Musings of the Obsessive Kind

Lee Kyung Hee really knows how to do melodrama! I could barely breathe watching this. I have no idea how the characters got to this point (OK, I lied, I have some limited idea) but what strikes me is that it doesn't matter because while knowledge is absent, emotion is not. To me, this shows what the best dramas can do - to transcend logic and go straight for the heart. I don't mean that I don't want consistent, plot-hole-less writing from my dramas (and in any event, I have no idea if ep 9 of NG is logical or not as I have not yet seen it), but ultimately, what I really want - I want my dramas to make me feel, to transform me into another state of being entirely, so that any other issues, the logical brain part of me, ceases to matter.

And oooh boy, does that clip deliver that. Straight to the heart. I especially love that Maru says barely a word during the whole scene and yet you can feel his every emotion - sadness, guilt, longing, shock, love (yes, I do believe it's love), as clearly as if he's been shouting it.

Lee Kyung Hee really knows how to do melodrama! I could barely breathe watching this. I have no idea how the characters got to this point (OK, I lied, I have some limited idea) but what strikes me is that it doesn't matter because while knowledge is absent, emotion is not. To me, this shows what the best dramas can do - to transcend logic and go straight for the heart. I don't mean that I don't want consistent, plot-hole-less writing from my dramas (and in any event, I have no idea if ep 9 of NG is logical or not as I have not yet seen it), but ultimately, what I really want - I want my dramas to make me feel, to transform me into another state of being entirely, so that any other issues, the logical brain part of me, ceases to matter.

And oooh boy, does that clip deliver that. Straight to the heart. I especially love that Maru says barely a word during the whole scene and yet you can feel his every emotion - sadness, guilt, longing, shock, love (yes, I do believe it's love), as clearly as if he's been shouting it.

I have tried out the first two episodes of Horse Healer, driven by curiosity and the fact that I had nothing else to watch on the plane. Other than the fact that it was awesome to see Daddy Damsari pop up for a brief role, SKIP SKIP SKIP!!! It's well-made and competently acted, but very much not my thing. I was about as involved as I would be studying merits of rival brands of cardboard. Traditional sageuk about medicine with ample time devoted to childhood *yawn* portions - no thank you. Especially since I saw the trailer for The Great Seer and it looked amazing:



Boring medical stuff with actors I have zero interest in or Ji Sung as a mystic, french kissing, Kim So Yeon, and Ji Jin Hee in skulls and war paint? It's a no-brainer. Oh, and for my fellow Faith fanatics - the sexy sexy warrior played by Ji Jin Hee is the one who eventually kills Choi Young, according to history.

I've also watched the second ep of Oohlala Couple and it was hilarious like nobody's business. The wife is AWESOME and the swap is going to be great. Also, did I get it right that one of the two Fates was responsible for the husband falling for Not-Rie? Hmmm. Not that she was responsible for him being a selfish bastard. Oh, and past life stuff is officially awesome:






I want to watch the past life drama!

Oh, and Glass Mask is finally getting subbed (on viki). I normally don't do dailies, but I am going to check it out due to my love of Seo Woo who is an amazing, underrated actress. I need her to come back to normal-length, primetime, non-weekend dramas. Please?

Finally, I finished To the Beautiful You. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, or anything I will even remember much into next week, but it was fluffy, as cute as it was brainless and, I managed to finish it, which is more than I can say for any other version of that story.

(Plus, the ending was so darn cute!) (   )

OMFG! He has turned on Gongmin and is fighting his own Woodalchi in order to save Eun Soo (I assume Uncle offered him a bargain - get the royal seal for me, and I will heal Eun Soo). That is INSANE! Oh, Choi Young! And he asks his aunt if he should follow her to heaven world! (YES DO SO NOW!!!)

I am watching this raw.

OMFG! He has turned on Gongmin and is fighting his own Woodalchi in order to save Eun Soo (I assume Uncle offered him a bargain - get the royal seal for me, and I will heal Eun Soo). That is INSANE! Oh, Choi Young! And he asks his aunt if he should follow her to heaven world! (YES DO SO NOW!!!)

I am watching this raw.

There is a new batch of awesome Faith mvs and I love sharing:



( Moooooore more more! )

On, and have this amazing awesome etc etc post on episode 11 of Arang and the Magistrate.

My most anticipated upcoming drama, King of Lan Ling has released a long trailer, focusing on the love triangle between our titular character, a prince who was a legendary warrior/general who wore a mask on the battlefield, played by my huge obsession Feng Shao Feng, Ariel Lin as a heir to a mystical powers tradition, and Daniel Chan as a King of Zhou. (Unsurprisingly, both Daniel and FSF play real historical people but Ariel plays a fictional one. Ariel/FSF is the OTP in this one).

That trailer makes me die of glee:



You can get translations for the trailer at the awesome Koalasplayground.

I AM DYING HERE!!!! (And not just due to the scene where FSF is fighting shirtless in a shower of petals and then sees Ariel. Talk about catering to my wildest id fantasies!). I mean!!!! The angst! The awesome war scenes! True and doomed love! Warlords vying for a beautiful woman and totally becoming lambs around her. Etc etc!!! Gimme!

Also, I remember reading ages ago about the upcoming (not sure if cdrama ot hk or what drama) called Hero with Kevin Cheng, Michael Tse, Ying Er, and Ken Chu (everyone seems to be either a hk or twactor except for Ying Er so I am honestly not sure which production it is). Hero adapts the famous story of one of the four beauties of ancient China. In Hero, Xi Shi (Ying Er) was used to bring down Fu Chai, the King of Wu (Kevin Cheng). Xi Shi's lover, Fan Li (Ken Chu) talked her into it on the behalf of the King of Yue, Gou Jian (Michael Tse). Gou Jian was defeated and made to be a slave to Fu Chai at one point and knows how to hold a grudge! Xi Shi's was actually adopted into a drama at least once before, the Conquest, with Chen Kun.

I remember reading about this and with the knowledge of the story and of the plot of the Conquest (where Xi Shi/Fan Li were the OTP to end all OTPs), my main thought was WTF!!!! What kind of woman would prefer Ken Chu over Kevin Cheng, especially Kevin Cheng who is utterly and madly in love with you? Especially when your boyfriend is basically asking you to prostitute yourself for patriotism in this version?! I mean, WTF!

Thankfully, the makers are not insane. In this version, Xi Shi ends up falling right back for Fu Chai, no doubt giving purists conniptions but me every possible glee imaginable. I am going to revel in their dooooooooooooomed love like there is no tomorrow!

Have a trailer!

My most anticipated upcoming drama, King of Lan Ling has released a long trailer, focusing on the love triangle between our titular character, a prince who was a legendary warrior/general who wore a mask on the battlefield, played by my huge obsession Feng Shao Feng, Ariel Lin as a heir to a mystical powers tradition, and Daniel Chan as a King of Zhou. (Unsurprisingly, both Daniel and FSF play real historical people but Ariel plays a fictional one. Ariel/FSF is the OTP in this one).

That trailer makes me die of glee:



You can get translations for the trailer at the awesome Koalasplayground.

I AM DYING HERE!!!! (And not just due to the scene where FSF is fighting shirtless in a shower of petals and then sees Ariel. Talk about catering to my wildest id fantasies!). I mean!!!! The angst! The awesome war scenes! True and doomed love! Warlords vying for a beautiful woman and totally becoming lambs around her. Etc etc!!! Gimme!

Also, I remember reading ages ago about the upcoming (not sure if cdrama ot hk or what drama) called Hero with Kevin Cheng, Michael Tse, Ying Er, and Ken Chu (everyone seems to be either a hk or twactor except for Ying Er so I am honestly not sure which production it is). Hero adapts the famous story of one of the four beauties of ancient China. In Hero, Xi Shi (Ying Er) was used to bring down Fu Chai, the King of Wu (Kevin Cheng). Xi Shi's lover, Fan Li (Ken Chu) talked her into it on the behalf of the King of Yue, Gou Jian (Michael Tse). Gou Jian was defeated and made to be a slave to Fu Chai at one point and knows how to hold a grudge! Xi Shi's was actually adopted into a drama at least once before, the Conquest, with Chen Kun.

I remember reading about this and with the knowledge of the story and of the plot of the Conquest (where Xi Shi/Fan Li were the OTP to end all OTPs), my main thought was WTF!!!! What kind of woman would prefer Ken Chu over Kevin Cheng, especially Kevin Cheng who is utterly and madly in love with you? Especially when your boyfriend is basically asking you to prostitute yourself for patriotism in this version?! I mean, WTF!

Thankfully, the makers are not insane. In this version, Xi Shi ends up falling right back for Fu Chai, no doubt giving purists conniptions but me every possible glee imaginable. I am going to revel in their dooooooooooooomed love like there is no tomorrow!

Have a trailer!

I am too giddy to put something witty above cut!

( Thoughts and caps on the perfect perfect episode! )

Seriously most perfect thing ever.

Have this gorgeous shippy MV (spoilers for eps 1-10) with a suitably operatic score...

Loved loved loved this ep, but what else is new?

( Caps and thoughts )

Have a MV: