#this one's my favoriiiiiiiiiiiiiiite

[wickedmoonlite]

KinnPorsche Rewatch 2023

Reminder: as we go into heavier topics in KP (dub-con/non-con, toxic behaviors, etc.), I will not be doing deep dives. I’m planning on taking this just below surface value as these are literally thoughts I have in the moment as I’m watching. Thank you.

Episode 10 Random Thoughts

So much in this episode relating to trust. It's gonna be good. But also bad. I enjoy this one.

Ah, Porsche... I know you want to get to the bottom of all this, but I don't know if trusting Vegas is the way to do it lol

I do like how, fairly consistently, the actors keep their fingers off the trigger of their guns. That's the way you're supposed to do it, put it up above, flat against the gun itself. Thank you, actors.

Hmm... KimChay cuddle scene. I have many thoughts about this one... First off, I love that Kim went from "lemme kiss Chay on the cheek, but that's it" to full on cuddling. This man doesn't know how to emote properly, or let himself have emotions about things sometimes. He has problems with intimacy and relationships (platonic, romantic, familial, what have you) as we see in this scene when he breaks Chay's heart (and mine, fuck) by saying "I'm hungry" after Chay has bared his soul to the guy and asked for love in return (Which don't get me wrong, it's sooo fast for Chay to be saying the L-word [-lesbian? -no, scott. -lesbianS?] but he's used to people leaving him, or not being able to stick around so like... he wants Kim to stick around. Plus he's a teenager still. Things are fleeting when you're a teenager. I fucking get it.)

Continuing on a bit of a tangent from the point above: the micro-expressions that Jeff conveys here looks like a mixture of oh god what have I gotten myself into and this boy is breaking my heart I actually like him so much but I hate that I like him. And the look he gives Chay when he asks "Do you love me?" ... I can see behind those eyes he's screaming yeeeees, I fucking do, but I can't bring myself to say it. jUST CONFRONT YOUR EMOTIONS, KIM, YOU DUMBASS, I SWEAR TO GOD.

How was he planning on just secretly leaving though?? There's like one way out of the house, and it's the way Chay just went, bro.

Kim to the rescue is my favoriiiiiiiiiiiiiiite the kick is so good, the fighting is so good, ughhhh.

The fact that this man takes two stun gun hits before he goes down is so impressive though.

I don't like Tawan reaching in over Arm to get to the computer.

Secret Pete goes in secretly this time.

Yeah, but Vegas, you aren't innocent. aND YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHERE PORCHAY IS. Fuck.

I think anyone would be hurting after that fight, honestly. And I actually really like how Kim calls Kinn first to get answers.

Ope, found the kinky room. But that's the room you need, Pete.

Wow. What everyone around Kinn was saying would happen, happened. What an unexpected conclusion to the Tawan in the mafia house saga.

"You think I'm here alone?" He says to the person who was a lackey for the person who set this all up, which is the person you brought with you. Confused? You won't be after today's episode *SOAP theme song*

And the mole has been revealed. Ah, Ken. We liked you a decent amount.

"But this wasn't the fucking plan." What was the plan though?????

Oh Tawan, poor, silly Tawan. Vegas doesn't want you. This is part of the reason I do actually feel bad for him in a way. He was used so viciously by Vegas. Then gets shot in return.... Again.

Kim and Big to the rescue ❤💔

Oh Big, we appreciate you and will miss you.

A 30 second timer? So Short.

And Kinn smokes now, when Porsche said he was going to quit and everything. I don't blame any of these guys, this shit is stressful.

Chay is so rightfully upset at Porsche for putting him in danger. Porsche was trying so hard to keep Chay in the dark, but it caught up to him anyway. Just let him have space, he's allowed to be pissed the fuck off.

Well yeah, but Vegas is going to a secret house soon. With our favorite smiley guy in tow.

I don't think I'd enjoy having my bits electrocuted, either. But Pete looks so ready to face it head on. He said, fuck it, I shall smile anyway.

Bye, Ken.

Tankhun speaking the truth that Gun so desperately wants to keep hidden. I think Korn saw through that, just like his oldest son. Once again, best instincts of all the brothers.

"If you think that the minor family is the traitors you can take my life." Oh Gun, playing with fire, you are.

Porsche deserves all the apologies, Kinn.

Episode 11 next! Thank you for reading!

And here I said I wasn't going to deep dive... I won't deep dive to the bottom of the ocean, but the deep end of a pool is another story I suppose lmao.

I'm talking about myself. I lied to myself.

[gizkasparadise]

cdrama rec/review: le coup de foudre

KDRAMA AND CDRAMA MASTER LIST OF REVIEWS

Series: le coup de foudre / love at first sight / i don’t like this world, i only like you Episodes: 35 w/ a special Genres: then & now, slice of life, high school to adult life, romance, reunion/getting back together, working with the ex Spoilers in the Rec: for set-up/light ones for character backgrounds If You Like, You’ll Like: the reply series, sad-looking dogs that are loved very much, because this is my first life (VERY similar male lead), sibling love, my sunshine but if people were nicer and had significantly better hair, multiple couples that are all a lot of fun

Rank: 10/10

PREMISE

flashback to 6-8 years ago (because the OP here can’t remember lol): it’s desk selection day in qiao yi’s classroom! a very dramatic moment for all high schoolers, qia yi has to select who she sits next to. because she’s at the bottom of the class ranking, she gets last pick, which essentially narrows down her choices to that creepy kid who writes love poetry to every female student in the class and yan mo, the scary genius student who has placed 1st in their class since...forever.

taking a gamble, qiao yi goes with yan mo. yan mo eventually agrees to tutoring qiao yi outside of class and they become friends. then...friends? if you know what i mean. it’s very sweet and cute. only problem is that yan mo is both a genius and from a Family of Means, and so is already planning on attending cambridge (yeah, fucking cambridge) after graduation. not wanting to separate, yan mo asks qiao yi to come with him and she agrees to study hard so she can get accepted to a university in the UK, too.

but then, well, bad shit happened. 

qiao yi ended up staying in their home town, yan mo left for cambridge, and we got two v heartbroken teenagers on our hands.

4 years later, yan mo returns after studying in the uk, and by chance they end up bumping into each other. angry because qiao yi hurt him, yan mo puts up an ALOOF AND COLD AND I DONT CARE AT ALL front that she sadly buys. but after he leaves for the big city to pursue a business opportunity, qiao yi harnesses some amazing big dick energy to go after him, in a sort of inverse DONT LET HER GET ON THAT PLANE! move. very abba. 

the plot bounces between their (and their friends’) high school years, their lives as reunited adults, and their future lives as married folks. i love it very, very much.

MAIN CHARACTERS

zhao qiao yi

as a high schooler, qiao yi was a quiet girl with low self-esteem, who consistently ranked at the bottom of her class and was always attempting to retreat into her school tracksuit like a turtle. despite this, qiao yi has some solid friends and is always kind if somewhat shy or uncomfortable in certain situations. as a adult, qiao yi works as a television producer and is clearly more confident. 

she buys truly awful graphic t-shirts as thank you gifts that one feels obligated to wear. falls for scams easily. will help you fold 1000 paper stars for your boyfriend even if she hates your boyfriend because she’s ride or die like that. look at how cute she is no one is allowed to be mean to someone as cute as this.

yan mo / “frank”

if you liked se hee in because this is my first life, you’re in luck because here is a 10% angrier version. at first, yan mo seems cold, aloof, snobbish, pretentious, arrogant...

okay, but he’s ALSO got a lot of feelings and will help people out. well, at the start of the show, he’ll help two people out. but that expands to like 10. so, progress! in high school, he falls for qiao yi in the typical Cannot Spit It Out fashion, buying her sentimental cans of coke, PUTTING IN ONE EARBUD SO SHE CAN LISTEN TO THE BEATLES WITH HIM, feeling Weird about her tying his tie, and single-handedly ruining a for-profit afterschool tutoring business in about 30 seconds, because they weren’t teaching qiao yi anything, and he knew he could do it better. tbh he completely fucking destroys a lot of things and people in under a minute. #ruthless

he’s very protective of qiao yi and rather than explain it, here is a clip from the special episode where yan mo confronts another student who left a love confession meant for qiao yi in his desk by mistake (subtitles have to be selected under settings, but it’s subbed in english):

zhao guan chao

zhao qiao yi’s twin brother, who has always placed 2nd in their classes after yan mo. despite his high grades, he comes off as a laidback teen heartthrob and has a reputation for being a flake and a playboy. BUT he’s legit a chill dude and clearly popular for a reason--he gets along with (almost) everyone. he loves his sister and is extremely protective of her, especially since she’s so shy and has low self-esteem for Reasons That Will Be Explained in the Tragic Backstory. he’s such a good brother. the best brother. also looks out for qiao yi’s best friend, wu yi. understands the value of shoes.

hao wu yi

qiao yi’s best friend, and another classmate of The Crew. i say this with so, so much love, but she’s got a lot of chaotic dumbass energy. struggling along the bottom ranks with qiao yi during high school. she has the worst taste in men as a teenager, falling for the guy who literally bullied her in like. ep 2. thankfully she’s got qiao yi and guanchao.

the trio are close, and that doesn’t change as they grow up. wu yi ends up becoming a novelist who writes pop and steamy romance novels and has a significant teenage girl fanbase. it’s amazing. 

fei da chuan

my boy. another classmate, he, qiao yi, and wu yi make up the official Dumbass Trio of their high school class and have adorable adventures + solidarity in it. he’s also yan mo’s uncle. somehow. because rich people families are wild. while he’s got a place to live, he more often than not crashes at yan mo’s, who Does Not Like It. but da chuan does not notice or care. 

abrasive but 100% sincere about everything and toward everyone. people will think he’s an asshole or a gangster but then he’s secretly feeding abandoned kittens in the corner or something. as an adult, has the best business casual outfits. serves as a big brother figure to a lot of people, but qiao yi in particular. cannot, cannot fucking do math.

SUPPORTING

“alicia” / cheng youmei. an old family friend of yan mo’s who is very posh and rich and dignified. studied abroad with him at cambridge, and is cold toward qiao yi after arriving back in china. cosplays B)

teacher gao. everyone’s high school teacher who later owns a bar that seems to be there only for dispensing advice. seriously. there is no way this bar is economically sound as the only customers you ever see are gao’s students coming in one at a time for Wisdom and you never see them pay for anything. also the bar has no fucking roof and is directly above traintracks. i have hang-ups about this bar

lin shu. yan mo’s mother. very sweet and pretty and a ballernia turned program director. is almost never home but clearly loves her son. du chaun’s sister. somehow.

zhao suyin. qiao yi and guan chao’s mother. one of her kinks is roleplaying condor heroes characters? okay okay okay

tian weimin. qiao yi and guan chao’s stepfather who works as police officer. best dad award. he’s so sweet and corny and peak dad humor. he loves them kids & they love him back

grandpa. yan mo’s dog in high school. a very old basset hound with sad eyes:

dollar or d. i cant tell you anything about him, other than he used to be a stray and yan mo says he’s ugly, which, rude.

DRAWBACKS

plot...hm. there’s SOME plot, but this is about characters + romance + friendship + family. if you’re looking for scheming mothers-in-law or tragic car accidents or secret destinies this isn’t the one for you. similar in vibe to Reply 1988 (they even watch the show in the show :’D / make references to it)

OKAY SO every plot summary i’ve seen says that yan mo is in a relationship with someone else when he gets back to china. no he is not. i say this because it was a huge turn off for me/initially put me off watching the series. he is definitely a one-and-only type. there’s no cheating in this show. lmao, hell, neither of the mains are even interested in anyone else but each other

i liked du chuan and his love interest a lot, but they definitely didn’t get as much screen time as the others

while it’s clear qiao yi + yan mo are the mains, another couple gets a lot of screen time as well. this might be a skip if you don’t like multiple couples/secondary relationships in a show

i surprisingly enjoyed the high school storyline a lot more than the adult one? which is super weird for me, but idk i was sad when it was over because it was so cute.

some...weird technical decisions. every once in a while, the camera will have like a nostalgia filter and then it disappears and then the edges get a bit blurry and idk it feels very film school 101 to show that what’s on screen is a ~memory. the soundtrack/music is sometimes also too loud--to the point where it can drown out the actors (particularly janice wu in the high school arc, since qiao yi is soft-spoken)

REASONS TO WATCH

the lead actors (janice wu + zhang yujian) are legit two of my favorites and they have great/easy chemistry. all the actors are amazing. everyone’s loveable

SIBLING GOALS the zhao twins are amazing and they’re both each other’s biggest fans. gaunchao had some really heartwarming brother moments

i love love lmao. this spoke to a lot of my favorite dynamics: exes reunited/having to work together, childhood sweethearts reuniting as adults, “gangster” and princess, childhood friends turned lovers, bickering couples, cold man who actually has a lot of feelings, lots of people being overprotective, idk. everything was just great. 0 complaints on any of the ships.

i genuinely liked every character other than that one piece of shit poppa zhao. even alicia, who’s put into the stereotypical rich bitch role, was actually really fun and subverted a lot of expectations for this trope

it’s just. real cute y’all. probably my favorite cdrama and definitely in my top 10 (maybe 5?) dramas overall.

FINAL THOUGHTS

i love them ;;