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Apr. 30th, 2016 03:47 pmI've started watching Goodbye Mr. Black, the still-airing kdrama based on an 80s manhwa that is loosely based on The Count of Monte Cristo. This somehow resulted in it being more recognizably Monte Cristo than most direct adaptations. I actually spent about a week trudging through the first episode in 5 and 10 minute increments until I hit about the 3/4 mark last night and I have now finished the 5th episode. I guess I just needed Moon Chae Won to show up.
I'm not overly invested in the revenge aspect yet, largely because I like Ji Won/Black (Dantes) well enough, but am not overly interested in him yet, but I like the characters and have liked a decent number of the actors in other things. More importantly, the male lead's assumed name is Black and the female lead's assumed name is Swan. The subtlety there is downright kethal. So very very subtle. He also gave her the name (her name was Kaya because she was found abandoned in a garbage pile in Thailand as a child and "Kaya" means "garbage" and he decided that wasn't ok) based on his nickname for his sister, " Ugly Duckling."
BUT MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY, as of episode 5, this is the 3rd kdrama I've watched in April in which "inexperienced but determined young reporter takes on impossibly huge and powerful opponent" is a plot point (this is actually pure coincidence aside from the "overlapping people who like them" part), though I doubt it'll be as central here as in Healer or Pinocchio. There was also a scene in episode 5 that was straight out of Healer with a bit of City Hunter thrown in. All that was missing was Park Min Young. The show can feel to have scenes straight out Healer anytime it wants. I suspect I may have been better off waiting until the show is finished to start watching, but South Korea seems to be largely over the "a tragic ending is the best ending 4 out of 5 times" thing.
As of this series, I've watched 4 complete kdramas and started 2 more that I intend to finish in April alone. And The Flower in Prison started today, though English subs arent out yet. I don't think I've ever had such a concentrated period of watching kdramas in the 12 or so years I've been watching them, even adjusting for the superlong sageuks I've watched. That said, given the shenanigans US-and, to a lesser degree, British- TV have been up to the last few months, and the lack of airing anime that I want to watch, it isn't really surprising.
I'm not overly invested in the revenge aspect yet, largely because I like Ji Won/Black (Dantes) well enough, but am not overly interested in him yet, but I like the characters and have liked a decent number of the actors in other things. More importantly, the male lead's assumed name is Black and the female lead's assumed name is Swan. The subtlety there is downright kethal. So very very subtle. He also gave her the name (her name was Kaya because she was found abandoned in a garbage pile in Thailand as a child and "Kaya" means "garbage" and he decided that wasn't ok) based on his nickname for his sister, " Ugly Duckling."
BUT MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY, as of episode 5, this is the 3rd kdrama I've watched in April in which "inexperienced but determined young reporter takes on impossibly huge and powerful opponent" is a plot point (this is actually pure coincidence aside from the "overlapping people who like them" part), though I doubt it'll be as central here as in Healer or Pinocchio. There was also a scene in episode 5 that was straight out of Healer with a bit of City Hunter thrown in. All that was missing was Park Min Young. The show can feel to have scenes straight out Healer anytime it wants. I suspect I may have been better off waiting until the show is finished to start watching, but South Korea seems to be largely over the "a tragic ending is the best ending 4 out of 5 times" thing.
As of this series, I've watched 4 complete kdramas and started 2 more that I intend to finish in April alone. And The Flower in Prison started today, though English subs arent out yet. I don't think I've ever had such a concentrated period of watching kdramas in the 12 or so years I've been watching them, even adjusting for the superlong sageuks I've watched. That said, given the shenanigans US-and, to a lesser degree, British- TV have been up to the last few months, and the lack of airing anime that I want to watch, it isn't really surprising.
(no subject)
Apr. 20th, 2016 08:47 pm As part of my mostly-unintentional non-sageuk kdrama binge (I've watched the entirety of Liar Game, Healer, and Descendants of the Sun this month, and will hopefully write substantially about them soon. Especially Healer and mental disabilities) I've started watching Pinocchio (the title comes from a fictional condition in the show where there are people who can't even tell little white lies or exagerate without hiccupping) and it certainly has the most CREATIVE take on kdramaland's fondness for fakecest that I've seen.
The male lead, Dal Po is adopted by an old man with dementia who mistakes him for his dead first son, and records him in the family register as his son. The female lead, In Ha, is the old man's granddaughter, making her future boyfriend be her legal uncle. Awkward.
As a sidenote, I am deeply confused as to why Dal Po has a hideous shaggy wig when they're teenagers (where I am now) but gets a haircut as an adult, whereas, based on images I've seen, In Ha has the same hairstyle at 25 as she had at 15. Why must one lead require a hideous wig so that he'll look different as an adult when the other doesn't? (I'm ok with being very shallow here.)
The male lead, Dal Po is adopted by an old man with dementia who mistakes him for his dead first son, and records him in the family register as his son. The female lead, In Ha, is the old man's granddaughter, making her future boyfriend be her legal uncle. Awkward.
As a sidenote, I am deeply confused as to why Dal Po has a hideous shaggy wig when they're teenagers (where I am now) but gets a haircut as an adult, whereas, based on images I've seen, In Ha has the same hairstyle at 25 as she had at 15. Why must one lead require a hideous wig so that he'll look different as an adult when the other doesn't? (I'm ok with being very shallow here.)
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Dec. 30th, 2015 07:56 pm I'm 8 episodes into the sageuk drama Jung Yi, Goddess of Fire, and pretty sure it would be more accurate if they named it Jung Yi, Master of Accidentally Getting Arrested/Almost Executed For Treason.
I say that out of love, mind you (this show is great, though Jung Yi's adult actress isn't as good as her child actress yet, though I admit to a bias in favor of Jin Ji Hee) but 8 episodes in, and she's on her 5th round of being in trouble for some sort of theft/accidentally getting caught up in treasonous thing, and that's not including the 2 times Gwanghae just pretended nothing happened. At this point, Tae Do (aka, obligatory very tall and pretty surrogate brother with a sword and long flowing hair. You know what I mean, all sageuk heroines have them these days) is going to die of exhaustion before the show is halfway over.
I say that out of love, mind you (this show is great, though Jung Yi's adult actress isn't as good as her child actress yet, though I admit to a bias in favor of Jin Ji Hee) but 8 episodes in, and she's on her 5th round of being in trouble for some sort of theft/accidentally getting caught up in treasonous thing, and that's not including the 2 times Gwanghae just pretended nothing happened. At this point, Tae Do (aka, obligatory very tall and pretty surrogate brother with a sword and long flowing hair. You know what I mean, all sageuk heroines have them these days) is going to die of exhaustion before the show is halfway over.
