Musings of the Obsessive Kind

So, my current drama watching list is as follows (I am only including dramas I am actively watching).

China:
Jade Palace Lock Heart
Three Kingdoms

Taiwan:
K.O. 3an Guo

Korea:
49 Days
Can You Hear My Heart
Crime Squad
New Tales of the Gisaeng

I think the list shall stay pretty much the same (though I am woefully behind on my kdramas) until the new batch of kdramas arrive in May. None of the upcoming twdrama/cdrama offerings interest me, and as to kdramas - I am going to check out Royal Family and Thorn Birds properly when they finish airing (I liked the first eps for both but they really are dramas better off watched in a marathon).

Oh, and I tried Manny.

No.

Just. No.

It's not a bad drama, but entirely not to my tastes.

1. The title. Manny. Unless you name is Manuel and you prefer diminutives, nobody should be referred to this way. I hate this word with a passion, the way I hate portmanteau words in general. What next, a drama called 'Absitively?"
2. I have a (reasonable or not) prejudice against male nannies. I'd never entrust my kid to one. (Not that I would be keen to entrust one to a female one, either).
3. I was till willing to give it a chance because I adore Suh Ji Suk, but then he came on my screen and I had to stifle a gasp. WTF? Did a labrador die on his head? Just no.

So yes, not for me.

I have just finished ep 2 of Thorn Birds and it's official - I am in love. Make no mistake, this is an unapologetic melodrama - three of the four protagonists have mothers who abandoned them and the story is not set in an orphanage. But I believe melodrama is like any other genre - most of what is made in it is crap, but occasionally you can find a gem. After all, both Something Happened in Bali and Que Sera Sera were melodramas.

I have no idea if TB will join those ranks but after the first two eps, I think it's very much on track. The drama's biggest strength lies in its casting. Yes, the script is fast-paced and I like the dialogues but imagine a slew of idol-wannabe-actors in the role and the drama would quickly become unbearable.

The top honors go to Joo Sang Wook who tears into his role as someone deeply scarred under his well-mannered and reserved facade. I have no idea if JSW is a versatile actor - for all I know, he'd be awful in a comedy. But he is incredible in dark adult dramas which is what this is. Just as in Giant, he steals every scene he's in - whenever he's on-screen, I can't pay attention to anyone else. It helps that he looks like a grown-up and can project a masculine/intelligent/competent vibe. Nothing against teen dramas or teenybopper idols but I prefer to watch adults.

Kim Min Jung is next - she's someone who is hateable but also pitiable. I should dislike her, and I do, but I can't wholly dismiss her - there is something irreversibly broken in her. Her hunger for power, recognition, love is what drives her. I am sure I will cheer when the heroine will grind her bones to make her bread, but I will be devastated too.

Han Hye Jin is likewise very good - I thought she was a little over-the-top in a couple of hyper moments but only a little, and she nails every quiet scene.

Seo Do Young hadn't had much to do yet other than be his gorgeous, cheeky self, but it's testament to his chops and screen presence that he's able to hold his own against his co-stars and keep my interest whenever he shares the screen with them, despite me knowing so little about his character.

Please, flist, give this one a chance. It's very very good. I don't remember the last time I've seen such an intelligent, nuanced, adult kdrama.

( A few caps from ep 2 )

In casting news:

(1) Apparently, Lee Da Hae and Micky Yoochun may be cast opposite each other. I adore both of them but I cannot imagine them opposite each other at all. My brain breaks. But I have liked every single LDH drama I've ever seen, so I will probably like this too.

(2) The Hong Sisters are considering casting Cha Seung Won as the lead of their next, a drama about a romance between a popular actor and a washed-out actress. I used to love Hong Sisters and swear by them but their two last dramas really rubbed me the wrong way so my new motto when it comes to them is "approach with caution". Still, if they are casting CSW, there is no way their hero would be a spineless, cowardly, immature beta (yes, my Gumiho issues are showing) because that is impossible to make CSW into that (and he's a couple of decades too old to even try). And I have no idea who they will cast as the heroine and what her character will be, but I can't imagine her being a spineless idiot like the heroine of YAB because not only would the age be wrong, any character played by CSW would eat her for breakfast. So I am cautiously optimistic with that one.

I have just finished ep 2 of Thorn Birds and it's official - I am in love. Make no mistake, this is an unapologetic melodrama - three of the four protagonists have mothers who abandoned them and the story is not set in an orphanage. But I believe melodrama is like any other genre - most of what is made in it is crap, but occasionally you can find a gem. After all, both Something Happened in Bali and Que Sera Sera were melodramas.

I have no idea if TB will join those ranks but after the first two eps, I think it's very much on track. The drama's biggest strength lies in its casting. Yes, the script is fast-paced and I like the dialogues but imagine a slew of idol-wannabe-actors in the role and the drama would quickly become unbearable.

The top honors go to Joo Sang Wook who tears into his role as someone deeply scarred under his well-mannered and reserved facade. I have no idea if JSW is a versatile actor - for all I know, he'd be awful in a comedy. But he is incredible in dark adult dramas which is what this is. Just as in Giant, he steals every scene he's in - whenever he's on-screen, I can't pay attention to anyone else. It helps that he looks like a grown-up and can project a masculine/intelligent/competent vibe. Nothing against teen dramas or teenybopper idols but I prefer to watch adults.

Kim Min Jung is next - she's someone who is hateable but also pitiable. I should dislike her, and I do, but I can't wholly dismiss her - there is something irreversibly broken in her. Her hunger for power, recognition, love is what drives her. I am sure I will cheer when the heroine will grind her bones to make her bread, but I will be devastated too.

Han Hye Jin is likewise very good - I thought she was a little over-the-top in a couple of hyper moments but only a little, and she nails every quiet scene.

Seo Do Young hadn't had much to do yet other than be his gorgeous, cheeky self, but it's testament to his chops and screen presence that he's able to hold his own against his co-stars and keep my interest whenever he shares the screen with them, despite me knowing so little about his character.

Please, flist, give this one a chance. It's very very good. I don't remember the last time I've seen such an intelligent, nuanced, adult kdrama.

( A few caps from ep 2 )

In casting news:

(1) Apparently, Lee Da Hae and Micky Yoochun may be cast opposite each other. I adore both of them but I cannot imagine them opposite each other at all. My brain breaks. But I have liked every single LDH drama I've ever seen, so I will probably like this too.

(2) The Hong Sisters are considering casting Cha Seung Won as the lead of their next, a drama about a romance between a popular actor and a washed-out actress. I used to love Hong Sisters and swear by them but their two last dramas really rubbed me the wrong way so my new motto when it comes to them is "approach with caution". Still, if they are casting CSW, there is no way their hero would be a spineless, cowardly, immature beta (yes, my Gumiho issues are showing) because that is impossible to make CSW into that (and he's a couple of decades too old to even try). And I have no idea who they will cast as the heroine and what her character will be, but I can't imagine her being a spineless idiot like the heroine of YAB because not only would the age be wrong, any character played by CSW would eat her for breakfast. So I am cautiously optimistic with that one.

I think FWC insanity has driven me back to kdramas.



A pity none of my current favorites are doing well. Both Thorn Birds and Royal Family are being killed in the ratings (which are in the single digits) by Sign, the popularity of which I do not get - if I wanted to watch CSI, I'd just watch CSI. That's a pity because I really liked TB's first ep and, while I haven't seen RF yet, I cannot imagine it appealing to me less than Sign.

Next week, 49 Days takes over from Sign and we'll see how ratings shake out then. I hope at least one of these dramas is a hit though it's pretty hard for me to pick which one I'd root for seeing that I like Thorn Birds a lot already and want Joo Sung Wook's first starring role to be a success, 49 Days has a fascinating concept and a screenwriter I love (even if the leads - Jo Hun Jae and Lee Yo Won - leave me cold. Why couldn't Jung Il Woo be the main lead?), and Royal Family stars my crush Ji Sung and I am a sucker for dysfunctional rich family infighting stories.

I wonder how Crime Squad, which just premiered, did in the ratings? I am a lot more interested in it than its competitor The Duo, and I don't even know what the third rival is, so that shows how much I care about that one.

ETA: Midas. I think it's Midas. Talk about a drama designed not to appeal to me.

Oh, and the only weekend drama I am following, New Tales of the Gisaeng, is apparently averaging low teen rating, which I wouldn't think is too bad for a drama starring a bunch of nobodies and few sets (how expensive could this drama have been to make?), but apparently upsets execs because this writer's previous dramas have all been hits. I don't care if they cut the ep number down actually, as long as they do it enough in advance so the story could accomodate it. 50 eps is a LOT.

What are you guys watching/planning to watch?

And flist faints that I am watching something that is not a period cdrama.

But I really liked the first ep.

Make no mistake, TB is definitely makjang. A darker, more grown-up take, but still...It also reminds me of my favorite old-fashioned melos, with a saintly strong heroine and a completely ruthless and ambitious evil other girl, multiple birth secrets, revenge, men as pawns to the ladies etc.

So if you are looking for a romcom, this is probably not a drama for you. But as it is, it appears crisply written (it drew me in with the first five minutes) and, at least, if the cast has got to do some emotional acting, they got a bunch of heavy-hitters with Han Hye Jin as the protagonist, who seems saintly but with a spine of streel (she's secretly raising nemesis and hero's baby, people!), Kim Min Jung as her former best friend and now nemesis, Joo Sang Wook as a man involved with both of them, and Seo Do Young as the marginally saner second male lead.

More importantly, this got me emotionally involved. I am already rooting for the heroine to demolish her nemesis, to kick the male lead in the face, and to triumph over everyone.



KMJ is a truly underrated actress and I love seeing her on my screen again. Once again, she was barely on-screen (most of the ep was childhood flashback) but even in those minutes she left quite an impression on me - of selfishness and awfulness but also a certain kind of desperate mental fragility. Oh, she is going to be fun and complex to hate!



The male lead. I sort of hate his present-day character already even though we've only seen him for two minutes. I am spoiled from the trailers/promos because he was seduced away by the nemesis and while the nemesis is evil for doing it because she knew heroine liked him and probably did it because of it, it takes two to tango - he's the one who enthusiasticaly shoved his tongue down nemesis' throat after all. And even now he doesn't seem to want to look for heroine but is nemesis-fixated. His childhood self was kinda sweet though and if Giant is any indication, JSW is perfect at playing bastards you start out hating only to make you love him madly later. Good casting, drama!



Seo Do Young hadn't had much to do yet other than to be gorgeous but I am just glad to see him on my screen. I have no idea why he as leading man didn't take off - Spring Waltz is my favorite romantic kdrama of all time - but I'll take seeing him any way I can get.



So yes, first ep is definitely good and this goes on my "watch watch watch" list. I'll probably try to hoard at least first 5-6 eps to binge but we'll see how long that resolution holds.

Now I am off to try to find some version of Royal Family subs.

And flist faints that I am watching something that is not a period cdrama.

But I really liked the first ep.

Make no mistake, TB is definitely makjang. A darker, more grown-up take, but still...It also reminds me of my favorite old-fashioned melos, with a saintly strong heroine and a completely ruthless and ambitious evil other girl, multiple birth secrets, revenge, men as pawns to the ladies etc.

So if you are looking for a romcom, this is probably not a drama for you. But as it is, it appears crisply written (it drew me in with the first five minutes) and, at least, if the cast has got to do some emotional acting, they got a bunch of heavy-hitters with Han Hye Jin as the protagonist, who seems saintly but with a spine of streel (she's secretly raising nemesis and hero's baby, people!), Kim Min Jung as her former best friend and now nemesis, Joo Sang Wook as a man involved with both of them, and Seo Do Young as the marginally saner second male lead.

More importantly, this got me emotionally involved. I am already rooting for the heroine to demolish her nemesis, to kick the male lead in the face, and to triumph over everyone.



KMJ is a truly underrated actress and I love seeing her on my screen again. Once again, she was barely on-screen (most of the ep was childhood flashback) but even in those minutes she left quite an impression on me - of selfishness and awfulness but also a certain kind of desperate mental fragility. Oh, she is going to be fun and complex to hate!



The male lead. I sort of hate his present-day character already even though we've only seen him for two minutes. I am spoiled from the trailers/promos because he was seduced away by the nemesis and while the nemesis is evil for doing it because she knew heroine liked him and probably did it because of it, it takes two to tango - he's the one who enthusiasticaly shoved his tongue down nemesis' throat after all. And even now he doesn't seem to want to look for heroine but is nemesis-fixated. His childhood self was kinda sweet though and if Giant is any indication, JSW is perfect at playing bastards you start out hating only to make you love him madly later. Good casting, drama!



Seo Do Young hadn't had much to do yet other than to be gorgeous but I am just glad to see him on my screen. I have no idea why he as leading man didn't take off - Spring Waltz is my favorite romantic kdrama of all time - but I'll take seeing him any way I can get.



So yes, first ep is definitely good and this goes on my "watch watch watch" list. I'll probably try to hoard at least first 5-6 eps to binge but we'll see how long that resolution holds.

Now I am off to try to find some version of Royal Family subs.

Withs2 picked Royal Family for subbing. Out of the new crop of the dramas, this was my most anticipated, so hooray!



Ji Sung, chaebol family manipulations, younger man- older woman! Bring it on, say I!

I also plan to check out 49 Days, Crime Squad and Thornbirds. I've given up on Midas (boring, plus a number of deal breaker concepts) and The Duo (I get my period drama caving satisfied through cdramas now) entirely.

Seven and his OTP, that's who! Sorry, Four, I still love you and Lady Doc together but as far as shipping goes, you are now taking second place to Seven/Lady Robber.

( Here be cuteness )

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have the first ep of Thorn Birds with subs to watch.

Oh, and not related to anything, but this Buhwal song is beyond amazing. Have it. I've been listening to it non-stop for at least a dozen times.



Lee Seung Chul's voice gives me shivers. And Kim Tae Won's songs really are something else. I hope he gets better soon!

Seven and his OTP, that's who! Sorry, Four, I still love you and Lady Doc together but as far as shipping goes, you are now taking second place to Seven/Lady Robber.

( Here be cuteness )

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have the first ep of Thorn Birds with subs to watch.

Oh, and not related to anything, but this Buhwal song is beyond amazing. Have it. I've been listening to it non-stop for at least a dozen times.



Lee Seung Chul's voice gives me shivers. And Kim Tae Won's songs really are something else. I hope he gets better soon!

As you can tell by this LJ becoming cdrama central lately, no kdramas have been grabbing me this year, except for New Tales of the Gisaeng. However, a new crop is about to be out and hopefully this is about to change. In addition to Crime Squad, which I am very excited for and posted a trailer to earlier, these are the upcoming "Big Three" I plan to check out. Have the trailers.

Royal Family - family machinations, younger man-older woman (she helped raise him from the slums and now he's going to help her in his turn), and my huge fave Ji Sung. The trailer double-conforms my interest and made me want to do grabby hands at the screen. It looks pretty, intense, and shippy.



Thorn Birds - this one feels like a flashback to older melodramas and, luckily for me, I adore those. It seems intense and dysfunctional-passionate and has the cast I like the most of all the upcoming dramas - I've been dying to see Joo Sang Wook as the lead since he stole the show in Giant (and clearly the makers know what fangirls want - there is a shirtless scene in the trailer itself!), I love Han He Jin and Seo Do Young and Kim Min Jung. Bring it on!



49 Days - the most intriguing one of the bunch, about a young woman whose spirit must find three unrelated to her people to shed tears for her within the 49 day period or she will never wake up from the coma she is in. Lee Yo Won plays the woman whose body is taken over by the spirit, Jo Hyun Jae is the male lead (not sure how he comes in), Bae Soo Bin is the almost-dead girl's fiance, and Jung Il Woo is the grim reaper.