So, I am watching ep 2 of Bridal Mask

[dangermousie]

And I finally figured out what the makers of Lobbyist picked for their next project, what with artistic torture fetish :)

I mean, seriously, the levels of mistreatment this drama puts its characters through are insane. Between Kang To, Mok Dan, Kang San and Shunji alone, I am impressed they are all still running around as opposed to permanently being placed in the trauma ward, the other 22 episodes to be spent on debates about crutches.

So far, the moral of BM seems to be: "If you are a resistance fighter, you will be tortured. If you are a flunkie for the Japanese, you will be tortured. If you are a random passerby with no political opinions, you will be tortured. So, why don't you save yourself the bother and off yourself right now?"

Also, while the idea of angsty hatesex between Kang To and Mok Dan is pretty much irresistible at this point (where is my X-rated fic?), if I were a friend, I'd tell her to go for Shunji because, girl, pick the one whose interactions with you don't involve hand-to-hand and bruises. (Actually, I'd tell her to move to Timbuktu and leave both the headcases behind).

Most fascinating thing so far is STILL the fact that Kang To is the protagonist but he's not a hero, he's the bad guy - it's the ultimate deconstruction of bad guy woobie and while anime loves it, kdramas never go for it, so it's pretty much a dream come true. I'm sure he'll be honest and true and heroic soon enough, but for now I am digging the anomaly.

darkeyedwolf, are you still around? This thing has your name written all over it?

In conclusion, because you can never have too much bruised hot bad guy woobie:



Proper post and caps coming once I finish the ep!

Comments

[iheartkleenex.livejournal.com]

When the drama was still in pre-production, I remember reading somewhere that he (the hero) is Gaksital. Did they change it? Or he is going to become Gaksital, after being tortured and tormented some more? I know that he eventually grows and becomes a true hero but is he going to take over the mask from his brother?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am pretty sure KT will eventually become the Gaksital. No idea yet on how, but knowing how these narratives tend to go, I bet his bro is going to die and KT will step in out of guilt.

[iheartkleenex.livejournal.com]

Sad. I really love their relationship. Even if Kang To doesn't show it, he loves his brother and his brother loves him. I'm gonna cry when he dies. But I guess his brother has to die for Kang To to become the great hero (It's like King 2 Hearts all over again, and that was heartbreaking).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, like K2H is Seunggi marched around with a whip :P(Joking aside, I do see the connection).

I mean, I see nothing short of his brother's death snapping KT off his course and, of course, a large part of his reason for joining disappears if the brother dies because he was working to get $ for his treatment.

[(Anonymous)]

Spoiler alert! The brother is the real Bridal Mask but after his death, Kang To will take his place. I know it's something to do with trust issues

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I thought too.

[cleobulle.livejournal.com]

Most fascinating thing so far is STILL the fact that Kang To is the protagonist but he's not a hero, he's the bad guy - it's the ultimate deconstruction of bad guy woobie and while anime loves it, kdramas never go for it, so it's pretty much a dream come true. I'm sure he'll be honest and true and heroic soon enough, but for now I am digging the anomaly.


I'm a 100% with you. I find goody two shoes heroes too bland to watch (there's a reason I skipped all of the hero's scenes in Emperor of the Sea to get to the NInja Pirate faster ^^).

To be honest, I liked the first episode well enough but I wasn't bowled over. Episode 2 sent me in obsession territory though. Most of the characters are already wrekcs at the end of episode 2 so I just know my poor little heart will suffer for the next 22 episodes. But I bet it'll hurt so good^^

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

OMG, you are watching it! Yay! I am getting 720p for this btw - you are a bad influence as far as my HD space is concerned :)

Re: EotS. You and me and everyone else. Seriously, I have yet to meet someone who preferred the hero.

Re: eps. Yes, I really liked ep 1 but it was ep 2 that turned me into a raving lunatic. Sort of like City Hunter, where I enjoyed the first ep enough to check out the second, but it was the second that sent me over the cliff.

I just love that this kdrama has the guts to have a conflicted bad buy as a protagonist and doesn't pull punches about what he does.

Also, I am officially sick because I do ship him with the heroine - the angst potential is huge.

[cleobulle.livejournal.com]

Not only am I watching it, but I'm also translating it into French. My obsession knows no bounds^^

BTW, did you see Svetik's awesome BM vid? I just found it and I've watched it ten times already:


SO good. I can't wait to see what she does with the rest of the drama.

I'm glad they're really going there with the violence/torture stuff. I love dark, tortured Kang To.

And I also feel like a sick pervert because I'm already shipping the OTP like crazy. You said it in one word: ANGST.

Plus I also kind of ship Mok Dan with Shunji so it'll be even better when the tension starts between him and Kang To.

Do you think they'll have Mok Dan falling in love with Kang To's Gaksital persona(she's already hero worshipping the current one) and hating him when he has his day persona on?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

OMG, that MV!

Yeah, I am watching and liking both Dr Jin and A Gentleman's Dignity but this is the one I am obsessed about, the way I haven't been obsessed in many many months.

I also love that they don't flinch from violence - I mean, it was a dark period and it would be fairytale to assume a Japanese policeman chasing rebels was going around hugging puppies and never ever laying a finger on anyone. (I adore Capital Scandal but I think the darkness here is more realistic. Not that CS denied there was darkness, it just never went into it much).

If you are a pervert, so am I! Just imagine how he's going to feel when he finds out who Dan really is! And you know once he becomes gaksital, it's going to get even more messed up.

A part of me wishes this drama decided to go full-bore dark and was all about conflicted collaborationist KT who never turned to the good side.

[once-a-weaver.livejournal.com]

I really love the relationships and connections so far. Like... Mok Dan got involved with Gaksital and Kang-san and Shunji because of current events, but her life was already involved with theirs years ago in an interesting way, so it's like threads coming back together after being frayed for a bit. Lots of potential for influences and changes here.

But yeah, I think the writer got a new whip for a present and wanted to write it into the story. A lot.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think the childhood love thing, which can sometimes be used as a crutch, is here integral to the narrative (for one, there would be no possibility of anything btw KT and Dan without it).

The whipping quotient - seriously, I haven't seen something like that since Lobbyist, though here we don't have camera lovingly dwelling on the beating.

[sisterjune.livejournal.com]

I tried this drama out and its gonna give me a heart attack. this romance is def gonna be fucked up cause from where i'm standing Dan got that knife from kang to, and kang to will take over as gakitsal but she wont know its a different guy, so she'll be all OH GAKITSAL I LOVE U and KANG TO I HATE U
but then they are the same guy. god when she finds out i wonder what she will do, she might like completely lose her shit. and I am all for the hatesex. that is hawt yo. and this is way darker than capital scandal.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I know, the potential relationship with KT/Dan is so fucked up, I have no words. I mean, he's the guy who saved her life as kids but then he hunted her and had her tortured but then he's gaksital but then he did use to be a Japanese policeman but then but then but then...THERAPY!!!!!

The hatesex would be SO HOT. Sadly, kdramas never go there. But yeah, after he finds out who she really is (his OTP from childhood) ---- yes, please.

CS was super-chirpy compared to this. This is God of War level dark.

[gurlygirl10.livejournal.com]

I just can't get over how gorgeous Jo Won is, he can be a good guy and be cute, but he also has an evil look to his face which makes him prefect for being bad- I really can't explain it, but his face looks like it is right out of an anime or manga (his looks kind of remind me of L from Death Note). I can't wait till the romance develops. Yeah, bad guy in love!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Joo Won is wonderful at playing a sweetheart (see Ojakgyo Brothers) but I think his real strength lies in playing these dark characters you can't help but love anyway - he stole the drama in Baker King (and got the heroine, which never happens!) and now here he is in Bridal Mask. Oh, this romance is going to be so dark and messed up!

[gurlygirl10.livejournal.com]

I know, he was such a sweetie in Ojakgyo Brothers. I think that him and Uee in that drama are my all time favorite OTP... when he sang that childhood song for her in front of all those people, he became my all time favorite k-drama hero, not to mention all the man pain, the begging and the whole "I can't live without her!" stuff.. I have to admit that straight romance is more my thing, so I'm only watching Bridal Mask for him, he is one heck of an actor.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am on ep 40 of BM and he is so adorable in it and he and Uee are perfect together (and who knew he could be such a beast in BM and such a darling in OB?).

Btw, what did you think of his story in Baker King? I loooooved it.