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I've been really enjoying this season's offerings in Kdrama land. Currently I'm doing my best to follow I Am Legend and My Girlfriend is a Gumiho as my main priorities, and watching Comrades, Sungkyunkwan Scandal and Playful Kiss on the side. (For now, I've put Dong Yi on a backburner until either 1) the series is over or 2) when I'm done watching all of Comrades.)
Now, I love I Am Legend. I think out of everything, it's my favourite this season. The very premise of divorcee rising to become a successful rockstar charmed me into trying out the first ep, and then the brilliant acting in this kept me going. I love Kim Jung Eun, she's like, my new favourite actress. I can't believe I've never noticed her before, but now all her dramas are on my to-watch list, that's how good it is for me. And I'm really, really enjoying the music, and all the band moments where the ahjummas get all excited about singing and just having fun together.
I do wish though, that they'd fire their script writer and get someone who actually knows how to string two words together. The script for this show is so bad, honestly. Sometimes I feel like the scriptwriter is going through a list of cliches, and then when they bring in new points, they never fall through with it. ( spoilery examples are spoilery )
Also I get this strange feeling that the scriptwriter thinks he or she is writing a legal drama or something. Seriously, fans of IAL are NOT watching this for the court cases OR for the stupid love square, we're really here to watch Sul Hee be awesome, and for the band to perform. Less legal stuff, MORE MUSIC. I personally think they should have just dropped the whole secondary romantic leads for the story after the first half of the show because they have no real purpose anymore with the actual storyline of rock band awesomeness, but noooooo the script keeps inventing ridiculous reasons to bring them back and argh.
It's a credit to the acting that I just don't care about its terrible script and continue watching anyhow. (Okay no, sometimes I find myself having to stop in the middle of an episode because my brain keeps asking itself, whyyyyyyyyyyy whyyyyyyyyyyyy for the love of god whyyyyy, but I always come back for more) I think everyone's doing a good job actually, making the best out of that horrid script. Speaking of acting, I actually quite like the secondary female lead. I mean, her character is kind of written very 2D esque, but she brings lovely nuances to her character, the way she is ruthless and cold, with that sliver of a smirk always on her face, and the moments wherein it wobbles and slips when she's uncertain. I'm frustrated with the way comments are going, praising the male secondary lead constantly for his perfect portrayal of cool cold stoic-ness but bash the female secondary lead for always having the same cold expression on her face... ( continued ramblings on stoic acting and female vs. male portrayals of this )
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When I get really frustrated with the script in I Am Legend, I find myself thinking about the script in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, and how this worked for me way more than IAL. I've never really watched much by the Hong sisters. In fact, I've only seen You're Beautiful before this, but I'm kind of getting a sense of their distinctive drama storytelling style. One of which is that they often bring in elements that would normally be things of GREAT ANGST, but then it becomes not much of a big deal. ( spoilery example from MGIAG ) I was comparing it with how IAL does it, and I think... I think the reason why it works for me in MGIAG is because I often feel that these things are done deliberately, just to lightly poke fun and having loads of fun parodying everything at the kdrama troupes without being serious about anything or trying too hard to be deep. The script from the Hong sisters doesn't really try to be more than what they do, and they kind of write their fluff scripts with a meta-awareness. Whereas, for IAL, my impression is more like, omg this scriptwriter has NO CLUE what s/he's doing, something take away their pen now.
( more IAL and MGIAG comparisons )
Also, I was wondering, do the Hong sisters always write a faily secondary female lead who is really only there to be the 'bitch' character and throw in conflict points that don't have much impact? ( more talk on the portrayal of the secondary female leads )
I can't stand the adult romance either. They're too childish, seriously. And I'm so over the whole stoic guy with trench coat and ditzy girl. SO. OVER.
But whatever, the main reason why I watch MGIAG is for 1) SHIN MIN AH ♥ 2) crack and 3) WOONG/MIHO LOVE. omg the chemistry, it doesn't sizzle, it buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurns. ♥ As long as it keeps delivering I don't care about anything else and will brush past the problematic secondary female lead portrayal.
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I actually can't believe I'm watching Playful Kiss? For a show that's supposed to just be my 'whenever I have the time' show, I'm strangely not far behind the latest episode. Like, I never liked the manga or the other drama versions that came out because I just never liked the leads. As I mentioned before, I really really hate the whole stupid ditzy lead with a good heart who melts down the icy barrier of asshole-y male interest. I think I just read one too many of these types of shoujo manga in the past and my brain snapped along the way to develop this INSTANT HATE reaction when I see it. But, you know, the way Jung So Min plays Ha Ni just made her so endearing to me... I never liked this character in all her incarnations, not even when Ariel Lin played her in It Started With A Kiss (and for the record, I'm very very fond of Ariel Lin), but Jung So Min just makes her so sympathetic to me. She's just so awkward and in love with Seung Jo, it's kind of painful to watch because I keep having flashbacks to those embarrassing high school crushes I used to have, but I guess that's why it's convincing for me, Ha Ni's role. It just works.
( Playful Kiss: Seung Jo, the Romance, The Mean Girl )
Anyhow, at the BOTTOM of it, I think this show is cute high school romance fluff done just right so that I enjoy it without feeling annoyed at it. In my mind this show doesn't really leave that strong of an impression on me, and I keep thinking I'm not gonna follow it until it's over or something, but as I keep, you know, checking out the episodes as they come out every week, I think I'm going to have to admit I'm more or less following this.... eventually.
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Sungkyunkwan Scandal really, REALLY reminds me of Hana-Kimi. I say this with all my love in me. I actually don't really have more coherent thoughts beyond YAY CROSSDRESSING WITH PERIOD CLOTHING YAY. So... I'll just not ramble about it. I actually don't care at all who our main girl ends up with, as long as it, you know, keeps being about HER, and doesn't decide to shift the story so that it's about The Boys... Not that I'm hopeful this would end up like that, but one can be hopeful, y/y? My favourite guy is the player boy because he amuses me and the actor is Song Joong Ki, but I don't want him to end up with Yoon Hee. I just mean that I like seeing him being the outrageous flirt he is on screen.also I'm amused by slash subtext I'm detecting between him and Jae Shin. 8D 8D
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Everyone always goes on about how Comrades is what Road Number 1 should have been, so I'll just save my breath. BRILLIANT war drama, and I heart the romance like nothing else. War dramas have never been great on the whole women front, but I'm like, hey look! There have been two prominent female characters so far! Who haven't died yet! Not quite passing the bedchel test, but this was totally more than I expected from this drama. Also I love the romance. The gaze between the two, it's like, smouldering. Also I always had a weakness for the whole ended up on opposite sides of the battlefield thing. (Hence why I loved Nine-Tailed Fox aka Forbidden Love way way back. It was so bad, you guys, but it was SO GOOD. 8D)
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*coughs* So, what kdramas have you been following? Or just tv in general. For American shows I've been following Nikita and The Vampire Diaries so far.and maybe, maybe kind of sort of checking out Hellcats, YOU CAN'T GET ME TO ADMIT THIS AHHHHHH I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M TURNING INTO A CW WATCHER AHHHHHHHHH Will prob make a post on the Fall U.S. shows at the end of this month.
also, if anyone would like to direct me to a basic icon base tutorial thinger, that'd be great! I really want I Am Legend icons, enough to actually want to try making some on my own but I don't even know how to go about it, so if anyone would just link me something for newbs like moi, I'd love you forever. (that, or direct me to more IAL icons. I've had very little luck finding them so far. T_T)
Now, I love I Am Legend. I think out of everything, it's my favourite this season. The very premise of divorcee rising to become a successful rockstar charmed me into trying out the first ep, and then the brilliant acting in this kept me going. I love Kim Jung Eun, she's like, my new favourite actress. I can't believe I've never noticed her before, but now all her dramas are on my to-watch list, that's how good it is for me. And I'm really, really enjoying the music, and all the band moments where the ahjummas get all excited about singing and just having fun together.
I do wish though, that they'd fire their script writer and get someone who actually knows how to string two words together. The script for this show is so bad, honestly. Sometimes I feel like the scriptwriter is going through a list of cliches, and then when they bring in new points, they never fall through with it. ( spoilery examples are spoilery )
Also I get this strange feeling that the scriptwriter thinks he or she is writing a legal drama or something. Seriously, fans of IAL are NOT watching this for the court cases OR for the stupid love square, we're really here to watch Sul Hee be awesome, and for the band to perform. Less legal stuff, MORE MUSIC. I personally think they should have just dropped the whole secondary romantic leads for the story after the first half of the show because they have no real purpose anymore with the actual storyline of rock band awesomeness, but noooooo the script keeps inventing ridiculous reasons to bring them back and argh.
It's a credit to the acting that I just don't care about its terrible script and continue watching anyhow. (Okay no, sometimes I find myself having to stop in the middle of an episode because my brain keeps asking itself, whyyyyyyyyyyy whyyyyyyyyyyyy for the love of god whyyyyy, but I always come back for more) I think everyone's doing a good job actually, making the best out of that horrid script. Speaking of acting, I actually quite like the secondary female lead. I mean, her character is kind of written very 2D esque, but she brings lovely nuances to her character, the way she is ruthless and cold, with that sliver of a smirk always on her face, and the moments wherein it wobbles and slips when she's uncertain. I'm frustrated with the way comments are going, praising the male secondary lead constantly for his perfect portrayal of cool cold stoic-ness but bash the female secondary lead for always having the same cold expression on her face... ( continued ramblings on stoic acting and female vs. male portrayals of this )
+
When I get really frustrated with the script in I Am Legend, I find myself thinking about the script in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, and how this worked for me way more than IAL. I've never really watched much by the Hong sisters. In fact, I've only seen You're Beautiful before this, but I'm kind of getting a sense of their distinctive drama storytelling style. One of which is that they often bring in elements that would normally be things of GREAT ANGST, but then it becomes not much of a big deal. ( spoilery example from MGIAG ) I was comparing it with how IAL does it, and I think... I think the reason why it works for me in MGIAG is because I often feel that these things are done deliberately, just to lightly poke fun and having loads of fun parodying everything at the kdrama troupes without being serious about anything or trying too hard to be deep. The script from the Hong sisters doesn't really try to be more than what they do, and they kind of write their fluff scripts with a meta-awareness. Whereas, for IAL, my impression is more like, omg this scriptwriter has NO CLUE what s/he's doing, something take away their pen now.
( more IAL and MGIAG comparisons )
Also, I was wondering, do the Hong sisters always write a faily secondary female lead who is really only there to be the 'bitch' character and throw in conflict points that don't have much impact? ( more talk on the portrayal of the secondary female leads )
I can't stand the adult romance either. They're too childish, seriously. And I'm so over the whole stoic guy with trench coat and ditzy girl. SO. OVER.
But whatever, the main reason why I watch MGIAG is for 1) SHIN MIN AH ♥ 2) crack and 3) WOONG/MIHO LOVE. omg the chemistry, it doesn't sizzle, it buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurns. ♥ As long as it keeps delivering I don't care about anything else and will brush past the problematic secondary female lead portrayal.
+
I actually can't believe I'm watching Playful Kiss? For a show that's supposed to just be my 'whenever I have the time' show, I'm strangely not far behind the latest episode. Like, I never liked the manga or the other drama versions that came out because I just never liked the leads. As I mentioned before, I really really hate the whole stupid ditzy lead with a good heart who melts down the icy barrier of asshole-y male interest. I think I just read one too many of these types of shoujo manga in the past and my brain snapped along the way to develop this INSTANT HATE reaction when I see it. But, you know, the way Jung So Min plays Ha Ni just made her so endearing to me... I never liked this character in all her incarnations, not even when Ariel Lin played her in It Started With A Kiss (and for the record, I'm very very fond of Ariel Lin), but Jung So Min just makes her so sympathetic to me. She's just so awkward and in love with Seung Jo, it's kind of painful to watch because I keep having flashbacks to those embarrassing high school crushes I used to have, but I guess that's why it's convincing for me, Ha Ni's role. It just works.
( Playful Kiss: Seung Jo, the Romance, The Mean Girl )
Anyhow, at the BOTTOM of it, I think this show is cute high school romance fluff done just right so that I enjoy it without feeling annoyed at it. In my mind this show doesn't really leave that strong of an impression on me, and I keep thinking I'm not gonna follow it until it's over or something, but as I keep, you know, checking out the episodes as they come out every week, I think I'm going to have to admit I'm more or less following this.... eventually.
+
Sungkyunkwan Scandal really, REALLY reminds me of Hana-Kimi. I say this with all my love in me. I actually don't really have more coherent thoughts beyond YAY CROSSDRESSING WITH PERIOD CLOTHING YAY. So... I'll just not ramble about it. I actually don't care at all who our main girl ends up with, as long as it, you know, keeps being about HER, and doesn't decide to shift the story so that it's about The Boys... Not that I'm hopeful this would end up like that, but one can be hopeful, y/y? My favourite guy is the player boy because he amuses me and the actor is Song Joong Ki, but I don't want him to end up with Yoon Hee. I just mean that I like seeing him being the outrageous flirt he is on screen.
+
Everyone always goes on about how Comrades is what Road Number 1 should have been, so I'll just save my breath. BRILLIANT war drama, and I heart the romance like nothing else. War dramas have never been great on the whole women front, but I'm like, hey look! There have been two prominent female characters so far! Who haven't died yet! Not quite passing the bedchel test, but this was totally more than I expected from this drama. Also I love the romance. The gaze between the two, it's like, smouldering. Also I always had a weakness for the whole ended up on opposite sides of the battlefield thing. (Hence why I loved Nine-Tailed Fox aka Forbidden Love way way back. It was so bad, you guys, but it was SO GOOD. 8D)
+
*coughs* So, what kdramas have you been following? Or just tv in general. For American shows I've been following Nikita and The Vampire Diaries so far.
also, if anyone would like to direct me to a basic icon base tutorial thinger, that'd be great! I really want I Am Legend icons, enough to actually want to try making some on my own but I don't even know how to go about it, so if anyone would just link me something for newbs like moi, I'd love you forever. (that, or direct me to more IAL icons. I've had very little luck finding them so far. T_T)
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