Musings of the Obsessive Kind

None of the dramas I am watching atm are period dramas and I cannot go too long without watching one. So I made the sensible decision to rewatch Hong Gil Dong, i.e., the drama that tore my heart out and danced on its remains. I am so very smart...





Hong Sisters are very uneven writers for me - I love some of their stuff and cannot stand the others. But while I immensely enjoy and love Delightful Girl Chungyang and My Girl, Hong Gil Dong is the only one of their dramas that made my top 10 kdrama list, the only one that I think tries to address more than the usual romcom 'when will they and how?' trope. I have not been able to truly love any of their dramas since HGD (though I did enjoy Gumiho Girlfriend) but what a way to go out! HGD is a fusion sageuk, a smart take on a Robin Hood story, very dark underneath its initially wacky exterior. They have never tried anything like this before or since, but I will always love them for doing this once.

A lot of dramas I love pale on rewatches, or even if not right away, pale once a few years have passed and my tastes mutate. This is not true with HGD. I rewatched some bits of ep 24 before settling down to a rewatch proper and it's still as good, as moving, and as cool as ever.

( More thoughts and caps )

Not related, but I've been binging on Joe Dassin's songs. Bringing you my current favorite:

None of the dramas I am watching atm are period dramas and I cannot go too long without watching one. So I made the sensible decision to rewatch Hong Gil Dong, i.e., the drama that tore my heart out and danced on its remains. I am so very smart...





Hong Sisters are very uneven writers for me - I love some of their stuff and cannot stand the others. But while I immensely enjoy and love Delightful Girl Chungyang and My Girl, Hong Gil Dong is the only one of their dramas that made my top 10 kdrama list, the only one that I think tries to address more than the usual romcom 'when will they and how?' trope. I have not been able to truly love any of their dramas since HGD (though I did enjoy Gumiho Girlfriend) but what a way to go out! HGD is a fusion sageuk, a smart take on a Robin Hood story, very dark underneath its initially wacky exterior. They have never tried anything like this before or since, but I will always love them for doing this once.

A lot of dramas I love pale on rewatches, or even if not right away, pale once a few years have passed and my tastes mutate. This is not true with HGD. I rewatched some bits of ep 24 before settling down to a rewatch proper and it's still as good, as moving, and as cool as ever.

( More thoughts and caps )

Not related, but I've been binging on Joe Dassin's songs. Bringing you my current favorite:

The long trailer for Queen In Hyun's Man (which premiered today) made me want to hyperventilate and watch this thing raw:



It looks gorgeous, romantic, twisty, and not quite like any other drama I've seen. Ahhh. I need this in my life!

Any idea if anyone subbing it? Anyone at all?

Even though I haven't seen ep 7 yet (still travelling, ergo haven't gotten to replies or other committments, sorry), have the preview for ep 8, which is the only spoiler I've allowed myself:



Somehow, against all odds, it is Love Rain that ended up being my favorite among the current crop, the one I obsess over and cannot wait for and dream about (the last one is pathetic but true).

I am almost as invested in In Ha and Yoon Hee, older but still loving, as I am in Jun and Hana, who are hitting all my romance tropes out of the park. Two very different sets of lovers (you can so see the young In Ha and Yoon Hee in their older selves) in one drama. What more can a girl ask for?

Even though I haven't seen ep 7 yet (still travelling, ergo haven't gotten to replies or other committments, sorry), have the preview for ep 8, which is the only spoiler I've allowed myself:



Somehow, against all odds, it is Love Rain that ended up being my favorite among the current crop, the one I obsess over and cannot wait for and dream about (the last one is pathetic but true).

I am almost as invested in In Ha and Yoon Hee, older but still loving, as I am in Jun and Hana, who are hitting all my romance tropes out of the park. Two very different sets of lovers (you can so see the young In Ha and Yoon Hee in their older selves) in one drama. What more can a girl ask for?

Apparently, while both Rooftop Prince and King 2 Hearts preempted their episodes yesterday due to election (The Equator Man kept its normal schedule), only K2H is showing double the eps today. RP is only showing ep 7 because ep 8 is not yet ready (they are filming this close to the air date? Already?! Not good). So just FYI.

I confess that I am fine with it. If the situation was reversed and K2H was the one which only had one ep, I'd be tearing out my hair, but while I like RP, it doesn't ignite any passionate attachment in me so...eh.

Have a K2H MV from AyaChan. She used to make amazing City Hunter MVs and I am glad to see she's just as good now:

The replacement for tvN's late, lamented Shut Up Flower Boy Band is the lighthearted romcom The Marriage Plot. In a set-up more suited to a weekend family drama (not that this is a bad thing), the mother of four single daughters schemes to get them husbands via cohabitation (no, I have no idea how she convinces the individuals in question).



I am mainly tuning in for Lee Kyu Han, who I have been fangirling for years, finally landing a leading-man role (I think he's ridiculously underrated - he's got great chops and is super-hot. I honestly have no idea why he's not a bigger star). Plus, another of the four bachelors is played by the brilliant Lee Min Woo, who won my heart in The Princess' Man. I am not familiar with the three actress who play three secondary sisters, and am only barely familiar with the leading lady, Kang Hye Jung. I thought she was miscast in Miss Ripley, but that was a flawed (if interesting) drama, so I am willing to give her another chance. Plus, I believe in real life she's married to Tablo, so mad props to her for keeping her sanity with that whole lunatic diploma thing going on.

Have the official MV, sung by Kim Hyun Joong:



So cute! I am in!

The replacement for tvN's late, lamented Shut Up Flower Boy Band is the lighthearted romcom The Marriage Plot. In a set-up more suited to a weekend family drama (not that this is a bad thing), the mother of four single daughters schemes to get them husbands via cohabitation (no, I have no idea how she convinces the individuals in question).



I am mainly tuning in for Lee Kyu Han, who I have been fangirling for years, finally landing a leading-man role (I think he's ridiculously underrated - he's got great chops and is super-hot. I honestly have no idea why he's not a bigger star). Plus, another of the four bachelors is played by the brilliant Lee Min Woo, who won my heart in The Princess' Man. I am not familiar with the three actress who play three secondary sisters, and am only barely familiar with the leading lady, Kang Hye Jung. I thought she was miscast in Miss Ripley, but that was a flawed (if interesting) drama, so I am willing to give her another chance. Plus, I believe in real life she's married to Tablo, so mad props to her for keeping her sanity with that whole lunatic diploma thing going on.

Have the official MV, sung by Kim Hyun Joong:



So cute! I am in!

I have some caps from ep 4 of Rooftop Prince (but still not much meta because this is a darling piece of fluff).

( Some pretty pretty caps )

In the unlikely event you missed it, here is the preview for ep 5 of K2H with subs. Is it Wednesday yet? I need this in my life!



I do wonder how they end up engaged? Cannot wait to find out!

Also, seeing HJW is making me nostalgic for Secret Garden, one of my favorite dramas, so have this gorgeous MV.

I haven't been posting about it because I got sidetracked, but I restarted with the amazing, awesome, etc etc Qin's Moon. It's gorgeous, complicated, with a superbly-rendered world, and characters I adore (well, the main kid I can take or leave but everyone else!)

Also, I have an OTP - Ge Nie/Duanmu Rong! He's Qin's best swordsman, who's turned against his masters and she is a legendary doctor who refuses treatment to only three types of people (1) people from Qin (2) swordsmen (3) people with the surname Ge. Guess who fits all three? Guess who gets treated anyway?







Thank you for feeding the h/c monster, show!

I am madly curious about their backstories - why does she have those conditions and why does she ditch them for him once she sees his sword? And why did he decide to stop being Qin's killing machine even if he will get killed for it?

Also, is it me or is Xiang Yu pretty much N1 obsession of show/movie-makers recently? I mean, there was the White Vengeance movie, and the upcoming one with Daniel Wu, plus the filming Chu-Han Contention series (I can't wait!) and the horrifying upcoming Beauties of the Emperor, plus The Myth and Legends of Chu-Han a few years back. And now here he is in QM as pretty much the coolest adolescent ever:



Liu Bang might have won the empire but he clearly lost the PR war :P (Having read up on the dude, no wonder. Pushing your kids out of your carriage so you can escape faster does not a legendary hero make).

Have a gorgeous and general QM amv. If you recognize the music, it's from Chinese Paladin 3.