...sloping in late with Starbucks...
Apr. 12th, 2023 06:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yesmissjane...but no Starbucks I'm afraid, bc a) I'm a Melbournian and we kinda look down our noses at Starbucks, and b) I don't do coffee, so it's just a metaphor for something like: I honestly don't know how it's been *mumble mumble* since I was back here, but now I'm back, so let's get up to date!
I finally finished 《Under the Skin》, the not at all BL contemporary crime drama with the very fic-able ship from the beginning of last year, which I was watching with my husband. It was, um, OK? I genuinely enjoyed the developing relationship between the two leads (a bluff, no nonsense detective and a miraculously gifted portrait artist who enters the story as a suspect but quickly becomes a central part of the team) but a number of the 'monster of the week' plot arcs stretched my ability to suspend disbelief beyond breaking point. The majority of these little mysteries concerned women, their strained relationship with men, their faces, and society, and while it was undoubtably well meaning, it often felt forced, especially because we are being told these stories as they as reconstructed by the male leads. And then there was the moment when something objectively magical/without possible rational explanation happens on screen without comment, and I just went: ok then. The last few eps included some higher stakes issues for our heroes, as the big bad of the series finally came to the fore, and I guess the finish was OK, but I wouldn't say I was at the edge of my seat. So, in sum: it was pretty to look at, certainly more original than many police procedurals I've watched over the years, and the two leads both did a good job with their roles, but the overall story was a bit of a dogs breakfast.
I also rewatched 《Gank Your Heart》when it was released on Viki, and I have to say watching it this time through a legitimate channel and hence without all the porn pop-ups very much elevated the experience. In fact, this was a rollicking good time all up, I think I had forgotten just how well paced and enjoyable it is. It is, obvs, bubblegum viewing, but the up side of that is the styling is very much on point. Wang Yibo looks every inch the idol throughout: the one exception is the motorcycle helmet they gave him, which I'm sure is extremely cool and fit his character's aesthetic, but did *nothing* for his face. Every scene (thankfully they were few and far between) where he had to speak to camera with the helmet on he looked like a bobblehead toy. I didn't warm to the female lead terribly much, though I didn't *hate* her, and they have not got much in the way of chemistry going on between them (well, not after they stop hating each other at least. In the first few eps where they were getting on each other's nerves and WYB was acting like a gremlin towards her and she was spitting with anger they were actually very fun to watch) but that's not much different from most romance dramas imho. But everything else was great; lots of villains to boo, the female lead's spunky best friend, Jeremy the Chinese-spitting white boy who chews the scenery whenever he's on screen, the iConquer matches which were surprisingly gripping (well done the editing and production team bc that is certainly not a given!!!) and of course, who can forget: Pei Xi, the funniest character possibly ever, who is extremely obviously into JXK (WYB's character), to the point of choosing to sleep in his room rather than take a solo, and offering to date his quasi-girlfriend.
I got to the end, and had to physically stop myself from turning around and watching it again. That's just how much fun it is. I think it is probably my fave WYB drama after CQL. But then, I'm currently rewatching Luoyang as well, so give me a week or so and we'll see if I stand by that.
Moving from the sublime to the ridiculous, I then watched the *worst* C-Drama I've yet seen, at least of those I followed to the bitter end. I've dropped so many dramas which failed me for one reason or another, yet somehow with this one I just couldn't stop hitting myself in the face. It's called 《I Hear You》, it's on Netflix, it stars Zhou Lusi and an extremely conventionally good looking store dummy, sorry, my mistake, Riley Wang, and you DO NOT want to see it, good god. Save yourself while you still can.
Anyhow, I'm exhausted now, so I'm calling it a day. I'm actually in the process of watching 4 other C-Dramas at the moment, and I haven't even started 《Until the End of the Moon》which everyone is raving about, so I should probably have finished at least one of them by next week and I can come and tell you about that in a timely manner!!!
Ciao!
C-Drama's seen so far in 2023:
Lighter & Princess ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
She and Her Perfect Husband ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
New Life Begins ⭐️⭐️1/2
Triad Princess ⭐️1/2
Ashes of Love ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Meet Yourself ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Under the Skin ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gank Your Heart ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I Hear You ---
I finally finished 《Under the Skin》, the not at all BL contemporary crime drama with the very fic-able ship from the beginning of last year, which I was watching with my husband. It was, um, OK? I genuinely enjoyed the developing relationship between the two leads (a bluff, no nonsense detective and a miraculously gifted portrait artist who enters the story as a suspect but quickly becomes a central part of the team) but a number of the 'monster of the week' plot arcs stretched my ability to suspend disbelief beyond breaking point. The majority of these little mysteries concerned women, their strained relationship with men, their faces, and society, and while it was undoubtably well meaning, it often felt forced, especially because we are being told these stories as they as reconstructed by the male leads. And then there was the moment when something objectively magical/without possible rational explanation happens on screen without comment, and I just went: ok then. The last few eps included some higher stakes issues for our heroes, as the big bad of the series finally came to the fore, and I guess the finish was OK, but I wouldn't say I was at the edge of my seat. So, in sum: it was pretty to look at, certainly more original than many police procedurals I've watched over the years, and the two leads both did a good job with their roles, but the overall story was a bit of a dogs breakfast.
I also rewatched 《Gank Your Heart》when it was released on Viki, and I have to say watching it this time through a legitimate channel and hence without all the porn pop-ups very much elevated the experience. In fact, this was a rollicking good time all up, I think I had forgotten just how well paced and enjoyable it is. It is, obvs, bubblegum viewing, but the up side of that is the styling is very much on point. Wang Yibo looks every inch the idol throughout: the one exception is the motorcycle helmet they gave him, which I'm sure is extremely cool and fit his character's aesthetic, but did *nothing* for his face. Every scene (thankfully they were few and far between) where he had to speak to camera with the helmet on he looked like a bobblehead toy. I didn't warm to the female lead terribly much, though I didn't *hate* her, and they have not got much in the way of chemistry going on between them (well, not after they stop hating each other at least. In the first few eps where they were getting on each other's nerves and WYB was acting like a gremlin towards her and she was spitting with anger they were actually very fun to watch) but that's not much different from most romance dramas imho. But everything else was great; lots of villains to boo, the female lead's spunky best friend, Jeremy the Chinese-spitting white boy who chews the scenery whenever he's on screen, the iConquer matches which were surprisingly gripping (well done the editing and production team bc that is certainly not a given!!!) and of course, who can forget: Pei Xi, the funniest character possibly ever, who is extremely obviously into JXK (WYB's character), to the point of choosing to sleep in his room rather than take a solo, and offering to date his quasi-girlfriend.
I got to the end, and had to physically stop myself from turning around and watching it again. That's just how much fun it is. I think it is probably my fave WYB drama after CQL. But then, I'm currently rewatching Luoyang as well, so give me a week or so and we'll see if I stand by that.
Moving from the sublime to the ridiculous, I then watched the *worst* C-Drama I've yet seen, at least of those I followed to the bitter end. I've dropped so many dramas which failed me for one reason or another, yet somehow with this one I just couldn't stop hitting myself in the face. It's called 《I Hear You》, it's on Netflix, it stars Zhou Lusi and an extremely conventionally good looking store dummy, sorry, my mistake, Riley Wang, and you DO NOT want to see it, good god. Save yourself while you still can.
Anyhow, I'm exhausted now, so I'm calling it a day. I'm actually in the process of watching 4 other C-Dramas at the moment, and I haven't even started 《Until the End of the Moon》which everyone is raving about, so I should probably have finished at least one of them by next week and I can come and tell you about that in a timely manner!!!
Ciao!
C-Drama's seen so far in 2023:
Lighter & Princess ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
She and Her Perfect Husband ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
New Life Begins ⭐️⭐️1/2
Triad Princess ⭐️1/2
Ashes of Love ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Meet Yourself ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Under the Skin ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gank Your Heart ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I Hear You ---
no subject
Date: 2023-04-12 10:39 am (UTC)I loved Luoyang. I would be fascinated to hear your review when you've seen it all. I did find that the actress playing his wife annoyed me greatly (in his place, i would've accidentally-on-purpose hip checked her into a canal). They had not much in the way of chemistry, but they're supposed to be awkward with each other, so he nailed it.
no subject
Date: 2023-04-12 11:57 pm (UTC)I also loved Luoyang when I watched it the first time (I was watching it nightly as it came out; I'd creep back to bed and have to lie there silently not to wake my husband as I processed each ep - all in all a very memorable experience) but I was a bit let down by the ending.
The episode I watched yesterday had WYB's wife calling 'Er Long! Er Long!' in that particularly plaintive tone throughout and I think I understood the hatred she attracted in a much more visceral way than before. iirc she improves on further acquaintance, and I am hanging out for that to kick in.