mango

I loved bgs by the bunches when it started. it was the perfect fun delight with adorkable but slightly weird characters whose interactions I looked forward to. it always had little substance but it put a genuine smile on my face, & that's all that mattered. now---eight weeks in---I feel it slowly testing my patience. what's to be expected is expected, I guess, but it's nonetheless disappointing.

I've felt let down by bgs for the last several weeks, & that's never pleasant. I say it had a wonderful start no matter what anyone says, but who didn't worry over how the drama might maintain itself? twenty hours is a long ways to spread out something as lightweight as bgs! ideally this should have no more than 16 episodes. (&, tbch, I'd prefer it be ever shorter!) now we're going through the usual kdrama plot drag because the show must go on (literally). what saddens me more than plot threads refusing to wrap up, tho, is the focus shift. that's because beautiful gong shim is no longer about gong shim; it's about ahn dan tae! & with that went gong shim's development & the formerly light 'n goofy show I came to quickly adore. the cuteness factor is still there, for sure, but less prominent. I would predict as much, too, except I feel it's been unnecessarily overridden.

I understand the lack of substance is likely why they turned dan tae's subplot into the main focus, but it's not at all about anything I was led to expect. (&, moreover, it's a weird choice to roll with or even insert, considering.) I truly wanted to see gong shim grow into a woman confident in her self-worth & abilities, yet her development is on (permanent?) halt if not majorly slowed to a sloth's pace. (she has made some achievements, after all!) I bet that we'll still get to see that beautiful, confident lady by the end of the drama but the real journey it took will be missed.

my criticism isn't to say it's not worth checking out or a terrible show, because bgs still holds my attention when I watch & I love our leads just as much as I did in the beginning. it's just that I can't pretend I'm not upset over what could have been, either, & so I /spewrant/ about it. *sigh*

I completely agree with this. after watching the first episode I felt confused by the negative comments re: suzy's acting, because her drunk scene is the only time I thought something off.

there are a lot of upcoming jdramas that sound interesting but the one I'm most anticipating is hope. I can't wait! I don't expect it will outshine misaeng or at all draw greater affection than what I feel for the kdrama, but I'm still excited to see japan's take on the story.

I fell behind & need to finish this drama off, but I won't be surprised if I find myself missing it once I do. eric mun & seo hyun jin have GREAT chemistry! they are definitely a reason to watch, except I always forget how enjoyable the comedic moments are in addition to the more melo scenes until I watch an episode. the mood transitions were actually a little hit & miss for me in eps 1 through 2, but---along with the writing & acting---it thoroughly engages me. idk if I will put this on my favorites list, but it's certainly one to watch!

there are several facets to the assassin which the art appreciator in me admires, & yet what did I just watch? what was the point of it? I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I don't know! I felt lost through a good portion of the film & utterly confused by the end. I may have better clarity on a meaning if I cared to watch it a second or third time, but my interest to do so isn't that strong. within the first few minutes it becomes clear that this is no film for the average movie watcher, so I recommend all take in what others have said before trying this on. I won't argue that it's undeserving of critics' praise, but look elsewhere if a stylish action drama from the martial arts category is what you expect. it's slowly paced with scant dialogue & even fewer fighting scenes, which I suspect is a deciding factor in why many find it "boring."

when there is dialogue, however, it adds potency to the film's approach, imo, when considered alongside direction & cinematography---some of which worked for me; some of which didn't. none of it, in retrospect, feels unimportant & it is presented in a straightforward/linear fashion wrapped up in an interpretive style. & yet, I still found myself lost! it is partly my fault since my attention was centered away from the film's politics. the other half of it is due the requirement of personal interpretation, & because little dialogue & few actor close-ups make that interpretation difficult for me. I didn't fully grasp the director's focus, motives, what was going on below yinniang's surface, or what I should have taken from the movie besides confusion.

it's not poor movie, but it's NOT for everyone. bear that in mind before jumping in.

I'm not sure too many of us feel we can afford to be as hopeful as you! I speak for myself when I say that I've been disappointed one too many times when it comes to live action manga adaptations---even with films like solanin, which is a type of manga that I consider a possible candidate for live action. I think snk/aot is frequently referenced only because it's a hugely popular manga to be recently but woefully adapted into live action; however, others are out there. but like you said, too, not all live action turns out terrible. still, given the number of overall letdowns, the apprehension expressed toward tg's live action is both normal & understandable.

a major concern for stories likes tg is how well live action can produce the necessary effects without looking so overtly ridiculous that it takes viewers out of the movie experience. other issues we worry about---which applies to any adaptation---is how everything from plot, story arcs, character depth + growth, etc., will be crunched &/or altered, or wondering how true to the original content the live action will remain. it's this part of the adaptation process that I often feel the most nervous for, tbh! in snk's case, I won't go near the live action but I do feel that they took several things into consideration & did try based on articles I read. I will give them that much, at least, but there are certain things that should be left as they are, & tg is one of many imo.

be it the case that my fear for tg & other upcoming live actions (fma & robotech) are unwarranted, then I welcome the surprise! but, based on experiences not associated with the snk movies, I guess I'd rather stay a pessimist who might feel happily surprised than be expectant & later upset by disappointments.

this is one of those stories that I feel are best presented by manga & anime, but live action? I don't see tg as a good candidate for similar reasons that, imo, fma & snk aren't good choices. my expectations are staying low, I'm afraid. I suppose, too, that there's always a chance it will do well, in which case I will happily eat my words.

I have to ask: when are newly released videos from df embedded on mdl? I was going to watch eps 11 & 12 of beautiful gong shim here on tuesday but it's now thursday & they haven't been added yet. I ended up watch them yesterday at df.

that last gif! I paused kaitou tantei yamaneko but could have died from too much amusement over that nobuta wo produce reference. lol @#7, too. people really avoid jdramas for that? I often don't know who is & isn't an idol unless I've already met them in a previous drama, but I know that south korea loves their idol actors, too. it seems like most kdramas I watch or want to watch have an idol in there somewhere.

if you caught me a few years ago I would have agreed with at least two of the eight points listed here, & that's because I was hitting up the wrong shows. *now* I can't get enough of them to the point where I'm presently jdramathoning in a rampage. I've been going at kdramas for so long, I think, that I feel 210% done with their cliches & common trouble spots concerning fluff & filler & nonsense & bloat when the plot's too thin to reach a full 16 or 20 episode count. it's not like I kicked kdramas to the curb or that I don't believe they have any originality to offer, because I still watch & love them! & it's definitely not that I think jdramas are all perfect, either, but I needed something different & fresher than what kdramas consistently put out. I need more variety. lucky for me, I re-discovered that jdramas give me all that & more.

I started out on jdramas years ago when I happened upon an international channel. it didn't matter to me that most weren't even subbed. there was something about them I was drawn to that kept me coming back, but when that channel disappeared I found a new kdrama-centric station to replace it with. that, too, eventually got axed, but I think it's because I was older than when I watched jdramas---& because I'd been actively following [subbed] kdramas for several years---that my kdrama interest just stuck. it's not until recently that I've felt open to watching & in fact craving more j than kdramas, but getting to this point has been an interesting experience for me! I remember attempting rich man, poor women shortly after it completed its run & I didn't bother to stick around past the first minute (if that). I recently watched it, tho, & had to smh @past me. toru is all too often a thoughtless prick but damn did I enjoy the heck out of that show.

in regards to jdrama opposition: kdramas are crazy-popular! I seldom visit tw, hk, & c dramas, but it's been my experience that these can likely share more similarities than jdramas do with kdramas. a huge number of us start out on kdramas, & there are those people who refuse to see anything but kdramas. it becomes a comfort zone, & venturing outside of what's familiar can carry a doubtful presence. if someone stumbles into a poor match then that wary feeling not only feels validated but can easily create negative judgement & resistance toward future attempts. I've seen people swear jdramas aren't for them because of one or two unpleasant encounters, which saddens me since jdramas have their own attractive charms, too! sometimes I wish I could glue these people to a chair & dump all kinds of jdrama on them. I would never actually want to push someone into starting something before they feel willing, ofc. but it's out of desperately wanting these guys to understand that jdramas are just as awesome as kdramas that I have to breath out a really hard 'n heavy sigh when people find reasons not to watch them. there are those who truly may not be compatible with jdramas, but imo it's a matter of how open a person is to watching what is out of their norm, trying when the time is right, & hopefully picking the right starter.

it's possible you aren't/weren't logged into your df account, & that's why your places weren't saved. if you were then that's weird & I'm at a loss 〈(゜。゜)

which drama did you watch?

I watched part of ep nine of beautiful gong shim---it's just df's video player embedded into the mdl page, so all features worked for me. subs were placed as they would be if I watched on df's website, & it saved my spot so that I was able to pause, exit, & revisit where I left off.

but I also clicked to enlarge the video to get the hd experience (I'm also premium). maybe you didn't? that could be why subs were enlarged. it's weird that your place wasn't saved, tho.

oh, I noticed this the other day! it's a nice set up for when you're going through the episode guide of a drama because the episodes are right here to watch, granted that they are licensed. it's simpler to rate, watch, & discuss/review specific eps in the same place.

tbh I'm probably more excited to see these castings in action than for the dramas themselves, but 38 task force, uncontrollably fond, bring it on ghost, jealousy incarnate, & scarlet heart: ryeo are at the top of my list. I'm debating on moonlight... I love park bo gum, but I think I'd watch for chae soo bin's acting.

I would protest that heirs wasn't a good drama for anyone, but it did put kim woo bin on my radar so I won't complain TOO much.

I love jung so min but characters like ha ni irritate me beyond words. weirdly (or maybe not?), I wasn't as annoyed by her doormat characteristics but by how her entire world centered on this guy she liked. everything she did or took interest in was because of him, & I can't wrap my head around that. it felt like she was never her own person, & I found that immeasurably disappointing. even more so because she never, to my recollection, stood against his poor treatment of her. I'll even admit to looking down on her, which I feel bad for doing, but I also thought she deserved better than this cold, hard prickbiscuit of a man.

@krosland I don't think so ):

lol, very true @hyerim. & if he said he liked her natural hair, bald spot & all, she'd probably drop the wig in a flash, but I hope that is the last she tries to curl it. not that joon soo would mind, I'm sure!

thank you so much!

she probably doesn't want to take it off until her bald spot leaves...?

I've been combining raws with fansubs from lj & nyaa.se, but if you're having difficulty & want to stream it then it looks like goasiantv.com has it (english subbed).

I watched the first two episodes on kissasian, but does anyone know where I can download raws?