PrettyCarEye

LOL! K-drama bitch haha ...
Well, I guess that makes the two of us because I seem to be a slave to them too! And good point about the Japanese not being able to suck you in while the Koreans do. It's so true! In Japan I find they use the same slow paced format in both their TV & cinema. I do love Japanese cinema, esp their classics, but man you've got to have the patience of a predator to allow the story to pull you in. Which isn't a bad thing per se ... but we come back to this issue of variety. Too much of a good thing & suddenly I'm an anti-fan because I feel bombarded. This DOES happen with k-dramas too, but when I talk about variety in reference to k-dramas I'm talking about genre, not content. You'll find horror, thrillers, romance, family, melos, action, crime, detective, comedy, rom-com & the list goes on. In j-dramaland it's predominantly school, detective & comedy, that's it. None of which are absolute favs so I get bored pretty fast even if the stories in & of themselves are quite good. Once in a blue moon they'll do a romance & Japanese romances are good, but then they do a show I can't watch, like Last Cinderella, & we're back to square one. Sigh ...

By the way I sooo agree with what you wrote about J vs K dramas above! J - dramas DO tend to be better written & less contrived. The only issue I have with the Japanese is that they don't have the variety of genres & the faster pace of k-dramas. The Japanese drama season is often heavily dominated by episodic detective series almost without fail. Though I've not invested much time watching them I know they'll get old pretty fast. I need variety to keep me interested & entertained. That's why I find myself staying in k-dramaland even whilst their dramas get me irate more times than not!

Love your review of Legal High. Now it's going on the list!
I've been hearing about it for the longest while from people who's opinion I don't trust so I've been hesitant all this time.

I hope you enjoy Lovers!

Pat, came across your comment on Alex's page. Get adblocker! It removes all those pesky ads from Gooddrama, making for a more pleasurable viewing experience. I seriously have no idea how I managed without it before. Re: Autumn's Concerto ... story was nice but the production value on that drama was so poor it really hampered my enjoyment of the show. All that bad editing & repetitive theme song ... ugh. However, I agree that little family was sooo cute! I loved Mars, too. Far more so than AC actually. Tell me more about Fated to Love You. I've been wondering if I should watch it...
Is the story mature in tone or is it more geared toward a younger audience?

Noooo, not at all! That came out a bit wrong perhaps. I'm of course quite appreciative that you took the time to give me your thoughts! Didn't mean to sound ungrateful, Rosie dear! :D

Ok, I don't mind historicals at all (in fact I've been wanting to watch one ever since I discovered dramaland a year & a half ago) so Princess Man it is! :)

By the way, have you seen Tree With Deep Roots? You don't have to evaluate whether it'll suit me or not, just tell me your thoughts. How did you like it?

I disagree completely. It makes no sense to me to have 2nd leads just because. If a certain device is wholly unnecessary & non-integral to the story at hand ... why include it? And you mentioned entertainment. Yes, indeed, entertainment! What's so entertaining about a pair of characters who serve no other purpose than to annoy viewers? Do you find being annoyed entertaining? If the STORY is built around a premise which depends on 2nd leads (like it is in LOVERS) then by all means have 2nd leads, but if not then they shouldn't be there.

Furthermore, I never said 2nd leads have to be antagonistic or anti-heroic. In the drama I mentioned the 2nds weren't antagonists at all. They were well thought out, sympathetic figures whose presence the story depended upon to move forward. Without them you wouldn't have a story because along with the leads they WERE the story. Remove this kid & that woman from CSL & you'd still have ample amount of MORE credible conflict to hinder JW & AR's reconciliation. Their inability to communicate effectively is just one of them. Exploring that would've made more sense than dedicating so much screentime to those 2, imho.

This doesn't have anything to do with cultural references - which by the way I'm perfectly aware of otherwise I wouldn't be watching Asian dramas. It's about the integrity of the craft & styling viewers with a bit more cognitive ability than that of a horse.

Is it possible that my opinion is influenced by my western values? It's possible, however, I also work in the creative industries where this sort of thing is my business. I can't just let it slide. I can't just switch off my brain & accept foolishness. I'm sure many people in South Korea roll their eyes in frustration at the sheer absurdity of 2nd leads as much as I do.

LOL, you must not have seen my update on the feeds where I informed everyone that I'm reclaiming my identity. A woman can last only so long and no more under the full weight of a man's name. Rest assured, however, mr. Lee & I have NOT broken up! I love that short guy too much! hehe

So your reply didn't really tell me much, except for info I already know, Rosie dear! You told me why you liked the dramas but given that our tastes are somewhat hit & miss ... haha ... I think you have to give an independent opinion. Don't worry, I won't blame you if I end up hating whatever you suggest! You have my word as a woman. :p

So think about it ... you accurately predicted I wouldn't appreciate MYDSY and SG based on what you know of my tastes. You're like the first among my friends to do that. I'll probably end up watching Giant anyway ... (I've already made up my mind to watch it at some point) so that leaves SL & PM. Which is more likely to annoy me like MY DSY & SG did? :)

By the way fyi ... want to write long posts??? You can write up to 899 characters OVER the 1800 character limit!

I have, but I don't know yet if I'm going to watch it. I'll wait and see what the buzz is like. What about you?

Golden Empire brims to the top with anti-heroes. It is by far one of the best, most twisted dramas I've ever seen, Asian or otherwise.

I could definitely name a few but they wouldn't be Asian dramas. That is my whole point, Asian dramas really suck at giving us a good reason why 2nd leads are even necessary. They simply follow a formula. Romance? Well then there MUST be a love triangle even if that's not the best creative method to execute the story! They do the same thing in other genres too. Crime drama? Well, the hero HAS to die at the end ... almost without exception.

The one Asian drama where I thought 2nd leads were a significant & driving force of the plot was LOVERS. That's because the story itself called for 2nd leads. They weren't just thrown in there because the writer wasn't imaginative enough to come up with a plausible source of conflict.

1) Jang Tæ-Joo, Golden Empire
2) Doctor's Son, Cruel City
3) Sun Woo, Nine
4) Bang-ja, The Servant (this is a movie)

The latter two aren't as morally ambiguous as the former two, but they had certain atypical qualities that I appreciated. The way they interacted with the world around them, how they processed information, was for me rather novel & interesting to watch.

Rosie, I wrote you a long response the other day & lost it. I was so pissed I couldn't bring myself to write another reply until now. Glad to get SG done & over with. I hope KES returns to her usual form of creating mature, engaging dramas with fully fleshed out ADULT characters. I just couldn't bear it if she reverts permanently to the juvenile nonsense that is SG & Heirs.

Anyway, moving on ... what do you think of Giant, Secret Love & The Princess' Man? Do you think I'll like them?

That is NOT true! I can think of several ways this story could have worked without the annoying 2nd leads! It's not the first time this story has been done, afterall, so there are definitely better ways it could have been executed.

Yes, it's partly due to broadcast restrictions & partly due to the conservative nature of Asian cultures, in particular Korea. Most actors want to maintain an on screen imagine of chastity, esp actors under 30.

I also think it's due to sexism. I perceive Asian cultures to infantilize women a great deal (at least on screen). Women are expected to act 'cute' & innocent and any outward show of sexual aggression (like responding to the male lead as he tries to mow his way into your mouth!) is deemed as too forward & behaviour unbecoming of a 'decent' woman. I don't know if I'm right, but that's the perception I have.

There are dramas out there that cater to a more mature audience but they're not as abundant as the ones for a younger demographic. Basically you have to stumble upon them rather than expect them as the rule. When I first discovered Asian dramas I was so giddy with happiness. I thought I'd have a steady supply of great adult dramas to watch but I was soon in for a very rude awakening.

Anyway, have you seen Coffee Prince? So far it's the only gender bender I've liked & that's because it's a bit like Lovers in terms of the maturity factor. The chemistry between the leads is top notch & the drama has some of the most realistic kissing/physical interaction I've ever seen in dramaland. Even though it's a bit draggy I'd definitely recommend you give it a try. I think you'll like this one.

I want to watch Iris something bad! I love me some Byun-honey! haha However, I know how it ends & that really bums me out! :/

I know of lots of good romance movies. On your list I don't see:

Season of Good Rain
Chunhyang
The Servant
3-Iron
Addicted - LBH, yummy!
Never Forever
Midaregumo

I agree. A well-written love triangle can be interesting, WELL-WRITTEN being the operative word here. 3/4 of the love triangles in Asian dramas are NOT well-written by any stretch of the imagination!

Now, granted, I haven't seen that many dramas, but of the few I've seen I can only think of ONE (1) where the use of 2nds were necessary & integral to the plot.

Where I'm concerned no matter how much of a jerk the lead is & no matter how nice the 2nd is in comparison, if he's just there to create cheap conflict & slow down the pace of the plot, I hate him (or her)! That's just sloppy writing & that's 99% of dramas (including this one). I really don't care how 'nice' he is. He can go hang & stop popping up in places/scenarios he doesn't belong.

I in fact prefer the jerks, as much as they may infuriate me. At least they have a personality, rather than these cartoonish, perfect 2nds who is supposedly God's gift to our female/male lead. I hardly know any man who is perfect or nice all the time. Rather I know men who have a jerky side & a sweet side. Moreover, nice guys can be bastards too (as the 2nd here has proven)!

I agree with doc on this one. If you know someone has the hots for you & you do not reciprocate don't lead them on by spending time with them. You might think you're just being friendly, but they WILL start to get the wrong idea. Best to just cut it in the nerve & let that person deal with their own emotions. Of course all this is just too inconvenient for these silly drama writers to consider. I'm so fed up with them.

People who harp on and on about second leads ultimately end up being suckers. That's why I NEVER, ever have any sympathy for them ... no matter how sweet or cute or nicer than the male/female lead they are. Root for the leads. If they - the leads - are mean, root for them to become better people; aything else, hanging your hopes & dreams on 2nds, is just setting one's self up for disappointment! I'm no longer watching this show, but I never liked this kid the minute he walked into frame. Of course I didn't know he'd turn out to be an evil bastard, I just hate 2nds in general. 99% of the time they are not significant to the plot or needed in the story AT ALL. They're simply a product of unimaginative writers who can't or are not allowed to colour outside these ridiculous, cliche - filled drama boxes! :)

Dongsæng, pls let me know what you understood from Searching for the Elephant. I thought it was somewhat of a farce. It's built on a good, intriguing premise (addiction, mental illness and what not), but it tried too hard to be deep & in the process the plot became a hot, convoluted mess. That's what I got out of it. The creators needed to find their own elephant first before attempting to help others find theirs! That's my take. Ha!

Unnie, pls let me know what you understood from this movie! I thought it was somewhat of a farce. It's built on a good, intriguing premise (addiction, mental illness and what not), but it tried too hard to be deep & in the process the plot became a hot, convoluted mess. That's what I got out of it. The creators needed to find their own elephant first before attempting to help others find theirs! That's my take.

Omo, you mean the lead actress of 3-iron??
She was convicted of abusing propofol too? Wow! What's going with these people? Gosh, I KNOW - from experience - showbiz is a tough, high pressure business. It can really mess with your mind if you don't have a strong support system around you. I hope whatever is troubling these poor souls it will be resolved. Propofol is not something to play with ... as we've all seen with Michael Jackson.