...what are you watching...

Marry Me, Mary 15-16! the end. I didn't realize there were 5 subbing groups working on this show until I read the Soompi thread; all of the subbers are a tad sloppy & slow..1 being especially bad by using a chinese-to-english electronic translation. Who would share that kind of translation?? I also enjoyed how the fangirls flipped out at episode 15. Scary fangirls are very dumb and scary. That episode was so brick-in-the-face predictable that I don't know why there was that kind of reaction in that forum. Moving on, the show reaches the obligatory misunderstanding-then break-up climax. I think I'm one of the few that liked the simplicity of Mary and Jung-in's solution; a very public break-up. And with all nice guy characters, you feel extra sorry for Jung-in at the end, and you kinda have to laugh at him. The final episode also came back to mimic the humor found in the first few episodes which was very cute. ~8/10 rating~ the show brought out the best (fanservice-filled) qualities of the three main actors. The writing didn't break any ground, but was a pleasant distraction each week. And Jang geun-suk's singing is so lovely. :)
Hello Hello MV
I Will Promise You MV
My Bus MV
My Precious

The salt trucks were out in full force today, but sadly, the east coast snow storm did not extend into our area.


Marry Me, Mary 13-14! Mu-gyul's band members get mad that he loses his rocker ways and writes a pop song for the drama. Well, they get over it fairly quickly..it's not like they are important characters..snark. The song is soo cute. Then the bumbling fathers decide to kidnap Mu-gyul, but fail. Jung-in nobly helps the couple through their problems. *swoon* nice guy. You start feeling incredibly sorry for him. He keeps doing such kind things, has bad dreams, gets slapped by his father, lost his mother, and apparently has no friends. Aw~ the Christmas Eve scene was depressing; I think it was the ski sweater and sliced fruit tray that got me. Kim Jae-wook reminds me of Keanu Reeves...which is both a good (straight posture) and bad (stiff acting) thing. :)


Secret Garden 11-12! Joo-won still persists in harrassing Ra-im without any real moments of spark. I get that he is the high and mighty, awkward prince, but it's getting a little old now. Oska and Ra-im are fun together, but I'm more of a fan of Oska getting together with the gay newbie singer. His ex is much too whiny for me to feel any sympathy for her. The annoying, overbearing mother cliche is terrible in this show; snooze. I did like scene with the action school member who tries to help Joo-won and Ra-im get together.

Otome Youkai Zakuro 12! Agemaki has a conversation with Zakuro's mother who is apparently a corpse. He tries to reason with Omadaka. In the meantime, the spiderlady has a bonfire in the shrine.

Marry Me, Mary 11-12! Jung-in hasn't really put in any effort into winning Mary. Other than looking sharp in his suits, smirking here and there, and one kiss, uh, after 12 episodes, is that all he's doing to do? Mary and Myu-gyul continue their happy couple activities while their parents continue their bumbling. Jang Geun-suk has another single out for the show with two new adorable songs. The 2nd ost came out, too, and contains Seo-jun's version of Precious which is also pleasant. Download at this blog. :)

If I didn't feel under the weather, I would have been delighted by the first snow of the season.

Gantz will actually premiere in two theaters near me Jan 20th. Wish it weren't a Thursday, and wish it weren't one part of two movies. Still, yay for jmovie premiere near me.

Marry Me, Mary 10! Mary and Mu-gyul and more cute couple antics. I am envious of their winter clothing wardrobe. I want their scarf collection. I always feel chilly watching this drama (or it could be the commute to/from metro this week). Jung-in really isn't putting much effort into winning Mary so far, but I liked the glare at the end.

Marry Me, Mary 8-9! Seo-joon's jealousy is getting a little old now. She initially appeared like she was a smarter character that would actually do something more interesting that just stalk a guy that has no interest in her, but nah, the writer decided to stick with convention. Seo-joon and Jung-in look like they are an ideal (albeit boring) couple. I'm pretty sure the whole show is just a front to showcase Mary and Moo-gyul being cute together; omg, the dancing! Anyway, it looks like the writer got fired due to low ratings, and that someone else will be taking over next week. They've got a great cast, so hopefully, they can revive the plot. I do wonder why they don't stick to the manwha's story which probably has fleshed out the plot more.

Marry Me, Mary 6-7! Episode 6 was an episode of temporary new hair. Mu-kyul looked a few years younger with the short hair. I laughed at how Jung-in combed his hair to hide the bruise on his face. Episode 7 was when Mae-ri's lie is revealed...so soon, too. If was a drama made 3-4 years ago, they would have stretched out the lie until the very end. It will be interesting to see how they fill the second half of this series.

Tegami Bachi: REVERSE 10! Lag hooks up with Zazie and Connor in a town where Reverse is doing something suspicious in a nunnery. Lag has to crossdress to investigate. Roda looks up his skirt.

Arakawa under the Bridgex2 9! The opening narrative was pretty. The rest of the episode was rather forgettable.

So driving to a family member's house for Thanksgiving lunch yesterday, two large wild turkeys were crossing the road...

Regarding N. Korea, links...
What happened
NYT article
Why is she still on tv?

Only 1 episode this week due to the above...Secret Garden 4! reveals the family rivalry subplot. The English-speaking scene was a bit awful due to the female character's bad acting. Oska's persistence at finding a protege is a weird, but entertaining distraction from the main couple's angst.

Marry Me, Mary 5! Jung-in was adorable in the beginning of this episode. Jealous guys doing silly things..sweet! As in any Cinderella drama, Mary gets a high-class wardrobe makeover which puts her into some of that awkward-looking ajumma fashion.

Marry Me, Mary 4! And more FANSERVICE! kdramas are really picking up what females like to see whether lifting it from a page of shoujo manga or not, I'm not tired of it yet. This show is also giving the audience a lesson on how not to be a single parent. All three main characters were apparently raised by a single parent who didn't really provide a well-rounded upbringing. Anyway, Jung-in is forced to actively participate in the 100-day contract now that his father upped the stakes. Thus, charm level goes up a la piggyback ride and random Japanese. I think Kim Jae-wook has used his Japanese skills in every show I've seen him in. I liked the ginkgo trees in the background earlier in the episode. Pretty.

Marry Me, Mary (I think this is the title they are selling) 3! As a part of the contract marriage, Jung-in also has Mary work for him as his assistant. Although Mary finds Jung-in's personality cold, she is delighted to find out that he produces tv dramas. These actors are adorable. Later in the episode, I'm a little mystified at how there was a guitar playing when not one of the three band members on stage was playing their instrument. And should they really be playing a love song when one male character is checking out another male character? I didn't think there could be a drama that could top You're Beautiful in terms of fanservice and blatant cliches, but yes, this drama tops it big time. But no matter, the main characters are so darn cute. Despite the 'who is Mary going to choose' (no-brainer) conflict, the ultimate question is who is the more pretty, Mu-gyul or Jung-in? Such a fun problem. <3


Jyuui Dolittle 1! jdrama featuring a brilliant vet with a foul personality. Remind you of anyone? The vet, Tottori-sensei (amusingly located in Mitaka) is played by Oguri Shun. Inoue Maou and Toma Ikuta are also a part of the show, so the show is bound to be popular. It's pretty cute, though the japanese version of a doctor with a foul personality is fairly mild. In episode 1, he saves a cat, monkey & horse, averts a lawsuit and gets Inoue Maou's character to work for him. Um, I'm going to skip this one.

Mary Stayed Out All Night (or Marry Me, Mary) 1-2! kdrama which doesn't break any new drama ground, but does star my two favorite k-actors and my favorite actress. This starts off with a Tim Burton-esque (I approve) wedding dream which foreshadows the love triangle to come. Mary or Wi Mae-Ri played by Moon Geun-young is a young woman whose father has caused them to become penniless. She meets the Korean version of Hyde (VAMPS style) played by the cute Jang Geun-seok, and after a slight car accident & drinks, Mary and Mu-Gyul slowly become friends despite their attempts not to. Mary's father reconnects with an old friend (very successful & wealthy, of course) who has a lovely son, Jung-in, played by the very pretty Kim Jae-wook. The fathers try to get their children together. In the first episode, we learn that Mary is a drama fangirl. There's also a drama actress to complete the two male-two female drama formula. I can't say that the first episode was exceptionally funny, but yes, it was the cute style of funny, and the eye-candy was worth it. A big plus is that we get to hear Jang Geun-seok singing again. :) squee. The 2nd episode focuses on the fathers trying to get their children married. Mary fakes a marriage with My-Gyul while her father forges her marriage license to Jung-in. Jung-in has a business deal with his father riding on the marriage, and proposes a 100 day wedding contract to see who Mary will choose.