Golddiger chic - Material Queen is very very good

The recently started twdrama Material Queen was, I confess, nowhere on my radar. Sure, the male lead was the scrumptuous Mousie favorite Vanness Wu, but nothing else about it (fashion theme! female lead I knew nothing about! confusing plot description!) sounded up my alley and hey, Vanness did Peach Girl, probably the worst twdrama I have ever seen, so I wasn't about to be swayed by his presence.

But then, ockoala liked it and I decided to give it a chance.

At the end of ep 1, I am in love. Chu Man (Lynn Xiong) is a popular model whose blood and flesh are made of ice - since childhood, ever since her mother dumped her at an orphanage in order to enjoy a better life of partying and sleeping around, Chu Man gave up on making meaningful human connections and concentrated on security, namely wealth. And now she is husband-hunting. She doesn't care if the man if hot, young, fun, whatever. All she wants is for him to be rich and good at buying her jewelry and brand-name goods. Through her hard work and manipulation, she finally landed one such target - she's now engaged to an old man worth a fortune, who loves spending it on her. Chu Man is miles from your typical drama heroine - she's Miri's nicer cousin, who only manipulates for gold-digging purposes, not felonies (but let's face it, in Miri's situation she'd do what Miri did). She is not ashamed of it, she's not doing it for sick sibling, and she has no false ideas of loving her husband. She's shallow, materialistic, greedy, proud of it woman.

And then her paths cross with a poor musician played by Vanness. Now, Vanness is hot and young, but that would not catch Chu Man's attention one bit. What does is that she misunderstands him to be an heir. And deciding to trade up (and not believing her luck - the guy is rich, young, and handsome), Chu Man sets her cylinders on stun.

MQ is gorgeously shot (do yourself a favor and don't watch it on viki, wait for Serendipity subs - streaming gives no justice to the visuals. Not that I have the patience to follow my own advice) but also sharp and cynical and unlike any twdrama I have seen. Any romance that will happen in it will be rather hard-won. I have no idea whether Chu Man will pick love over riches (which, in itself, is exciting enough) but I don't even care because she is such a fascinating character - not portrayed as a victim or soulless villain but a smart woman taking advantage of what she was given to better herself.

Have a trailer:

So very good.

Golddiger chic - Material Queen is very very good

The recently started twdrama Material Queen was, I confess, nowhere on my radar. Sure, the male lead was the scrumptuous Mousie favorite Vanness Wu, but nothing else about it (fashion theme! female lead I knew nothing about! confusing plot description!) sounded up my alley and hey, Vanness did Peach Girl, probably the worst twdrama I have ever seen, so I wasn't about to be swayed by his presence.

But then, ockoala liked it and I decided to give it a chance.

At the end of ep 1, I am in love. Chu Man (Lynn Xiong) is a popular model whose blood and flesh are made of ice - since childhood, ever since her mother dumped her at an orphanage in order to enjoy a better life of partying and sleeping around, Chu Man gave up on making meaningful human connections and concentrated on security, namely wealth. And now she is husband-hunting. She doesn't care if the man if hot, young, fun, whatever. All she wants is for him to be rich and good at buying her jewelry and brand-name goods. Through her hard work and manipulation, she finally landed one such target - she's now engaged to an old man worth a fortune, who loves spending it on her. Chu Man is miles from your typical drama heroine - she's Miri's nicer cousin, who only manipulates for gold-digging purposes, not felonies (but let's face it, in Miri's situation she'd do what Miri did). She is not ashamed of it, she's not doing it for sick sibling, and she has no false ideas of loving her husband. She's shallow, materialistic, greedy, proud of it woman.

And then her paths cross with a poor musician played by Vanness. Now, Vanness is hot and young, but that would not catch Chu Man's attention one bit. What does is that she misunderstands him to be an heir. And deciding to trade up (and not believing her luck - the guy is rich, young, and handsome), Chu Man sets her cylinders on stun.

MQ is gorgeously shot (do yourself a favor and don't watch it on viki, wait for Serendipity subs - streaming gives no justice to the visuals. Not that I have the patience to follow my own advice) but also sharp and cynical and unlike any twdrama I have seen. Any romance that will happen in it will be rather hard-won. I have no idea whether Chu Man will pick love over riches (which, in itself, is exciting enough) but I don't even care because she is such a fascinating character - not portrayed as a victim or soulless villain but a smart woman taking advantage of what she was given to better herself.

Have a trailer:

So very good.

Golddiger chic - Material Queen is very very good

The recently started twdrama Material Queen was, I confess, nowhere on my radar. Sure, the male lead was the scrumptuous Mousie favorite Vanness Wu, but nothing else about it (fashion theme! female lead I knew nothing about! confusing plot description!) sounded up my alley and hey, Vanness did Peach Girl, probably the worst twdrama I have ever seen, so I wasn't about to be swayed by his presence.

But then, ockoala liked it and I decided to give it a chance.

At the end of ep 1, I am in love. Chu Man (Lynn Xiong) is a popular model whose blood and flesh are made of ice - since childhood, ever since her mother dumped her at an orphanage in order to enjoy a better life of partying and sleeping around, Chu Man gave up on making meaningful human connections and concentrated on security, namely wealth. And now she is husband-hunting. She doesn't care if the man if hot, young, fun, whatever. All she wants is for him to be rich and good at buying her jewelry and brand-name goods. Through her hard work and manipulation, she finally landed one such target - she's now engaged to an old man worth a fortune, who loves spending it on her. Chu Man is miles from your typical drama heroine - she's Miri's nicer cousin, who only manipulates for gold-digging purposes, not felonies (but let's face it, in Miri's situation she'd do what Miri did). She is not ashamed of it, she's not doing it for sick sibling, and she has no false ideas of loving her husband. She's shallow, materialistic, greedy, proud of it woman.

And then her paths cross with a poor musician played by Vanness. Now, Vanness is hot and young, but that would not catch Chu Man's attention one bit. What does is that she misunderstands him to be an heir. And deciding to trade up (and not believing her luck - the guy is rich, young, and handsome), Chu Man sets her cylinders on stun.

MQ is gorgeously shot (do yourself a favor and don't watch it on viki, wait for Serendipity subs - streaming gives no justice to the visuals. Not that I have the patience to follow my own advice) but also sharp and cynical and unlike any twdrama I have seen. Any romance that will happen in it will be rather hard-won. I have no idea whether Chu Man will pick love over riches (which, in itself, is exciting enough) but I don't even care because she is such a fascinating character - not portrayed as a victim or soulless villain but a smart woman taking advantage of what she was given to better herself.

Have a trailer:

So very good.

Autumn Concerto - one rewatch coming up!

Starting on Material Queen has given me a hankering to rewatch another Vanness drama, Autumn Concerto, a.k.a. Next Stop Happiness, a drama that I adore and that brought me back to twdramas after years of lack of interest. Pairing my huge favorite Ady An with Vanness, NSH is a romance par excellence (though even my infatuated self admits that the second half does occasionally get draggy - it got extended due to being a hit). It hits every fictional kink I have, and even some I didn't know I had before that drama. Let's face it, when it comes to drama narrative, for me star-crossed epic love is still >>>> everything.

Ady An is Muchen, whose name, I swear, must have been picked from the Russian word "muchenitsa", i.e. sufferer. Orphaned, poor, brought up by an indifferent aunt and aunt's sexually abusive husband, Muchen's life is beyond bleak but she hasn't given up her strength and warmth. And then her path crosses that of Guan Xi (Vanness), a rich, violently acting-out and messed-up college student who doesn't believe a woman can be loving and good yet desperately wants and needs to believe that. But she has to leave him to save his life and when they meet again, he does not remember her. It's off to the races with terminal (but not quite) illness, rescues, amnesia and more delicious make-outs and angst than you can imagine.

And yet underneath the sweeping, much larger-than-life romanticism, I really like a certain pragmatism of the underlying tropes - NSH doesn't spend episodes and episodes showing hero's jerkiness/redeeming the jerk (a storyline that usually drives me nuts - if a person is a bastard to everyone, eventually he's going to be a bastard to you). No, NSH quickly establishes Guan Xi as a decent person who would be loving and well-adjusted if he could process past trauma. Ultimately, he's a good person undreneath the mess, he just needed a catalyst to draw him out. More importantly, much as the drama loves going "hero rescues heroine from deadly peril" tropes, she rescues him right back every time - he might physically protect her - from goons, from her abuser, from drowning, from death. But she is the one who gives him a meaning in life, warmth, connection, family, even sanity. She is the one who turns him into a human.

Also, let's face it - how could I not adore a drama which has more hurt/comfort emotional pr0n than you can shake a stick at, a cancer which ends well for the patient (!!!), cute kids, Vanness' body and Ady An's glorious face?

Have an emo MV for a gloriously emo drama:

Autumn Concerto - one rewatch coming up!

Starting on Material Queen has given me a hankering to rewatch another Vanness drama, Autumn Concerto, a.k.a. Next Stop Happiness, a drama that I adore and that brought me back to twdramas after years of lack of interest. Pairing my huge favorite Ady An with Vanness, NSH is a romance par excellence (though even my infatuated self admits that the second half does occasionally get draggy - it got extended due to being a hit). It hits every fictional kink I have, and even some I didn't know I had before that drama. Let's face it, when it comes to drama narrative, for me star-crossed epic love is still >>>> everything.

Ady An is Muchen, whose name, I swear, must have been picked from the Russian word "muchenitsa", i.e. sufferer. Orphaned, poor, brought up by an indifferent aunt and aunt's sexually abusive husband, Muchen's life is beyond bleak but she hasn't given up her strength and warmth. And then her path crosses that of Guan Xi (Vanness), a rich, violently acting-out and messed-up college student who doesn't believe a woman can be loving and good yet desperately wants and needs to believe that. But she has to leave him to save his life and when they meet again, he does not remember her. It's off to the races with terminal (but not quite) illness, rescues, amnesia and more delicious make-outs and angst than you can imagine.

And yet underneath the sweeping, much larger-than-life romanticism, I really like a certain pragmatism of the underlying tropes - NSH doesn't spend episodes and episodes showing hero's jerkiness/redeeming the jerk (a storyline that usually drives me nuts - if a person is a bastard to everyone, eventually he's going to be a bastard to you). No, NSH quickly establishes Guan Xi as a decent person who would be loving and well-adjusted if he could process past trauma. Ultimately, he's a good person undreneath the mess, he just needed a catalyst to draw him out. More importantly, much as the drama loves going "hero rescues heroine from deadly peril" tropes, she rescues him right back every time - he might physically protect her - from goons, from her abuser, from drowning, from death. But she is the one who gives him a meaning in life, warmth, connection, family, even sanity. She is the one who turns him into a human.

Also, let's face it - how could I not adore a drama which has more hurt/comfort emotional pr0n than you can shake a stick at, a cancer which ends well for the patient (!!!), cute kids, Vanness' body and Ady An's glorious face?

Have an emo MV for a gloriously emo drama:

Autumn Concerto - one rewatch coming up!

Starting on Material Queen has given me a hankering to rewatch another Vanness drama, Autumn Concerto, a.k.a. Next Stop Happiness, a drama that I adore and that brought me back to twdramas after years of lack of interest. Pairing my huge favorite Ady An with Vanness, NSH is a romance par excellence (though even my infatuated self admits that the second half does occasionally get draggy - it got extended due to being a hit). It hits every fictional kink I have, and even some I didn't know I had before that drama. Let's face it, when it comes to drama narrative, for me star-crossed epic love is still >>>> everything.

Ady An is Muchen, whose name, I swear, must have been picked from the Russian word "muchenitsa", i.e. sufferer. Orphaned, poor, brought up by an indifferent aunt and aunt's sexually abusive husband, Muchen's life is beyond bleak but she hasn't given up her strength and warmth. And then her path crosses that of Guan Xi (Vanness), a rich, violently acting-out and messed-up college student who doesn't believe a woman can be loving and good yet desperately wants and needs to believe that. But she has to leave him to save his life and when they meet again, he does not remember her. It's off to the races with terminal (but not quite) illness, rescues, amnesia and more delicious make-outs and angst than you can imagine.

And yet underneath the sweeping, much larger-than-life romanticism, I really like a certain pragmatism of the underlying tropes - NSH doesn't spend episodes and episodes showing hero's jerkiness/redeeming the jerk (a storyline that usually drives me nuts - if a person is a bastard to everyone, eventually he's going to be a bastard to you). No, NSH quickly establishes Guan Xi as a decent person who would be loving and well-adjusted if he could process past trauma. Ultimately, he's a good person undreneath the mess, he just needed a catalyst to draw him out. More importantly, much as the drama loves going "hero rescues heroine from deadly peril" tropes, she rescues him right back every time - he might physically protect her - from goons, from her abuser, from drowning, from death. But she is the one who gives him a meaning in life, warmth, connection, family, even sanity. She is the one who turns him into a human.

Also, let's face it - how could I not adore a drama which has more hurt/comfort emotional pr0n than you can shake a stick at, a cancer which ends well for the patient (!!!), cute kids, Vanness' body and Ady An's glorious face?

Have an emo MV for a gloriously emo drama:

Upcoming kdrama trailers and misc.

1. Myung Wol the Spy teaser. I really love the sharp, smart, cheeky vibe!

2. Latest Heartstrings trailer. Oh, how I yearn for this! Next week cannot come fast enough.

3. Stills for PSH and MCW in The Princess' Man:



( More stills: I think some summary says her father had his older brothers killed. Yup, star-crossed )

As always, am badly behind on replies and promise to get to them asap.

Upcoming kdrama trailers and misc.

1. Myung Wol the Spy teaser. I really love the sharp, smart, cheeky vibe!

2. Latest Heartstrings trailer. Oh, how I yearn for this! Next week cannot come fast enough.

3. Stills for PSH and MCW in The Princess' Man:



( More stills: I think some summary says her father had his older brothers killed. Yup, star-crossed )

As always, am badly behind on replies and promise to get to them asap.

Upcoming kdrama trailers and misc.

1. Myung Wol the Spy teaser. I really love the sharp, smart, cheeky vibe!

2. Latest Heartstrings trailer. Oh, how I yearn for this! Next week cannot come fast enough.

3. Stills for PSH and MCW in The Princess' Man:



( More stills: I think some summary says her father had his older brothers killed. Yup, star-crossed )

As always, am badly behind on replies and promise to get to them asap.

(no subject)

Bored to death, ask me drama questions!

(no subject)

Bored to death, ask me drama questions!

(no subject)

Bored to death, ask me drama questions!

I am barely five minutes into ep 9 of City Hunter

and all I can say is "I want you to die, bastard Undaddy!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get eaten slowly by poisonous snakes after getting your face bashed in!!!!!!!!!!!!"

What kind of a fucking monster yells at his 'kid' about how useless he is because he rescued the bodyguard and his "you should have killed her and gone after the target" rant makes me wants to claw his eyes out and feed them to him, especially as he is completely unconcerned YS' wound tore open again or anything other than his 'failure' to kill an innocent person.

Oh, fucking psycho, go die.

I am going to say this upfront - I don't care who else buys it, even if it's my darlings Yoon Sung and Nana, as long as Undaddy is dead dead dead by the end. He's a much bigger monster than any of his targets. Ugh, no words for how I hate him.

I am barely five minutes into ep 9 of City Hunter

and all I can say is "I want you to die, bastard Undaddy!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get eaten slowly by poisonous snakes after getting your face bashed in!!!!!!!!!!!!"

What kind of a fucking monster yells at his 'kid' about how useless he is because he rescued the bodyguard and his "you should have killed her and gone after the target" rant makes me wants to claw his eyes out and feed them to him, especially as he is completely unconcerned YS' wound tore open again or anything other than his 'failure' to kill an innocent person.

Oh, fucking psycho, go die.

I am going to say this upfront - I don't care who else buys it, even if it's my darlings Yoon Sung and Nana, as long as Undaddy is dead dead dead by the end. He's a much bigger monster than any of his targets. Ugh, no words for how I hate him.

I am barely five minutes into ep 9 of City Hunter

and all I can say is "I want you to die, bastard Undaddy!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get eaten slowly by poisonous snakes after getting your face bashed in!!!!!!!!!!!!"

What kind of a fucking monster yells at his 'kid' about how useless he is because he rescued the bodyguard and his "you should have killed her and gone after the target" rant makes me wants to claw his eyes out and feed them to him, especially as he is completely unconcerned YS' wound tore open again or anything other than his 'failure' to kill an innocent person.

Oh, fucking psycho, go die.

I am going to say this upfront - I don't care who else buys it, even if it's my darlings Yoon Sung and Nana, as long as Undaddy is dead dead dead by the end. He's a much bigger monster than any of his targets. Ugh, no words for how I hate him.