Korean dramas

Hey it's old double post blackcat again.

I just watched episode 20 of the Taiwanese adaptation of the Japanese manga/anime Skip Beat /Extravagant Challenge. The part I like the best is that even though I have not read the manga I can see which shots in the show were selected from the mange. The director(s) didn't use the manga as a storyboard, but they do reference it. Smart. I recognized moments like that in the film Ghost World. It's hard to do well.

I watched episodes 3 and 4 of My Secret Hotel. I'm already suspicious of the super nice hotel general manager guy who is so sweet to Yoo In Na.

edited 28th Aug '14 9:39:38 PM by blackcat

Re: Secret Hotel. I really hope it's not the second lead. I don't find him that sweet, for one - he's pretty clearly baiting both female hotel managers in the first ep, plus I really dislike it in a mystery where the love triangle is resolved by making one of the legs the murderer/criminal/culprit. On an unrelated and completely shallow note, I adore Yoo Inna's wardrobe in this. She looks fantastic.

This looks potentially So Bad, It's Good, I'm still scratching my head over how the premise got approved.

edited 1st Sep '14 4:50:16 PM by whimsyful

All of the costumes in My Secret Hotel are amazing. I love the palette and the way the designer is using texture and pattern. I just watched episode 5. Spoilering for no real reason, but I think that there is going to be more than one murder and possibly more than one murder.

Re: Iron Man. Someone was thinking Edward Scissorhands but thought Shoulderblades would be cool? And not a copyright violation?

ETA: I do like Dramabeans so much. And that article made me laugh out loud. They frequently do.

edited 1st Sep '14 5:59:02 PM by blackcat

I'm kind of falling in love with Blade Man / Iron Man.

I really really like the style of the show. The shadows, the monochromatic sets, the costume palette. (Although I do think I've seen that suit from ep. 3 just recently in My Secret Hotel) It feels like the person behind the camera is deliberately using that manga/manwha/comic book/graphic novel aesthetic. It is visually quite striking. At first, I found the lead actress a bit too... I dunno, something. She's growing on me. The secretary is my fave.

My Secret Hotel is feeling uneven. Probably a result of the change in writers. No spoiler markup tonight, I'm just not up to it, but it feels like a whole lot of potential suspects may have been exonerated.

Re: Secret Hotel. Yeah, unless they did something wonky with the chronology, a whole bunch of ppl just got alibis. Hotel manager second lead isn't even in the same city so he's out unless he had some sort of lackey, and unless someone in the wedding hall could sneak away without being noticed they're out too. Though it does occur to me that we might have two different murderers.

There are so many mysteries piling up. who killed second lead's dad, who killed the manager, what's the deal with the necklace and why was it worth bashing what's her name on the head? Why does any one tolerate Soo Ah? I think that's her name, the fiancee. And what the hell is going on with the lead male? He was an ass. Then he was kind of charming. And now he's an ass. And why can't our heroine ever just tell people stuff? I also suspect there is some kind of birth secret with her. /spoiler

Holy shit Blade Man is good.

I'm a fan of that PD, but his last few dramas started off promising before taking a nosedive (esp. Sword and Flower), so I'm waiting until Blade Man finishes its run.

So...what are K-Dramas like?

1. They are what we would call in North America mini-series. With some exceptions, the shows have a pre-determined set of episodes. Usually 16-24, although they can run longer or shorter.

2. Most of them are live shoot. This means that the show is shot while it is being aired. That way the writers can respond quickly to the vicissitudes of audience reaction and in some cases Real Life situations. It also means that sometimes the first act is being broadcast as the second act is being edited.

3. When I first started watching K Dramas a couple of years ago, I read a lot of stuff indicating that the target audience was ahjumma's. Married women of a certain age. It seems to have branched out beyond that. Or the definition of ahjumma changed.

Watched the final episode of Discovery of Love tonight. The show had been under my radar and I ended up binge watching it until I caught up with the broadcast schedule.

I really liked it. And found my self thinking that it would really be OK and completely understandable if the apparent couples did not end up together. That signifies a good story teller in my book.

Also, Korean dramas generally broadcast 2 episodes every week instead of one, though some cable companies are experimenting with the 1 ep a week format. Having 2 eps on consecutive days generally changes the structure of the storytelling, since it lends better to story arcs than case-of-the-week style procedurals.

Right now I'm only really keeping up with The Three Musketeers. Dropped Secret Hotel since it had too much love triangle mess and not enough mystery, and I'm nervously anticipating the Kdrama adaptation of Liar Game. I really love the manga, so I'm desperately hoping it's a good adaptation.

Secret Hotel is on my "maybe I'll catch up with it later" list. The only way that nincompoop of a former husband can win is if the other guy is the murderer. Even then, she'd be better off alone. But hey, I don't write these things and there's no rule that says I have to watch the whole thing.

Your top shows for the year? I have to go with:

• Let's Eat
• Discovery of Romance
• Marriage Not Dating
• You Are All Surrounded

After that, a bunch of shoulda, coulda, woulda also rans.

I'm stockpiling Birth of a Beauty, Modern Farmer has grown on me, Tomorrow's Cantabile was innocuous and fun but not "must watch". I'm liking Doctor Frost so far.

I'd like to see Liar's Game. You From Another Star just did not appeal, even though I'm liking the actor that was the heavy in that and Liar's Game and a goofy second lead in Trot Lovers.

I'd also like to know a little bit more about the second season of Let's Eat before I get too excited.

My favorites were:

• Let's Eat
• Marriage, Not Dating
• Liar Game (not a perfect adaptation or show by any means, but still very enjoyable)
• Misaeng

Where did you find Liar's Game?

re: Liar Game. It's on viki and soompitv.

If I had a favorite show this year, it would probably be A Witch's Romance. I really like the interaction between the the leads. Least favorite? Dr Stranger. I bowed out after the 3rd episode, but I read recaps that showed it just got weirder and weirder.

I started The Healer this past week. It's a nice mix of action/thriller and it has Kim Mi Kyung, I really like her.

I watched the first episode of Dr. Stranger and wasn't interested. There are a lot of shows that I stopped watching and even more that I never started. I've learned that most of the time I'm happier if I wait until the show completes.

I'm interested in seeing what the second season of Let's Eat looks like,

Currently watching: Answer Me 1997.

Shi-Won is love. I just wanted to say that.

Who'd have thought that an idol could actually act. XD

Some of them can. Some of them have a lot to learn. Still others, boy I don't know.

The one who surprised me was Choi Siwon. He's funny as hell. I think Choi Soo Yung has potential, I've liked her in the things I've seen. Granted only two and one was just a bit part but still.

I <3 Answer Me Nineteen Ninety Seven, and yeah, Jung Eun-ji was a revelation in that. Which ep are you currently on?

Idol actors tend to be very hit or miss. 90% are really stiff and coast on their looks, but once in a while you get someone really good. Siwon is a pretty good comedic actor though I don't know how he is at dramatic scenes, and IU is pretty natural. And recently Im Shi-wan really impressed me in Misaeng/Incomplete Life.

edited 5th Jan '15 7:36:55 AM by whimsyful

I've been thinking about the difference between the way second leads are written in K-Dramas compared to second leads in American shows.

There was this montage in my head contrasting the second leads from Coffee Prince and Flower Boy Ramen Shop with the second leads in Sleepless In Seattle and While You Were Sleeping. In Coffee Prince the lead was kind of a clueless jerk and in Flower Boy Ramen Shop the lead was definitely a jerk. Then I realized that Bill Pullman was the second lead in the first movie and the lead in the second, and then it got more confusing.

It seems like second leads in American shows are assholes. That way the lead can win. And it seems like the second leads in K-Dramas are super nice guys... so... the asshole lead guy can win? This makes no sense to me at all.

Maybe it's more like for one they want the audience to be happy the girl ends up with the nice guy, and for the other...they want them to be sad that the nice guy ends up alone? *shrugs*

Let's Eat Season 2. Waiting for complete translation of the first episode. I'm wondering how they are going to reset it.

Watched the first two episodes of Sensory Couple. I'll be interested to see how it shapes up.