I am doing best to watch AOL. But its so hard after watching TTEOM. The latter being my first fantasy period cdrama
I'd say it's really worth it for Run Yu's story. I even enjoyed the main couple once the main lady got to grow up properly, but I did, admittedly, fast forward through some of their scenes and definitely fast forwarded through other romances, which didn't really impact the plot at all🙈 I did the same for TTEOM and some of its romances, like the brother and the demon lady🙈🙈
Run Yu ruined me. The man had me weeping and hurting. I really enjoyed how his story developed, how his relationship with his two most important people broke my heart. The wedding ep and the stuff leading up to it, great stuff.
Left a comment here a couple of weeks ago regarding the OST and the sound director's repetitive and sometimes odd song choices. I would like to retract that. Just finished watching Ashes of Love (enjoyed it lots - Run Yu😭💕) and I just didn't know how good we had it OST-wise.
I watched this years ago and I was disturbed. It's such a great show that does exactly what it set out to do. Anyone looking to be unsettled, this is the show for you. Short and sweet.
I watched it mainly because of the male lead and his penchant for gorgeous suffering. I figured I'd tap out as soon as I was bored with it, if not, I'd keep watching. I did complete it, which was surprising to me. Overall, it had some pacing issues, in my opinion. Certain arcs stretched for too long with too little happening or it would repeat the process of courtship without really answering or adding to the stakes. The romance was a bit confusing at times, especially after episode 9-ish where it went from a sorta slow-burn to a hundred. I did like the series, however. It managed to elicit strong emotions and leave an impression. I found both main characters to be compelling and charming and I came to like the side-characters as well. I do wish they had added to Bingchang and Nian Baiyu's characters a bit more, considering the hour-long episodes. On the gorgeous suffering front, I've got no notes, it was as gorgeous as advertised and beyond. The one thing that I really disliked is the choice to play the same songs over and over again during imperative and emotional scenes where the actors were giving it their all, especially modern ballad-rnb-type songs. Don't get me wrong, the songs were good, but insufferable in the context of the series. And not only that, sometimes the song was louder than the voice of the actors which was baffling to me. Let the actors carry the scene!! To summarize, I'm surprised that I finished it, I'm surprised that I enjoyed it, but there it is.
heyy i really love your analyses of the movie and i have the poetry understanding skills of a stick so could you…
So Kiritani uses four haiku by Basho in his tribute to Bunta. He opens and ends with the haiku about the toad, which, in the context of the funeral, is meant to point to Bunta’s importance and impact. Overall, however, it could also point to a sort of butterfly effect; all things, no matter how small, have an impact and ripples through the fabric of time forever, like, for example, the flashback to the playground, which is where Kai and Kiritani’s stories/lives properly converge.
That’s the short of it, and here’s the long of it: Basho, the poet, is heavily featured in the movie and is, in my opinion, some sort of thematic glue that pulls a lot of strings together like the rapping and the poetry and how that is perceived; and how those things tie into healing and spiritual journey depicted etc. The movie opens with haiku (Kiritani is not a fan) and we learn what it can be and what it can include, Basho is Papa Haiku. Later on, Kiritani, while his song plays over a montage, we get a close up of the book he’s reading, and it’s a collection of Basho’s poems. Basho is frequently read for self-help. Then we have Bunta’s funeral, which we’ve sort of covered.
Let’s have a quick look at Basho: Basho is known for his poetry. Perhaps the best known and most influential Japanese poet. Before haiku, he was known for the collaborative poetry form haikai no renga; it was a poetry form with a low status and it was seen as a social activity rather than an artistic endeavor (sounds familiar? Sorta kinda like the rapping in the movie?). Initially, haikai no renga distinguished itself through vulgarity and coarseness of wit, before growing into a legitimate artistic tradition, and eventually giving birth to the haiku form of Japanese poetry (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renku). Aside from being vulgar, Basho used colloquial language which was frowned upon at the time. Jane Reichhold writes in the introduction of the book Basho: The Complete Haiku (2008) “Basho took another significant step forward when he dispensed with pretentious poetical language… Basho experimented with common words and words considered too vulgar for poetry” (12). Reichhold continues “Basho could be direct without coarseness because he was using poetry to expound the deepest feelings and the highest artistic expression” (12).
So we have both the vulgarity (Kai’s approach) and the being “direct without coarseness” (closer to Kiritani’s approach). We have something similar to the haikai no renga in the hangout spot where they’ll just randomly rap together, along with the perception of it.
I think there are more connections to Basho and his poetry and his way of thinking in the movie. I don’t know enough about this particular subject to do thorough readings of the poems, both used and alluded to, but I suspect that there may have been a lit major on the writing team.
So haiku are a bit tricky to translate, right? I found this really great translation of the haiku used for the funeral that I think better illustrates why it was a good fit for that moment and also why it was such an emotional pick. The translation was done by Eric Margolis, and he's written a short article about translating haiku here https://unseenjapan.com/translate-haiku-into-english-method/ The translation: Into the old pond hops the toad and the water’s sound ripples for ever There's so much symbolism to this haiku when put in the context of the movie😭
Completely forgot to mention: I've read the manga and listened to the cd drama (please give it a listen if you…
No, it's in Japanese, sorry! But the manga is scheduled for release in English in June of this year (13th if I remember correctly). The cd drama follows it very closely so if you manage to get a hold of the cd drama you can listen and read along.
I was super obsessed with this movie, still sort of am but within the limits of my free time😭 I have some more thoughts to share. I don't know if it'd be better to start a discussion or not, but for now, I'll just make comments.
Why did Kai know intimate details of the assault?
--SPOILERS-- . . . . I read what the note said, the one Kai wrote in red crayon and handed to Kiritani mid-shift, and while there is one line that could raise suspicion about Kai’s own experiences, most of it, as short as it is, is spot on about what happened to Kiritani. There are three scenarios that I can think of that would explain how Kai knows some intimate details:
1) There’s a leak in the police department; Mamiya read the report with the victim’s name on it (Kiritani) and everything else and passed on the info (like in the manga. Also he is 100% sure about who reported him in the last confrontation at the factory) 2) Kai caught Mamiya in the act 3) Kai saw the reenactment
So here is my updated reading of the ending with the above in mind:
The first scene begins in the dark woods, the camera looking at the school in the light, with a sort of lurking vibe. When Kiritani crosses the street later on, on his way home, someone with a see-through umbrella is watching him. Kai is shown to know where Kiritani is at all times, i.e. he’s watching him (stalking?), and twice he shows up with the see-through umbrella. This could be a red herring to keep us guessing whether he’s the culprit or not, but it could also be a pointer to what’s happening in the ending. Kai saw or walked in at the end of the assault (or saw the reenactment) in a similar way to what happens in the ending, and he was helpless to stop it.
So he was watching and following Kiritani, and the second he wasn’t, Kiritani got hurt. Kai was too late, he let Kiritani out of his sight and things went south etc. The ending is an anxiety nightmare to show what state of mind Kai has been in.
Furthermore, there’s the revelation of Kai’s relationship with Mamiya in the woods when Kiritani follows him one night. It might point to Kai having been in the same position as Kiritani and vice versa since their stories are so fundamentally entwined. Kai has also been the shocked observer. Kai repeats what he heard Mamiya say that night in an attempt to control Kiritani’s interpretation of what he’s seeing, but at the same time we get the symbolic “yogoreru” or sullying with the mud, and the mocking laughs that mirror that of the cops---it makes the threesome in the woods a shortened and a bit more abstract parallel to what happened to Kiritani. Kai saw what Mamiya did to Kiritani the same way Kiritani saw Kai with Mamiya.
i love love love this comment so much and it really made things i was thinking in my mind have words but to them…
Kai thinks he isn't worthy of heaven. Kiritani is a sort of heaven to him, he shines too brightly, and he thinks that the only way for them to be together (in the manga) is if they are both stuck in hell.
Watched it for the first time about two weeks ago, really needed a pick-me-up and this show delivered! It's adorable,…
Completely forgot to mention: I've read the manga and listened to the cd drama (please give it a listen if you have the chance, it's superb!!) All renditions of this story are great and I'm sure I'll reread, relisten and rewatch them all <3
Watched it for the first time about two weeks ago, really needed a pick-me-up and this show delivered! It's adorable, sweet, life-affirming, with so much heart I don't know how they could fit it all in 5 episodes (+the extra that I watched this morning). I've rewatched it since and watching it again with a friend. I love it so much!
Lots of twists and turns. Who to trust? Who to not? Really enjoyable thriller with lots of delicious angst and mystery and conspiracies. The hostile buddy cop vibe was one I enjoyed, it added some lightheartedness which it needed when the culprit could be anywhere! The flirting was cute too.
Unrequited love stories, messy love stories are like my weakness, and this one ticks those boxes. Having the story told within a story was an approach that I wasn't expecting but that I love. The execution of it was great. The acting, the subtlety, the tragic waltzes as it reached its climax, it really got to me. I've watched this movie more than once, so can comfortably say that I enjoyed it!
Overall interesting. What I liked the most about it was the found family, how the three main characters came to care for each other and look out for each other. First half of the series scared the crap out of me, especially with the theme song the villain got. It got a bit long-winded toward the end, but the ending made up for it.
Also, currently on a rewatch.
I found both main characters to be compelling and charming and I came to like the side-characters as well. I do wish they had added to Bingchang and Nian Baiyu's characters a bit more, considering the hour-long episodes. On the gorgeous suffering front, I've got no notes, it was as gorgeous as advertised and beyond.
The one thing that I really disliked is the choice to play the same songs over and over again during imperative and emotional scenes where the actors were giving it their all, especially modern ballad-rnb-type songs. Don't get me wrong, the songs were good, but insufferable in the context of the series. And not only that, sometimes the song was louder than the voice of the actors which was baffling to me. Let the actors carry the scene!!
To summarize, I'm surprised that I finished it, I'm surprised that I enjoyed it, but there it is.
That’s the short of it, and here’s the long of it: Basho, the poet, is heavily featured in the movie and is, in my opinion, some sort of thematic glue that pulls a lot of strings together like the rapping and the poetry and how that is perceived; and how those things tie into healing and spiritual journey depicted etc. The movie opens with haiku (Kiritani is not a fan) and we learn what it can be and what it can include, Basho is Papa Haiku. Later on, Kiritani, while his song plays over a montage, we get a close up of the book he’s reading, and it’s a collection of Basho’s poems. Basho is frequently read for self-help. Then we have Bunta’s funeral, which we’ve sort of covered.
Let’s have a quick look at Basho: Basho is known for his poetry. Perhaps the best known and most influential Japanese poet. Before haiku, he was known for the collaborative poetry form haikai no renga; it was a poetry form with a low status and it was seen as a social activity rather than an artistic endeavor (sounds familiar? Sorta kinda like the rapping in the movie?). Initially, haikai no renga distinguished itself through vulgarity and coarseness of wit, before growing into a legitimate artistic tradition, and eventually giving birth to the haiku form of Japanese poetry (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renku). Aside from being vulgar, Basho used colloquial language which was frowned upon at the time. Jane Reichhold writes in the introduction of the book Basho: The Complete Haiku (2008) “Basho took another significant step forward when he dispensed with pretentious poetical language… Basho experimented with common words and words considered too vulgar for poetry” (12). Reichhold continues “Basho could be direct without coarseness because he was using poetry to expound the deepest feelings and the highest artistic expression” (12).
So we have both the vulgarity (Kai’s approach) and the being “direct without coarseness” (closer to Kiritani’s approach). We have something similar to the haikai no renga in the hangout spot where they’ll just randomly rap together, along with the perception of it.
I think there are more connections to Basho and his poetry and his way of thinking in the movie. I don’t know enough about this particular subject to do thorough readings of the poems, both used and alluded to, but I suspect that there may have been a lit major on the writing team.
The translation:
Into the old pond
hops the toad and the water’s sound
ripples for ever
There's so much symbolism to this haiku when put in the context of the movie😭
Why did Kai know intimate details of the assault?
--SPOILERS--
.
.
.
.
I read what the note said, the one Kai wrote in red crayon and handed to Kiritani mid-shift, and while there is one line that could raise suspicion about Kai’s own experiences, most of it, as short as it is, is spot on about what happened to Kiritani. There are three scenarios that I can think of that would explain how Kai knows some intimate details:
1) There’s a leak in the police department; Mamiya read the report with the victim’s name on it (Kiritani) and everything else and passed on the info (like in the manga. Also he is 100% sure about who reported him in the last confrontation at the factory)
2) Kai caught Mamiya in the act
3) Kai saw the reenactment
So here is my updated reading of the ending with the above in mind:
The first scene begins in the dark woods, the camera looking at the school in the light, with a sort of lurking vibe. When Kiritani crosses the street later on, on his way home, someone with a see-through umbrella is watching him. Kai is shown to know where Kiritani is at all times, i.e. he’s watching him (stalking?), and twice he shows up with the see-through umbrella. This could be a red herring to keep us guessing whether he’s the culprit or not, but it could also be a pointer to what’s happening in the ending. Kai saw or walked in at the end of the assault (or saw the reenactment) in a similar way to what happens in the ending, and he was helpless to stop it.
So he was watching and following Kiritani, and the second he wasn’t, Kiritani got hurt. Kai was too late, he let Kiritani out of his sight and things went south etc. The ending is an anxiety nightmare to show what state of mind Kai has been in.
Furthermore, there’s the revelation of Kai’s relationship with Mamiya in the woods when Kiritani follows him one night. It might point to Kai having been in the same position as Kiritani and vice versa since their stories are so fundamentally entwined. Kai has also been the shocked observer. Kai repeats what he heard Mamiya say that night in an attempt to control Kiritani’s interpretation of what he’s seeing, but at the same time we get the symbolic “yogoreru” or sullying with the mud, and the mocking laughs that mirror that of the cops---it makes the threesome in the woods a shortened and a bit more abstract parallel to what happened to Kiritani. Kai saw what Mamiya did to Kiritani the same way Kiritani saw Kai with Mamiya.