Musings of the Obsessive Kind

I confess that, provided I think the idol in question can act, I love when idols get cast in stuff because their fangirls are great at ferreting pictures and spoilers and are enthusiastic enough to make cool stuff. Plus, subs!

Since the upcoming Rooftop Prince has Yoochun as the male lead, it is perhaps unsurprising fangirls have been at it again. The drama is yet to start filming, but I found this awesome 'preview' made by using cuts from Yoochun's and Han Ji Min's previous dramas (Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Miss Ripley, Yi San, Padam Padam).



I approve. Though this still reminds me how pissed off I was that Yoochun and Lee Da Hae didn't have a happy ending in Miss Ripley, even though logically I understand why that wouldn't have worked, the whole stepsiblings thing being the least of their issues. Grrrr. Still pissed! I can't believe monster parents are there living happy after the daughter had to suffer being a prostitute and turned into a conwoman with a destroyed sense of self and son pretty much had his heart so effectively broken, chances of him forming a functional romantic relationship with another human being are zip. Ahem. Tangent.

Also, Jung Yumi has been cast as the secondary girl. Why, Jung Yumi? Why did she go from the lead in the amazing Que Sera Sera to secondary girl roles in this and A Thousand Days' Promise! I mean, I love Han Ji Min more, so I am fine with JY being secondary in this, but I wish she had a better career.

Also, if I had to pick between this and The King (which luckily I don't), I'd give a slight edge to this despite my love for Lee Seung Gi and Ha Ji Won - fusion and time travel ftw.

I confess that, provided I think the idol in question can act, I love when idols get cast in stuff because their fangirls are great at ferreting pictures and spoilers and are enthusiastic enough to make cool stuff. Plus, subs!

Since the upcoming Rooftop Prince has Yoochun as the male lead, it is perhaps unsurprising fangirls have been at it again. The drama is yet to start filming, but I found this awesome 'preview' made by using cuts from Yoochun's and Han Ji Min's previous dramas (Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Miss Ripley, Yi San, Padam Padam).



I approve. Though this still reminds me how pissed off I was that Yoochun and Lee Da Hae didn't have a happy ending in Miss Ripley, even though logically I understand why that wouldn't have worked, the whole stepsiblings thing being the least of their issues. Grrrr. Still pissed! I can't believe monster parents are there living happy after the daughter had to suffer being a prostitute and turned into a conwoman with a destroyed sense of self and son pretty much had his heart so effectively broken, chances of him forming a functional romantic relationship with another human being are zip. Ahem. Tangent.

Also, Jung Yumi has been cast as the secondary girl. Why, Jung Yumi? Why did she go from the lead in the amazing Que Sera Sera to secondary girl roles in this and A Thousand Days' Promise! I mean, I love Han Ji Min more, so I am fine with JY being secondary in this, but I wish she had a better career.

Also, if I had to pick between this and The King (which luckily I don't), I'd give a slight edge to this despite my love for Lee Seung Gi and Ha Ji Won - fusion and time travel ftw.

Am marathonning it properly with subs and yes, this is the kind of drama that works so much better in one gulp - it really reminds me of one of these 19th-century French novels, maybe by Zola.



It all ends tomorrow and let me take this chance to say that regardless of how it ends (and I honestly have no idea), this is going on the 'favorites of 2011' list - it's smart and dark and complicated, with an antiheroine who could be horrible but who I could not help but root for and a fascinating cast of characters from saints to monsters. And it has also given me a love story that is rather unusual in kdramas - a fragmented, bitterly desperate, almost amoral woman finding hope and salvation in the love of a very good man. How often do kdramas go for that? Pretty much never. I ship that dysfunctional romance like crazy.

When it started, I made a wish that it would be another Something Happened in Bali. It wasn't - Bali still pretty much stands alone with its darkness and complex destructive hothouse of emotion. But even though it wasn't as good as Bali, it still more than satisfied any expectations and cravings I had. Here's to you, Miss Ripley - you were a damn good ride!

( So, some caps and thoughts )


Note: I've seen complaints about Hee Joo and Myung Hoon's roles being reduced as the drama went on, but that did not bother me - for one thing, I was always in this for Miri and Yuhyun. For another, Hirayama and Lee Hwa made much more interesting foils and antagonists being the true monsters of the story (any scene with Hirayama and Miri made me viscerally uncomfortable to watch - I dare you to watch their interactions and still blame Miri for doing anything to get out of his power).

So farewell, Miss Ripley. You have been amazingly intense and good.

Am marathonning it properly with subs and yes, this is the kind of drama that works so much better in one gulp - it really reminds me of one of these 19th-century French novels, maybe by Zola.



It all ends tomorrow and let me take this chance to say that regardless of how it ends (and I honestly have no idea), this is going on the 'favorites of 2011' list - it's smart and dark and complicated, with an antiheroine who could be horrible but who I could not help but root for and a fascinating cast of characters from saints to monsters. And it has also given me a love story that is rather unusual in kdramas - a fragmented, bitterly desperate, almost amoral woman finding hope and salvation in the love of a very good man. How often do kdramas go for that? Pretty much never. I ship that dysfunctional romance like crazy.

When it started, I made a wish that it would be another Something Happened in Bali. It wasn't - Bali still pretty much stands alone with its darkness and complex destructive hothouse of emotion. But even though it wasn't as good as Bali, it still more than satisfied any expectations and cravings I had. Here's to you, Miss Ripley - you were a damn good ride!

( So, some caps and thoughts )


Note: I've seen complaints about Hee Joo and Myung Hoon's roles being reduced as the drama went on, but that did not bother me - for one thing, I was always in this for Miri and Yuhyun. For another, Hirayama and Lee Hwa made much more interesting foils and antagonists being the true monsters of the story (any scene with Hirayama and Miri made me viscerally uncomfortable to watch - I dare you to watch their interactions and still blame Miri for doing anything to get out of his power).

So farewell, Miss Ripley. You have been amazingly intense and good.

1. The awesome mookiehyun has just informed me that the upcoming drama 楚汉传奇 (not sure how to translate that), an extravaganza about Liu Bang/Xiang Yu rivalry has signed my ultimate ahjusshi crush Chen Jian Bing (i.e. Cao Cao in Three Kingdoms). I have no idea who he is going to play - Liu Bang, Xiang Yu, or Consort Yu, for all I care! I am so beyond psyched. He's an amazing actor with a huge screen presence and scarily sexy to boot. YESSSS. Peter Ho is apparently signed up as well, also not sure as who. This makes me so happy i can almost forgive Yu Zheng for his upcoming take on the same story, which is pretty much murder of history as we know it.

2. Text preview for City Hunter ep 17 is out. ( Preview is here )

3. And to help to while the time until Wednesday, I found some more awesome CH mvs. ( Here they are )

4. Video preview for ep 7 of Heartstrings is out and makes me v.v. happy. ( Preview and thoughts on it )

5. Stuff that does not make me happy? But sort of does. ( This official MV for Warrior Baek Dong Soo; plus some stills )

6. Preview for the final ep of Miss Ripley is out. ( Here it is )

Well, ( Read more... )

Well, ( Read more... )

So, I've been spending the evening of working through my Miss Ripley backlog.



You know, a lot of people have said that even though they like MR, they can't really root for anyone, but I root for Miri to the inevitable dead end - sure she is broken, manipulative, scary but she has been so abused by the world and is so desperate to escape her true self, I cannot help but want her to get what she wants. And I genuinely ship Miri/Yuhyun, though chances of them ending up happily together is approximately 2%.

( Also, I am at a loss how Miri/Yuhyun scenes can look so romantic on the surface and be so terrifying under it )

And a MV:

Has anyone watched today's ep of Heartstrings yet? More specifically, has Shin snapped out of it and discovered GW's awesomeness or is he still pining over Weepy? Curious minds want to know.

Also, am way behind on Miss Ripley so am planning an epic binge this weekend.