#and then maybe legend of the blue sea so i can love lmh again

[lurkingshan]

Finally hunted down and watched City Hunter after years of waiting in vain for it to come back to a streaming service. I gotta say, this is not the first time I’ve watched a classic drama that is inexplicably beloved despite being offensive trash, but it’s definitely one of the most egregious examples. I will be rewatching Healer to cleanse myself.

[mywebfoot]

10 Qns 10 Ans

This is a lot of fun and I was tagged by @overthinkingkdrama many weeks ago, but real life was vicious for a while. :) So here it is. Anyone who wants to try it, please go ahead!

Q: What’s a drama do you hate that everyone else seems to love? Maybe not hate,  because I rarely feel that strongly negative about dramas, but perhaps couldn’t enjoy is a better phrase to explain my utter inability to enjoy what must have been the greatest hits of 2016. Are you ready? Descendants of the Sun, and Legend of the Blue Sea. Gosh, on the surface, these should have everything I enjoy in kdramas - cute OTPs, romance with a dash of thriller and mystery... but nope. I gave DOTS a try and fell in love with only the 2OTP (to the point of writing FIC about JooWon couple), but couldn’t get into the story proper. I didn’t even try LotBS. I don’t even understand myself. Even Goblin I couldn’t get into, despite loving both Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun. 

Q: What drama do you love but everyone else seem to hate? This one is easier. Little dramas - I seem to like them even when many don’t get what’s to enjoy in them. Again these dramas were maybe not hated, but certainly never became ratings monsters  - Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, 1% of Anything, Age of Youth etc. 

Q: Who is the most unfairly maligned idol actor you would defend to your dying breath?  None. The idol actors I like can act... so it’s a bit hard to say I’d defend them cuz I don’t really think they need defending!

Q: What’s do you consider the most important fact for your drama watching enjoyment: a unique/interesting premise, good pacing, a satisfying ending? (You can only pick one.) JUST ONE? NOOOO. >.<

ok ok, just one... a watchable OTP. Not just good looking, or looking good together, but somehow the way they behave and interact with each other convinces you that these two people are incredibly suited to each other and I watch regardless of pot-hole plots and bizarre editing because I NEED TO SEE THEM TOGETHER. 

Q: Is there a show you watched toward the beginning of your kdrama career and you opinion has since changed drastically for better or worse since then?

ROFL, yes. Personal Taste. It was a case of Lee Min Ho madness at the beginning of my kdrama watching career with BOF... and so I watched (and enjoyed) Personal Taste. Then somewhere towards the end of Personal Taste I noticed what terribly effeminate hands LMH has... and if I have a requirement for an attractive man, it’s this one thing - male,  tough looking hands, preferably veiny. 

Additionally, the plot for PT was great for a kdrama beginner, but after a few years, it just feels tired? I don’t know. :D

Q: When would you say kdramas became a regular part of your life? See above. BOF and Coffee Prince were the awful gateway drugs.

Q: Which common kdrama romantic convention have you seen a million times but you still can’t get enough of it? (Tying shows, drunken piggyback rides, umbrellas, buying medicine for the love interest, first snow kisses/confessions, etc.) Pining + Hidden gazing + Petty jealousy usually comes from reluctant, unwilling attraction - and it gets me every single time. That shows up really often in friends-to-lovers dramas, so I never get tired of those. 

Q: Which common kdrama convention do other people go gaga for but you just don’t get?

I don’t get anything from piggyback rides and back hugging. Um. Just hug. Full frontal. Why from the back? And I have to say, whenever a male actor backhugs a female actor I have to wonder how they negotiate avoiding the boobs while looking intimate. 

Q: Which actor do you avoid like the plague? Male actor: Park Hae Jin. I cannot look at him the same way ever again after he threw the production, director and his co-stars under the bus for the issues that CITT faced. And then to do the Movie version, with a whole different set of people, including female lead? That’s just insult to injury. I can’t help but feel bad for Kim Go Eun who was an excellent Hong Seol. 

Female actor: Yoo InNa, Yoona, Seohyun (GG) come to mind. The acting. Ayy. 

Q: Is there a particular writer’s body of work you find yourself drawn to? Who and why?

Nope. I assume you mean kdrama writers. There’s so much going on a in a drama beyond the plot and pacing that too many elements decide if I like the story or not. For instance, I loved Kim Eun Sook’s City Hall and Secret Garden, but couldn’t watch Goblin, DOTs or Heirs. 

And with that, this Q&A has come full circle! Hope you guys enjoyed reading about my narrow and odd kdrama habits. :P

Like I said above, feel free to answer these 10 questions everyone!

[cococassey]

2016 Drama Year End Summary

I’ve been a very bad drama watcher this past 2016, as I’ve completed a measly 5 dramas, and one of that is a 3-episode drama only lol. Does it count that tvn hits Reply and Goblin are really much longer than the 1-hr episode length? For setting up new records, this is probably the year I’ve checked out more shows that I can handle but has either dropped them halfway or put them on hold. Really bad drama addict habit as this has been a pretty good year for dramas. First reason being it gave me Moonlight Drawn by Clouds. Without further ado, here’s my 2016 drama viewing in hindsight.

2016 Drama Epiphanies 1. Park Bo Gum is EPIC. 2. After a long drama drought, Gong Yoo is still squee-worthy and amazing at this acting thing. Commence the Gong Yoo drama drought again (most probably) 😢. 3. Kim Yoo Jung is great. She’s known for her dramatic side but she is also very good in comedy which is A++ for me. 4. Kim Go Eun is another actress I look forward to following. Happy about this as the fangirl in me occasionally make me overlook the actresses. 5. Lee Dong Wook is great at deadpan comedy, why I haven’t watched him more all these years? 6. Seo In Guk continues to be awesome. He is so versatile. I love both his portrayal of conman in Police Squad 38 and shopaholic doofus in Shopping King Louis even though I did not finish both those dramas. 7. I used to find her songs over-the-top, but I’m a believer now. Gummy’s voice will forever be etched in my brain and my heart. Jo Jung Suk + Gummy make a very talented couple. 8. I may cheat with the occasional cdrama, but kdrama still owns my heart. Kdramas have perfected the art of romantic drama cinematography. A lot of dramas have been outstanding in this aspect this past year. 9. Sageuks can be fun. And so much more prettier than modern times when done well. 10. With all the issues this past year about age gap, when tempers have cooled down, I’m glad there’s discussion happening as it broadens everybody’s perspective as long as it remains respectful. For me, I’ll always look at it case-to-case basis on how the drama handles the relationship. Different strokes for different folks—at the end of the day we all just want to have fun and be entertained, right?

Dramas I still plan to complete (On Hold): 1. Legend of the Blue Sea Park Ji Eun-Jeon Ji Hyun’s pairing of comedy is still sparkling. But I can’t feel any chemistry at all between JJH and Lee Min Ho. Maybe I prefer LMH in badass action roles, but it’s fun seeing him lovesick. 2. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo Makes me reminisce about Sassy Go Go in a good way. I’m still slow on the Nam Joo Hyuk train (is he really starring in Bride of the Water God) but heard very good things about the OTP so I need to catch up soon. 3. The Good Wife Second consecutive year I’ve put a good Yoon Kye Sang drama on hold. Cast is superb and it’s done very well, I just don’t want to handle a crappy bigamous husband right now. 4. Mirror of the Witch I find Kim Sae Ron still unbelievable as part of a romantic OTP, but I might still watch this later because fantasy and Yoon Shi Yoon. 5. W I applaud the ambitious premise and hope for more of the same in the future. But this is the drama where I fell out of love with Lee Jong Suk a little. Just cannot warm up to his character Kang Chul. 6. Another Oh Hae Young The chemistry between Seo Hyun Jin and Eric is electric but the premise about him messing up her planned marriage due to some misunderstanding bothers me a bit.

2016 Drama Disappointments (Dropped): 1. Cheese in the Trap Most sad about this drama’s lost potential as I loved this drama from the start. Too much real problems behind the scenes affecting my enjoyment of the drama. Great OST though and discovered Kim Go Eun, so all is not lost. 2. Descendants of the Sun Looks beautiful, but didn’t feel the Song-Song OTP on-screen sorry. Are they couple for real though? Their chummy friendship until now looks tight. 3. Moon Lovers Too tragic for me. 4. Uncontrollably Fond Looks depressing there at the end. But Noh Eul was an interesting heroine we don’t often get. 5. The Mystic Nine cdrama Good premise but not much story. 6. Chinese Paladin 5 cdrama My longing to see more of Elvis Han cannot get me past the blah OTP.

2017 dramas I’m excited for: 1. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Sik. Enough said. 2. Tomorrow with You Time travel and romance—yes pls! 3. While You Were Sleeping Can’t miss one of my fave kdrama writers. 4. Bride of the Water God Having serious fantasy romance withdrawals after Goblin. Is this showing this year? 5. Wu Xin 2 cdrama Pls pls subs subs, need to start my prayers early.

As the real world gets crazier by the day, here’s hoping for another great year of drama watching for all of us to keep us sane and give us much-needed comfort. That’s it folks for my look back at 2016!