I’m seeing conflicting reports on which SBS drama will follow Faith on Mon-Tues. Some sites list The Great Seer, others list King of Dramas, and some sites list both as SBS Mon-Tues dramas. Clearly something has to give, and despite what I wrote earlier, I think logically The Great Seer ought to be a Wed-Thurs drama to follow To The … Continue reading →
I don’t know why but episode 7 of Miss Rose felt like something intangible was missing. I was hoping that the return of Si Yi’s ex-boyfriend would speed up the narrative but instead the entire episode felt like nothing much happened. I’m not sure anything substantive can happen yet, because Cheng Kuan can’t exactly tell Si Yi how he feels … Continue reading →
Rich Man, Poor Woman is trying its best to drive me insane. When it’s good, it’s ridiculously good. When it wants to be frustrating, it can be so damn frustrating I want to pull my hair out. Which is not good, because I like my hair and a bald Koala would frighten young children. Episode 10 was interesting, and I … Continue reading →
Another year, another edition of Vogue Magazine’s Fashion Night Out, a celebrity call to shopping if you will. I posted about 2011’s FNO in Taiwan, and 2012’s affair is even more glittering and star-studded. The celebrity pictorial follows the same concept of “one t-shirt, many styles”, with each celeb told to add their personalized touches to a simple logo cotton … Continue reading →
New drama alert! Upcoming SBS sageuk The Great Seer (Daepyongsoo) has finally started filming as the cast gathered together for a script reading session. The drama is slated for 36-episodes airing on Mon-Tues after Faith, which on the long side of primetime dramas but much shorter than the usual weekend sageuk epics. It’s amusingly apropos for this drama to follow … Continue reading →
I can only describe the new Rainie Yang mini-movie filmed for her new single “Wishing for Happiness” in two words – stunning and exquisite. This is what Taiwan productions are capable of outside the cute fluffy idol dramas I typically watch. It’s gutsy and earnest, modern and fresh. The story is pretty much a twist on Chasing Amy, still Kevin … Continue reading →
I think melodramas are the backbone of dramas. Whereas some other genres can thrive in other mediums, such as novels or mangas or movies, the live action extended period visual medium lends itself almost perfectly to the notion of a story that comes across as intense and protracted. Issues need time to simmer and stew, feelings need time to foment … Continue reading →
I’m still shaking my head at the inexplicable success of The Magic Blade (Tian Ya Ming Yue Dao) this summer in reviving the pure wuxia genre in C-dramas, because that drama was so crack-a-doodle and nothing like its source material the Gu Long novel that the result was like watching William Hung sing “She Bangs” on American Idol. The collective psyche … Continue reading →
I have to confess that watching Oguri Shun in Rich Man, Poor Woman does things to my ovaries. Yes, scientifically speaking I shouldn’t be able to actually feel any movement in my ovaries, but lately they have been speaking to me. When Shun shows up onscreen as Hyuga Toru, my ovaries fairly screech “OMG, I want to have that man’s … Continue reading →
Is there something in the water in Taiwan, or are Taiwanese celebs suddenly super affectionate with their same-gender pals? Following on the heels of James Wen and Chris Wang smooching three times to pay off a bet for the box office success of The Fierce Wife movie, this past weekend Ariel Lin presented an award to her good friend Rainie … Continue reading →
This is about as high wattage as it gets for movie premieres in South Korea. The upcoming Joseon-era sageuk movie Gwanghae: The Man Who Became King (English title Masquerade) starring Lee Byung Hun, Han Hyo Joo, and Ryu Seung Ryong held its star-stubbed movie premiere in Seoul this week which was attended by a veritable who’s who of actors young … Continue reading →
After the intensity and roller coaster of revelations and betrayals, episode 9 of Rich Man, Poor Woman was like a soft warm sweater that wraps up poor battered Hyuga in some comfort and security. Old habits die hard, and Hyuga was already a prickly loner who didn’t have much interpersonal trust when he met Asahina, but after what he just … Continue reading →
Episode 6 of Miss Rose felt rather like a transition episode. I’ve just been so swamped and mentally fried the recap was parked somewhere in my brain for longer than usual, but watching it later again confirmed the episode had tons of sweetness and great plot reveals. I think it’s pointless to look too deeply into TW-dramas, the best ones … Continue reading →