Elena Gilbert used to be the popular girl at school, but ever since her parents died in a tragic accident a few months ago, everything has changed. And now, mysterious Stefan Salvatore has started at her high school and strange deaths keep happening.

For anyone who doesn't already know, this is based on L.J. Smith's Vampire Diaries books (originally a trilogy, but later a quartet). I read book 4 as a teenager and of course loved Damon, the bad-boy maybe-evil-maybe-not brother of Stefan. They're pretty much the usual vampire duo of broody-and-moralistic and snarky-and-evil.

I may have read book 2 of the trilogy years and years later, or maybe not, I don't much remember.

The TV series is so far extremely dull. I don't find either Stefan or Damon attractive, which is paramount to the enjoyment of any vampire series these days, and Elena has no personality to speak of. At least by episode 4, they've figured out that having Stefan and Elena droningly read out their diary entries was sucking what little life was in the series out.

They've also gotten rid of Meredith, made Caroline less evil (I think?), and Bonnie is now Black. I have to admit, I'm really watching to see what they do with Bonnie, because she was the most interesting part of book 4. Right now, she basically plays the psychic best friend while the two white girls go off with the hot guys. Color me unsurprised. But I'm curious if the Bonnie/Damon subtext in the books will ever make it on screen.

Sadly, the series to date has focused on high school rivalries and romances, all of which fit into my every cliched expectation of the CW while also confirming why I normally don't watch the CW. Plus, this more than anything else makes me wonder why all these vampire guys love going back to high school to date teenage girls.

At least here there's a bit of a backstory, albeit one that makes both Stefan and Damon seem like creepy stalkers who have problems separating looks from personality?

Yet, at the end of episode four, there's been more hints of history and backstory and conspiracies that do not have to do with high school, so I'll probably keep watching as a way to waste time.

Also, I still have a great deal of leftover fondness for the fourth book.

(Feel free to spoil the books in the comments, but please use <span style="color:#333;background:#333">spoiler text</span> or rot13.)

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This continues to be a fun, fluffy watch for me. The fashions for Yoon Eun Hye's character can be amazingly ridiculous—the shoulder pads! the neon leggings! the leather butterfly vest thing I have no words to adequately describe—and I'm very much enjoying Yoon Sang Hyeon as Seo Dong Chan.

That said, I'm not sure I'd actually recommend this, since I know a large part of my enjoyment comes from the butler trope.

... I kind of love that there is such thing as a romantic butler trope.

( Spoilers can be depended on )

Again, not the best drama ever, and yet I find myself eagerly anticipating each episode!

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(original title: 9회말 2아웃)

The title translation's supposed to be something like "Bottom of the 9th inning with 2 outs."

Hong Nan Hee is turning 30, and she's still unmarried, living with her mother, and she hasn't done anything about her dream of being a published writer. (I am not sure if the living with her mother is a bad thing in Korea; my guess is the stigma isn't so much living with your mother so much as being unmarried?) And she's dating a baseball player 8 years younger than her. Her best friend since childhood, Byun Hyung Tae, isn't as worried about turning 30, although he is a bit of a womanizer, probably due to Backstory Angst.

They end up living together due to unforeseen circumstances!

Like most trendy dramas, you know where this is going. The pleasure lies in the characters, and luckily, I like all of them so far. The bonus is that the first few episodes almost feel like the middle of other dramas because Nan Hee and Hyung Tae have known each other for so long; there's no meet cute or getting to know you phase to go through.

Both Nan Hee and Hyung Tae's characters aren't as interesting as the leads in Coffee Prince or Dal Ja's Spring, but so far, the series makes up for it in charm. I love watching Nan Hee and Hyung Tae talking to each other; there's a palpable sense of trust and comfort that's very enjoyable. I also like friends-to-lovers stories, so this show hits a few buttons of mine as well.

The baseball player Jung Joo is surprisingly cute, and I think the writing does a good job showing both why Nan Hee's attracted to him while also showing the problems with dating someone at a different life stage than you. The current other side of the quadrangle, Hyung Tae's co-worker Jin Su, also doesn't annoy me, and the show gets around my squicks about working romances (she's an intern, he's a mentor) by having them hook up before she starts work there.

Also, did I mention how cute Nan Hee and Hyung Tae are together? They lounge around the apartment in sweats and glasses and bring each other food and call each other all the time! I'm sure Big Misunderstandings will come in sooner or later, especially when both of their first loves show up, but for now, I'm enjoying just watching them hang out.

So far, this isn't a stellar or groundbreaking show, but it's comfortable and cute and fun, and that's really all I'm asking for right now.

Watch this (legally!) at Drama Fever (US, Canada only)!

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Lee Ha Ru is a high school girl who used to competitively skate before an accident five years ago. But now she wants to try again, and to get a good coach, she needs to move to Seoul. The problem is, the only person she knows there is the 30-some stepbrother who wants nothing to do with her.

Despite the premise, the story isn't actually about Ha Ru. She narrates the beginning and ending, but much of the focus is on her brother Shin Hwal and his two friends/housemates, Jo Hae Yoon (played by Lee Seon Gyun!) and Kang Hyun Tae.

I've been looking forward to this drama ever since I heard about it—figure skating! Lee Seon Gyun! Coffee Prince's PD!—but sadly, I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep watching thanks to a specific character.

The show starts out as low-key and charming, and I very much love Ha Ru's developing relationship with her brother (platonic siblings, people, no incest!). I also love the focus on Ha Ru's skating and the guys' work creating ads. However, the non-Ha Ru female characters aren't faring particularly well. I keep wanting to whap Choi Su In, and I tend to be very forgiving of the "mean" female character! It's just that she has about as much backbone as a wet dish rag when it comes to men, and little personality to boot. She's best when she's coaching Ha Ru. Kang Sang Hee has a lot of quirks, but also very little personality. Like Hae Yoon, we never know what she's thinking, and so far, she seems extremely peripheral to the plot.

As such, all my favorite sequences happen in the house with Ha Ru goofing off and all three guys acting as gruff, vaguely amused, and/or pampering older brothers.

( Spoilers are annoyed )

So... does this get better? Or will I keep wanting to throw things? (Potential spoilers in comments!)

Oh, also! I am in the mood for fluffy romantic comedy dramas, preferably without gender politics that make me want to spork someone. Any recs? I liked Dal Ja's Spring, Coffee Prince, Fantasy Couple; I thought Kim Sam Soon was ok; and so far am liking My Fair Lady. Bonus points if it's available on Drama Fever! (Also, I don't really want to watch Goong, but if enough people are convincing, I will consider it.)

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(Original title 아가씨를 부탁해, also known as Take Care of My Lady)

Kang Hae Na is the extremely rich heir to the Kangsan Group; she lives in a giant, castle-like manor and has been going through butlers like Kleenex. Seo Dong Chan is an ex-host-club-host currently part-timing at the flower shop of his childhood friend and auntie. They meet! She tries to run him over! He makes her do community service! And after all that animosity, he decides to become....

HER BUTLER! As one does when one must pay off a massive debt.

(Or possibly valet, a la manga. It's hard to tell. The Korean is "집사" if I heard it correctly, but I have no idea if it's the same as a butler or if there is a Korean traditional role that is more a blend of butler and valet.)

The other sides of the romantic rectangle are Lee Tae Yoon, a human rights lawyer who has disavowed his rich family, and Yeo Eui Joo, Dong Chang's aforementioned childhood friend. Amazingly, I actually like all of them.

So far, the series isn't amazingly good or anything, but it amuses me to see Yoon Eun Hye trying to be snobby and mean while wearing fashions that make me raise an eyebrow (I'm not sure what's worse, gold lame leggings or largely patterned leggings). Dong Chan is also buffoonish-ly likable, probably because his attempts to seduce Kang Hae Na are terrible. And they butcher a ballroom routine.

Also, I'm interested in how it turns around the usual drama trope of the snobby rich guy and the poor hard-working and earnest girl. In most dramas, Tae Yoon would be the hero (although he would be meaner) and Eui Joo would be the heroine. It reminds me a great deal of Fantasy Couple, except here, the poor guy is transported into the world of the rich, as opposed to vice versa. (And Yoon Eun Hye is not as good as the hair-tossing and nose-in-the-air as Han Ye Seul.)

I was also wondering why it is that the rich heroines are always snobby and jerkish and abuse everyone, whereas rich heroes are more frequently played as desirable and mean to the heroine, but nice to others. At least here, Hae Na has Secret Angst that explains her meanness, much like most kdrama heroes.

And finally, Dong Chan constantly saying something like, "Of course you can depend on me. I am... your butler!" amuses me every single time.

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Wah, no more! It's not even that good, but I am still a bit homesick for Taiwan, and now I do not even have episodes left of this to watch.

( Spoilers have more plot twists than I can keep track of )

Overall, although this drama has great production values, I don't think I'd rec it unless you like labyrinthe plots that don't particularly make sense and chase scenes. The gender roles largely suck, the plot has a ton of holes, and I dislike half of the main character duo, but I still watched because hey, Taiwan!

My favorite parts are probably the slapstick between Ying Xiong and Chen Zai Tian and the gruff "I will not admit I actually like you so instead I glare at you for getting stuff wrong" thing that Ying Xiong does. I keep feeling this should be slashy like whoa, and yet, it's not for me, largely because I find Chen Zai Tian completely unattractive. This is particularly sad because Vic Zhou was actually hotter in Mars, even though his hair in Mars was about a zillion times worse. There's sadly less of the partnership in later episodes, but there's plenty of cracktastic plot twists to make up for that!

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Woe! Leaving Taiwan in a few hours; so not ready for vacation to be over. On the plus side, California will have much better weather...

( Spoilers have more drama tropes! )

In conclusion: only missing amnesia!

Also, how is the director's drama White Tower compared to this and Mars? This I am mostly watching for the crack, the shiny production values, and Mark Zhao being intense and hot; Mars I really loved.

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I am completely not caught up on LJ or DW so have probably missed a ton.

My dad actually watched one episode of this without me, so I guess he is somewhat interested!

However, when I told him it was set in Kaohsiung, he said, "How come no one speaks Taiwanese then?"

It's also very odd (to say the least) watching a show set in southern Taiwan with news of the typhoon.

( Spoilers have no respect for other people's angst )

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(Chinese title: 痞子英雄）

陳在天/Chen Zai Tian (周渝民/Vic Zhou) and 吳英雄/Wu Ying Xiong (趙又廷/Marc Chao) are both cops in Kaohsiung, but while Zai Tian is a bit of a goof who doesn't take anything seriously, Ying Xiong maybe is a little too intense and has the tendency to go off on his own to try to solve things without telling his supervisors. The two of them are stuck together as partners thanks to their both messing up a key crackdown. Meanwhile, someone is manufacturing Dreamer, a new hallucinogenic drug, in the city, and the case soon balloons to involve the local mob and probably corrupt city officials.

This is an extremely shiny new drama by the director of Mars and White Tower with extremely nice production values. So far, there's been an extended action sequence on the subway and a lot of fancy camerawork (for dramas, at least), and the overall impression is that a lot of money was poured into this. Also, a CGI plant attempted to molest drug dealer 高義/Gao Yi (played by 王傳一/Kingone!!).

So far, although the two female characters are not bad, I wish there were more overall. 藍西英/Lan Xi Ying is a forensic scientist who seems to have loved Ying Xiong from afar, and 陳琳/Chen Lin is the daughter of the mob boss. Xi Ying is sadly not as cool as Scully (then again, who is?), but Chen Ling kind of kicks ass. She is tiny and looks elfin and pixie-like and all those other horrible adjectives, and she kicks Zai Tian's ass in their meet cute. She also goes from deceptively cute to serious to shooting at people through doors in a blink of an eye. Alas, there has been no ass-kicking since, but I foresee a lot of angst given her status as daughter of the mob boss and Zai Tian and Ying Xiong's position on the police force.

Unsurprisingly, Zai Tian (the 痞子 of the title) has a Tragic Background, since he is being played by Vic Zhou and must eventually become the hero of the drama. However, so far, he's mostly just kind of annoying. I like Ying Xiong much better. It helps that Marc Chao is kind of hot (leather jacket!) and much, much buffer than Vic Zhou, who had more muscle in Mars and is scrawny here and really does not look like he could take anyone down in here. Plus, I have even stopped being weirded out by Ying Xiong's name—it is "hero" in Chinese! I feel this is one case in which people could translate the name instead of transliterate to get the startle effect that the Chinese-speaking audience probably has (translating Chinese names is one of my pet peeves).

It also took me a while to realize the drama was set in Kaohsiung. It's all shiny! It makes me want to visit, even though it will be EVEN HOTTER AND MORE HUMID. But I spent several episodes puzzling over the opening sequence zoom through the city skyline, thinking, "I don't recognize those buildings! Where is 101 and all the other famous Taipei buildings? I feel there is not a bridge like that in Taipei!" In my defense, the few glimpses of the subway system looked a lot like the MRT!

Then again, I've only been on the MRT a few times, as the bus is more convenient for where we are.

But just... it makes Taiwan look all sophisticated and shiny and modern! I am unaccustomed to this!

( Spoilers unintentionally make me laugh )

In conclusion: so far, interesting break from my usual trendy dramas, and finally something I can watch with my dad without his interrupting every three seconds to complain about why I like something in which the characters scream at each other all the time.

... well. They still do that here, but for reasons my dad would probably approve of more (explosions and mob chasing instead of romantic mishaps).

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( Spoilers had to take an emotional break for a while )

In conclusion: I am not sure what to say at all! I very much dislike the final episode and have a billion rewrites in my head, and yet, so much of the rest of the show feed into all the things I love.

Some of my lack of throwing things is also because I have yet to watch a kdrama that sticks the landing: most have ranged from very disappointing to mildly annoying to "Kind of weird, but not bad!"

So with that caveat, I loved most of this series. It has anti-imperialist politics, albeit not too in depth; my favorite female character in a drama so far; what the costumers seem to think are 1930s fashion but actually are not (I love it anyway); swing-influenced kpop; and did I mention all the LONGING and ANGST and NOT-TOUCHING? And yet, I am tacking on that really big caveat!

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I admit that I may have watched basically every single angst-laden scene between Cha Song Joo and Lee Su Hyun two or three times in the past few days.

But! The UST! OMG! They just exchange significant glances questioning each other and then they do that whole not touching thing and clearly neither of them is capable of expressing their feelings on pain of death! And then they not touch some more while exchanging significant glances AND significant words that could be read differently! And then one of them invariably quietly leaves the room!

It is awesome. I love it.

Emo porn! Frequently better than sex!

( Spoilers are very spoilery )

In conclusion: there is no way I am not requesting this for Yuletide.

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This continues to make me so happy!

Question: is Wan's last name 선우/Sun Woo? I had originally thought he and his brother's names were 우민/Woo Min and 우완/Woo Wan, but I keep hearing "선우씨/Sun woo sshi." Sorry about the romanization! I keep going with the romanization in the subtitles, which I'm pretty sure is not following any system whatsoever.

I joke about dramas improving my Korean vocabulary and pronunciation, but it's true! I think I am getting a better feel for when to use different endings. 죠 especially, as it was extremely hard to wrap my head around with only textbook and teacher explanations and not enough examples.

More importantly, now I can recognize various formations of 죽다 (to die), such as "죽지마" (don't die) and "죽어싶어?!" (do you want to die?!). Sadly, I do not yet know how to say "お前を殺す" (I will kill you) yet.

( Spoilers must live )

Finally, Wan wears what might be the absolute worst outfit I have yet seen on this series: neon yellow shirt and black vest. It beats Hyun Bin's terrible neon green shirt + white vest and pants from Kim Sam Soon! I would say the worst kdrama outfit, but I have seen screencaps of Goong!

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( Spoilers )

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This drama is a very odd combination of revolutionary politics and trendy drama romance sequences. Amazingly, this combination works for me, although I sometimes wish there were more revolutionary politics. But then Wan is cute and wins me over.

I am such a marshmallow at heart...

( Spoilers learn about revolution )

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( Spoilers )

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Wow, this keeps hitting so many of my buttons! I mean, I adore trendy dramas, but I feel it's fair to say that most of the ones I've watched so far do not involve police questioning, intrigue, or spies.

Also, Cha Song Joo continues to be made of pure win. Possibly even more than in the first three episodes, which I didn't think was possible!

( Spoilers trick the police )

... contemplating Yuletide prompts for this now.

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I know I say this about pretty much everything ever, but this is really the BEST THING EVAR OMG! At least so far!

It's the 1930s, and Korea has been under Japanese occupation for about twenty years. Sun Woo Wan is a playboy and all-around wastrel who doesn't care at all about liberating Korea, but unfortunately, he's briefly mistaken for a resistance member by Na Yeo Kyung, an old-fashioned young woman who is extremely idealistic but occasionally naive. Then there's the gisaeng Cha Song Joo, who seems to be platonic friends with Woo Wan, and Security Force member Lee Su Hyun, who seems nice but has secret backstories and works for the Japanese.

Together, they... overthrow Japanese imperialist rule?

At least, that's what I'm assuming will happen!

Even though this is a historical drama, the draw for me is how different it feels from the few sageuk I've seen (Damo, some of Hwang Jin Yi, some of Dae Jang Geum, one episode of Painter in the Wind, and... does Legend count?). First, there's the fact that it's not set in the Joseon Dynasty! Also, as opposed to what I hear about most sageuk, historical accuracy is... really not the strong point of Capital Scandal. I can see this as being very annoying to some people, but I am mostly enjoying the ridiculous outfits that are supposed to pass as 1930s clothes, the bad swing dancing, and the slapstick.

My favorite outfits so far are the bright red fedora paired with a turquoise suit jacket, the pink fedora paired with an all-pink suit, the fedora made out of what I assume is Korean or Japanese patterned silk, Song Joo's awesomesauce red dress (sadly paired with a pink hat instead of a frothy little red number with a veil), and of course, Yeo Kyung's schoolgirl (?) hanbok and Song Joo's gisaeng hanbok. And Yeo Kyung cross-dressing in suspenders and... formal shorts. And maybe Song Joo's patterned black dress with a slit up to her hip. And maybe Woo Wan's lavender shirt when he is boxing. And maybe Su Hyun's tidy three-piece suits with pastel ties.

shewhohashope has picspam of episode 1!

So far, Woo Wan and Yeo Kyung are the antagonistic slapstick couple. She mistakes him for a resistance fighter! He loses his stash of porn to her! She punches him in the face! She pulls a gun on him! She steals his shirt! He stops her from punching him again! She headbutts him! Also, he takes on a bet to woo Jo Ma Ja (her nickname meaning "Joseon's last woman") not knowing it's the woman who's tried to shoot him twice! And if he loses, he has to become an independence fighter. We all know how this will end...

Cha Song Joo and Woo Wan seem to have a platonic relationship right now, though I have no doubt that they will either pretend to be in love or be mistaken as a couple in order to further the plot. I actually very much enjoy their scenes together, particularly when Song Joo orders Woo Wan to walk Yeo Kyung home or help her out because she's staked several bags of rice on his bet.

Yeo Kyung and Su Hyun so far have one of those "nice guy meets nice girl" relationships, although I think that will change once she discovers he's working for the Japanese!

And Su Hyun probably has the best role so far, since he has angsty backstory not only with Woo Wan (it involves a sepia-toned photograph of DOOM!) but also with Song Joo!

I was a little surprised by what I assume with be the secondary couple (Su Hyun and Song Joo), but once I learned the drama was based on a novel written by the same person who wrote the novel Coffee Prince was based on, I was surprised no longer. As such, I'm guessing there will be a similar dynamic with the ingenue-ish character and the womanizer as the main couple, and the slightly older couple with history having a little more angst. I'm very much hoping that both of them are handled well and am now more confident of this after knowing the Coffee Prince writer is involved.

The bonus I hadn't been expecting was Song Joo helping Yeo Kyung out at times, and I really hope the two of them will get more scenes together. The world-weary courtesan keeping secrets for the idealistic young independence fighter! Awesome.

And I am sure it surprises no one that my favorite character so far is Cha Song Joo.

( Spoilers have angsty backstory )

I just hope the rest of the drama stays this awesome!

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Instead of catching up on the bazillion book write ups I am behind on, I watch lots of TV! (Ooooo! You can actually watch it online now! Nice.)

( Spoilers )

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Out of all my TV shows, this may be the one I look forward to the most...

It's just always so amazing watching the dancers, and it reminds me to start lindy hop again.

( Spoilers? Spoilers for S4 at least )

Also, we get another season in the fall? Awesomesauce! (Though wow, aren't the judges exhausted? The audition process looks so difficult.)

(Still working on the Asian Women's Carnival, apologies for the delay.)

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Yes! I have now hit semester-end heavy procrastination mode! Maybe I'll finish Middleman by the end of the semester if I can figure out how to get my hands on it.

( The Stork Job )

( The Juror #6 Job )

( The 12 Step Job )

( The First and Second David Jobs )

Now I want fic! Is there fic? Is this another one of my miniscule fandoms? (Then again, compared to "The Queen and the Soldier" or "Angel Sanctuary," it feels like a gigantic fandom already.) I love Parker, Hardison, and Eliot the most, and would especially love gen involving the entire gang, Parker/Hardison, or Parker/Hardison/Eliot. Nate bores me the most, although if there's amazing Nate fic, I will read that too.

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