Hiatus

I’m sorry, dear readers and friends, but real life is placing demands on me that require all my attention, so I’m going on hiatus(a blogging break) for at least the rest of July, probably more depending on how things work out. Stay well, and stay in love with Asian entertainment!

PS. I’m still updating my Twitter, so come follow if you want!

Partner Episodes 1-2

I like Partner. Granted, it’s not quite as witty as I expected, or as centered on the relationship between Kim Hyun Joo and Lee Dong Wook’s characters in a romantic way, but it’s charming and enjoyable thus far.

Brief synopsis: Kim Hyun Joo is a newbie lawyer who clashes with her partner. She cares for the innocent and tries to help them whereas Lee Dong Wook doesn’t see his clients as actual people but treats them as a business deal.

Overview:

Kang Eun Ho(Kim Hyun Joo), a widowed single parent and rookie lawyer, gets accepted a law firm in Seoul, and promptly packs up her son and all her possessions and moves to Seoul, leaving behind her grandfather, who taught her everything she knows about law and for reasons unexplained is sliding more and more into alcoholism(he’s clearly able to take care of himself however; there’s no implication that Eun Ho is being careless or unloving to leave him there).  Once there, however, it turns out that not only is the law firm she’s been accepted to a small, struggling one, but that none of the employees there welcome her, and indeed when she first gets there the firm’s Representative is about to cave to the pressure from his underlings and back out of hiring her. Halfway through the conversation, however, he has a brilliant idea: what better way to placate both Eun Ho and the other lawyers than assign her their most recent, impossible-to-win case, one involving a boy accused of killing his stepsister? The evidence, while mostly circumstantial, is highly convincing against the boy, and Eun Ho is sure to lose, especially as a rookie lawyer. He gives Eun Ho the case and tells her that if she wins he will hire her, and tells the other lawyers that she’s sure to lose so they’ll have her off their hands soon enough.

Eun Ho, meanwhile, is assigned to a desk in Lee Tao Jo(Lee Dong Wook)’s office, and the Representative assigns Tao Jo, as an experienced lawyer, to assist her on the case. Tao Jo and Eun Ho get off on the wrong foot almost immediately, mostly on Tao Jo’s side as he finds her a drag.

Characters:

Eun Ho: I realized, after watching the first two episodes of this drama, that I was subconsciously expecting Han Hyu Joo to reprise her fierce, graceful role as Jun-pyo’s butt-kicking sister in Boys Before Flowers here, but that was a mistaken assumption. I was rather taken aback actually, because the drama starts with her appearing in much this role – she is teaching boxing to a group of teenage miscreants and soundly defeating all of them while berating them between blows on their delinquent ways – but soon after switches and shows her instead as naive and idealistic and not exactly confrontational. She’s stubborn, and tends to bull ahead with what she wants sometimes because she’s so sure that she’s right, but she doesn’t take offence easily and puts up with a lot from her fellow lawyers, particularly her “partner” Tao Jo. Two things about her character:

1)she weathers things well, which after thinking about I think is a good representation of her age and position in life – she’s a middle-aged mother, not a teenager or 20-something to be swept by every mood and passion that strikes her – she takes all the nonsense that Tao Jo throws at her and his bad attitude in general with frustration but without resentment or lasting anger

2)I find the idealistic/naive side of her rather a disappointment, given how many stories we’ve seen of young rookie idealists who sail in and magically change the legal system or win some major case on the basis of their heart. I was hoping that Eun Ho would be a tough-as-nails, ball-busting, coolly competent lawyer with a heart of gold and a heart for people, who uses those exact traits and tactics to stand up for them, instead of the naivete wrapped in good intentions with which she actually stands up for them.  I mean, I haven’t seen an interesting do-good lawyer character since Matt Damon in The Rainmaker or Rani Mukerjee in Veer-Zaara – we’ve been there and done that and this type of character has lost its flavor and originality, not that it possessed that much to begin with. Not that Eun Ho is annoying at all, however – she’s not particularly up on a high horse and Hyun Joo brings a lot of humanity and warmth to her, I’m just a bit disappointed because I think they could have taken the character in a different direction, especially given the actress’s potential.

(one of his rare moments of actual deeper emotion)

Tao Jo: Again, not really what I expected, but not necessarily in a bad way. I assumed that Partner would be one of those dramas about two equals meeting, sparring, dancing around each other inside the courtroom and out(since they’re lawyers) and ultimately falling in love. But Partner, instead, is clearly going to be one of those woman-changes-the-man and makes him grow up kind of dramas, because Tao Jo is a highly immature character at this point in his life.  He is an irreverent playboy who views his profession for the most part as a mere past-time and skates through both life and the law on looks, charm, and a quick tongue. It’s not that we haven’t seen playboy characters before, but when we have they tend to be more of the uber-successful, wealthy type – Tao Jo, while mostly successful in his cases, is working for a struggling firm and is far outshined by the firm’s main star, Yoo Mi Yun(Choi Su Ri). He seems less like a man who takes life lightly because he’s good at everything he does than like a boy who hasn’t quite grown up yet. However, adding interest to his character is the requisite Tragic Past, so necessary for every kdrama hero and heroine, which in his case consists of having witnessed some kind of traumatic death at first hand and of being estranged from his father and brother, having left his father’s law firm some time ago for reasons which aren’t yet clear. He is also half in love(it’s unclear yet whether it’s serious, but at the moment it seems like a boy’s crush on an older, more confident woman) with Mi Yun, who is unknown to him also having an affair with his married brother.

The episode itself: (must cut this short since it’s past my bedtime)

Newsbites

It’s been a while since I did this.

-Lady Castle has been renamed as Take Care of Agasshi and stars Yoon Eun Hye(duh), Yoon Sang Hyun of Queen of Housewives as the butler with whom she falls in love, and Jung Il Woo of Return of Iljimae as her rich, icy fiance(bummer. I was really hoping prettiness Woo would be the drama lead. But Sang Hyun looks decently good-looking and at least he’s not a drama newb so we shall see)

-The trailer for China’s version of Boys Before Flowers came out-

and, as one of my friends so succinctly put it, “It makes Korean BOF looks like a masterpiece but you know what is sad? I am going to be watching this. It’s nice to see, however, that we have a clear winner for the most unattractive F4 (pardon me, H4) ever.”

-The trailer for high-profile Lee Byung Hyun/Kim Tae Hee/half the big-name stars in the K-entertainment world-starring upcoming drama Iris has finally come out English-subbed it in high quality.

-Brilliant Legacy’s most recent episode(22) hit the 40.1% mark, making it officially a huge success.

And, in honor of that, here is a delightful MV someone made.

Spring Waltz, eps 3-5

Spring Waltz is beautifully shot, carefully arranged, filmed in stunning locations around the world and set to hauntingly lovely classical and indie music(Loveholic’s “One Love” is the main theme). It is so sophisticated and restrained, in fact, that I am sick to death of it. Spring Waltz is so consumed with how it looks and feels that it forgets about the part where it’s supposed to draw viewers into the plot and lives of the characters portrayed. You get the feeling that Yoon Suk-Ho, the drama PD, was so focused on the surface aspects of this film, on painstakingly creating a beautiful look and sound – which he succeeds at so well(filming locations include picturesque, snow-drenched Salzburg and Hallstat in Austria) – that he forgot to put emotional heat and heart into the film, with the result that it feels like a still canvas, a painting – beautiful to look at, but not alive. His characters seem almost like puppets, wandering on and off screen without any clear idea where they are or why they’re here. There’s a deep sense of disorientation in the drama’s first few episodes, springing partially from the fact that all the characters are in Austria, a place not native to them – but instead of being a symbolic echo of the characters’ sense of dislocation, as other works such as Lost in Translation have done succesfully, the disorientation feels at once overt and unintentional. It’s as if, in trying to tell us that his characters are lonely and emotionally locked away, Yoon Suk-Ho instead makes us also feel the chill of that winter, so that instead of feeling sympathy or empathy with his characters we just get gradually depressed. Such at least was my impression after watching the first 5 episodes.

And who could blame him? you say. Yoon Suk-Ho, who almost single-handedly launched the Korean wave with Winter Sonata and Autumn Fairy Tale, famed drama PD, of immeasurable renown…and that I think is exactly the problem. He got complacent – became so fixated on bringing out certain facets and aspects of this fourth drama in his Seasons quartet – especially the theme of winter versus spring – that it was some time before he got around to realizing that he should be bringing his characters, not just their setting, to life. If I could meet him, I would tell him in one sentence what he needs to do: Stop being so clever and get on with the story.  It doesn’t help that all the actors, with the exception of Daniel Henney(and don’t even get me started on his acting ability/screen presence) are relative newbies and clearly didn’t quite know what they were doing(I’m watching Han Hyo-Joo in the currently-airing Brilliant Legacy as well and I assure you, the difference is incredible, and lies not just in the difference in her roles – she grew a lot as an actress). It’s not that any of the actors are terrible – in fact Han Hyo-Joo seems just fine so far -but Seo Do-Young as lead Jae Ha/Su Ho possesses all the expressionless reserve and icy calm of the traditional emotionally cut-off hero(who will be opened up by heroine) without any of the saving graces of charisma or extreme good looks(he’s pretty, but in an extremely boyish way, and not exceptionally so). While Daniel Henney…well, I said I wouldn’t talk about him, so I won’t. Let me just say that I personally find him annoying as both an actor and a character, and I cringe whenever he comes onscreen.

However, I think I’ve talked myself into sounding like I dislike Spring Waltz more than I do. I don’t hate Spring Waltz. I don’t even really dislike it so far. It’s more that I’m disappointed in it – I am disappointed in its pace, its lack of forward plot movement and chemistry and fire between the leads. But Spring Waltz isn’t all bad – I really really like the set-up: an icy genius pianist who finds his childhood love again and falls for her outgoing, warm personality – and I’m interested enough in all the great possibilites of that set-up, as well as a few hints of future things the drama has dropped – to keep going, even after 5 episodes of boredom. Which must say something. And it’s not that the beautiful setting and soundtrack detract from it, on the contrary they’re one of the few things keeping me going. I just wish I didn’t have to fall back on them. For now, the verdict is still out.

Spring Waltz

I’ll get around to re-capping Shining Inheritance episode 22 eventually, but for now, I started watching Spring Waltz as a way to assuage my Shining Inheritance withdrawal until next weekend comes around. Spring Waltz bears no similarity to Shining Inheritance whatsoever except that it stars Han Hyo Joo, but I need me a fix of something Brilliant-Legacy-related and it comes highly recommended from friends. It’s the last of the Four Seasons series by director Yoon Suk-Ho(the others being Winter Sonata, Autumn Fairy Tale, and Summer Scent), and stars Han Hyo Joo and Seo Do-Young, who is currently playing in Hyun Bin’s Friend, Our Legend.

Episode 1 recap:

Eun Young(Han Hyo Joo) is a poor Korean with designer dreams who arrives in Vienna, Austria to take a look around the museums. On her flight there she strikes up a conversation with her seatmate, Yi Na, who tells her that she’s going to Vienna to see a friend whom she hasn’t seen in 15 years but whose memory she has always cherished. She shows Eun Young an article on her friend, Jae Ha, in a magazine and boasts that he will quickly become famous. In Vienna, Yi Na goes to see Jae Ha, a cold, brilliant concert pianist, but he doesn’t even remember her. The only childhood memory he cherishes is that of Eun Young, whom he knew for a brief, poignant period in middle school but afterward lost track of. Jae Ha’s manager(Daniel Henney), befriends Eun Young when he finds her wandering around Vienna rather at a loss, and gives her a ticket to come to Jae Ha’s concert in Salzburg the next day. Jae Ha and Eun Young end up sharing the same train booth on their way from Salzburg to Vienna, and Jae Ha, to his surprise, finds himself drawn to her when she reminds him of his childhood friend. At the concert, Eun Young is shocked to the find that the man she traveled with is actually the pianist she’s come to see perform, and quietly leaves, feeling embarrassed over having been rude to him. Jae Ha tells the audience that because of a childhood memory that came back to him today, he’ll play a special encore piece. Eun Young hears it as she goes down the stairs outside, and quietly sits down as the music takes her back into her memories.

______________________________________

Episodes 2 and 3 are mostly dreadfully boring childhood flashbacks, so I won’t go into that(I’m glad someone told me this was good, because I think otherwise I would have given up on this by now). However, I expect it to pick up once the present-day romance starts, and at least it’s highlighted by exquisite cinematography – the colors remind me of nothing so much as the classic French film Amelie, all gold and green and vivid shades.

Random episode 2 cap:

Random episode 2 quote:
“I’m bad and it’s my fault so don’t hurt anymore.”

Random episode 3 cap:

Random episode 3 quote:

“To me, it ok if you’re a gangster. It’s ok if you’re a liar. And even if you did’t come back from the US, I don’t care. Oppa, you’re just my Oppa.”

Shining Inheritance/Brilliant Legacy Ep 21 Recap

The romance in this one finally hit “boiling”. To be honest, this hasn’t been one of my favorite episodes so far, apart from the romance. In fact, I thought it downright dragged and was rather boringly repetitive of all the same tropes the drama has already been relying on…until the end. Oh, until the end. Which shot like a glorious lightning bolt out of the dark:)

Watch episode 21 eng-subbed on Viikii

Recap and comments(highly spoilery) follow.

Kim Bum and Kim So-Eun Dating?

Hot off the Popseoul presses – evidence strongly suggests that Kim Bum and Kim So-Eun are a campus couple! Heeee!!!! You know, I adored them both in Boys Before Flowers, but I wasn’t a rabid fan until after the drama, when looking back they were one of the highlights of that addicting mess. It would be too adorable for words if this is true:) Also, they’d hands-down win the award for most photogenic young couple ever(apart from Vic Zhou and Barbie Hsu, of course…).

and, because I love em-

Shining Inheritance/Brilliant Legacy

Shining Inheritance hit over 40% with its most recent episodes:) I have to say, I’m quite proud of this baby. It’s not exceptional, but it is very very good, and it has all the charm and accessability of a Boys Before Flowers storyline without any of the gigantic screwups/melodrama that dragged that story down.

You know, I personally don’t find Bae Soon Bin’s character Junse compelling at all in this drama, but I’d be excited to see him in other roles. See following picture for proof positive of his um, acting potential.

I thought this sequence of caps was hilarious – the first is an actual scene from the drama and the next is a behind-the-scenes

Aw. So adorable!! The more I see of the actors behind this drama the more I like them, particularly Lee Seung Gi.

And here, in one cap, is why Eun-seung and Hwan are both meant to be together and the cutest couple ever . Matching expressions!

You can watch online on Viikii or download the RAWS from Aja-aja and the softsubs from D-Addicts

Shining Inheritance Episode 20 Recap

(credit for cap to sodahands at Livejournal)

You know, Shining Inheritance just keeps getting better:) This episode was particularly satisfying because the romance/shippiness between Eun-seung and Hwan has heated up to “simmering” now – below boiling but above warm.

Watch episode 20 subbed online

Shining Inheritance Episode 19

Behind-the-scenes from first episode:

Another strong episode:) You know, Shining Inheritance had one of the slowest romantic build-ups I’ve ever seen in a drama, pulling us through with tiny, teasing, delightful tid-bits and really great characterizations, but now that the romance finally has hit its stride, it was well worth waiting for. After all that Eun-Seung and Hwan have been through, hurting each other, rejecting each other, tolerating each other, occasionally reaching out and showing the other that they’re a decent person, it’s so frelling satisfying to finally see them seeing each other with new eyes, making tiny, hesitant advances toward having a positive relationship instead of a negative, and the once-an-episode, amazing out-and-out romantic, chemistry-laden scenes that are dished out now and then(the bus scene from last weekend! mm!!). Shining Inheritance isn’t one of those dramas that you want necessarily to go shout from the rooftops and tell everyone to watch immediately(ie Coffee Prince). But it is one of the most thoroughly and consistently enjoyable dramas I’ve seen in a long time, and definitely one I’d recommend that everyone see at some point.

Watch ep 19 on Viikii