Musings of the Obsessive Kind
She's a mite whimsical in the brainpan.
Musings of the Obsessive KindShe's a mite whimsical in the brainpan. |
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| Apr. 16th, 2009 @ 01:24 pm Feel like a clever cop show? Then this is for you... | |||
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Current Mood:
I have just started a Taiwanese drama Black and White, about two rather different cops who end up paired up to investigate a drug-distribution deal which turns into a giant conspiracy.  cheerful Two episodes in and I highly recommend it, even if you are not normally into dramas - slick production values, twisty plot, strong women, the mob, two awesome cops etc etc - I can see this as a British series. All that, and endless possibilities for slash. So far, here are the five main characters: ( They are behind the cut. Nonspoilery. Plus more reasons to watch ) | |||
| Apr. 1st, 2009 @ 08:57 pm Cain and Abel... | |||
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Looking for a kdrama after BOF is over? Check out Cain and Abel! It has everything: revenge, angsty love, sibling rivalry, evil families, amnesia, major manpain, pretty cinematography, twisty plot. Oh, and above all So Ji Sub and Han Ji Min. Whoever thought to cast the two of them as leads has my undying love because...seriously. OMG. I love them.  chipperHere is an unspoilery general MV I found featuring four main characters: | |||
| Mar. 23rd, 2009 @ 12:07 pm BOF fixation... | |||
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Current Mood:
I am so desperate to watch ep 22 of Boys Over Flowers, I am watching it on youku with hideous quality and endless buffering (and obviously no subs) as it's not on youtube yet and I don't want to wait the 20 or so minutes while I am dling (once dl finishes, I am switching to it)! creativeYou know, I have no idea if JP objects at his own wedding or not, but I oddly find myself unbothered either way - I think I achieved such a state of zen by finally letting go any notion of him being Domyouji, and in the absence of that, I don't find it so odd that a guy wouldn't call off the wedding on which his company depends (and which would also protect the girl he loves) when the girl he'd ditch it for refused to tell him not to go and get married even when he asked her to, and when he has no indication at all she still loves him after the break-up and probably thinks she doesn't. To ditch such a wedding for nothing would be futile; it is something Domyouji would do because he doesn't get controlled and doesn't give up, but JP isn't Domyouji, unfortunately...In abstract, what JP does is not reprehensible - or maybe I've just gone soft in the head under the influence of too much BOF. In news of the OTP I do care about even more than the main one - I've seen preview for ep 23 and heeee. Ga Eul must have been a Mountie in her past life because she always gets her man :) The funny thing is, when everybody loved SoEul because they were so cute and snipey, I was bored as they were so well-adjusted, and then when emo angst kicked in, is when I got onto the ship and am so digging their storyline now - I am such a born kdrama watcher. ETA: Yes yes yes - ( Spoilery for ep 22 ) | |||
| Mar. 14th, 2009 @ 09:08 pm Amnesia, revenge, and prison torture: this is not your regular episode of E.R. | |||
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Current Mood:
Since my interest (and the drama run) in BOF is winding down, and I don't think Princess Jae Myung Go alone will keep me drama-occupied, I found another airing kdrama to keep me company: Cain and Abel. bouncy I wasn't going to check it out until later, despite my love for So Ji Sub and han Ji Min, because...medical drama = boring to yours truly.  But. But. Why did nobody inform me that there is torture and evil families and amnesia and plucky North Korean refugee girls? Am sold. ( A few more shots which sold me ) Heh. Almost nobody in kdramas gets tormented as well as So Ji Sub and the makers of C&A clearly know it. | |||
| Feb. 26th, 2009 @ 05:51 pm Note to self on dramas | |||
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Because I am so swamped, this is more of a reminder post to me of which dramas I am in the middle of/want to watch so I remember to come back to them. MOVIES Hana Yori Dango Final Butterfly Lovers JDRAMAS Love Story Ice World My Boss My Hero Love Shuffle Mei-Chan no... TWDRAMAS Starlit Defeated Queen To Get Her Concerto KDRAMAS Boys Over Flowers Iljimae Cain & Abel Romance (Snow Queen) (Which Star Are You From) Sang Do | |||
| Feb. 24th, 2009 @ 10:06 pm BOF ep 16 liveblog | |||
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Current Mood:
Yes, I finally watched ep 16 of BOF. It took me all day but was well worth it. sick( Liveblogging ep 16 ) | |||
| Feb. 18th, 2009 @ 09:00 am Random Thoughts Largely Related to Boys Over Flowers | |||
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Current Mood:
1. It's rather neat to see Jun Pyo growing up in this latest ep. Since Ji Hoo is already a grown-up, that will bring the total of grown-ups in F4 to two. Heh.  complacent2. My liveblog for ep 14 got quoted on soompi (and dramabeans comments). I feel famous :D Of course, now even more people know I am obsessive and immature :) 3. Darth Mama could really benefit from being exposed to dramas. I bet she doesn't watch any, but somebody should do her a favor and give her a copy of 'What Happened in Bali.' Then she will realize that keeping your rich but dysfunctional off-spring from the poor, spunky girl he loves and who is his sole outlet to sanity, isolating him from his friends, and ignoring signs of obvious break-down is bad bad bad bad. Well, I suppose as long as Jun Pyo doesn't buy a gun. (Seriously, I know I said it before, but Bali is such a more grown-up and much much darker Hanadan). 4. You know, I think I realized why the whole "pushing someone away while secretly loving them" trope is so popular and successful in dramas - it's sort of a secret wish of a lot of women, IMO. Because come on, gals. I am sure we have all had a bad break-up at one point and/or been dumped. Anf then you so want to think that you didn't misjudge the person, didn't waste your emotions. And you might even still like them, too. And can't help but hope, however absurd you know that hope is, that he didn't mean it, or has good reason for it, or whatever - that he is not a stone cold jerk. 5. Apparently Korean Broadcasting Commission is having a special hearing because it is so concerned with all the violence and sex (sex????? There was sex???? LEAD ME TO IT! Can we take it as governmental confirmation that Jandi and Jun Pyo did the deed in the cabin? :D) in Hanadan. You have gotta be kidding me. There is more violence in one episode of (Return of) Iljimae or Time Between Dog and Wolf than there is in the entirety of Hanadan. And as to sex, unless they are watching some different version (which I desperately want), there is none! And also, I don't remember any outcries about dramas like La Dolce Vita or Que Sera Sera, both of which had some serious sex scenes! Come on, people! Or maybe they think teenagers don't experience violence or hormones and only magically come into acquaintance with both once they turn 21 or whatever the age of majority is in Korea? 6. I really want to watch Hyun Joong's eps of 'We Got Married.' Are there any downloadable versions with subs? 7. And now I am off to watch more of '(The Return of) Iljimae.' I got a number of eps to catch up with. | |||
| Feb. 17th, 2009 @ 06:06 pm Liveblogging episode 14 of Boys Over Flowers | |||
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Current Mood:
Yes, finally, ep 14 pushed me over the edge and I had to resort to liveblogging (ahhh, brings back Hanadan2 days). bouncy It's my favorite ep so far!  Ahhhhh, Korea! Nobody does angst as well as you :P ( Lengthy lengthy liveblog: wherein I want to cuddle Jandi, Ji Hoo becomes even more awesome (if that were possible) and I am back to my Jun Pyo love ) Is it next Monday yet? | |||
| Feb. 17th, 2009 @ 12:23 am Ranty McRant with a side of OTP picspam | |||
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Current Mood:
Grrrr. crankyI know I shouldn't read Dramabeans' recaps of BOF because I have yet to see with her eye to eye on it but argh. Yes, yes, Lee Min Ho is very hot but sorry - he was a massive jerk in this episode. (Also, no, the drama doesn't meander when he is not on screen. I enjoyed the ep quite a lot). And I do not see how anyone couldn't see the Ji Hoo/Jandi potential (but then her boredom with Ji Hoo puzzles me - I have often come across different gradations of like for a character, but it's rare where I am so enamoured with a character and someone else can't stand the sight of him and is bored by them and dislikes their acting). And sorry, the whole 'how unrealistic F3 appear and help with her money/gangster problems - how do they know where to find her' GIVES ME RAGE. I mean, if you have a problem with that, take it up with the mangaka! I also know she adored the Japanese version and the only difference is that in Hanadan2 it was Rui only that had the 'Makino is in distress' beacon seemingly installed. And yet that was OK? Also, the whole griping that now F3 is there, she won't have money problems in Macau. Huh? Once again, Hanadan2 and Rui come to mind. Hello double standard!* Not to mention that (a) presumably Jandi had enough money for a hotel even without F3 but what, we are going to see her stay at a motel as opposed to shoujo fun and (b) this is about a guy who falls for a girl once she kicks him in the head. This ain't going to turn into The Outsiders, with the unwitting foreigner kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery by the mob to eventually die of an overdose! Oh, also, Jandi can be a bit dim now and then but she wasn't in this ep (not any more than Makino in Hanadan2). She is fairly sheltered, after all. Side note: I loved loved LOVED how in Hanadan2, Makino came to New York to look for Domyouji but when it seemed that he just dumped her, she lifted her chin, gritted her teeth and then went to damn sightsee the city, Domyouji be damned, because she came all that way and she wasn't going to waste it! Please let Jandi show the same kind of spunk here. * I adore the Japanese adaptation, both seasons, with a fierce passion (and think it's a better, more coherent story than BOF, overall) but the double standard of HYD being the Holy Grail and BOF inferior on the basis of things that happen in both drive me insane! Not to mention that Hanadan has its own plotholes or jumps, k? Anyway, to make self less rageful, Ga Eul/Yi Jung which makes me quite happy. ( Picspam ) | |||
| Feb. 16th, 2009 @ 05:04 pm Where I exhibit serious rage! | |||
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Current Mood:
Is it me or did the music in this ep become actually good? Oh, and I confess this is the first time I got misty during BOF - at Jandi's despair at finding out about not being able to swim competively. Her one special thing just got taken from her  pissed offAlso - a confession: I switched ships. Yup, am Ji Hoo/Jandi now. Part of it is my rage at Jun Pyo (see rant below) but another is that Ji Hoo is just so amazing. He takes such good selfless care of Jandi, and he is always there for her unobtrusively, and an awesome friend. It's funny, I never shipped Rui/Makino in any version, not even Hanadan2, where I came closest. But here I can't help it - Ji Hoo is just so darn amazing. Saving your life or not, when your bf doesn't contact you for half a year, it's time to move on, Jandi! Ji Hoo is right there - gorgeous and steady and so incredibly good to you, not to mention someone with whom you bond on a whole different level. I mean, forget boyfriend, I'd kill for a friend like that.  Oh, and yeah, as I mentioned in sodahands' lj (this rant is in large part taken from my comment to her): I want Jun Pyo to go DIAF now. He chases her and chases her and as soon as she 'gives in' he just ditches? WTF!!!! I don't care if he has the best reason in the world and his ignoring her point blank is going to save puppies and bring about world peace - you do not do that sort of thing if you claim to have any feelings at all. Not without a word of explanation, not when she spent any money she even plans to have in the next year or whatever for a freaking plane ticket. Yeah, she spent her hard-earned money to visit her "wonderful" boyfriend - who left her a mash note with "I love you's" and then disappeared without a word for half a year. Some prize he is! Oh, and did I mention she had to give up the one thing she wanted to do with her life because of getting hurt FREAKING PROTECTING the jerk? DIEEEEEEEEE. I am beginning to wish Haje did make him a freaking cripple. I am so wishing she just gives up and dates Ji Hoo - he is also gorgeous and rich but unlike her flake of a bf he is always there for her. And I want Jun Pyo to grovel and grovel and suffer and Jandi to still ignore him and date Ji Hoo in his face. UGH. DIE.  SERIOUS. RAGE. | |||
| Feb. 16th, 2009 @ 09:45 am The Best Drama You Are Probably Not Watching | |||
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Current Mood:
cheerful I am in love with (The Return of) Iljimae. In love, in love, in mad mad mad love. In fact, sacriledge though it must be, it just might be THE drama of the season for me, more so than even *gasp* Boys Over Flowers. It's perfect. Also, OMG! I think it has the best opening sequence I have seen the whole year, since last January's Hong Gil Dong!  It is, also, one of the most gorgeous dramas I have seen: I just might buy the DVDs, even if the DVDs won't have subs, in order to watch something so beautiful on the big screen.  In case you don't know the story, Iljimae is based on a very famous manhwa about an illegitimate son, a result of his mother's rape by her master, who is taken away at birth and abandoned. He does grow up and undergoes all sorts of experience before becoming a sort of Robin Hood figure - a masked avenger of wrongs. There is also (1) the strong-willed, intellectual woman who loves him (and who looks like his dead first love); (2) his mother, a remarkable woman who managed to survive and even acquire status and position, and who still looks for him. And (3) the police commander who is charged with catching the mysterious rebel, but who cannot help but sympathize with him (and who is also the man who loves Iljimae's mother, btw).  So yeah, did I mention the pretty of it all?  You can find subbed eps streaming on viikii, though the screen is relatively small and this is a drama that deserves to be watched on as big a screen as possible (you can dl high quality raws in all the usual places).  (All caps are from dramabeans)  Oh, and here is the drama opening: | |||
| Feb. 15th, 2009 @ 07:33 pm Sexy, sexy hypothermia... | |||
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Current Mood:
complacent Right under the wire (ep 13 is airing tomorrow) is my favorite scene in ep 12 of Boys Over Flowers/Hanadan. Nothing to push all my buttons as half0naked cuddling to stave off hypothermia, with the guy all shirtless because he gave the girl his shirt and jacket. Mmmmm...Are you sure she doesn't need your pants too, Lee Min Ho?  ( Awesomeness here. It's like fanfic only canon ) | |||
| Feb. 15th, 2009 @ 02:18 pm Dangermousie's Top 10 Upcoming Korean Drama Actors and Actresses List | |||
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Current Mood:
This post is dedicated to who I think should (and hopefully will) be upcoming Korean drama stars. Because, hey, I adore the current crop quite a lot, but army beckons the men (do you think the producers will weep hardest for Kim Rae Won, Lee Junki, or Joo Ji Hoon?) and you can always have more awesome kdrama heroines. cheerfulSo, here is Dangermousie's List of Upcoming Kdrama Stars, in order, from most likely/wanted, down. Also, only newbies are on the list - no more than a couple of dramas, tops, and no more than one lead (thus people like Park Hye Jin and Lee Ji Ah are out). 1. Kim Bum (19 years old)  Shock of shocks, right? That Lee Min Ho is not occupying the number 1 spot? How come? Well, I enjoy Kim Bum in Boys Over Flowers, but there is no question that BOF is a Lee Min Ho show, all the way. Kim Bum's number 1 spot is due not to me being a squealing teen swept into BOF mania - I am not a teen and when I first noticed him, BOF wasn't even cast yet. No, the reason Kim Bum is occupying the Number 1 spot is due to his role as the younger version of the protagonist in the behemoth East of Eden (hmmm, he is part of the two biggest dramas of the year. Good for him!). Out of the enormous cast, it was actually this totally unknown to me kid, who swept me away. Actually, I think he was my favorite actor of the bunch in the entire drama, quite a feat. But it's his rage, helplessness, fear, and love of the family, that really made me love Dong Chul so. In fact, much as I adore Song Seung Heon, when it was time for the character to be grown-up, I was actually disappointed - emotionally the person who hooked me was Kim Bum. It almost feels like a waste to have him in the cotton candy that is BOF - I am quite looking forward to him getting older and starring in some awesome and dark dramas, a la Mawang. 2. Lee Min Ho (21 years old)  Is anyone surprised that the lead of Boys Over Flowers is on this list? Sometimes kdramas cast unknowns as leads and sometimes that pays off in a huge way and a star is born. Just look at Goong, which made stars out of both Yoon Eun Hye and Joo Ji Hoon. And BOF, happily, proved to be another such a story - it's a dream drama really: internet mania, huge ratings, and a star in the making. Lee Min Ho has it all - he is tall and good-looking (of course, what kdrama star is not) but he is also an amazingly charismatic actor, who can be funny and emotional by turns, OTT and subtle when the role demands. Did I also mention sexy? I think half the drama-watching world is in love with him now, which is YAY! 3. Jung Il Woo (21 years old)  In all the internet furor over BOF, online people are rather overlooking another success story of the season: the somber, elegiac Iljimae - despite its excellent writing, subtle acting, and (thankfully) good ratings. A period story of revenge, justice, and loss, Iljimae stars the 21-year-old Jung Il Woo, who has the deadly combination of almost feminine elegance of look, not feminine at all fighting prowess as the lead, and quite wonderful emoting ability. Sort of like Asian Legolas, only emo. Shockingly, this version is about 20 times better than the earlier one, starring the very famous Lee Junki. Jung Il Woo's excellence in this is quite impressive. I cannot wait to see more of him! 4. Lee Yeon Hee (21 years old)  Yup, definitely a rising star. In fact, some might consider her already almost made, what with her being one of the female leads in East of Eden. Her character is one of my favorites - fun and angsty by turns, someone who has to grow up and grow up she does. She is still an uneven actress but she is improving by leaps and bounds, and she has oodles of charisma and chemistry with Song Seung Heon (who she is rumored to be dating in real life) which helps. Oh, and she is gorgeous. I see a bright future for her. ( Numbers 5-10 are here. You know you want to peek ) | |||
| Feb. 14th, 2009 @ 06:51 pm Secondary OTP awesomeness and a bit of other prettiness... | |||
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I want to shop at this cake store! All of this is from K-Hanadan ep 11... ( Enter heeeeere ) ETA: This is a really enjoyable Jun Pyo/Jandi vid. Eat your heart out, Gossip Girl! :P | |||
| Feb. 14th, 2009 @ 05:23 pm Jandi fangirling | |||
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Current Mood:
I know everyone and their cousin thinks Jandi was a bitch for telling Jun Pyo off in ep 11 and telling him she was tired of dating him, but I am so on her side: if you think about it, she is totally overwhelmed: she has to work 18 billion jobs to help her family finances (which are caused largely by her), and this is also the first romantic relationship she's ever had, which is stressful enough when you are a teenager. And let's face it, Jun Pyo can be amazing, but he is also high maintenance and hard to deal with and much too intense sometimes. Oh, and he is just beating the heck out of someone who she views as a friend in front of her, which is not a very socially friendly behavior and probably reminds her of the beginning of it all. So, I can see why she snaps at him - I don't think she genuinely wants to break up any more than he genuinely does when in ep 12 he tells her she makes him tired. It's just a pretty bad fight, the way a lot of couples have. So yeah, even ep 11 stuff didn't dim my Jandi love, not a bit (sample: re pervy old men and not being able to fight them off. Whenever she fought before it was always other teens - adults are sort of a psychological block for some young 'uns. No, seriously. Also, a pervy attack is something else). And 12, of course, is even more awesome on the Jandi front. amusedAnd because I don't like to have posts without pics. Prettiness:   | |||
| Feb. 14th, 2009 @ 03:44 pm Various TV-related things | |||
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Current Mood:
1. I have my hands on the Dollhouse Pilot. Am excited! Tahmoh and Eliza and, of course, Joss. How can it go wrong? bouncy2. I forgot to mention that a couple weeks back, I checked out an ep of Legend of the Seeker, I think it was 1.08, the one with all the s&m (still way toned down from the book. I hated the book so much, not only did I not finish it, I threw it away instead of returning it and getting a refund, because I didn't want anyone else to stumble on it by mistake). While a vast improvement on the "novel", and with a male lead who is rather awesomely hot, the whole thing is just so...the dialogue, the plot, the acting! No. Just no. OK, I fully realize this is coming from the girl who tried watching a drama called Vampire Gigolo so I have no leg to stand on, but still...no. 3. Korea has clearly decided to branch out and adopt American TV: Korean Gossip Girl:  Korean Twilight:  Korean Hugh Hefner's The Girls Next Door:  Awww, who am I kidding, it's Korea and they know what they do best:  Oh, how I love this scene! | |||
| Feb. 14th, 2009 @ 04:09 am Slashy slashy slashy!!!! | |||
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And a thousand slashfics are born...          | |||
| Feb. 13th, 2009 @ 04:25 pm Spoilers for eps 13-24 of Korean Hanadan! (Stolen from hydcorea) | |||
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Ooooh, goody, look what I found! ( Almoooooooost Paaaaaaradise: some spoilers for upcoming eps ) | |||
| Feb. 8th, 2009 @ 11:29 pm OTP picspam of the day... | |||
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Current Mood:
I rather adore the OTP of the Kim Rae Won and Jung Ryo Won starrer Which Star Are You From (there is a reason this drama made it on my fave kdrama list). They are angsty but functional and fun. And with so much chemistry. She is a lookalike younger sister of his dead girlfriend, who couldn't be more different, and he can't help but fall for her... chipper I could picspam a lot - I adore his love confession at the end of ep 10/11, with dramatic running, and hugging, and cuteness and angst - it's both awwww-inducing and hilarious. But, the one ep I currently have on my HD is ep 8 which is just as well - it's unspoilery. ( Enter here for cuteness ) | |||
| Feb. 7th, 2009 @ 03:31 pm Love Story - a drama about grown-ups | |||
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Current Mood:
I am done with the first episode of Love Story, a 2001 jdrama starring Toyokawa Etsushi and Nakayama Miho, and I am already madly, irrevocably in love. bouncy It has the trademarks of all my favorite jdramas: a nuanced, grown-up, somewhat understated story, with some fantastic acting and complicated, strong-willed, and adult characters. Aishiteiru To Itte Kure gave me an enormous crush on Toyokawa Etsushi, and I am glad that Love Story shows that is not a fluke - the fact that he is an adult playing an adult certainly helps (he was 39 when he starred in this), but what really attracts me is that air of somewhat rumpled intellectualism he has (which he also had in AtIK). Plus charisma. And I have never seen Nakayama Miho before but I adored her on sight - a grown-up woman (considered "on the shelf" at 30), not a simpering or 'cutesy' girl, she portrays someone as strong-willed as Toyokawa Etsushi's character. Stubborn men and women who won't let them get away with it is one of my favorite combos. What is the plot? Nagase (Toyokawa Etsuhi) is a famous novelist suffering from a two-year writing block, reserved, eccentric, and not too fond of people. Misaki (Nakayama Miho) is an editor under contract: her life is not going anywhere much: she is 30 (thus is considered old by the ageist society standards), she is not a permanent worker at the publishing house. As an act of desperation, the publishing house assigns Misaki to their nightmare (but most profitable) author: Nagase. To say their first meeting doesn't go swimmingly is an understatement. When misanthropic Nagese grumps at her, Misaki insults him right back! This act gets her fired, of course, but what we see is that neither Nagase nor Misaki are the absolutes they appear at first. Nagase might be abrasive and certainly eccentric, but is rather kind, in his cranky way, and Misaki is not all steel either: her realization her life is stalled is a constant, believable presence. Having nothing to lose (and with nothing to gain), Misaki comes to apologize the next day, and the scene between her and Nagase in his apartment is what really made me fall in love with this drama - she apologizes because she was rude and because she used to love his books, but there is no demeaning or grovelling in her attitude. And he accepts and clearly is loath to have her leave - in their ten-minute conversation, each one reveals more about themselves to each other than they must have to other people, in years. Misaki might end up helping Nagase break his writer's block, but he might just end up falling for her... ( A few caps ) | |||