Why We Won’t Get Lesbian Loving in Painter and Other Things

Um, because the show causes me to think furiously. (Also have realized am unconsciously putting off watching BV, because god, that show kills the creative juices.)

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS UP TILL EP8. FEEL WARNED.

There’s the relationship stuff going on, which is particularly interesting and hard to tangle, as well as some speculation. Just a note, Shin Yoon Bok’s real name in the drama is actually Seo Yoon, so I may interchangeably use this one, don’t get confused. Although I think if I use cutiepie everyone would get it anyway, so…

My short analysis on each person who is really important in Yoon Bok’s life right now, with added random rambling, because, goodness, this is my blog, if I can’t ramble here then I can’t anywhere.

Kim Hong Do

Eh. He’s actually the most boring/stereotypical one of the list. Whatevs. Also, his constant shouting gets annoying, but on the other hand he’s kind of a father figure to her right now. (Which makes their impending romance even more squicky, eurgh.) Just to get this out of the way, a part of me is beyond annoyed by the whole Hong-Do-is-having-feelings-for-his-male-student-ohnoes – and Shy Exposition Girl’s (um, sister to the colleague) conspiratorial-homg-gossip whispering on how this one guy got his legs broken for ‘consorting’ with another male. God, I am so glad I did not live then, I would have died a quick death for my liberal thinking. Or possibly killed them all.

Also, does no one find it disturbing that Hong Do held little Yoon in his lap at one point and fed her candy, much like a benevolent uncle? Add that to the teacher thing, and we’ve got an abuse of authority situation coming up. Though it comforts me that Yoon Bok is such a prickly blossom (much like how she says Jeong Hyang is, lol) even at 18 that she doesn’t take Hong Do’s crap and talks back.

Um, so, episode 7 and 8 has him all flustered and stuff around Yoon Bok, though he’s doing a good job of keeping it to just glancing and random spaciness. (That’s how you can tell it’s love – he’s totally rude to other people.) Other than that, people, it’s just romance, nothing to see here, move along.

I wonder when the student will surpass the master (some argue that it’s already happened, but there’s so much she hasn’t learned yet). Also, when he will find out she is a girl, just because I want to see the look on his face.

Jeong Hyang

Omm, I love this girl. People went all crazy about how Yoon Bok was a lesbian and stuff, but as the girl says herself (with the clarity only alcohol brings, *cackle*), Jeong Hyang is more than a mere lover, she is someone who is in tune with Yoon Bok – and whom Yoon Bok sees as a representation of her other self. It is probable, given that if she hadn’t been taken in by Shin, she would have been sold to a gisaeng house.

She’s not in love – Jeong Hyang’s more important than that, which gives me hope for the future, because had it been purely romantic love, dearest Hyang would have been axed so Hong Do could make an entrance. (Though Yoon Bok is in considerable danger from the evil merchant dude – doubly so, since he killed her parents and wants to kill Jeong Hyang’s ‘lover’.)

Jeong Hyang’s loveliness and the entire motif of the butterfly thing is a reference to the cocoon process. Yoon Bok came out as an artist (no pun intended), and male, while Jeong Hyang became a beautiful, graceful gisaeng.

Current speculation about if she finds out splits in four ways:
1) She doesn’t find out and goes to her grave loving the boy. (Ze most likely atm.)
2) She finds out and the two become artistic buddies. (Or soulmates, if you’re mushy.)
3) She finds out and things take on a distinctly lesbian tone, can be one-sided or mutual, I guess. (Aha, if only.)
4) She goes all crazy with vengeance. (Doubt that would happen.)

It’s a shame they won’t take the lesbian theme and run with it, but then S.K. society is highly conservative and heads would have rolled, so not that surprising…

Young Bok

See, the thing is, usually we have a brother-like figure who also likes the heroine, but because he is a nice guy (and not a Nice Guy), he doesn’t get the girl. I think Young Bok is more than that. Really – his own father only adopted Yoon the girl and turned her into Yoon Bok the boy because he saw her enormous potential and promptly got greedy for his own family and fortune. With a dad like that, who knew Yoon’s father’s fate and how unjust it was – their relationship is not going to end happily, and will stay one-sided forever. He might even die and concrete his status as a martyr on the brick road of success.

On the other hand, since Young Bok is written as a fairly nice guy, he doesn’t really get the Evil Character Chopping Block, and is given a relatively important supporting role. (He even gets his own peppery girl person! Who crushes on him and actively pursuits him!) However, his big losses (painting privilege and YB’s romantic love) are a form of repentance for the wrongs his father committed towards Yoon Bok. They’re big on fate and karma and stuff like that in sageuk writing, I believe, or I seriously will go over to S.K. and take a chunk out of those Legend scriptwriters.

Stuff I’m just throwing in for the heck of it:

- They mentioned in passing that Seo painter dude, Yoon Bok’s dad, married a kaya-expert gisaeng. It would then be kind of scary possible that Jeong Hyang’s teacher was Yoon Bok’s mother, thus deepening their already quite intense connection with each other.

- I swear to god, that Sasuke!Assassin woman is in love with her sleazy master. Poor thing has the same ill-placed loyalty thing going on as the other similarly-dressed assassin person in Iljimae. Remember how choked up she was when sleazy merchant dude told her to guard Jeong Hyang’s courtyard really well? I. AM. VINDICATED.

- Also, I love the motif that Jeong Hyang is associated with a caged bird – because as a gisaeng, of course she’s a kept woman. Yoon Bok’s mother was lucky enough to have escaped that fate, but then got knifed by evil bastards with agendas. *sigh* If only there weren’t so many of them out there.

- I love the soundtrack. I know I say this about almost all the sageuks, but this is one of the best I’ve heard out of even a sageuk for a long time. Repeat button, how I love you, let me count the ways…

- The king, people, is full of subtle hotness. Also, he and his gran are seriously so much love! While we’re on that topic, who thinks Moon Chae Won is one hot chick? Also, speaking of kings, the king in Dae Jang Geum is the snotty painter competitor person. (Who also acts like he’s better than the others because he’s been to China, omg, writers, please stop. It’s obviously self-deprecating and not good for you. Fucking let this go.)

- Um, dammit, when did this get so long?!

Sevenses

Painter of the Wind OST

Ooooh it’s finally out! I’ve been waiting forever – the music is so beautiful that I wanted this OST a lot more than the others.

Anyhoo, download it via [MegaUpload].

Track list:

1. 바람의 노래 风之歌- 조성모(曹诚模) l Song of the Wind – Jo Sung Mo [Mediafire]
2. 눈 길 雪路- 영지(Young Ji) l Line of Sight – Young Ji [Mediafire]
3. 눈물꽃 泪花- 하울(HowL) l Tears – HowL (Title) [Mediafire]
4. 그리움 想念(이루어질 수 없는…无法完成的心愿) – 조성모 曹诚模 l Yearning (Impossible Dream) – Jo Sung Mo (Title) [Mediafire]
5. 그리고 그리며 还有思念 l Still Thinking of You
6. 그리움 想念(대금 大笒Ver.) l Yearning – Kaya version (Love Theme)
7. 도화서 图畵署 l Dohwaseo
8. 바람의 화원 风之画员 l Painter of the Wind (Title Theme)
9. 먹 墨l Ink (Tension Theme)
10. 비밀의 그림 秘密绘图本(秘密之画) l The Secret Painting
11. 울다가 웃다가 又哭又笑 l Laughing and Crying
12. 동천련로 항장곡 桐千年老 恒藏曲 l Aged Pawlonia Hides its Melody
13. 저잣거리 풍경 市场街道风景 l Street Market Scenes
14. 생도청의 아침 学生青衣 早晨 l Student Wears Blue in the Morning
15. 월하정인 月下情人 l Moonlight Lover
16. 장 파 형 长波形 l Long Waves
17. 묘향산의 호랑이 妙香山之虎 l Mountain Tiger
18. 동천련로 항장곡 桐千年老 恒藏曲 (산조 散调 Ver.) l Aged Pawlonia Hides its Melody (Free Version)
19. 무동 舞童 l Dancing Child
20. 생도청의 아침 学生青衣 早晨 l Student Wears Blue in the Morning (Korean Classical Version)
21. 필선의 대결 弼善的对决 l Competition of the Workmen
22. 연소답청 年少踏靑 l Youth Enjoying Nature

Enjoy!

Sevenses

P.S. If anyone knows how to romanize/translate from Korean, please do double check for me.

Painter Episode 7 Preview 2

This is what happens when you procrastinate: you find stuff on the nets about shows you’re watching.

Here’s the link, since wp is a douche and won’t let me embed: the preview is untranslated, but here’s the rough precis.

Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler

Yoon Bok is thrown to the ground by Hong Do, Jeong Hyang begs the assembled men, saying that it’s the last time. Then she gets out her suicide knife.

Switch scenes to Yoon Bok pleading with his father to let him out of a locked storeroom. Err, evil merchant dude beds Jeong Hyang but does not get her kiss. He says something, and she cries with her eyes closed.

Switch scenes to unconscious Yoon Bok being laid down by Hong Do, who tries to undo his/her clothing to make it better, but she/he stops him. Then Hong Do becomes entranced by his student…

Then in daytime, unsure time, Hong Do is drinking/eating with that other girl, the younger sis of his fellow painter.

Really cannot wait for Wednesday.

Sevenses

Painter, Beethoven Virus Rescheduled

Urm, folks, I have some bad news for ya.

Next week, due to a soccer match, Beethoven Virus will air only one episode, on Thursday. This does have the effect of evening out the extension, and BV will air a total of 19 episodes, to end sometime in mid-November. (More recapping for me, watch the pom poms flail.)

In addition, to add to a previous injury, Park Shin Yang, Moon Geun Young’s age-inappropriate costar in Painter of the Wind, has broken the poor girl’s nose. (OW.) The actress has been ordered to take at least 10 days of rest, which means that the filming schedule will be delayed, which means no Painter episodes at all next week.

Not from personal experience, but I do know that any sort of nose injury is extremely painful, and I hope she gets better soon. (Not her luck this month – first that fall down the well and now this – but then Lee Jia also got sick filming those underwater sequences.)

D: And I was so looking forward overindulging – but on the other hand this means that I actually will be able to study (willpower << drama).

Thanks, universe.

Sevenses

Song of the Wind – Painter of the Wind Theme

Download it via [Mediafire].

Lyrics taken from baidu, translation into English are mine, please credit if taken.

Paintings used in PotW

We’ve been seeing lots of beautiful, lovely paintings from Painter on the Wind, and being completely unacquainted with Shin Yoon Bok’s original paintings, I though I’d do a wiki trawl and see what I came up with.

Lo and behold! There’s a lot of stuff that they incorporated into the show. Needless to say, this contains spoilers.

Revisiting Old Favourites

So, watching the first two eps of Painter (zomm so good people, go watch it) reminded me of 青花瓷, or Blue Vase, which kinda sorta has painting and artistry in general as a theme. The vase and paintings he talks about are anthropomorphic – the beautiful woman who forever charms and beckons but is never possessed by the artisan.

Anyhoo, first impressions of Painter. It has pluses on plot (interesting setting and beginning), acting (Moon and Park do a greeeeat job), atmosphere (the right mixture of levity and a sense of impeding disaster), and the most vibrant palette I’ve seen in a while. Everything is just so lush – not sure if it’s because this series is visually oriented to begin with, or my inner eye for greenery has withered of disuse from living in a city, but dudes, this show is gorgeous.

The only thing I find a bit weird is the relationship portents in this show. Something tells me that the brother is feeling incestuous and Park is just old. (Ack, the Severus Snape and Hermione Granger kind of age difference.) But let’s not dwell on that.

But don’t take my word for it! Go watch it yourself!

Download the song here.

Original lyrics and translation below: