Koreans bring the angst to the yard: Loveholic. Also, Kimi Wa Petto is still fun

[dangermousie]

Watched through episode three of Kimi Wa Petto and have a few brief, unspoilery observations:

1. MatsuJun is a very good dancer. And he is irresistable in this one. This said, I want to lock him up in an all-you-can-eat joint for a week.
2. I can't banish the weirdness. I am sorry, he is NOT a pet, he's a boy. The whole giving him baths and having him lie on your lap...freaky.
3. I am not sure I like what KwP has to say about gender relations. If you are an intelligent, strong person, you can never have a relationship with an equal. You should be with someone undemanding? Huh? I don't care if it's gender reversal. It's not something I am keen on.

But yes, continues to be enjoyable.

Because I cannot have an alleviated dose of angstless, romanceless drama, I poppped in kdrama Loveholic (it was that or Spring Waltz and SW was downstairs). My, my, MY.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.



Loveholic does has one of the most awesome, eyepopping drama openings. As the drama starts, and some cool song kicks in on the soundtrack, we are in the middle of some high school students having a really violent fight, chaos interrupted by freezeframe. It cuts from that to a 20-something woman (our heroine, Yool Joo) talking on her cellphone. As the students scatter, still fighting, the pursuers knock her down and one of the guys (who we will later find out is our hero, Kang Wook) who is fleeing turns (impulse to help? who knows?) only to see the woman start fighting, as well, knocking guys around like ninepins. Elegant still. It is a very Shin-Yankumi moment, with him really mesmerized by her graceful violence. As he freezes, looking at her, she crumples into his arms, even though no one has touched her.

And we are off to a story of forbidden love (she is a teacher, he is a student, though when they first meet, neither knows of the fact), mutual sacrifice, murder, jail time, TIME JUMPS, and more angst than I can ever want. Also? Narcolepsy. And that is only the beginning...(alexandral, most of the drama takes place 5+ years after school).

Awesomeness.

Stay tuned for a huge picspam some time this week.

Comments

[kitsune714.livejournal.com]

I have heard of Loveholic, but I've never seen it. That good? Maybe I should add it to my list. :)

Also, re: Spring Waltz. I saw it, it's got its moments, it's not half bad really, but my fast forward button got a bit of a workout. mellowdee loved it, though, and I think out of all the seasons dramas, SW was the best one for me (of course, this is taking into consideration that the thought of Winter Sonata makes me ever so slightly homicidal).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

SW has that adorable cute guy who looks like Korean Orlando Bloom so I am predisposed to like it already.

Re: Loveholic. It's good half an ep in. I'd hold off it (if you are looking for my rec, that is) until I am further in. A number of kdramas die in the middle, after all.

[kitsune714.livejournal.com]

SW has that adorable cute guy who looks like Korean Orlando Bloom so I am predisposed to like it already.

YES. YES. AT FIRST GLANCE OF A PROMO PICTURE I SWORE THAT THAT WAS ORLANDO BLOOM.

Why would Orlando be in a Korean drama? Much in the same way that Ben Stiller does milk tea ads in Japan, I reasoned: $$$$.

But no, it wasn't Orlando. But it was someone who looked an awful lot like him. He is an angsty pianist, he wears pink sweaters, and he cries REALLY WELL. You'll love him.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

He is an angsty pianist, he wears pink sweaters, and he cries REALLY WELL. You'll love him.

SOLD. My next kdrama after Loveholic.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

In Spring Waltz, are you referring to Daniel Henny(?) or Seo Do-young? I ask because Seo Do-young is in "Emperor of the Sea" and while he doesn't do much(he is a bodyguard who is not part of an otp or comedy relief, therefore, his only purpose is to hover around looking hot and do well in fights) I'm rather interested in seeing more with him in it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It's Seo Do-young. I watched the first half an hour of SW a long time ago and he was awesome.

DH doesn't do much for me.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Ah, cool. I won't be alone in focusing on him. He's(visually) very striking in EotS...he's one of the very few cleanshaven characters(there's only 1 other, now that Yon has crossed over to The Land of the Beard...something the actor is still too young for...) has very long(and, naturally, perfectly groomed) hair, is dressed in solid black w/ whitye or silver accents, and is always placed either beside or behind Jung-Hwa, who he's a head taller than. *not that I ogle or examine him when he's on screen or anything...oh no*

People tend to squee a lot over DH, but it seems like the being good with multiple languages bit is all they talk about.

I think you should watch Spring Waltz soon so that I know if I want to get it, as 100% of my interest in it in Seo Do-Young, who no one else ever talks about in it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I watched the first half of the first ep of it, as well as random bits from eps a long time ago (to see if it was worth getting) and I loved it. Very beautiful, a little dream-like, and SDY is totally totally awesome as this snarky, cold (but totally angsty!woobie) pianist. And his OTP is the most adorable girl in the world. And he is so sweet and emo and yet passionately restrained...guuuuuuh

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

oooooooooooo

See, one of my very few complaints about EotS is that he doesn't get to do anything much(but then, if he did, there'd be less of the 2 main male leads, and that would make me sad...) so I hope he gets to do a lot more soon.

[kitsune714.livejournal.com]

I squee over Daniel Henney based solely on his portrayal of Dr. Henry Kim in My Name Is Kim Sam Soon. He doesn't do much for me in Spring Waltz (I mean, he's great to look at it, you know), but in MNIKSS? OH MY GOD.

He's like, the best guy ever. Seriously. Would that I could meet a brilliant man like him who would follow me around the world.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

MatsuJun IS insanely skinny here, isn't he? That was actually the thing about him that I noticed the most throughout. The pet stuff never actually bothered me...I think mostly because most of it seems to be coming from him(because hey, he's being pampered by a hot older woman...), with her doing it because it makes her feel needed.

I think, though, that what kept me from really loving it was the way it said that the man is weak and the woman is strong, or the man is strong and the woman is weak, but there's no middle ground...though there's stuff later with the therapist that turns that on its head a bit, and in the end, they basically say that the most important thing is what makes you happy.

Who's the guy in that kdrama? He looks familiar.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

She is a sucky owner: she clearly didn't feed him :)

Yeah, I like the relationship of equals stuff. they don't have to be equally brainy or what not, but I have to get the sense that they aren't owner/pet.

The guy in the drama is Kang Ta. He is (apparently) a popular singer but I've never heard any of his stuff.

[kitsune714.livejournal.com]

KANG TA.

From the band H.O.T., which is like Korean F4. (They're contemporaries.)

But why is Kang Ta awesome? Because this summer, he did a musical collaboration with Vanness from F4, and it was called "Scandal" and the whole concept of the album involved the two of them in black suits and sunglasses, being suave and worldly.

They ruled my iPod for the whole summer!

[calixa.livejournal.com]

The lyrics for "Scandal" actually left me feeling slightly scandalised. That's saying something, for asian pop. Vanness's lyrics are sooooooo dirty sometimes.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

heh, there's a scene somewhere in th show where he rejects food because he knows she made the other guy(PTOOEY!) something more elaborate and was sulking, and I was all "What? Are you nuts? you need some meat, boy!"

[ilanala]

Kimi wa Petto is definitely one of those shows that is better if you don't think about it too much. They do eventually deal with the issue of him not actually being a pet, but not for a while, and there's still the problem of power dynamics and gender issues and everything. But MatsuJun is irrestistibly cute in it, and they pull off some weird stuff in a surprisingly believable way, so I forgive them a lot.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

But MatsuJun is irrestistibly cute in it, and they pull off some weird stuff in a surprisingly believable way, so I forgive them a lot.

Yeah, my approach to it, basically.

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm. Loveholic looks good.

And MatsuJun is a good dancer???? Eeeeeeeee! How come I didn't know this before??? Man, I wanna check out Kimi wo Petto now. And Hanadan 2!!! *dies*

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

He is totally a good dancer. And rather acrobatic.

And Loveholic is awesome.

[svilleficrecs.livejournal.com]

A while ago I saw the first half of the first ep of a show I saw at (I think) your pimpage. Not entirely sure, but you're the person on my flist to ask... Starts out where there's this girl who tries to give a note to her crush, but accidentally gives it to some bully guy w/ a pompadour and a leather jacket... and he uses it to blackmail her...

any idea of the title or where I could track down eps?

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

it started with a kiss.

try the jdramas community or d-addicts.com

[tatterpunk.livejournal.com]

That's Devil Beside You. ISWAK starts similarly, but DBY is the only one with a pompadour leather jacket guy.

You can download it @ d-addicts, jdramas, or silentregrets.com.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It's 'A Devil Beside You' (not It started with a kiss, meganbmoore you are drummed out of drama-lover ranks :D)

[allbloomedout.livejournal.com]

I agree he's a good dancer. He definitely needs to eat. I was so creeped out to see all his ribs when he had his shirt off. He doesn't seem like he's as skinny in HYD but still needs to eat more. Maybe he doesn't want to get his nails dirty lol (I need to stop making fun of that but I can't help it). I actually thought the laying on the lap was kind of cute. But the bathing was really strange. Wow, Loveholic sounds really good. I think I've came across this drama before but what I read didn't sound as interesting as what you wrote here. :) I hope you'll see Spring Waltz soon though. It was my first official drama that started all this drama addiction. Suh Do-Young is amazing too. Of course Daniel is perfect eye candy as well. :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

see all his ribs when he had his shirt off.

Oh yes. For God's sake, use the money you spend on nailpolish to buy a sandwich.

I really want to see SW. It looks so beautiful and dream-like.

Loveholic is great: there is angst and intense stares and forbidden love and hotness.

[allbloomedout.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. For God's sake, use the money you spend on nailpolish to buy a sandwich. LOL, seriously. :)


I really want to see SW. It looks so beautiful and dream-like. It's very beautiful. Have some pretty scenes of Austria (Salzburg) and Cheongsan Island scenes are really beautiful too.

WOW, that one sentence description is awesome. I should try not to pick it up now though. Too many dramas at one time. I'll definitely write down on to watch list :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

You should watch it! I want someone to squee with.

And yeah, SW just looked sooooo...whoa. Very elegant.

[allbloomedout.livejournal.com]

I would love to squee with you! :) I actually just found the links for it for megaupload!! I'll download now but I need to finish this paper I have due tomorrow first. Hopefully I'll be productive enough to watch it tonight :)

[tatterpunk.livejournal.com]

I am not sure I like what KwP has to say about gender relations. If you are an intelligent, strong person, you can never have a relationship with an equal. You should be with someone undemanding? Huh? I don't care if it's gender reversal. It's not something I am keen on.

I don't think it says exactly that. If it helps, think of it of a gender-switched It Started With A Kiss. Sumire is very much a female Zhi Shu -- they're both tall, with out-of-the-ordinary looks, very intellegent, and hard workers. They're even both good cooks, and they have the same stand-offish/ brutally independant personality. But while Zhi Shu is persued and chased like crazy for being the perfect man, Sumire is regarded with unease and even fear, because men feel like, with such an accomplished woman, they look like nothing beside her.

It's not that Takeshi (Momo) doesn't have anything to offer, but Sumire is, at first (because their relationship develops), getting the chance to offer all that she has without putting the other person at a disadvantage. She gets to love and care for someone without reservation, and without fear that it will make them (as it did her ex) feel useless. She has to pretend he's a "pet" because if he were a man in her eyes, she would automatically have to assume the role of the cute, helpless, reliant one. Unfortunately for her as a Japanese woman, she's none of those things.

It is a commentary on gender relations, especially those in Japan. There's definitely an emphasis on girls (at least, as the mainstream ideal) being energetic, sweet, helpful, and optimistic, but not necessarily smart or independant. I mean, as much as we both love shoujo manga, how many heroines are noted for their intellegence? I can think of several -- Mizuno Ami and Miyazawa Yukino come to mine -- but in most instances the girl's intellegence is in some way played for laughs. I know a lot of this is because shoujo manga often stars a type of Everygirl character so audiences can relate, but I'm having a hard time thinking of smart female side characters as well...

I don't think the commentary is that as a strong person you should find someone who doesn't challenge you -- you're early in the show, but Takeshi does challenge and impress Sumire in his own ways. I think it's more an examination of the perception of women in Japan, and how they either rebel against it, try to conform to it, or use it to their advantage. (Sumire's co-worker is a great foil for her in that respect. She's smart as well, but instead of showing it openly she uses her intellegence to play up her perceived helplessness.) And mixed in there is a very sweet romance about two people coming to grips with what they're comfortable with about themselves.

That's my take on it, anyway. I feel for Sumire, because I've been in similar situations (though not as bad), where a few people I was dating or friends with would feel the need to put me down because they felt I overshadowed them. (They would inform me of this much later, usually in drunken 3 AM calls months after we'd parted ways.)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

That's a great write-up and yes, if I look at it this way, it is rather more complex and more interesting. YAY.

[tatterpunk.livejournal.com]

Hee! Glad to meta at you. ;)

I'm usually all for preservation of the original manga name, but I have to admit I like Tokyopop changing the English release from "You Are My Pet" to "Tramps Like Us," from Bruce Springsteen:


Baby, this town rips the bones from your back
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
`cause tramps like us, baby, we were born to run

It doesn't fit the feel of the drama so much, but the manga's a bit more... lush, and I think the evocation of the song fits in with the theme of rebelling against what's expected of you, of choosing so be "undesirable" in the eyes of ordinary people.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the explanation. I was wondering about the name change.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am stiil very cautious about "Kimi Wa Petto". A concept of a person being a pet (of any gender) sounds very weird and if I go into my ranty ways, damaging to the young (sorry, I could not resist). Even it is a joke. Plus I am not even into gender stereotype switches ** sigh ** , I like my men commanding and leading. :D

But Loveholics sound good. I like age disparities in fiction very much. :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I like my men commanding and leading. :D


In which case KwP is SO not your thing :)

So do I (though I made an exception for KwP I am not seeing MatsuJun sexy in it at all).

[janlake83.livejournal.com]

actually in kimi wa petto they're also addressing in a way how in japan women doesn't have the whole equality thing and yeah i guess the whole boy as a pet is weird but think of it like when older women date younger guys (i.e. cher and the bagel boy) those boys are kept and in a way like in the series, but like here not much in the sex part.

i think i just overanalyzed something, yikes, have to stop waking up sooo early

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know. But the 'pet' thing is still different from a gigolo (not that I approve of the latter, either).

[janlake83.livejournal.com]

i guess it is different from being a kept man, because instead of seeing a human being your thinking of labrador retriever, but yeah i don't approve of either.

[village.livejournal.com]

Kimi Wa Petto is somewhat ... odd. But it's actually quite a good drama. I never expected to like it but I really got into last year and I even have a copy of it for those days I just want to watch one of these shows on an actual tv.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I enjoy it a lot, but I try not to think about the concept.

[village.livejournal.com]

Oh, it was very awkward to watch at first and there are still a few things that bother me about it but I was able to suspend belief enough to just sit back and enjoy it.

[village.livejournal.com]

Oh and yes, Matsujun is almost disturbingly thin in the show. I watched KwP after HYD and Gokusen, so I was pretty much weirded out a bit by his appearance. But it grew on me after a while (except during a few later scenes, that I'll bring up when you actually get to that point in the series).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I just wanted to give him a meal or dozen. Still love him in it, but seriously, eat something! It seems to be a uniquely jdrama thing, too. While none of Taiwanese or Korean drama guys are in the same universe as chubby, I don't have this overwhelming urge to forcefeed them.

[aoimidori.livejournal.com]

1. MatsuJun is a very good dancer. And he is irresistable in this one. This said, I want to lock him up in an all-you-can-eat joint for a week.
He makes up for all the weirdness. *cough* Seriously. That was one Jun dorama where half the time I felt like such a perv ogling at him. (And he has a scene where he's shirtless. ><)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but the shitlessnes made him show his ribs! Seriously, he has a paycheck! He can afford convenience store food :)

[aoimidori.livejournal.com]

oh god yes! i've forgotten about the stick thin-ness. i watched hyd 1 and kimipet back to back around a year ago, and i didn't really realise how thin he was before kimipet. in gokusen, the uniform sort of hid it. in hyd 2, he looks as if he's filled out a bit, thankfully.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Exactly. In HYD he is slender but I don't get the feeling his ribs must be sticking out under his shirt. Finally.