Merry_Shai

12 minutes ago, stroppyse said:

 

So true. I think that's why I'm awed by ARMY. I do like BTS, the members and their music, but I'm in awe of their fandom!

I have so many things to say about that fandom, but it'll take a dissertation. I will say though that the majority of the fandom weren't around during their early years & showed up after a certain British boy group disbanded. They weren't total failures. but they did benefit off of BAP's initial lawsuits and 1D breaking up. Boy groups are easier to market, they can gain fans easily while girl groups are a tad harder & they'd need to pander a bit to gain some steam. It's why so many opt to do sexier concepts because then they'd become hot topics & would have more performances (a lot for the army). I love more mature concepts because I feel they can do more with it, there's so many aspects to being sexy that's not just a one dimensional thing. 

When CLC really switched up their sound & image, they went with something more mature & sophisticated. 

11 hours ago, stroppyse said:

 

That's a shame. It seems to be a Korean cultural phenomenon that once something is a bit hit, then everyone who comes after must be fitted into that same mode, though the ones who succeed usually succeed as much because they have something original or unique about them rather than being cookie cuter.  The Big Three in K-ent seems wired to do nothing but try to churn out those cookie cutters, regardless of how much base talent that the members may have.

 

There is a thriving Indie movement in SK, but they're not funded at all, and the Big Three seem to have a lock on marketing media. Shame that since there are some really good music. Right now, though, it's overwhelmed by idol k-pop and the resurgent trot, neither of which I'm a particular fan of.

 

As for the fans of girl groups being other girls, I can see that, but it's a much more complicated cycle of why I think. Hyper-sexuality can be a form of rebellion as well as a response to what guys who they like might like. Plus, most of the decision makers at the Big Three are men. I still stand think that those senior people including owners, most of them who are men, are fine with objectifying girls.

People often take a method that worked for one group because it proved effective although you have agencies like SM who know they can never recreate what they had for a previous group (they never tried to make another SNSD as there wouldn't be a way to re-do what they had). Whether it's a repeated concept (cute, sexy, girl crush, etc) everyone tries to follow a trend to gain some steam. I do agree & knetz have always said some groups have made it because there was something different about them, whether it's songs, dance, or even personalities...there's something that sets them apart. 

You'd be surprised at how many women are actually in charge of concepts and what's worn, I know for many smaller agencies it's men & for groups like Stellar (who disbanded a year ago) who are forced to dress a certain way because they feel some attention is better than no attention. Many girl groups don't have longevity the way boy groups do because they don't have the solid fandoms which explains the concepts & pandering to male audiences (especially army men). It's hard to capture the attention of the general public unless you have a viral fancam (Hani) or release something extremely catchy (Momoland) and even then, that can wane quickly so having that loyal fandom is always needed. 

13 minutes ago, stroppyse said:

 

LOL. That seems to be Konglish at it's finest. At a couple of points, they actually sing "ding-a-ling-a-ling", so I'm sure you can infer what "dingga" is.

 

 

I think the group is meant to appeal to gamer boys and their waifu's maybe? I don't know whether they can sing or not, but already I'm not a fan.

 

The members of the group are all very pretty, look to be fit, highly stylized, made to look sexy, and surgically enhanced. So, I find it amusing that their AI counterparts apparently "improve" on that some more by adding Barbie doll dimensions for both face and body, clothes that are painted on as if they were skin, and given enhanced anime looks.

 

I suppose I could be the lone woman out there wishing that the male Korean entertainment honchos would stop thinking that it's a great ideal to objectify their female entertainers ever more?

 

 

Changing topics @Merry_Shai, I really liked the two 15& songs that you've posted to this thread.

 

I think the concept more so has to do with the future? Kinda like how NCT can continue on no matter who the members are as long as it has the NCT brand (U, Dream, 127, WayV). From what I read, it can kinda create newer type of content for the group as well as newer opportunities. Idk it's an interesting concept, but I already see a failed logic here as fans already don't know boundaries. Maybe he got the idea when SNSD had that partnership with a video game some years back. 

The interesting thing about the concepts and styles is that the majority of loyal fans are actually female, yes there are fanboys who do contribute, but it's been shown female fans hold basically all the card (which explains how it can be easier for a boy group to succeed while girl groups can take a longer road). There's only been a handful of girl groups who had the equal amount of female & male fans to give them the perfect edge and SNSD was the first to have this. Ever since then, companies tried to recreate them & I think the only other one that can say they're closest is Twice. 

@stroppyse 

15& was one of my favorite vocal groups, their demise was my biggest grudge against JYPE as a whole because it was obvious they didn't even try to make them into a digital powerhouse like Davichi, but instead tried to mold them into an idol group that didn't suit either of their personalities. 

On 11/10/2020 at 4:22 PM, Tofu said:

That's interesting, reminds me of K/DA. Wondering if they will have performances with their AI counterparts too? 

I haven't read too much into it, apparenly Lee Soo Man has been planning this for some time and the upside is this is at least a real group unlike K/DA so there's potential longevity there. 

Oh I randomly miss them....they had some of the best chemistry, I care what no one says. 

What are your thoughts on SM's newest group? aespa. If some didn't know, they have an AI theme where each member has an ai counterpart.

5 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

I agree. Probably next episode we might see her saying things along that line. She isn’t easy to trick even by her own mother. But if the parents are no longer living, why can’t they be seen anywhere by Taluipa? 

 

I am going to echo the same sentiment for the casting of Imoogi. No offense to the actor, but he is just too sweet-looking, totally lacks the sinister feel of an evil snake. Unlike Namgoong Min or Shin Sung Rok, but I don’t want them typecast as villains too. 

 

I've learned long ago that no body=not dead in dramaworld. Her parents are definitely somewhere, I just don't think they're exactly dead. 

I'm in the camp where I can see why they cast Lee Tae Ri as adult Imugi, he isn't sinister looking & appears innocent enough to fool people while he can show there's something he's hiding. I personally don't think this role requires him to be sinister looking at this moment, I have faith Tae Ri will deliver when the time comes. 

I think that's an excellent idea to have a spinoff, feels like it was already planned since they've announced it while the drama is still airing. I hope they give us a look at how Rang saved Yu Ri, I completely understand why she's so loyal to him. 

48 minutes ago, stroppyse said:

 

Wait! Isn't YR supposed to have a love line with SJ? Or would this be the story of how LR saved YR, so be more of a back story than a forward looking story? Or maybe, it doesn't have to be a romance between LR and YR, just that they go around rescuing helpless, mistreated animals!

 

Anyway, I'm curious. LR and YR obviously do have a special relationship, though there is no hint of romance. Actually, YR's relationship to LR is very much the same as SJ's relationship to LY, I guess. KB and KYJ do look very cute together, though.

 

I still think crime fighter super-duo who rescues mistreated animals from stupid or evil jerks would be good!

I think it's more of a backstory with added context to the current timeline of the drama, maybe including the ending (whatever that may be). I think it's just to give us more context into their relationship and how he came to rescue her. I do agree, there's no real hint of romance between them (which I'm kinda happy to see because it would be way too obvious). 

Now that both episodes have aired, I can watch! I typically like watching both eps together. 

14 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

No need to wait on screen. Off screen they are promoting their ship

https://www.instagram.com/p/CG4FlRrpz38/?igshid=1fgp2xo7q6oip

Someone help me make it viewable...sigh.

Much of the promos that made me want to watch were from their Instagram accounts lmao They've been heavily posting & promoting on their sns. 

57 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

Maybe not yet, maybe he didn’t get a lot of screen time in the first two episodes. 

Yes, do give the first few episodes a try and then decide from there. 

Yeah I'll try the first 4 episodes to see how I feel, the story sounds good so I wanted to try it out. Kinda like Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but with a twist. 

6 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

Welcome to the thread! 

I enjoyed the first two episodes so far. Anyway, I love watching YIN on screen, so unless the story is super ridiculous, I think I will be able to finish it 😅 I even finished My Secret Hotel although it is nothing spectacular. I love IJH also, but tbh, his character here is not interesting to watch at all, unlike his previous roles. As for Eric, this is his first drama I have ever watched, so no comment. 

I've never watched Eric either so I have no real opinion on him, but it's a bit disappointing Im Joo Hwan's character isn't interesting? I'm still gonna pick it up before too many episodes air lol Thanks. 

I adore Yoo In Na and Im Joo Hwan is one of my favorite actors so thinking of picking this one up, what are the current thoughts on it? 

Was suddenly reminded of Red Velvet's masterpiece of an album The Velvet, idk why it didn't do as well at The Red, but it was really good to see more of their R&B/slower tempo side on one album.

Cool Hot Sweet Love 

Light Me Up 

43 minutes ago, stroppyse said:

Finished watching episode 5, and there are 2 things that are niggling at me.

 

1. The fox bead that LY had placed in AE had to be activated somehow? Does that mean that the other women who reminded LY of AE through all those years, could they also have been AE reincarnated, but the fox bead wasn't activated, so that LY couldn't sense it?

 

2. The kiss that ends the episode. It feels a bit wrong because LY is kissing AE rather than JA. I mean, I know that it's supposed to be the same soul, but is it really the same person? Isn't the version of that soul that LY longs for really AE, and so he got carried away kissing AE? Whereas the incarnation that is being kissed is JA who has no memory of AE?

 

I guess I'm veering into philosophical territory now, but heck, this drama started it first. What does everyone else think? Am I just overthinking it?

I haven't watched ep 5 yet, BUT I have some theories. 

1. I do think the fox bead somehow wasn't activated because neither Lee Yeon nor the other women showed any interest. Every other woman he's encountered who looked like Ah Eum, he let go because he couldn't sense the fox bead. I think on the previous? page I mentioned that I believe he's never known before is due to him not trying to see if it was her or not aside from looking at her face. I think he's always had this thought that he'd know once he sees her, but the gods told him that she may not be the Ah Eum he remembers (when someone is reincarnated, they don't remember their previous life). My theory was that Lee Yeon & Ah Eum in this life (which is Ji Ah) actually bonded & he fell for her for who she was now and not for the fact that she might be his first love. He said nothing mattered & who she might be wasn't a factor when he left that snowy mountain to save her. Then she said she called out to him which she's never done before, she was scared he was hurt more so over whatever happened to her. TL;DR, both actually have feelings for each other (I think this entire paragraph may have been unnecessary once I think about it lol) 

2. I haven't seen it yet. I think Lee Yeon is already in love with Ji Ah, but he may have been overwhelmed by seeing her in traditional clothing. We've established although they're very similar (not including faces) in some cases, Ah Eum & Ji Ah aren't the same person at all. 

I think you have valid questions, not overthinking things at all. 

I would hope romance would start, nothing says "let's think about our true feelings" like a good ol' nursing back to health plot

5 hours ago, OsmanthusTea said:

 

It was explained that he is a worshiper/follower of Imoogi, the same with the Shaman lady. Both of them had been live for hundreds of years because of the power from Imoogi and that man was the one rescued LeeRang when he was knifed by LeeYeon.

Thanks, I must have missed that part lol So he was a human who wanted to be immortal & became a follower of Imoogi. 

Lee Yeon has so much stacked against him & now that it's likely out there that Ji Ah is Ah Eum, it can potentially be worse. 

9 hours ago, stroppyse said:

 

I agree. The edits for the afterlife/past life scenes definitely flow more smoothly and with more tension. Of course, they have all those fantastical scenes to work with, not to mention the sumptuous robes and hanboks.

 

Modern times by contrast tends to be a darker palette with a certain abruptness to the scene changes.

 

It feels as if it's done deliberately though, to contrast the fantastical elements of the other life while the modern scenes, whether in the city or in the rural areas, are grubbier, lacking belief in spirituality, and more elevation of more venal elements. 

 

Anyway, it's lovely that everything looks so considered from the beginning. I hope that it can keep it up.

One thing I want is consistency from the writer & production team, I want the outcome to be exactly what was originally planned out. 

24 minutes ago, stroppyse said:

 

The world building is pretty impressive, both in the Baekdu Mountain scenes for which the cgi is fantastic, but also in the modern era scenes as well.

 

Plus, it starts making you wonder who is real and who isn't real.

I'm really enjoying the editing for this drama especially the afterlife/past life scenes. Modern times is good too. 

51 minutes ago, stroppyse said:

Just started watching, so I'm a little behind. Will have to backread pages as well. However, anyone else laugh when Lee Yeon comments that he knows the Grim Reaper well? LOL

 

This is a very atmospheric drama, and they clearly spent a lot on the production. I've enjoyed the first episode, but it'll take me awhile to catch up to everyone else.

 

Lee Dong Wook looks hot as the golden-eyed gumiho enforcer! Plus, his dry, laconic delivery laced with touches of boredom and sarcasm is perfect for his character.

Yay you're watching!!! 

Yes his grim reaper comment wasn't lost on anyone lmao It was a nice add-on lol 

The production looks well planned & I like how there's no detail that's left untouched, everything matters in this drama. 

18 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

 

Completely agree with what you say here. I thought it especially important that he said that because the Hades lady already said that there's no guarantee that Ah Eum's reincarnation would actually be Ah Eum.

I found it interesting  that JiAh's tears was needed for LY to recognise her, and that it was her blood that also brought back LY's arch enemy Imoogi ( the baby bundle with the eye opening, freaked me out too !)

 

@OsmanthusTea Wookie in a white shirt

gif credit : https://twitter.com/CherishDrama/status/1317009762932813824?s=20

 

Yes! In other dramas we've seen that when a person reincarnates, they no longer have those same memories & I think that's what the Hades grandma may have meant...even if Ah Eum comes back, she may not be the person he remembers. I feel like the tears is what was needed or some show of strong emotional attachment for Lee Yeon, in her case she continued to think of him & her heart cried out. I also find it interesting that he heard her & knew the red beans weren't in her pocket anymore, I wonder if that will be explained. 

Ji Ah/Ah Eum must be an interesting person then for her blood to be needed to wake up Imoogi. My guess is all those sacrifices were trying to find the right person's blood to wake him up. I wonder why everyone believes he died when Lee Yeon fought him? How did he live through that and who is this man who now has custody over a potential demon child?

Finally watched episodes 3+4 and whew! what a whirlwind of emotions. Episode 3 was defintely slower than 4, but I appreciate the time they took with learning the backstory & set up for the ep 2 cliffhanger, it made things more clear (although I am still confused, but who isn't?). I love how determined Ji Ah is & she's not exactly dumb, she somehow puts some emotions above other things. For example, on the island when Lee Yeon AND her assistant both told her on separate occasions to leave and she was far too curious about her parents to do so. However, it's not exactly her fault she's basically been marked by the supernatural. 

I was wondering why Lee Yeon couldn't detect the fox bead he had given Ah Eum and maybe it's because the other incarnations never had the chance to express their feelings for him as their current self. He never gave any version a long enough chance since he assumed none of them were her, but with Ji Ah they kept crossing paths & he learned to like her for who she was at the moment rather than who she was (or may have been) in the past. I liked how he said "who she is doesn't matter anymore", he's in love with Ji Ah for her, not because she may have been Ah Eum. Although I liked how it was revealed she was, in fact, Ah Eum. She needed to WANT Lee Yeon from her heart, she's never exactly called out to him before this either. So they needed a true show of emotions to reveal who she was rather than it just be obvious to him who she was. 

Lee Rang is a sad story, he's pitiful, but still conscious of the havack he's wreaking. I feel bad for him because he truly loved his brother & did feel abandoned after Lee Yeon left the mountain due to his punishment after Ah Eum died, but his wanting attention by killing a bunch of people is where he did go too far. I know Lee Yeon missed that vital point on purpose, he never wanted to kill his brother & you could see the pain in his eyes when he read what Lee Rang did wrong. I don't have a good feeling about Lee Rang's ending, he's going to die & it'll be far too late for him to repent for what he's done. I just hope the brothers can reconcile before then.

I think the higher ups purposely hid the fox bead Lee Yeon gave Ah Eum because they wanted to keep him around under what he calls "mandatory military conscription". He's good at what he does & if he were to find Ah Eum, he'd basically be done with his punishment of serving as a rogue fox hunter (or whatever they call it). The gods know Ji Ah is Ah Eum, but failed to tell Lee Yeon so he wouldn't keep looking or run into Ji Ah anymore. What the gods failed to realize is that IF Ah Eum is Ji Ah then they were meant to be regardless, which makes me feel like all the other times he saw the girl with the same face was in fact Ah Eum's reincarnation (unless the promise was that she'd only reincarnate once). 

6 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

True dat.  It had something to with the herbs he put on her wound . 
 

 

Maybe? He seemed super confused when it reacted weird, he really wasn't expecting that at all. I don't think she'd realize who she was this soon. 

@abs-oluteM

I think you're right, it may be a spirit possessing her because she was fine up until she started chasing that man who claimed he was seeing ghosts. So something was chasing him & may have either infected her or took her place momentarily. 

I can finally return because I watched both episodes. 

Episode 1 was a very good intro to our characters and plot, nothing was predictable as I would have thought especially the beginning on how Ji Ah's parents disappeared/died (though no bodies=not dead in kdramaland). I personally like how each main character is sort of grey, they have their obvious faults, but we know they at least try. 

What I want to know is how Lee Yeon abandon Lee Rang or more so, how does Rang interpret him being abandoned because one event can be seen in different ways by different people. Obviously Rang wants some attention so he purposely acts out. My theory is just that when Yeon decided to abuse his powers, that's around the time Rang was born or was young since he's only 600 years old. When you're in a state of grief like that, you have tunnel vision & only see your hurt & pain. My question also is how did Ah Eum die? Were other foxes mad that Yeon was in love with a human & kill her not expecting him to react the way he did? He didn't get angry & kill a bunch of people, he literally gave her a fox bead hoping she'd be reincarnated later & remember? Anyways, the episode 2 cliffhanger really is something & as always, I'm confused. Though I like how they already keep us at the edge of our seats & wait for more. 

I'm gonna plug in my Twitter, follow me for my shenanigans