#i'm pretty sure i've watched a drama with the same plot 😭

[sorryimananti-romantic]

I dreamed about Mingyu, and I have some beef with him. He broke the normal cute, fluffy K-pop dreams I usually get 😩 I don't know why I remember all of these details too 😓 Let's go to the dream:

We're a newly married couple, but I didn't enjoy my honeymoon one bit because his parents kept sticking their noisy noses in our business all the time. The guy had zero backbone to stand up to them and tell them to give us our space. They even started throwing shade at me. Bro, I talked to him to stand up for me because I was the only one fighting for us against two people. They even inserted themselves into our dates and made a mess out of it. I got angry and started to fight and scream, and his mom slapped me. I looked at him, and he didn't do anything for me when his mom did that to me, and his dad was screaming at me. I got extremely angry and looked at him. I told him I'm happy all this happened so fast, and I didn't live with him and his family for too long to have his children. I will send him the divorce papers first thing in the morning, and I will never forgive him for what he and his family did to me.

🦝

bruh 😭😭 what tragic soap drama is this 😭😭

mingyu may be a 10 but by the time i finished reading this he was still a 10 to me just in the negative range 💀 im sorry that you had such a tragic dream i would cry 😭 you did the right thing 😭

[stuffnonsenseandotherthings]

January Drama Wrap Up

January was a month of ups and downs (and some very big let downs) but over all I enjoyed what I watched. I tried out a new country's dramas and discovered some classics at the same time and I've built myself a pretty solid Currently Watching List to take me into February.

📊 The Stats

Total Dramas: 12

Currently Watching: 3

Completed: 4

Dropped: 2

On Hold: 3

My To Watch List: 60

🎭 The Dramas

🤼💰 Like Flowers in the Sand - Currently Watching

Like Flowers in the Sand is going to be another one of those k-dramas I am never going to be able to explain to my non k-drama watching friends without sounding like I've lost the plot a little.

"It's a small town drama about a minor league ssireum team and a wrestler who's been in a years long slump. There's also an investigation into a murder linked to match-fixing but that's kind of a side plot and it's linked to the wrestler's childhood friend who's reappeared incognito after disappearing mysteriously many years ago ... I promise it's good!"

It's probably not the drama for everyone but as someone who has historically loved sports centered k-dramas and who loved When Camilla Blooms this drama ticks so many of my boxes. I'm very excited to watch the complex relationships and politics of small town life be put under a microscope and dissected and I can already tell I'm going to love how morally grey all the characters are.

It also doesn't hurt that the ML is the biggest himbo to ever ever himbo and I love him and his empty brain to bits.

Prediction: I become a ssireum fan.

🕹️💌 Love For Love's Sake - Currently Watching

I've been staying away from K-BL these past few months because I've been struggling with their short run time but Love for Love' Sake lured me back in like a moth to the flame and I have no regrets.

Is Love For Love's Sake Perfect? No, there are definitely some pacing issues that are leaving me feeling very temporally confused about how quickly or slowly events are unfolding and the lower than average k-drama budget does show at certain points but, do you what?

I don't care.

I wholeheartedly love this drama and it's going to have to mess up its last 2 episodes Last Twilight style to change that.

The relationship between the main couple? Adorable. The openly gay leader of the school delinquents? We stan. The oddball friendship group forming because they're all slightly crushing on the ML? Sign me up! The addition of a glitch in the game that's starting to mess everything up? Horrifying and I love it.

Prediction: A new favourite K-BL is born and it's all thanks to this mf

🩺😭 Doctor Slump - Currently Watching

I'm watching this because it's on my Plan To Watch list and Netflix started playing the trailer after I'd finished watching an episode of The Way of the Househusband.

I won't lie, this is definitely the drama, out of all the dramas I'm currently watching, that I'm least certain I'll finish but, at the same time, I was pleasantly surprised by the first two episodes. Yes, it does do that typical comedy k-drama thing of mixing ridiculous over the top laughs with some incredibly difficult topics (because who doesn't want to be laughing hysterically one minute and then doing some deep self-reflection the next?) but so far the balance and the boundaries between the two moods has been relatively well struck and only time will tell if it manages to stay that way.

I appreciate tackling the topic of burn out and depression in a country that still champions overwork and mental fortitude above all else and I'm interested to see where it goes with that part of its arc. The "being framed for murder" I am a little less certain about, but it has definitely added a layer of intrigue to a story that would otherwise be relatively mundane and by the books.

As I said, time will tell if I continue to enjoy Doctor Slump but I'd say my only quibble with the drama so far is that I'm not sure "accused of (and potentially framed for) murder" and "suffering from depression due to burn out and work place abuse" quite fit what is normally meant by the word slump.

Prediction: Maybe I won't drop this half way through like I thought I would.

👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨🎥 BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita - Completed

My first Japanese BL ever and it was a good one. Yes, it was 3 episodes long, but it used its runtime perfectly. All of the main characters felt properly fleshed out (and the side characters were caricature enough that you only really needed one scene to know who they were and what they stood for), the pacing was great (it couldn't afford to drag but it didn't speed through scenes either), and it found the right balance between BL shenanigans and forrays into deeper messages. This was exactly what I needed at the time and, for someone who doesn't normally like mini-dramas that much, I enjoyed myself immensely.

Verdict: 8/10, I also want a life-size cardboard cutout of Aoyanagi to cuddle and hide behind when I open the door.

✒️💕 Cherry Magic, Japan - Completed

I'm planning to buy the manga.

I plan to watch the film next month (I never watch films).

I may have even checked out the fanfic scene in a bout of withdrawal.

Anyway, what I mean to say is that I get the hype, I really really do. This drama is fantastic.

Cherry Magic is one of those classics that you watch as a newbie and go "oh yeah I get why everyone is obsessed with this". The premise is novel and well executed, the characters are oh so easy to love, the main romance is so incredibly shippable, and the friendships are just as endearing.

I personally love the role Adachi's mind reading plays in shaping his relationship with Kurosawa and how the way it's handled means the audience feels what Adachi is feeling right alongside him. How can you not be charmed by the inner monologue of someone so sweetly and respectfully head over heels for you? But at the same time just because you're charmed, does that mean you like them back or is it just because you can see them at their most vulnerable? And what about once you're in the relationship? Do you give up the thing you know made it possible? Or do you pull back so you can't mess up once the crutch you rely on is gone?

There was so much quiet nuance to Adachi's and Kurosawa's relationship to each other and those around them and, when I one day sit down for a rewatch, I'm looking forward to unpicking them all.

Verdict: 8.5/10, Adachi and Kurosawa are going to be one of those couples that's impossible to leave behind. This is going to stick with me for a while, and once it's unstuck I'll just watch it again.

📸🌦️ Welcome to Samdal-Ri - Completed

I know some people thought the premise of Welcome to Sandal-Ri was unrealistic but, personally, I found it hard not to draw parallels between what happened to Cho Sam Dal in the drama and what happened to Kim Seon Ho in real life. Yes, the situations may differ somewhat (Sam Dal faces false accusations of work-place bullying by an employee while Seon Ho was accused of coercing his girlfriend into getting an abortion) but there were enough similarities (the media frenzy and the sheer intensity of the backlash, the scandals happening just as their careers peaked, the gradual revelation of what actually transpired) that I would be very surprised if there was no link at all.

For that alone, Welcome To Samdal-Ri had my attention from the get go. If this story were from a Western perspective, I would certainly have been much more wary of a story tackling false accusations (looking at you Euphoria) but from a Korean perspective, where celebrity culture is far more intense and volatile and in which false accusations have happened before and cancel culture can indeed end a career for even minor infractions (like dating), I wanted to see how it would be handled.

Ultimately I was satisfied, not wowed, not disappointed, satisfied. The show didn't dig that deep into the subject (personally I would have appreciated Sam Dal's case juxtaposed against another case in which the accusations turned out to be true) but it handled it deftly enough and felt "case-by-case" enough that I didn't feel as though it inadvertently gave off the message of "not believe anyone bringing accusations against celebrities".

Other than my own personal interest in the premise, Welcome to Sandal-Ri did a good job of holding my interest. In terms of overall vibe, it felt like a mix between (perhaps unsurprisingly) Hometown Cha Cha Cha (the idyllic small-town community filled with friends and loveable elders) and Our Beloved Summer (childhood lovers unfairly broken up but still pining for each other after years apart). The pacing was good, the characters loveable (I am now in love with Cho Hae In), and each episode felt like sinking into a warm bath for an hour.

Verdict: 8/10, it tackled an interesting topic while providing its audience with plenty of comfort and heart. It could have done without the love triangle though, just saying.

��👩‍❤️‍👩 Out of Breath - Completed

I don't have too much to say about Out of Breath given it was 3 episodes long and less than an hour run time in total but I'm glad I watched it. Firstly, because it was nice to watch a (rare) Korean GL and secondly, because it managed to fit a lot into its short run time. Two break ups, a love triangle/unrequited love, cute dates, commentary on living queer in Korea, commentary on being out in Korea.... This show really had it all.

It was short, it was sweet, and it had a lot to say. I can't say I'd watch it again in a hurry, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a realistic portrayal of queer (and specifically) lesbian life in Korea.

Verdict: 7.5/10, it unpacked a lot in a short amount of time, the couple was extra cute too.

🫂💕 Cherry Magic Thailand - On Hold

I realised very early on into watching Cherry Magic Thailand that I'd probably get a lot more out of it if I watched the original first. I'm not normally someone who says watching the OG is necessary to watch the adaptation (in fact I normally rebel against that idea with a whole lot of passion) but in this case it became very clear that without watching Cherry Magic Japan first, I was missing important reference points and comparisons that were pretty key to understanding and appreciating that plot fully.

Anyway, I've now watched and loved Cherry Magic Japan so Cherry Magic Thailand is back on the menu, I just want to give myself enough time away that when I go back to it, it's with completely new eyes (and I'm excited for when that moment comes).

Verdict: On Hold until I can give it a proper fresh start.

🩺🍲 Cooking Crush - On Hold

I watched this at completely the wrong time. I struggle with rom-com dramas at the best of times but by now I should know that I absolutely should not try to watch one when I am going through a period of high stress.

I am not kind to rom-coms when I am stressed, even the ones I might otherwise enjoyed.

As it is, I initially dropped Cooking Crush because I was struggling to stay focussed enough to finish an episode and the characters were grating on me. Looking back, part of me thinks that my lack of focus and general irritability may have had less to do with the drama itself and much more to do with the fact I could barely focus on anything during that time period and that I had barely any spoons left to give people in my actual life, let alone fictional ones.

So...

Anyway, Cooking Crush has continued to come across my dash in gif, meme, and analysis form and I've realised that I actually really like what I'm seeing, enough so that I've moved it out of the "dropped" pile and into my "on hold" list so as to give it a second shot in the not so distant future (something that doesn't normally happen).

I genuinely think I might like this drama, I just need to make sure I'm in the right mindset for it first to give it a fair shot 💪

Verdict: On Hold until my next holiday.

🐍🦅 The Sign - On Hold

On paper The Sign sounds like it's right up my street, after all what's not to love about star-crossed lovers doomed by the threads of fate and history to lose each other?

But that's the thing, "on paper". In real life The Sign is well, messy and a bit too cop-heavy for my liking. Sure there are some great moments, Billy and Babe's chemistry is on fire, and it may have one of the best and most artistic sex scenes ever to grace the BL screens of the world but sexy times does not a good show make and I've found myself torn about whether or not I should keep going or just give up at this point.

To help me decide I've taken the "on paper" part of The Sign very literally and bought the book to read. If I like the book (the translation is a bit choppy but I can overlook that if the story is good) then I'll finish the show, if I don't then into the land of the dropped it goes.

Verdict: On Hold until I've actually experienced it on paper.

🌄🖕 Last Twilight - Dropped (episode 10)

I won't lie, this is the second time (the first time being Only Friends) that I've ended up being grateful my busy schedule got in the way of my drama watching because wow this show really took a tumble at the last hurdle. There was so much Last Twilight could have done, so many societal boundaries it could have crossed and reshaped and re-imagined but instead it went with... well a literal "fix it fic" ending that fixed nothing but instead broke all it had built up beyond repair.

I'm not going to go into detail about how Last Twilight let nearly every single one of its principal characters down, about how Mhok was never allowed screen time to process his own emotional trauma, about how the show briefly touched upon and then completely glossed over the very different social and financial circumstances of the both couples and the effects this would have on their experience of the world, of how there was so much ableist messaging around both the treatment of Dad's character which was always lurking under the surface but which only really came to light alongside the ending..... All I'm going to say is that, up until episode 9, Last Twilight had a choice about what messages it wanted it's audiences to come away with at the end, and it picked the wrong fucking ones.

It could have been a challenge to the ableist and classist mainstream norm so often portrayed in the media, instead it perpetuated harmful and hurtful rhetoric and stereotypes against the very people it claimed to champion.

Maybe one day I'll watch it again, but only because I want to properly break down what went so wrong.

Recommended reads by people who expressed it better than me:

This Discussion under "Last Twilight, episode 12: final reflections" by @waitmyturtles

"Last Twilight: Ep 12" by @wen-kexing-apologist

"Last Twilight Episode 12" by @lurkingshan

This post by @simplemindedmockingjay

Verdict: Dropped for betraying it's audience and those it claimed to champion.

👨‍⚕️⏳ Triage - Dropped (episode 10)

This one hurts me.

This one well and truly hurts me.

Because, the thing is, I loved so much about this show. It does so much right and up until episode 10 I was preparing to rank it among my favourite BLs of all time; the plot was fast moving and carried you from episode to episode in a whirlwind of anticipation, the romance (although minor compared to most other BLs) was highly shippable, the characters had depth and flaws and strengths that made you root for them, and the time loop plot device was doing things that were genuinely new and innovative.

I was hooked.

And then everything I loved just disappeared.

I don't know what possessed the creators of this show to completely change the universe of the drama for the last 2 episodes, maybe they thought the old one was getting stale (it wasn't).

All I can say is I absolutely hated the new turn of events.

Familiar characters with entirely new personalities and character arcs who I was apparently expected to root for (I don't know who they are anymore), time travel rules thrown out of the window because the plot demanded it be so (I'm sorry but the notebook time travels now? And a kiss will bring back memories?), the entire premise of the show just dropped and never even properly answered (why did Tin need to save Tol????? What about his heart murmur????)....

No.

Just no.

I'm out.

Verdict: Dropped for becoming a completely different drama in the last 2 episodes

⭐ The Awards

I fell in love with a lot of people and things this month so let's talk about them

☺️ Smile That Could Launch A Thousand Ships

Yuuichi Kurosawa (and his actor Keita Machida) is, quite frankly, a ridiculously gorgeous man in the most normal of circumstances but his smile takes it to a whole new level.

Truly a sight that could light up a room (and the whole building the room was in), this smile is filled with such genuine happiness and love that it's hard not to smile right back just as brightly, whether you be a hapless audience member beaming at your computer screen or a flustered Adachi trying desperately to hold on to your heart.

What I also love about this smile is that it only comes out when Kurosawa is properly, over the moon happy. He's got other smiles for other occasions and they're all very pretty but this one? This one sits above them all and makes them pale in comparison.

🩷 Biggest Crush

I have a type and that type is Cho Mina (and quite possibly Kang Mi Na, I clearly need to work through her filmography for... science). But seriously, this woman is STUNNING and is made all the more so by her dedication to her daughter and her refusal to let society pressure her into being ashamed of being a young single mum. She's strong, she's kind, she's independent, she's beautiful both inside and out. I don't care if she got the least screen time out of all the sisters, she stole the whole show for me and I am smitten.

📃 Line That Hit Me Like A Freight Train

"I'm used to pretending to be normal"

"pretending to be normal"

I'm going to be forever grateful to Cherry Magic for giving me positive and thoughtful Ace rep in Fujisaki, for showing her happy and confident and unbothered by society's expectations that she should one day couple up and settle down, for giving voice to the Ace experience of "pretending to be normal" in simple line that holds so much meaning and so many layers.

I know it's not canon, but in my head Fujisaki does tell Adachi out loud one day, and she gets her response of "is that so".

🛌 Plot Device That Made Me Sit Up and Go "Yes"

I may have ended up dropping Triage but credit where credit is due, it did do a lot of things right and one of those things was its ideas around time loops/ time travel. The idea that where you fall asleep at the end of the time loop directly affects how far back you travel back in time for the start of the loop?

Genius.

Why haven't I seen this done before??? It's such a clever way to provide the loop-character with the agency they need to actually make changes without breaking the established rules of the time loop and it allows for each iteration of the loop to be significantly different depending on how early or how late the changes to the timeline are made.

It literally solves almost all of my usual issues with time loop narratives.

It was genuinely intriguing watching Tin try to work out where he needed to fall asleep in order to go back as far as he needed and it was such a shame that, as the show neared its end, that aspect of the time loop experience just sort of fell away.

I want more time loop ideas like this and I want them now.

🌄 Scene That Took My Breath Away

Last Twilight may have ended by taking this scene and its significance and flushing it down the toilet but you know what, the author is dead and I killed him. I'm taking this scene back.

Day wanting his last experience with his quickly disappearing sight to be a homage to the book that helped him come to terms with his disability and see the world anew, his description of the sunset he could see in his mind's eye that is far more brilliant and beautiful than reality could ever dream to be, his clear moment of realisation that yes, he could live without his sight and not only could he live without it, he could well and truly thrive, the last thing he sees being Mhok's face as the ultimate declaration of love....

The last twilight in episode 9 could have been a truly special moment and, taken in isolation, it still is. It's just such a shame that such a beautiful depiction of growth and healing and self-love and self-acceptance was ultimately papered over with an ending that didn't fit it at all, one that erased the positive and affirming messages this scene held.

[baekhvuns]

HIIII BAEKSSSSS I missed you 😔 how are you? Wsp? How's everything?

Man, I've been pretty peaceful I'd say..kinda idk. Maybe the calm before the storm but that's besides the point. I miss your work so so so much 🥹🥹🥹 like rlly, not wanting to pressurise you just GIRL RLLY MADE 2022 SUCH A GOOD EXPERIENCE.

Anyways I've been watching a ton of stuff ofc, found a new pakistani drama 😈😈 well it's kind of the same plot as u wld guess, but I like this one it's like if not a lot then a bit diff frm the same ass dynamic. It's like a first daughter x youngest son the fun part is it was supposed to be, first daughter x first son but he was a jerk and a red flag. So yes...it'd be fun, it's a silly dynamic imo ik for sure there are going to be a ton banters.

ALSO dude these asmr Rps be getting Outta hand 😭 Nah cz i cried. I CRIED. THE ANGST OHHHHH. Some asmr artists are just so fucking good like alanakamakwk i felt like I was in a movie.

Lemme tell u a bit abt it, so the concept was basically, an old bsf comes back into the listener's life not in a bad way or anything just cz the bsf lived farrrrr away.

"do you wanna see the new tattoo i got?"

LIKE OKAY and then we did trace them too and a while later the convo goes deep "i got this tattoo bcz u told me seven years ago, what you don't rmr?" And then he sort of reminisces over the old times

"and that day..I went home, and texted you how much I liked you. And wanted to hang out with you a bunch.."

"that didn't happen I never texted you."

BRO OMG OMG ONWKWJWKW IM TELLING YOU THE FREAKIN TENSION BW ME AND MY HEADPHONES.

And then the best part was the listeners bf calls who also used to be friends with the bsf, and goes "i love you."

In hopes of hearing it frm us too. "Dear...?" Silence.

NO CUZ IMAGINE STANDING IN FRONT OF SOMEONE U ACTUALLY LOVE AND U GOTTA SAY ILY TO YOUR BF WHAT??? OMG.

And then when he comes out to go run errands he talks to the bsf AKA THE ASMR ARTIST I TELL U HIS VOICE *melts*

"we'll see you right?"

"... farewell"

That's the visual representation of me I'm not even kidding. And....he just leaves. LIKE THAT?? WHAT ABOUT US AHHHH *dies*

Nah but yes, I've been obsessed now. At least it makes me feel something 😮‍💨

Ok also no way my old Bollywood obsession is dying anytime soon *listens to bol na halke halke*

Anyways bye bye baeks MAKE SURE TO TELL ME ABT YOURSELF HOW U DOING AND STUFF OK?? OK MWAH ILY 🤭

YOU SENT THIS LAST WEEK AND I JUST KIND OF LOGGED INFBWNDBSK SO SORRY

i hope you’re doing well!! i’m currently sick bc of a heatwave i caught at a wedding 🥰🥰

i’m glad you’re feeling peaceful! AND DHSKDHKW DONT MENTION IT FNDMSKC ITS BEEN 2 YEARS 😭😭😭 maybe my writing bug just dimmed LMFAOOOO haven’t been on here or read anything, ive been in my drafts just giggling and reading but never like posting or writing fbdndb but ive kind of, maybe wanting to write something for fall time which i’m not sure ill post but it’s got me smiling a bit!

WHAT IS THE SHOW TELL ME 🔫

omg i can never get behind asmr, i have this thing called misophonia, i just despise the way the arm sounds make my ears feel fmandksb i just feel triggered BUT U CRIED BC OF IT WHY 😭😭

u gotta send me the link of it bc the voice actor u say… 👁

does our bollywood obsession rly die 😭😭 the new tauba tauba got me going a bit crazy,,, heard the jannat bgm but sad version and iM OBSESSED WITH IT, it lowkey inspired me to think and write <3 got me giggling and imaging stuff <3 in my pillow fbwndbsj

[softpine]

Would it be too spoilery to ask if you can reveal a plot or two that would have gone differently if you weren't worried about people's reactions? I've been so curious ever since you said your characters are meant to be way worse people

oh sure!! it's not always that i'm worried about people's reactions, sometimes it's just because i dropped the ball or had other stuff going on. i just don't want anyone thinking they made me feel this way!!

the biggest one is that caroline and beth were supposed to get a divorce 🥴 back when they were fighting a lot over asa's worsening condition because caroline was adamant that asa was seeing ghosts while beth thought he was having a mental health crisis. but when asa went into another coma, they ended up reconnecting and slowly rebuilding their relationship (mostly because caroline stopped pressing the ghost issue). it felt natural to me and i think it worked out fine, but i wish i had gone with my gut.

my original plan was for them to drift even further apart when asa went into his coma. caroline would've gotten REALLY desperate, like séance / psychic medium kinda desperate, and beth would've gone the opposite direction and start contacting every doctor she can find. finn would've watched them fight and felt guilty for "destroying" asa's family, who seemed pretty damn perfect in finn's eyes. finn would wake asa up as normal, but the damage was already done, so caroline and beth would continue fighting. finn would beg asa to stop messing with ghosts/time travel and focus on his family (of course it should never be a child's responsibility to save their parents marriage, but finn spent his entire life placating his family and feeling guilty for their actions, so naturally he feels this way). asa is stubborn and doesn't listen (like usual). so that actually drives a wedge between asa and finn too. at the same time, danny and mikaela were not on the best terms because danny lied about going on tour. so everyyyybody was fighting 😭

in the heat of the moment, caroline would've suggested they get divorced, expecting beth to disagree and keep trying, but beth went completely silent instead, and it was an "oh shit this is really happening huh" moment for both of them. they would separate for a while, things still wouldn't get better, so they start talking to divorce lawyers. finally, asa steps in and does some light time traveling (lol) and revisits a bunch of his parents' best moments together so he can go back to the present time and drop hints, like "hey mom who taught you how to swim?" "did you guys have a favorite coffee shop?" "is it true you worked at the diner before i was born?" etc. just little comments that make beth and caroline remember the good times without being too obvious. and it kinda works?? caroline is waiting with her lawyer one day when beth shows up in a fancy dress and says "get up, we're going on a date". everyone is like ??? but beth explains that although they've known each other their whole lives, they never really got to just date each other, because asa arrived so soon after they got together. so they go out to dinner but they pretend it's a blind date. and they get really drunk and do karaoke to 'love is a battlefield' because duh. the next morning, they both call their lawyers and say oops never mind about the divorce thing :') and they stay separated / casually dating for quite a while, still building up their relationship. it would've had a happy ending, but it would take much more work to get there!

overall i just thought this story line would be too bleak and frustrating rather than being "fun" drama, but idk... i wish i went for it anyway. it would've been fun to deal with adult drama rather than teen angst for a change. i still have a bunch of leftover dialogue if you're curious!!

later, after they've been fighting for a while:

this was the other option that would've had basically the same function as the scene above:

i repurposed this sex planner discussion here lol:

[dnangelic]

Random question for you, so sorry if this is too sudden! However, I was wondering -- with how some of the popular 2000s anime are getting remakes and the like lately, would you want D.N.Angel to get the same treatment or do you like the anime adaptation for what it was?

FULL SINCERITY i can't stand the dnangel anime LOOOL 😭😭😭 like i haven't sat myself down to the watch the entire thing and that's because i KNOW it's bad. the plot is thrown all over the place. krad shows up for the first time while being locked into a school freezer instead of literally anywhere else. dark's characterization gets absolutely anNIHILATED, i literally have no idea who that guy is, that is Not dark. daisuke gets hit pretty bad with no depth/no personality syndrome too and becomes really whiny and annoying without really showing any of the strength he does in the manga. the animation gets hilariously, and i mean really hilariously wonky. absolutely nothing lines up with sugisaki's worldbuilding or details, and it's missing all the manga thematics (on the topics of art, lies, loving/being loved, grief and identity) that i genuinely adored. THE SHOW BECOMES A HAREM GENRE-SWITCH MIDWAY THROUGH. LIKE. ITS BADDDD. ITS BADDD!!!

that all being said i'm not really keeping my hopes up for an anime remake only bc i'm not entirely sure if dnangel is popular enough to warrant it...? like even from a company perspective i have no idea how marketable dnangel is, it's got a lot of nostalgia attached but even then i don't know/think it was ever quite on the same level as shows like inuyasha, sailor moon, or yuyu hakusho if you know what i mean. -IF- dnangel still somehow did get a remake, i'd love for it to actually follow the manga's thematics a little better. it doesn't even have to exactly follow the manga, i'd be okay with new art-antagonists or plotlines as long as it retained the heart of sugisaki's thematics, but it's just that the og anime doesn't even have any of that to me. 😭 i do like the sheer bewildering hilarity of anime-daisuke's fam doing cult shit in the basement though, and the drama cd where anime dark and daisuke meet and speak with the drama cd dark and daisuke is also really fun to me!

it's just like ---- hmm, overall i feel like even giving dnangel one remake season would be really surprising! and the way the manga goes, it'd be hard to fit everything into just ~12 episodes, i'd like to see at least two seasons or just skipping some of the initial manga happenings because for the most part it's after towa's arc that dnangel starts to feel like a proper series with a real plot happening beyond daisuke's were-bishonen shenanigans. at the same time i've tried to pay really close attention and i know that even early novel stuff still expresses a lot of thematic information that carries on into the later volumes, so it's kinda like... 🤷‍♀️ as long as a remake didn't repeat the og anime's mistakes (aka not trying at all to retain the BEST PARTS of sugisaki's characters and writing)

[koumeowkami]

Reread through the notes I made and to sum it up, I do think the pararai anime is neat! I knew spoilery stuff about Nayuta since way back when and had a general grasp of the character's trap reactions, but not so much about the general plot (aside from the winners and all) so I don't think I have much thoughts about it?

As a story in of itself though, I like that each group gets their time in the spotlight but apparently TCW doesn't get a full performance?— My notes kept mentioning it and I seemed a little annoyed—

Also live love laugh Ryu being a menace. It was enjoyable enough but given BAE and Cozmez seemed to be in the spotlight, it sort of left TCW and Akanyatsura behind in terms of development (Although they seemed developed enough, if that makes sense)

Stuff from my notes

Hell yeah this is what I've been waiting for! (ep 1)

The phantometals' effects look so good and I really like the look of the animation

Second instance (as far as I know) of Gakuto Kajiwara being the lead protagonist in a music franchise anime adaptation <- the other one being ACTORS: Song Connection..

I REALLY DO LIKE MURASE'S RANGE AS HAJUN

He's a mood (Allen)

Paradox Devil thing reminds me of Grim

Ryu-kun!

HANAEEEE

I did praise the animation but why does the stamen in that flower look so stiff

Cozmez? Cozmez!

Why is Kanata so pretty

I never really got into the how or why phantometals connect to their users other than making it from their trauma, this anime makes it digestible

(Allen drawing on Hajun's apron and shouting "Inspiration!") Leo Tsukinaga is that you

Hajun pretty boy antics

Bae oversleeping on opening night huh..

Hajun flying them in!

Trauma!

Cozmez is drawn so ethereal

The OP is really nice (ep 2)

Not Kanata gatekeeping hiphop?/lh

Kanallen! ..Nevermind, he was robbing him

..Mouse as big as a dog? Isn't that like a rat.. come on we have a song called rats and nobles..

Kanata gatekeeping!

Ryu-kun having fun! (the tcw vs akanyatsura battle)

—Not showing TCW & Akanyatsura's performance? Foul

Old man yaoi

(Has stopped keeping track of the episodes)

Time to see TCW performance. or not...

Ryu is a menace and I am INTO it

Reo is adorable

ep.5 and this OP still is a banger

Not Kanata and Nayuta both having their own spiels about "I can't let you stay here" <- since.. yeah, does that mean that this is how Kanata thinks subconsciously?

When are we gonna look at TCW performing

Allen working part-time throughout the Ryu episode...

HILARIOUS

Allen "little dapper man" Sugasano

ep.7

Nayuta...

Nayushiki duet at the end?!?@??@?

ep.9 - Sweet ol kanalller contend <- watched the scene and was writing at the same time while laughing hysterically

NAYUTA READ THE ROOM

(end of notes)

omg aeri... pls read the drama tracks when you can cause 😭 once you do you realize how much this anime is missing (or even got wrong)...

you're right abt akyr and tcw not having enough screentime and to be honest, i'd say the same abt cozmez since they didn't explain anything abt their backstory – nayushiki thing aside – and completely ruined the ending... bae got so many useless scenes 😞

so yeah, even if the characters seemed to have gotten any development, no one knows what caused it anyways (or at least, i talked abt the anime with my irl friend who's anime-only, and she genuinely didn't understand some stuff that happened cause they didn't explain shit lol).

replying to the stuff from your notes

the effects are really one of the only things i'm willing to defend abt this anime cause they were truly SO GOOD!! i was so scared of how bad the cgi would've been but i was proved wrong, the performances were all really cool <3

i'm not sure if you're into fragraria memories but gakkun voices the lead protagonist there as well! and hallritt has red hair too... curious...

paradevil is truly our grim... they'd be great friends

the flower symbolizes tsubaki, saimon's late wife (i'm pretty sure no anime-only fan understood that cause they never mentioned her LMAO; that's also why they keep showing that damn flower)

they "skipped" the justice performance but it's only cause they showed tcw with 4 real later! each group had one battle performance :D

yes, everything nayuta says is part of kanata's subconscious!! phantom nayuta is literally the personification of kanata's deepest thoughts, the truth under millions of layers 👍🏻

i loved kanallen in the filler episode, that's what youngsters would call "my roman empire" nowadays. also yeah notice kanata cockblocking himself (through nayuta)

i support you saying "why is cozmez so pretty" every few notes. relatable

[waiting-on-a-dream]

𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐜𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐰𝐬𝐭 (𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞)

Author's notes

I'm pretty sure these two are a special product that can only be made by their original picrew because no other picrew I've found so far can replicate them. I was dying while trying to recreate Noa on the SD picrew. Why doesn't it have yellow highlights? Why doesn't it have light pink as a main eye colour? 😭

Rin ♡

Homeland: Rose Kingdom

Dorm: Enaskota

Family:

Unnamed father

Unnamed mother

Unnamed older sisters

Appearance

Eye colour: Asparagus green

Hair colour: Mauve with one dark violet streak

Race: Human

Uniform: He follows the dress code, with appropriate black sneakers and a white hairclip to pin back his bangs.

School information

School year: First

Best subject: Animal languages

Club: Animal Care Club

Fun Facts

Dominant hand: Right

Likes: Feminine stuff, squirrels, old video games

Dislikes: Being scolded, being teased, most people

Favorite Food: Dango

Least Favorite Food: Steamed vegetables

Hobby: Playing the diabolo

Talents: Solving rubik cubes

Unique Magic: Pinky promise - Anyone who makes a promise with him must fulfill it. Its like a contract, sealed when their pinkies link together. What happens if said someone can't fulfill it? Even Rin himself doesn't know yet. Can he force someone to make a promise to him? That's a mystery to everyone as well.

Trivia

His hair looks so goofy I-

A cute yandere like him deserves a dangerous UM, haha. All the more reason for him to stand out in a school like RSA.

If Xenon knew about him, he’d be called Temperance.

If Slyvan knew about him, he’d be called Rhodonite.

He has a huge soft spot for the squirrels running around on RSA grounds. He feeds them nuts often.

He's discovered that he's quite good at dancing and sword fighting in RSA. Good, he's starting to feel like a real "prince".

Noa ♡

Other names:

Clownfish (Floyd)

Mademoiselle Coffee (Rook)

Azurite (Slyvan)

World (Xenon)

Homeland: Isle of Lamentation

Dorm: Ignihyde

Family:

Unnamed father

Unnamed mother

Unnamed younger brothers

Appearance

Eye colour: Bisque pink

Hair colour: Coffee brown with flax yellow highlights

Race: Human

Uniform: She doesn't wear her blazer because she doesn't like it, but she keeps the blue vest so others will know which dorm she's from. Her shirt is buttoned up fully, with her tie tightened nicely. She also wears a black skirt, tights, and loafers.

School information

School year: Third

Class: 3B (Student no. 9)

Best subject: Practical magic

Club: Gargoyle Research Club

Fun Facts

Dominant hand: Right

Likes: The sea, collecting seashells, reading social commentaries

Dislikes: Feeling like a burden, society, PE classes

Favorite Food: Tiramisu

Least Favorite Food: Tempura

Hobby: Watching drama movies

Talents: Guessing the plot twists of dramas

Unique Magic: Healing potion - As the name suggests, she can conjure up magic healing potions as long as she understands what problems her target is facing. It has been demonstrated to work on bad moods too, emulating the high of a drug, only faintly.

Trivia

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa the picture is not it but it is what it is.

Rook calls her Mademoiselle Coffee because she's always drinking coffee whenever he sees her. (Ah, the good old days before she turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism.)

Being in the same class as her dorm leader Idia, she finds herself relating to what he says a lot. Not the superiority complex part, but everything else.

She joined the Gargoyle Research Club because all of its members seemed lonely... Maybe she'd be able to befriend them?