2011 Kdrama OSTs

   Bad thing is - there wasn't any OST that I would buy in a heartbeat. There were some nice songs that fitted the drama, yet nothing as spectacular and powerful as, let's say, Chuno OST or Revenge of Gumiho OST. Oh yes, 2010 was a good year for dramas. Maybe last year of some quality in main 3 broadcasts' productions.

But if I had to pick up the best score - it would be NToG and What's Up! But the second drama started in December and ended in February, so it's not entirely 2011 one.

2011 Dramas

   Not that last year was prolific with outstanding dramas. Bad thing - it wasn't. I dropped more dramas than in previous years combined. Those years past I finished almost all dramas I started, but with Secret Garden last year I had an epiphany. I realized I have no obligation whatsoever to finish the drama I have no feel for, or I didn't "click" with it.

And I have problem with classifying *fangirl alert* What's Up! or Padam Padam. Fact, those both started last year, but I prefer to treat them as 2012 dramas. Why? Because 2011 was a crappy year for me.

Yeah, maybe biased list, maybe no one agrees with me (but I won't cry in the corner as 'certain someone The Diva'), yet I don't impose my opinion, so feel free to disagree.

I respect my dearest readers opinions and taste as well.

As long as they won't steal one of my 82673512365 loves.

Ban-ready dramas

Dear Commission for Pissing Off Normal Viewers!

I prepared the list (with help of some readers here) of dramas, that your board may take under the consideration of banning. And when you're on it, ban peppero sticks (phallic symbols), ice-creams (OMG!!), lollipops etc. and create the enforce law that would put everyone under zen meditation to get rid of all emotions. Oh noez, I forgot, it was already done. The movie was called Equilibrium, there was a drug  injection. You remember how it ended, dear Cosmic Bullshit Commision?

KBS Interview with Mun Chaewon

   This is not my translation, the interview is already in English on KBS website, I just repost it here.
And you know, regardless of the interview, I really love the dress - the color, cut, shape and material. It's captivating.

Interview with The Princess’ Man writers

As promised, big interview with writers is served.

TPM - cast thoughts

   Actually I didn't plan to "officially" release this short article because it's nothing new. It has five main actors speaking a bit about their characters and favorite scenes. That's all. Article is around one week old, I guess, but can't verify this (and have absolutely no will to do it).

Forgive me any typos, unlike other translations I wrote not in Word, as usually everything, but directly here.

TPM cuts

   One cut is from Entertainment Weekly 1394 and it's with subs (not mine, they are made by KBSWorld), and the other cut is raw (EW 1396), without subs, when KBSWorld make them, I will make srt file to play along really good quality video I cut.

TPM - writers

   This time, what writers have to say about the drama and the cast. As we know (or maybe not), this drama had two writers, one that wanted to focus on the revenge and Seung-yu as the main axis, the other - love story and Seryeong. We got a lovely caesura after the harsh kidnapping and the story went more romantic from that moment on, and Seung-yu showed yet again his change (good thing he didn't develop split personalities).

Kim Yeongcheol on Park Shihu

   Kim Yeongcheol: "I realized why Park Shihu was the hero".

That's the title of the translated article below. If it wasn't for other things that kept me far from TPM and articles, all would be ready by last Thursday, but well, I'm no happy student that can neglect the homework. Plus, it got really cold here and my fingers are numb (sniff...), need some hawt body to warm them up.

Nevermind...

Oh, to just warn everyone - you may not like some of this man's statements. Being honest is apparently equal to being rude and insulting people. So I read.

Idiot Baek Dongsu

Eh, happy first 4 episodes, I shall treasure you^^

   It's the first time I dropped a sageuk. I never did that before, I mustered all my willpower in the past and somehow went through all idiocies that always appear in this kind of drama. The Princess' Man and Deep-rooted Tree now set the bar for period dramas really high lately.

Dongsu disappointed me for the first time when they saved Prince Sado and made him killed by assassins and not from starving in a rice box. I was not pleased by such distortion, but found my leniency and forgave that.

But just when I thought they would go with their logic of killing off characters - they made a move that enraged everyone in the Western world.

‘Nightly assassin’

   Another translated article. This time with glossary, because without it, my work is just some  incomprehensible blabbering. I tried my best to translate it in an understandable way, but it's impossible without additional information. I also left few words in original in parentheses, just in case anyone wants to translate them in your way.

Prince Suyang's Coup d'Etat documentary

  

   There was yesterday a documentary broadcasted on Prince Suyang's Coup d'Etat (계유정난) that made him new King. In case anyone is interested, look below. The show is interesting because it compares drama version with the history. We all know, and PD also said that they weren't that focused on the actual history but on the romance part. Nonetheless, history shown in this drama was also great. The time span for it is around 2 years, not including few years after, when King Sejo was close to his death and he saw Seung-yu with Seryeong.

They even went to the famous cave that - in unofficial history - was a temporary refuge for our lovely and brave couple before they fled further south.

TPM - The End

Dear TPM staff!

  I'm writing this a minute after the last episode ended, so some sentences may seem incoherent. Thank you for wonderful 12 weeks. Thank you for presenting the story that is universal to every one living in distant times and distant places. Thank you that I didn't have to use fast-forward button even once. Thank you that you upheld my faith in a good sageuk without useless plotholes, flat characters and annoying twists. Thank you for the cast you assembled that brought us closer to emotions of people long gone. Thank you for reminding us that the power of Macbeth and R&J is still alive deep in our minds. 

And thank you for giving me a heart attack five minutes before the ending. That was an intense blow right into my face, so I started to choke on my own tears.

After that I cried because I don't regret spending over 25 hours with this drama. 

Sincerely yours,

Ethlenn

Kim Yeongcheol on Mun Chaewon and Park Shihu

   

   This is my another translation of the short recapitulation of the interview with Kim Yeongcheol who plays Grand Prince Suyang (King Sejo) where he talks about the story and two leads in this story.

I'm not a butthurt fan, and I don't curse older, more experienced actors when they point out weak points of my other actors. I can pinpoint the very same problems. And -omo!- those criticized actors don't cry their eyes out, but work, work, work. Oh well, PSH doesn't have 25 years of "acting experience" as The Diva has so... And probably this was the reason why I didn't like the Iljimae (among other issues I had with this drama) - it was this feel that PSH was so out of place there. Even in TPM he did need few episodes to become Joseon man. But he did.

Blood, lot of blood.

   

   As we are left with only four more episodes to go, without any talk of extending (thanks for that!), the ending is still open. As I mentioned it earlier, I will accept any scenario, tragic or filled with hope. I don't think death of the character equals bad ending.

TPM hasn't lost its pace, but it slightly turned the table now. In episode 19 Seryeong cut her hair in front of her father saying heavy words that "she is unable to carry the blood relationship with him". Suyang's retaliation was merciless, at the end of episode 20 he called her Myeon's slave. 

But Seryeong is at this stage that threats no longer works on her. Gyeonghye and Seung-yu opened her eyes on her father's doings and she has chosen the path there is no going back from. She burned too many bridges now.

Cuts

   

   Yes, I will write that publicly - FileFactory is a bunch of non-professionals. I stored there my files, because they promised to "keep your files for-eva" (say that with Latrine's accent and you'll get my point). Well, apparently "forever" means to them - until we make a change and won't inform you about that. All my files are lost now, and some of them were for my students. And some of them were Namgil-nim. So yes, I'm so pissed off nothing actually can pacify me right now. Very professional. Now their policy is - 90 days. So no, thank you, I think I'll switch to megaupload for saving me files. So if you find any link on this blog that is broken - don't blame me.

Anyway, two cuts today from weekend shows.

TPM - another background

8 people including Kim Jil and Jong

The Princess’ Man is heavily inlaid with politics. It takes up over 50% of the time screen. Various meetings, scheming, subterfuges and traps set in such a way it’s practically impossible to avoid. What makes it even worse, is the fact it really happened, only in a more brutal way the drama shows. Of course, they couldn’t be precise in depicting all horrendous events that made Joseon drown in blood. Moreover, writers craftily created characters that history left only one word for them. I don’t mind if it wasn’t Seryeong who fled the capital with Seung-yu. What I’m sure is the fact that one of Suyang daughters did that. The name is not that important. It's all the game of archetypes. We are watching beautiful and haunting story. Whatever the ending, I will accept it. Because it’s beautiful. There is not even one character left out, cardboard character, a filler etc. And when we are talking about characters, I’d like to talk a bit of Ministers that were sentenced to death by Suyang because of their failed rebellion.

TPM Ep 19 Preview

Oh well, as in the title...

Now let me take my cardiac drops again...

Park Shihu's metamorphosis

   What is the best way to spend a boring hour of consultations when no one is coming? Of course with your friendly uncle google. This may lead to short yet cute articles. I wrote cute, because this one I translated below is full with word "sexy" instead of many other synonyms, namely Park Shihu, just to start with. Ekhem. I would put that earlier, but my laptop's keyboard broke down finally and I was looking for some yesterday. Plus, my internetz run away from me also yesterday, and today... eh, better not to tell. I was given a week voucher for a fitness club by my friend, so I will work out all my stress there, ahaha!

Ekhem, back to normal state. Translated article is below.

TPM - short notice

   I'm gathering material for new post with Official Administrations and such stuff that appear on TPM along with few words on the famous "six martyred ministers". So far, while looking for more info on buddhist temples I found this:

Beopjusa Temple (the pic above):

Two kilometers before the entrance to the temple is a tree many might miss.
It is a 600 year-old pine tree near the road. Legend tells that it bowed its branches in front of King Sejo as story of guilt. King Sejo was the second son of King Sejong; he succeeded the throne by murdering his nephew.
In old age he suffered from a severe skin ailment and tried to find solace from his ailment as well as his bad conscience in the forests of Sogni-san Mountain. One day he met a young woman whose two boys called him grandfather. The woman was Princess Uisook, Sejo's daughter, who had to flee her father because she had pleaded for the life of the murdered nephew. At this meeting the king begged for forgiveness and invited these members of his family back to the palace. The princess refused saying that she preferred her simple life and she later fled further south.   

source

And just to add about the actual temple layout, Horyuji looks awfully similar, ne? No wonder. U mad, Japan?

One more historical fact...