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dangermousieAm on volume 4 of Vampire Knight. How anyone could not like Zero/Yuki together after this, I don’t know. Or, more importantly, while I can see not shipping them, the thought of anyone shipping Kaname/Yuki is mildly disturbing. Kaname is getting creepier and creepier by the volume. If you’ve been reading my LJ, you know I like alpha guys in fiction just fine, but even my buttons have been pushed past breaking point (yes, mixing metaphors) by Kaname: he treats Yuki as if she is a particularly developmentally–challenged five-year-old, and is creepily controlling and possessive. At one point he sees her notice Zero and Maria’s fight (by fight I mean ‘guns and knives’ not ‘argument’) so he clamps his hand over her mouth, drags her away, puts her to sleep and wipes her memories. If I am supposed to find it cute that he is all "Zero is expendable, you aren’t", then you have the wrong girl. UGH. I seriously loathe him. And that’s even before we find out, in some future volume for which I’ve been spoiled, that Kaname and Yuki are sort of siblings and Yuki has been created to be Kaname’s bride. I feel nauseous just thinking about this. Isn’t it sweet of them to give her a purpose? Ugh.
I am still thinking about Hong Gil Dong. Yup, it’s still not leaving me. Such an excellent drama.
Oh, Chang Hwe. You are not as bright as you should be, are you? I mentioned earlier that I think a truly smart ruler would have played the aristocrats and Hwal Bin Dang against each other, using one to keep the other in check and vice-versa, while being top dog.
Because with the death of Hong Gil Dong and his band, CH is completely in the ministers’ grip. He has allied himself fully with the aristocrats (even his ministers are basically his dead brother’s ministers. He was not making one little change), but it’s not going to do him good in the long run. The scholars will serve him as long as it’s convenient but if they find a cousin who suits them better, who’s to say CH will not wake up and find himself in his brother’s place? They are hardly loyal to him in any way, except for Madam Noh and the bodyguard guy. He has no power-base of his own, and he has destroyed the off-setting force of Gil Dong.
I mean, he’s totally dug himself a pit. True, Gil Dong didn’t have enough bona fide soldiers to be able to win a prolonged contest with the aristos, but he had huge popular support and the nobles could always be kept in check by fear of class war or popular uprising. But as it is, CH has to depend on the same people who sold out his brother because he has no one else. Not only do they know the truth about the Sa Yin sword (are you kidding me? They can always use that fact in the future if they get a pretender they like better), they are secure in knowing not one person out in the street will move a finger to save Chang Hwe if he gets in trouble. To the people, CH demonstrated beyond any doubt that any king is the same and their attitude is ‘we don’t care who is king, it’s all the same to us, all same lying bastards.’ And seeing how he rewarded his previous supporter and King-maker, I doubt there would be any other organized group forming in a hurry to help him, either.
Any goodwill he had, he lost completely in the first few short months of his reign. Heck, by not letting anyone know he had his brother killed, he is even open to a pretender person coming up at attempting to claim the throne.
Ultimately, he is the product of his society and his upbringing. On finding out about the sword, he should have furthered and used his broad popular support as grounds for rule, as opposed to going to tradition according to which his claim is so flawed. But that’s the thing: he is in it for the power and because he’s been bred to believe this is his right. He might have noble sounding rationalizations that he wants the throne to help the people, but ultimately that is all that is: rationalizations, paper-thin, to make himself feel better. You know how I know? Because when push comes to shove, he is not willing to give up even a modicum of his power, let alone his throne, to make those ideals come true. Contrast this with Hong Gil Dong, who is willing to (and does) die for his.
He is good at rationalizations. Yeah, yeah, fighting to preserve your world, are you? I think what you really mean is HGD threatens your power because otherwise, ‘your world’ which is 95% peasants, would like some reform and is much more on HGD’s side than yours.
I really think in a few years, CH will turn into his brother. Who also claimed some ideals but descended into a blood-bath and madness. He is already doing crazy eyes and clutching his throne. And he killed his brother, and the woman he loved, and the man who put him on the throne. Yeah, I can see the guilt of it seep into his brain. And he doesn’t even have someone like Lord Hong to moderate him because Lady Noh will do anything he says.
Interestingly, Gil Dong and his father are someone similar, aren’t they? Somehow, they are not practical enough for the compromise world and they will carry what they perceive as their duty to the bitter end, even paying with their life.
Also, I loved the symbolic bit where Gil Dong finally drops his staff and replaces it with a sword. And the scenes were he was a Minister were hilarious.
I saw some clips from Powerful Opponents and am glad to report that unlike in the promo pics, Lady Bodyguard wears a black pantsuit and I think sensible shoes. Makes much more sense :P They also showed what I think is the first meeting between her and President’s Son and I loled so hard. It’s before she is hired and I don’t think she knows who he is and they are in a mall and he is being annoying so she basically bends his arm behind his back and slams him against the wall. LOL. I approve. The look on her face later when she finds out who she has to guard :P The set-up reminds me a bit of beginning of Hello My Teacher.
Last but not least, I’ve been showing Trigun, still my favorite anime, to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
filmi_girl. Still so good. And knowing the whole story, I love seeing all the hints woven in. And oh Vash. How I love you.
I am still thinking about Hong Gil Dong. Yup, it’s still not leaving me. Such an excellent drama.
Oh, Chang Hwe. You are not as bright as you should be, are you? I mentioned earlier that I think a truly smart ruler would have played the aristocrats and Hwal Bin Dang against each other, using one to keep the other in check and vice-versa, while being top dog.
Because with the death of Hong Gil Dong and his band, CH is completely in the ministers’ grip. He has allied himself fully with the aristocrats (even his ministers are basically his dead brother’s ministers. He was not making one little change), but it’s not going to do him good in the long run. The scholars will serve him as long as it’s convenient but if they find a cousin who suits them better, who’s to say CH will not wake up and find himself in his brother’s place? They are hardly loyal to him in any way, except for Madam Noh and the bodyguard guy. He has no power-base of his own, and he has destroyed the off-setting force of Gil Dong.
I mean, he’s totally dug himself a pit. True, Gil Dong didn’t have enough bona fide soldiers to be able to win a prolonged contest with the aristos, but he had huge popular support and the nobles could always be kept in check by fear of class war or popular uprising. But as it is, CH has to depend on the same people who sold out his brother because he has no one else. Not only do they know the truth about the Sa Yin sword (are you kidding me? They can always use that fact in the future if they get a pretender they like better), they are secure in knowing not one person out in the street will move a finger to save Chang Hwe if he gets in trouble. To the people, CH demonstrated beyond any doubt that any king is the same and their attitude is ‘we don’t care who is king, it’s all the same to us, all same lying bastards.’ And seeing how he rewarded his previous supporter and King-maker, I doubt there would be any other organized group forming in a hurry to help him, either.
Any goodwill he had, he lost completely in the first few short months of his reign. Heck, by not letting anyone know he had his brother killed, he is even open to a pretender person coming up at attempting to claim the throne.
Ultimately, he is the product of his society and his upbringing. On finding out about the sword, he should have furthered and used his broad popular support as grounds for rule, as opposed to going to tradition according to which his claim is so flawed. But that’s the thing: he is in it for the power and because he’s been bred to believe this is his right. He might have noble sounding rationalizations that he wants the throne to help the people, but ultimately that is all that is: rationalizations, paper-thin, to make himself feel better. You know how I know? Because when push comes to shove, he is not willing to give up even a modicum of his power, let alone his throne, to make those ideals come true. Contrast this with Hong Gil Dong, who is willing to (and does) die for his.
He is good at rationalizations. Yeah, yeah, fighting to preserve your world, are you? I think what you really mean is HGD threatens your power because otherwise, ‘your world’ which is 95% peasants, would like some reform and is much more on HGD’s side than yours.
I really think in a few years, CH will turn into his brother. Who also claimed some ideals but descended into a blood-bath and madness. He is already doing crazy eyes and clutching his throne. And he killed his brother, and the woman he loved, and the man who put him on the throne. Yeah, I can see the guilt of it seep into his brain. And he doesn’t even have someone like Lord Hong to moderate him because Lady Noh will do anything he says.
Interestingly, Gil Dong and his father are someone similar, aren’t they? Somehow, they are not practical enough for the compromise world and they will carry what they perceive as their duty to the bitter end, even paying with their life.
Also, I loved the symbolic bit where Gil Dong finally drops his staff and replaces it with a sword. And the scenes were he was a Minister were hilarious.
I saw some clips from Powerful Opponents and am glad to report that unlike in the promo pics, Lady Bodyguard wears a black pantsuit and I think sensible shoes. Makes much more sense :P They also showed what I think is the first meeting between her and President’s Son and I loled so hard. It’s before she is hired and I don’t think she knows who he is and they are in a mall and he is being annoying so she basically bends his arm behind his back and slams him against the wall. LOL. I approve. The look on her face later when she finds out who she has to guard :P The set-up reminds me a bit of beginning of Hello My Teacher.
Last but not least, I’ve been showing Trigun, still my favorite anime, to
filmi_girl. Still so good. And knowing the whole story, I love seeing all the hints woven in. And oh Vash. How I love you.
