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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| Nov. 28th, 2009 @ 02:57 pm When I begin to dream dramas, time to worry! | |||
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Clearly a sign that I and Will it snow for Christmas? are meant to be, I had a long and involved dream in which somehow I and ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} darkeyedwolf (whom I have never met and have no idea what she looks like :p) ended up as extras on the filming of Will it...How bizarre! Dreaming of dramas and flisters - clearly my drama deprivation is beginning to affect my brain. Oh, but how much can I not wait for that angsty yummy romantic dysfunctional tale! If you add in the stuff of the writer, director, and leading man together, the amount of past angsty messed-up romance (Bali, MiSa, Sangdo, Thank You, A Love to Kill, Piano, Green Rose, White Night) is most promising for the future. Oh, and apparently Lee Junki's Hero is doing abysmally - ratings of less than 4percent. It is even lower than that of infamous Heading to the Ground which greedy MBC cut short so it could shove out Hero. Ahahahaha - karma! Every show they cut results in their next one doing worse. In your face! I confess Hero sounds abysmal, and as IRIS is a powerhouse and, something tells me, Christmas is going to pull in higher ratings than the ok-but-nothing-to-write-home-about ratings of the just-ended Beautiful, poor Hero has no chance against either. ETA: Before I left for Thanksgiving trip, I started What's up Fox and love love love. | |||
| Aug. 13th, 2009 @ 03:30 pm Thursday drama round-up | |||
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Current Mood:
1. I am so excited for the upcoming 'special' (i.e. short) drama My Love, Ugly Duckling because it stars Kang Ji Hwan and Li Ji Ah, two of my favorites (Hong Gil Dong and Sujini - ahhhh).  chipper Here is a youtube teaser - I still have no idea what it is about but who cares. 2. To the list of upcoming 2009 dramas I am excited about (Take Care of the Lady, Chuno, IRIS, Heading to the Ground) we add a fifth - Suspicious Heroes, about a guy who loses everything and then becomes some sort of a hero. Blah blah blah, who cares, it stars Lee Jun Ki and Han Ji Min. OMGOMGOMG. To air in November. 3. All those who are not watching Swallow the Sun, why not? As my list of favorite OTPs seemed to indicate, my preferred ship type is of the 'he worships the ground she walks on' variety and StS has it in such delicious abundance.  Here is a scene from ep 11 as summarized by Luv from soompi: JW was telling SH about his past...how he was abandoned right after he was born. He told her about the his memory of her bright eyes...he wanted to destroy the farm so she would like him. (She's rich and he's poor...if he destroys the farm then they'll be equal). But he knows...she's someone he can't have and he shed tears. He told himself that next time when they meet...he'll have confidence in himself.(This part is when they're still kids). But when they met again...he already sold his soul. He's shameful and can only look at her from far away. Falling in love with her would be a sin so he'll keep the pain to himself. SH said she had never seen eyes that were so sad. She said they should comfort each other and cure each other.  Mmm. And then he leaves her, leaving her a note that he will come back for sure and be worthy. Oh YES. ( See caps from such a delicious scene ) 4. I have now watched the first episode of Worlds Within and I adore it ridiculously - is so lowkey but very effective. | |||
| Aug. 9th, 2009 @ 08:29 pm My Girl love | |||
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Am on episode 2 of My Girl in my rewatch and Oh My GUH - Jeong Woo!!!! He is, without doubt, my favorite 'other guy' ever - I adore him ridiculously much. It says volumes about how well the drama is done that despite the fact that I adore him so (more than a lot of drama leads), I still ship Yu Rin with Gong Chan instead. And not just because after the life Yu Rin has lead, she needs someone like Gong Chan - someone rock steady - after her father, the charming and untrustworthy gambler, Jeong Woo is not for her - there is no 'security' in him - he is an adventurer without a doubt and there is nothing she'd like to do as much as to give up that sort of lifestyle. Gong Chan is such a good guy btw - a rare kdrama hero who is really awesome - he is very kind to her even when she is nobody to him. This said, I did adore them together and hope Jeong Woo gets an awesome gal of his own. Here is a shippy MV: I have to say, if you ever wanted Jeong Woo and Yu Rin to hook up, watch the Taiwanese drama My Lucky Star - the story is basically what would have happened if Jeong Woo and Yu Rin were the OTP. | |||
| Jul. 2nd, 2008 @ 06:27 pm Hong Gil Dong v Iljimae: Deathmatch | |||
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Current Mood:
 content  So, finally, I could no longer contain myself. This year, two dramas about noble (character-wise), Robin-Hood-type rebels in Medieval Korea came out, one (loosely) based on the first Korean-language novel, and one (loosely) based on a very famous early comic. They did (and are doing) well and are full of handsome men, pretty women, politics, fighting, and some rather odd hats. They are Hong Gil Dong, written by the Hong Sisters (My Girl, Delightful Girl Chun-Hyang etc) and starring Kang Ji Hwan and Sung Yuri and Iljimae, starring Lee Jun Ki, Park Shi Ho, and Han Hyo Joo. So I thought it would be fun to compare. ( Categories and illustrations. Not spoilery ) | |||
| Jun. 30th, 2008 @ 09:52 am I am hard-wired to love angsty rebels... | |||
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Current Mood:
 calm One of Damo's points of brilliance is that, much as I love Lord Hwangbo Yoon, in episodes 4-7, just like Chae-Ok, I fall completely under Jang Sung-Baek's spell. He is a rebel leader fighting for a just world! Who is incredibly loyal to his friends, treats lepers, yearns to find his long-lost sister, and executes a scumlord who uses parents' debts to sell daughters into sex slavery. Not to mention he is so gorgeous it hurts. In eps 4-7 I always switch to becoming a Sung-Baek/Chae-Ok shipper, even if I know how impossible it is, starting with the very basic reason ( spoiler ). And for the rest of the drama, just like Chae-Ok, I am torn. Because once we switch again to Hwangbo Yoon and his interaction with Chae-Ok, I switch again, and so on... Anyway, this is a long-winded intro to some gorgeous caps from the beginning of ep 7 behind the cut. Mainly of Sung-Baek and Chae-Ok, but some of Hwangbo Yoon too, because he is too awesome not to include. ( Enter for angsty hotness here ) And speaking of angsty rebels, I just started episode 5 of Iljimae and took a few caps from first15 minutes or so. Not spoilery at all except for the fact that Lee Jun Ki is hot.  ( Caps here ) | |||
| Jun. 26th, 2008 @ 11:57 am Dramaish and a bit grumpy | |||
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Current Mood:
1. Daemul is dead. SBS apparently just announced it's not going to be airing it. Oh well. It really was too good to be true :( Kwon Sang Woo's next drama is a war drama with the director of StH, so I am sure it will be yet another super-cheerful ending for his character. I guess my wish to see him make a funny-fluffy drama is thwarted forever. busyI am bitter. BITTER. 2. I need subs for Iljimae yesterday.  3. On plus side, subs are out for ep 1 of Strongest Chil Woo. | |||
| Jun. 19th, 2008 @ 11:19 am Drama things of happiness... | |||
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Current Mood:
1. Han Ye Seul is the female lead in upcoming Tazza. She is going to be object of affection for both Jang Hyuk (Thank You, Robbers) and Kim Min Joon (Damo). OMG, lucky gal. bouncy2. East of Eden got me so excited. Song Seung Heon (Autumn Tale) and Lee Da Hae (My Girl) as the OTP and story spanning 60s-80s? Yes. 3. Strongest Chil Woo is going to be subbed by crysalis. Yay. It sounds, from what I've read, that they've 'borrowed' every concievable source, from Hong Gil Dong to Usual Suspects. So it sounds if you leave your brain behind, entertainment will follow. 4. I am all aglee to find out in Iljimae ep 9 that ( Shippy spoiler ) | |||
| Jun. 12th, 2008 @ 01:34 am Iljimae ep 4: largest picspam you are likely to see... | |||
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Current Mood:
Still in doubt as to whether to give Iljimae a chance? coldReason 1:  Reason 2:  Reason 3:  Iljimae gets awesomer and awesomer, as the episodes progress. EEE! Ep 4! Though if you think bad things happened to poor Ryung in ep 3, just you wait until ep 4. Is Lee Jun Ki trying to outdo the beatings and trauma his character had in TODAW? It’s a worthwhile effort. ( Random thoughts on the ep and caps, tons and tons of caps: shirtless fighting, plum blossoms and angst ) In other news, I went to see The King and the Clown in a movie theater today. I've forgotten how much this movie kills me. KILLS ME. | |||
| Jun. 10th, 2008 @ 11:47 am Iljimae: episode 3 meta and picspam | |||
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Current Mood:
chipper Last night, I finished episode 3 of Iljimae. It could be summed up thusly: "A lot of really really bad things happen to Lee Jun Ki (what else is new), and we are introduced to smouldering hotness of Park Shi Hoo whose character is also named Shi Hoo, thus making it easy on the actor. Oh, and some plot happens too, but do we care?" ( Come inside, come inside, for prettiness and angst ) | |||
| May. 29th, 2008 @ 02:41 pm Iljimae rocks! | |||
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 He had to stone his mother. OMG. I love this drama like whoa. Episode 2 was amazing. It's official. I adore Iljimae. Any drama that can go from almost making me feel ill (the stoning thing) to making me LOL like an idiot (the book-buying thing) within the space of 15 minutes is doing something right. ( A heck of a lot of screencaps ) | |||
| May. 29th, 2008 @ 09:48 am Iljimae is my new love... | |||
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Current Mood:
You know how I said I liked Iljimae? I lied. cheerfulI finished ep 1 and I frelling LOVE it. Also it looks, at least from the set-up (plum tree, child hand-holding, cuteness), that I will get my thing for aristocrat/slave OTPs satisfied yet again. Because if Iljimae's father is killed on a (semi trumped up) charge of treason, then he becomes like the heroine of Damo and loses all his status. And Eun Chae is definitely very very noble. And her Dad is responsible for the death of Iljimae's father! And her brother is evil and bratty and awful! Plus, that scene with the plum tree was so adorable! I mean, is there anything as cute as chibi!love:  ( More caps of scene of adorableness ) Now all we need is a meeting years later as strangers, and an umbrella and a walk in the rain, and Iljimae going "Ari?" and doing a wai, and we are Dog/Wolf set. Also, I really really like Iljimae as a kid. He is definitely very secure in his place in the world and very loved, but he isn't spoiled. He is just sweet and boyish. Awww. And his Dad is SUPER awesome. He is a former rebel leader AND a Poet Laureate? And he was in love with his servant, a la Hwangbo Yoon from Damo? OMG. Yes. I also really like (and feel horrible for) Jal Dol, the servant's son, who she pretended is the son of Evil Guy but in reality is kid of Iljimae's father. He is going to have a hell of an awful time in Evil Guy's house, especially since Evil Guy's legit son, Evil Jr., is so awful. And JD probably won't be happy to learn that his fake dad killed his real dad, and that he is (unwittingly) involved. Also, I just bet he will fall in love with Eun Chae, giving this drama plenty of quasi-cest angst. Eun Chae is super-adorable btw. Quick witted and funny and awesome. Also, this is such a pretty drama!  ( Some caps ) | |||
| May. 28th, 2008 @ 07:11 pm Yooo-Hoooo! | |||
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Current Mood:
bouncydarkeyedwolf, I come bearing gifts:( More gifts behind the cut ) Oh, Lee Jun Ki. He understands my fiction h/c needs... | |||
| May. 28th, 2008 @ 11:31 am A happy happy hodge-podge | |||
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Current Mood:
Things that make me happy: cold1. Daemul isn’t scrapped. The air date has been pushed to October, which I can deal with. Hopefully they will iron things out by then. 2. The fangirls in the JJH thread on soompi. They are discussing possible kissing scenes in Antique and are torn between horror (oh noez! Their oppa might be kissing another guy!) and delight (at least it’s not one of those icky girls). Heeee. I really wish this was a drama and not a movie, but oh well, beggars can’t be chosers. Still, 16 episodes of JJH reliving cake-related childhood abduction trauma and dealing with advances of the hot Waffle Sunki, whose sexy gay love he rejected in high-school, would have been pretty awesome. 3. Yup, Winter Sonata is definitely being made into an anime.  Heee. 4. Powerful Opponents has certainly become the drama of the spring for me. Who would have thought…I wasn’t very familiar with/attached to any of the leads before it started. Especially amusing is that I mainly checked it out to see Lady Bodyguard and President’s Son hook up but ended up the hugest bodyguards!shipper. Heeeee. Oh, Gwan Pil :) 5. Even though I want Gwan Pil/Young Joo with a scary level of fangirling, I do like Su Ho as a character, and adore Lee Jin Wook, who plays him. I just don’t want him with Young Joo. So imagine my delight when I found he was in a drama where he did get the girl, last year’s Someday. The plot sounds delightful. Our Heroine is a reserved manga artist, who doesn’t really believe in romantic love much. She comes to Korea and meets Secondary Guy, a manga fanboy who is smitten and decides he is in love at first sight, not even noticing the cool Secondary Girl who has loved him for years. Secondary Guy hires our Hero, Lee Jin Wook, a private investigator with a tragic past, to follow his dream girl. And it goes from there… Happy endings for everyone abound, so what’s not to love. I don’t think fansubbers ever did this drama, but a DVD with subs is available from YA. I mean, look at the cute MV! 5. PO is winding up next week. But luckily, I have a new drama fixation to take its place…Iljimae. And speaking of, ep two subs are out! I have only watched the first half of first ep and I like it a LOT. I don’t love it as much as Hong Gil Dong, but it’s early days yet, and in any event, HGD pinged my fiction loves uniquely. Oddly, I can also see why it’s getting better ratings: it’s a lot more traditional in its approach than HGD. So yes, Iljimae. I am sure my like will transform to LOVE as soon as poor little Iljimae will lose his privileged existence and his family at the age of eight (???), grow up to be Lee Jun Ki and begin his awful yet photogenic torment and suffering. Also, any clue which of the two girls is his OTP? I don’t mind either way. One way we get so beloved by me trope of aristocrat-slave (though would Iljimae be considered a slave? I mean, he was born upper class. But then Ha Ji Won lost all her aristocratic status when her family was executed in Damo, and became a slave…so.) Plus, that would mean he falls for the girl whose Dad killed his family, thus giving me shades of Time Between Dog and Wolf. However, if we don’t get that, I don’t mind a bit.It would also be fun if he hooked up with thieving peasant girl, sort of like Legend. I already got aristocrat/slaveOTP with Hong Gil Dong and Damo and it was all so perfect, plus I can have my fill of angsty avenger/gently brought lady otp angst with Strongest Chil Woo which is coming out later this summer. Also, this way I can have a ‘I am in love with my not!sibling’ OTP of aristocrat girl and Iljimae’s nemesis, which would also make me happy. | |||
| May. 21st, 2008 @ 11:35 pm Lee Jun Ki is my ninja forever... | |||
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Current Mood:
bouncy If by 'ninja' you mean 'masked avenger rebel who pauses in his awesome fight to admire plum blossoms.' The beginning of Iljimae is pretty darn awesome. I watched it raw and I approve. ( Thirty-Five pictures from the first 12 minutes of the drama. Not spoilery for anything except the fact that Lee Jun Ki is hot and, as usual, pushes all my buttons ) And then we delve into angsty childhood flashbackness and thus actual plottiness, so for that I will wait for subs. Though am I correct? ( spoiler for one event in ep 1 ) | |||
| May. 21st, 2008 @ 06:57 pm Kdrama centric...what would I do with my time without the great Republic of Korea? | |||
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Current Mood:
Man, LJK's Iljimae debuted with 17% ratings in the Seoul area and 15%+ nationwide. That's pretty impressive for a pilot, especially lately. I can bet the producers are already weeping into their soju glasses over him enlisting next year. bouncyOh, and the raws are out already. In other news, SHRIEK! How cute is this:  ( Larger version and context-explaining-shrieking. From ep 12 ) In yet other news, is anyone on my flist watching Spotlight? It just started and seems like it could be cute. It is a journalist drama.  ( Synopsis and cast ) Though to be honest, chances of my checking this out while it's running, what with Powerful Opponents, Iljimae just starting, Wish to See You Again running, a bunch of past dramas I need to catch up on (not to mention my mad marathon of The Devil), including my way overdue yen for Bara No Na Hanaya, chances of me getting to this any time soon, are non-existent. | |||
| May. 21st, 2008 @ 03:10 pm Iljimae and Powerful Opponents | |||
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Current Mood:
Iljimae has just started: the first ep aired today. EEEE! Apparently poor Iljimae has an awful childhood. I approve. bouncy(promo pic)  ( A few more ) In other news, I am still loving Powerful Opponents as much as ever. The scene below especially!  ( Blabbing and screencaps from ep 8 ) | |||
| May. 18th, 2008 @ 06:16 pm Iljimae: that's Korean for 'Hot Angsty One' | |||
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Current Mood:
Here is a seven-minute 'compilation' clip of various Iljimae scenes. bouncyI am pleased to see that Lee Jun Ki has clearly decided that the tradition started by Time between Dog and Wolf is something that must be upheld and it looks like he is going to get tortured, beaten to a pulp, and otherwise mistreated on just as regular a basis in Iljimae. Only with swords and period clothes as a bonus. Does this shamefully exploit my unholy love for hurt/comfort? Hell yeah. Am I ashamed of my id? No way. That is basically my ideal drama, right there. When you throw in the theme of opression and the evil rich and potentially a doomed romance between Iljimae and an upperclass girl? Oh YES please. | |||
| May. 15th, 2008 @ 02:22 pm Oh nooo! | |||
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Current Mood:
*sobs heartbrokenly* crankyAccording to poseoul (my gossip site of choice, so viciously amusing), Lee Jun Ki has apparently announced that he plans to enlist next year. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently, if something cool comes up between end of Iljimae and then, he'll do it, and if not, Iljimae is his last thing. Whhhhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyy????? He totally doesn't have to go yet and normally celebrities do everything possible to do it at the last minute! Patriotism or what not is all well and good but NOT WHEN IT DEPRIVES ME OF MY PRETTY BOYS. I mean, Gong Yoo won't be out yet, and Eric and Lee Dong-Wook and Jo In Sung would have gone in. Etc etc etc. I was counting on people like Jun Ki and Joo Ji Hoon to help carry the slack but nooooo... Seriously. The only kdrama other guy who I know enlisted early is Yoon Kye Sang *swoon* so what's with that, LJK? GRRRR. *clutches the kdrama stars who have already done the army thing and thus won't run off to enlist* What next, Kang Ji Hwan entering a monastery? Bae Yong Joon deciding he will take another six years between kdramas! What? *bewails* Ah, well. I will trust the super secret Korean hot guys factories that they must run somewhere on outskirts of Seoul to provide me with suitable ogling compensation... | |||
| Apr. 25th, 2008 @ 04:57 pm To brighten up a crazy day... | |||
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Current Mood:
The day has been crazy, but to make it all better, not only are subs for ep 2 of Powerful Opponents out (though I am afraid I am marathonning Aishiteiru first) but apparently an Iljimae teaser is out, and even better, they released some promo pics! cheerfulKorean Robin Hood, Mark 2, here we come! If it's half as good as Hong Gil Dong was, I'll be a happy camper!   ( More and larger pics ) | |||
| Apr. 1st, 2008 @ 01:37 am Lengthy Save the Last Dance post and ramblings on various other kdramas | |||
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Current Mood:
(I have no idea how jet-lagged this is going to come across as. I am incredibly out of it :P) bouncySo yes.  Save the Last Dance (otherwise known as 'The Last Dance is with Me'). A 20-episode kdrama that came out in 2004, starring Eugene and Ji Sung as the star-crossed lovers, StLD is a drama I totally fell in love with. In so many ways, it's the perfect romantic melodrama. Most of kdramas (at least the ones I watch) are very romantic, but this is the purest example of the genre. What is it about? If you like old Hollywood movies, think Random Harvest with a bit of Affair to Remember thrown in.  Kang Hyon-Woo (Ji Sung) is the only son of the autocratic Chaiman Kang. His family wants him to train up in the business, and oh yes, marry a nicely suitable girl like Yoon Soo-Jin (Lee Bo-Young. Amusingly, she and Ji Sung are apparently now a couple in RL. Secondary Girl got the Guy after all). However, he has little interest in succeeding his father, preferring instead to concentrate on photography, which clearly does not make family happy. And as for Soo-Jin, she is madly (and obsessively) in love with him, but he sees her only as a sort of protected younger sister. Ji Eun-Soo (Eugene) and her world couldn't be more different from Hyon-Woo's. She is the fiesty (I don't like using this word, but it's the only one which fits) daughter of a tourist inn-keeper in a very small village far away from Seoul, the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else. She is uninhibited, a bit bossy, and totally a darling. Much as I loved Ji Sung and his character (he is that rarity in kdrama heroes: a genuinely good and nice guy), I fell for Eun-Soo like a ton of bricks and saw the drama from her POV, which is rare for me. Eun-Soo and Hyon-Woo would have never met, if Hyon-Woo hadn't met with a string of horrible circumstances after storming out of his house in a tearing rage after a fight with his father. When Eun-Soo and her father (a rare example of a totally delightful kdrama parent) literally almost run over the wounded, bleeding, disoriented Hyon-Woo on the road, they take him to the local hospital. Of course, this is a kdrama, and it turns out that Hyon-Woo will be fine after surgery, but he does not remember who he is, and he has no identifying documents. Oh, and his family thinks he is dead (plot reasons) so are not looking for him. Because Eun-Soo's father is really nice, he thinks it might be OK to take the wounded, nameless guy back to their inn, but Eun-Soo isn't so sure... Anyway, at this rate, I will recount the whole plot, so better stop here. ( Spoilery musings ) So, what else has Ji Sung been in? ( Some yummy unspoilery pics ) ( A bunch of cool StLD mvs ) In other news, am on episode 22 of Hong Gil Dong. You know, the dark direction this drama's taken really is working for me and I can actually see the ending work. Yay. This might be on a fave list after all. Is it me, or is this the year of Robin Hoods for kdramas? First we have the recently finished Hong Gil Dong. Then we have Lee Junki's Iljimae in May. ( As found on soompi, a couple of shots of LJK and leading girl at some filming ceremony. He is in costume!!!!! ) And then Eric Mun (whom I loved in Que Sera Sera) is apparently doing a period drama Strongest Chil Woo about a government official who is actually an assassin at night against the evildoers, later in the year. No idea if the different MBC version of Iljimae slated for late in the year is still on, but haven't heard anything to the contrary, so I assume it is. Which makes it 4 stories within a year. YES. Since I am done with a big batch of dramas, what to watch next. I plan to finish Goong rewatch and Chinese Paladin and Bichunmoo, of course, as well as MISA and Mawang, but hmmmm, what else? I have plenty of candidates for completed dramas, but what shall replace HGD among the currently airings? I think I will give both On Air and Who Are You a try. And of course, Three Dads, too. I promise to reply to all the replies since I've been away by tomorrow... | |||