Rants and Weekly Raves #59 (RAWR)

kakashi: SqueeCappers, we are nearing our 1000th post! Is it time for another competition on here, maybe?
Jaehyus: Cool, okay to a competition. Sigh, it's been a busy week, and I can't remember my dramas.  I've been trying to keep track of the characters in Nirvana in Fire, and that's so hard!
JoAnne: You can't just Wiki it? That's what I do when I'm watching something new with a large cast.
I didn't think of that.  Oops.  

Nirvana in Fire

How can this be so good?! Like .... ten thousand times better than 99% of all Kdrama sageuks I've seen?! Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. 94%? This takes you like a storm, heart and soul, completely. It's just right, on all levels. Acting, directing, script, set, costumes.... and the female characters!!! It's like the Chinese answer to Game of Thrones - and lo behold, what do I hear in one of the longer previews on YouTube?! Game of Thrones soundtrack!! They totally stole a whole song. Or maybe it's a statement. Anyway, WOW I WANT THIS TO NEVER STOP. 
I have that rule, as I mentioned.  But I will look at this, for sure.
It'll go on for a long time, no worries.  I wanted to stop at ep 4, but I don't think that'll happen.  Great Merchant Gaekju will have to go instead.  This one is so good!  I can't stop watching it. 

Twenty Again 

Caught up on this - well, through 13 anyway. I want to be friends with No Ra. She makes me so happy! She knows her mind, she speaks it. She is fully awake to the possibilities of the world. I love that she's such a good mom to Min Soo and I love that he SEES that, now. I'm glad that there is not one evil plotting person in this show, not really. Not yet, anyway. I'm watching you, Woo Chul. You dick.
I'm going to miss this show very much.
WooChul is a narcissistic creep.  He's very realistic and that makes him the most evil person I know in kdrama, more than that lady who was chopping people to bits in that recent noir drama with criminals used to find murderers.  As in Woochul is a villain that can and will mess up your daily life and ruin your self-esteem and keep you from family funerals and lie about it for years just for his own convenience.  It's scary.

She Was Pretty 

I'm all caught up!  I love watching Seong Joon struggle with his conflicting feelings and confusion, but I sorta love watching Siwon be AWESOME even more. I tell myself that if Ha Ri understood how Hye Jin was feeling, and if she saw Hye Jin and Seong Joon together, she would stop her stupid plan.  That's how I sleep at night...but she's still wrong, she knows she wrongs, it eats at her that she's wrong...and yet, she likes the guy and she's bargaining with herself.  It's just stupid, Ha Ri.  Stupid.  This is not a situation you can end happily.
Shiwon is Shuperb. 
"To me, you are 100 times prettier."

Six Flying Dragons 

Yes.  Oh yes.  Warning:  there is some FFFFFFF''ed up stuff in this.  You're gonna love it!
The beginning had me going, "How silly,"  but now I'm so excited for the new eps this week.
Yes, I do want to see your sword

Gaekju 

I have a rule.  (That I just made up.) I can't do two sageuks in one night.  I'll check this one out soon.
Dropping it.  Can't watch everything and it's not interesting enough after Nirvana in Fire and Six Flying Dragons. Plus, all those middle-aged people playing teenagers is just weird. 


I can hear the laugh now

Cheer Up/Sassy Go Go 

I have a rule. (No, really.) I can't do a sageuk and then a high school drama in the same night. I'll check this one out soon.
It's not really that good. Tried first two eps, and don't feel like watching more.
becca: Despite wishing that every high school drama would stop trying to be Angry Mom and be all about going agains the corrupt system, I do think I'm sold on this one. I like the cast, I like (most of) the characters, and I like the absurdity of the premise. Also, it has girl-crush Jung Eun-ji and puppy N. I could probably watch it just for those two, so I'm extra happy that I can enjoy the rest of the drama, too.

Glamorous Temptation 

No one is really talking about this.  What does that mean?
Not subbed, I think. Oh wait, yes it is.  But it took a long time.
If it's subbing slowly, I'll just wait until it's the final week and start watching.



D-Day 

People don't hate this.  I really think the topic isn't well-suited for a long-drawn-out drama, but whatever.  I'm going to look into it.  I'm still getting caught up!
This is a really good look, KYK.  Can you bring a set home?

My Daughter Geum Sa Wol 

I just hear a lot of bitching about this one, so it may end up never getting looked at. Update:  Although it did just hit a little over 22%, so...
Two smiles, two smirks.  Does it mean something?

Moon River 

We were FOOLED. All this time we thought that tiny-hatted bitch was going to be the Big Bad, and she ISN'T.  At least that's not how it looks lately.  Skating Grandma and Xaio Xi are just happy, happy, happy with each other, and here comes this bitch named Coco.  Watch out, Skating Grandma.  She is NOT your friend. Probably not yours, either, Sha Sha.  Also, who else thinks Lucy is adorable, chasing after Bow Tie Boy?
Which one is Lucy?
You know Sha Sha's minions?  Lucy is the ditzy one, with blondish hair, who isn't actually as mean.
Oh, Skating Grandma.  You are so cute.

New Tales of Gisaeng 

I am up to Episode 40, which is about where everyone says this began to go off the rails.  So far it's been very enjoyable.  It could have used a bit of pruning. Some of the side plots seem a bit pointless, but we'll see; it's not over yet.  Certainly some scenes could have been eliminated.  None with Sung Hoon, of course.  Overall, this is a good story! The argument is mostly over where to draw the line re filial duty, and whether 'specs that match' are more important than finding someone you love, who loves you back.
Can you explain the side plots?  I think that's where I got lost when I tried watching this a couple of years ago.
Without spoiling the enjoyment?  I can tell you that Ra Ra, Sa Ran, and Song Ja are related, although none of them know it right away and none of them know who at least one if not both of their parents are, although they think they do.  Ra Ra and Sa Ran are completely wrong about both their parents  (although it's not as simple as simply mixing them up) and Song Ja has no idea who his father is.  Ra Ra learns pretty quickly, Song Ja learns a bit later, but Sa Ran only learns that she's wrong, and no one has any idea who her parents are until the end - but we know pretty much right away.
Yes. He is thinking exactly what you think he is thinking.

Other 

Sleepy Hollow! They're now roomies. Roomies is GOOD. And as expected, Crane gets a bit jealous. GOOD. Damn, he looks good.

I'm continuing my rewatch of Dating Agency; Cyrano, and I'm hooked all over again. I love this story and these characters so much, and I want Sooyoung to come back to drama land and continue romancing all the awesome ajusshis.


Looking Forward To...

So there's this OTHER Hu Ge drama named "The Disguiser" - it looks like Age of Innocence done 10000% right.So far, it's not being subbed but it totally will be once they're through with Nirvana in Fire, right? RIGHT?!

OMG as if So Ji Sub and Shin Min Ah were not enough, Sung Hoon has been cast as the bromantic buddy for Subbie in Oh My Venus, which I am arbitrarily renaming Oh My Ovaries.  Time slot is mid-November, so do try to remain calm between now and then.  I have Post It notes to remind me that oxygen is required, because this news keeps popping into my head and I forget to breathe.