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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| Oct. 25th, 2009 @ 10:37 pm Dangermousie's kdrama rankings post, part 4. With summaries, reasons, pics and vids | |||
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This is yet another in my series of "Dangermousie ranks all the kdramas she has ever seen" posts. (I have seen over 70 kdramas and, being addicted to ranking, have decided to rank them all). For previous posts go here. Below the cut are dramas ranked 40-30: these range from dramas I like a lot to dramas I love. All of them have flaws that keep them from higher rankings but all of them are dramas I would have no hesitation in recommending. Once again, I have either finished these dramas entirely or finished enough to make up my own mind. content( Best friends, warrior princesses, single mothers, and nuns: if you do not like their stories, the heroines of these dramas will cut off your heads and then pray over the bodies ) Until next time :) | |||
| Aug. 20th, 2009 @ 11:19 pm I have been ruined for other dramas! | |||
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Worlds Within has ruined me for other dramas! At least for a time.  I am not exaggerating - I tried 3 dramas tonight and had to give up - I kept comparing them with WW and they became unwatchable because of it. First I tried Fly High - bad mistake. Apologies in advance to anyone who liked it but UGH. Even without WW's perfection, Fly High would have been atrocious - in addition to poor visual quality (which to be fair, was not the drama's fault - but the uninventive and snooze-worthy cinematography was) we had the stereotypically, irritatingly cutesy heroine (she missed her bus, hit someone with a shoe accidentally, and tripped, all within the first two minutes of the drama!) and the even more stereotypical icy family-issue-laden CEO who never works despite his lofty title (did I mention that he was supposed to be a native English speaker but I could not make out a word he was saying?). Both of the main characters were paid by actors who were unattractive and could not act. Ugh. UGH. Then I tried Crazy for You, which I normally would like a lot - I have started it some time ago but then needed to get dvds with better subs which I finally did. But despite my liking it, it just didn't draw me in at all, even though it normally would - it was excellent, I just could not get into the mood in the slightest - WW's realness just made me fixate on dramaness of this (which is normally something I'd love). However, I see myself adoring it in the future and it's excellent example of angsty melodrama - I will definitely watch more when I am in a different mood. The same goes for Lawyers of Korea - it's a good drama but I couldn't help but compare it with WW and had to turn it off. And then I stopped trying. I was considering bringing out heavy guns in the shape of Friend but then decided that the whiplash shock from seeing Hyun Bin go from an intellectual director of WW to a brutal thug of Friend would be too much for me in such a short span of time :P And then I got tempted to rewatch Hong Gil Dong (or anything else period, like continuing with Emperor of the Sea or Return of Iljimae) but opted for reading instead as it was late. You have ruined me, WW! For non-period dramas, at least. | |||
| Mar. 27th, 2009 @ 07:02 pm Three excellent underrated dramas... | |||
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1. While the makers of BOF seem terrified that anything other than its leads imitating dead fish while kissing or even, God forbid, holding hands, would bring down Korean law and order, Return of Iljimae, also currently airing, has no problems with scenes like this between the unmarried OTP of the drama. Ahhh, the humanity! cheerful  I feel depraved already! Joking aside, The Return of Iljimae is criminally overlooked. For my money (all $5 of it), RoI is the best kdrama not only of 2009 so far, but all of 2008 as well. I know it sounds pretentious, but it's that rare beast - drama as art. But it doesn't lose any entertainment value for it. And if you don't like streaming on viikii, the first ep came out with excellent and downloadable subs already so you can watch it in HD. Come on, period drama about growing into adulthood, revenge, justice, and love. How could you not want to watch it? 2. I have been following Princess Ja Myung Go (also being subbed on viikii, but you can dl first ep with subs in HD at aja-aja.com) and I love it. It is also the most woman-centric drama I have ever seen - all period dramas I have come across have strong female characters, but I have never seen one with such a female focus. A word of advice to evil backstory King though - perhaps it would be easier to keep your chief general loyal if you didn't order him to off both his daughters on basis of a rather shaky prophesy. I'm just saying, he's the guy with the troops! 3. I have also been watching Cain and Abel - am still only on ep 4 because I am watching so many things at once, but I really really like it. The word that comes to mind the most when thinking about it is how competent it is - competently written, directed, acted. Especially when contrasted with something like BOF which has the air of by the seat of its pants. | |||
| Mar. 9th, 2009 @ 10:55 am Monday Drama Hotness... | |||
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1. I am totally watching Boys Over Flowers ep 18. I am completely over the J-quadrupled angst-fest but the emo in this ep sounds cracktastic and I am so in it for Yi Jung/Ga Eul.  chipper2. Ep 4 of To Get Her (I am in the middle of it) is as wonderful and pitch perfect as the first three. It's been a long time since I adored all the main characters so and the slightly delicately whimsical tone is perfect. I love this drama too much for words, honest. Also, Momo/Mars is so my new huge OTP. For one, I love that they are figuring out they like each other early on. I hate it when the characters have emotional maturity and self-knowledge of turnips. 3. A SUBBING GROUP HAS PICKED UP ILJIMAE. I will be able to watch in HQ dls and not little streaming windows. And keep it. !!!!!!!! 4. I have started the Chinese drama Men and Legends starring Dylan Kuo and Peter Ho.  It's set in 1920s China and the two leads are eventual BFFs who are students of two different famous kung fu masters who end up fighting the Japanese.  There are OTPs (Dylan is adorable with his), cool clothes, martial arts, and much hotness. I can't say I care for Peter's character too much yet - bratty but good-natured tricksters are usually not my thing, but he is hot in it, and Dylan is both super super hot and plays a type of character I really like - serious and naive (even innocent) and worshipping the ground his OTP walks on. Me wants! I'll have pretty caps at some point, if I can cap my DVDs.  I have no idea if the drama is good (I have seen too little to judge yet) but it's certainly very pretty! ( Lots of pretty pretty behind the cut ) | |||
| Mar. 3rd, 2009 @ 07:48 pm BOF 17 liveblog, fangirling To Get Her, and Russian songs: nothing in common at all... | |||
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( Liveblog of ep 17 of BOF: where I fangirl Yi Jung and definitively switch ships to JH/Jandi ) chipperIs it me or was the editing in this ep awful, btw? But then the whole ep felt off to me. In other news, how much do I adore episode 3 of To Get Her? And you know what I love? That it wasn't Mars who rescued and found Momo from the mean girls locking her up (though he tried, he got there too late. I do love how he broke into a dead run).     She got let out and then it was Jia Sen who found her. I loved, loved that!     Such an awesome drama. Also, I think both Momo and Mars are beginning to realize they might like each other. Mmmm - it's only ep 3, I approve. Overall, it can be very whimsically light (I love that vibe) but the underpinnings feel so emotionally solid - guuuh. I am so in love with this drama. More than Boys Over Flowers (though not as much as with Iljimae, which is a genuine masterpiece. I continue to be in awe of it).   And not related to anything I love love love this song: | |||
| Feb. 22nd, 2009 @ 07:52 pm Be Still My Heart! | |||
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 busy   (caps from dramabeans) | |||
| Feb. 21st, 2009 @ 10:20 am On BOF and Iljimae... | |||
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ETA: Here is the long preview for BOF 15, with subs! complacentSo, the ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} hydkorea has some stalker pics from an upcoming scene. ( Spoiler for what that scene is and my thoughts on it )I hope he grovels and grovels and grovels a LOT later. He better! You know, so far they are following Hanadan2 rather closely. Well, if they are doing so, I know which scene I'd like them to include - where JP is at an engagement type dinner with Momster, fiancee, and fiancee's parents, and he finds out Jandi collapsed and runs out of there, to get to the hospital only to see Ji Hoo already by her bedside. I love that scene! Or the very end, where he is complaining about her being late and she silences him by pulling down on his scarf and kissing him - first time she's initiated. MMMMMMM. Speaking of loves - I have been rewatchining the ouchy break-up scene a few more times than healthy. It's interesting, isn't it, how this break-up is so horrific in large part because JP is being so brutal. Now, one can say that no matter what, he ought to have done is gentler, or one might counter that he knew there were spies everywhere and he was desperate to drive her off to protect her. I seemerit in both and am somewhere in between. But I think ultimately, the reason they did it this way is because it's a kdrama and everything must be heightened because it is a kdrama. Compare it to the break-up in Hanadan2, which has a very different vibe, more 'real.' Because the thing I love about that break-up (other than the fact that Matsujun looks like he is dying, throughout the scene) is that the way Matsujun's Domyouji does it is so realistic - so the way it could happen in RL if he meant it - we dated, now I've grown up and grown apart and don't want to any more. He doesn't insult her or act like the world's biggest jerk, and somehow, because of it, it feels more final. (And then she tries to punch him and fails to connect - how symbolic). I don't really have a preference for one over the other because each suits the type/atmosphere of its drama best - Hanadan2 low-key but horribly painful break-up in an open stadium. BOF's opera-like agony in artificial surroundings and horrible horrible things said. I am glad we have both actually. In other news, Iljimae continues to be insanely pretty:    (caps from dramabeans) ETA2: Here is a short preview for BOF 15: | |||
| Feb. 18th, 2009 @ 01:30 pm Sleeping boys and cross-dressing boys - Two things I like... | |||
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1. Self-explanatory: 2. This is Jung Il woo disguised as a woman in Iljimae. He makes a prettier woman than me. Wow.  | |||
| Feb. 18th, 2009 @ 12:34 pm Korean Paul and Virginie in a painting come alive... | |||
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 calm One little moment in (Return of) Iljimae ep 3 totally broke my heart: it's Iljimae asking the police officer so hesitantly whether his father would reject him because Koreans are big on formal speech etc and he doesn't know any. Oh God, his fear and concern and uncertainty so break my heart. No, he won't! He will reject you because he is a horrible scumbag who raped your mother and tried to commit infanticide when you were born. Not that you know either fact. Poor kid. Because that's the thing - he is 16, he is still such a kid. Oh, God, and then the scene that follows. Awful. Just awful. And of course, his depairing thoughts near the end of the ep, when he is all alone, hunted fugitive, denied by his horrible father, that people are all evil, and how the narration says that he stole chickens to survive and was gradually turning into a wild beast. Of course, he is going to meet Dal Yi and get a reprieve for a bit but we all know what happens...GUH. Poor boy. It's funny, because he really does manage to portray the bewilderment and loss of someone who is still almost a child and has to grow up horribly, and you just want to protect him. Maybe it's the new mother in me. But JIW has such an air of vulnerability and is also age-appropriate for the role. Side note: Iljimae has one of the most gorgeous soundtracks ever. And I love the narration.  You know, if this keeps up, this will become my favorite sageuk except for Legend. More than Damo, more than Kingdom of the Winds, more than Hong Gil Dong. It's amazing.  Oh God, somebody please put it on DVD with English subs. I can't believe the disappointing Lee Jun Ki version got subs and this only has subs in streaming. GRRRR.  Check out this gorgeous bit (Iljimae and Dal Yi): it's gorgeous like a painting and I love the feel of almost Rousseauvian state of natural innocence a la Paul and Viginie... I love the role reversal: she is the agressor, examining him like a strange toy, initiating a kiss, commenting on his looks, and he is so completely shy. Adorable!  (caps from dramabeans) | |||
| Feb. 18th, 2009 @ 09:00 am Random Thoughts Largely Related to Boys Over Flowers | |||
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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. 16th, 2009 @ 09:45 am The Best Drama You Are Probably Not Watching | |||
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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 @ 02:18 pm Dangermousie's Top 10 Upcoming Korean Drama Actors and Actresses List | |||
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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. 6th, 2009 @ 03:25 pm Boy Kissing, Cellphone Novels, and Angsty Vengeful Ninjas. Largely about jdramas... | |||
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Is nobody on my friends' list watching the jdrama Love Shuffle? Seriously, come on, nobody? I just discovered it and, more importantly, discovered it stars Tamaki Hiroshi and Matsuda Shota (and a female star named Karina???) and involves people swapping relationships and boy/boy (i.e. Hiroshi/Shota) kissing. I'd think some of my flisties would be all over it but noooo. FAIL. :P contentI have a huge jdrama craving though, so I am going to start both Long Love Letter (I have the entirety of it), My Boss My Hero (have first ep dl!), finally finish Ice World (I like it, just got sidetracked) and maybe check out Akai Ito, currently airing, which is based on a cellphone novel:  Can it be as cracktastic as Koizora? We can only hope! Also, I really really must start Iljimae. So pretty!  | |||
| Jan. 22nd, 2009 @ 05:50 pm You can't have too many angsty Robin Hoods | |||
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content As I am sure some of you are aware, the other drama currently in production by producers of Hanadan has just started airing: Iljimae starring Jung Il Woo and Yoon Jin Seo. While the name and the very very general outline of the story is the same as earlier this year's drama Iljimae with Lee Jun Ki, this one is very different in look, tone, and story (in fact, the story is very different). Much less comic-booky, much more tradtional and angsty. I confess that so far, I like it much better. Why? 1. The visuals are gorgeous. Not that LJK's version wasn't pretty, it was (I have yet to see a badly lensed Korean drama). But the muted rich tones of this drama, the look, is just gorgeous. One thing Group 8 knows how to do is art design and cinematography. 2. There will be no stupid and unresolved love triangle/quadrangle/whatever. Iljimae has one OTP, the end. No OTP interlopers, either. 3. Ever wonder how cool LJK's Iljimae would have been if the protagonist was the angsty half-illegitimate half-brother? Wonder no more! 4. ( Character descriptions ) 5. It is so very pretty! ( Unspoilery caps of prettiness ) 6. Lee Jun Ki's version never had this:  | |||
| Jan. 5th, 2009 @ 06:28 pm Excuse me while I swoon... | |||
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I cannot wait to watch the new Iljimae, which starts next week! content | |||
| Dec. 19th, 2008 @ 01:15 pm Kdramas...a gift that keeps on giving! | |||
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I have started Who Are You and so far, it's delicious. awake   ( Caps and summary of awesomeness ) I love this! So, we see where this is going, right? Young In has warmth, spunk, and character, but she is completely broke. Seung Hyo has tons of money and could solve all of Young In's financial problems without blinking, but he has no warmth or connection in his life. Nothing in common -- at least until Young In's soon-to-be-killed father turns into a ghost and decides he can use Seung Hyo's body for a small part of the day :) In other news, a few promo posters for upcoming Iljimae are out and they look gorgeous. I think I might like this version much better than the greatly fanfared Lee Jun Ki version which ended up basically being a Saturday Afternoon Cartoon...   ( More posters here ) | |||
| Oct. 27th, 2008 @ 04:28 pm Reasons Korean TV is better than ours! | |||
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1. Reason 1. At any given time there is likely to be a show running on Korean TV involving hot angsty swordsmen, likely with a forbidden love and a ready-made vendetta. bouncy ( Bigger version ) That is Jung Il-Woo, the star of Return of Iljimae in a promo still. I have to say, I am digging the look of RoI better than the candy-colored prettiness of Lee Jun Ki's version. With few notable exceptions (Hong Gil Dong - but that is a sui generis beast anyway), I love my period dramas on the somber side, and this Iljimae looks like he will have Lee Jun Ki's issues mixed with park Shi Ho's intensity. What's not to love? 2. Reason 2. At any given time there is likely to be a show running on Korean TV involving hot angsty swordsmen, likely with a forbidden love and a ready-made vendetta. Bonus points if he is a cursed and tortured prince.  ( Larger version ) This scene with Muhyul and Yeon in ep 13 made me melt. Because he is so falling to pieces as he realizes his revenge and his horrible path was all for nothing, and he is talking about how he had nothing in his life and was a wall-painter doomed to spend all his life in a cave, hating the darkness and being abandoned, and then the Crown Prince taught him to dream, and she comes over and hugs him and OMG. That is totally the first physical contact between them (which isn't when she is curing him, or he is helping her run or whatever). *swoon* ( More swoony KotW caps, largely shippy-centric ) 3. Reason 3. At any given time there is likely to be a show running on Korean TV involving hot angsty  So much glee. | |||
| Oct. 27th, 2008 @ 07:06 am Methinks I am sold... | |||
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chipper Whoa. This is the promo poster for the upcoming Return of Iljimae, a different take on the same story as was told earlier this year in Lee Junki's Iljimae (noble robber etc). I was one of 5 people who didn't love LJK's version (started out great but went nowhere) so I was interested in this anyway but now...so sold! ( Larger version ) | |||
| Aug. 5th, 2008 @ 01:01 pm Book joy and Iljimae rant | |||
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Kill that baby! complacentAny book that starts that way can't be all bad :) SMeyer should have paid attention. Yes, as you can tell, I got my hands on Acheron. There better be loads of angst, is all I am sayin'. Cursed at birth is a good start, so let's hope Kenyon keeps this up. In other news, I completely lost any interest in finishing Iljimae, even beyond my mini-hiatus from dramas. It's not a bad piece of work, but if that's the most I can say, it's not going to hold me. Someone once compared it to a live action version of a cartoon comic book and it's true. Not much room for nuance or character study there. Lee Junki could do this in his sleep. My basic problem is the script: just like character development, it doesn't go anywhere. It's the opposite of tighly written or arced and it does not evoke any genuine emotions from me. There so many ways the basic story could be made interesting, gripping even, but it has these moments of brilliance and then fades away into nothingness again. I mean, this thing has 24 episodes! The Legend managed to tell a Lord of the Rings type epic fantasy in that much! So far, Hong Gil Dong is the only take on Robin Hood I liked in kdramas. Not only is the script tight-tight-tight, it actually has a resolution as opposed to Iljimae's supposedly open, most nothing is resolved ending (when you set certain 'goals' in a storyline, they must be resolved, dammit). But most importantly, it manages to have character growth, a mix of humor and angst both successful, and characters I fall madly for (or love to hate). It's tightly written, narratively and character-driven, and makes me feel deeply. Iljimae does none of the above. Oh, and HGD actually also has interesting things to say. It's amazing what difference a good script makes. A script that knows where it's going. Kang Ji Hwan who plays HGD is amazing, true, but Lee Jun Ki can be equally good, I've seen him. But the script gives him (and others) nothing to work with. It reminds me of Powerful Opponents, another interesting premise that went nowhere. | |||
| Jul. 3rd, 2008 @ 11:41 pm Care to have a dessert...of ANGST! | |||
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(ep 7) cheerful I have to say, whatever else, I admire the talent of writers of Iljimae to come up with new ways to torment Lee Jun Ki's character in every episode. Lesser mortals would have just given him a new puppy each ep only to kill it by the end of that same ep. But I dislike when it makes me cry :) P.S. Shi Ho, you are sort of irredeemable now, sorry. | |||