jesus saves, passes to moses

W no Higeki

2012-05-25T19:10:05Z

Because if you've ever wanted to see Takei Emi covered in blood while lightning flashes behind her walk of murder, this is your drama. If you've ever thought The Parent Trap had a good plot but lacked the revenge schemes and cross-generational incest, this is your drama. If you ever watched Jotei and thought "you know, this is just too realistic," then this is your drama.

Basic plot: long-lost twins meet by chance and decide to exchange lives. One is an orphaned prostitute who makes her living cleaning the toilets of a cabaret, and the other is a rich, well-to-do heiress of a huge family fortune. When they trade places, HIJINKS ENSUE.

And by hijinks I mean doom.

This is Mako! Pretty, perfect, etc etc.

This is Satsuki! Pretty, perfect, etc etc, except she slouches and wears hoodies and does a lot of angry gazing into mirrors and other reflective surfaces, so we know she's the troubled twin.

You may be asking yourself, why would a rich girl want to trade lives with a glorified street rat?

That is her grandfather.

AUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Mako is in the one who contacts Satsuki with the idea to switch lives. Satsuki, you see, has just killed a man for $300.

She'll "do anything for money" (hint), but this guy didn't feel like paying. Satsuki takes the beating, glares at him as he walks out the door, then puts on a dark baseball cap and follows him into an alleyway and kills that motherfucker dead.

And then she steals his money.

THE MOMENT I FELL IN LOVE WITH SATSUKI. I DON'T EVEN CARE. KILL ALL THE TRICKS!

Of course, now she needs an alibi because of the hot, improbably young police detective who makes it his business to poke in hers.

This is where the twinswap comes in. Mako, pretending to be Satsuki, will provide her with an alibi for the night of the murder. All Satsuki has to do is survive her rich family...

...and you know, tolerate the gross incestuous grandfather.

This lasts like three episodes and then he winds up dead, so, um, LOLOLOL. Satsuki's method of problem-solving, guys. I feel obligated to mention that she doesn't actually kill him, but she gets this great moment when she yanks a knife out of his chest while DRAMATIC LIGHTNING flashes behind her, and then she takes this gothic slow-mo walk through the family mansion covered in the blood of its patriarch. SO YES, I LIKED IT.

Satsuki negotiating terms over the corpse. While her mother is like ?!?!? and Satsuki is just cool as shit.

Satsuki is totally my favorite character so far. She starts the drama like IDGAF, not caring about anything or anyone and only playing the twinswap because it's in her own best interests. She walks out of Mako's expensive lessons, makes hilarious faces at her girly wardrobe...

...then she gets a whiff of the family fortune and realizes it could be hers, so OUT COMES THE SLYTHERIN.

It's like a tiger in a den of sheep. She gets focused and sharp and smart and it's AWESOME. She starts eavesdropping and pumping the family for information on inheritance. She pretends to be Mako to manipulate Mako's allies. At one point everyone is talking about her future marriage, how she'll have to marry well and support her husband in taking over the family business, etc etc. And Satsuki declares in front of them all that actually, SHE would like to take over the family business, kthx.

"I don't like it. That my happiness is influenced by a man. I don't want to entrust my life to man who can't be trusted."

FUCK YEAH.

Mako, meanwhile, is set up as a very innocent character, very sheltered and sweet. She's willing to live Satsuki's life because it gives her the one thing she's always wanted - freedom - and it's a welcome escape from her rich confining life. That said, I am CONVINCED Mako is more than she seems.

For one, she lies way too well. Don't forget that the entire drama is only taking place because she snuck away from her family, contacted a strange girl and offered to help her cover up a murder. That isn't the kind of thing you pencil in between kimono fittings and tea lessons.

Mako also gets moments of agency and initiative that are totally inconsistent with her being some sheltered wallflower. Like, she takes Satsuki's life and transforms it. She goes from cabaret janitor to cabaret star, and she does it right under the noses of all the catty jealous co-workers trying to thwart her at every turn.

There's also a really telling scene between the twins, right after they've switched lives, when Satsuki confronts Mako about her creepy grandfather and his wandering hands...

...and Mako just smiles and says, "You'll do anything for money, right?"

Bwuh? Bwuh????? THAT IS NOT AN INNOCENT AND DELICATE FLOWER. That is a girl who just covered up a murder and pimped out her sister to their grandfather. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS DRAMA, I JUST KNOW I LIKE IT.

We only use 10% of our brains... because the other 90% is devoted to shipping and Tumblr.

2012-04-08T18:18:20Z

SPEC SPECIAL IS OUT.

THERE ARE ENGLISH SUBS.

EXPECT A MASSIVE POST LATER BECAUSE I ALREADY SKIMMED AND SAW THIS SCENE:

You can't see it but he is STROKING HER HAND WITH HIS THUMB. SLFKHJSDFLHSFJLKSHFSFJS ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Also, does anyone want to talk about the apparent US remake? It sounds really vague and I had to double-check the date to make sure it wasn't a late April's fool prank, but if it's true... man, I think this is the first Asia-to-America remake I would ever be excited about. CAN YOU IMAGINE AN AMERICAN VERSION OF TOMA?

Everyone wants to whine about a female John Watson. WELL HERE IS YOUR FEMALE SHERLOCK, GUYS. WE COULD HAVE HER. SHE COULD EXIST.

"It's always the quiet ones." Perfect for describing both imperialist assassins and unexpected sexy.

2012-04-01T18:40:48Z

I was obsessively re-watching the the trailer for the live-action Rurouni Kenshin movie (YESSSSSSSS) when it suddenly occurred to me that Sato Takeru was looking mighty gorgeous. Naturally, I went onto Tumblr to investigate.

And.

Uh.

WHAT THE FUCK? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?

REMEMBER WHEN HE LOOKED LIKE THIS?

I don't know what universe I'm in anymore.

How to be Dal Ja in three easy steps:

2012-03-01T17:45:56Z

1: Paint nails.
2: Go out drinking.
3: Wake up with a hangover and two men in your bed.

She freaks out only slightly more than Seo Do, who responds to Tae Bong's "Nothing happened!!" by clutching his ass and wailing "THEN WHY DOES IT HURT?"

TAE BONG, ASS BANDIT.

THAT AWKWARD MOMENT WHEN YOUR LIVING ROOM IS CROWDED BY YOUR EX-BOYFRIEND, YOUR FAKE BOYFRIEND, AND YOUR NEW BOYFRIEND WHO IS ALREADY MARRIED.

I just.

I can't even.

WHERE HAS THIS DRAMA BEEN ALL MY LIFE?

We interrupt your regularly scheduled flist for an interlude of OH MY GOD SO PRETTY.

2012-02-28T17:55:23Z

A thousand years after it aired and I finally started Dal Ja's Spring. I'd also like to inform everyone that I'll be marrying Lee Min Ki in the fall. It will be a beautiful ceremony. You're all invited.

ALSO, DAL JA IS MY SPIRIT ANIMAL.

Seriously, I've found the perfect fictional representation of my life and she's a 33-year-old Korean woman with crazy hair and a fake boyfriend. I am not actually any of these things, but I feel like Dal Ja represents my soul. She hates mornings, drinks too much, has vivid daydreams of turning into the Bride and killing her co-workers (LOL) and oh, she hired a hot young boyfriend to get back at her douchebag ex, and honestly, who hasn't done that at least once?

ONE OF HER FANTASIES. WHICH INVOLVES THROWING LEE MIN KI AGAINST THE WALL AND RAVISHING HIS LIPS.

YES. YES. THIS IS THE SECOND EPISODE. His character is already saying things like "holding hands is included in the contract, but for an extra fee we can arrange something more intimate." HE IS BASICALLY A REALLY PRETTY PROSTITUTE DAL JA YOU NEED TO HIT THAT OMGGGGGGG.

Of course it's all happening in your head, Byung Gun, but why should that mean it isn't real?

2012-02-12T19:41:43Z

So I finished What's Up, and I was going to say something flippant like "BEST DRAMA OF THE YEAR" but... uh... considering that the competition so far has been "Yamapi The Funeral Director" and "My Mom Keeps Getting Hit On By My Friends and It Makes Me Uncomfortable", I think the superiority of What's Up is a given.

My favorite characters by the end:

5: PROFESSOR YANG
4: Jae Hun
3: Soo Bin (it took me ten eps to remember his name BUT HE WAS WORTH IT)
2: Byung Gun (♥___♥)
1: Doo Ri and everything she touched and everything she chose to be

The finale wasn't perfect - was anyone else waiting for that one big performance that kinda never happened? - but I have to give it props for making me cry intermittently for like three hours. Actually, I was pretty much a wreck from ep... 18? onwards, when they're singing fucking Fame about how they're all going to live forever and then the scene cuts to Doo Ri sitting in a hospital chair and breaking down.

That's how you can tell you're watching a kdrama all right - your hero killed someone and half of the cutest OTP dies from cancer.

Do you realize her last words to him were not yet? ;____________________; WHYYYYYYYY???

THIS LINE. My soul went OH GOD and burst into tears.

I think this was one of the most subtly crushing scenes I've ever seen in a kdrama. No dialogue, no dramatic music, just grave looks and growing comprehension that gets passed from person and person. Jae Hun slowly walking in the room. Everyone realizing what happened. Byung Gun trying to comfort Doo Ri BUT HE CAN'T EVEN DO IT BECAUSE HE HAS TO COVER HIS OWN EYES AND CRY. LFKSDHJFKLSDJFSDKLFJSDF BAWLING.

SOBBING AND GIGGLING ALL AT ONCE. YOU DEFINITELY DIDN'T RAISE ANY ART STUDENTS, SUN WOO.

I've decided in my head that this never happens. Sun Woo (and I just typed that as "Sun Woob" which is both hilarious and extremely fitting) wakes up and makes a miraculous recovery by the grace of the kdrama gods, who decide it's too cliche for the funny drunk character to actually die of liver failure. Doo Ri hangs around and becomes the most terrifying nursemaid ever ("eat this, invalid" "I'll follow you into the bathroom if you don't go") and Professor Yang refuses to acknowledge her own relief and instead bills him for missing work. Everyone dances to Grease 2 and no one dies. THE END.

YEAH, CRIED MY WAY THROUGH ALL OF THIS...

...AND THEN BURST OUT LAUGHING. Oh, I wish I could make gifs on this computer, I seriously died when Byung Gun started breaking it down right there in the aisle.

BEST FUNERAL EVER?

WHAT'S BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER? YOUR FACE AS NINOMAE MURDERS YOU IN YOUR SLEEP! YAY!

2012-01-26T18:54:29Z

SPEC MOVIE SPEC MOVIE SPEC MOVIE

NINOMAE IS ALIVE AND EVIL AND COVERED IN BLOOD AND CALLING HER NEESAN OMG OMG OMG. *_______* WHAT'S WITH THE EYES? IS HE BLIND? I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH I MISSED THAT LITTLE PSYCHO.

DID SEBUMI SAY "MY CHILD" CAUSE IT REALLY SOUNDED LIKE HE DID.

DID I SEE TOMA WITH A SPEC?! HER HANDS WERE GLOWING.

WHY ARE TOMA AND SEBUMI POINTING GUNS AT EACH OTHER?

I really hope they explain the events of the finale, or at least why Toma was smirking in that final shot. (Acceptable answers: because she's a badass, because she has secret powers, because she's the goddamn Batman.) I'd love some answers about Chii too, particularly how he managed to do.... everything he did, but since I don't see him in the trailer I won't hold my breath. Really, if they just touch on the whole evil-empire-Big-Brother-even-the-dog-is-watching-you thing I'll be happy, because I really want this movie to be a continuation of the series, not just a random case. It seems appropriately intense so I remain hopeful.

I'M SO HAPPY THIS IS HAPPENING. I MISSED YOU, SPEC! \o/ \o/ \o/

"ARE YOU READY?" uh how about NO

2012-01-17T18:24:03Z

EPISODE TWELVE. I. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS.

SCREAM SCREAM SCREAM I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT SINCE THE VERY FIRST EPISODE AND I SWEAR TO GOD IF THEY PUNK OUT, GET INTERRUPTED OR OTHERWISE POSTPONE THIS REVELATION I MIGHT ACTUALLY PUT A GUN IN MY MOUTH AND DIE

ALSO:

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS. WHAT. A FUCKING NOSEBLEED? WHAT. I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS. AND THEN HIM SAYING "I WANT TO LIVE LONG"???? THAT'S LIKE A COMPANION TELLING THE DOCTOR "I'LL TRAVEL WITH YOU FOREVER." WHY WOULD YOU EVEN SAY THAT. WHY WOULD YOU TEMPT FATE. WHY WOULD YOU BRING FATE'S LASER FOCUS ON YOU LIKE THAT.

Oh god, and someone on Tumblr reminded me that the first episode opened with a mysterious death. I just checked and HE IS NOT IN THE SAD MONTAGE.

WHY?????

Six eps into What's Up...

2012-01-12T18:46:29Z

AND IT IS GODDAMNED GLORIOUS.

Hilarity + human drama + music + ensemble cast = A++ WOULD FLAIL AGAIN.

If you don't know, and you probably already do since I'm so late to the bandwagon, but if you don't, What's Up is a kind of funny-dramatic-slice-of-life musical tragicomedy full of awesomeness. It's all about music and friendship and chasing your dreams and occasionally falling down the stairs to gaze at the moon and sob furiously about life. The students are both amazing eyecandy and really interesting human beings. They butcher English songs and remix Korean ones too. THERE ARE RANDOM GREASE NUMBERS. COMPLETE WITH 80S HAIR. The professors look like Oh Man Suk and walk around drinking heavily.

EVERYONE MUST WATCH THIS DRAMA. YOU ARE MISSING SO MUCH.

Also, fair warning, for every person who compares it to Heartstrings or Dream High I'm going to scratch off my skin and send it to Daesung in the mail.

Please think of Daesung.

ALSO I'M NOT DEAD, HURRAH

2012-01-08T18:55:02Z

WHERE ARE YOU PEOPLE GETTING WHAT'S UP?

I'm sorry, I know I should offer a better explanation for my sudden and inexplicable disappearance, but I've been catching up with my flist and everyone is talking about What's Up and I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THAT DRAMA OVER A YEAR.

WHERE IS IT.

WHERE.

I MUST HAVE IT IN MY GREEDY HANDS.

Blame Xena for everything.

2011-10-18T18:43:49Z

And here we are at another drama season! How did that happen?

View Poll: Roly poly

I'm amused to see that all the crossdressing heroines from last season have grown up. This time it's all about middle-aged women and the variety of ways they become BAMFs:

-A housewife as a mysterious problem-solver
-A housewife who is secretly a spy
-A housewife becoming a detective
-An heiress becoming a detective
-A flight attendant becoming a bounty hunter

Apparently the theme for this season is "bitches getting ALL the shit done." I APPROVE.

The most important question you will see on your flist today.

2011-09-10T20:28:35Z

Has anyone else watching Ouran suddenly turned into a raging multishipper?

In the anime I shipped Tamaki and Haruhi like burning, but with the drama I keep having Asuko March flashbacks where I'm just watching and constantly thinking "man, can't she have them all?"

I can't believe I'm haunted by Asano Taeko even when I'm not watching her.

2011-09-07T20:19:37Z

Seven eps into IS and I almost don't want to watch anymore, because it's becoming increasingly clear that my OTP isn't the OTP and WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME.

They're JUST a statistical miracle (1% of the population!!) who managed to meet through a clever mix of luck and stalking. Their incredibly rare gender identities are only completely compatible despite all odds. They only hold hands and take cellphone pics and chase each other across the city at least once an ep.

GOSH, WHY WOULD ANYONE SHIP THEM.

Refresher course:

Haru is an intersexual who identifies as a boy.

Miwa is an intersexual who identifies as a girl.

Despite his male identity, Haru has to crossdress as a girl for school, which prompts a period of "gender fluidity" where he says he has "the soul of a man" but nonetheless finds himself confused by things like periods (delayed puberty) and soccer boys hitting on him.

I still can't remember his name. That's... uh... how much I care about soccer boy.

While Haru is a boy becoming more feminine, Miwa is a girl becoming more masculine (body hair, etc).

Her mother doesn't accept this and holds Miwa at knifepoint to make her more girly.

Miwa's method of coping.

Confused and more than a little fucked-up, Miwa latches onto Haru, the good one thing in her life and the only person she knows who shares her pain... which she occasionally inflicts on him.

DOES SHE WANT TO KISS HIM? SLICE OUT HIS HEART AND EAT IT? IT'S STILL UNCLEAR.

THEY'RE ALSO REALLY REALLY CUTE. AND TOUCHY. AND SHIPPY. She meets his family and gives him hugs and buys him gifts! And when she's upset, she curls up in bed and sobs "Haru, Haru" while holding the place on her wrist where he touched.

YEAH. YEAH.

He's straightforward and honest! She's damaged and emotionally vulnerable! HE SAVES HER FROM A SUICIDE ATTEMPT. SHE CALLS HERSELF THE MOON TO HIS SUN.

MEANINGFUL MOTIF!

HARU IMAGINING HER IN A FIT OF LONGING.

So, to recap, here are two people connected by super-rare birth circumstances who JUST SO HAPPEN to fit together exactly right and both of them are bonding on DEEP AND MEANINGFUL LEVELS about their ONE IN A MILLION FRIENDSHIP...

...and here's Haru pining for fucking soccer boy, whose total lack of personality and aggravatingly unbrushed hair are apparently just irresistible.

WHYYYYYYYYYY???

Two dramas down, 283363563 to go...

2011-09-03T20:27:55Z

Livejournal! I've been neglecting you, I'm sorry. Life just got really busy all of a sudden. (Perhaps most embarrassing is that my reaction to the sudden craziness wasn't "oh, my social life!" but "I AM FALLING BEHIND ON ALL MY DRAMAS, WHY, WHYYY").

Anyway, I did manage to watch Soredemo - some quick thoughts -

Karaoke date = hilarious and heartbreaking all at once. DRINK THE GINGER ALE, HIROKI. His mom almost-sorta-kinda-approving of their relationship was awesome.

I think Futuba is officially my favorite.

I want Fumiya to wander over and kill Hiroki's stalker chick because I find her really boring.

Hiroki's angry-and-vengeful face wasn't half as scary as his mom picking up a knife during that dinner and just thinking about it. (Also, who the hell is that actress and why doesn't she have ALL THE AWARDS?)

Apparently I have deep feelings about doctors/caretakers taking advantage of their patients, because my reaction to Fumiya's little love story was "OH MY GOD TAKE AWAY HER LICENSE, DO IT NOW, OH MY GOD SO GROSS."

I find myself really interested in Toyama/Fumiya family dynamic, which sucks because I doubt the show has the time or inclination to explore it in-depth what with everything else going on. I just find it fascinating and full of questions! Will we hear anything else about F/F's mom? Fumiya isn't a pedophile, so why the fixation on little girls? And his record described their father as a deadbeat, which doesn't match the happy, loving parent we've seen in the present. Was it just a ploy by his lawyers or is there something skeevy going on?

Speaking of skeevy, FUMIYA IS FREAKING ME RIGHT OUT. I'm used to jdrama psychopaths being giant hams and/or gloating serial killers, not... quiet people wandering around with day jobs and stray thoughts of murder.

To me? The most frightening thing about his diary wasn't even the content, but the way he reported his feelings so matter-of-fact and dispassionate. "I think I'll do it again." sdkfhsklfhsdkfhd brb hair standing on end.

~~~~SPOILER SPACE~~~~

AND THEN THERE'S ZENKAI GIRL OMG OMG -

I'm sorry, when did my ridiculous romcom OTP become AN EPIC COUPLE OF REPRESSED FEELINGS AND EMOTIONAL LANDMINES?

SLURP SLURP SLUUUURP THIS MASOCHIST SMOOTHIE IS DELICIOUS

I just have to mention this scene, because:

1) MY HEART
2) I expected the Ririka thing to last much longer, so I was really quite pleased when it didn't.
3) I can't believe I'm about to praise Ryo's acting, but when you go back and re-watch this scene after his confession to Wakaba, you can actually see his face fall when Pitaro remembers his mother's smell. I hadn't even noticed the first time around ~~THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN SOMETHING IN MY EYE~~ but once you have context it turns into a really subtle, nicely done character moment on his part. Good job, Ryo! I promise to make fun of you less in the future.

In which our brave heroes conquer witches, school plays, and snuggling.

2011-08-17T19:37:06Z

I have officially reached the age where I cry at family dramas. I have no excuses, just lots of used tissues as I blubber "oh, woobies!" and "it's SO SWEET!"

Previously on Zenkai Girl, Souta confessed to a sleeping Wakaba! GLEEEEEE!! Except... she was out of it and only half-remembered someone staying with her. And when she asked Souta who it was, he lied and said the principal.

BWAHAHAHA. AND FOR THEIR HONEYMOON, THEY'LL TAKE A PRIVATE JET TO THE SEX EXPRESS.

Determined to forget that annoying pillbug, Wakaba does what any woman would: she marches right up to her other love interest and PROPOSES. LOL. LOOOOOOOOOOOL. And he's just like "Uhhh, sure, if you wanna." SO MUCH PASSION.

On one hand, SAD HINATA MAKES ME SAD. On the other, this scene gave us the impossible beauty of WAKABA AND HINATA AS ROOMMATES.

Why don't you have air conditioning, Wakaba? Why do your blankets smell funny? Why is your TV out of date? Why haven't you thrown yourself at Pitaro's dad and stripped him naked for a hot-and-heavy S&M session? Okay, that last one was just me.

"WHY DO I HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS FIRST THING IN THE MORNING?" omg lol forever. "THIS."

SHE IS SO TINY AND ADORABLE AND SCARY. I love everything about her, but especially her disdain. She's like the only person who can go toe-to-toe with Wakaba... and she's three feet fall and covered in lace.

IRRESISTIBLE FORCE MEETS UNMOVABLE OBJECT.

Hinata is better than all of us.

Sleepover at Pitaro's house! *______________*

I love how Souta is all "YAY! SNUGGLES!" while Wakaba physically leans away clutching the blanket to her chest like a woman of virtue saying "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, BUDDY."

THIS MOMENT. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Pitaro's feet in Hinata's hair, Souta's hand in his pants (LOL WHAT), Hinata clutching Wakaba in her sleep (MY HEART), Souta and Pitaro both dressed exactly alike and sprawled out in the same way. Father/son cuteness achieved!

HAHAHAHA AND HE'S LIKE "NOTHING HAPPENED, DON'T SUE" BEFORE SHE EVEN OPENS HER MOUTH. HE KNOWS HER SO WELL.

.........MY INSTINCTS. SO TORN. I really do like her mom as the kickass lady boss who makes no apologies for it, but when it's directly responsible for making Hinata cry, SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE. HINATA SHOULD NOT CRY. EVER.

I SERIOUSLY THOUGHT SHE WASN'T GOING TO MAKE IT AND I WAS ALREADY GETTING SNIFFLY...

...AND THEN SHE APPEARED AND THE TEARS CAME FOR REAL. OMG. OMG. SHE MADE IT, YOU GUYS. HINATA'S LITTLE FACE. HER SHEER JOY.

OMG OMG SO CUTE. HINATA. PRINCE PITARO. SOUTA GRINNING LIKE A BIG PROUD PAPA. WAKABA FORGETTING HERSELF AND CLAPPING ENTHUSIASTICALLY UNTIL SOUTA CAUGHT HER AND SHE WAS LIKE "............:| CLAP."

EVEN WHEN SHE "DIED" SHE WAS PEEKING AND GRINNING AT HER MOM BEING THERE. ADKLJFHASKDFJASDF SO MANY TEARS.

Blessed be the Goddess Hinata that watches over us all, and lo, she came from the mountain and delivered forth the news that Wakaba had been waiting for: her mystery caretaker was Souta all along.

DRAMATIC REALIZATION OF FEELINGS!

DRAMATIC DETERMINATION!

DRAMATIC RUN!!!! (WHERE'S A BUS WHEN YOU NEED ONE?)

DRAMATIC ENTRANCE. After wiping off the sweat from her run, lololol.

DRAMATIC PEEKING.

DRAMATIC REALIZATION THAT SOUTA'S EX-WIFE HAS CHOSEN THAT EXACT MOMENT TO COME BACK.

DRAMATIC ACCEPTANCE OF SHINDO'S MARRIAGE PROPOSAL. YES. YES. This is exactly what I watch jdramas for, you guys. These amazing cliches right here. BRING IT ON, ZENKAI GIRL. I WANT THEM ALL.

When nothing is more romantic than a pair of emotionally ruined rejects bonding over child murder.

2011-08-13T20:04:37Z

AHHHHHHHHHHH

SOREDEMO IS SENDING ME INTO FITS

You want to know how quality this drama is? A moment of complete non-contact between the OTP is more charged and emotionally game-changing than half of what I'm watching this season. I was so deep in the moment I was trying to will their hands together. "TOUCH! TOUUUUUUCH!"

At first it's just a cute, simple scene with the two of them having dinner and adorable conversation. (Adorable because they're both SUPREMELY AWKWARD AND SOCIALLY STUNTED and they can't express any kind of emotion without being nervous and fumbly and CUTE.)

"If you could change something about yourself, what would you change?"

"...Wanna go for karaoke?"

"..."

"...I want to try saying that to others."

"Don't you think that's too small a thing?"
"It's not!"
"Mine is pretty big you know. Maybe it'll surprise you."
"Go ahead."

"I want to be able to bend a spoon."

AND THEN THE SHOT PANS OUT LIKE EVEN THE CAMERA HAS NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH THAT. AHAHAHAHA. SO FUCKING CUTE! ("Don't you think it's pretty amazing?" she asks, and is so EARNEST.)

REMEMBER THAT THESE TWO PEOPLE WERE BROUGHT TOGETHER BY CHILD MURDER.

AND THEN.

AND THEN.

"Things will go well eventually."

"Many things will happen, and there may be painful things along the way... but everything will go well eventually."

"The spoon thing is impossible, though."

And then she does this utterly visceral trying-not-to-cry-in-front-of-him thing and eventually gives up and looks at him and asks him to say it again. Because she needs to hear it.

"Things will go well, Toyama-san. Because you've been trying so hard."

AND THEN SHE CRIES AND I FLAIL AND THAT THUD YOU HEAR IS MY SHIPPER HEART CRASHING TO THE FLOOR AND CONVULSING. ESPECIALLY SINCE (EP FIVE SPOILERS)

I NOW HAVE THE VAGUE SUSPICION THEY'RE HALF-SIBLINGS.

FSL;DKFJASDL;FJASDKLASDKLFJSDKFJSDKFJSDFLSDF

A rich hot lawyer lavishes you with flattery and expensive gifts? Fuck that guy. Choose Ryo instead.

2011-08-11T19:51:25Z

Okay, this is the cutest scene of anything ever. Baby OTP discussing the romance of their caretakers! "He walks around the house sighing a lot..." "He's lovesick!"

I don't really have anything to say about this drama except that it's still unexpectedly awesome. Wakaba is such a fabulous heroine, like if Yankumi had a baby with BOSS and then sent it to live with Aunt Hotaru. She's smart and quippy and determined but also SUPREMELY DORKY and her feelings are made of LIVE PORCUPINES.

LOVE IS JUST A HORMONAL IMBALANCE, she says. I AM A PROFESSIONAL CAREER WOMAN. ROMANCE IS SOMETHING I CHOOSE BASED ON NECESSARY CONDITIONS OF MY STATUS.

That's why she sits at home... cherishing a pea... that Souta dropped on the ground... just because it was part of a meal he made her.

Okay, I lied, I do have more to say. AND IT'S ALL ABOUT WAKABA.

Professional Wakaba!

Bespectacled fist-pumping tracksuit-wearing Wakaba!

Drunk Wakaba!

Baby Wakaba!

...still not taking any shit!

Wakaba on a hot date wondering if she should put out. "No, I'm wearing underwear that I bought in a 3-pack at the supermarket..."

I LOVE HER APARTMENT. I love that it's nothing but wall-to-wall textbooks and homemade motivational posters. SUCCESS IS HER ONLY OPTION.

Realizing she owns nothing but discount underwear and work suits, Wakaba tries to figure out "her style" by looking at celebrity fashion sites. EVER WONDERED WHAT GAKKI'S FACE WOULD LOOK LIKE ON LADY GAGA'S BODY?

DON'T WORRY, SHE IS JUST AS HORRIFIED.

HAHAHAHAHA.

WAKABA'S ATTEMPTS AT PERSONAL STYLE.

Wakaba after punching her OTP in the face and accidentally re-aligning his nose. WHOOPS.

She considers him a pillbug! Which manifests as floaty little pillbugs around her head that she angrily swats away.

At one point she's remembering all their OTP moments and the music goes soft and pillbugs gently drift down the screen like rain. LOL FOREVER.

"Don't follow me!"
"Don't follow me!"

THE PERFECT SIDE-EYE.

"I had my first kiss when I was five. How old were you, Wakaba?"
(Answer: 24. XD)

MUDFIGHT!!!! WITH GRINS AND ACCIDENTAL TOUCHING AND DIRTY DIRTY UST. YES.

CUTE CHILDREN BEING CUTE.

OMG and then Pitaro FINDS HER A PILLBUG. OMG. "MY DAD MAY BE A PILLBUG, BUT HE'S A GREAT PILLBUG." HOW SO FUCKING ADORABLE, DRAMA?

I WANT TO TAKE THEM HOME WITH ME. BOTH OF THEM. CAN THIS BE ARRANGED?

YES THESE WERE ALL COMPLETELY NECESSARY. COMPLETELY. EVERYBODY LINE UP FOR A RIDE ON THE RYO EXPRESS. *_________*

HANAKIMI EP 4

2011-08-07T20:34:43Z

...................holy crap, did that just happen?

DID NAKATSU JUST CONFESS HIS LOVE FOR MIZUKI IN FRONT OF EVERYONE?? In ep four??

IS THIS THE REAL LIFE?

darkeyedwolf @ 2011-08-05T18:02:00

2011-08-05T22:59:25Z

I can't believe I'm saying this, but the YAB remake is actually pretty good.

It isn't wild and OTT like the original, but more low-key and character-driven. There are still hijinks, but they aren't "terrorized by a bidet" levels of stupid. MINAM ACTUALLY HAS A SPINE. And the new Tae Kyung, oh my gosh. He's prickly and adorable and FULL OF FEELINGS and I just want to smoosh his face FOREVER.

OTP! OTP!!!!

MIO IS ACTUALLY PRETTY GREAT. I KNOW, IT'S CRAZY. She's still clumsy and ridiculous, but she has spunk this time. She has DETERMINED FACES. When she needs to pump herself up she makes these hilarious yakuza poses LIKE A BOSS.

"I WILL WEAR RUBBER BALLS AND LIVE AS A SUPERSTAR! HUZZAH!"

I also don't think her disguise is terrible? I mean, yes, she still looks like a girl. But her bandmates are three Johnnys. Messy hair and lipgloss doesn't make her stick out.

Ren is also completely fabulous, oh my god, whoever cast him was a GENIUS. HE WILL SHOWER AFTER TOUCHING YOU. HE'S ALLERGIC TO ONIONS AND SHRIMP AND STUPIDITY. HE IS A SERIOUS ARTIST YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND.

LOOK AT THIS COOL MOTHERFUCKER. HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO COORDINATE HIS OUTFITS. THAT'S HOW COOL HE IS. HE DRESSES IN THE DARK.

"Ren-san, you always make scary faces. Like this."
"I'm not that ugly."

One of the moments when I realized this drama would be great? He's just saved her from a fall, and for a really pretty, peaceful moment they both just lay there, blinking and opening their eyes and breathing together while the wind softly blows...

...and then he looks at her and bitches "HOW MUCH LONGER WILL YOU LAY THERE. YOU'RE HEAVY." and she pops up like "SORRY!"

HAHAHAHAHA.

I also really like how Ren's actor is handling his more emotional moments. I mean, he's clearly drawing from JSG's purse of sneers and middle-aged-woman-disapproval, but he's a lot more... human? He isn't just a bitchy caricature. I feel like Ren could be a real man.

A real man who happens to wear plum suits.

Shu... is really bland. I'M SORRY. I feel for his plight as the unrequited secondary guy but he just doesn't have the talent to pull off any kind of real emotion. His idea of acting is to stare sideways and look completely blank.

ALWAYS.

ALWAYS. ALWAYS. ALWAYS.

Maybe I'm being unfair. I mean, he does switch it up sometimes. He'll stare in the other direction too.

LOOK AT ALL THOSE HIDDEN RESERVOIRS OF TALENT.

Oh look! He's staring straight ahead! It's a miracle! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

..........NOT.

At one point he brings out some tea and goes "I like to grow herbs." Yeah, dude, I'm sure you do. It explains why you're always zoned out and unaware that you're acting in a drama.

Yuki! Yuki is pretty excellent. He lurks behind furniture freaking out about Mio's motives because HOW CAN A GUY HAVE SKIN THAT SOFT?! and WHAT'S HIS OBJECTIVE IN SMELLING SO GOOD?!

WELL MAYBE IF YOU LEARNED TO WEAR A SHIRT IN FRONT OF HER, YUKI.

Having a sexual identity crisis like a ninja!

LOLOLOLOL. LOOK TWO INCHES DOWN AND THE WHOLE DRAMA IS OVER.

Randomly, I love their house. It's gorgeous. The showers and shirtless sunbathing are just a bonus.

YES, ALL THESE CAPS WERE JUST FOR OTP CUTENESS AND WET!REN. YOU'RE WELCOME.

fsdl;fkjsdlfjsdklfjsdklfjsdfsd this man makes me hormonal. I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. In the beginning I thought he was kinda weird-looking. Now I just want to lock him in my basement and stroke his cheekbones.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

SEE WHAT I MEAN ABOUT NOT STICKING OUT?

Look at these caps and honestly tell me she doesn't belong:

SEE? When everyone is wearing glittery tops and eyeliner, the crossdresser can fly right under the radar.

Oh my gosh THIS SCENE. ALL THE FEELINGS. YES YES YES YES.

AND THEN THEY TRY TO MAKE HER FEEL BETTER BY THROWING HER A PARTY. AND REN'S BALLS REFUSE TO DROP. AND I KNOW HOW THAT SOUNDS BUT I WON'T CHANGE IT BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY A PRETTY ACCURATE METAPHOR FOR HIS FEELINGS.

JUST LET GO, REN. LET THEM DROP. WELCOME THE FEELINGS.

FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELINGS! Oh my god MY HEART. HOW IS YAB MAKING ME FEEL THIS WAY?

What do these girls have in common? Hint: not genitalia.

2011-08-04T19:45:36Z

With ~~three~~ four crossdressing heroines this season, I didn't think the genderbending could get any crazier, BUT THAT WAS BEFORE I WATCHED "IS."

IS stands for intersexual, or "people who cannot clearly be classified as male or female, and who may biologically possess characteristics of both sexes." IS-the-drama follows Haru, who grew up socializing/identifying as a boy, but enters high school as a girl going through delayed puberty.

So... she's a female actresses playing a male character with a female body.

And she considers herself a straight male, except she's having a quasi-lesbian romance with a female classmate.

AND THAT'S JUST THE BEGINNING.

This is Haru in her natural state - male clothes, male hobbies, male speech patterns. She uses "ore" and "yo." Her little sister calls her "oniichan."

Despite this, Haru was registered at birth as female, which means that her dream school (she wants to be a patissiere) won't let her attend as a boy. She has to go as a girl or not go at all.

Haru accepts the challenge. It's only three years, right? And she can totally pass for female. She just has to learn how to tone herself down.

And how to fit her skirt over her boxers...

And then she thinks "I want to punch myself." LOL.

This is Miwako, Haru's new friend. Their first meeting is full of cherry blossoms and wistful voiceovers, so... um... SURPRISE. I SHIP IT.

JUST TWO STRAIGHT GIRLS HANGING OUT. CONSTANTLY. HOLDING HANDS. MAKING PROMISES. SHARING IMPORTANT SECRETS ON LIFE AND LOVE. YOU KNOW HOW IT IS.

This is, um, I forget his name. But he finds himself attracted to Haru ("you're so easy to talk to! just like one of the guys!") and Haru thinks it's totally gross.

She's a guy! The two of them together would be gay!

"Do you think he's cute, Haru-chan~?"
"We're both men!"

Of course, they keep having shippy moments, so Haru may not be as straight as she thinks...

And then there's Miwako, who is really, really into Haru, which starts as gleeful and femslash-y but then gets darker and more desperate. Because Miwako is kind of seriously fucked up.

She ditches school. She parties at clubs with strange men. Her classmates gossip about her past and her fixation on Haru (which is so noticable that EVEN STRANGERS COMMENT ON IT).

FOR SOME REASON EVERYONE THINKS SHE'S A LESBIAN. Some strange, strange reason.

If you're wondering why Miwako dresses like a sugar-spun loli nightmare, you should know that her entire house is an explosion of femininity - frills and flowers and lace and dolls. Miwako herself is always DECKED in ruffles. We quickly learn that the ruffles represent evil.

Doesn't this just scream "I am a well-adjusted adolescent"?

After lots of cryptic hints, angry nudity, and finally a dramatic wrist-slitting, we get the truth...

...she's IS too.

SHE'S SUPER-GIRLY BECAUSE HER MOTHER DEMANDS A DAUGHTER. When she doesn't conform, she gets locked in her room. SO FUCKING CREEPY.

So, to recap, my OTP is:

- a girl playing a boy playing a girl
- a girl playing a... lesbian?... who's been hiding testicles the entire time

WHY DO YOU ALWAYS CONFUSE ME, JAPAN? ~~...WHY DO I ALWAYS LIKE IT??~~

"IF YOU DON'T LOOK, THIS PRECIOUS MOMENT OF LOVE WILL BE WASTED!"

2011-08-02T19:37:30Z

OURAN.

IT IS EVERYTHING I WANT IT TO BE.

HARUHIIIIIIII. OMG. HARUHI IS PERFECT. *_____* The glasses! The hair! The skepticism! The inevitable makeover!! ♥

Wait, let me pull out a gif, because Tamaki's expression says it all.

FLSDKFJSDKLFSDFJSDF I HAVEN'T SEEN A MAN THIS IN LOVE SINCE THE FIRST TIME I WATCHED THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS AND VIN DIESEL FLEXED HIS MUSCLES IN FRONT OF THE OTHER GUY.

Tamaki is amazing. I knew he would be, because Yamamoto Yusuke is already a fruity little blessing from the glitter gods, but he managed to nail Tamaki like he had NO GREATER PURPOSE IN LIFE. There were sparkles. And dramatic monologues. He snapped his fingers and fangirls instantly had mirrors.

"For us who are born pretty, life isn't easy."

"In order to meet people's expectation, we must strive to be prettier. For example, you must pay attention to which angle you look best at."

"My face viewed from the right side at an angle of 38.5 degrees is the most perfect."

"However, looking from the left side, 42 degrees is perfect."

I LOVE HIM. I LOVE HIM.

HARUHI... DOESN'T. (But she'll get there!)

I LOVE HER. I LOVE HER FACES. I LOVE HER MOMENTS OF BEWILDERMENT. I LOVE THAT SHE SINCERELY DOES NOT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT CLOTHES, GENDER, OR MONEY. SHE HAS THE WHOLE DAMN CLUB BY THE BALLS AND DOESN'T EVEN KNOW IT. HARUHI FOR PRESIDENT. *_____*

My favorite thing about Kyouya? All his updated technology. XD TOTO, WE'RE NOT IN 2003 ANYMORE.

The twins are excellent except for their habit of stealing every scene they're in, EVEN IF THEY'RE JUST IN THE BACKGROUND, thoroughly distracting me from whatever I'm supposed to be looking at.

LOLOLOL HARUHI'S FACE AT "SOME GIRLS REALLY LIKE THE FORBIDDEN LOVE THING." I can't believe they managed to get real life twins for this. Look at them and know THEY ARE REALLY BROTHERS.

You're so fucked up, Japan. MORE MORE MORE.

HONEY AND MORI = ADORABLE, PERFECT, FLAWLESS, ETC. Honey even gets rabbit-shaped sparkles for extra flair!

I SHIP IT. I don't care if they're cousins. There's already canonically teased gay twincest, let me have my cousin OTP.

LOST A WALLET? DON'T WORRY, PRINCE TAMAKI WILL MAKE IT BETTER!

TUMBLR IS HAVING A FIELD DAY WITH THIS SCENE, I V. MUCH APPROVE.

AND THEN EVERYONE ELSE COMES AND IT'S ADORABLE AND AMAZING AND I ALREADY LOVE THEM SO MUCH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

MORI, JUST HANGING OUT AND CATCHING A FISH WITH HIS BARE HANDS. BECAUSE THAT'S HOW HE ROLLS. (My favorite part was the slight pause before he said "...........wrong," like maybe he had to stare really hard to make sure it wasn't just a wallet masquerading as a fish.)

PRETTY HONEY IS PRETTY. ♥

"YOU'RE A GIRL?"

HIS FACE. HIS FACE!

OMG AND HIS FANTASIES FROM THERE ON OUT. OMG LOL. I DON'T KNOW HOW HE MANAGES TO BE SO EMBARRASSING AND YET SO SEXUALLY ATTRACTIVE.

Personally, I hope she never stops crossdressing, because she is really good-looking as a boy, wow. *___*

.........HE BLEW IT UP AND ADDED SPARKLES AND ROSES. AND PROBABLY CUDDLED WITH IT OVERNIGHT. LOL. LOLOLOLOL.

"Don't go stealing other people's pictures without permission!" THE BODY LANGUAGE HERE.

I LOVE ALL THEIR DRAMATIC ENTRANCES. AND EXITS. AND MONOLOGUES. AND POWER POSES. But my favorite part is Haruhi: FOREVER UNIMPRESSED.

I love every single thing about this scene. Tamaki and his idea of stealth, the twins channeling James Bond, Honey and Mori ~~"playing doctor"~~ being perfectly in sync, Kyouya just sitting there sipping his tea.

KYOUYA'S FACE.

NEXT ~~WEEK~~ EP: GLASSES, FANGIRLS, HARUHI IN A BOWTIE, AND HORRIBLY OFFENSIVE YET STRANGELY HYPNOTIZING CULTURAL APPROPRIATION. Until then, I'll be lying on the bed having a post-coital comedown from the sheer awesome that I just watched.

Any hero can take a bullet for his love interest... BUT HOW MANY WILL BECOME A COMMUNIST?

2011-07-24T20:45:20Z

Eps 3 finds our hero in a state of confused longing because he can't stop thinking about Myung Wol. Why is she always on his mind? Is he really falling for her? Why can't he stop seeing her everywhere?

Well, it might be because she's a North Korean spy who has studied romantic movies and decided to implement an elaborate scheme to BECOME EVERY WOMAN HE MEETS. "Make him doubt his own eyes! Why does every woman seem to be you? He'll go crazy."

WELL? ARE YOU IN LOVE YET?

Previously on MWTS, there was surprise kissing! Which just so happened to be recorded by Ryu.

But he doesn't care. At all. Nope.

ROMANCE, NORTH KOREA STYLE.

.............SORRY?

REFLEX.

It was at this point I realized Kang Woo must be a closet masochist. I mean, I love Myung Wol because she's a fiercely badass adoradork who can immobilize her enemies by their pinky fingers, but he doesn't know that. As far as he's concerned she's just a weirdo who constantly stalks him. AND YET HE KEEPS MEETING HER ANYWAY.

It's gotta be love. There's no other explanation.

Kang Woo has a deathly fear of snakes! So Myung Wol decides to plant one. This is seriously the most amazing drama ever.

"IT'S A SNAKE!!"
"They're good survival food when you're stuck in the woods."
".................................."

LOLOLOLOL THIS SCENE. Kang Woo retains his dignity, but barely. You can see in his eyes that he's going OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD.

IS IT GONE??

MW's handlers lurk in the bushes after advising her on her next move. "NO MAN CAN RESIST A WOMAN IN WATER," they say, so she frolics prettily.

GAH. LOOK AT HIM. LOOK AT HER. I NEED SO MANY ICONS.

Myung Wol decides to take the "scene" to the next level... by fake drowning. In water that only comes up to her knees. LOLOLOLOL.

Kang Woo dives in the lake to rescue her!

BUT WAIT!

OHHHHHHH GODDDDDDDDDD!!!

LOLOLOLOLOL. HE PANICS AND STARTS DROWNING HIMSELF. Myung Wol's face is priceless. "WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING HERE?"

And that's the story of how Myung Wol had to save Kang Woo from her own drowning gambit. She can't even pretend to be the damsel in distress.

Having saved his ass... twice... Myung Wol's handlers decide that her schoolgirl cover is just too unbelievable now. (Now?) They instead go to Kang Woo's management and make her his BODYGUARD.

No, it doesn't make sense in context, either. Just look at MW in a suit until critical thought drifts away.

Like all things, Myung Wol takes guard duty seriously. She's with him when he wakes up! She's with him when he works out! She's with him when he checks his abs in the mirror!

Look, we all have to make sacrifices for the motherland.

ALWAYS WATCHING.

Water bottles? Sunlight? Dry cleaning? Nothing will harm Kang Woo on her watch! (The funniest part is that it's supposed to a joke - haha, she's worried about a staple - but then you remember who this is. I BET SHE REALLY COULD KILL SOMEONE WITH IT.)

Case in point: when protesters cause a fuss outside his house, MW is dispatched to take care of them.

Diplomacy!

COME AT HER, BRO!

ada;fsdfljsdf;flsdjflsdfjsdk she took an entire crowd of angry protesters and made them do punishment laps. BEHOLD THE POWER OF HER PEN-STABBING, PINKY-BENDING BADASSERY.

AND THEN SHE TAKES ON BITCHY SECONDARY GIRL. YES YES YES.

YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

NO SERIOUSLY. YOU CAN'T PASS. MYUNG WOL WON'T FUCKING LET YOU. OH, WHAT'S THAT? YOU WANT ANOTHER TASTE OF HER IRON JUSTICE?

She tries to slap Myung Wol three times. And three times she gets shut right the fuck down. HAHAHAHAHA.

There's only one enemy she can't defeat...

Fangirls.

Well, she solved this problem once, right? She faces off the fangirls the same way she dealt with the protesters - aka by treating them like enemy combatants, staring down "the alpha" and declaring her intent to kick ass.

It's just...

It's just that this time...

They aren't backing down.

LOLOLOLOL. North Korean terrorists? No problem! Chain-wielding ninja fighters? Barely a threat! But a hoard of angry teenage fangirls? SHIT, THEY'RE JUST MONSTERS.

However, her defeat does mean she needs new clothes. And her boss is also a hot rich celebrity who will throw money at her while pretending not to. Everybody wins!

Especially me, because I get to see Kang Woo in a bow tie!

Let's just say that if she were a piece of cake, Kang Woo would have failed his diet hard.

adask;ff
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EXCUSE ME WHILE I PICSPAM THIS SCENE FOREVER.

She steps on his toes! He dips her!! *__________*

LOL HE IS SO JEALOUS. He looks like he's at a middle school prom and no one will dance with him. SO SO JEALOUS.

flksdjflajdfskldfjsdkfjsd I think their little almost-smiles here were cuter and hotter and more romantic than anything else in the drama so far. Also? EYE CONTACT. Hnnnnnnnnnnnggggg.

Then he ruins it by answering his phone in the middle of a song. Lol, what?

He rushes out, and Myung Wol takes off after him. But secondary girl STEPS ON HER DRESS! Oh no she didn't. OH YES SHE DID.

Awesome Myung Wol Moment #283635353: she stops, stares, looks at secondary girl, looks at her dress, and then finishes ripping it and leaves. She has more important things to worry about.

"What happened to your dress?"
"Um."

Ryu continues to brutally crush any hint of human emotion, which is hilarious and weirdly adorable because he has to be the most repressed secondary guy ever. I mean, he goes way beyond your standard kdrama-third-wheel-unrequited-gazing-from-afar-guy. This dude is so repressed and self-denying he is literally from North Korea. And now he has FEELINGS.

His idea of checking up on her? Throwing a dagger at her head while she's looking off into space. I. I just. THIS GUY.

YOU PROBABLY CAN'T TELL FROM CAPS BUT HIS EYEBROW KINDA TWITCHES HERE. IT'S A BIG DEAL.

Myung Wol practices being a girl.

"Oppa? Oppa. O~ppa! Oppa~~!"

LOL, YOU AND ME BOTH.

"Oppa~!"
".............Call me oppa again and you're dead."

They're on set for Kang Woo's new movie, and they JUST SO HAPPEN to need a stunt double, and Myung Wol JUST SO HAPPENS to have these skills, and seriously I couldn't love this drama anymore if I tried. IT'S SO RIDICULOUS. IT DOESN'T EVEN TRY TO BE REAL.

"Well, we could take the time to make this scene plausible... or we could put Han Ye Seul on a rooftop! With a mask! And make her FLY!"

IT'S A BIRD! IT'S A PLANE! IT'S THE PLOT TOTALLY FLYING AWAY!

"You."

OMO!

LOOK, KIDS ARE ADORABLE, OKAY?

2011-07-23T20:28:28Z

So... you know Zenkai Girl, that drama I've been making fun of since it was first announced? The one with the stupid premise and horrible promos?

Yeah.

I watched it.

...

Does anyone have some crow I can eat?

Fabulous heroine, hot love interest(s), adorable kids, hijinks balanced with family drama, awesome ladies running all over the place (including a hilarious five-year-old girl who is basically a tiny hair-flipping version of Genghis Khan), and oh did I mention the OTP has ALREADY ACHIEVED KISSING?

I can't believe I'm saying this about a drama I used to mock so relentlessly. But... IT'S REALLY KIND OF AWESOME.

Wakaba is a smart, ambitious law student who graduated at the top of her class and dreams of becoming an international lawyer. She wants it all - wealth, fame, beauty, success.

Her secret? She grew up poor and has worked her ass off to get where she is. She lives in a tiny one-room apartment filled with law books and fueled by daydreams. She fantasizes about wealth and fame and private jets, and goddamnit, no one is going to stop her!

Except maybe this girl.

See, Wakaba lost her first job before it even began, when the company that hired her bottomed out. She wound up throwing herself at the nearest firm and praying for mercy before its God - a high-powered lady BAMF.

SAY HELLO TO THE HBIC. \o/

Lady Boss tells Wakaba that she'll hire her, but it'll cost a personal favor. She needs someone to babysit her daughter until the regular nanny comes back in three months. Does Wakaba have what it takes?

NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST.

Hinata is basically a tiny version of her mother, aka Tyra Banks meets Vlad the Impaler. She's only five, but she's already smarter and more self-assured than most adults... and she knows it.

HINATA: NOT GIVING A FUCK SINCE 2011.

Wakaba tries really, really hard to be a good babysitter. Does she secretly love kids and want to save Hinata from her rich but lonely upbringing? NOT REALLY. She just wants that fucking jet.

I really can't explain how totally awesome Wakaba is. She's like... part BOSS, part SPEC, and part Yankumi. She wears track suits and power suits equally. She's been working toward her dream since before she wore a training bra. She threatens people when lawsuits when she gets flustered.

Wakaba's "I can't believe everyone around me is such a moron" face.

Wakaba's effect on children.

Wakaba mentally ranking the men at work and strategically flirting with the most eligible bachelor. XD

What other people see...

WHAT WAKABA SEES.

This is Shota, a relaxed, fun-loving SAHD. He's completely at odds with Wakaba's type-A personality... could they be the OTP?!?!

He encourages fun! She thinks he's a loser! But his son just so happens to be the tiny little OTP of Hinata's heart, so their fate was sealed from the first fake nipple.

SO CUTE.

Also, surprisingly effective at breaking your heart. ;____;

Shota's son isn't actually his own - his ex-wife just ran off and left him in Shota's care. I'm telling you this because you'll eventually ship them all as one big happy family, and you should know it's totally okay because no one is actually related.

THAT IS NOT AN "OUR-FAKE-KIDS-ARE-IN-LOVE-AND-WE'RE-JUST-ALONG-FOR-THE-RIDE" LOOK. That is an "oh my god you are so amazing and I think you should marry me" look.

Seriously, it takes Shota all of five minutes to fall in love with her. He doesn't care that she's rude and pushy and direct, he LIKES it. He thinks it's amazing that she's so "honest." I APPROVE OF HIS APPROVAL.

Case in point: Wakaba gets drunk, calls him out, and they get into a long-winded argument about kissing, which ends with Wakaba declaring "a kiss doesn't have to mean anything" and LAYING ONE ON HIM TO PROVE IT.

Yes, she GRABS HIS HAIR and reels him in and he's totally helpless to stop it. HAHAHAHAHA.

CHANGE YOUR UNDERWEAR, GIRL, CAUSE LOVE IS HERE.

And hey, if they don't work out, there's always Hot Bachelor.

darkeyedwolf @ 2011-07-21T16:01:00

2011-07-21T20:57:42Z

OKAY.

FORGET EVERYTHING ELSE.

TWO EPS INTO MYUNG WOL THE SPY AND IT IS LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Have you ever laid awake at night and thought, all I really need in life is a zany action comedy about a female North Korean spy under orders to marry the hottest chest-baring celebrity of South Korea and make him defect to the glory of the motherland?

BECAUSE IF SO.

IF SO.

THAT DREAM CAN COME TRUE.

Two eps - just two eps! - and we've already had bickering, kissing, explosions, bedside visits, secret identity hijinks, and one very memorable masquerade ball interrupted by rappelling chain-wielding ninjas.

Also, the hero is shirtless.

A lot.

And the heroine kicks people in the face.

And...

*brain explodes from awesome*

EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH THIS.

This is Myung Wol. She's a highly trained North Korean agent who can fuck you up with a pen.

Unfortunately, her orders are to marry the target, which leaves her somewhat at a loss.

It should be noted that when she gets her orders (seduce, marry, convert) she looks at her superior and goes, "Can't I just kill him instead? Or blow something up?"

OUR HEROINE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. :D :D :D

This is Kang Woo, the hottest singing/dancing/acting sensation in South Korea. How hot, you may ask? Well, let's just say he can't even wear shirts because they would spontaneously combust on his skin, so UNFORTUNATELY FOR EVERYONE he just goes half-naked most of the time.

It's very unfortunate. Very.

YES, THESE ARE ALL RELEVANT. ALL OF THEM. Eeeeeeevery drop.

Kang Woo is so hot and so fabulous that he doesn't have time for lesser mortals (aka anyone not himself or his own reflection in a mirror). This puts him at direct odds with Myung Wol, whose career literally depends on him.

So she just stalks him.

She needs his autograph (long story) but he refuses to give it. She reacts by FOLLOWING HIM THROUGH THE ENTIRE CITY OF SINGAPORE, chasing him on stolen motorbikes, using her belt to bungee-jump over stairs. When she finally catches him, she demands an autograph by THREATENING HIM WITH BODILY HARM. LOLOLOLOLOL.

"If you don't give me your autograph in five seconds I'll use force."
"Force??"
"5. 4. Are you right-handed?"
"What?"
"3. 2. I don't want to hurt the hand used for signing."
"Shut up. Give me a pen. Give me. I'll sign."
"If you had agreed in the first place, we wouldn't have wasted time."

"Isn't this much better than a signature? Treat it as a wonderful memory."

"And don't follow me anymore!"

Next stop: a masquerade ball! Myung Wol pretends to be a valet and steals a random woman's car and dress (later in the scene you see a middle-aged white lady wandering around in a pink shift, telling the police "SHE'S HERE SOMEWHERE!").

She can't dance at all, it's hilarious. And she spends the whole time craning her neck and looking for Kang Woo, who looks really good even in a glittery feathery mask, it must be said.

IT'S OKAY, GIRL, I WOULD LOOK TOO.

She eventually finds him on the roof (and pulls a pen out of her bra!!! ALWAYS BE PREPARED) but before she can get that damned autograph... THE NINJAS COME.

SHIT, DON'T YOU HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS?

Okay, so, this is pretty much the most awesome scene ever. Chains? Karate? Myung Wol handles it all without even dirtying her dress. She even uses her pen as a weapon. TAKE NOTE, RAPPELLING CHAIN-WIELDING NINJAS OF THE NIGHT. YOU HAVE MET YOUR MATCH.

Her only mistake... was not realizing the ninjas were actually her fellow agents undercover. And that guy she nailed with a pen was her direct superior. OOPS.

In Myung Wol's life, screwing up at work doesn't mean a typo. It means accidentally skewering your boss.

UNFFFFFFFFFFFF. His name escapes me, but I think Hot Superior covers it. Does anyone remember Powerful Opponents? Yeah, he aged well.

I'm pretty sure he has a thing for Myung Wol, too. He's very serious and focused, almost antagonistic, but then he turns around and praises her and defends her and worries about her safety.

As her superior, of course.

Awww, isn't it sweet? And then you remember you're rooting for the success of a North Korean agent who goes around calling people "comrade"......... errrrrr.

Myung Wol's next attempt is to dress as a schoolgirl and infiltrate Kang Woo's movie set. Of course, because this is them, they wind up arguing and something explodes.

DO YOU HEAR THE SIZZLING? BECAUSE I DO.

When she wakes up in the hospital he wastes no time in telling her not to expect anything. "Just because you saved my life, do you think I'll agree to whatever you want?" He doesn't recognize her from before and calls her "student" (lololol, she's 30).

"I will always remember your face," he says, and leaves.

LOL.

Myung Wol makes one last attempt to fix her mistake, except it can only be done by scaling his porch (!) and breaking into his house (!!!). And then he comes home early.

I THINK HIS SPIDEY SENSES ARE TELLING HIM SOMETHING.

LOLOLOLOL.

I JUST...

I CAN'T EVEN...

THIS SCENE...

LOLOLOLOLOLOL.

He still doesn't recognize her. He thinks she's just a really, really devoted fan. "Do you really think a big star like me could fall in with an ordinary high school student? I think you've been reading too many manhwa. ...Are you from a chaebol family, though?"

He's thinking about how unsuitable she is for a wonderful guy like him. She's thinking about how she'd like to break his neck. HAHAHAHAHA.

This is the scene where she's ordered to marry him. "You might as well let me kill him!"

BUT NO, THIS HAPPENS INSTEAD. :DV

fklsdjfsdkfjsdf I have so much more to say about this drama but this entry is getting huge. JUST KNOW IT'S AWESOME, HILARIOUS, AMAZING, PERFECT, ETC AND EVERYONE SHOULD BE WATCHING IT, BECAUSE I NEED MORE SQUEE BUDDIES.

"What is the point in such a sad story?"

2011-07-20T19:42:13Z

And now for something completely depressing!

I've picked up Soredemo Ikite Yuku and it's easily the best drama I've seen in awhile. Very emotional, very gloomy and full of tragic things, but also superbly written and acted and filmed. Like, it's one of those dramas that is just quality.

The story is about two people connected through a murder - the victim's older brother and the killer's younger sister. Fifteen years later, the murderer is released from prison and both of them are drawn back together for doom, despair, revenge, confessions, family secrets, and POSSIBLY deliciously conflicted romance (oh please oh please drama gods).

And that's all I can say without being spoilery, so now I'll take it behind the cut.

This is Aki-chan. She was out flying her kite in 1996 when a teenage boy bludgeoned her to death with a hammer and threw her body in the lake.

You don't actually see anything, but somehow that makes it worse. Like when her father notices her kite flying from a distance, and suddenly, for no reason he can fathom, it goes limp and starts drifting to the ground... D: D: D:

This is EITA! *___* Hiroki.

Hiroki is scruffy, self-loathing recluse who still manages to be adorable, like when he sits all alone on the docks eating a bland breakfast because he subconsciously hates himself and has stripped his life of all pleasures... and then his pants ride up and you see these RANDOM COLORED SOCKS.

It's like Eita can't not be cute. Even when he's not trying.

Hiroki has lots of issues, starting with the fact he's 29 and lives with his dying father and has never had a relationship with a woman. Ever. He was supposed to be watching Aki-chan the day she was murdered, but instead he was off buying dirty magazines, which led to guilt and hallucinations (!!!) and probably the most twisted puberty ever.

His entire life fell apart that day - his sister gone, his family broken, his future ruined. And he was looking at Titty Tiffany when it happened.

Say it with me: issues.

This is Futaba, the killer's younger sister. For fifteen years she and her family have basically lived in exile, always moving, always stigmatized by her brother's crime. She grew up awkward and alone and depressed and slightly suicidal. In her own words, "I don't want to die, I just don't want to live."

Well, as long as that's clear.

Fifteen years after the murder, Futaba appears at Hiroki's place...

... and despite a shared history of doom and gloom and child death, THEY'RE SOMEHOW REALLY CUTE TOGETHER?

They're both such awkward maladjusted rejects, omg. They have no idea how to deal with each other. Their convos are full of ums and ers and nervous energy. Of course, they also have to deal with the whole "my brother bludgeoned your 7 year old sister to death" thing.

Especially when it's revealed that Killer Bro has been released from prison.

THE PICTURE HE DREW IN LOCK UP. D:

Outraged and vengeful, Hiroki cuts his hair and starts carrying around a knife. I'm sure a psycho child killer is shaking in his boots at the thought of a skinny prematurely gray 29-year-old-virgin Rambo... but whatever. SHIRTLESS SCENE! Woohoo! \o/

He hates her brother! She defends his innocence! He gets mad and tries to strangle her! You know, the usual.

"DO YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW AKI FELT?!"

Instead of fighting, she tells him to GO AHEAD AND KILL HER. She actually laughs about it when she promises not to haunt him.

Her attitude makes perfect sense when she drops the bombshell that HER BROTHER TRIED TO KILL HER WHEN THEY WERE KIDS. All those times she was defending his innocence? She knew he'd done it. All those letters she kept from prison? SHE KNEW HE WAS GUILTY.

"If I had died at that time, maybe Aki-chan might not have had to."

AS;AKDASDF;SDFFJSDLFJSDLFJD

Meanwhile, Killer Bro is enjoying his freedom by hanging out with new little girls and nursing strange bloody injuries on his hands.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?

Basically, this drama is crazy and emotional and perfect and I'm already shipping the leads like burning. MOREMOREMORE.