where to start on the new stuff. Plus so many have just half finished subs and it just becomes frustrating.
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alua
August 29, 2014 at 6:59 AM
I love Wakamonotachi. Mostly because the characters are fully rounded and so well-acted (that cast! that cast!!!) and because it's... all so real. The story and these people are so real. Some of them are immensely flawed and sometimes I hate what they do (Hikari's cheating X_X), but it's just... life.
Honestly, I'm not even sure if there's any new Japanese stuff being subbed... other than detective serials (or things of that sort), which I have very little interest in. Well, The Long Goodbye I'll tackle at some point, and maybe the River Edge Detective one because it does it own thing from what I've heard. Some people loved Border as well, so maybe that one too...
Well, truth be told, I don't have much time for drama watching at the moment!
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Manin
August 29, 2014 at 7:41 AM
Yeah the cast is my main attraction to the drama. I'm definitively checking it out once I have the time to do so.
That is true, there have been quite a lack of jdroamas being subed at all recently. Which is a shame. Kdramas have pretty much just taken over, which good for them. But still miss my jdoramas,, they were what got me into asian dramas after all.
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junny
August 29, 2014 at 3:05 PM
I'm halfway through The Long Goodbye and quite like it. The 1950s setting definitely sets it apart, and all that jazz/blues music really does add to the old-world, nostalgic factor (if one is into those). Asano Tadanobu is fantastic as Masuzawa, I like his laidback screen presence (in the drama, that is). Give it a watch if you do get the chance :)
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alua
August 29, 2014 at 10:35 PM
I watched the first episode when it first aired, but I just haven't gone back to it (another case of waiting for subs and then just deciding to wait it all out rather than get frustrated).
Asano Tadanobu and Ayano Gou. Good stuff.
junny
August 30, 2014 at 4:17 AM
Oh, it's all subbed! You should get to it when you can ^_^ Ayano Go doesn't appear much beyond the first episode, but he was good while it lasted. I'm not big on Koyuki, but she has been very good in this.
alua
August 30, 2014 at 5:03 AM
I know it's all subbed now, I just haven't gotten round to it. (Though at least it's only 5 eps, so I should be able to squeeze it in sooner than some other things.)
I have a soft spot for Koyuki... a Kimi wa Petto soft spot.
Who's Scruffy Looking
August 29, 2014 at 7:20 AM
Manin.
There is a website, http://www.asiatorrents.me, that has all sorts of dramas and movies from lots of Asian countries.
They are pretty good with getting subtitles as well. But it's a download site, not a watch on the web site.
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Manin
August 29, 2014 at 7:43 AM
Ahh downloading. My bane of life. I'm just a big coward and have no knowledge about it. Though I have realized that more and more things are downloads only recently though. Maybe I should get my sister to teach me soon.
Thanks for the link though =)
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Lixie
August 29, 2014 at 9:02 AM
I think you used to need invites for asiatorrents and they have a big list of do's and don'ts about the seeding.
Just go to D-Addicts it's easier. :)
Saya
August 30, 2014 at 5:50 PM
AT's registration is open until the end of August, if anyone is wanting to sign up, now is the time!
If you're a person who tends to leave their computer running, and have a good connection, managing your download ratio shouldn't be too hard, just leave the client you use running - you rack up seed hours *and* upload. Also, check out their dmca policy if you're worried - just add a "/dmca.php" to the main link to see it.
Interestingly, if it's not blocked in your country, kat has kdramas, too, so that's another option (at least, it *did*, but then it got blocked here, so I don't know about since).
james94131
August 29, 2014 at 2:10 PM
I know exactly what you mean about the frustration of half subbed jdoramas. I've been searching for a year for the last 50 subbed episodes of the old classic Oshin, but NHK seems to be very efficient in scrubbing all Oshin postings off the Internet.
When the giant Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten bought Viki last year, I was hoping that Rukuten would have the necessary contacts to help Viki get licenses from the Japanese entertainment companies so that Viki could ramp up their jdorama subbing group and we could all start to get prompt subbing of current Japanese dramas. But, unfortunately, Viki has not gotten any licenses to sub any current Japanese dramas. Either Rakuten is no help at all, or Rakuten's business model is to ignore jdoramas and instead expand their advertising platform into Spanish novellas.
So, I enjoy what is available while impatiently waiting for the latest episodes of Yoo Na's Street to be subbed and uploaded. Just finished marathoning on YouTube the 1997 jdorama bromance classic Beach Boys.
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alua
August 29, 2014 at 2:20 PM
I can't even watch Yoo Na's Street, although it sounds worth trying from what everyone has been saying.
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james94131
August 29, 2014 at 2:33 PM
If you change your mind about Yoo Na's Street, subbed episodes are available at myasiantv.com in HD streaming. Give it a try!
whatsthescenario
August 29, 2014 at 8:29 PM
I also recommend myasiatv.com . They've subbed up to ep 24 (as of last night) and seem to be subbing at a reasonable pace now. At least 2 epis per week!
alua
August 29, 2014 at 10:32 PM
Ah, that even works from Europe.
I'll save it for later though, I can't be sucked into watching 24 eps (which I would likely be unable to resist) because I just don't have the time at the moment.
Thanks though!
james94131
August 29, 2014 at 10:45 PM
@whatsthescenario,
Need to give credit where it's due. The Yoo Na's Street subs are actually created by the good people at DarkSmurfSubs and made available as a soft sub. Someone else is apparently uploading the subs and videos either to myasiantv or elsewhere with a link to myasiantv.
Manin
August 29, 2014 at 4:03 PM
I think some of the "problem" as well is that atm the money really is in kdramas with it current high popularity. Along with the japanese tendency to just keep everything they produce within it self and are generally more reluctant to give out subs.
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CaroleMcDonnell
August 29, 2014 at 7:25 AM
Totally agreeing with you on this part: " my tolerance level for .... getting-back-together-with-the-ex stories, aegyo, contrived premises/twists, misunderstandings due to not talking for no good reason whatsoever"
I do find myself wondering about folks' ability to keep so weirdly closed-mouth in so many situations..and all the coincidences and perfect drama timing that keep (and keep on keeping) the secret from being revealed.
I do love sajeuk though. And i love political machinations because i'm such a history lover. I just love the whole what if game stuff
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alua
August 29, 2014 at 7:44 AM
I don't think it's folks' ability to keep closed-mouth... I think it's writers that need to create conflict and can't come up with any other, more logical way to do it.
e.g. I just get really cynical when I'm supposed to believe that if X hugs/kisses Y (against the will of Y) and Z sees this, Z automatically concludes the worst rather than giving Y the benefit of the doubt (or a chance to explain – 1 minute is all it would take!) even if Z has never ever ever met X before but knows Y reasonably well enough to know that this might be out of character / one-sided. Of course, the fact that Y always just stands there like a frozen board and doesn't run screaming from X (or slaps X) never makes any sense to me either. Or scenarios when Z believes random person L (that they don't know at all or only barely) rather than talking to person they supposedly are in love with (love implying trust & communication for me).
Yeah, I think sageuks are a "either you like them, or you don't" kind of thing. Enjoy it. :-)
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CaroleMcDonnell
August 29, 2014 at 9:07 AM
i totally agree withthe laziness or inadequacy of theplotting. Sometimes the writersjust seem to lack courage to go deeper into a story. There is often too much writerly control which creates the impression of an outline with characters merely being pulled from plot beat to plot beat without any true organic or logical movements
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redfox
August 29, 2014 at 8:37 AM
in that sense, my family must be really healthy, I guess it is that little bit of fiery armenian blood in me and Mom but we fight hard and spit all out, and then forget. well, some things are still up for an eternity, but we get by somehow. same with mom and dad and mom and her sisters, or me and some people I disagree with. goodness I wish I could hold back a little but then everything goes sour and once it goes sour and you dont splurt it out right away then it is hard to say it at all. maybe thats also the reason why people in dramas hold back on things. they stalled to say it and missed the right moment? and you dont want to mention these sour things but you cannot speak normally either.
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alua
August 29, 2014 at 8:53 AM
<maybe thats also the reason why people in dramas hold back on things. they stalled to say it and missed the right moment?
I get that... but with, hmmm, 75% of such situations in dramas I always have the impression that it's the writer creating conflict artificially (because otherwise half the drama wouldn't exist) rather than there being an actual understandable reason for them not saying something (whether missing the moment or feeling too awkward). And sometimes it comes coupled with character inconsistency (e.g. Witch's Romance, when the female lead raises questions with her mom, but becomes incredibly meek-mousy with her ex and decides to marry him rather than ask about the elephant in the room????).
Misunderstandings/miscommunications do arise in real life, but when they are used only as lazy narrative device... it's so frustrating.
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blazer
August 30, 2014 at 2:18 PM
@redfox Yay, nice to stumble upon a fellow armenian here on dramabeans :)
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MapleSilver
August 29, 2014 at 9:41 AM
My go-to dramas to de-tox from such machinations are Pasta and Miss Korea. Really, zero such cheap manipulations from the writer.
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owl
August 29, 2014 at 7:41 AM
IOIL and All About My Siblings are the 2 dramas on my love list right now, too, alua. I am so worried for Jae Yeol (and Jae Boem, also. The back story scene that played out what really happened through the eyes of Dr Jo was pitiful and of course, revealing. awful all around from abuse to extreme protective reactions)
Asa and Saturo are so different but both want to defend/uphold family, just in their own way. I like how the sister finally came around in great part because of them both.
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alua
August 29, 2014 at 8:14 AM
The whole truth for Jae-yeol and Jae-boem and the mom is a dark and difficult one, that truth being revealed will only be the beginning of any chance at recovery. Dark times coming.
Yeah, Asa and Saturo are at opposite ends of a spectrum... I have to say I'm more with Saturo, although kudos to Asa bursting out "I can't do this anymore". I didn't like him asking the wife for forgiveness, though, I mean, it's fine for him to want to see his sister as more than a cheater, but he certainly has no right to ask that of the wife (however much she was a silly person). What I didn't understand though at all was the no one even considered Shinjo. No one yelled at him, blamed him, or anything... but he had just was just as much at fault as Hikari – and, with respect to his own wife (and child) , even more. I guess the wife is in denial of sorts and in some way Asa / Saturo should of course care more about Hikari, but then Shinjo was apparently a long-time family friend.... so the message that Hikari's is to be blamed while creepy Shinjo just gets away with it all (all silent and with a pitiful face – so creepy!) I'm not okay with.
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owl
August 29, 2014 at 8:43 AM
Shinjo is creepy, the whole concert thing was awful - a memory of meeting his wife mixed with feelings for Hikari - how does that work, jerk? I think that dinner scene is what made Asa approach the wife the way he did. Saturo is definitely more objective and calling the affair what it is - sister or not. Now the two younger brothers have a love conflict...
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alua
August 29, 2014 at 8:57 AM
The fact that Shinjo took her to that concert of that singer... makes me such a creep completely devoid of any feelings and empathy for others that I could never forgive him. (I hope his wife realises this at some point.)
The two younger brothers... I'm sort of looking forward to that. I doubt the older one is 'cheating' there, but definitely the younger one has a problem because the girl he likes likes someone else. Why she agreed to date him... that's the mystery we'll have to find out about. I feel bad for the younger guy, but I'm shipping Emoto and Hashimoto!
alua
August 29, 2014 at 9:00 AM
Need to proofread...
*makes HIM such a creep devoid of any feelings and empathy for others.... (duhhhh!)
Honestly, I'm not sure I can listen to Lisa Loebb now, Shinjo left me with too many bad associations for her now!
Lixie
August 29, 2014 at 8:22 AM
Have you tried Surplus Princess? NO chaebols there. There is fantasy though, after all she is a mermaid. Not sure if you're into that. I'm loving it and one of the things I'm finding refreshing is that people just talk about stuff so no big weird misunderstandings so far. Some people got put off by the main girl, she is sort of a selfish brat, but she is not human, never had much time to learn, I like her. :)
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alua
August 29, 2014 at 8:28 AM
I tried one episode.
I don't mind the fantasy element, but I can't stand characters like that. But thanks for the suggestion.
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redfox
August 29, 2014 at 8:56 AM
tried it, serious dislike. I was so bored. I hate theater and theatrical stuff like that.
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Lixie
August 29, 2014 at 9:12 AM
Really? Theater? You mean the cartoons that show up? Or the fantasy elements? I find all characters so human despite the selfish princess. :)
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redfox
August 29, 2014 at 9:41 AM
the fantasy elements are so...how to explain. I just can´t get into that world. I have been disappointed in nearly all fantasy dramas unless it is something that doesnt float like hearing peoples thoughts. they are never convincingly done in kdramas. in short, I think even BBC would do better
booboo
August 29, 2014 at 10:30 AM
I'm with you there alua. The only sageuk I followed til the end is Arang. I thought I can watch JG for LJG but I just couldn't follow through. Same thing with 3M. I was so looking forward to seeing LJW back in action but ..... I dunno what's wrong with me *bawls*
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windsun33
August 29, 2014 at 1:57 PM
I feel the same about saeguks - I don't think I have ever managed to make it more than 1/3 of the way through any of them, and anymore I don't even bother. To me they are just boring.
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Saya
August 30, 2014 at 5:43 PM
Just saw this now, alua! Yes, you did say you would watch my show, but I'm having fourth dimension problems myself (like, I ONLY watch MSH, multiple times XD) so maybe I will save that for our Korean-night, although I was thinking Princess' Man, even though you aren't a sageuk junkie, because it's just one of those shows you can't *not* have watched.
I'm worried about this comment showing up as yellow. I logged out! WHY IS IT STILL YELLOW. Please don't be yellow, I want to be inconspicuous here, dammit.
Hi everyone else on OT!
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Saya
August 30, 2014 at 5:44 PM
whew, not yellow
relief
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alua
August 31, 2014 at 4:18 AM
I think we'll have to discuss what to use for our Korean night, especially now that I've realised that sageuks just don't quite work for me. Maybe I'll gang up with one of your sisters and we'll make you all watch something Japanese instead, ha!
Or maybe we can watch your show (are your sisters watching it? Do they lurk here?).
You are not yellow! I was scrolling down looking for yellow, thinking I'd find you quicker this way ;-)
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5 Mystique
August 29, 2014 at 6:33 AM
Hi Beanies!!
Finally back in my city, my apartment is awfully quiet, I miss my family already. School resumes on Monday(Nooooo I’m not mentally prepared yet and I totally forgot about my school project *sigh*) and I will be starting the new semester with a leg cast, so annoying!! But where the heck did my summer go? The months just flew by.
Discovery of romance : I’m still enjoying this show very much but I do not like the female lead at all, she just rubs me the wrong way, she’s also the reason why I dropped INR2, could it be I don’t like the actress or the characters she portrays? Anyways I’m going to keep watching DOR because of my new found love Eric.
FTLY : I really loved this drama when it first started, I still do but my love for it has dwindled a bit. The first half was so much fun and cute, and the 2nd half BOOM almost 7 episodes of angst, it had me wondering if they changed writers or something. Two more episodes to go, hopefully the cute is here to stay, If the writer tries nonsense, i'm going to hunt he/she down and give d person a good beating. I've cried enough show!!
IOIL : I used to really like this show, but somewhere along the way I just lost interest in it. I have the episodes on my pc, but bringing myself to play them is a problem.
Surplus princess : Lol I’m confused, who Is the main male lead? Cos I’m slowly starting to ship the mermaid and the unemployed guy together. Next time the mermaid wants to beat up that bitchy ex-gf, they should let her, the girl be getting on my nerves yo.
High school, Love on : Who is the weird guy that sees the sunbae reaper but pretends not to (in a hilarious way) how did he know that Woo-hyun and Seul-bi were home alone? what is his agenda? And of course it wouldn’t be a Kdrama without one person with a terminal illness.
The three musketeers : Boy am I loving this show or what? I love everything about the show, the actors, costumes, style etc, they could do better with the fight scenes though especially Dal-hyang’s fight scenes.
Roommate : So-ra is leaving the show, first Bom now her, lol who’s going to be next? Won’t be surprised if they ended up cancelling the show. They could try bringing in new people though, spice things up a bit and give the show a bit of direction.
Tried watching Devil beside you, couldn’t make it past episode 8
Watched pride, long vacation, love shuffle. Now that school is resuming, won’t really have time to marathon dramas, I have definitely watched a lot this summer.
All in all, Have a nice weekend guys!!
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redfox
August 29, 2014 at 6:42 AM
havent watched Roommate for a good time now. I always intend to see if anything is new, but same old, same old... new people is a great idea. or moving.
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alua
August 29, 2014 at 6:47 AM
Pride, Long Vacation and Love Shuffle. That's three classics right there.
They all had their weaknesses, but I'm very, very fond of all three of these.
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CaroleMcDonnell
August 29, 2014 at 7:28 AM
Me and you and the female leads. Although i think in my case, i still have to start liking the mermaid. I think she and the unemployed guy are the OTP though. Although i want her with Song Jae Rim... but... right now now really watching. So i should just jump back in?
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owl
August 29, 2014 at 7:45 AM
@ FTLY - the bed scene in the latest episode was annoying to me since they've already been there and done that, so what's the big deal? It felt contrived and at this point in the story, actually silly.
Roommate: Just read Ga-yeon is leaving too, which means a totally empty room. Don't know if the show can recover by bring in new people, will that even gel? I have doubts. But Ga-yeon is the darling of the show as far as I'm concerned.
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dramapanda
August 29, 2014 at 7:52 AM
But Considering they have only had a one night stand when hopped up on aphrodisiacs I think they were entitled to feel a bit shy.
I mean they only had sex once right?
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windsun33
August 29, 2014 at 2:02 PM
I found that scene pretty annoying also. Not just because they have "been there before", but because she seemed totally oblivious to the fact that he was coming on to her. Like, OK, we had sex once, what do we do now?
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thursdaynexxt
August 30, 2014 at 4:48 AM
Oh no, Ga-yeon's actually leaving?? Say it ain't so!!!
Unless they revamp the structure of this show, I'll have no reason to watch this anymore.
At this rate, they'll have to downsize to a smaller house!
I'd happily take Youth Over Flowers in its place, but there's no subbed episodes in my region. Whyyyy?!!
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harmonyfb
August 29, 2014 at 8:11 AM
>Cos I’m slowly starting to ship the mermaid and the unemployed guy together.
I think the show is shipping those two, which kind of makes me sad. Once again, I think I'm shipping the female lead with the second male lead, which means I'm doomed to an unsatisfactory outcome. Again. ::sigh:: (I still have serious SLS issues from "Flower Boy Next Door". ::flings arm dramatically across eyes::)
I want Ha Ni and the Chef to fall in love and open a wildly successful chain of seafood restaurants. And Hyun Myong to meet a nice girl who doesn't care what he does for a living. And everybody to stay happy friends. Show, stop trying to make me ship that other couple!
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mary
August 29, 2014 at 2:35 PM
Sheppu Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim!!!!
My shippy heart is so sad too. It really looks like Second (that's what we call Ohn Joo Wan) is actually First. :(((((((
After all the incense burnt and prayers offered to drama gods to give Song Jae Rim a show, they give me this.
I can't even hate the Other Guy because his story is good and his acting is good and... *sobbing*
I should've been more specific about my wishes. T^T
Drama Gods, give me 24 episodes of "Inspiring Generation: The Adventures of Mo Il Hwa" something like that.
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harmonyfb
August 29, 2014 at 3:36 PM
>After all the incense burnt and prayers offered to drama gods to give Song Jae Rim a show, they give me this.
Of course, they did sweeten the deal by providing shots of Song Jae Rim's underwear-clad, mighty-fine booty. And that dream sequence of him moaning while said booty got squeezed. ::whistles appreciatively::
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Lixie
August 29, 2014 at 8:29 AM
Me too. I have no idea who the main lead in SP is and that is good mystery.
I'm shipping the chef though. She kissed him first, he has to be lead, right? Right? :P Best of luck to the artist too, he is a good guy and has a funny temper.
More and more I like shows like this and High School King and Let's Eat. Shows I can like and understand mostly all the characters and there are no evil chaebols and lunatic second leads.
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Because of Reasons
August 29, 2014 at 9:15 AM
In Surplus Princess, I'm pretty sure the unemployed guy (On Joo Wan) is the main lead (and thus the mermaid's true love), as he's higher than Song Jae Rim in the credits and cast lists that I've seen. Also the amount and kind of screen time that SJR is getting feels like second-lead stuff to me, compared to OJW.
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harmonyfb
August 30, 2014 at 3:13 PM
Even when I think I'm shipping the lead, I still end up shipping the second lead. I'm starting to think this says way too much about my personal issues.
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spazmo
August 29, 2014 at 9:58 AM
Song Ga Yeon is leaving. they are saying they'll be bringing in three new women...
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6 LillyLee
August 29, 2014 at 6:41 AM
Considering if Jang Hyuk is the best male actor of Korea because of how well he can play different parts.
He is definitely up near the top of the list.
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7 Manin
August 29, 2014 at 6:42 AM
Hello Beanies! Happy friday!
I feel exhausted and had a bad chinese lesson today. And I dislike purple, I just cannot pronounce this word at all in chinese. Brain does not compute.
Last week I was asked what I would miss from China, and it had me thinking. What will I miss? Obvious answer is my friends here and the children. But then? Food I think, oh and hearing random kpop songs everywhere :p I'm sure there will be thing poping up as soon as I leave. Though I cannot properly identify them atm.
Oh and I think I will miss some aspects of the education here. Although I think that children should be allowed to play around more, I still think some of the logical classes are a good idea.
Kdrama toddlers The week of confessions:
- Girl b: "okay you are my best friend!"
Boy C: "No! I'm your boyfriend!"
- Girl Y was following boy Y around saying "I love you"
-player 2: telling 2 girls he loved them. Then ended up being fought over by two of the boys.
- The player was acting like a married couple with girl 3, mean while the rival got chummy with girl 1. The result was a fall out between the boys.
- Boy D tried a wrist grab confession to girl N. It failed. Spectacularly.
Dramaland
- 3 musketeers is still awesome. Cannot wait for the next episodde
-High Shool love on: still cute. I want to know more of that one guy though. Oh and the rules.
-rewatching "ohisama" <3
-waiting to start Reset and pick up Yoona's street as I'm falling behind. (Still blaming Brandon Sanderson's books for this)
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korfan
August 29, 2014 at 7:25 AM
Manin -
Hi! How are you?
From the stories you've shared with us, I think you've had a very unique and interesting experience which you'll look fondly back upon in future years!
I already know some of us will miss the toddler stories! Heh. ...... Speaking of which, I wish I could've seen the wrist grab confession in person!
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Manin
August 29, 2014 at 7:56 AM
Korfan:
I'm okay. Starting to feel like I need to start packing and generally feeling both stressed and not stressed about traveling back. Part of me don't want to leave, another just want to get going rather than just waiting for it to come about.
How are you?
Yes it's been a fun year indeed. Haha I think I will miss observing stuff for the kdrama toddlers too!
Haha the wrist grap confession was a sight. There was unhappiness. The girl was not impressed at all. Had she been older I imagine it would have involved a slap. But instead she glared at him, shock off his grip and came over to me for comfort.
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korfan
August 29, 2014 at 8:29 AM
Manin -
Glad to hear you're doing ok.
Certainly take your time packing. ..... I have a friend who travels a lot but she always, always waits until the very last minute. As a result, she always finds that she forgot something. ...... Best to take your time, do it slowly and make sure you have everything you need.
I hope that before you leave you'll get a little time to still got out and take pictures and buy stuff you really want to take back home with you ..... or to go out and do other fun stuff you really want to do before you leave.
Clearly the wrist grabber needs to work on his technique! *laughing* ...... I'm kidding. :)
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Manin
August 29, 2014 at 4:17 PM
Korfan:
Haha yes I tend to wait until the day before when it comes to packing. But this time I think I need a bit more time. Need to decide what to abandon as well.
I am hoping to get some time, but work kinda makes it hard (will be working up untill the day I leave pretty much)
Haha, he certainly doesn't have the smoothness of a drama wrist grab indeed ;)
CaroleMcDonnell
August 29, 2014 at 7:30 AM
A wrist grab confession failure?? Nooooooo, say it ain't so!
I would soooo miss the food.
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Manin
August 29, 2014 at 7:58 AM
It was a failure indeed. The girl was not impressed so say it mildly.
Most of the food is good. Some is a bit odd (like chickens feet and pork intestine). The big exception is the school lunches though. I'm not gonna miss those at all! (the school chef is not very good. We've pretty much figured out that we can't tell f something is good or bad anymore, we just know it's better than the lunch at work)
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pogo
August 29, 2014 at 11:42 AM
Hey Manin!
that is truly gold, the wrist grab confession failure! Your toddlers now officially have more sense than most kdrama writers and characters, it's quite something. And if this is how they are now, imagine how they'll be when they get to actual high school :D
I'm loving Three Musketeers too, mainly for Lee Jin-wook (I'm really hoping his character's death as told in the first ep, is a fakeout). That intense stare of his, and the facade of perfect niceness but imperviousness he puts on with his wife....wow. Gong Hyo-jin (his current gf) does have good taste in men!
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fab
August 29, 2014 at 1:38 PM
Gong Hyo-jin and Lee Jin-wook are dating?? It's quite a sight, those beautiful creatures in love. Approved!:D
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james94131
August 29, 2014 at 1:55 PM
As a fan of Gong Hyo-Jin, I would have to reverse the emphasis, and say instead that Lee Jin-wook has good taste in women!
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Manin
August 29, 2014 at 4:27 PM
As a fan of both I'll go with: they both have good taste to be dating each other ;)
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pogo
August 30, 2014 at 12:41 AM
Hey I'm her fangirl too! And I like that she found someone who seems worthy of her, they're a good match.
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Manin
August 29, 2014 at 4:23 PM
Hi Pogo!
How are you?
Haha yes I'm kinda sad I don't get to see them once they hit high school. Some of them do seem to have promising futures indeed :p
Lee Jin-Wook is just awesome. It will be interesting to see how they mix history with the 3 musketeers story. The way he handles his wife is so well done as well. You can feel how annoying it is and how hurtful he is actually being at the same time there is no fault as such that you can latch on to.
Lee Jin-Wook and Gong Hyo-Jin makes a pretty and talented couple indeed.
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pogo
August 30, 2014 at 4:08 PM
Hey Manin! I'm good, thanks! You may not see your kids in high school, but I'm sure they'll remember you fondly, just as you do them :)
Lee Jin-wook is reducing me to puddles in his sageuk getup, which is funny because he wasn't doing it for me in Nine. But yeah, he and Gong Hyo-jin make a great couple, so effortlessly talented.
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panda
August 29, 2014 at 4:35 PM
Like,I am so jealous of her. Lol
She's kissed some of my fav men: Cha Seung-Won, Jang Hyuk, Gong Yoo, Lee Jin-Wook.
Lucky girl
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pogo
August 30, 2014 at 4:10 PM
don't forget So Ji-sub! And Rain. And Ha Jung-woo.....
(now if only Won Bin could do an acting project again, and they could have a film/drama that actually lets them kiss this time, I loved Guns & Talks)
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8 calicali
August 29, 2014 at 6:43 AM
Anyone else following Kim Hyun Joong's assault case? It's so despicable. Equally bad are all the fans saying that they will stand and support Oppa and hope for HIS recovery and that his girlfriend probably deserved to get her ribs broken. So horrible. His persona in dramas and fan meetings is not who he is in real life. Ugh humanity.
I have such low tolerance for people who do this. There are so many talented people that don't beat the people they love so let's just ship KHJ to the army with the dishonor he deserves.
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Manin
August 29, 2014 at 6:57 AM
I've been seeing some of the updates posted on soompie and koalasplayground. What I'm fearing atm is for the case to turn into a replay of the PSH case with media play and leaking of evidence.
I do also feel that dispatch should be a bit more careful about what they do leak. Weather or not they get the info from the victim or an inside source it won't be long before her name will be out and about as a result of the evidence they present. And then hell will be out. Especially with how some people are already reacting.
And with the press release from his own agency it does pretty much confirm that there have been violence happening. Which is unacceptable. No matter what happened for it to come about, getting violent towards a person in unacceptable. Weather this is a guy towards a girl, or a girl towards a guy.
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coby
August 29, 2014 at 8:51 AM
After reading that headline..I remember his fighting scenes in Inspiring Generation.. yikes
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redfox
August 29, 2014 at 7:07 AM
blaming the woman is so typical in assault and rape cases and even job arguments. always blame the victim! AND IF A WOMAN IS DOING IT, SHE MAKES HERSELF A VICTIKM OF THOS BELIEFS AND POLICIES AS WELL!
oh ups caps
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Ek Ladhki Thi is Kim Eun-sooks no 1 fan
August 29, 2014 at 7:07 AM
Indeed KHJ's scandal is truly shocking because I guess I never pegged him for the type to hit a woman, but then again I don't know anything about his personality or life. I know lots of people who have had to deal with an abusive significant other and I always think the same thing every time, "if he hits you once, he will do it again. don't wait for it to happen a second time before you get yourself out of there." In my part of the world, domestic abuse is something of a taboo topic. Women who get hit can't talk about it because they feel stifled by society, sometimes even by their own families. They bear the pain and always say "if I leave him, what will become of my children?" It's really disturbing and saddening.
But, why did she wait until now to report him? Why didn't she say anything the first time it happened? Maybe she was scared? Perhaps, did he threaten her? Another thing I've noticed is, women usually say "Oh he will change, he was just angry, he didn't mean it, he loves me, maybe I did something to upset him." Newsflash, women beaters never change. And no matter how mad you made him, he doesn't have a right to beat you. Please, don't let someone treat you any less than you deserve.
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Panda
August 29, 2014 at 7:14 AM
True,they never change.