Where In the Dramaverse Am I?

Hello bloggers,
Remember me? 

I know. I barely remember myself either. I used to blog about dramas. I used to watch dramas with some regularity. Now I consider it a feat if I watch a few episodes of at least something a week. The world has turned for me, as I always knew it would, and once feared it would. Several years ago my thoughts were, 'What a sad day when I no longer find dramas so entertaining and/or thought-provoking as I do now!' A year ago, 'This can't be the end. I won't let it be the end.'  A few months ago, 'Yep, I'm passed it all. Such is life.'

I think I thought the process would be more depressing than it is. I still watch some things, I still find things entertaining, and I have not retreated entirely from this world I've created from myself. I just show it differently. Much differently. For anyone interested, here's a recap of my life for the last few months:

Kdrama Review: Rebirth - Next (2005)

Rebirth - Next
환생-넥스트 
7/10 ♥♥

Drama watchers rejoice: it's the review you've all been waiting for! No, it's not, and actually you've probably never heard of this whimsically romantic drama before, but that's okay. I'm here to change that. Rebirth, Next, Reincarnation, whatever you want to call it, is actually five stories about the same four people who meet in the present, and in four different pasts. Each time they're reincarnated (in four conveniently romantic historical Korean eras) their lives are plunged into chaos and angst, into brilliantly reworked and unique love squares, and when they die they don't remember each other in the next life. Or do they?

There is an overarching story set in the present timeline, which weaves in and between the historical eras, and that story is probably the wildest of them all. It's where we meet our main characters for the first time though. Ryu Soo Young is the neurosurgeon Min Ki Bum; Jang Shin Young plays Kang Jung Hwa, a starving stage actress; Lee Jong Soo is her colleague and almost boyfriend Min Ki Soo; and Park Ye Jin is the psychologist Lee So Hyeon who begins treating Jung Hwa with hypnosis, while possibly revealing their intertwining pasts.

Rebirth - Next is cheesy, epic, romantic to a fault, and great for those rainy days when you just want to whine about love and be overly indulged. And here's the best part. Once you've watched it through, you don't need to rewatch the whole thing. Just pick which era and storyline you liked in particular, and that two-episode era will be quite enough to fullfill all your nostalgic wants. Confused? Follow my guide with accompanying non-spoilery descriptions below.

DRAMA CLUB: Roommate, Episodes 1-5

Oh look who's back to writing non-fiction commentary again! ME. I've been asked once again to join a Drama Club for DramaFever about my new favorite Kvariety program Roommate along with Lore from Lore in Stone Cities (our first collaboration that I'm super excited about) and new friend Qisti from QT K-POP (another blog I seriously need to start exploring)!

• Check us out in this week's first intro recap to Episodes 1-5 and be on the lookout for a round-about discussion panel on DramaFever.

The Best of Asian Drama Moms (aka Happy Mother's Day)

So let me say something before we even begin:

 

Happy Mother’s Day!

This a gentle reminder for everyone with moms to give her an extra special hug today, and for those of you lovely ladies who are moms, well… as I said before, Happy Mother’s Day! What am I doing for Mother’s Day? I’m leaving the state and going on vacation without my mom (aiigoo.. eoma mianhamnida!) But because I knew this was happening, I decided to make this special tribute to her and great moms like her, who just so happen to be from the dramas. No evil conniving women in this post - this is dedicated to the best moms of Asian drama (that I have had the fortune to meet with).



Read on for my list of favorite NICE and FABULOUS drama moms on Mydramalist.com

The Best of Asian Drama Moms

 

The Villains of Kdrama: Dare I Say... Boring?

It’s no secret that the vast majority of TV/Movie lovers love a good villain. They drive the story, fuel the angst, and drive us positively bats*** crazy wondering what they’re going to do next - what deviltry will they induce, how many lives will they ruin, how many good people will die – all the while waiting to see what inevitable end they will come to. The hero will get them in the end, right? We’ll cheer and clap, and grin because we knew it would happen eventually. The End. Next drama. Ohh, a new baddie.

 *yawns*

Does anyone else ever get tired of the same kind of bad dude, every other drama? The kind that’s completely without scruples, who murders without a thought, doesn’t give a care to his own goons, and will gleefully murder small children if it’s a means to his own success. In real life, I would happily see them behind bars and or just plain dead. But in dramas, they kind of bore me. Why? Because these types of characters exist for basically two reasons: to create a backdrop of black and white, and to make the viewers sick with emotional angst.

Now, I’m not saying I don’t enjoy a good comic book style villain every now and then. And when a good sicko is created by some genius writer, I enjoy the thrill of seeing them put down a notch (or a 100 notches). But there’s something else I enjoy watching –something that’s almost more terrifying to see on screen – and that’s a villain that looks like real human being. A thug that feels real, a boss who cares about his lackeys, a villain with a 3-dimensional character, and maybe even some feelings to go along with it.

Do they need a full redemption story? Not necessarily, because that’s almost as boring as a bad guy getting his just deserts. But a villain that’s recognizable, or even – dare I say it – relatable? Now there’s a story that’s interesting to watch. Sadly, they’re a whole lot lacking in the Kdrama landscape.

Read the full story on Mydramalist.com

The Villains of Kdrama: Dare I Say... Boring? 

A Touch of K-Pop: January-March '14

Hey so guess what! I'm still alive.. Just not alive with an "I'm so excited to be blogging!" kind of alive feeling. If anything, I'm in a slump. A rut. Drama, blogging, and believe it or not, Kpop. Blame overly redundant dramas. Blame it my mood. Or the fact that my home computer screen needs replacing because it's so old and glitchy that my eyes hurt when I stare at it too long. Hey at least I got some new glasses that don't have scratches on them the size as the crack in the universe.

This was my March madness.

Why am I in Kpop rut though? Because honestly, these past few months haven't been that too exciting. For me at least. I think I got overly used to a string of my bias groups promoting, from October on-wards. So January and February were like filler months, and then March happened with the big girl group extravaganza, but by then I just wanted to hear good music, and I got it, and then I was good.

And now I'm hopelessly behind,* and I don't need to apologize for it but honestly I miss ranting a bit about the nonsensical things in Kpop so here I am once again, but this time with a slightly different format.

First things first though:

In two weeks I am going to a B.A.P concert with my mother in Dallas. It's her bias group, so don't look at me. I know I'm not a huge B.A.P fan but I do like a lot of their music and am pretty excited to be seeing them live. Now I just need to learn how to distinguish Daehyun from Jongup and I ought to be good.

Here's the second thing:

In June my husband and I are going to Miami for our 5 year anniversary trip (so cool!). The beach? It's not really my thing. I don't like sand, and I don't wear bikinis (I wear a very classy 50s era checkered bathing suit and I look damn fine in it). Miami, or rather... South Beach is the last place you would probably ever catch me and my husband on a vacation. But we're going because, well, you know... Block B will be there.

I'm going to see Block B in concert!

Hopefully they won't be playing those instruments though, or you know...
it probably won't sound very good. 

We have VIP tickets. I'm going to die. And probably cry lots as soon as as I see them. I'll be packing a a whole tissue box because I'll probably need it the moment they start to sing 'Be The Light'. It feels like this is too good to be true...

So onto the next stuff. I haven't blogged anything Kpop related but that doesn't mean I neglected the whole industry. In fact, my 2014 playlist seems to suggest otherwise. Here are 40 songs that I've noticed this year and currently dropped into a playlist, beyond the cut.

Kdrama Review: Taereung National Village (2005)

Taereung National Village 
태릉선수촌 
7/10 ♥

Every now and then, I get nostalgic for my favorite actors when I haven't seen them in a while. Hence my reason for watching this drama short. And the reason I picked this special production about athletes living in an Olympics training facility, falling in love and out of love... Lee Sun Gyun, aka The Voice. What I ended up watching was Lee Min Ki in a not underwhelming starring role. Taking in each 30 minute episode, the whole drama clocks in at around 4 hours. I speak from authority in that I do not like sports stories, I don't know a think about judo or archery, and I only know that I kind of like watching the swimmers and gymnasts when they come around every four years. But I liked this drama, and it wasn't because of the athletics. It was because of the athletes and the actors who played them.

Like many stories, this is a coming-of-age tale for the majority of the characters. Except the kids in Taereung have already had larger-than-life expectations thrust upon them. Hong Min Ki (Lee Min Ki, not to confuse anyone) is good at judo, except for that little problem that he becomes physically ill before every single match. Bang Su Ah (Choi Jung Yoon) won an archery medal at the last Olympics, but she's showing signs of a slump this time around. Her boyfriend Dong Kyung (Lee Sun Gyun) is a swimmer (yeah that means he walks around in swimmers trunks a couple times ) who's reaching past his prime before he could ever achieve something glorious, and little Ma Ru (Song Ha Yoon) is the best gymnast in the village with the whole world in front of her. Don't expect miracles out of everybody. This is a highly realistic snapshot of 4 completely different athletes who are thrust together due to their relationships, and the world makes what it will of them.

Is her face just tiny, or does he have a big head?

The Males

Lee Min Ki practically glitters throughout the whole drama. He's hyper, alternately cute and annoying, and makes no secret of his crush for the former gold medal winner archer. He's at his coolest though (meaning dorkiest) when he confronts that girl's hulk of a boyfriend. I'm biased of course, but Lee Sun Gyun is fabulous. He also acts the same as every other time I've seen the man act: confident in the spotlight, with a twinge of vulnerability when he's not. It's not groundbreaking, but always appealing. I give this show bonus points for the bromance. When the two aren't nose to nose, about to come to blows, they're sheltering each other from life and all its dirty little tricks. 

The Females

Taereung National Village doesn't just do justice to the males of the drama. Su Ah snuck up on me as one of my favorite characters, mostly for how she maintains her confidence in the midst of career slumps and love troubles. She goes from being a clueless bystander in her own relationships, to seriously considering the whys and hows of all her issues. All this without becoming jealous or vindictive of her rivals in both areas. Her roommate Ma Ru is initially typecast as the clingy would-be girlfriend to Min Ki but for a timely plot device that kind of made me love her. Life works us through many kinds of trials, and Ma Ru went through the pits of character hell into looking and acting like a real human being.

Next time, don't date an archer ;)

The Extra Bits

Why watch? I don't know. If you love the actors, if you're in for 4 hours of slice of life. If you're up for watching people learn and grow, and act natural, and still be funny. There's something peaceful about this drama. After the glitz and glam of Kdramas, it was a refreshing, homey watch, and evidently pinned by a production team that knew what it was doing, despite receiving probably no extra promotional material to work with. But hey, when they snuck in a scene from When Harry Met Sally, with accompanying irony, I was sold.

Rosie Writes Fiction Now

How's my title for the post? Catchy? Do I have your attention now? I'm a little ashamed to admit this, but my blog feels dead. I can't coax the words out from my fingers to pen drama reviews. Same 'ole story, but for one thing I'm not watching dramas as fast right now. And for the few airing dramas I do watch a season, I think y'all and the rest of the blogosphere got us covered. The second reason, which I've hinted before, is that my writing feels a little dead. Without inspiration, there's a limit to the things I can bring myself to type about the dramas I'm watching, or the music I'm listening to.

Earlier last week, somehow, I mentioned to Jane how once upon a time I used to try my hand at fiction. Silly things, crack fantasies, romances more about life than love even. My last notebook that I've actually kept dates me back to about 12 or 14 years old. The stories were crap of course. I cringe now when I read through them. After that phase I moved on to essays, and by the time I was in college, essays were my jam!

Well here we are now. 2014, and I'm 26 almost 27 years old. In my head I don't feel older than 22. I've always had an active imagination. Halfway realistic stories of myself and people more famous than myself flit in and out of my brain at any hour of the day, and every month or so I consciously change up the scenarios, and the people, and do something freshen up my daydreams. Unlike the dreams of my youth though, these aren't exactly the go-to fantasies that rescue me from the daily depression of life. Far from it, because I don't need such diversion. But my creative mind never seems to shut up, and I've got to acknowledge that I've essentially been writing fanfiction in my head. So to make at least one person in my life happy (my sister, thank you for the support!) I'm bringing one of these stories to life.

Not Another Exo Fanfic... Seriously, it's not. My character seems very much like myself. I've deemed it 'slice of life' - whatever that may be, and put myself my character in as realistic a situation as I can muster - a visitor, roaming the streets of Seoul. It's my story and it's not. Less wishful thinking, more a creative vision of bringing scenarios to life, if such situations were to actually happen. Namely, if I a young woman ran into three members of Exo: Xiumin, Luhan, and the surprising lead to this story... Chen.

Strangers on the Street

Read the forward below if you're curious, or follow the above link to my story's home spot on AFF.
Kindly enjoy, and/or don't judge. Lol

Kdrama Review: Que Sera, Sera (2007)

Que Sera, Sera
케세라, 세라
8/10 ♥♥

My tastes in dramas have surely been wandering. I can't keep up with the hype of modern dramas, and while 2007 isn't technically that long ago, for a Kdrama there's a world of difference between this dark melo of the past and the world of today's trendies, including some of the more recent melodramas I've been able to sit through. So while everything I tend to start these days ends up perpetually 'on hold', something about watching this class act from the not so distant past took me back to the days when I had just discovered Kdramas - when every thing was new and wondrous, when dramas could shock me. Unlike my encounters with the first Kdramas of personal experience though, this one even made me a little bit scared.

Que Sera, Sera is sometimes listed as having one of the darkest, twisted plots you can find. Let me tell you something: it fits the bill. Okay maybe not as far as totally sicko, disgusting, or morbid. There's no gore or psycho killers. But there's no villain! And that's kind of the whole point. Our lead man Kang Tae Joon, played by Shinhwa's Eric Moon, is poor. Our lead girl Eun Su (Jung Yu Mi) is also.. get this.. poor. The second leads are not-exactly-siblings Ji Soo and Joon Hyuk (Lee Eun Soon and Lee Kyu Han respectively), the richer duo, and not a single person in this whole drama is happy.  Poor man falls in love with poor girl, but dates rich girl so he can take care of poor girl's debts. Rich girl gets a fake boyfriend to taunt her not-a-brother former lover, and not-brother genuinely falls in love with poor girl. Seemingly standard fare except the cross mixing of these four's relationships with one another are simultaneously exhilarating, and downright disturbing.

Here's just one small reaction hint: It's a kiss scene. Our girl is running out of a hotel room in the rain, trailed by hot Eric Moon who spins her around violently, and she gives in initiating steamy smooching.. I'm sitting on the floor in front of the TV while all this is happening, and my husband just comes in from work through the front door. He finds me, Rosie, sitting stunned, hands covering my mouth. "Good scene?" he asks with a mistakenly placed smirk. "No!" I answer with a horrendous squawk and burst into tears of rage over the events on screen. When did ever a kiss scene go wrong? You'll find out when you watch Que Sera, Sera.

I still have nightmares.

Note to readers - This drama is kind of amazing. Sure it's old and the cinematography and production values are a bit lacking. The second girl a plastic nose identical to a dozen other same era actresses, and every character in the show will at some point make you want to rip your hair out - except where in most Kdramas where it's cliches and crappy plot twists or character non-development that make you want to end your life, here it's because Que Sera Sera has a raw edge to it that I've rarely seen even in the movies, let alone television. And whether or not you like the characters, the actors' portrayals sell the whole thing, and it's impossible to quit and not wonder what on earth is going to happen to them all.

Read for more some SPOILERLY thoughts rambles on the story, the pairings, and the end.

Apply to Write for Mydramalist.com

Just a note to any of my followers, friends, or lurkers - anyone with an urge for creative writing of the Asian drama sort:

MDL Writers Wanted! Yes, you... We want YOU!

Mydramalist.com is recruiting volunteers for General Topics, Currently Watching, Movie Reviews, and Drama News writers. Whether you have your own blog or not, we'd love to feature an original post of yours on our website. I say "our website" because I'm the Editor in Chief.. So, if you know me, chances are I'll show some favoritism ;) Just kidding. Or maybe I'm not.. But seriously, apply if you want! *Must have an account on there. But then again, that's not hard and it's one of the coolest ways to organize your drama watch list. No, this is not just a shameless plug. I just really love the site and want to find as many awesome writers as I can. :)

Less Liebe, A Little More 'Thoughts About Blogging'

Read through my First Liebster Award Here

Every couple of days for the past few months I find myself staring at my blog page. To me it feels a little dead, a little stale, like it's shut down for the winter with only the occasional, increasingly sparse entry marking the fact that Rosie the Blogger is still alive and active. Even less frequently, I update the currently watching/recently watched sidebar. If my blogging has become stagnant, the dramas I watch even more so. Is this how drama death feels like? I can't tell. Very little in in the Dramaverse has captivated me (even that's not true, because I have recently watched several dramas that made my heart spin...) Rather, I think it's my attention span, shortened to increments of barely 40 minutes. If only Kdramas in particular could tone down the length! 

So I'm just going to pretend that my lack of consistent blogging is less about my waning interest and general drama slump, and more laziness. How am I going to get out of this? By answering the questions of two fellow bloggers who nominated me (ages ago now!) for another Liebster award. Maybe this will entice me to get back into writing?

So thank you for, Love Bug's Obsession and Asian Addicts Anonymous, and the several other bloggers who've given me a nod in the right direction, to return to blogging. P.S. I may answer the following drama-related questions, but I kind of feel like talking about myself for a change. So hah! Bear with me if you want. :)

Un-reviewable Dramas 5: Heirs and Two Weeks

One I live-watched, the other I pseudo-marathoned. The first 5 episodes at least, and then I got overwhelmed and simultaneously bored. Is that even possible? Turns out it is. I watched Heirs and Two Weeks purely because I knew everybody else was. Oh, and maybe for their casts. All of Heirs was going to be a golden mixture, even if the drama turned out ill, and Two Weeks - well, as an occasional Lee Jun Ki fangirl, I try to at least sample every project he's done, even if I never finish *coughs*Arang*coughs*.

Moah? It's the second drama of mine Rosie hasn't liked..
I'll have to try harder next time.

Sadly, neither grabbed my attention so much- and now that they're over and done with, it's kind of annoying me that they're sitting in my 'Recently Watched' box all happy and content, surrounded by other more well-deserving dramas. Stricly my opinion of course. And since I haven't been in a frame of mind to write up brilliant and stunning reviews for Flames of Desire and Que Sera Sera, I'm going to start by knocking a few little things off my tally of things-to-discuss. This is what I call productivity. Oh yes, Rosie's being so productive right now. 

Read on for the lamest reviews ever of Heirs (2013) and Two Weeks (2013).

[Blog Fun] Traffic Source Keywords 2

It hasn't been quit a year since the first installment of one of my favorite things about blogging - the weird and bizarre search words that bring in viewers to Shine a Light Rose. And these aren't just those random ad sites that blatantly hype up your stats via computer generation in hopes of making me follow them back to their shady sources. No, it's the key words that proove that REAL PEOPLE occasionally pop on by. Lurkers who probably got lost. Welcome all! And I hope you stay! But uhm, what were looking for in the first place??

By the way, can I just get this off my chest? I'm a little embarrassed that the number one search that repeatedly crops up, and has kept this post in the No 1 spot for months(!) is my review of Taiwanese drama Easy Fortune Happy Life. Why? Because I completely skewered that show, and now that's probably the only impression some people have of me. Not that I care... *you lurkers you* Okay, but I do feel bad. It makes me want to cover more Twdramas and do it better. But, that requires watching better Twdramas, and at this point I'm not sure there are that many of them out there that I haven't already watched. Of those, I'm too intimidated to write a less than stellar review (I'm talking about you, Autumn's Concerto, and In Time With You).

Okay that's over with. Let's resume with my favorite 10 search words of the 2013.

# 10 Block B The Most Talented Group

Why what a great query. Yes they are the most talented group. Nope, I'm not biased either. Why is this here though, former lurker? Did you just need confirmation? If so, please check out my totally not biased assessment of them. 

Courtesy of "Honest Thoughts About Block B: Part 2"

#9 Crack Summer's Desire

At least this person got the whole point of the show. Indeed it was crack. I'm not sure how good a quality crack it was, but to each his own. Would you like to find out a little more about this 'crack drama' now? 

Courtesy of "Twdrama Review: Summer's Desire"

Continue on, please! More silly stuff to follow. 

A Touch of K-Pop: December '13

There's something about holidays - A time when I technically SHOULD have more time for fun things like writing and watching drama, and listening to concerts and Kpop, and... I don't. When by myself I sit around in more of a stupor, mindlessly browsing Tumblr or the internet, and when family and friends are around, I still sit around in a stupor, except I don't get anything done then.

Where am I going with this again?

Oh yes! So, in the past 2 weeks I've probably watched less than 5 hours of drama, and kept up with barely anything in Kpop. I don't know what happened. So let me recap the few things I do remember doing/watching/listening...

Sweet Flower, Deep Flower

My husband says that after everything Block B came out with, Junhyung's solo "Flower" is his favorite song of the year. That was, until I pointed out the Engrish. You know what, I'm not sure Beast is or ever will get their act together with the Engrish. It was bad in the past, it's still bad now, and Junhyung's solo endeavor is just as spotty. But so what because I love it. I'm ad-dic-ted to this song, and to the choreo of whatever fantastic backup dancers Cube had the brilliant idea to include. The MV for "Flower" is cool of course, but I can't stop rewatching the Practice version for its incredible CGJ-less imagery and amazing technicality.

I'll admit it - but I never expected this to be one of my favorite songs of the month. It's a little nice to be surprised though.

So you want to know my shallow thoughts on The Boss, Exo, December stuff, and a late as hell Christmas roundup? Read on, friend. Read on.

Jdrama Review: Last Friends (2008)

Last Friends
ラスト・フレンズ
8/10 ♥♥

There are days where I'm in the mood to watch something absolutely miserable, where I need to put the woes of my life into deep perspective and focus on other peoples' fictional problems - and sit in wonder that there are actually people in this world whose lives do mirror what I see onscreen. Then I cry and sob for a good while, stifle the urge to throw something, and reinforce my willingness to keep watching. Why? Because in adversity, people shine through. Or they are vanquished, and I wasn't certain what the result would be for these last of friends.

The Cast

In a role that will absolutely terrify you, Nishikido Ryo is Sosuke, by day a child welfare social worker, by night an attentive boyfriend - and by attentive we mean the emotionally and physically abusive kind of boyfriend. Nagasawa Masami plays Michiru, a girl victimized not just by her boyfriend but also by a childhood worldview she believes in where life is cruel and you just have to get used to it. Enter a cluster of friends old and new to her rescue, including Ruka (Ueno Juri), a motor-cross racer devoted to Michuru's protection; and Takeru (Eita), a hair stylist and kind friend, with a deeply troubling past.

Creeper Alert.

At its ugliest, Last Friends explores the day to day consequences and psychological effects of domestic violence, gender identity crisis, and sexual abuse. "Lesser" hit topics include suicide, adultery, and plain old sexual harassment. Could this drama have been any more emotionally involving? It's from Japan- in a society that apparently doesn't care to whitewash such issues on national television. More power to them because, Last Friends is a hard-hitting depiction of equally traumatizing existences; more importantly though- how the relationships of its characters are pulled to and fro, towards the light and back towards the darkness. 

Best of friends?

Is it Watchable? 

YES. Because unlike other misery-laden dramas I've had the misfortune to sit through (both Korean and Japanese), Last Friends deals with this horror in a fashion more situated to real life than dramaland-ish antics. Bad things don't just happen for the sake of it, to the point where you sit around imagining a writers' brainstorming session: "And what shocking plot device should we insert in this week's episode?" Instead, we see our characters reacting is familiar, humanly ways. It's that much more stressful because of this fact - but not every battered girlfriend makes one clean dramatic break, without ever falling and returning to the scene of abuse; deep revelations between friends don't always make everything right; and not every person can completely overcome childhood trauma. Which makes their compromises ever more understandable, and their friendship that much stronger for it. 

Bonus points because after Ryo scarred me for life, I still understood his character. Try making that happen again, dramaland. I'm going to go now and pick out a nice bubbly drama of his to make me forget it ever happened.  

More up on Last Friends, the strength and bonds of friendship, and a how a home sets the difference. No Spoilers

Year In Review: What I Missed 2013

Rosie hasn't watched WHAT yet?!?

Another year nearly gone, and you know what? I feel I've watched less airing dramas than I did last year! I blame this partly on the overall lack of interesting dramas. But the truth is I think I've become a tiny bit more jaded, and therefore way pickier when choosing what to watch next. Also, mid-year I tackled about 5 airing dramas at a time and that burned me out. More often now I will wait until a series has aired and then marathon it (or drop it..) Maybe it loses some of the excitement that way? Oh well- I like a duller lifestyle. :P

Comparing my stats from 2012's Year In Review, let's line up my progress this year.

Approx Total Dramas Watched (or sampled): 55   (65 last year)

Dramas Watched (or sampled) from 2013: 20   (12 last year)

Verdict so far? I have watched LESS dramas, but attempted more from this year... How did I fair keeping them up though?

Dramas Watched AS THEY AIRED that Weren't Dropped: 9   (6 last year)

Marginally better. However if I could generate a stat for the number of hours spent watching shows, all these numbers would be significantly lower; my trend for 2013 was to actually watch less Kdramas and more of the offerings from Japan and Taiwan. Jdramas = shorter and easier to watch. Kdramas = more time/dedication necessary to complete. Cheating much? Maybe so. 

I'm no longer hiding out in a little drama bubble - having reached out to more people in the community, and made more drama friends. (Hooray for drama buddies!) Also- my mom and sister are now dedicated drama addicts (Hooray for my conversion rate!) and my husband is always watching at least one drama with me (I made him watch Nine about 1 week after I marathoned it by myself, and we completed the rewatch in 3 days flat. My eyes were burnt red and watery for a week after). 

But being more aware of the blogger community, and general drama world means I have followed the progress of more dramas than I've cared to watch.  And the list* includes a shocking amount of crowd favorites that for whatever reason, I refuse to try at this time, or this year. Some are already on my Plan To Watch list; others may need a little persuasion... 

*Kdramas only. I'm not qualified to even note how many grand and/or atrocious Jdramas or Twdramas I may have missed this year. 

Halfway Report: The Pursuit of Happiness (2013)

The Pursuit of Happiness
愛的生存之道

Episodes Seen: 7/16 ♥♥

I’ve been on a small Taiwanese drama binge of late – part of my broader plan of self-education. And what I’ve discovered is that when it comes to the Twdrama, I usually love it, or hate it. And when I find one I love, I think ‘That’s it. There’ll never be another one just as good!’ - Says me upon finishing In Time With You. So wait, the currently airing Pursuit of Happiness is produced by the same team?!? I’m in!

Read the rest of my halfway impressions on Mydramalist.com

"Currently Watching: The Pursuit of Happiness"

A Touch of K-Pop: November '13

Thanksgiving month is passed. And so with it, I realize how fast time flies! Looking just at the span of Kpop world events, wow! I started these Kpop posts back in March of this year, back when I barely concerned myself with Infinite, Teen Top was a baby obsession, and Winner hadn't even happened yet! 

To only have heard him sing...

Regrets so far: That I didn't get to see Infinite on their U.S. tour, that I didn't win autograph sessions with Teen Top at KCON, and that I watched Win: Who Is Next in the first place. The heartache.. and now the pains of a new fandom. I had a nightmare this week where Winner never became big, where one member died, and the group disintegrated into anonymity. Wtf.. I'm appalled at the level of torture my brain conceives up in my sleep.

Read on for what I occupy myself with when I'm not asleep, what I do when groups don't promote, ship wars, ships, Kpop awards, and more.

Cdrama Review: Bu Bu Jing Xin (2011)

Bu Bu Jing Xin
步步惊心
10/10 ♥♥♥♥

Twdramas have been failing me recently – so I took a trip to the mainland instead. Bu Bu Jing Xin, or Startling at Each Step, will be my first mainland Chinese drama. It came highly recommended, and is talked about in some circles with almost cult-like fanaticism. Recipe for something good, yes? Yes!

The Premise

Our modern day heroine has a car accident and her soul travels back in time 300 years into an old incarnation of herself: Maertai Ruoxi (Cecelia Liu). It’s the Qing dynasty and Emperor Kangxi reigns; spoiler alert: he’s got over a dozen handsome sons. Stuck in the past Ruoxi is forced to live the life of a court lady, maneuvering herself through a web of princely politics, succession battles, and of course love.

So which prince will she end up with? 

Don’t be fooled. BBJX is not another elaborate time travel drama. Based on a novel, it’s merely an excuse to throw a lady of the modern world into a stunning and gorgeous period setting, and let history take over. Ruoxi ‘arrives’ years before the next exchange of power will take place. She therefore comes with the foreknowledge of which prince becomes emperor, and which princes will fail at the attempt. They only unknown is how exactly she should live, walking the careful path of survival.

And what her role is, no one knows.

Why is this drama is a cut above anything else with a vaguely similar plot?

• Because, Ruoxi is an intelligent woman who more or less knows how to survive; she adapts to her surroundings, plans her life as best as she can, and never loses her humanity, or her love of forging and maintaining relationships. 
• Because, BBJX isn’t just about the love entanglements of the main actors. It’s about everyone’s relationships: brothers, sisters, servants, lovers, and most importantly, friends. Their ties to each other are deep-rooted, and highly explored within the course of the drama. They might lead to sacrifice or death, or be the sole reason a person wants to be alive. 
•  Because, there are some killer love stories. Choose the right OTP and you’re almost rewarded, but I can count at least 9 different ships, four of which I hung out my sails for. Romantic or non-, these ships could break your heart.   

Warning - Super feels will be had by all.

Is it funny or serious? Both. Bu Bu Jing Xin walks a fine line between the genres of youthful comedy, and more melodramatic settings of life and death in the Forbidden City. So stop everything you’re doing and WATCH IT

And if you have already, read on for a short series of essays on Bu Bu Jing Xin. :) 

WARNING: Major Spoilers - Stop reading now unless you've finished the drama and are majorly obsessed with it. Like me.

TwDrama Review: Devil Beside You (2005)

Devil Beside You
惡魔在身邊
3/10

Another "classic" lets me down. Lured on the promise of extra lovey-doveyness and that always sought after 'chemistry' between leads, I got to cracking on this 20 episode monster.

Verdict: It's 18 episodes too long.

Now, before I'm murdered in my blogger-sleep, I could try to explain some of my reasoning. It might even be as simple as, I was never in the mood for what this story was trying to tell. Or, the old drama bad quality meant nothing ever looked good on screen. However, after dropping it several times, and then redetermining to finish, nearly 4 months passed between when I started and when I stopped. And I was never in the mood for it. 

Here's the Story in a Nutshell

Qi Yue (Rainie Yang) loves Yuan Yi. He kind of likes her back. But devil boy Jiang Meng (Mike He) takes an interest in her as well. They fall in love. However, their parents have already fallen in love. They're about to become step-siblings. Kissing happens.

ewwwwww!

Before I start in on spoilers, and my disgust of the leads' romance, let me disect a few other plot points. I realize that Devil Beside You has a wide cast that is supposed to leave viewers loving all the connections and friendships/frenemies/family trials/etc. but to me side plots were nauseatingly boring, mostly for their lack of subtlety. Our show here is adapted from a manga, and I've already discussed some reasons why these plots usually don't entice me. Creepy clingy girls and totally stalkerish perverts (most of whom are completely redeemed by the end) do not make for a good story of human emotion. They're plot devices, through and through. So they make the leads grow and learn. Good for them.

Drama, if you want to get my attention - you need something better than caricatures. I'll take the devil concept any day. It's hot, and it usually works in a lead drama male. I don't even mind him teasing the girl in devilish fashion. I also have a relatively high tolerance to whiny spineless females. Bbbut...

Read on if you dare. I look at what's wrong with the lead couple, why I usually love this kind of concept, and confess at least one thing I thought was good. After all, I did finish it..