not an April Fools day post.

I just LOVE following shows as they're airing - sure, you have the potential to be completely disappointed from episode to episode because there's no-one who has seen it previously to tell you how it pans out overall, but MY EXCITEMENT AND ANTICIPATION LEVELS ARE INSANE.

I follow Dramabeans by RSS feed, so I always see a snippet of each post even if I don't click on the link to read the whole thing. And once Wednesday night rolls around now, every Thursday morning there's a 49 Days recap I can't read unless I want to ruin the entire episode for myself. Repeat for Thursday night/Friday morning. But browsing through to get to other posts that may have gone up I still see the preview part of the post (always non-spoilery, just a screencap from the episode and an overall comment on how the series is going). But see today ( This is only spoilery to me, really )

Yes, so I am speculating on the littlest, dumbest of things because I find waiting from Thursday when the first of the raws are out, til Sunday when both are generally subbed, so difficult. (TOO MUCH "EEEEEEEE!").

But I am not going to whine like so many people :x "Where are the subs? Why aren't they out yet?" UHM BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE DO IT FOR FUN, NOT PROFIT. IT'S A HOBBY, AND THEY DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE TO DO IT AT ALL.

It annoys me so much when I see all of that. I can't stand to wait because I'm so EXCITED, but I would never blame that on anyone, except on my own damn impatience XD

I will distract myself all day with more of The Return of Iljimae. There's an upside to watching older dramas, too - mainlining them without any restriction :D

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In other news, MOTHERS. I just spent half an hour looking for a song for her from Glee that DOESN'T EVEN EXIST. It was a performance to the song, not a cover of the song!

The Return of Iljimae, EPs 7-8

I don't quite know what this show is doing to me. One moment I love it, the next it disappoints me, but the true draw, the important character - Iljimae, keeps me burning for more. I adore him, he's a really intriguing character, I only wish the format of the drama supported that a little better. Sometimes you feel like the things that have happened to him are just too unbelievable, and often I feel like we aren't given enough chances to see the way he changes and grows, we're only told about it.

On the absolute plus side the way almost all the characters are portrayed is wonderful - even minor characters and ones who only appear in one or two episodes are interesting and make an impact on you. Also, every time we're given proper scenes following the 'present' timeline to chew on (rather than annoying time-jumps and utterly useless narration) they are wonderful and enhance things greatly. I just wish they'd commit to focusing on them.

To summarize - I suspect whoever wrote this drama is much better at characterization than they are at pacing, and often fall down at the Golden Rule: "show, don't tell".



- The Return of Iljimae, Episode 7: ( Spoilers )

- The Return of Iljimae, Episode 8: ( Spoilers )

The Return of Iljimae, EPs 9-10

This series is much improved now we're following a linear timeline. No need to jump back to explain anything, no need to show a future event to foreshadow it. Just take it all as it happens and enjoy the ride. (I wish we'd gotten here sooner!)

Even the events are more settled, in one place, with more of a permanent cast now, because before Iljimae travelled so much and met so many people. Both ways have their pros and cons, but we can use this solidness right now after all the moving and changing around. I'm not questioning what he does so much as I have been before, practically screaming "SHOW ME, DON'T JUST TELL ME, I NEED TO KNOW WHY!" at the screen XD Things are being shown more.

Episode Ten was a definite highlight, some wonderful moments in there for me. And now I need to go onwards desperately!



- The Return of Iljimae, Episode 9: ( Spoilers )

- The Return of Iljimae, Episode 10: ( Spoilers )