General & I

Once upon a time I watched a Chinese movie and it rapidly went from cute......to weird beyond all of my imagination but I was so shocked I kept watching and watching and watching. I banned all Chinese dramas and movies from my life from sheer weirdness and shock.

Then it happened. I was browsing youtube for various dramas and I stumbled upon a Chinese fantasy drama, it caught my interest, but I was still reluctant to commit, another one caught my attention and even though it was only 20 episodes I was reluctant...then one more caught my attention. Instantly I was in love, I checked the amount of episodes and threw caution and everything else to the wind.

Needless to say 62 episodes later I am deeply deeply in love with this historical C Drama. I am going to try and stay spoiler free as possible...but that is going to be difficult. I have a feeling this is going to be more restrained fan-girling than an actual review. 

General and I

PG-13 + (but it's a far from R)
(warning labels)
It's a historical drama so what do you expect? It's an absolute blood bath in certain episodes. Nothing too gruesome, just loss of life which is tragic, lots of blood coming out of mouths, and some spurts which made me wince and look away but nothing that horrified me...that I saw.

There are some intimate shots, no direct nudity, though a few of the guy character are shirtless (a few times) and  one scene the girl character is wearing very little and filming tried to make the most out of  it, also there are a few scenes with girls taking steaming baths, not much more than shoulders and arms are shown.

A concubine is very creepy, and tries to get pregnant with someone who isn't the king, so there is some shadows, but we don't see any of the intimacy thankfully.

One night two characters sleep in the same bed, she passed out, and he was drunk, nothing happened but the still spent the night together.

There are several suicides in this drama and one attempt, if this is a trigger watch with discretion or skip all together.

One character goes mad, and another shows signs of madness, possibly triggered by grief, bitterness and power hunger.

So let's get down to business.

Based of a Chinese Novel: A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated, we get this beautiful story, that is full of beautiful visuals, beautiful characters...and some green screening.

Costumes and characters are lovely deep, complicated and overall lovable.
The themes of love, forgiveness, bitterness, friendship and loyalty ran very deep in this drama and wove it's way beautifully and intensely through it's story telling.

Characters:

Ping Ting

Beautiful, brilliant, military strategist, orphaned and taken in by the Prince An family, Ping Ting is the picture of loyalty and brilliance.

She captivated me almost instantly with her quiet modesty and yet strategic brilliance and masterminding a brilliant battle strategy. She was treated by He Xia as an equal but a woman still, and you could tell that there was an underlying hint of possible romance for their future.

However, she and He Xia are dealt a hard hand and things go very rapidly from harmony and a future together to utter chaos and being without a home...and separated.

And this is when she meets the enemy of Prince An's Manor and her country Great Yan.

Chu Bei Jie

Well, other than being Ping Ting's enemy. I decided very rapidly to fall in love with him.

Ping Ting took a lot more convincing.

General Che Bei Jie the "god of war" for Great Jin. A brilliant strategist, martial arts master, loved by all of his men.  This man had a heart and soul that is beyond beautiful, the very image of loyalty, faithfulness, and undying love. (I might be a bit of a fan.)
Over and over I had to admire his priorities, and how he placed people as a huge importance in his life, as well as his nation. I could keep going on but I am afraid that would spoil everything.

I loved all of the hand shots in this drama....so may beautiful hand shots

He Xia

Where do I begin.
Intelligent, bright,...and so many spoiler-y things I want to tell you.
But instead I'll just say... look at this face.

Minor Characters and Supporting Cast

Mo Ran

Chu Bei Jei's right hand man....and an amazing one to boot.

Yang Feng & Zi Yin

Ping Ting's childhood friend and husband. These were an amazing pair, the friend was sweet and her husband incredible.

Princess of Bai Lan 

She is beautiful, sweet innocent and a little love blind and sacrificing to a fault.

Ziu Ju

I LOVE HER, she is the best side kick heroine ever. So much love goes to her!

Lady Thirteen

I loved and I hated her just a little bit...but mostly loved her.

Sima Hong

An amazing King....who could have played his game a little better, however was over all incredible and brilliant. The man was king.

Garrison Commander Fan Lu

Sheesh this Mr. Trouble was worth his weight in gold.

Royal Consort Zhang

Fear this woman!

There is so much more I could talk about, but know it has to be a good drama if I am willing to pace myself through 62 episodes in 2 1/2 weeks.

And no spoilers....buuuuuut...

Isn't this face the cutest!!!!!

Nine: Nine Times Time Travel

Title: Nine: Nine Times Time Travel (say that nine times fast) 4.5 stars
Rating: PG-13
For...marriage! The is a couple in here that pledges to love each other, and then kissing and cuddling etc. Also, the marriage isn't in a church so if you don't like the whole I love you, you love me let's get married by pledging to each other...well, that is in here.
 Also there are a few bloody graphics that have to do with surgery like blood spurting in the middle of a surgery, someone getting killed in a phone booth so blood and glass.
A foreigner screaming wrapped up in a towel in one scene towards the beginning.
Repeated fire scene where someone is minorly wounded, and believed to have killed another character.
Brief off screen rape scene, which is confirmed to have happened.
Punching scenes (trust me you want to get in there and do it too).
Drug using is addressed with a minor character, also an attempted suicide by drugs in a time travel scene.


Okay, so enough with all of this said you should WATCH IT!!!!!!! (Seriously!) Even with a terrible thing happening in a phone booth...the first thing I did when I got to Korea and saw a phone booth was run inside and take pictures and think of Nine: Nine Times Time Travel.


I started watching this drama when I had a cold and knew nothing about taking screen shots sooooo I am going to have pinterest help us out a little.

I started watching it because I had loved Lee Jin Wook's performance in The Three Musketeers, and I really wanted to see what other things he had done.

It was love at first episode, actually when he spoke English in the first 5 minutes, his English is really good. (At least from this English Teacher's perspective.) From there it grew rapidly, into a face paced drama, with just the right amount of romance, and suspense that had me watching this drama as if it were a serious part time job that I couldn't bear to be away from.

One of the things I love about 9x's is that it allowed something most time travel stories don't allow characters to do. He crossed his own timeline, in fact, he messed only with his own timeline, and it was amazing, incredible, devastating, beautiful, and perfection to see how it all played out. The writing and acting of this drama were incredible blend.

Watching this drama it asked quite a few important questions. How could fixing the lives of those you love...ruin yours? Oh....sooooooooooooooo many ways.
What happens if you are the only one who remember's the past.
Is the past, really better the way it happened?
What if the people you love, aren't the people you think they were...

There was just the right amount of romance, the right amount of tragedy and the best friend a man could ever ask for.

The couple is sweet and you are cheering for them through all of the up's and downs, and main character that has gripping your chest as your heart bursts along with his...with agony and joy...and so many more things.

WWW ~ June 2016 Edition

June doesn't have many new dramas premiering, but I think July might just be stuffed full.


Korean:
~ Police Unit 38 AKA Task Force
Empress:  YES. I'm not sure I'll appreciate the premise, but Hello, Monster made me interested in seeing a few more of Seo In Guk's dramas, and his character in this looks pretty delightful. If he's anywhere near as snarky as The Mentalist, I'm in. XD
Ambassador:  Probably at some point because interesting plot + Seo In Guk and Sooyoung.
Unni:  Interesting. But...the list of dramas I want to watch and haven’t is so long, I can’t say I am going to add this one...unless it gets really interesting.


~ Baek Hee has Returned
Empress:  ....possibly if I need something short to watch?
Ambassador:  Nah, family melo isn't my usual style, not even for a mini drama.
Unni:  Mini drama, hmmm this might just be interesting enough and short enough to draw my attention.


~ Doctors
Empress:  I keep insisting to myself that I will not watch this one, having been disappointed by every single medical drama I've tried to watch, but I admit the cast of this one is kinda interesting. Still, nope. XD
Ambassador:  At some point, probably, because while the plot doesn't sound terribly interesting, the trailers do look kind of interesting.  And Park Shin Hye, Yoon Kyun Sang and Kim Min Suk.  So, I'll try it at some point, but it's pretty far down on the list.
Unni:  Interesting, but....then again so many more interesting dramas. I’ll probably skip!


~ Wanted
Empress:  Possibly. It will probably go on my list, and then depend on what reviews seem to say about it. XD
Ambassador:  Possibly.  It sounds like it could be fascinating and somewhat psychological.
Unni:  WOW! OUCH! If it’s not too terribly scary I might have a stab at watching this one.


China:
~ Singing All Along
Empress:  Okay, this sounds pretty interesting. I already feel sorry for Guo Sheng Tong, though. I might put this one on my list.... :)
Ambassador:  Let's see.  Plot + THE REAL HISTORY + Ruby Lin and Justin Yuan/Yuan Hong.  YES, I'M ABSOLUTELY WATCHING IT.
Unni:  Wow! Sounds interesting, and lengthy. I am not sure. I haven’t really thought about jumping into Chinese History.


What is on your June watch list?

WWW ~ May 2016 Edition

The BHCB picks for what we're watching this May!  (And we're only 12 days late, yaaay.)


Korean Dramas:
~ Lucky Romance 
Empress:  *rolls eyes* *rolls eyes again* 1) not feeling like rom-coms at the moment 2) I resent the cheap nerd who believes in marriage as it's meant to be. :P
Ambassador:  When the synopsis for this first came out, I wasn't interested.  THEN they cast Lee Soo Hyuk as second lead.  I'm ABSOLUTELY watching it now.  Especially since his character will be a tennis player.  Despite the iffy sounding premise, it's a primetime kdrama so it can't be TOO bad, so YES, I'll be watching it... while patiently waiting for Lee Soo Hyuk to be cast in a lead role.  However, depending on how they handle the fortune telling and seduction aspects, I'll drop it, if I can't condone it.
Empress:  Wait, WHAT? C'mon, drama-world...Well, I agree that kdramas can tone down some pretty questionable material...most likely I'll only watch clips, though. Supplied by you. XD
Unni:  WAAAAAAAAAY too much questionable material for me. Okay Secret Garden with the body swapping was interesting but...seductions and fortune tellers no thank you!


~ Beast’s Beauty/The Beauty of the Beast
Empress:  My list is too long to be tempted by this. XD I, on the other hand........ :D
Ambassador:  The name is enough to pique my interest; I love Beauty and the Beast stories.  This doesn't appear from the synopsis to be a classic B&B type plot, but it does sound pretty good.  Plus, I've heard good things about Nam Goong Min's acting from the Empress.  
Unni:  Hmmm...this one looks like something I might watch. I’ll probably wait to see some reactions and clips before I commit.


~ Another Oh Hae Young
Empress:  Curious about the seeing the future part...maybe. If it gets good reviews I might check it out. :D
Ambassador:  Rom-com isn't my favorite genre but this one sounds like it will be a lot of fun.  It’ll be interesting to see Seo Hyun Jin and Jeon Hye Bin face off against each other- I've liked what I've seen of both of their acting in other dramas.  Also KIM MI KYUNG IS IN IT.  And Lee Jae Yoon.  Lots of great reasons to check it out besides the quirky synopsis. :D
Unni:  This could be so cute and comical! I’ll probably wait to see how it’s going before jumping on board.


~ Dear My Friends
Empress:  Nope. I saw trailers and was not interested.
Ambassador:  Not really interested.  Not even for Lee Kwang Soo.
Unni:  This sounds sweet! But not enough to make time to make it work.


~ Mirror of the Witch
Empress:  It sounds a little bit like Rapunzel...and what I've seen looks visually gorgeous, but I'm unlikely to watch it until I know more about the role of magic in the story. Then we'll see.... :D
Ambassador:  YES, I'M WATCHING THIS.  I've been wanting Yoon Shi Yoon to do a sageuk since I first saw him in Flower Boy Next Door and the fact that it's fantasy is the icing on the cake.  This will be his first starring role since his return from the military and I've been anticipating it since the news first broke.
Unni:  Okay! This seems just a little to dark for me and a little too much magic for my personal taste.


Chinese Dramas:
~ Little Husband
Empress:  *wrinkles nose* Mostly likely not. :)
Ambassador:  Nah.  Not my type.
Unni:  Nope! Poor Guy!


~ Precious Youth
Empress:  That sounds long. XD Probably not.
Ambassador:  Not really my type either, and I have too many other dramas to even think about trying this one right now, though Liu Shishi and Zheng Kai make it tempting.
Unni:  Sounds way too long for my interest level.


~ First Love
Empress:  LOL nope. XD
Ambassador:  Sounds like a soap opera.  Not interested, even for Hawick Lau.
Empress:  :P Same. Even with an intelligble synopsis.
Unni:  Not interested.


~ To Be a Better Man
Empress:  Most interesting so far, but still no.
Ambassador:  Sounds interesting but not enough to make me add it to my list.
Unni:  Interesting...but not list worthy.


~ Les Interpretes
Empress:  I kinda like the title. But nah.
Ambassador:  Yes, I want to see this one.  There has been quite a bit of buzz about it and Yang Mi usually plays fun characters.
Unni:  This one sounds like it could be really interesting.


~ Chinese Paladin 5
Empress:  It takes a lot to make me interested in Chinese dramas. And this sounds like the type of storyline I disagree with on a basic theological level. XD My list is way too long...
Ambassador:  I started Chinese Paladin 3 but haven't finished it yet.  I'm putting this on my 'to try some day' list because I do want to see it, but don't have time for it now.
Unni:  Someday I want to try a Paladin...but I have yet to make time for one, and with all of the fairy stuff. I am just not sure.


Japanese Dramas:
Because Japanese drama airs by seasons and the spring season started in April and runs until June (I think), there are no new Japanese dramas on which to report.

Empress:  In other words, I MIGHT CATCH UP ON SOME OF THE OTHER DRAMAS I'M SO BEHIND ON. :D YAY.
Ambassador:  SAME HEEEERE.  Waaaaay too many dramas and NEVER ENOUGH TIME.



What May dramas will you be watching?

Damo 다모 The Undercover Lady Detective

다모 3.5-4.5 stars
PG-13 for...POLICE related work. This is a historic drama so it's not as graphic as now a days, I think. There are a few scenes to watch out for:
There are two rape related/sensitive scenes. The first case in the first episode, a rape/murder investigation occurs. The second one is the attempted rape of Chae-Ok that she is utterly awesome in destroying, however it is just a little bit before she gets free, there is nothing graphic it just makes you go :P :P. Chae-Ok does take a few chances to bathe, all scenes are pretty distant, and mostly modest but still :P. Also there is someone who is beaten whose bloody backside you see. There is a weird healing scene...very temple...ish stuff, just so you are aware.

There are people slain on screen, at one point almost an army is killed on screen. It's not terribly graphic but still it is impacting and devastating. *SPOILER* several of the people killed are people you follow in the drama.*SPOILER END*

*MAJORSPOILERMAJORMAJOREVERYONEYOUCAREFORINTHISDRAMAWILLDIEANDITWILLBEWORTHALLTHETEARSYOUWILLSITANDSOBFORENDOFMAJORSPOILER*

다모 is like watching poetry on screen. The lines...the people, the story. It's a tragic poem. Stunningly beautiful...a story that will leave a beautiful scar on your heart to cherish.

This is one of my favorites.

One of my FAVORITE FAVORITES!

I stumbled across it by accident and it was one of the five dramas I pulled up to decide between. 다모captured me within minutes...melting away the world.
I was unfamiliar with fusion drama's when I first started watching dramas but I rapidly fell in love with the story telling, despite the unique fantasy like flying sword scenes.

I am not sure what drew me to this drama....maybe it was the scenery...

The stunning vistas

The golden silence of the bamboo forest

 The stunning peacefulness...

Then this face....

 Then hers...

the queerness of two people in trees..

 Flying

 Then her first words...

Where you trying to kill me?

Then his haunting answer

I already killed you.

A chase....

A hail of arrows...

A commanding voice:

Turn around Jang Sung Baek

It's all over!

Give up do not resist!

What you see before you is only a cliff.

You ran down a road that it's a road.

His reply:

A road that isn't a road.

How can you say that?

If a person takes a path...

If two people take it..

If many people take it
Then it becomes a road.

In this rotten world.

All I did was create a new road.

Commanding voice:

Don't be foolish the road you created is only a cliff leading to death!

His reply:

You're wrong.

Though my bones may be buried here today.

After I die many people will take my path and make it a road.

Some time their blood and souls will fill the valleys and rivers

and a new road, and a new world will definitely be opened.

Even though I die now

I will not...completely die

*whispers softly to himself* only Jae-Hui...

*then back to the world* This life of mine ends here

Please relieve me.

Commanding voice

How dare you!

Her voice

If I do not kill him with my own sword. I will regret it.

Him:

Don't make a mistake this time....

*fades to white*

And we spring to old Joseon...

And the Left Police Bureau

 Where we meet Chae-Ok a tea servant for the police.

She is a female detective...and a slave...in name only.

 Chae-Ok has keen abilities in the detective field and her fellow officers often rely on her.

Here is the commanding officer...he and Chae-Ok go a long...long way back.

Seriously! This drama is filled with awesome quotes and Proverbs.

But when I mean they go a long way back...I mean....a long way back...

 This is her brother

 Her father imparting wisdom...

 The inquisitiveness of a 7 year old..

 The affection of a father...

 and his apology to his children.

 The last few moments with her brother...

 as they are being chased...

 Now a little slave girl...

 And the illegitimate son of a noble meet...

 forging a bond and a destiny...

of faithful loyalty...

 That does not fail if even trialed 10,000 times...

 And the student becomes the master, teaching a slaves hands to war...

 So much of this drama is poetic and a beautiful tangle of emotions and destiny twisting and twinning and churning the heart.

The three main characters have their fates to tightly tied together and Chae-Ok is nearly torn between the two leads who are though twain, her core.

Chae-Ok
She is played by Ha Ji Won. OH MY GOODNESS THIS WOMAN IS INCREDIBLE! She made me fall in love with Chae-Ok and her incredible story, a powerful woman, yet quiet and subtle she wields so much power and receives so much respect. Her heart is beautiful. Stunning...she just makes me marvel...and I'll stop carrying on but Chae-Ok will make you cry, and that is okay.


Yoon
The strong commander, the one she has been following since she was 7 years old, the compassion and pity of two lost souls finding each other and making each other home. Falling in love but neither are going to let it happen. To let themselves actually...fall in love.

 Jang.
Ah! This name. THIS MAN. He has a soul in his eyes that can hardly be matched. He has known pain and trial and yet has conquered it all to come to the point where is now.
I'll be honest. I fell in love with him.
Some of my favorite quotes from him are:
One must first kill with the heart. (The reason they haven't killed each otheryet.)
You are the first person to draw blood from my lip and lived. You will be the last.
If the people are not of heaven, I will destroy heaven as well.
He is sheer awesome and epicness...that will kill you. A prince of people...he sees people...

It's a story of justice. Scales, checks, balances...and justice. What does justice really look like? What does it mean? Is it really...blind? Is destiny also...blind?

It ends with this...

 A far off mountain…

A mountain with a deep green forest…

A destiny…that could not foresee that divide

A love I could not measure…

A love that tore my heart apart…

Not again… never again…

Do not live for me…