(no subject)

[idiosyncreant]

timeripple , a new K-Drama watching friend on LJ, first won me over by her description of the new series, Sungkyunkwan Scandal, in terms of the Hana Kimi characters.

MAN, IT IS SO TRUE.

Quote:
If Hanakimi actually had a plot that made sense, Mizuki was a smart-mouthed feminist advocate of the proletariat, Nakatsu was an idealistic bookworm, Dorm 1 leader was the smoldering series antagonist (that's right I said "smoldering"), Dorm 2 leader was in love with Sano the hot rebellious ninja archer, Dr. Umeda was an undercover agent on a secret mission, and Mizuki/Nakatsu was the OTP.

Yeah. It's that awesome.

The rest of her post includes a summary that is much more concise and to-the-point than mine is going to be.

Now I've watched it myself, I think I placed a few characters in different roles without knowing it but it's all good.
Because the point is the types that play out are delightful, even though they are as recognizable as the ones in HanaKimi were.


Middle-left we have the fop-type who gets to be the one who knows what's going on, but is having fun trying to make everyone else figure it out, and wants things to be "interesting". I don't know any real people who sit back and prod at problems to keep them going, quite the way of this type in manga and similar strains of fiction, but they sure can give a story verve...

He's probably my favorite of the young guys, TBH, but doesn't even rate on the scale with the professors and government officials. For some reason, all the more seasoned men seem more charismatic in their historical costumes, with more opportunity to act with their faces, between their lines.

Like this cutie-pie:


...no, I don't understand it, either.
Except that in a world of men with hidden motives and politenesses, he's the one who seems whole-hearted, and yet...mysterious.
Yeah, it could just be me.


The hero's dad likewise:



It's obvious he not only has ambitions for his son, but is fond of him. His politics aren't necessarily clean, but he admires that his son is whole-hearted and full of ideals. He knows it will go away with time. He's not rushing it.

Since a lot of The Old Man characters in K-Dramas fall into certain types, it's fun to have a show full of them, so there are more nuanced characters.


Anyway, I just finished the 6th episode, which is a sports-triumph one, which I love. XD



This show is fun to watch visually, because of the sets being so different from contemporary shows (so open, and Asian) and interesting in plot, because things are unfolding in nuanced ways, where characters you like are probably villains, and most of the tension is held in conversation and subtle negotiation, which fits the scholar's way themes so well.


I think Ep. 7 is going to contain some sort of nasty shock to some male or other, and I will leave you with this ramble to go and see what that exactly is...