Upon pondering...
After receiving inspiration from the pens (er...keyboards?) of those far more intelligent than I (especially
calledinvain, who doesn't even know who I am lol) I've finally gotten around to picking up the frayed threads of my LiveJournal life. For now, at least...not that anyone is reading this. So it doesn't matter.
Following the lead of aforesaid inspirations, I think I'll go on and ramble about a few Asian dramas I'm watching. (Asian drama, btw, is awesome and easily beats out most Western entertainment in a snap). I have a bad habit of watching multiple ones at the same time, so that whenever I get bored with one I can just switch over.
TWdrama:
Devil Beside You - on hold near episode 7. Those two were just starting to get on my nerves.
Love Contract - stuck near episodes 17/18. Amazing chemistry, great acting....but it's so difficult to stay awake when it starts draaagging. =/
Corner With Love - stuck near episode 7... SUBlimes is (reasonably) delaying release of newly subbed eps because of rude comments. Excuse me, complainers, but fansubbers are doing *you* a favor! They sometimes move at a slower pace because they want to sub accurately and clearly for non-Mandarin-speaking fans. Aiyo.
Magicians of Love - in progress. Sometimes funny, perpetually cheesy. Haha...no offense to fans. Cheesiness is one of the marks of a drama.
A Game About Love - waiting for subs on episode 13 or 14 (err...forget which). Qiao En acts very well; Sam Wang and Michael Zhang act relatively well. Plot? Not particularly good, not particularly bad. Chemistry? Somewhat...half there.
Tokyo Juliet - Not one of Ariel's better dramas. Definitely not. And it was Chun's first, so obviously he wasn't at his best, either. Ariel's acting was good, and Chun's acting wasn't bad, but the plot was terrible!! I'm stuck near the beginning, forcing myself to continue for reference and because I'm a fan of Ariel. It's a painful process. (No offense to those who like it, though. It's just my opinion. :-) )
The Rose - Paused. I'm around episode 11, and while Ella and Joe both acted very well, Jerry's boardlike mien is driving me slightly insane. No offense to fans, but at least in this drama, in the parts I've seen so far, his acting is blank, emotionless, and quite bad. The dramatic parts with him are ruined for me because I start laughing so hard at his character Jin's expressions (or lack thereof). XD Bai He's kind of getting on my nerves, too, and the only character who hasn't disturbed/annoyed me so far is Fu Rong, lol.
My Lucky Star - On hold, near episode 2/3. I'm cringing at the cheesiness to come. (Again, no offense to fans.) Not bad acting, just...the script/plot isn't working for me.
Collaboration Dramas:
Chinese Paladin - On hold. (I'm watching it because of Hu Ge, lol.)
Shao Nian Yang Jia Jiang - Currently watching. I'm in the early episodes, but so far it looks pretty good!
Tian Wai Fei Xian - Special effects...er, no comment. And I don't like the voice they chose to dub over Ariel's (no offense, but you'd think glass would break at the pitch of that voice). But I love Ariel and Hu Ge's acting, interaction, and chemistry! Plot: good!
Jdrama:
First Kiss - waiting for subs on ep 2
Inoue Mao pulls off the ill-spoiled-brat-with-likely-good/deeper-side-to-come role really well, from what I've seen. Her slacking but caring brother is also portrayed by a pretty good actor (Ito Hideaki...haven't seen him in any other dramas, though). Mio's love interest is really nice---a shy, unconfident doctor---and I'm happy about his personality because the kind guys like him usually get prodded to the sideline. Finally, a drama where the girl doesn't run for the "bad boy"..! XD
Hotaru no Hikari - also waiting for subs on ep 2
Hm...I'm reserving judgment on this one. I thought it might be interesting, but I have some problems with it... For one, as matters stand now, Amemiya's boss might as well be a chunk of cardboard with administrative duties and a troubled marriage, for all the character development they've given him. Assuming that will come later, Amemiya is honestly very irritating (to me, at least) near the end. Ehhh? Nani? The guy gives you a peck on the lips and you're immediately in love with him? And enough to start sobbing when you find out your friend likes him, too? Can you say "easily persuaded...?"
Hana Kimi - can't wait for episode four!! Maki, Toma, and Shun are all quite talented... The plot is funny, catchy, sad at short intervals, and in general, great! There are problems, and we don't have a lot of character development on Sano yet, but I love it! (I'd better stop before I ramble all night about it, haha.)
Gokusen - on hold. Classic, though formulaic. And it's nice to see a strong female heroine, even if she (argh) pretends to be weak when her crush the policeman is around.
Kimi wa Petto - on hold, in the middle of episode 1. Strange, this one...good to see a strong female heroine, but no person should be treated/should act as a *pet*...too weird. Lol.
OK, enough blabbering for now.
Random aside: I am so addicted to Yoplait's Creamy Latte Yogurt Whips. Yes, it sounds odd, but it tastes amazing, seriously!