Headdesking

I want to watch episode 9 and 10 so much my teeth hurt. And the next few days I have this crazy schedule of labs and classes and ‘cultural outings’, wtf, no breaks at all, and uggh.

I want my Hong Gil Dong! (And still sleep, it is implied.)

In other news, I managed to get a friend hooked on it too. Not sure if this is good, as we’re both in a competitive program at an insane school. But, in her words, “Hong Gil Dong is addictive!”

Today was very windy, and the streets were covered in ice. I get the feeling that I was blown home, instead of walking. Hmm.

HGD talk: So… one year has passed, presumably all our heroes are well. Enok works for the Yongmun group, who are underground Korean mafia merchants specializing in Chinese goods. They’re trying to get more explosives and the suchlike back in, but the government is being cautious and very stubborn (probably no credit to Krazy King©, more like GD’s dad working to cover for the king again). Eun Hye’s being a bit of a pest, stalking GD and stuff. Not sure what else is going on, but one thing is certain: GD and YN will meet again soon.

*dies of suspense and this strange withdrawal syndrome*

Sevenses

If ever you’re bored…

I was browsing around theonion.com, a site I haven’t visited in a while, and I rediscovered its Our Dumb World Map. It’s quite fun, and the tongue-in-cheek segments about Iran, China, Russia and lots of other countries are really very funny.

When you have lots of spare time and need to have some politically incorrect giggles, take a look.

There’s also a funky site that lets you splotch colour all over your screen.

Ta,

Sevenses

The Problem of Eun Hye and other stuff

Seo Eun Hye, as a character, has always puzzled me. Recently she’s also begun to annoy me, and I went semi-frantic, as I’m the sort that likes to know why. And then I finally twigged: it’s because she has no actual role in the story. As my nearests and dearests will tell you, I am a character development whore (also plot development whore, but these two things often go hand in hand). Therefore, having someone who only fulfills the fourth side of the love rectangle (not square yet, undeclared feelings etc etc) would totally poke my subconscious sore spot.

I mean, for all that she’s unconventional, smart, strong-willed, beautiful, she is still the product of her times and social station: a rich noble lady just entering the adult world. Unlike the other players in this love geometry game, she has nothing significant at stake - Enok has her lineage, Gil Dong and Chang Hui their future. She has money, status and familial stability, things that none of the other three have. If she does go with Gil Dong (which is highly unlikely, given that he doesn’t really show signs of liking her right now), she also has the most to lose.

I maintain that she is just playing games with people, because she is giddy, not in love. When she sees Gil Dong, she displays this excited lightheartedness/first crush/fan behaviour, and I do realize that her collapsing after hearing of GD’s death is significant, but the truth is, she doesn’t know him. (She does have the distinct honour of being Hong Gil Dong the hero’s first fan.) She’s bored with her life as a ‘proper lady of noble blood’, sees someone different and clings to him because he’s more interesting. (In a way, her sheltered upbringing has made her less mature than Enok, who is admittedly not the sharpest tool in the shed. Enok’s experiences and honesty make approaching and understanding GD much easier.) They may end up friends, but they’re still a bit too different to work well as a couple. (That is, unless the writers change her, which, given an 16 episode storyline still left, looks very plausible indeed.)

Another huge point against her favour in GD/EH is her abandonment of Gil Dong at the moment he most needed her. She knew the significance of her testimony as well as he did, but she still left him to bear the (quite serious) accusation of armed robbery and murder. Not to flog the Enok ship too much, but I doubt Enok would have done the same thing. And that is a fundamental difference between them, for now. Eun Hye is still all about the fun (even her meeting with GD - her attitude just seems juvenile - she does realize that as a bandit on the run from tons of people who will kill him, meeting with her is just not the smartest thing to do?), while Enok sincerely would go with Gil Dong to the ends of hell (urm, pretty sure of a mixed metaphor here, not sure where).

Arguably, then, she has the most potential to grow as the series goes on. I hope she does. It would be a shame to waste such a potentially dynamic character on (of all things) love geometry. I know I’ll get tomatoed by EH/GD fans, but meh. We’re all reading too much into a drama series anyway. (Oh, but it’s so fun!)

To be honest, I’m leaning towards a YN/CH, but like, metaphysical laws of dramadom will result in an HGD/YN. Albeit after loads of angst, tears/shouting, separations, false starts in other directions and maybe a revolution, given this drama’s specific context. (Maybe Enok’s just easier to like.)

In other news, that broody and introverted prince character, Chang Hwe? He’s got a diff image in this new promotional MV. I’m not a huge fan of his posing, and his voice is kind of monotoned, but hey, eyecandy. I always like eyecandy.

You guys can totally tell I’m suffering from HGD withdrawal symptoms, right?

Love,

Sevenses

Cute vid moment

Have been trawling the internets in search of something to fill the time between HGD eps. I found this endearingly cute video called “Sheep on the Island”. It continues in the tradition of Tom and Jerry and other Small Cute Smart Animal vs. Big Bad Stupid Predator shows.

Embedded for your viewing pleasure.

Hong Gil Dong Episode 7 and 8, recap

Goofy pic of bandits:

Am trying not to cry, but this one’s really intense, both in plot and emotional impact. (Spoilers ahead)

So, episode 7.

Gil Dong escapes the palace with the help of the thieves, and then persuades the bandits to help him corner his half-brother. He wants to clarify to his father that neither incident (robbing and bombing) was his fault, but In Hyung beats him to the punch, taunting him about his slave’s status. Actually, he specifically sets out to wound Gil Dong by saying that Lord Hong doesn’t care about him anymore, that he let Gil Dong bear the guilty sentence because he’s trying to shield his legitimate son. And then, like the cowardly ass that he is, In Hyung runs away (probably because mommy’s not there to protect his hide). (One of the bandits punches him in the mouth. I wish they’d done more.)

Gil Dong is just shocked into silence, and when Enok shows up he tries to be cool and laugh it off. It’s amazing how perceptive Enok manages to be, and she uses her hands to block Gil Dong’s face so he can cry in peace. So he cries, and she cries with him, but it’s a private moment for Gil Dong anyway.

Back at the temple, the girl bandit (can’t remember her name) tricks Enok into admitting that she loves Gil Dong. Actually, Enok’s drunk at this point, so she tries to say “I love you” because she heard someone say it in China (uh, what?). There’s a cute little dialogue with them trying to figure out what it means (Enok: “You don’t just say ‘I love you’ to a potato, you know?”) And then Enok goes and says it to Gil Dong, who’s just confused.

The Yongmun (龙门) people are super pissed because their carefully crafted plan just fell to pieces, and their troops quickly go back to HQ, somewhere in the mountains. Lady Noh and Chang Hwe get all fired up about avenging themselves on Gil Dong. The test-takers are still stuck inside the palace.

Barefaced hypocrisy

It’s strong language to use, language usually suited to the condemnation of brazen idiots who expect the world to believe whatever lies they spew.

And I know that talking about unpleasant things, besides getting the other party uncomfortable and maybe angry, rarely has any concrete effect on the matter in discussion. But I can no longer remain silent as a whole nation of people are suppressed and segregated into misery. I fully concede your right to an opinion differing from mine, of course.

Yes, violent attacks that result in deaths of Israelis are wrong. But does it make the Israelis right to bulldoze Palestinian homes? Does it make them right to deny innocent citizens tax money they’ve paid, supplies of food and drink? Does it make them right to take life after life in an attempt to assuage the wrongs? Are people’s lives somehow worth less if they are Palestinian, in a region where power, money and advanced weapons remain with the Israelis?

I understand the purpose and use of economic sanctions, of course. That apparently allows you to withhold government funding, to build whole walls that separate a cohesive nationality into little pockets of outraged humanity, to ignore United Nations decrees by the tanker truck, to refuse treaty agreements until people are desperate enough to blow themselves up.

To assassinate your own prime minister who had the gall to propose peace.

Never mind the flagrant human rights abuses (present and past) that the US and Canada are usually so happy to chastise. Never mind a whole generation of children on both sides who will grow up with memories of hate and violence, who will not know the feeling of living in a peaceful atmosphere. Never mind that one day even the people in your pocket will be forced to admit that perhaps it was going too far.

I ask of you: is this the action of any reasonable adult?

Of course, these current tactics are working wonderfully. No, they really are. Once you clean out the bodies of the Palestinians, the entire area would belong to Israel. Congratulations.

I am just not sure it was worth the price.

Respectfully yours,

Sevenses

So exciting, I am keeled.

Okay, just watched episodes 4 to 6 of Hong Gil Dong all in one shot, and wow. They are great! The first few were plagued with toilet humour that’s almost all but disappeared as the cast get down to business.

To give you an idea of who is who:

Upper left corner: Seo Eun Hye (Portrayed by Kim Ri Na)

Middle left: Hong Gil Dong (Portrayed by Kang Ji Hwan)

Middle right: Heo Enok (Portrayed by Sung Yuri)

Upper right corner: (Lee?) Chang Hwe (Portrayed by Jang Geun Suk)

There are so many conspiracies and ways the plot could go it makes me dizzy to even contemplate them.

As things stand, there’s a usurper on the throne, CH’s guilt-driven half-brother, supported by Lord Hong, who is HGD’s father. Lord Ryu, who wanted to put the young Daegoon (CH, of course) on the throne, was killed by Lord Hong in order to hide the former king’s will: that his son by his queen, Chang Hwe, inherit the throne. Lady Noh watched her beloved queen die in the fire (it is implied) set by Lord Hong and promised to avenge her.

In the younger generation, HGD is friends with Enok - and it is suggested that they are the first true friends the other’s ever had. What they don’t know is that Enok is Lord Ryu’s daughter, and a relation to the royal house. On the other hand, Enok keeps bumping into CH, and willingly saves his life even after he threatens her with a sword.

In Hyung, Gil Dong’s useless older brother, is in love with Seo Eun Hye, and would do anything for her. Eun Hye herself prefers a stronger will in her men (as she is quite.. unique, let’s put it that way) and begins to like Gil Dong through a chance encounter.

Chang Hwe starts out as a coldblooded ambitious archetype who will kill whomever prevents him becoming king, however, he is beginning to rethink his policy of relentless bloodshed (and so he should, as his former policy gave him so much in common with his older brother).

Lady Noh, who works for Chang Hwe, killed the bandits’ chief, and Gil Dong, who has reasons of his own to be angry at CH, joins forces with the bandits to wreck anything and everything Chang Hwe puts his hand to. Needless to say, for a would-be rebellion raiser, this creates considerable amounts of trouble.

HGD could either become the enemy that eventually brings Chang Hwe down, or someone who helps Chang Hwe become a better person. (I mean, Mr. Wooden has a simply vast potential for character development.) Being an illegitimate son in a world where status is everything has matured him much farther than CH, and even though HGD thirsts for recognition and (some people would argue) his rightful place in society as a capable, intelligent human being, he does not resort to the type of self-hurting strategy CH currently relies on. (Why self-hurting? Simple: they create unnecessary enemies.)

It’s not very likely, however, because HGD’s father is intent on supporting the current king (and we all know how much he wants his father to feel proud of him), CH framed him for crimes he didn’t commit and won’t exonerate HGD and also because his sense of justice won’t let the murder of the bandit leader go unpunished. Also, episode 6 shows HGD ruining CH’s carefully crafted plan, and I just don’t see the two making up that quickly.

In a 24 episode run though, anything goes!

(I just wish CH and HGD would join forces. CH’s older brother really does look like the worse of two evils, and it would be awesome, though fighting over Enok would predictably cause significant tension.)

Eh. Will now wait anxiously for ep 7 to air tomorrow and then check obsessively at tudou.com for updates. Hurrah for fast subbing.

Sevenses

New Series on the Horizon!

I’ve been footling around the released dramas, not wanting to commit myself until I had sampled the interesting ones. Hong Gil Dong looks very promising. It’s a historical drama with modern elements slipped in here and there for comic effect. While the start has been a bit uneven, what with all the adjustments to the new ‘fusion’ concept, it is undoubtedly one of the most interesting shows out there this year.

Hong Gil Dong is a fictional Robin Hood-esque figure in ancient Korea. He robs the rich and gives to the poor, but even so, he finds the suffering of the poor to be appalling - in seeking truth, he stumbles upon a mythical kingdom and becomes king.

This adaptation starts off by inventing a funny prelude to his career as professional bandit. Born as the illegitimate son of a prominent court noble, HGD has long since given up his dream of following in his father’s footsteps. Several flashbacks show the youthful Gil Dong being reprimanded by his father for harbouring ambitions beyond the possibilities given by his station in life. After he finds out his mother was murdered by his father’s jealous wife, Gil Dong is discovered by a Taoist, who teaches him how to fight, among other things. To his master’s dismay, however, Hong Gil Dong does not make good use of his training, instead choosing to drift from day to day, gambling/lazing his life away.

By portraying Hong Gil Dong as a good-for-nothing, the writers put him in the role of the reluctant hero, and of course, create many more opportunities for misunderstandings and humourous situations.

The series begins with a bandit raid at a noble party (with exaggerated fighting scenese reminiscent of old-style Chinese kungfu series). The bandits’ reception by the nobles and the commoners (very different) tells the audience that they aren’t just random rabble coming to rob the rich, but a well-organized group of thieves bent on distributing justice and wealth to all.

Hong Gil Dong appears to be a playful, highly skilled fighter who loves the adulation of the crowds almost as much as he enjoys giving corrupt officials their comeuppance. (Also fangirly squeals from me at the sleek hair.)

We flashback to three years ago, with Hong Gildong sporting a crow’s nest of permed curls and indulging in gambling, philandering and general delinquency. The townsfold are so afraid of him that they dive for cover whenever he fights. If his lazy swagger is any indication, the last thing Hong Gil Dong wants is a life of industry (albeit illegal industry, but at least it’s work, you know?)

No Korean drama is complete without its full complement of relationships, however, and we cut to a dark and gloomy boat. The female lead Heo Enok (portrayed by Song Yuri) is current starving belowdecks when she realizes that her grandfather has been hiding food from her (not terribly grandfatherly behaviour, I’m afraid). A comic tussle ensues, and Enok makes her triumphant way into the upper part of the boat to enjoy her red bean bun in solitude. There, lounging against the rail, stands a pretty boy dressed all in black. Did I mention dark and gloomy? (Just as an aside, the boy’s inherent angst factor makes him the obvious second lead, or so I deem, and I’m proven right, yay!)

Anyway, he is revealed to be none other than Prince Chang Hwe, younger half-brother to the (really insane) king of Korea. He’s just come back from a 3 year long mission (fraught with dangers, we are sure) in China and he is ready to make the next step, i.e. seize the throne.

Enok, with her eventually legendary luck and balance, gets into trouble with him because he thinks she’s a spy, while the poor girl was just admiring his profile. (Paranoid, much?) In a running gag throughout the first few episodes, she keeps losing her food to the Prince’s appearance.

Various things happen, Gil Dong shows off his fighting skills in a cyclone, the prince is really really good at brooding on his tragic past - please, we do not need more wooden expressions, and Yuri is cluelessly wander-y. Yuri and her (adopted) grandfather cook up a scheme to scam money from their supply of ’special Chinese medication’ by marrying off Yuri to whoever can beat her- and of course, no one can. Hong Gil Dong is planning to go to China, hence he corners her and insists on learning Chinese.

Enok, on the other hand, just wants to sell her medicine.

I’ll stop with the recapping here because this is one of those dramas that you have to really watch to understand what we’re all raving about. Some shows are awesome to start with and descend into mediocrity, some shows are awesome and stay that way, and some start kind of shakily but get so much better as they go along that you wonder at the end how you’d ever considered missing this series.

Well, to me, Hong Gil Dong is in the latter category. It’s not just the lead actor’s charisma, which I admit is considerable (and hopefully take him far in the entertainment world). The show starts off nice and expositional, with the first three episodes mainly consisting of humour punctuated by minute progresses in the plot. I’m hoping that things will heat up in the fourth episode - the preview shows that all the loose plotlines are starting to meet, and yay!

I, for one, cannot wait.

Love,

Sevenses

Why, hallo there

So I caved and signed up for wordpress. I had a tab open and tried to think of cool things to say for a long time before I realized I was being ridiculous and rather insecure. Anyway.

First post! So excited.

I think I will let my overwhelming love for Jay Chou’s new song take over. It’s called ‘Qing Hua Ci’, which, literally translated, means Blue Patterned Porcelain Vase. It’s one of his slow, old-Chinese ballads, with interesting mixes of guitar, wood flute and gu zhen (which is a horizontal harp) to complete the rather simple melody. The lyrics, as usual, have quite a bit of over-the-top lyricism, but the song is beautiful. Speaking as a non-fan of Jay Chou, I think I am being quite objective in saying that it’s one of the most memorable songs I’ve heard this year.

Qing Hua Ci evokes a feeling of melancholy, a sort of looking back at something we’ve loved but irrevocably lost. The lyrics are a bit fuzzy on the details, but I’m assuming that he’s talking about a girl during the Ming dynasty (home of famously fabulous porcelainware), elusive, talented and beautiful as the morning dew on a rose, of course. Then he runs circles around metaphors of the art of vase creating. I wasn’t aware of the lyrics at first, due to Chou’s infamous habit of mumbling his words.

I asked around, and public opinion (at least within the Chinese crowd) is that his new movie/commerical-oriented direction is unwelcome. I haven’t followed him for long enough to know (or care, really), but it seems a shame that such a talented songwriter is veering away from where his talents lie. His performance in Curse of the Golden Flower was very bland, and hard to distinguish from his usual self. On the other hand, millions of people around the world await each album release with baited breath and prompt overrun forums with their love for him.

It seems clear enough to me.

That’s all for today, folks.

Sevenses