This blog is not spoiler free.

Read at your own peril.

Qing is such a good character! I love how she grows and develops during the series, and her crush on Suzhen is amazing. She really grows into her own. 

Legend of the White Snake Review

Recently I had a bought of something I refer to as “subtitle fatigue” where I just stop watching dramas or anime and instead gravitating toward shows made in America. This time I cooled down by watching Haven and The Boys. Now that my subtitle fatigue is over, let’s talk about Legend of the White Snake. 

I went into this show knowing that it was inspired by an old folktale, but I recently found out that it was an adaptation of a series that released in the 90s. I have neither read nor watched either of these, but I did want to acknowledge that they exist. 

The story itself is about a white snake who has achieved enough cultivation that she is able to take on the appearance of a beautiful young woman. Her name is Bai Suzhen, and she wishes to achieve enlightenment. However, in order to do this, she needs to experience what it is like to be a human. She eventually settles down in the town of Lin’an and meets Xu Xian, a young physician. 

It does not take long for these two to fall in love. 

And they are so sweet it gives me cavities. 

It truly is a love story for the ages, and I can totally see (if this is in all versions) why it has endured through the ages. Because the audience knows from the start that she is a snake demon and he is a mortal man, it is fun to play around with the star-crossed lover’s angle, and I love it. Most of the plot revolves around their love story and the people who desire to ruin their perfectly innocent romance. 

The characters of Suzhen and Hanwen (Xu Xian’s nickname) are actually pretty interesting. Suzhen is aware of her strength and uses it to protect him and his family at every turn, but she is also stubborn and disinclined to let him do the same for her. Hanwen himself is an actual sweetheart, and I legitimately can’t imagine him hurting a fly. In fact, in a cast of cute characters, these two are the ones that probably change the least (though they do change) simply because they are already good people with positive goals. Be happy, help others, protect your loved ones. 

The side characters that surround them are also engaging because of how much they change in response to Hanwen and Suzhen’s paragon-ness. Qing is the most important, in my opinion, because she is Suzhen’s closest friend, and helps her achieve all of her goals. Qing is a green snake that Suzhen meets shortly after arriving in Lin’an, and after some shenanigans, she decides to follow Suzhen like a little sister. Qing goes through heartbreak and grows into a mature adult, instead of the reckless child she began the series as. It’s quite nice to see her grow~ 

Two other characters of note are Hanwen’s sister Jiaorong and her husband Gongfu, who are very genuine to watch. It is clear that they love their brother and only want what is best for him, but they also want him to stay safe. It is very charming to see them worry about whether he married a man-eating demon or not. XD

The last side character I want to mention is Hanwen’s childhood friend Ruyi, who I literally can’t stand. It is one thing to have a love rival. It is one thing to have a childish character who is close to the main family. But I literally can’t stand it when serviceable rival characters just don’t understand the word “no” and continue their stalkerish tendencies to death. There is no man (or woman) alive worth ruining yourself for, I promise. She does redeem herself in the end, but I’ll admit that I was glad when she was removed from the series. 

All in all, Legend of the White Snake is a fantastic series with engaging characters, a cute love story, a plot that makes sense all the way through, and a satisfying ending. Definitely give it a shot if any of this sounds interesting to you. 

Happy Viewing!

Real Thoughts on Because this is My First Life

I’ve written about Because this is My First Life before, but in that post I explored (or attempted to explore) the idea of asexual representation within the show. However, I felt like the show itself deserved a full post. 

BTIMFL centers around Ji-ho, who just returned from working as a television writer to find her younger brother newly married and with a baby on the way. Knowing she can’t live with them, she quickly decides to become roommates with Se-hee. Unknown to Ji-ho, Se-hee is a socially awkward man who only loves his cat and his job. Once the truth is revealed, the two have to figure out an arrangement that works for them and their families. The solution? Get fake-married of course! 

Seriously though, I love this show. Immediately after finishing it, I forced my friend to watch it. I adore the relationship between Ji-ho and Se-hee, they actually talk to each other and work through their issues, they balance well, and their home dynamic is really cute to watch. The cat is adorable. 

The other two relationships, however, I am not as thrilled by. Ho-rang and Won-seok are an absolute disaster of a couple. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that they love each other, but their relationship isn’t something that I see standing the test of time. Ho-rang wants to get married, but doesn’t come right out and say it, then blames Won-seok for not getting her hints multiple times in the show and I just can’t stand it. Su-ji and Sang-goo stand a better chance, because they are both adults who are actually being romantic for the first time in their lives. I think they are cute, I just don’t like Sang-goo. 

The plot is pretty basic as far as dramas go, but I’m okay with that because this is a character-driven story, and all of the characters are amazing. It is so easy to get pulled into their lives and just enjoy being there. It does get a little Dramatic(TM) toward the end, but I would expect no less; and the epilogue actually took a turn that I didn’t anticipate, but adored. 

Because this is My First Life is one of my new favorite dramas, and I would encourage anyone to watch it.

{P.S. Bok-nam and Bo-mi are the best.}

Spark

Spark is a Korean miniseries about a K-POP idol that is hit by a meteor one night and becomes a walking electrical generator. He does a good job electrocuting himself and his friend before they discover that the girl he was with during the accident has the ability to ground him. 

While the main couple don’t get along at first, they eventually learn to work together. He is dedicated, while she is more loose, which I think makes for good contrasting personalities.

A really cute web-series that had an interesting premise. I think it could have made a longer series, but I can understand why it is short. The characters don’t have a ton of time to develop, and the side characters are pretty flat.

It’s an easy watch without a lot of drama, I would give it a shot. 

That feeling when you've plowed through four dramas but you are tongue-tied on what to say about them.

It's frustrating and I hate it.

I'm really starting to hate that trope in the Epilogue of a series where it's like "Yeah. This character totally had surgery and died. Nooooooo way they are showing up in thirty seconds. Nuh-uh." And then the character shows up and they smile at each other like one of them wasn't just listening to your last will and testament.

I really enjoyed the OST for Because this is My First Life. The songs are all really cute and helped create the correct mood for the scenes they were in. That said, I don’t really have any favorites. Sorry, fam. But please let me know what some of your favorites were!

Happy Listening!

Possible Asexual Representation in Because this is My First Life

Asexuality is the lack of sexual attraction, and for the purposes of this piece of writing, I am going to leave it there. However, if you would like to learn more about asexuality, I highly recommend perusing AVEN. Cards on the table, as an asexual person, I am used to the main characters in the shows I watch not being anywhere near the asexual umbrella, as it is a very difficult sexuality to comprehend, at least in my experience. It took me years to figure out how asexuality worked, and then another couple to realize I was ace. In fact, I think part of the reason I enjoy Asian dramas is how sexless they are in relation to most shows here in the States. I don’t have to worry too much about the couples kissing and then immediately absconding to the bedroom for some sideways shenanigans. 

So imagine my surprise when I started watching Because this is My First Life, expecting a pretty standard friends-to-lovers story and discover that one of the main characters is radiating ace-energy. Nam Se-hee is a very pragmatic man who needs a roommate to help him with the housework and taking care of his cat. He is a very serious person that cares a lot about his work and maintaining his schedule. He states very clearly to Ji-ho early on that he has no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship with her. His friend Ma Sang-goo states a few times that Se-hee doesn’t have an interest in pursuing women or sexual relationships at all and admits that he thought Se-hee was asexual. If it weren’t for my knowledge of the genre and how these stories usually play out, I would have thought that Se-hee was not only asexual, but also aromantic — the lack of romantic attraction. 

My personal interpretation of Se-hee is that he is demi-sexual, or a person who does not experience sexual attraction until after developing an emotional bond. Please feel free to discuss this with me if you would like. I encourage discussing different perspectives. I am especially interested in the opinion of a person who identifies as demi-sexual, as I do not. 

This reading creates a very interesting interpretation of the different relationships that are portrayed in the show. The other two main couples are very sexually active, Ma Sang-goo and Woo Su-ji expressing sexual desire before developing a relationship of their own, and the forever-couple of Yang Ho-rang and Sim Won-seok are shown in bed together. It almost feels like the writers were trying to quietly highlight how different Se-hee is from Sang-goo and Won-seok and their overt sexuality. 

All of that said, there is one aspect of the show that creates a little trepidation for me. In the later part of the series, we are given the information that Se-hee had a previous relationship with Go Jung-min (who is not portrayed as a villain, praise the heavens). In this relationship, Se-hee and Jung-min were in love and anticipating a baby, but his father did not approve of the match. After they lost the baby, Jung-min left Se-hee and left a note in one of his favorite books telling him that he didn’t deserve to be happy. This act severely traumatized him, and that’s the part that I have an issue with. 

A common misinterpretation of asexuality is that the person is traumatized, and that’s why they don’t experience sexual attraction. This is incorrect. The insinuation that Se-hee shows asexual traits because his ex-girlfriend ruined him leaves a sour taste in my mouth because of how damaging it is to the community. I wish we had seen a little more of Se-hee and Jung-min’s relationship, but seeing as it wasn’t important to the story that was being told, I can see why it wasn’t elaborated on. 

To conclude, I really enjoyed watching Because this is My First Life because it unexpectedly gave me a lot of material to think about. The characters are all uniquely crafted and interesting to watch, they have engaging dynamics, and the story is good. If nothing else, watch it for the cat. 

Happy Viewing!

Hello, all! I’m back to ramble about the OST for Cinderella and the Four Knights. 

You know when the romance ramps up and the music swells? Well “For You” is basically designed from the first whoa-oh to do exactly that. It’s also just really cute. 

Other standout tracks for me are “I Believe” and “Only One.” They really have pleasant vocals, and the beat adds to the tense tone of the songs. If memory serves, they are both used as emotional tracks. 

Happy Listening!

Cinderella, Her Two Suitors, and Her Two New Brothers

I absolutely love like 95% of Cinderella and the Four Knights. The titular Cinderella is Eun Ha-won, a recent high school graduate who has too many jobs and zero experience with romance (and is also a tae-kwon-do badass, but that aspect of her personality is dropped pretty quickly). Her step-mom and step-sister abuse and neglect her, and after a fight with her family, she is encouraged to work for the Chairman of the Haneul Group to get his three grandsons to stop being assholes. The only rule he has for her is that Ha-won absolutely, positively can not date any of his grandsons. I literally laughed about this plot point for days because of how ridiculous it was. 

I really like Ha-won’s relationships with each of the boys, as they are unique and allow the watcher to easily imagine her falling in love with any one of them. The first one Ha-won is introduced to is Hyun-min, the oldest and cockiest. He flirts easily and exudes confidence. I really enjoyed the playful dynamic between him and Ha Won, and if this had been any other drama, they probably would have had a romance. As it is, the rhythm of their relationship feels more like a brother and sister who get along pretty well: protective yet antagonistic.

Keeping in the brother camp, the Chairman’s secretary Yoon-sung. He is the serious, no nonsense, married to his job type, but he is very sympathetic to Ha-won and regularly helps her out. For her part, Ha-won always treats him like an equal and encourages Yoon-sung to call her by her name instead of an honorific. Toward the end of the series he gets a little nerfed — in terms of interacting with Ha-won, but he had other problems to worry about — and I wish that he could have gotten a better ending. 

Ha-won has two main love interests in this series, Ji-woon and Seo-woo. While Ji-woon presents himself as an absolute asshole to most of the world, he has a tender side that is shown to the audience pretty early on. So he’s almost an asshole-turned-adorable, but not quite. His dynamic with Ha-won is interesting in that they are very similar people. I mentioned earlier that Ha-won is a tae-kwon-do badass, but it’s rarely brought up the first few episodes. I am pretty sure this is because if she were actually allowed to use her skills, she and Ji-woon may have gotten into a fist fight (and I would have loved every second of it). 

While Ha-won and Ji-woon took a while to warm up to each other, Ha-won immediately got along with Seo-woo and became pretty good friends. He is a sensitive-artist type and an all around good boi. It’s honestly adorable how much they just clicked, which made it even more heart-breaking when Seo-woo sorted out his feelings and got his heart subtly crushed a few episodes later. I really liked Seo-woo and every time I see a decent guy get nerfed in one of these shows I am reminded of how much I hate it. You will find love, my boi, the ending saw to that. 

When all is said and done, Cinderella and the Four Knights was a really cute story with engaging characters and an interesting story (even if it wasn’t super complicated). All of the story threads that get brought up are figured out, and all of the characters get a happily ever after. If you haven’t seen it yet, I would definitely recommend it. 

P.S. I love love love Ha-won’s hairstyle~ And pretty much all of her outfits were super cute. 

I Wish I Had More to Say About Handsome Siblings

Handsome Siblings is a 2020 drama based on Juedai Shuangjiao, a novel serialized between 1966 and 1969. It has been through a ton of adaptations, none of which I was familiar with while I was watching this. The series is about twins Jiang Xiaoyu and Hua Wuque who were separated at birth and lived very different lives. Also, Hua Wuque was raised believing that he had to kill Xiaoyu, but the two become friends in spite of this.

Perhaps because it was based on a book, but I really liked the story. It was well-paced and well-acted by a very engaging cast. But there isn’t anything in particular that I want to spend 300 words talking about like I usually do. In light of that, I think I’m just going to bullet-point my thoughts. 

I really liked Tie Xinlan and how her relationship with Xiaoyu and Wuque progressed. I never really trusted her claim that she was in love with Xiaoyu, especially because her dynamic with Wuque was a lot more balanced. I do wish we could have seen more of them as a couple. 

Speaking of balancing characters, I really liked the character of Su Ying and her relationship with Xiaoyu. I also appreciated that she showed up later in the story. It helped keep the question of who was going to be able to tame Xiaoyu up in the air. Plus the fact that she is one of the few characters able to keep up with Xiaoyu mentally is fantastic and I am here for it. 

After the reveal that Xiaoyu and Wuque were siblings happened, I loved the expression on both of their faces. The absolute joy was infectious. I just wish we could have seen them living with that revelation for a little longer. 

I honestly wasn’t thrilled with the last few minutes of the series in general. I would have preferred an epilogue that takes place later letting us know where all of the characters afterward. 

The Ten Great Villians weren’t really that villainous, though they were interesting parent characters for Xiaoyu. 

The character evolution of Murong Ju was interesting. She spent so much time acting like Ms. Meng that it actually felt like whiplash when she got her memories back and rejected Hei Zhuzhu. But I was thrilled when she remembered that he took care of her and realized she was in love with him. Their wedding was also wonderful. 

The costumes are bloody beautiful! 

And the sets

And the music

And the fight choreography

Especially that penultimate fight between Xiaoyu and Wuque. 

To summarize, it’s a really good show that more people should watch. 

Happy Viewing!!!

Quick Thoughts on Something in the Rain

I watched Something in the Rain a while ago, but I never actually finished it, and at this point, I don’t think I will. The premise of the story, a woman in her thirties dating someone in his mid-twenties and how that affects their lives. I genuinely enjoyed watching the romance between Jin-ah and Joon-hee. It was really adorable watching them evolve from childhood-friends into a genuine couple. 

That said, something about the storyline circling around and around the taboo nature of their relationship toward the end of the story started to agitate me, which is why I stopped watching it. From what I can tell, the story has a happy ending, which is great, but not something I feel like slogging through the umpteenth “you aren’t allowed to love him” to get to. 

Have a great day! 

I didn’t mention the music in my post, mostly because I’m so used to discussing the music separately and briefly in these link uploads, but I really did like the OST for Live Up to Your Name. 

“Here I Am” sounds like the opening to a cop show, and I love it. 

“Always” and “Not Gonna Wait” are pretty, but also pretty basic. I don’t find it particularly memorable. 

“Beauty Queen” just bops. It’s got a great rhythm, and I like the strong-woman vibe that I get from the title and the singers. 

“Dream or Reality” is pretty chill and has a nice beat. 

Happy Listening!

Live Up to Your Name is so Cute, You Guys

Live Up to Your Name is a charming story about a famous Joseon-era acupuncturist acquiring a needle box that allows him to travel between two points in time whenever he dies. He lands in the modern era and meets a pretty heart surgeon and I’m sure you can see where this is going. 

Here’s the thing though. I’m not entirely sure what to think of this series. It’s a really cute story about two people with similar interests falling in love, and that is wonderful and adorable and totally worth the watch. (And if they make a sequel, I will be glued to my TV for a few days, just saying.)

But… like… Time travel logic? Is there any?

Early in the series, we find out that Heo Im, the Joseon doctor, can bring Choi Yeon-kyung, the modern doctor, into the Joseon era with him. While there, she often leaves pieces of her time littered around, such as bandages with adhesives and candies wrapped in plastic. It’s just… It’s hard to wrap my mind around the idea that none of those would survive into the modern-day and be discovered. I can totally imagine an archeologist digging up one of those candy wrappers and just being baffled. “Did they have plastic and aluminum back then? But how?” Mostly, however, I just found that aspect to be hilarious. 

I think that’s the tone of this entire show. A light-hearted romp about two people that, by right, should never have met, yet they did, and it’s adorable. I seriously can not stress how cute Heo Im and Choi Yeon-kyung are. They fight and they argue, but they also geek out over medical knowledge and helping others. It’s exactly how I imagine all of my favorite couples acting. 

So… Yeah…

Happy Viewing!

The OST for The Bride of Habaek! It’s really pretty, though my favorite song is probably “Without You.”

And the heartbeat in “Glass Bridge” just annoys me, but the song itself is pretty. 

Rooting for the Rival in The Bride of Habaek

The Bride of Habaek is based on The Bride of the Water God, a manhwa that I am familiar with in passing, but which I have yet to read;  I’m hoping that a few of the issues I have with the drama are linked to that and not because the writers think that being an asshole is sexy. The Bride of Habaek is about Yun So-a, a psychiatrist with a mountain of debt being saddled with the handsome and lazy water god, Habaek. Through him, she meets the icy water goddess Hye-ra and the easy-going sky god Ahn-bin. 

Honestly, the show isn’t that bad, there’s just a lot of things about it that annoy me personally. The writing itself is fine, the love story is satisfying, and the characters are perfectly serviceable. I’m just really tired of the asshole-turned-adorable character *cough*Habaek*cough* getting the girl without realizing that his narcissistic and domineering personality is problematic. Ladies, you shouldn’t have to fix him. 

Part of my dislike of Habaek might also be because I really liked the personality of his rival, Hoo-ye, a demi-god who is the CEO of a resort. Hoo-ye is a genuinely nice person who plants trees and feels soul-crushingly guilty when he hurts someone. He and So-a have quite a few conversations that hold more weight than anything I ever saw between So-a and Habaek. 

(Hoo-ye also works to help So-a out of her debt issue, instead of sitting on his ass.)

(And he backs off when he realizes that there is no way he is going to convince So-a to love him, and he does it in a way that helps Habaek, because he’s a selfless bastard.)

I’m also not really sure how the logistics of the ending are going to work?!? So, major spoilers for this paragraph. So-a uses her super-wish to keep Habaek by her side until she dies, which I guess is the “Bride” part of The Bride of Habaek. However, I don’t think he’s going to age, because he’s a god, and I’m pretty sure that he’s not going to be working either (because he doesn’t have and ID or any marketable skills besides looking hot). I can totally imagine that she is going to spend the next five decades taking care of him, and he could be mistaken for her son or something or people would wonder why he doesn’t age. Oh! And there’s the problem of another potential demi-god. The true gods hate Hoo-ye because he’s a demi-god, but this is never discussed as a possibility between Habaek and So-a?!?! Just… Take So-a to the divine realm? It’s established that it’s possible. 

In an effort to be positive, I really liked the costuming of Habaek when he is in the Divine Kingdom; he looks gorgeous! The romance between Hye-ra and Ahn-bin was cute and understated, and I was really glad that they got together in the end. So-a did not deserve Sang-yu, her assistant and childhood friend, but I’m glad she had him to keep her grounded. The opening credits are amazing and I wish more shows took that approach. 

So yeah, there’s a lot to like about this show, which is why I kept going until I finished it, but there are a few things that I just didn’t like. I’m not sure if I would recommend it to any of my friends, but it’s a good show. 

Word Vomit about When the Camellia Blooms

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I started When the Camellia Blooms. Maybe a cute love story between a cop and a single mom? Which, yes, I got exactly that and it was absolutely adorable. I didn’t expect the main plot to involve the main female character being stalked by a serial killer! I’m actually quite impressed by how well the two plots weave themselves together. 

The story is about Dongbaek, a single mother and owner of the only bar in town, Camellia. A few years ago she had a run-in with a serial killer, nicknamed Joker, and she escaped by the skin of her teeth and has been living in relative peace since. (Joker is named such because he leaves a note that says “Don’t be a joke” at the scene of every crime. I’m sorry, but if you’re not a killer clown you can’t wear that name.)

One day, Dongbaek meets Yong-sik, a being of pure good luck who was invited to join the police force after he made a ridiculous number of citizens arrests. He sees Dongbaek and immediately falls in love with her. To be honest, I was originally off-put by his actions at the beginning of their relationship because he is very persistent and comes on very strong; then I realized that Dongbaek never would have considered the match if he hadn’t kept showing up so… Ehhh… It’s a drama, so I guess it’s okay to annoy your love interest into dating you??? 

Regardless, their relationship is absolutely adorable because Yong-sik makes Dongbaek realize that she is a strong female character and can act like a badass if she wants to; and she is also gorgeous and a wonderfully kind human being. (He literally vocally tells her such multiple times.) And for her part, she makes Yong-sik have to work hard for something that he wants because he’s always just had his dreams fall into his lap. They balance well and I like them together. 

If there was something I really had to complain about, it would be how Dongbaek treats her son Pil-gu. Because his father was never around, Pil-gu grew up very quickly in a very short amount of time and appears to be a very smart, if angry, young man. Maybe it's because my mom was always very open and honest with me, but I kept thinking that a couple of the issues that arose with him could have been easily avoided if Dongbaek had just sat down with him and talked with him. I just wish that she had explained to him that there is someone new in her life and that this person makes her really happy, instead of waiting for Pil-gu to have a mental breakdown. Or even tell him that there is a dangerous person who has threatened her and maybe he should come home on time. Not that this would completely rob Pil-gu of his dramatic potential, he could still ignore her and get in trouble; but then it would be more his fault than Dongbaek’s. 

Other than that, I really liked all of the characters and their Dynamics with each other. Dongbaek flat-out refusing her ex multiple times was glorious; his relationship with his wife was also engaging and I’m glad they came to a consensus. I liked how both Yong-sik and Dongbaek grew because of their relationship, and I liked how Yong-sik treated Pil-gu. This is a show that I would definitely endorse.