Way to go with gender tropes, Asia!

[dangermousie]

Oh God, I've been reading chapter summaries for Summer Bubbles (the novel on which Summer Desire is based) on AF and I just know I am going to ship the "wrong" ship. I almost never do, but this is going to be one of those rare cases.

I mean, who would you pick?

A: your ridiculously gorgeous stepbrother (who joined the family when he was 16 and you 15, so no brought-up-together issues there) who has had a horrifically tragic past (being abandoned by his mother on purpose, almost freezing to death, dumped in an orphanage, nightmares etc), who is now a major superstar. He ecourages your own career in showbiz, tells you things like he loves you and trusts you, rushes to protect you from scandal even if it means ruining his own career, and with whom you have fun. Whom you are dating and with whom you are compatible. Who is actually worried that you may not like he revealed the two of you dating, even though it was to save your career, because after all, he didn't discuss it with you first.

Or

B: Rich guy whom you dated in school who was ridiculously possessive and insisted on making all the decisions for you (to such a degree that you even got used to it), who got so jealous that you actually interacted with someone other than him that he made her family send your stepbrother back to the orphanage or else her Dad would lose his job and the family would be on the street (!!!!!). On the way back from said trip, the family got into a car-wreck with parents dying and younger brother needing medical attention for the rest of his life. As per book's own description, said guy B "was treating her like his doll. Because she was the one he loved, he didn't want anyone to approach her, even her own brother was making him unconfortable...He was a lonely person but after he found her, he wanted her in his life, but he instinctively tried to make her as lonely as he was so that they would only have each other..." Is that classic abuser scenario or what?

She told him to diaf (thank God) but now for various reasons she is part of his agency. It's 5 years later, and he is still doing the same - she gets into a fabricated scandal which is causing huge problems? He can help but decides not to so heroine would get drummed out of show business and be "only his" and is pissed when A steps in to protect heroine and her career because how dare he! He does his best to sabotage A's career and then wants heroine to beg for A so he'd give him the movie role back in exchange for heroine going back to him (heroine being awesome tells him to stuff it). When that doesn't work he tries to sow discord via insinuations to A about how heroine has an understanding with him, B, etc...

Basically, I haven't even seen the drama and I loathe him already. UGH.

Am pissed.

ETA: Clip I found:

Comments

[ambergold.livejournal.com]

this sounds like BOF...only worse:( if this drama manages to make Barbie's character ANYTHING AT ALL like Jandi(ie idiotic and self-destructive to the nth degree which manifests as perpetually loving someone who is horrible and awful for her instead of someone who is funcitonal and adores her) I will go on a rampage through Taiwan.

but UGHHH, are you saying B is the OTP?? I do nOT like the sound of htis at all...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I found a preview of sorts:



From what I've read, the heroine of this is no pushover (could Barbie ever play a pushover?) She has no problems telling B to go die somewhere after her parents' car crash, even if he is begging for forgiveness on his knees. She totally tells him 5yrs later that she doesn't want to get back together, when he tries to insinuate she and A won't work out she isn't phased by it but denies it calmly. He also expects her to do the standard kdrama heroine thing and beg him to restore A's career in exchange for getting back together with B etcetc and she basically does "you wish."

The thing that can make it palatable to me, even if not happy, is that she did genuinely love him back when. I can deal with bad taste in men, just not spinelessness.

Though from what I know he forces her into marriage (!!!!) because she needs a kidney donor for her younger brother and he's the only match she's got and he makes this as a condition. At that point, she is happily dating A and he knows that! I am supposed to root for that guy???? Apparently when A finds out she is going to marry another, he attempts suicide, because he has huge abandonment issues. But he doesn't seem to want to force her into anything, even with all of that. Raaaaaage

How anyone can love a man like that? Seriously? I want him to die! I can even overlook the craziness of the flashback because people mature and change but he clearly hasn't! Yeah yeah he saves her from kidnappers, shields her with his own body from beatings and runaway cars. I appreciate that. It does not make up for the fact that he is controlling and potentially abusive and unfit for everyday life and she should stay the heck away!

When you add in the fact that I already love the guy who plays the stepbro from other dramas and am iffy about Peter Ho, this is a disaster in the making, shipping-wise, as far as I am concerned.

Well, maybe they'll tone the book down.

[ambergold.livejournal.com]

mm, that sounds great as far as Barbie goes(what a relief! though really, it WOULD be hard to see Barbie as anything but steely-spined, wouldn't it?) but is the second guy in the preview(the one standing on top of the building) her OTP? because the first guy is SO MUCH HOTTER:(

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Not really sure which one you mea in the preview but her OTP is the bottom guy in this poster:

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/File:Summersdesire.jpg

[ambergold.livejournal.com]

ok, that's good, I prefer him to the other - the top one's face is too thin

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

You are welcome to him - Peter Ho is a huge idol but I really don't get the appeal at all but I am glad someone does :) (OTOH, I am ridiculously rabid for the other actor due to my obsession with him in Return of Condor Heroes and Shanghai Bund - I kinda go into hormonal overload every time I see him).

Also, I am mildly confused - I know Barbie is Taiwanese actress and XHM is Mainland but I am so confused about Peter Ho as I've seen him in both.

Oh, and I've been reading more story summaries and I am so going to love Barbie's character. She can end up with a guy I don't approve of as long as she continues to be that awesome.

[scanky-chops.livejournal.com]

I've got totally used to the fact that i will most likely end up shipping couples that are NOT the OTP because usually the OTP is boring as fuck and annoying.

This is why i end up having to use my imagination about how the dramas could have ended 'cos i almost never get what i want. :/

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I almost always ship the canon OTPs so this is very odd for me :)

[ifruity.livejournal.com]

LMFAO, I'm a huge fan of twisted, ugly (personality-wise) characters, so I'm sure if I watch the drama, which I definitely will, I'm probably going to ship both of them, but with more of a bias towards B. I loved Bak-Do in Delightful Girl, Choon-Hyang and Sousuke in Last Friends because I love the desperate need they have, that they'll do anything. It's not right, but I still like it.

But I find it incredibly hard to believe that a drama would pair the twisted guy with the heroine. I definitely have to watch this.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

He is definitely in Other Guy from DGCH territory - at least he doesn't frame his rival for rape but otoh he blackmails heroine into marriage as he is the only kidneydonor for her sick little brother (they never show forward-thinking do they? I'd tell him I'd marry him, marry and put up with the bastard for as long as it took to do the surgery and then be out of there so fast his head would spin).

East of Eden paired a woman with her rapist ultimately, so anything is possible.

[prdarkstar.livejournal.com]

I also usually enjoy the dark bastards but this actually sounds pretty repulsive. I would have to see how they portray it. I'm definitely intrigued!

I shipped the other couple in "The Legend" and it was so damn heartbreaking. I told myself i'll just stop watching next time this happens :(

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I shipped the canon couple in Legend but the few times I uncanon shipped it was hell (in Boys Over Flowers, and also in twdrama Bullfighting and kdrama Fashion 70s - I liked canon OTP just fine but I adored the other guy in BF and the alternaotp in Fashion 70s was so very awesome).

Also, you think this is repulsive? Apparently he blackmails her into marriage as he is the only possible kidney donor for her little bro.

[syrenstar.livejournal.com]

I've been arguing with the Kaname ultra!fangirls again so the Vampire Knight similarities kept hitting me in the face as I read that.

I really hope B isn't the the other half of the OTP. I'll give most things with someone from the HYD franchise a shot but I think I'd have skip this one.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Ugh - Kaname. I do NOT get the rabid love for him in fandom.

I agree, the prospect of B as the otp sounds really unappealing. Still, this is just how it is in the novel - for all I know they will (hopefully) tone it down - e.g. I adore My Lucky Star the twdrama but I know book it's based on had a few questionable bits which the drama took out entirely.

[kitkat-cat.livejournal.com]

i know whom i'll be shipping, but if you tell me that huang xiao ming is gonna be the horrid rich guy, i'll pass on this thank you very much.

i think the producers were obviously on something when they casting this series!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Heee - actually Peter Ho plays the rich jerk she ends up with and HXM is her hot stepbro :P

I am very very confused as to why any woman would pick someone who looks like Peter Ho and has that character's repellent personality over sexy stepbro who looks like XHM.

[kitkat-cat.livejournal.com]

suddenly, it becomes clear WHY Peter Ho is guy A and Huang Xiao Ming is guy B... The producers i said were clearly on something when they were casting the male leads for this show??? Why, its producer goes by the name of, you guess it, Peter Ho!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha - wrong. Peter Ho is her final OTP despite creepy personality and (IMO) lack of looks. *boggle boggle boggle*

[kitkat-cat.livejournal.com]

D-O-E-S N-O-T C-O-M-P-U-T-E

the otp pairings in this defies all logic, i read your replies 5 times, still cannot understand how that is even possible, and had to give up before my poor brain fried itself trying to understand it!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am utterly boggled - why would anyone root for the gal to pick controlling guy who does many many horrid things and is also uncute over the better-behaved guy who's also super-hot.

But I guess a lot of people do find Peter Ho hot (and hotter than HXM *boggle*) it's just that I honestly don't get it. I mean, if HXM was playing the rich control freak, at least I'd be willing to buy she got blinded by hormones :P