Rants and Weekly Raves #121 (RAWR)

kakashi: Still mainly recapping. People struggle to comment on my posts or have given up completely and I'm stressing everybody out. Sorry! Actually, I'm not. Stuff needs to get done! And I'm no longer on holidays when this posts, so don't fear, I will stop recapping like a lunatic.
JoAnne: I think your manic run at recapping everything is kind of hilarious :)
You know how many episodes there are left COMBINED for Snail, Novoland and Ice Fantasy?! It feels like a death sentence. Haha. Plus, it's a new year, I feel a strong urge to finish things like our ToGetHer recaps.
Shuk: I'm trying to keep up the best I can, all the while working on a New Years resolution which involves six weeks of physical therapy. And I can't dramawatch during sessions, even for motivation.
SakiVI: oooh, feel better, Shuk!  I'm trying to recap fast, but life is getting in the way.  I'm looking forward to this weekend and this week's episodes of Candle, though.  JinDong and his Big Gun, yay!
Trotwood: I'm trying to comment and to mini-squeecaps during last week, which is the only slow period at work until June. Sadly, I'm behind and completely forgot that my secret love Wallace Chung had a new drama coming out this week. But 2 eps a day for 65 eps? I'm already a week behind, so that's never going to happen.

Korea

Hwarang

The pretty boys have now officially become Hwarang and are all room-mates and I can tell the others apart now; it's very clear that the future king likes Ah Ro, and it seems that while Dog-Bird has decided to live fully as her brother Sun Woo, that might be a problem down the road...I'm having fun watching this. It reminds me a little bit of A Knight's Tale although it is in no way approaching that level of quality in writing. I also keep thinking about SKKS, it has that feel.

Legend of the Blue Sea 

Another show that drags like hell. Filler, filler, filler, oh! Funny! Filler, filler, filler. Oh, something interesting! Filler, filler, filler.
I'm glad we're finally getting to the point where mother and son are reunited, but I was all set for this to be ending on episode 16 and thinking wow, they actually paced this pretty well - but no, we have 20 episodes so there's a lot of filler coming. Up till now I'd been okay with the pace and didn't mind the filler scenes for the most part, but I don't think there's really enough story left for another five episodes.

Weight Lifting Fairy, Kim Bok Joo 

Very emotional episodes this week, on both sides of the coin.  The super-adorable, super-sweet, super-happy young love of our precious baby leads, and also the more serious and sad scenes where Joon Hyeong and his mother come together and then move apart.  As side plots, Hyung's dogged pursuit of Lady Doc is making me smile because she's not being difficult to teach him a lesson.  She's doing what she needs to do to move her life along, and she's being honest with him.  He's just too dumb to realize what's driving him, yet. And then for Bok Joo's uncle and the lady coach, bringing in Seul Gi went a long way toward making my heart okay with his hurt feelings.  Dad's going to get his kidney and Joon Hyeong will end up at Taeryung, I feel confident about that, and then the cherry on the cake is going to be the two room-mates realizing they like each other, too.  I love this show! It's so well-done and such a mood-lifter.
I LOVE this show. It makes me so happy when I watch it. I don't know what to add to what Jo said, but I think there is a record because in ep 14 Bok Joo had five different coats not including two coats we've already seen. Although I feel as though I should have watched this after catching up with Solomon's Perjury since I'm pretty sure I'm going to need some uplifting cleanse after.

Oh My Geum Bi 

I couldn't watch because DramaFever screwed up the episodes and has the wrong video playing with the subs; who knows how long it will take to fix, since they don't bother with anything like customer service on the weekends and barely bother it with during the week.

Goblin 

bcook: I'm finally here! You guys RWAR so darn fast I can't keep up
Every week, darling, every week
I'm all over Goblin like white on rice. Like Samsung on Choi Soon-shil (too soon?). Is it mildly creepy that a 900 year old man is crushing on a 19 year old...yes absolutely but somehow it's ok with the man is Gong Yoo and the girl is Kim Go-eun/ Eun Tak (that girl has an old soul so it kinda works). I can't quite understand why anybody would drop this show. Technically it's beautiful. Colors are bright and vivid, direction is sharp. Story wise, every character has a back story even the people who visit the grim reaper's kitchen. When has that ever happened in kdrama?! The comedic moments come at just the right time to keep the show from getting heavy. I'm in love. My burning question for the week is how the heck does Gong Yoo make one eye go red before he cries? Pepper? Vicks? Magic? 
YES join me in the love. I miss you. As if the legend itself didn't provide enough obstacle for our Goblin and his bride, the bad guy from Goryeo has now shown up and is creeeeeepy, plus it's confirmed: Reaper is Wang Yeo, and Sunny is Kim Shin's sister, Wang Yeo's queen. AND Duk Hwa was both more and less than he seemed - just a regular chaebol boy, but for a while, actual God possessed him. Not one of the, but the one. I'm looking forward to next week, because Kim Shin is confronting Reaper and I really want it to to be okay between them in the end.

Solomon's Perjury 

This show surprises me in every episode in a good way. I'm enjoying how the death of Soo-Woo is bringing out all sorts of layers to many characters. There are people who get hurt both emotionally and physically, but it is almost never as clear cut as it seems even if you see something with your own eyes. I like how there needs to be a trial if only to get all the perspectives in the same room. Even the liars tell the some truths and the truth tellers tell lies.
Ooooh, and oooooh, and oooooh! again.  An older brother with a not-so-nice assessment of So Woo, some sympathy for the mean boy, and lots of questions coming up about Han Ji Hoon...

Father, I'll Take Care of You

Only episode 15 this week; lots of Small/Tall Couple though, so I was happy even though they were mostly sad scenes. When, oh when, will she realize that she can have a relationship and be a writer, too? I mean, I respect that she has a lot on her plate and that she wants to focus on that, and I respect that he isn't fighting her on it - but come on, we want them together so let's get through this and on to that! In other news, moms are struggling with the cousin switch, like anyone would be, and we got THIS juicy little tidbit, which will probably turn out to be wrong: supposedly the youngest son is actually the son of the father and a MISTRESS. I think it's just a red herring though, since it's just as likely that he'll turn out to be the long lost brother of Revenge Guy.

Seven First Kisses (Finale) 

Was that it? Was Lee Min Ho it? If so, someone is going to have to explain to me what this ending means?
All along, she 'recognized' the men as famous people, but with the exception of LJS they all knew her and had a place in her life previously (and weren't who she thought they were.)  Each time she got better at going with the flow. This time around, she assumed the guy was one of them and didn't waste any time being confused, only to discover that he had no idea who she was.  It turns out though that he WAS one of the guys, so...I dunno. You can argue that their entire future relationship stems from her very forward approach to him, so maybe it was that: be confident.

Not Korea

Candle in the Tomb 

I raged a lot during 7 and 8. Everybody was SO STUPID. And they didn't wear gloves!!! While climbing up a rope in subzero weather!!!! And the light was all wrong on that glacier - in the snow, the light NEVER comes from the side. Also, I got annoyed at the very green (I guess green screen) glow they had in the desert.
I'm not going to let little things like sound stage blizzards and lack of proper cold-weather gear stop me from loving this.  It's a blast so far!  Also, was that who I thought it was playing An Man Li?
LOVED his accent :D (and yes, it's Mr. Xia Jang! Wang Yong Quan aka Mr. Executive Director :) Did you spot the other NiF actors too? 
Don't get me started about the lack of respect for the snow because there were a lot of bad choices. Also, right when I think I might not mind Joe Chen's character, she does something else that makes me want to hit her.

Behind Your Smile 

Our devilish boy's secret is out - roomie knows he is nuts about his enemy's daughter, and I think junior farmboy is pretty clued in, too.  The brothers are set to duke it out at some point, I think. I know senior farmboy likes her, but honestly, the whitecoat girl has been waiting for him forever and she's nice. So I'd much rather pair him off with her after his crush ends, and keep the PantyKiller with our naive girl. He sent his PA to the US to get her pillow, come on.
The pillow was an especially cute touch and made more sense we we learn from senior farmboy that he has practically taken care of everyone from the farm even though he hates it. However, the show seems to be gearing up for drawn out angst and misunderstanding, and I'm not sure I'm up for it even for PantyKiller's rare killer smiles. How many episodes is this supposed to be. This Lin Mn story seems to be dragging. He hates her and wants revenge. I get it. But nothing seems to be really happening on that front.
He's so obviously protective about her that only an idiot would not realize it. Well, all idiots and Bambi. Doe she really not feel it? Or is she pretending in order to keep that employer/ee relationship? Anyway, she needs to kiss him again when they are both sober.

General and I (new) 

Only 62 episodes! Piece of cake! And by the Ice Fantasy director, hehe.
Yep. Airing at the impossible pace of 2 episodes each weekday. I'm not even going to try to keep up.
hahaaaa, Chinese dramas .... whyyyyyy
How am I supposed to breathe?  If I can make my own schedule of 4 eps a week - and stick to it - I'll watch it.  Ice Fantasy director sounds good. 
I love Wallace. I love Angelbaby. But I'm never going to watch a 62-ep drama during a regular semester. I need to not get fired. 
I watched the first episode...I liked it. I definitely liked it. For those of you keeping track, this would be my first exposure to Angela Baby and to Wallace Chung.
For those of you who don't know, I'm fighting against being drawn to this face. . .

Pretty Li Hui Zhen (new) 

I pretty much inhaled the episodes this week and then toward the end wondered why it felt like it was dragging. Then I learned that it is planned for 36 episodes. I just wanted to cry. I don't know if I'll keep up. Her grown up first love is so mean to her in these early episodes that if they drag this out for too long, I may not be able to forgive him enough to care when he starts to like her no matter how good looking he is. But lovely KO from Love O2O is in it being goofy and odd, so I'm still watching. Although is they don't progress faster, I'm going to start finding him annoying, too.
Since I've seen the original, I feel like I can do this one at whatever pace I like.  I didn't get here this week.

Novoland

I have inhaled 22 of 28 episodes, but starting with 23 my source seems to have lost subs so I'm taking a break. Maybe the site is just having a bad day. I even postponed watching Goblin until next day because I was so caught up in this silly drama. The outdoor sets look borrowed from Star Trek (the original series) and the indoor sets often look like Barbie's Dream House. The acting is often...imaginative. But our heroine is beautiful, kind, and brave, and that Wingkind Emperor is some kind of hot. Open flame hot. Lava hot. Hot, hot, hot. Plus, nearly every other guy IN the drama is attractive at the very least. I particularly liked looking at the Regent, and the Emperor's buddy Xiang Congling, but he took a turn toward WTF were you THINKING, dude, plus he looks like a living Ken Doll if I'm completely honest.

The Magic Star (new) 

I include this because it's WU LEI!!!!  But  I have no idea if it will be subbed, and honestly, I haven't got much desire to watch a bunch of teens run around in fantasy land. We'll see, though. Viki is trying to get the license.

Emerald City (new)

The Wizard of Oz, retold.  I am looking forward to this.  Update:  Good call on my part.  A bit dark on the screen and thus difficult to see in certain scenes, but I like the world that's being built.  So far we've met Dorothy and her family, I guess what passes for Munchkins, Toto, the Wizard, the Witches, and the ScareCrow. There's this kid Tip that was a boy but suddenly became a girl, not real sure what that's about, and a kid named Jack who was hacking away at some vines that made me wonder if he could be THAT Jack, but we'll see.
I wondered if it was going to be like OUAT, which started out good but seem to run out of steam but the middle of the second season.

Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu/ We Married as Job

Almost all my tlist buddies watching this watched the finale episode multiple times; it just made you feel that good. I felt so good watching it, that I was really worried that I'd go to the gym and just randomly hug people. These two awkward people are perfect for each other. They grow up and branch out through each other and recognize the skills they have through the love and appreciation of the other person. We also get a great resolution of these two people which, frankly, since I and the same age as she is, gives me hope. Not necessarily about relationships but about independent women in the world.
Wait a darn minute. That guy did not look like this guy in any of the other pictures you shared...yum.
It's not. It's the other couple in the show. He is delicious and falls in love with a woman our age. Really. Watch now.
Sure, I don't have many shows going right now.  *cough*

IQ246

This show continues to be an interesting and light mystery with the competition between our hero with the IQ of 246 against his female nemesis that has an IQ of 300. I also really like the way our young heroine is making her own place in his household because of her steadfast personality and loyalty to them all. Our master hates to admit it, but she has grown on him, and in this last episode, she blossoms into what I knew her role was all along--the perfect who reminded him of his humanity. it was quite telling how he mentioned that so many of the high IQ people commit suicide.  The difficulty of finding anything interesting or challenging, so what is the point. We get more of Kensei's back story here, which makes me wish there'd be a sequel or spin off that focuses on his story and how he came to take his father's place.