#thewayrambles

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Current ask game

- thank you for the tag @waitmyturtles x

Current time: Late afternoon, those last minutes before the sun sets for the day.

Current activity: Catching up. I’ve been meaning to write. All the shows that just came to an end have left my mind whirling.

Currently thinking about: I’ve been thinking a lot about Buck-Tick.

I only learnt about Buck-Tick after hearing the news of Atsushi Sakurai’s passing. It has happened before, that I find and fall in love with an artist just as their story comes to an end. I’m trying to find the words to describe the feelings it leaves me with—The loss of never knowing them before, and also a bittersweetness that here I am reopening a door that was just closed. Just missing them, but finding what they left behind.

Current favourite song: Dress — Buck-Tick.

I keep returning to this song and its music video.

I also love Kiss Me Goodbye, Long Distance Call and Kogoeru.

Currently reading: This beautiful interview with the late Issay of Der Zibet (another band I’ve started listening to), talking about Atsushi Sakurai.

Currently watching: One Room Angel - Like @respectthepetty I am preparing to be hurt by this one, but oh am I in love. This is another drama with Yuuka Eda at the helm.

Shadow - I have so many thoughts on this show, though mainly I’m just absolutely delighted to have Singto and Fluke sharing the screen. Meanwhile everyone has been writing absolutely brilliant meta on the show. I’m greatly looking forward to the second half.

Last Twilight - I wasn’t at all sure about this one, but the first episode turned out great so I’m hesitantly excited for the next episode. I’m remembering how beautifully Heart’s story was done, so in P’Aof we trust.

My Dear Gangster Oppa - Again a surprise, but I’m really enjoying this so far. I like the virtual friend storyline and the gangster one too, I think they’ve done a great job with both. I ended up watching and enjoying Ai Long Nhai this past weekend because of how much I liked Meen and Ping’s performances here. With Kiseki: Dear to Me finished, it’s nice to have a new set of gangsters in my life.

Current favourite character: Kiyoka (Meguro Ren) from As Long As We Both Shall Live (わたしの幸せな結婚). I’ve watched it twice now and I just adore him.

Current wip: I’m still preparing for my travels in Japan. That’s taking up most of my attention. However I’m starting to play with some ideas, they’re not stories yet, more like concepts and I don’t know what format they’ll take when they take form, but it’s fun to have something to play with.

Anyone want to play? @absolutebl @mejomonster @respectthepetty @hils79 @gillianthecat @whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst @heretherebedork @bengiyo @shannankle @danthebookworm @twig-tea

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It’s raining fruit and dramas but hold my umbrella, I have some catching up to do.

Whew! Between real life overwhelm—it’s full on harvest season on my parents farm, I’m feeling like Mitsuomi from Restart’—and the amount of dramas there are to watch, I’ve been a bit too busy catching up to write anything for each show I’m following. It’s been three years since I started watching queer asian dramas and I haven’t had this many to watch since back then.

Out of all the shows currently airing, I’m watching My Personal Weatherman, Minato Shouji Coin Laundry 2, Jun & Jun, Only Friends and Stay By My Side. Then I watched Marry My Dead Body and added Mysterious Lotus Casebook in the middle of it all. Now Kiseki Dear to Me has also joined the mix. What is that quote? Something like…“didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”

As always, beware of spoilers below.

I admit I hadn’t expected Mysterious Lotus Casebook to make me think about it quite as much as it has. Despite each episode being action packed, the main storyline is taking its time to form, leaving me on tenterhooks at each new reveal. Li Lian Hua / Li Xiang Yi is the heart of this drama. He such an interesting character, almost everything he says is a lie and I both love him and hate him for it. He lies to protect, but mainly it hurts, both himself and everyone else. His interactions with the other two leads, Fan Duo Bing and Di Fei Sheng are compellingly caring and problematic. While DFS is obviously obsessed with LXY/LH, LXY/LH himself is just as focused on the other man. This is shown in the way the two interact in the present, in addition to the whole series of conversations we have in each flashback. For example, how did LXY/LH so easily build a peace treaty with DFS? Meanwhile FDB seems to have fallen quickly for the older man and he veers between possessive adoration and petty jealousy. LH switches between flirting with and abandoning the poor boy while rarely taking him seriously. All of them take turns hurting each other while trying to protect each other without their consent or knowledge. I wonder whether they will learn and change their behaviour or if this will be their tragedy? The latest episodes really brought this question forward in my mind when Wan Mian confronted Li Xiang Yi. Up till this point, LXY/LH’s interactions with Qiao Wan Mian had mirrored his other relationships. My interpretation is that ten years ago, Wan Mian loved Li Xiang Yi, but he couldn’t return those feelings though he loved her as a friend. Still they were heading towards marriage because it’s what everyone expected and, I think from what I know of his character, Li Xiang Yi went with it because it wasn’t inconvenient to his goals. Now LXY/LH has finally fully understood how his behaviour affected her all these years. I’m intrigued by how full of faults each of the characters are in this drama. It’s all so fascinating and I’ve seen several analyses that pique my interest even more. If I can I’ll write a proper analysis once I’ve finished watching.

I’m not one to worry about season twos possibly because I have a habit all the way from childhood of accidentally finding and loving the sequels of series before getting to know the original. Minato Shouji Coin Laundry 2 is exploring all the parts left hanging in the first season and I love it for that. I love how Minato is slowly building confidence, @bengiyo just wrote a painful and beautiful post about The Knowing and it showed me why I love Minato so much and why his story hits me so personally. I’m glad they decided this story needed a second season.

Meanwhile Taiwan isn’t holding back this year. After the brilliant ONHCT, we now have Marry My Dead Body, Stay By My Side and Kiseki Dear To Me all at once and they’re all hitting hard.

I was a bit hesitant of Marry My Dead Body at first because the synopsis was dissuading. However it turned out to be a beautiful and powerful film, surprising me throughout. The relationship that developed between Mao Pang Yu and Wu Ming Han was beautiful to watch. In many ways it reminded me of ONHCT and DNA Says I Love You. I think the final scenes were my favourite.

Stay By My Side continues this theme of relationships and ghosts and it’s doing it well in my opinion. I love the set up and the way the conflicts built up naturally around the pair. The way they carefully keep the ghosts at the edges so we share Bu Xia’s anxieties is a brilliant choice. Hong Wei Zhe and Yang Yi Hsuan’s performances are lovely, I’m very fond of Jiang Chi and Bu Xia is darling. He’s one of those boys who just doesn’t think because if he did it would mean dealing with a can of worms. We only have two episodes left but so far they’ve used the time they have beautifully.

There are so many great minds exploring Only Friends and My Personal Weatherman so I’m going to sit back and enjoy those for now. Jun & Jun has me entertained if confused so no thoughts there yet, and I have too many thoughts on Kiseki so that will get its own post.

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9 People You'd Like To Know More

Tagged by @blmpff and @waitmyturtles - thank you darlings.

Last song: Queen Bee-Rejuvenation. Tumblr and then First Take introduced me to them and I am slightly in love with Avu-chan.

Currently watching: So many great shows and I have had no time to talk about them! However I finished Tokyo in April is… and the absolutely wonderful Sing My Crush. Now there’s Stay By My Side, Stay With Me, Be My Favourite, Minato Shouji Coin Laundry s2, I started s2 Heartstopper with my sister, and I just started Mysterious Lotus Casebook after seeing it everywhere. Not to mention I need to start Good Omens 2 and then there’s all the shows about to start!

Currently reading: Love in the Big City by Park Sang Young. I’ve been wanting to read it for ages and Anton Hur’s done a beautiful translation for it.

Current obsession: Hmm, that’s hard because I’m a little obsessed by everything above, but in all honesty it’d have be Jiang Chi from Stay By My Side, dammit that boy has stolen my heart.

Anyone want to play? @hoppipolla @mejomonster @heretherebedork @twig-tea @danthebookworm @emotionallychargedtowel @respectthepetty @bengiyo @troubled-mind

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#5QLS

Rules of the Game:

When you get this, list 5 songs from the Asian QL shows that you actually listen to.

🎶They do not have to be custom-made for the series.

🎶Non-western tracks only. Let's support Asian music and languages!

🎶Feel free to tag anyone who may be interested in participating. 🎶Add #5qls tag to your post for others to find the new favourites!

tagged by darling @shannankle

1. Yoshitaka Fujimoto-美しい彼のテーマ(Utsukushī Kareno Tēma)-My Beautiful Man (Utsukushii Kare)

2. Heo Jung-See U-Where Your Eyes Linger

3. Xiao Zhan, Wang Yibo-无羈(WuJi)-The Untamed

4. JenJen-Komorebi from the film of the same name.

5. Pond Ponlawit-เส้นเเบ่งเรา (Sen Baeng Rao)-180 Degrees Longitude Passes Through Us

Anyone want to play? @blmpff @gillianthecat @heretherebedork @absolutebl @mejomonster @troubled-mind @emotionallychargedtowel @respectthepetty @twig-tea

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Oh no! Here comes trouble (2023) episode 4

I may write a more general review later, but for now, here’s some of my rambling thoughts on two connected scenes within episode 4.

In the last episode when we meet Guangyan again, there’s this moment where the camera focused in on Guangyan evading the advances of one of his girl friends. It happens again immediately the next time he is with his college group, as shown at the very start of the clip above. It’s subtle but there he is swiftly avoiding holding hands with her. This quiet yet determined withdrawing of himself alludes to moments in more overtly queer dramas. What I like so much about this one is his queer coding does double duty.

Putting his hands in his pockets to avoid her leads to him discovering something about his invisible flower, when he holds the menu Yiyong wrote, he can see the flower. Even though Guangyan has yet to see past Yiyong's thuggish exterior and they have a bad history where he was scared of him, he still instantly goes to find Yiyoung and show him because he’s the only other person who can see it. I love how tangled up they became so quickly, forced-proximity at its finest.

I like how this drama balances everything with humour. It is a nice choice to start the next scene with Yiyong not following what Guangyan is close to figuring out. He doesn’t realise that his work, the menu and the ink painting, allow Guangyan to see the supernatural. He ends up painting her for Guangyan simply so he learns what Yiyong is seeing.

This contradiction between Yiyong's appearance and his true self is beautifully demonstrated with the ink painting. This is a boy who, we know, took the time to learn calligraphy, perhaps it was demanded of him, but he put in the effort to an extent that he is not only incredibly fast, but his work is also incredibly beautiful. Outwardly he's so exasperated and grumpy, but underneath it all he is paying attention, he's concerned, he cares. He tries to help and when Guangyan asks to see the ghost, he draws her for him, and not a quick sketch either. He doesn't even simply do a painting of her as she sits before them captive to her troubles. His painting has her in motion, filled with life. I love Yiyong so much, that he’s here, taking time and energy to paint a picture so one person can see another, when he just spent most of his day before this in bed, having made himself sick and exhausted by grief the night before.

My final thought for now is, I’d thought the haircut was Yiyong’s choice, but now, considering his haircut never changed in the past two years and Yiyong’s complaints about his mum’s haircuts, perhaps this is her choice of haircut for him! That would explain a lot.

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Life Tag Game.

Tagged by: @petrichoraline thank you darling.

Relationship Status: Recently single. (Heh, it was mutual and we remain close friends.)

Favorite colour: Blue: Specifically indigo blues and midnight blues. It was very funny to realise I’m in the colour symbolism outfit category of Blue Boy/Black Brooder like Uea’s King. Very apt.

Song stuck in my head: Beautiful Day - BLITZERS (Cherry Blossoms After Winter ost)

Last song I listened to: You were so beautiful - BLOO

Three favorite foods: Jajangmyeon, Sashimi and Tomato & Basil soup. Well what an odd combination!

Last thing I googled: Risky Business dance scene. I’ve yet to see the actual film (terrible I know) but it was just referenced in a film (that’s twice for me now - looking at you KinnPorsche) I was watching with my sister and had to explain the reference. (Prom Pact 2023 if you were wondering) We make a good team, she keeps me updated on current pop culture and I teach her the classics.

Dream trip: I’m going to be travelling around Japan next year, Wwoofing on farms and writing.

Anything I want right now: I really want to swim right now, even though it’s cold and wet out, my ocean looks amazing right now.

Anyone want to play?

@mejomonster @respectthepetty @sorrowfuljaewon @gillianthecat @shannankle

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The Eighth Sense, episodes 7 and 8.

Well that was quite something…I’m going to start with what I liked first.

I liked the scene of the board hearing, that was well done and both Jae Won and Ji Hyun spoke well.

Also Ji Hyun managing to make both asshole seniors lose it was quite spectacular.

I really really liked the breakup scene, I could feel how Ji Hyun couldn’t get enough air. And I hurt so much for Jae Won. Beautiful performances.

But, I can’t say I greatly enjoyed either of those episodes. They unnecessarily dragged out the “is he dead or isn’t he?” And we also spent far too long with the seniors being assholes.

Actually, everyone was kind of an asshole in these episodes… Except the darling boss and Jae Won.

I can’t even express my feelings for Ae Ri and Ji Hyun’s behaviour towards their Hedwig classmate. What the actual fuck?! I’m okay with problematic characters but that was something else and I don’t follow what the directors had in mind with that. I would think both characters should know better. Somehow they also managed to bring up halloween and Itaewon too and I just can’t…

Because of that, I’m feeling a little sour towards the whole thing.

However! I’m really looking forward to everyone’s gifs and thoughts because you all are brilliant and make me think!

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Watchlist Tag Game!

Thank you for the tag @waitmyturtles

Currently watching

Unintentional Love Story: This one is going exactly how I hoped it would. The way the truth came out and their reactions, damn!

The Eighth Sense: This one is incredible.

Bokura no Shokutaku - Our Dining Table: Ah it’s so cosy and full of food and found family. Japan really does it so well. I’m really looking forward to more cooking, more adorable Tane and more amazing scenes like when Minoru fed Yutaka. (Also, Yutaka makes his rice the way I do, which made me rather embarrassingly pleased.)

Bed Friend: This one has been so unexpected and in all the right ways. I adore James and his portrayal of Uea.

ITSAY: Rewatch with my sister. I’ve been introducing her to some of my favourites since the start. We recently finished My School President, which I’d been waiting on to watch with her. It was her first ever Thai drama and we both absolutely adored it. And also Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna (2022). (I may or may not have developed a huge crush on Kasuga-san.) Back to ITSAY, it’s really interesting rewatching with a better understanding of Thai. Also, Teh and his family constantly switch languages when talking together and I completely missed that the first three times I’ve watched this!

Looking forward to watching soon

Naked Dinner - Zenra Meshi: Starring Yutaro from Cherry Magic and Zettai Bl — Enough said.

Still deciding if I’m gonna watch

Me, My Husband and My Husband’s Boyfriend - Watashi to Otto to Otto no Kareshi: Ahh, darling Furukawa Yuki (Restart After Coming Back Home) and Honda Kyoya (The recent Jack o'Frost), that sounds amazing. But the actual plot sounds miserable.

I’m also still deciding if I should watch The Novelist (2018) again: I want to watch the final film of the series but I feel like I need to go back to the beginning first, it’s been so long since I last watched it.

Do you want to play? @sorrowfuljaewon @mejomonster @until-we-become-us @gillianthecat @summersinpuglia :)