Musings of the Obsessive Kind

I continued my trip back into jdramaland with Innocent Love, starring Horikita Maki and Kitagawa Yujin. I started and enjoyed it years back but got sidetracked. Now I am back, on episode 6, and this thing is so addictive, it's insane. Can you say no to that:






IL makes no bones about being a melodrama. In fact, if Japan had makjang as a genre, it would steadily fall into that category (only, being a jdrama, it's somehow understated about all the makjang). IL follows Kanon (Maki) and Junya (KY)- two kind souls horribly treated by the world. When Kanon was still a girl, her parents died in a fire, a fire for which her older brother was convicted. Now she's pretty much a social outcast with no job prospects, self-worth or future. Junya is a young pianist who's unfailingly kind and gentle but who hides a metric ton of damage underneath that exterior - his parents died when he was a child but he didn't give up on the world. He poured all his love and hopes into his fiancee, a fiancee who had a tragic accident the day of their wedding, and is now in a coma inside his house, while he cares for her. Since she's neither dead nor alive, he cannot move on. Until a haunted young cleaner comes into his life. Yeah, this OTP is fucked up.

Throw in major secrets - Kanon was molested by her parents, hence her brother's crime, Junya's fiancee is in a coma because she tried to kill herself as she didn't want to marry him and is actually a bitch etc, evil secondary girls, and more angst than you can think of, and in the center of it, the most darling, loveable, sweet OTP you can imagine, and you have IL.

( Sample scene - Kanon tries to talk Junya out of a suicide attempt by using her love to tell him this love is what his fiancee would feel. Did I mention fiancee is dying as Junya and Kanon got closer? Her evil can sense others' happiness through coma, apparently, and loves to cock-block )

Have a very spoilery MV:



Oh, and Kitagawa Yujin is part of the folk duo, Yuzu, and I love love love their music. Have a song of theirs...

I continued my trip back into jdramaland with Innocent Love, starring Horikita Maki and Kitagawa Yujin. I started and enjoyed it years back but got sidetracked. Now I am back, on episode 6, and this thing is so addictive, it's insane. Can you say no to that:






IL makes no bones about being a melodrama. In fact, if Japan had makjang as a genre, it would steadily fall into that category (only, being a jdrama, it's somehow understated about all the makjang). IL follows Kanon (Maki) and Junya (KY)- two kind souls horribly treated by the world. When Kanon was still a girl, her parents died in a fire, a fire for which her older brother was convicted. Now she's pretty much a social outcast with no job prospects, self-worth or future. Junya is a young pianist who's unfailingly kind and gentle but who hides a metric ton of damage underneath that exterior - his parents died when he was a child but he didn't give up on the world. He poured all his love and hopes into his fiancee, a fiancee who had a tragic accident the day of their wedding, and is now in a coma inside his house, while he cares for her. Since she's neither dead nor alive, he cannot move on. Until a haunted young cleaner comes into his life. Yeah, this OTP is fucked up.

Throw in major secrets - Kanon was molested by her parents, hence her brother's crime, Junya's fiancee is in a coma because she tried to kill herself as she didn't want to marry him and is actually a bitch etc, evil secondary girls, and more angst than you can think of, and in the center of it, the most darling, loveable, sweet OTP you can imagine, and you have IL.

( Sample scene - Kanon tries to talk Junya out of a suicide attempt by using her love to tell him this love is what his fiancee would feel. Did I mention fiancee is dying as Junya and Kanon got closer? Her evil can sense others' happiness through coma, apparently, and loves to cock-block )

Have a very spoilery MV:



Oh, and Kitagawa Yujin is part of the folk duo, Yuzu, and I love love love their music. Have a song of theirs...

1. Preview for ep 18 of IRIS:



I am getting really nervous - Hyun Joon seems to be suspecting Seung Hee - if she is a member of IRIS then I will positively die. NO, please please please.

2. I managed to watch more of Will It Snow for Christmas - so ridiculously good, and written in such a way that I can buy the childhood love foundation because (1) they were high-school age, so more likely to stick in mind and also interacted a lot; (2) both went on to be functional and not just fantasizing about the other every night; (3) most important - their relationship was literally life-changing for her, for spoilery reasons, so it would definitely stick in her memory and also - she's basically the one bright thing in a pretty soul-killing life, for him - no wonder he gloms.

Have a yummy yummy bit:



( Larger )

3. Apparently a new trailer for Slave Hunters/Chuno aired after IRIS which has Dae Gil/Hye Won bits - at last! (My shipping preferences for this drama change like the wind - if they show her with Tae Ha, I ship her with Tae Ha, if they show her with Dae Gil, I ship her with Dae Gil. Maybe they should all get together in one OT3 of angst and hotness. Though considering I am already shipping for a drama which won't air for a month, perhaps the less said about me, the better :P). There is...wait for it...piggybacking! Hopefully he left his sword at home at that time :)

ETA: Here it is. OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG (((Hye Won)))



4. Because I couldn't get Snow Xmas to work last night, I ended up watching eps 4 and 5 of Innocent Love and much fun was had by all - girlfriend-in-a-coma Junya, beginning-to-remember-she-was-molested Kanon, homicidal-maniac Brother, serial-killer-eyes Choir Girl, euthanisia-happy Subaru, etc.



( Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiip - I defy you not to ship them )

5. And now for the ridiculous: apparently Lee Byung Hun is being slapped with a breach of promise lawsuit by a Canadian woman. Article on Dramabeans. Long story short: LBH dated some Canadian girl, and now she alleges he "lured" her to Korea by promises of marriage but once she moved, stuck her in a house in Seoul and didn't visit her much. I only have three thoughts on this (1) if this is true, all that makes him is a bad boyfriend and, arguably, a jerk (I wouldn't even go that far - people get bored in relationships all the time and walk out). If you could sue a guy for being a jerk, the judicial system would break from overload and die; (2) Bwaahahahahaha - that's subject to a lawsuit???? I thought breaches of promise actions died with Queen Victoria; and (3) Oh, LBH, why on earth do you even need to sweet-talk? I am pretty sure there are scores of attractive ladies who'd be happy to get together with you in exchange for a promise - a promise of a one-night stand :D

6. My Kindle seems to have died :( I need it! I don't post about books much on here because I talk about them elsewhere, but I've been powering through early P.G. Wodehouse (British humorist-novelist and my favorite writer) and I need my fix. I am in the minority where I prefer early Wodehouse to his 'mature' work - the style in his later work gets even more polished and perfect but his earlier books have emotion, and I like that. Can anyone imagine Bertie Wooster with a heart? I am especially in love with "Jill the Reckless" (Jill is awesome, and Wally = love, plus there is all that stuff about play-making and production which PGW knew intimately) but The Intrusion of Jimmy is also a ridiculous delight.

7. crumpeteer's picspam inspired me to check out SyFy's Alice. I liked Tin Man and I generally like riffs on classics. That reminds me, must give "The Looking Glass Wars" a look.

WILL IT SNOW FOR CHRISTMAS SUBS ARE NOT WORKING WOE WOE WOE WITHDRAWAL NEED MY ANGSTY GO SOO FIX NOOOOOOOOOO!

ETA: I know I can watch Innocent Love or whatever, but I want my Xmas fix! There is no way anything can compare with a Lee Kyung Hee drama (especially if it stars Go Soo). To expect me to put up with IL (nice as it is) instead is like inviting someone for filet mignon and then giving them hamburger meat. Not satisfying in the least.

WILL IT SNOW FOR CHRISTMAS SUBS ARE NOT WORKING WOE WOE WOE WITHDRAWAL NEED MY ANGSTY GO SOO FIX NOOOOOOOOOO!

ETA: I know I can watch Innocent Love or whatever, but I want my Xmas fix! There is no way anything can compare with a Lee Kyung Hee drama (especially if it stars Go Soo). To expect me to put up with IL (nice as it is) instead is like inviting someone for filet mignon and then giving them hamburger meat. Not satisfying in the least.

All I have to say about episode 3 of Innocent Love is that the scene behind the cut made me shippily-incoherent and faint and every other AWESOME thing.




This is such a Victorian novel in drama form!

( Enter for what made me gibber here )

A few non-shippy points:

a. Poor Kanon - she has so little self-worth - she expects to be abandoned - poor thing!
b. WHAT THE FUCK WAS SHE MOLESTED AS A CHILD OR AM I HALLUCINATING????

I am ridiculously in love with Innocent Love and I have just figured out why - it's a Victorian sensation novel in drama form. Like something out of Wilkie Collins or Mary Elizabeth Braddon.

Let's see - we have two innocent, sweet-natured, selfless protagonists with (a) tragic backstory and (b) big secrets. Kanon's parents were killed and her brother has been jailed for their murder - that's both tragic backstory and a big secret she has to keep (or else she gets stared at, fired, etc. as tainted by association). Junya is someone whose parents died (and he had to be brought up in the church orphanage) and who has a girlfriend who's been in a coma for 3 years who he keeps hidden (and medically taken care of) in a room in his house and does not let strangers know about her. Yet they both remain very good people if odd.

We also have a number of sinister characters - there is Subaru, Junya's best friend who is secretly (as is love that dare not speak its name :P) in love with him. He also sees nothing wrong with trying to remove life support of coma girlfriend of the guy he's in love with. There is Kanon's creepy older brother who seems to harbor more than fraternal feelings for her and is capable of major violence. There is Secondary Girl who has the eyes of a serial killer - there is one scene where Junya tells her he thought comagirl smiled but the doc said she didn't - she is not the kind of person to smile for no reason (it's rather heartbreaking he is clinging to reading in personality into that empty husk) and Secondary Girl had the face of a serial killer! I wanted to yell at Junya to run far far away. I wouldn't be surprised if she chained him up in the basement and refused to let him out until he loved her her her and meanwhile fed him stew made out of Kyoka bones.

We have a number of big mysteries - who killed Kanon's parents and why, what was the relationship like between Junya and Kyoka the coma girlfriend before (why IS she in a coma?). We even have the sinister mysterious female figure - Kyoka herself - she is the one around whom the plot pivots and she is completely sinister in a way hard to describe.

So yes, very much a sensation novel (which I love). Let's hope that just as in those, virtue gets rewarded.

Here is what I want for an ending - Junya and Kanon get together. Kanon finally gets someone who knows her past but loves her and cares for her and with whom she is safe and who is not crazy/creepy/possessive over her a la Older Brother. (I wonder if part of the reason she glommed onto Junya so much is because she can tell he is incapable of hurting her - even if he does not love her, he is such a good person, I can never see him hurting her or playing with her heart). Junya gets to be loved back and not just to give and give - but to be in a mutual relationship. He goes back to composing so he can actually live and not just exist. They eventually have 2 kids and become the most adorable dorkiest parents ever and take them on picnics.

Subaru finds some nice guy to settle down with and forgets Junya. I don't care what happens to Secondary Girl as long as it doesn't involve her trying to drown Kanon in a vat of acid. Older Brother goes far far away - not to prison because then Kanon would have to visit him but to Argentina or South Africa or somewhere far far away. Or he can get shanked in prison, I don't care. Kyoka either finally dies or comes out of her coma, decides she doesn't want Junya anyway (she didn't seem to be world's best girlfriend) and hooks up with someone else or studies modelling or whatever...

The end.

I am ridiculously in love with Innocent Love and I have just figured out why - it's a Victorian sensation novel in drama form. Like something out of Wilkie Collins or Mary Elizabeth Braddon.

Let's see - we have two innocent, sweet-natured, selfless protagonists with (a) tragic backstory and (b) big secrets. Kanon's parents were killed and her brother has been jailed for their murder - that's both tragic backstory and a big secret she has to keep (or else she gets stared at, fired, etc. as tainted by association). Junya is someone whose parents died (and he had to be brought up in the church orphanage) and who has a girlfriend who's been in a coma for 3 years who he keeps hidden (and medically taken care of) in a room in his house and does not let strangers know about her. Yet they both remain very good people if odd.

We also have a number of sinister characters - there is Subaru, Junya's best friend who is secretly (as is love that dare not speak its name :P) in love with him. He also sees nothing wrong with trying to remove life support of coma girlfriend of the guy he's in love with. There is Kanon's creepy older brother who seems to harbor more than fraternal feelings for her and is capable of major violence. There is Secondary Girl who has the eyes of a serial killer - there is one scene where Junya tells her he thought comagirl smiled but the doc said she didn't - she is not the kind of person to smile for no reason (it's rather heartbreaking he is clinging to reading in personality into that empty husk) and Secondary Girl had the face of a serial killer! I wanted to yell at Junya to run far far away. I wouldn't be surprised if she chained him up in the basement and refused to let him out until he loved her her her and meanwhile fed him stew made out of Kyoka bones.

We have a number of big mysteries - who killed Kanon's parents and why, what was the relationship like between Junya and Kyoka the coma girlfriend before (why IS she in a coma?). We even have the sinister mysterious female figure - Kyoka herself - she is the one around whom the plot pivots and she is completely sinister in a way hard to describe.

So yes, very much a sensation novel (which I love). Let's hope that just as in those, virtue gets rewarded.

Here is what I want for an ending - Junya and Kanon get together. Kanon finally gets someone who knows her past but loves her and cares for her and with whom she is safe and who is not crazy/creepy/possessive over her a la Older Brother. (I wonder if part of the reason she glommed onto Junya so much is because she can tell he is incapable of hurting her - even if he does not love her, he is such a good person, I can never see him hurting her or playing with her heart). Junya gets to be loved back and not just to give and give - but to be in a mutual relationship. He goes back to composing so he can actually live and not just exist. They eventually have 2 kids and become the most adorable dorkiest parents ever and take them on picnics.

Subaru finds some nice guy to settle down with and forgets Junya. I don't care what happens to Secondary Girl as long as it doesn't involve her trying to drown Kanon in a vat of acid. Older Brother goes far far away - not to prison because then Kanon would have to visit him but to Argentina or South Africa or somewhere far far away. Or he can get shanked in prison, I don't care. Kyoka either finally dies or comes out of her coma, decides she doesn't want Junya anyway (she didn't seem to be world's best girlfriend) and hooks up with someone else or studies modelling or whatever...

The end.

First of all, I have a confession - a new celebrity crush. It's that rare rare thing - a crush on a Japanese celebrity (because let's face it - much as I love jdramas, most jdrama guys leave me cold sex-appeal-wise).

The crush in question? Kitagawa Yujin. I am loving him in Innocent Love and was totally shocked that here was a rare jdrama actor who I found good-looking. So I went to see what he was in which was...basically nothing. Because he is mainly a musician. It would have all ended there but then I looked up what type of music he was into (expecting Johnny's or perhaps rock) and found it was folk! He's a member of a j-folk group Yuzu, apparently. Japanese folk music? Now this I must investigate. Which I did and discovered this:



And I am sorry but I am smitten. Totally smitten! I like the music, I like the fact that they actually play instruments, I like the fact that I do not see glitter or scary sequins anywhere.

( Another song or dozen )

They look like a normal band! Good God! And kinda adorably dorky. Plus, he is married and I approve of married Asian celebrities on principle - they need all the encouragement they can get :P And to cap it off, he has the most amazing smile! I am a total goner.

Off to troll ebay for CDs... Found concert dvds - hooray! The only other Japanese music dvd/cds I own are Glay.

And with that little verbose intro, we are onto episode 2 of Innocent Love - I should perhaps call it 'psychologically messed-up love' myself but it doesn't roll off the tongue...



( Episode in caps )

In conclusion - Kitagawa Yujin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My recent resurgence of interest in jdramas (after it being dormant for over a year) can be attributed to incredibly high-minded motives:



Far removed from any shallow considerations, I watch them for purely intellectual reasons only:



Ahhhh, I feel enlightened.

Please direct me to more such intensely cerebral endeavors, thanks.