Scholar who walks the night

Just saw I had Kingdom in draft, you know the ancient zombie drama set in Korea with royal palace schemes. I really need to work on my updating schedule, ha ha ha.

Vampire tale, set in ancient Korea - Scholar who walks the night. Woo for gorgeous guys! Heartbeat racing. Frankly, no need for the kohl-lined eyes. Sexy and you know it. 

Well plotted out drama, not a single unspun thread lacking detail here. The flow of story is smooth, without deviation or gaps to stumble on. But do you like vampire stories? If you don't, walk away.

There are two worlds and interaction between the two is forbidden. To uphold the law, the Guardian Gwi prevents other Gwi from making the human race their slaves. Say Gwi when you think Vampire.

SPOILERS -

Our dear villainous Gwi, Lee Soo Hyuk, was called by the human king to help establish a royal dynasty. He has never left. Under the royal palace and over the king, rules the vampire. His words are law and the kings who disagree get eaten alive.

The villain is one sexy criminal, a pic of Lee Soo Hyuk as Gwi.

As the coronation of the Crown Prince approaches, every full moon night, Gwi drains the king's women to get his promise of obedience. This Crown prince has a best friend who is in love with his adopted sister and finally has gotten the parents' approval to marry. The Crown prince does not want his friend involved but he insists.

Our hero, human for the moment, Lee Joon-Gi, but in the drama we call him Kim Sung-Yeol, promises to help the Crown Prince defeat the vampire who resides under the palace. The Crown Prince finds the Guardian Gwi and introduces him to Kim Sung-Yeol. The trio hatch a plan to defeat Gwi. The plan is written down in the Crown Prince's memorandum.

Evil Gwi overhears them and strikes back first. Kills the Guardian Gwi and frames the Crown Prince of treason. His human minions do all the work in the sunlight. Before the Guardian Gwi dies from his injuries, he transfers the vampiric curse to Kim Sung-Yeol.

Fast forward 120 years later. The two vampires play cat and mouse. A cross dressing girl sells copies of banned books. Kim Sung-Yeol searches for the book with the secret plan. The Crown Prince is murdered by Gwi and his son swears revenge.

And the hero looks even better than the heroine. Where do they find these hunks?

As the Guardian Gwi, Lee Joon-Gi. 

 

Of course, this is a romance, so we spend a lot of time with the female protagonist, but she's not as annoying as Sookie Stackhouse, which is wonderful. Sorry, True Blood never quite hit the spot for me. Maybe it was the annoying heroine or the whiny boys. Aged centuries these grown men are still crying for their mothers.

You will notice the excess of enthusiasm, well, this show is now complete, hallelujah.

Marathon viewing session time. This is originally a webtoon, the artwork looks cute. 

Super secret spoiler - The secret plan consists of three weapons used together to create an opportunity to defeat Gwi. The bloodline of Gwi from his child with a human, the Guardian Gwi, and the will to rebel - belonging to the royal bloodline that called for Gwi. The end episode is fantastic. Do watch this.

Sherlock TV

 Love this show. Dares to do so much and succeeds brilliantly.

The actor playing Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch, brings Sherlock Holmes to the modern age with a fae otherworldly arrogance that is a trademark of the detective from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels. This is a true portrayal of a modern detective, and the idea is so good, it's got a copycat. Elementary the TV show starring Lucy Liu, but actually that's not a fair claim, cause it is a very different take on a modern detective. Another review!

Spoilers -  John Watson is a soldier and a doctor, back from an Afghanistan tour. He meets 'the consulting detective' Sherlock Holmes and shares the rent on 221B Baker Street. He tags along for crime scenes and professional doctor advice

I think the portrayal here is an asexual, childish young man, like Peter Pan. Playful and monstrous at the same time, on the side of angels but not an angel himself. Peter Pan kidnaps children, don't forget it. Possessive of the people he holds dear, John Watson included. More like his toys, his emotional understanding is close to nil. Maybe a deliberate choice to lose emotion for better logical thinking.

Brilliant acting, you forget it's a show and are completely drawn in.

Super Secret Spoilers - Read at your own risk
Sherlock is brilliant but Mycroft, Irene and Moriarty are smarter. Even Mary gets the better of him. 

He knows he is clever and his ego blinds him. He overlooks the ordinary people when he should know better, no one is truly ordinary. People have the power to surprise you. Humans commit crimes. You can't be perfect and on top of the world, 24/7.
 

Lagaan 2001

 Sure, I don't need to make this post, but that recent Oscars law? Do they need to watch all the films now? What were they doing before? Rolling by on vibes? Or bribes?

This movie - Lagaan - was the best foreign language film offering from India and it was the closest we got to actually winning the Oscars. This film had everything, acting on point, tight and timed plotline, excellent songs plus creative dance choreography, it was strong from start to finish, not a single flaw! 

They did not watch it and they voted. Why do we even try every year? Oscars can die in a ditch. 

Bollywood actually sucks - stale formulaic scripts and nepo babies who can't act, but this film was grand. It was a breath of fresh air. It deserved a fair chance. 

I thought they must have seen it at least and chosen the other contender. People have different tastes. But to not even give it a chance, Oscars is rigged. 

Dirk Gently's holistic detective agency

When I saw this show over a two-day one-night viewing marathon, it was so infectious that I found my writing voice heavily influenced for a week after. Kudos to quality.

Loved both seasons, which is rare, the second less than the first, kind of irked by the pessimistic new attitude displayed by Dirk, but people can't be cheerful all the time. Trauma, grief, loss, despair, all those negative things we would love to skip over, but life is not that easy. 

SPOILERS -
Universe building first, there are people with superpowers - holistic is the term used, and a secret government task force - Black wing - exists to keep track of them and capture them alive and record their talents. I think they were born not made but the show keeps you guessing. And yes, this is adapted from a book written by Douglas Addams, of Hitchhiker's Guide fame.

Holistic people have the power to influence the universe, make it stop, and listen to their demands in return for an equal conversation. Sometimes they obey what the universe demands of them and things go crazy.

Our main character is a holistic detective, with his new partner. Antagonistically placed is a holistic killer with her new partner. One team saves lives, and the other team ends them, but they both work for the same boss. The planet spins, the universe self-corrects and the sun continues on track. Did you see that creepy video of the sun dragging our universe behind it as it travels through space?

Adds a very creepy fatalism to the concept of destiny, stay in your lane, eyes forward. If your life is predestined by a higher power, what exactly is individual free will? Do you have any real choice at all? And you won't ever know the answer.

But why do I like this so much? The bromance of course. Initially thought romance, but the show determinedly pairs males with females, so, shrug my shoulders and move on.

Mutually informed consent should be the priority. The adult parties don't matter as long as they loudly enjoy it, fully aware and happy. Love should be a celebration of life. Why wait for a funeral to value life? But people can be fools. You only love her when you let her go says passenger. Ok, let's actually talk about the story before I lose track of my train of thought.

Brother and sister, brother has a disease, which runs in the family. Sister babies him and overprotects him, brother has wanderlust and adventure thirst and meets a weird boy. The quirky boy has prophetic insight and a really crazy case to solve regarding a serial murderer. 

The strange boy is being chased by an assassin and a mysterious organization that wants to hold him prisoner and conduct life-threatening experiments on him. Just this dry synopsis is whetting your appetite for more, isn't it? 

There are a lot of twists and turns, and I won't reveal everything here. This show reminds me of sense8. 

don't worry darling netflix

Alright, first things first. It is unfair to judge a veteran singer against a veteran actor in an acting contest. (Not K-pop idols who are trained in multiple disciplines.) Then, add the 13-year difference in their ages, wow!  Of course, the young man had no chance.

At first glance, this is a movie set in the past, with outdated gender roles, nuclear weaponry, and a Cold War timeline? But that was a time of racial segregation. Strange things begin to creep one out. That tuna salad thing? Why say anything? Just let her bring it. Other guests will enjoy it. 

SPOILERS -

Set in the present time, anti-feminist view and incel thought process. Just another computer simulation playing in your mind, like the matrix.

Your perspective makes such a huge difference here. For a woman, this is a horror story. For a man, this is a wish-fulfillment fantasy. Especially with the politics leaning so heavily into right-wing territory right now, and technology headed into brain chips territory, this could be a tale made true in the future. 

There is grace in symmetry, there is beauty in control, and the queen takes over. I got some ick factors in the first scene where we meet her but the focus is on the men in power. Is she a lesbian who assaults other women in the simulation and then mind-blurs them to forget? Why are people so horrible?

This is a super creepy retake on an idealized time when housewife was the only life path for a woman. And you don't even need to know the woman, as long as you can kidnap her. Or the company can do it for you. Times are not so different now, what are the rights of women?

What a horrible world, don't you want someone who knows you and loves you as the person you are? I mean you got a doctor for a spouse and you still wanted to cut her down. A well-paid sugar mama who put up with you, been in love with you, all you had to do was treat her with the bare minimum of respect.

I am editing this after the recent election. Watching the news cycle - all those preventable deaths - where doctors don't raise a finger as patients bleed to death in front of them. First world problems where women are incubators but not human beings.

Stop consuming media that portrays this as ideal, stop following trad wife content. Decenter men. Matriach life goals. 4B all the way, babes.

Metalocalypse

 Charles Foster Ofdensen.  METAL. CFO.

Sorry about that, still squealing with glee over him. What a character. What an awesome, hilarious show. I even learned the lyrics to the songs. 

I will admit to the tendency to fixate on one character that I deem superior to the rest of the cast and it has everything to do with my personal taste and nothing else. Fangirl here.

Spoilers - this story is about a death metal band, that is the subject of prophecy, foretelling the world's doom. 'CFO' is their manager and the only person who survives being around them for a long time. Because people die like flies in the presence of the band Dethklok.

The only one who stands in Dethklok's way is a secret underground cabal that seeks to destroy the world by unleashing the power of the metal apocalypse.

Recommended to everyone,  you know I'm never wrong, this is totally worth it.

Oh my God, there is a movie and I haven't seen it yet? Bye bye. 

Bad choices were made, the movie is sung opera style, only song lyrics, ouch.

bridgerton / netflix

 Confession time: I used to read Georgette Heyer. Hot stuff.

So, I was excited and expectant about Bridgerton. Can you blame me? Something to look forward to, and enjoy watching - yes, 'Tiger King' and 'Emily in Paris' were flops to me.

Yes, I know we're all locked in, but Netflix, don't get snobby with me, give me quality to watch. You're already quite pricey. First time I've considered infidelity on you, Hulu and Amazon Prime are looking sexy. Even Disney Plus has the 'Mandalorian' and the new 'Loki' series.

The show started off bumpy. I found it difficult to enter the romance. It was too realistic, not romantic? Like who needs to know about the extraneous details, what they're really thinking under those bedroom eyes. In their honeymoon scenes, it was as good as corn. but then the story got boring again. 

I liked that one detail where they just briefly mention equality born out of the true love that the king had for the queen. Smoothly done.

The picture of devotion? The picture of lust. They share little else. This romantic drama resembled historical fiction more than Regency romance. 

When you say Regency romance, you're referring to a certain genre of fiction, sexy and romantic without realistic doubts and fears and hesitations and regrets. Love conquers all and the threat of scandal is always averted in time. Fantasy wish fulfilling romance. Everybody gets a happy ending and even villains are redeemed. 

One irk I must point out - make it real, alright?! If it is real then let it be real, they don't talk or communicate or explain, just make love and fight and make up again. 

Real? Or wannabe romantic? You have to choose one. The main couple of each season gets all the good luck. Too realistic for me to enjoy thoroughly. More akin to the 'crown' than to 'pride and prejudice'. 

I wanted a soft, sweet little bite of absolute pleasure. Give me something junk to satisfy my cravings but make it tasty junk. Get me away from reality! Seduce me up with fairy tale romance! Yes, that's what we want. Unfortunately, that's not Bridgerton. The love here is not convincing to me, for all the flowery prose.

I had a guess about the identity of the gossip queen and I was right. Only one person would care so much about Colin.

Criticism- the bees and the tree look unreal. Don't add them to scenes. Leave them in the start intro.

Below are the new book covers, based on the three seasons of the show that are already out. 

futmalls / netflix

Plagiarism is my personal pet peeve. Can't tolerate the writers who do it, can't imagine someone else stealing my hard work. Nightmare fuel. 

So the first episode actually affected me, sent shivers down my spine, and got me hooked on this show. You can buy the future published bestseller of an unknown struggling author right now?? Holy. Imagine that cruelty. And then the thief marries the poor writer.

 Unfortunately, this show has only one season, so I won't be providing spoilers for any of the episodes.

This is very similar to 'black mirror' in flavor, with a sprinkle of 'love, death, and robots' tossed in. Wish there was more to watch.

friends

I'll admit it, I hated this show for years. So fake, people don't behave like that in real life. Then, the pandemic hit and my eyes opened up to how stupid people are. Just because I behave with a grain of sense and a spoonful of logic, does not mean everybody else does the same.

Also, are these really friends? Or are they stuck together because no one else can stand them? Like in Seinfeld. 

This show is good if you have time to waste and want to avoid getting too attached. You want to see something while eating but don't want it to linger in your mind. 

Sad about Chandler. A great actor whose life was ruined by addiction, fate can be so cruel. 

Spoilers -

So a group of friends, old and new, are renting flats in the same building and sharing the apartment with two per bedroom. One's a runaway bride, two are siblings, and one is an incorrigible flirtatious idiot "What's up?" and one is a joker with a sarcastic self-deprecating sense of humor. Oh, I forgot the Smelly Cat singer. There's a coffee shop they love to hang out in and those are the two main locations of this show. And that's it, so how did this simple formula become a top show, cult classic, beloved by generations?

I really can't say. Sometimes, it is about the perfect timing. There was a gap and they filled it. 

Curse of golden flower movie

 Gold is too much, gave me a headache with all that glitter. Gorgeous detailed setting but I never realized gold was such an ugly color. Too much of a good thing. There's this scene in Tudors, where the mad king wears silver on grey on steel? That was one scene, this is an entire movie of shades of gold. 

SPOILERS -
Crazy is the plot. Mad world.
The old general marries the King's daughter. Earlier deceased wife gave him a son. Not really dead, ex-wife marries Doctor and has a daughter. General king names son Crown Prince.

The new Queen has two sons, and her husband has been feeding her medicine every two hours for 20 years. The taste changes and the queen finds out the new addition is slowly killing her with fun side effects of madness and uncontrolled shakes. A slow painful deteriorating death. No reason, just the king's will. Nope, says the Queen.

The queen seduces the Crown Prince. The queen asks her biological son to help her usurp the kingdom. The biological son agrees to do it to stop the daily medicine feed but is still loyal to his father.

The Crown Prince is loyal to his father but in love with his stepmom. The Crown Prince seduces the Doctor's daughter. The doctor's wife reveals poison to the Queen. She still has a vendetta against her ex-husband who slaughtered her clan.

OOF, now I can't reveal any more details or you won't watch it. 

Where's the picture for this film? Bling bling warning.

recap and refresh post

alright, alright, alright.

I'm back, and hope to stay! Let's get some realistic goals in place. One post per fortnight. We will try. 

Anyway, Covid is over? Or is it? I'm keeping a stash of masks, it might be suitable for the next time.

I'm waiting on good news right now, so there is nothing to share presently.

It is perfectly alright if your future is taking time to materialize. You're working hard on your dreams. You alone decide the worth and value of your life. What you want to hold dear, important, and meaningful is your choice. Some chase money, some chase fame, and some chase memories. You pick your own life. 

And if there is a SOB in the back, screaming insults, you can turn down the volume and wear some headphones. They really don't deserve your empathy, your emotional investment, your positive energy, your sincere affection, or your honest care. Take care of yourself. 

Whatever happens, there will be no takebacks. I won't have regrets. I am going to try. Feel the fear but do it anyway. Emotion is only a temporary state of mind. Fear is a demotivator.

Respect like love, should be requited. Don't waste your authentic self on people who mistreat and abuse you. Keep secrets. Tell lies. Protect yourself. I refuse to be your joker, no matter how dearly beloved you are. 

Code Geass

 This is awesome. I love every character in it. Especially Lelouch. Read the manga or watch the anime. I order you to do so now. LOL.

Similar to Death Note, but Light Yagami does not regret anything. SPOILER - except for L's death. Light felt no guilt or remorse. He believed he was in the right until the very end.

SPOILERS - Code Geass!
Alternate Universe where the British Empire never left their colonies and Washington failed in his rebellion. Colonial Rule taken to its most powerful potential.

Lelouch and his sister are of royal blood. Their mother is a famous warrior of commoner blood (Nightmare fighter - think Gundam mobile suits) and their father is the emperor of the Holy Britannia Empire.
 
Lelouch is looking for the murderer of his mother and the identity of the enemy who permanently crippled his sister. He suspects someone closely related to him, one of his powerful siblings or his cruel father.

Lelouch is haunted by his conscience with every step he takes to destroy the Holy Britannia Empire, including the murder of his siblings who stand in his way.

Lelouch donned Zero's mask as a teenager and has to face his best friend in battle as his greatest enemy. His handicapped sister is used as a pawn against him. His noble friends hate Zero and his 'seven' commoner allies, but the 'seven' rebels don't trust him. Despite all the obstacles in his path, he outmaneuvers and succeeds in his goals. But the cost of victory is too high. His heart is full of regrets.

Think Hamlet, but this guy moves his chess pieces and then mourns the losses. Never guilt-free with an active conscience.

I won't give any further spoilers, because you must watch this for yourself. This anime gave me so many highs and lows, that I was utterly torn when it ended. Watch it. 

Death Note.

 This is a classic, must-watch anime, a manga, a set of live-action movies exploring L's life, and two light novels.

SPOILERS - 

Light is a genius kid whose father is a cop. He finds a supernatural notebook that kills the person whose name you wrote in it, which is owned by a god of death named Ryuk, and Light starts judging criminals with the sentence of death.

The world notices because Light is not stingy with his warped sense of justice and the world's greatest detective known only by the initial L decides to bring the mass murderer Kira to justice.

Light knows he can't go free forever, so he has a contingency plan for an exit strategy on the game route. L suspects Light to be Kira. L has no evidence to prove it until Light decides to play. And how he plays, yes, unrepentant Light fan here.

I need a better description of this plot. Take my word and watch it. No regrets, guaranteed. If I could, I would wipe my memory and watch it again.

Netflix has a new version of this series in movie format, with a surprising twist on the tale.  Honestly, the quality is not bad but not great. Interesting but they didn't give the source material much weight.

unREAL - into the everlasting fairytale! HULU!

 It's been a while. 

unREAL is unreal, but let me stop you right there. 

OK, let's start with the warnings - I'm a particular kind of person. I can handle a lot of triggers without flinching because I see both light and the shadows that hide beneath them. Some people allow themselves to be blinded by the brightness, in the foolish desire to deny the shadows. The world we humans create is full of humanity and that makes us human. Not angels or demons but a creature in between, that can exist in both light and shadow. In us, mirrored in the world, both good and evil exist.

So, Trigger warnings - child abuse, rape, murder, drugs, physical assault, parental neglect, adulterous sex everywhere. Everything is bad and human. 

unREAL is based on real dating shows like The Bachelor. Certain incidents actually happen in real life, on these dating shows and certain characters are modeled on actual people. OMG, yes, I'm aware of the falseness of acting, but this show was still an eye-opener to me. 

every character on this show is a monster. They know it, the twisted family that produces Everlasting.

SPOILERS FOR ALL FOUR SEASONS - 

Rachel Goldberg! Wow, what a character. Bullied children become bullies? Maybe it's about power and the fear of being powerless all over again. If all you get is negativity, you want to aim that at someone else and spread out the pain so you don't suffer alone. Her mother and her father, oh boy. The mother is a psycho psychiatrist who plays pretend wife to her patients - fucks them in her house and calls it therapy. 

Quin King is her replacement mother, and in some areas just as cruel and manipulative as her actual mother. In a self-destructive, obsessive affair with Chet. that mirrors Jeremy and Rachel.

honest talk? I think Rachel hated herself until she learned to love herself. Still a monster, but in season one she was trying to pretend she wanted to be good. unreliable narrator. Lady Elon Musk was right. Rachel loves who she is and what she does, Rachel loves her insane family, and her insane family loves her right back.

Himbos - so many from seasons 1 to 4. Adam to August. weird inside joke about African Aid babies that Rachel professes to want to help - because? no idea.

Ouroboros

 I might be a bit biased on this one because I'm reading the manga and it is so good. Incomplete manga, translators please help.

But this drama definitely deserves my praise. What a plot. What brilliant acting. What an awesome display of emotions. What a shocking ending, kept me on the edge of my seat.

SPOILERS - The story is about two orphans who witness the murder of their beloved caretaker and are unable to forget or forgive the culprits. The police silence them with threats and the kids grow up in foster homes separately, but they never surrender their desire for vengeance. They renew their promise at their teacher's grave and take different paths to achieve their joint goal, one becomes a cop, and the other joins the mafia. They keep their quest a secret and ask for no aid from outsiders. However, their unusual association raises questions for the people who surround them. Is he a corrupt cop? Is he a confidential informant? Can he be trusted?

The story differs between manga and drama, so enjoy both.

Super Secret Spoilers - Read at your own risk.
The adoption home is an underground market for organ trade. The kids who get adopted vanish without a trace. The teacher was an undercover cop. 

There is a mysterious background to one of the boys, could he be an enemy? Will he change sides, at the last moment? I won't tell you. Watch this to find out.

IMPASTOR

 O.k, I should be cleaning up my blog and I am in the process even as we speak here, but I saw Smallville and I thought Lex Luthor, what an actor that guy Michael Rosenbaum is, what's he doing now?

Damn, he's stuck in that actor curse, when the previous role is too powerful, see Anthony Hopkins and his role of Dr. Lecter. I mean he's Odin and I still think Cannibal. Don't lose hope, let's take another look at his shows. Impastor, let's give it a try.

WIN, 777, and the coins gush out. Not a gambler but that is a picture alright. Good show.

SPOILERS - The dude is deadbeat loser and owes money to sinister thugs.  Got a bartending girl who ditches him when he fouls up for the umpteenth time. Decides to end it all by jumping off a bridge. A car squeals to a stop next to him and a Pastor runs out. Trying to prove his sympathy and understanding, the Pastor falls off the edge. Oops. Stroke of luck for our hero who takes it as a gift from heaven. He uses the dead guy's identity to start a new temporary life as a gay Pastor. But is it that easy to leave the past behind? Like a fool in love, he calls up his girl, and his call gets traced. Troubles never die, they only sleep, paraphrasing here. And this is just the first episode.

 

Nirvana in Fire

 Gorgeous, tricky, crafty plot! I see a lot of female schemers in drama but this guy tops them all. Mei Changsu. Brilliant characters, fantastic acting, wow storytelling.

This is based on a novel and the author wrote the screenplay, so guarantee of quality right there. This proves my theory of originality, if the original source/canon producer does the second part, with the same passion and interest, the standard remains excellent.

Love it all, from the good guys to the bad guys, no one strikes me as false. There is no noise in this harmony. Bravo, may all creative people bring forth more dramas like this one. Wish the ending was not so tragic, but still perfect. Made me cry. I actually wanted more. And I don't enjoy things that cause me tears. Khaled Hosseini!

No SPOILERS cause you really should watch this on your own. I can't steal into your house and tie you up in front of your computer, even though I really want to. Addictive show.

ok, ok, ok, ok, I'll do it, super secret spoilers begin now -
12 years ago,( timelines are a little off track but who cares for that tiny detail,) there was a great battle at a frozen mountain ridge, actually, there were two battles, one with their enemies (and directly afterward as they were tending their wounds and catching their breaths,) the other with their own forces, when they were framed of treason and plotting against the paranoid king.
Fast forward and the sole survivor of that battle comes seeking vengeance, cause he won't get justice from that awful crazy king. Plus the king intermarried a lot of families using his harem, so everybody is related to a traitor or is mourning for their loss, but no one says a word, lest the king orders a head chop. It's this unspoken secret that everyone shares and there are no mourning tablets for any of the dead. Think no coffins, no graves, no funeral procession. The spirits are not at peace. 
Mei Changsui is the name he adopts. His survival was touch and go for years; only an experimental treatment has kept him alive all this time. He builds the world's top secret alliance that acts as a spy service for him from nothing.

He reinvents himself, he was the brave soldier who scoffed at political intrigue and sneered at scheming in the shadows. He becomes the thing he hated the most, a puppeteer of human lives. 

He does what he must do, he regrets the innocence he destroys, but he does it all for justice, for the dead.

I can't retell it all without infecting myself with the desire to rewatch this series. I don't have enough time, this is 50-plus episodes of breathless moments and rewind to watch that again. 

Shitsuren Chocolatier

I like, LOVE this show, the boy and the girl and their interaction surrounded by fine dark chocolate. Yummy.

I love how he knows the tempering of chocolate is going right or wrong just by one look. No chocolate thermometer needed. An obsession with a girl has become true love for chocolate, but will he realize that or get stuck in a bad romance?

Spoilers -

This junior kouhai boy is hopelessly in love with his senior sempai girl but she's the school bike for the rich and popular. In desperation he befriends her boyfriends and becomes their unofficial gopher. She loves chocolate and he's the son of the bakery shop owner. He focuses on chocolate to win her heart. She adores this particular chocolate made in Paris. He makes chocolates of his own as close as possible to the original with his limited skills and confesses his feelings. She turn him down and he goes to Paris to apprentice at that chocolate shop. 6 years pass. He returns as the chocolate prince just in time to open a new shop and bake a cake for her wedding. But she's not letting him go that easily, now that he's back in her life and rich and famous. Because he loves her and she knows it and she loves owning his heart completely. Why do humans keep pets? Because we love their simple adoration of us.

 I'll be honest, my diet is working wonders for me, I feel better and healthier. Plus I reached my lowest weight ever. But you miss what you love, food or people, it's like an old addiction. The craving does not disappear completely. She is his only weakness. I would say he was gay, but he worships her. She's only human. Don't fall so deeply in love with a human that you forget. He has not even had sex because of her. And that reaction when he sees her after his return? Poor guy. Still addicted. The plot here is super rich, even the side characters are well fleshed out, his sister, his co worker, his rival, his love competition, the French idiot.

She has a point though when she says map instead of dream/fantasy, at one point, you must do it, not dream about it anymore. It is a twisted way of looking at life, but I think everything comes with an expiry date and a deadline. Because he has elevated her to a level of Goddess in his mind, he will never make the first move and she likes being his Goddess. Completely untouchable to her loyal devoted slave. Tough word, but I think it suits this situation. I think he prefers the fantasy to the reality. Like that Hindi serial 'May I come in Madam.' Which is a laugh riot you must check out.

Ooh, this is based on a manga, no wonder the plot is so interesting. For the first time, we see the heroine as a conniving scheming plotting female not innocent nor sweet. Frankly, she comes off as very real to me, this is what a real human is like, selfish and self centered. Why should she wait 6 years for him? Why should she wait for him to make a move? What's wrong with her is the way she keeps coming back to his life and not letting him go and get over her. I think it is too much because she has no intention of moving forwards with him. Dog in the manger attitude.

Oh my God, that speech! His true feelings of hate. And the way she responds when he ignores her! Ricodor, the new enemy.  He is seeing through her facade and he is slowly growing out of his obsession with her. Good for him. But she's his muse and his ideas dry up without her.

 I love Erena's words here. Why be faithful to a dream? Will the dream ever become real? When they exchange sexual fantasies of "their true loves", what an honest scene.

You want something, make a real effort. Don't dream about it, do it. Be real, true to your heart, don't play with the hearts of others, be clear and upfront about what you want. Honesty will save you a lot of trouble in the future. Never lie to your own self. Lies are complicated and difficult to remember, besides isn't it troublesome to pretend all the time? Where's your core of peace? How do you relax?

Super secret spoilers - They are both playing each other, definitely a bad romance, you want true love or imitation, what do you desire?Both are commitment phobic, fake, illusionists wearing masks. Brilliant show but don't expect more than a meaningful dissection of love. No happy ever after love story here. The complex love stories are more delicious.

End points - 
If you dangle a guy, sooner or later he will give up on you. Cause no one has infinite patience and love is like a living thing, it must be fed or it will die. 
And if you have to maintain your cute mask in front of him, you're not very serious about him. A true face can be shown only to the people who do understand you and value you as you are. 
Sometimes you will deny heartbreak to avoid the pain and continue your love story on your own. I never did that, but I can see the possibility. 
Love does not guarantee blind faith in your lover. Are you cheating on me?
If she doesn't value you, her opinion is unlikely to change with time or effort. If she has always seen you as entertainment and not life, that's not going to change with love or force. It hurts but the world is full of people. The people who mind don't matter and the people who matter don't mind. 

If I were to rate this, I would give it full marks. Watch this drama. A good show to watch if you want to learn how to be a player, a seducer of hearts. The girls are fabulous here.

The ending blew my mind. A shot to the heart.  

Bel Ami, South Korean Drama

I actually have put this drama off, many times, because I was judging it based on the poster, which depicted a traditional love triangle. The usual two rich boys one silly poor girl formula. Then I said, hey, and tried it out. WOW.

Based on a book by Guy De Maupassant and an English movie starring Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman. Movie is very different from drama, so try both, if you have time.

To the drama, now!
Ma Te is a pretty poor boy with a mysterious past. His mother dies with the password heard by a female stalker. His idiotic neighbor is obsessed with him. The rich woman, Jaek Hee, whom he is seeing proposes marriage.

Spoilers here -
The stalker tells him that he is the illegitimate son of MG Shopping's Chairman. To gain the password and his father's acknowledgement, he must pass all her tests. She wants him to learn the basics of business using what he is already proficient in, seduction of women.

The first woman he already knows, the one he is currently dating, money bank property developer powerhouse who built her own fortune from zero to billionaire. Madly in love with him, she seeks the advice of a shaman on how to keep him for good. The kooky fortune teller, Fairy, tells her he was a beautiful concubine in his past life and he brought about the fall of three kingdoms (What.) and he's now reincarnated as a man, so he needs to be pampered properly.  (Padmavati, anyone?) Further, according to the mystic, he will raise his woman to be a queen, but she must start as a pauper.

The warning is ignored until a major deal falls through and a lot of money is lost. She buys an expensive talisman to prevent more trouble but they nearly die in a car accident. At the moment of impact, she shields her pretty boy toy with her body. In the hospital bed, all wrapped up like a mummy she breaks up with him. Her conclusion, she loves him more than her life, but not more than her money. The boy walks away with his heart broken and his first lesson learned. " Money is a living thing and it can grow if you treat it properly, but don't let it consume you until only money and the fear of losing it is left." Point, even if she lost all her money and had to start from scratch, she would still be the same person with that ability to make money. Money can be earned back. Money is not irreplaceable.

There is also a warehouse full of socks, his idiotic female neighbor who follows him around and her new identical male friend, both of them have some real strange hobbies. 'Glamping' when you have a mansion.

Now, this is just a drama and you can't gain an MBA from your lovers, but this has some interesting ideas. The second woman on his list, Mystic Fairy, the shaman/fortune teller. And the list goes on till 10. Check this out. No more spoilers.

OK, super secret spoilers start here - you have been warned.
 he's not really the illegitimate son of MG Chairman, but that's obvious once you see the watch.
Why though cause when you abandon, you leave no reminders. Maybe a pinch of regret. 
Rape is a true crime, the aftereffects are felt for generations. You believe she is a villain but you feel for her.        
How creepy of her husband to track down and install his old girlfriend as caretaker for his wife's abandoned son. The divorced daughter in law finding out was a superb touch.
 Of course the weirdo is the true illegitimate son. He was too rich to be the abandoned child. And his father kept visiting. 
 You really feel for Ma Te when he finds out that his birth mother is his enemy. He gives up on his own business ( after a complete makeover too!) and opens a kalbi restaurant. ( grilled meat, South Korean BBQ ). Not a vegetarian.
 The romance is not very convincing cause the girl next door never really gets my attention, but I think that was the point, a guy like that would need a woman who would never look away from him. Very high maintenance fellow. Met women like that before, too much trouble, will make drama out of thin air. Gorgeous beauties but heart's a mess.
I also did not empathize with the glamping rich kid's love for her. It felt forced. And he soon meets another glamping addict. As if love were that easy to forget. All ends well, tied up with a pretty bow.
Love is not easy. Hard work and the ability to forgive and forget, constantly, no breaks. You have to hypnotize yourself to see past all the flaws and only look at the good points. People don't come in size perfect fit for your heart. People can be cruel and real.
I guess, i don't really believe in the fantasy cause I've seen enough of reality. Love is work, and you gotta put in time, effort, emotion, money, sex, did i forget anything? gifts. And words, say it, mean it.

Oh, if I was not clear before, really enjoyed this drama, do check it out. So many lovely ladies and each lady needs to be wooed individually to win her over. No one key opens all locks. Men don't get that, each woman is unique and deserves your full attention. This is a life decision, and she won't choose you if you're making her doubt you.

Trinkets

On Netflix, Trinkets is an original show, written from the feminine perspective of three very different women who share a hobby, pick pocketing, stealing, robbing.

Fingersmith vibes? I have only one season ready to play. Where is the rest?

Sure, the main characters seem interesting, but they're all stupid teenagers who don't know what they want, whose lives revolve around their lovers. When, when, when! will you give me a show with older females, who aren't just pretty faces and love interests, who actually have meaning and purpose in their lives not including men. Are our lives devoted to the pursuit of love or are we human beings?

It feels like if I want the material I'm talking about, I have to write it myself. I'm up for the challenge.

Still, that said, the acting here is brilliant, you actually feel the discontent and the sorrow and the guilt and the jealousy. Beautiful. Strong writing, strong acting, and a view that earns your attention effortlessly. I recommend a look, at least once.

Netflix is expensive. Borrow from a friend or share with family. Get your money's worth. The older I get, the more aware I become of money. Such conflicting views on money. Money is important, so save, save, save. Money is easy, so spend, spend, spend. Money is a boomerang, says Good Girls. And that is another review, right.