PrettyCarEye

LOL, I haven't completely written off Master's Sun yet. We'll see what the reception is like when it finishes airing.

Hip hop & RnB Kpop. Interesting! I'd love some recommendations, yes pls. Just to see what we're working with! lol Sometimes Asian stereotyping of black music and culture annoy me because the borrowers often come across so ignorant of where that legacy is coming from, but I'll keep an open mind. I'm curious to see if I can jive to it. :)

Hey, it's been a minute since I popped in at your blog. How's your Korean lessons coming along? Have you derailed or are you still going strong? I have so many things pulling me in different directions that I've completely derailed. I wanna start back up soon though! And hopefully the Korean embassy in this town will start putting on classes this fall so I'll have a physical place to go to rather than just online classes.

Well, I can surely understand and relate to your aversion to pure romance plots in dramaland. I've been burnt so many times that I've wanted to give up the whole damn genre altogether too, but then I realize that with a little effort I may be able to find the type of romance that works for me. It takes time & effort that I would have preferred not to expend, but nothing in life comes easy, eh?

Romance only dramas have only served to annoy the daylights out of me due to horribly childish, whiny characters who do nothing but pick stupid fights with each other, break up, get back together, cheat, hide their feelings for silly reasons, godawful love triangle, fish kisses and a whole host of tiresome cliches that just make my blood boil. I find that when the romance is mixed in with other genres it's more satisfying because the writers focus the conflict elsewhere & offer up the romance as a reprieve from that conflict. I like this better. I think romance writers in Korea are misguided in the thought that ALL conflict in a couple's relationship must be external (for eg love triangle, going aboard, illness) or antagonistic (cheating, extremely bad communication between the couple and so on) in nature. Dreadful! I'd much rather see a loving relationship rather than one that's falling apart & the characters are at each other's throats.

Why do you prefer Japanese & Chinese dramas to Korean? I have yet to watch my first Chinese drama. Can you recommend a good one? It doesn't have to have romance, but it's nice if it does.

I also notice you have some other great shows on your list that you must watch ASAP!!! :)

First up, Orange Days ... girl, you're missing out! This is a true gem. I have so far not come across anybody that failed to give this drama a 9 or 10. Great, great drama!

Rich Man, Poor Woman ... the show that made me fall in love with an ugly guy like Oguri Shun lol. If you like business dramas with a smattering of romance, this is for you. Shun is charismatic & enigmatic in the role of the arrogant prodigious CEO of a Facebook like company. I mean you've likely seen heroes like this before but Shun is good here. I liked the special just a bit more than the drama because it had more romance.

Also you must watch Nameless Gangster! Our Jeong-woo is so great & HOT in it! lol

BTW, what genres do you tend to prefer?

Hehe, you seem to have forgotten that it was you & Ela who turned me on to the gorgeous mr. Kimura Takuya!!! I usually never start spazzing about an actor after having seen just 1 of his works, but in the case of Kimo, man he seduced me! This has only happened 1 other time since & that was with Lee Seo-jin who completely tickled my ovaries in Lovers! ha! ;) I have since watched Kimo in Love & Honour, but I'm savouring his filmography just like LSJ. I don't want to go through them too fast & leave myself with nothing of theirs to watch. Thankfully, Kimo seems to have more credit to his name than LSJ!

I did notice that you added a bunch of shows that I gave 10s. Brother Beat, which I found absolutely hilarious even if in hindsight the humour was a bit mangaish. In the Realm of the Senses ... listen let me warn about this movie. It's a great movie, imo. Very well made, thought provoking, shocking, based on a true story. It is VERY sexually explicit. VERY, almost on the verge of pornographic so if somewhat gratuitous nudity offends you, be warned though you'll be missing out on a truly disturbing, timeless, masterpiece.

What else, Lovers & Breathless. I wonder what you'll think of these? Both are phenomenal for different reasons in my opinion. Lovers is the best romance drama I've ever seen in dramaland. I mean it was just right up my alley in terms of engagement, maturity and impact. It's an older drama (from 2006) and I know a lot of people don't like watching shows that's more than a year old, but this was so good. People have complained that it dragged a bit in parts, but I didn't experience that. Maybe bcuz I love the other genres in the drama (crime, business drama etc) too.

As for Breathless,wow! A very raw, up in your face picture. I loved its indie vibe too.

Padam Padam is worth the watch if ever you get around to it. And if you're a Jung Woo-sung fan, it's a must see.

How are you finding Rondo so far? Would I like it?

Yes, your profile is quite comprehensive in explaining your preferences. Actually mine was somewhat inspired by it to a minor extent lol.

Anyway, yeah, that's why Nagarobeshi was a bit disappointing for me. It didn't deliver what it promised. To me it felt like they put in the story arcs with the brother & sister to avoid developing the romance. I shouldn't be surprised because the Japanese are notorious for what I call their non-romance romances lol. Unlike you though I quite like romance and the promise of romance was the main motivations to watch the show on my part. I tend to like marriage of convenience storylines because it's nice to watch the characters fall in love.

Having said that romance isn't the be all & end all of every show. It has to make sense to the plot. I don't know if you watched Cruel City, but that was one drama where I felt they should have left out the romance altogether, little though it was.

May I ask what caused such a strong aversion to the romance genre?

The main reason I've been wavering about watching AAMR is because people have said that the romance is somewhat one-sided. Apparently the female lead wasn't as invested in the relationship as much as the male lead. I've seen this in a couple other dramas & I didn't like it. I want both parties to be madly in love with each other! :) Anyway, I'll keep in mind what you said should the mood ever strike me to watch it.

Thx for your feedback about Tree of Heaven. I trust your opinions so I will pass on this for sure. This sounds just like the type of over the top melo that I don't like. Enough tragedy & trauma in real life, don't need no more lol. I tend to avoid older Asian dramas for this reason, esp Korean ones. I get the impression that they always get the balance wrong & bombard viewers with all kinds of depressing stuff without any reprieve. While I had hoped Padam Padam ended differently, I loved that there was a good balance between its lighter moments & its more melodramatic ones.

Re English, I think you write really well! I'm not surprised. I have a few dutch friends so I know your language skills are above average. English is my native language, but I've lived in Norway so long that my more advanced English vocabulary has begun to deteriorate. And now that I've gotten unto the Asian wave it doesn't really help matters! lol But I try to read a lot of English publications so that I can keep my vocabulary on par. I can't fall behind my peers back home in the States! :)

LSJ ... well, I read that he's a director in some big company in Seoul. Apparently he didn't want his NYU degree to go to waste. He hasn't completely left acting, but his interests lie more within business at the moment. I get it, but waaah I want to see more of him! :)

Arite, you've convinced me! :)
I'll have another look at Flower Boy. I do like dramas where one or both of the leads deal with some sort of non-terminal illness or disorder. Makes it that much easier to sympathise with them. It's one of the main reasons why I really want to see Can You Hear my Heart.

I'm thinking about watching it after Time between Dog & Wolf.

I've just decided on something radical. I'm going to try an airing drama just to torture myself! :) I haven't decided which one yet though. It's a toss up between 2 Weeks & Who Are You?

I read your episode 8 review of Nagareboshi & I couldn't agree more about how involved Kamiya was with his patient & the family. Why was it such a big deal for him to know if their marriage was real if he had no reason to suspect that it wasn't? I found that aspect of the story very far-fetched & unconvincing ... which is very unlike the Japanese, I think. They tend to portray things so realistically sometimes it's next to impossible finding any escape in their world. Also as you must have realized, you don't have anything to worry about when it comes to romance since its next to non-existent in this drama. Personally, this was a disappointment for me. I thought they could've developed the relationship between Kengo & Risa a bit more instead of putting so much focus on the idiot brother & the sister. That would've made the story feel more heartfelt, imo.

Hehe ... I'm sorry to have shocked & scandalised you! :) I know I must get my head examined for not having watched these fan favourites, but You're Beautiful (another Hong sister drama if I remember correctly ... I don't like them), Boys Over Flower, Flower Boys etc are not my cup tea. Read my profile. I like my stuff to be a bit more adult & mature. :)

I will definitely try City Hunter though. Actually I'm planning to watch it as my first Lee Min-ho drama. Heirs is just a backup in case I don't get to watch City Hunter before it comes out.

LOL, no, I won't do that! :)
I want to be completely & totally surprised by this drama! And I hope I won't live to regret it! hehe

Interesting take on the ending of CP. My initial thought was this: first couple (rich girl & hotel guy) are making a go for it while the second couple (LDG & that woman) are open to exploration. They both enjoy the game playing & the thrill of the chase too much to be tied down in a new relationship, but they're enjoying each other.

Although you weren't close, I'm sorry to hear of your aunt's passing.

Re LMJ I don't know if her brand of cute does it for me. I can't actually pinpoint what it is about her that bugs me. I know for sure that she doesn't convince with her acting, but exactly how & in what way I can not say right now. I need to watch more of her stuff. I just know that something ain't right! lol I have All About My Romance on my list to watch, but the more I read about the more I lose interest in it. Have you seen it?

Late Autumn had many good aspects. The tone, the mood, the atmosphere, the colourless, lifeless settings were all appropriate & great for the themes of lost & longing which underpinned the story, but the story itself ... hmm, there's something about it that felt ... contrived. The dance scene that most viewers seemed to have enjoyed didn't hit home for me. The scene felt too desperate, as if Director Kim was trying hard (too hard) to imbue his story with something artsy & artful ... instead of the story itself BEING art. I don't know if that makes any sense ... my English has deteriorated horribly over the years so sometimes it's difficult finding the right words to express myself! Also the ex boyfriend was unnecessary to the plot imo. From where I sat it created an extra dramatic effect which was not needed. I did love that scene with them at the train station though, when she's talking to him in Chinese. Lovely. Man, it's not easy making movies! I realize that more and more every day! lol

I just had Tree of Heaven recommended to me by someone else. I think I'm going to pass on it for now! :)

I remember I added Shadowless Sword immediately after I watched Lovers & I thought he only has ONE movie to his credit? This guy really needs to work more! lol

Nina, still waiting for you to come back and finish your sentence like you said you would! :)

It's interesting to talk you (I didn't know we had sooo much in common! :) so I want to hear what else you have to say.

Anyway, Ha Jeong Woo, omg how weird is that?! I LOVE him too! Listen, he's such an interesting persona. It's not just his acting, but that whole aura he gives off that's so captivating to me. I love his eyes! They're so expressive and at same time seductively mysterious. My first movie of his was Nameless Gangster & I was immediately addicted to him! :)

I saw Time this weekend & it was ... unusual, in a good way. I could see that it was one of Kim's earlier works since it lacked one of his biggest trademarks, silence. As always I thought Ha was great. The female lead was pretty good too. I liked the morale of the story which I interpreted to be: One can change the outside, but deep seated insecurities on the inside are much harder to extinguish. Seems appropriate in a plastic surgery obsessed nation like SK.

I haven't seen Dream yet, but I will soon. I like weird, philosophical movies.

As for Samaritan Girl, I quite liked it. The girl's relationship with her Dad was the most moving & meaningful part of the story for me. I loved the final sequences at the mountain cabin where neither of them could find the words to atone for their respective shortcomings, but at the same time you felt the love, the bond between the two. It was such a poignant, heartbreaking moment. Then later in the field when he was teaching her how to driving. Awww. It was good. Really good. Why didn't it work for you? What didn't you like?

Yup, have seen Cruel City! And yes indeed, gooddrama! :)
I had some issues with it, but I enjoyed it. I need to finish my review of it before I forget all the good/bad bits! Thanks for reminding me. Don't you think Doc Son is totally badass & hot? lol

I love these type of heroes the best (esp when he's tough as nails on the outside, but sweet like honey on the inside!).

How far along are you? It's interesting that this is probably the first kdrama where none of the females got on my nerves. Hyung Min the female cop's BF & leader of the squad got on my nerves a couple of times, though. LOL I won't say why since I don't want to spoil things for you. I'm thinking of starting Time between Dog & Wolf next.

LOL, sorry you weren't able to make KCON this year! I know that must really hurt your heart being the huge BIG BANG fan that you are lol.

I must admit I had to look up what KCON was. At first I thought it was KomicCon then I thought that can't be. ComicCon has already passed & that's focused on superhero movies so why would so many folks be talking about it on MDL if no Asian stars are directly involved?! Then I figured it out haha.

Unfortunately for me I haven't been bit by the k-pop bug. I don't know if I ever will. It's difficult for me to relate to music that I can't understand unless it has an extremely catchy beat like PSY's Gangnam Style.

How are you finding Master's Sun? I like ghost stories, but when I heard it's written by the Hong sisters I lost interest. And I'm not really fond of the female lead either. Still I'm tempted to watch it anyway just for Seo In Guk! The lead guy from Reply 1997, did you see that?

Park Shin Hye, I've been wanting to see that girl in a drama. Have heard a lot about her & she seems to be on many people's favourites list. I was planning to see both her & Lee Minho for the first time in the upcoming Heirs. Are you planning to watch that? It's usually not my type of drama, but I'm dying to see what all the fuss is about when it comes to Lee Min-ho! lol

I mean I can see that he's a very beautiful man, but can he act? Usually the pretty boys get away with so much in dramaland. I'm guilty of cutting them some slack too. haha!!!

I've looked into Tree of Heaven, I'll save it for a time when I'm particularly in the mood for this type of story. One of my other friend's currently watching it and she confirms that it's really depressing & heartbreaking and that things are intense almost from the get-go.

I remember being fascinated with 49 Days, but then I heard about the ending and lost interest. LOL. Maybe I shouldn't have asked for a melo rec as this genre is a difficult one to rec things in. It'll be hard for anyone to rec a melo that's just right amount of everything I'm looking for! lol

Hey! I don't know if you saw my comment about Jump on feeds, but wanted to know what you thought of it? The synopsis sounds interesting, but you only gave it a 6? Is it some sort of a mystery-thriller?

Hehe I didn't watch the link because I want to be surprised, but I've officially been pushed, don't worry! :)

So I saw Changing Partners. I quite liked it. I don't know if you watch Woody Allen films, but CP was darkly comedic & in general presented itself in a very Allenesque way. The film also adapts a lot of his sophisphicated shots and atmosphere. It wasn't a 10 for me though, mainly because the story is soooo overdone in Korean cinema. It seems every time a romantic drama about life, love, marriage is made in Korea it's focused only on one phase of human couplehood, namely the proverbial 7 yr itch, the cheating, the acrimonous breakups etc. I'm kind of tired of it. I would really like to see a story like Wanee & Junah, but with the same technical quality of CP.

BTW what did you think of ending? Did they end up with their more compatible partners, do you think?

Lol, thx for the heads up on East of Eden. I think I've come across it before & it really didn't spark an interest so good to hear it isn't worth the investment. Turmoil, tragedy & trauma ... there's enough of that in real life! lol

Unfortunately I made the decision when I first came on MDL never to watch 1 Litre of Tears. I encountered the title before I realized how popular it was among the viewership & I remember thinking 'I don't want to cry 1 Litre of Tears'! hehe

I understand it's a life-affirming drama, but I can't bring myself to watch it. I can't bear to see people suffer & to watch the lead character waste away from her illness would just crush me.

I've heard of Tree of Heaven, but I can't remember it's storyline. I'll look into it. Cheers! :)

There she is! I was wondering where you took off to. Hope nothing too serious with the fam & that it was a good break.

So would you recommend A Man's Story or not? I have Bara on the list to watch. I'll get around to it someday.

While you were away I haven't been up to much. I'm still in progress with Smile, You which is okay, but I'm not feeling 100% invested. I don't know why. Maybe because I don't really care for Lee Min Jung as an actress (& I swear it has nothing to do with the fact that she married LBH! lol :). I took a break from it to watch Sweet 18. I chose that drama on impulse because I was chatting with someone about it. It was ... okay, but not my cup of tea. It's the kind of juvenile rom-com that I like to avoid.

I also got around to watching Breathless & I loved it. It's raw, it's up in your face, but at the same time it sucks you in on such a profoundly emotional level. Really, really good picture, imo. And I loved the indie vibe of it. It's films like these that make me love cinema so much! Just now I finished Late Autumn. I liked it, but it's one of those movies where I can't decide how to rate it. For now, it's a 7.

Trying to decide on 1 of the following short dramas to watch: City Hall, Can You Hear my Heart, Time between Dog & Wolf and Que Sera Sera. Have an opinion on which one I should go for?

Welcome back!