omnichelle

WOW! Only two episodes in and my mind is pretty much BLOWN! I have literally been on the edge of my seat with my mouth gaped open!!

So have you started watching anything new? Are you back in school? I imagine your drama watching will slow down once school starts back up. I finished Trick and it was pretty consistently funny, wacky and intriguing all the way through to the end. I'm probably going to start casually watching Trick 2 at some point.

Oh! You know what I started re-watching on the plane ride? Samurai Champloo!! I hadn't watched it in so long, and I just got a sudden hankering for it.... Although, watching it in public is a bit awkward, what with its crazy violence and random sexual encounters. haha! Hope there weren't any kids sitting in direct view behind me.... *shrugs*

Hmm... This doesn't feel so epic. Only two posts worth of commentary?? WEAK. Maybe I should end this with some kind of exclamatory word to help boost the epic-ness....

SHAZAAM!

Yes, that's much better. :)

Nisha!! Haaaay!! How are you lady? I'm so sorry for the stint of silence. But I'm back in AZ now and ready to ramble! I have so much to say and yet so few characters. haha!

*commence epic comeback* :)

I wanted to tell you that I picked up Clockwork Angel yesterday per your recommendation. I'm going to start it after I finish Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami.... I'm nearly halfway through and it's one of those very introspective, emo coming-of-age books. I can't say that I like it so far, but I've read far worse, so I'm going to be strong and finish it. I've heard some of his other titles are better than this one, so maybe I just picked a dud. Anyway, I'll let you know when I start Clockwork!

Even though some things bugged you about it, I'm so happy that you liked Kim Sam Soon overall. I agree with your gripes, but the positives outweigh the negatives for sure.

And did you finish Sam Soon? What is your overall impression? You have to give me your final thoughts. :)

I hardly ever watch American TV shows (aside from Project Runway, which I LOVE, and a few others). I'll have to check out Psych!

My all-time favorite manga is Paradise Kiss. Not only is it beautifully drawn, but I love that it's an exciting coming of age story that involves hip, trendy fashion students in Tokyo. The way I break down Sam Soon and talk about its story line and characters with passion...<.<... Yeah, I could do the same thing about ParaKiss. haha! *nerd*

So aside from that and Fruits Basket, other mangas I liked reading were Hana Kimi, Kimi ni Todoke, Absolute Boyfriend... Hmm, it's difficult for me to remember all the manga I've liked. I kind of went through a phase in my early 20s where I was at the bookstore every day buying some new manga. I hardly ever buy/read manga now. Same with anime (Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo are favs).

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is VERY dry and information heavy (family lineage, political sh*t, background information) at first. Then, literally, around page 200 it picks up and becomes interesting. Later, it becomes really dark and twisted (which is what I didn't care for). I don't like intense books/movies about murderers or serial killers, especially pertaining to horrific crimes against women. AS a woman, it's not something I like to entertain myself with. But like I said, it's not a bad read. Just not my style. I don't know if I would recommend it to you now that I have a sense of your taste. If nothing else, I'm glad I read it to see what the hype was about. I don't even want to see the movie, really, because the book was so disturbing in some parts. *shudders* It's like the Sookie Stackhouse series. The books are violent and sexual enough to where seeing on TV might be too much!

You heard me. lol! :)

And it is SO FUNNY that you mentioned the Clockwork Angel series! I have glanced at those books in passing dozens of times! But I don't think the summary grabbed me right off... Or I never read the summaries, I don't remember which. But I always just kind of pass over them. I'll definitely check them out now.

Great Expectations is kind of painful, honestly. It's taking me a long time to get into it. Did you read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? That book took forever to grab me (we're talking months), but once it did, I couldn't put it down. I haven't read the other two books though. It's not really my taste, but I wanted to try something different. I can't commit to two whole additional books. haha!

And Hunger Games was interesting. For me, the first book was the best. Second was good, third was a struggle. But not a bad series overall.

Thanks for the recommendations! I wrote them down. ^_^ Since I'm currently at a stand still with dramas, I've turned to reading it seems. The dramas that we talked about earlier this summer (Big, I Love Lee Tae Ri) are ending with dismal reviews. So I don't want to waste my time right now. Plus, Bridal Mask is apparently on semi-hiatus because of the Olympics, so I'm not even going to bother starting that. I've been watching Trick though, just because it's kind of a clever, funny, mystery-filled throwback drama. I like that it makes me think and I want to try and solve the mysteries with the characters. It also makes me feel nostalgic from living in Japan with its slice of life scenery.

And How's Moving Castle is my favorite animated film! So I was curious about the book it's based on. The book is even better than the movie! You should totally check it out since you love the movie, too.

It's not worthy of being a favorite for me, but it was a really enjoyable read. I was in the mood to read something interesting, light and fantasy-like with a hint of romance, and it satisfied that craving perfectly. Especially since I CANNOT read anything dealing with vampires or werewolves right now. UGH! My body revolts against the thought. haha! Those folklore characters are so overused in fiction lit right now. It's disgusting how many books have a vampire or werewolf in them.

Anyway, yah. That's what I wanted to say. Your point in comparing Tae Kang to Ji Sung was right on I think! They are similar in their innocence and sincerity toward the women they love. I love straightforward men in dramas! None of that wishy washy-ness like SOME guys in dramas. *narrows eyes at Ji Hun in KSS* hee hee

There's also a book called I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith that I remember loving. Hmm, I just noticed that all of those books have British authors and take place in England...

ANYWAY! I asked because I was going to make a recommendation! Since we seem to have similar taste, maybe you'll like the book I just finished reading.

It's called The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. It's about these two magicians who are pitted against each other in a contest. Have you heard of it? I just kind of picked it up at the bookstore at random because I liked the summary and the prologue. But I ended up blowing through it in two days. It's so beautifully descriptive and magical. It kind of sucks you into this other world. I like books like that--where when you stop reading them and look around, you're kind of confused because it consumes you.

Wow. Dude, reading your post was like reading something I would write, like, verbatim. SERIOUSLY! I am really starting to get freaked out at how similar we are on some things! I don't even know how to respond without basically re-writing everything you just said!!!

I like classics as well (Great Gatsby is one those that stands out for me and I too am pumped about the movie). Been trying to read Great Expectations this summer. Shakespeare is good! I took a class on his works in college. One of the best classes I had! I like modern fiction, too. LOVE the Harry Potter series. Read Hunger Games....>.>.. And Twilight but I don't like to talk about it as I regret it very, very much.... I've also read so many books that it's hard to pin point a favorite, but I tend to be drawn toward whimsical, fantasy books (Howl's Moving Castle is maybe the closest to a favorite. Secret Garden, too).

Paradise Kiss is my all-time favorite manga. So it's hard to separate myself from that fact. Looking at the movie independently though, it's just not very good. They don't develop the characters enough to make you identify or care for them. As a fan of the manga, it was cool to see George's key creation come to life! It was also very well cast (except for Hiro, which was an awful cast decision), and the script was nice as well. But the story itself was too shallow for me.

This was cute enough. I don't know what it is, but the innocence and youthfulness of the characters within this series are so refreshing. I literally devour every form of media that this series produces: anime, manga and movie. The movie is the weakest of the three, but it's not awful. If you're like me and are familiar with the manga and/or anime, you have to view this independently--as a work in itself. That's the best way to view movie adaptations of books in general.

This drama was addicting for me, but in that painful way. I imagine it's a similar feeling to people who cut themselves.

I watched this a long time ago, but I remember being excited about it because I really like Kenichi Matsuyama. But then when I watched it, I laughed a lot... And it wasn't supposed to be funny. I just remember it being really silly and unfocused.

Couldn't have said it better myself! Everything about this drama went so, so wrong.

And I'm not making excuses for her behavior by any means. But it's just her character. I myself can't identify with her, but I understand why she thinks the way she does. She's like a teenager still trying to keep up with the adults around her.

And I agree with you 100% on Ji Hun making her stay the night. I was pretty mad about that. OK, if I *try* to be understanding about it, yes, he feels really guilty and sad about breaking up with her. It's a sensitive situation. But my thing is, he should have at least called Sam Soon from the hospital and told her the situation. That would have been more acceptable. Why does he keep leaving his phone off and doing things autonomously when he is supposed to be in a relationship?? That's what irritated me.

Anyway!! Tee hee hehehe. lol! I'm just glad you're so into it. ^_^

Just out of curiosity, do you like to read? If so, what kind of books?

To be fair, I warned you about your anger toward Hee Jin increasing as the drama progresses, did I not? hahaha! And it still isn't over Nisha! It's not over yet. :)

Not to beat a dead horse, but Hee Jin is childish. The way she left and decided to bear the weight of her cancer on her own was childish. The way she came back expecting things to be perfectly fine between her and Ji Hun was childish. The way she calls Sam Soon out to tell her to leave Ji Hun alone is childish, and the way she parades around with Henry while ignoring his feelings for her is also immature and childish. She's a spoiled, selfish one-track mind girl. She expects the world around her to bend to her will, but this drama is a lesson for her to grow up. Henry even mentions once how everyone is moving forward but she's stuck in the past. She has to learn to let go and grow up in this drama.

Once he said that, you knew it was really over for them. There was nothing she could say in response! You *have* to close the book after that.

That song from QIHM is really pretty! Generally I don't pay drama ballads much attention. They are always forgettable to me since they generally serve as repetitive background noise for emotionally-driven scenes. So I tend to block them out. But I'm glad you brought that one to my attention. Listening to it independently from the drama made me focus on it, and it's nice! :)

And thanks for the compliment on the review! That was a difficult one to write. It's hard writing reviews for things I like a lot. I have to reign in my emotions and objectively break down WHY I like it instead of just gushing.