Beanie level: Rooftop room dweller

Sophia Loren Happy 90th ! As a young lad I thought she was gorgeous 😍

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J film Lady Maiko ( 2014 ) . It is a musical , Haruko wants to become a Maiko, an apprentice Geisha. Her accent stands out in Kyoto. A professor that studies accents takes her on as a case study My Fair Lady vibes , lol .
Cute story, some songs were better than others .

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Another episode of J drama Hikaru Kimi e was subbed. FL runs to ML’s house to say she’ll be his concubine, only to find out he’s marrying her BFF. She praises her BFF and runs away in tears.

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    Wow I listened to the Tale of Genji recently so I might check this out. I found it a tough listen though and I know some of the key themes reflected her own family situation.

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    I just started watching episode one and I am sure the little girl playing the young version of the author s the same actress playing Umi in Umi no Hajimari. She must have had a busy time filming these two dramas this year. I looked it up and this is not included in the list of her work which surprised me. Also looks like I saw her previously in Brush up life.

    How would you say this compares with Tiger with wings and Umi no Hajimari? Those two really are exceptional dramas.

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      she’s a different girl, i checked the imdb cast. rana izutani is the girl in Umi no Hajimari – she’s so adorable… and yes, rana was in Brush Up Life!

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      This has the usual political infighting , plotting, and killing. ML’s family is currently includes the emperor and all the key ministers, FL is daughter of a dirt poor scholar.

      They are lovers , at first she didn’t want to be his concubine, she was worried about dragging him down, but then she thought concubine would be better than nothing, only to find out he’ll be marrying her BFF .

      They can rarely find time due to his status so he was not aware his wife was her pal. The FL is a bit of an oddity as she is fluent in Chinese and knows poetry, art and calligraphy . That is how she befriends the high society girls (while also spying on them) . They tolerate her low social class and find her fascinating and fun.

      Time jump : The ML is married for political reasons (x2) already has a daughter by BFF and his 2nd wife is now pregnant. 2nd wife actually is on a revenge mission 😟 FL discovers that ML has kept her love letters after all this time.

      I only hope the subbing continues J dramas can be very hit or miss. This is a taiga , a historical drama , they do one a year, so I have hopes it will be fully subbed.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiga_drama

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        Thanks so much for flagging that the subs being so hit and miss is not that unusual. Which episode have you got up to? I only have 13 available with subs so that is a worry as I think they have released up to episode 40 now.

        It’s so funny, I usually hate sageuks but here I am actually enjoying this historical drama because I am matching it to the characters she clearly used as inspiration for the various themes that were played out in Genji. Now I am seeing her ghost writing the poetry it explains why there was so much poetry in Genji. I hated the poetry by the end of the book as the men were always using it to moan about unrequited love.

        I am at episode 7 so I can’t believe the female lead actually married into that family. I thought the couple were going to have broken hearts and love from afar once they knew the sadness his family had caused hers. I also thought her status would mean it couldn’t happen even if they wanted it too. I assumed they would settle for other partners him for the politics and her for survival to avoid being a burden to her family. I loved that the male lead wrote his first love letter to the female lead. His relationship with his sister was so lovely as they were the two genuinely nice people in that corrupt family. I hope that now the sister knows the truth about her dad’s scheming that she does not get tarnished with evil elements in order to survive in a world where women are so powerless and her dad has so many allies. I also liked the relationship between the female lead and her brother but I worry how he will survive in a world where he does not have academic skills and can’t work manually.

        I am intrigued by the performers and wonder if that is just a front for their real activities. I think the ring leader is bright but due to low status has limited power so is using any means he can to effect change in the wider system.

        The traditional dress is so beautiful, I prefer the colours and patterns to the modern kimonos I have seen on dramas and in exhibitions. I am surprised how much we are seeing women being around men without being behind blinds or wearing veils. The poetry competition for example had both the unmarried daughters clearly visible to the men and the Left minister’s daughter chasing the cat where her dad was doing business. I just remember the intrigue for the men in Genji was because they didn’t know what the women looked like and were often dependent on the maids to carry their messages back and forth and sometimes the maids spoke on behalf of the mistresses.

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    thanks for this heads up! i love having J doramas to balance out my K drama watching – or to fill in during K drama droughts!

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    They are releasing these subbed episodes very slowly so it must be a frustrating watch.

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Tora ni Tsubasa (2024)
American chocolate bars , post war Japan . Homies ? Really show ? LOL

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    ? Are you saying there would not be US chocolate bars in post-war Japan? (there would have been) Or that the wrapper is the wrong era (Have Hershey wrappers changed much?) Or what? (I’m confused by your post)

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    i know right??? i was going to post this image, thank you for doing this! whomever managed to get this prop to pass muster in japan should be hung out to dry… it is so not period appropriate — no one used the term HOMIES in the 50s, helllooo…

    i’m still upset. but hey, i’m glad you’ve jumped into this drama! cute, right???
    *winks*

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Another scene from Chan Is Missing
A social worker speculates that Chan had admitted guilt to a traffic accident due soley to a miscommunication .

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Scenes fromChan Is Missing , set to Sabor a mí performed by Los Lobos the song is featured in the film.

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The Paper Tigers (2020) Three middle aged disciples are reunited when their shifu is found dead. Their glorious youthful dreams behind them, they band together one last time to find the killer

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A rewatch of Chan Is Missing (1982) (B/W) Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown, an uncle & his nephew search for a missing friend and discover they don’t know who he is. Wayne Wang directs

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    OMG, the best first Asian American movie!!!

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    have you watched Paper Tigers? it was filmed in my hometown, Seattle…

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      I’m off to watch it now. I grew up in the Bay Area , so Chan is somewhat nostalgic.

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        it’s pretty goofy, but they don’t take themselves too seriously. we actually know the 3 “bad guys”… 2 of them were in Everything Everywhere All At Once later!

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Have to watch out for those female law students that are fighting for women’s rights . Tora ni Tsubasa


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I have been promoted to roof top dweller.

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Ito Sairi as Inotsume Tomoko in Tora ni Tsubasa (Tiger With Wings) . Tora-Chan dodges marriage attempts to attend Law School , no easy feat in 1930’s Japan. The war looms.

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I tune in to The Midnight Romance in Hagwon for Seo Jung Yeon silver tresses.

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    I am not watching HAGWON but it is good to see you back @john I had noticed you were missing for awhile. Hope all is well.

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      A change in routine , I renewed my security guard license and plan on working some concerts this summer. Tonight I will be working a Burning Spear concert at the oceanfront . A legend in the reggae world, I am looking forward to this.

      I have been helping my wife out in the garden, we have it looking great. We had an understanding that gardening is a good reason to get away from the internet . Flowers always something blooming , the vegetable project is extensive this year . Wildlife flourishes. Our yard housed a blue Jay nest and a mocking bird nest. The mocking birds peck at the cats. I saw one cat hiss at two juvenile mocking birds. Discovered we have a snake living in a corner of the yard by a cherry tree. Have enjoyed black and blue berries this year from plants in the yard. Figs are ripening.
      I listen to a lot of books via YouTube, so many books are now available. I am not watching many dramas at the moment, perhaps as the winter approaches I will increase
      I will give Miss Night And Day a try because of Jung Eun-Ji 🥰

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Beauty & Mr Romantic Only hope for this show is a ToD that can kill the following trash people. Pil Sung’s Grandmother, Do Ra’s Mother , Jin Dan’s Mother and Pil Sung’s father .

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    Happy to send over the Grim Reaper from The Midnight Studio. Don’t want him messing around with uri Joo Won-ssi.

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    Isn’t that most of the cast over 35? 😂

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      The gambling relative (mom)
      The Chairman’s Concubine
      The money grubbing grandmother
      The spineless son

      I almost forgot, a new character, the Elder Aunt who sides with the concubine and expects a 60 year old woman to become pregnant!

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QoT I hope the teen years mp3 player talisman has more mojo than the adolescent gold charm talisman. Why with the Evil 2ML Love Triangle Show ? The rest of the show is good w/o that. 🙄


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    In all the years they have been together did Hyun-woo not notice the “H” monogram of Hae-in! Apparently he remembers the teenage girl “vividly” and looked for her all over school like the Prince for Cinderella. 😂

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    Are these going to be the new Kdrama merch that becomes a the rage and that people want—“need”— to have?? The last time it happened, it was Jun Ji Hyun’s Jimmy Choo heels from MLFAS, and before that, it was the Polaris necklace from the 2002 drama, “Winter Sonata”

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    I’m actually glad the necklace has more mojo, otherwise it would make no sense for this dude to be obsessed with Hae In.

    For once, I don’t care about the existence of a SL. He has no real impact on the leads’ relationship, so I forget he’s supposed to be a “problem” most of the time.
    He’s kinda making things better tbh. Thanks to him Hae In is living with Hyun Woo now. And thanks to him Hae In had such a cool moment in the last episode.

    I didn’t like that he tried to ruin my Soo Cheol-Da Hey ship tho. He better leaves them alone.

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      Hehehe … we have uri priorities right!! NO 2ML-itis for us. 🤭 PSH needs to be a ML or lovable 2ML for him to get out luuurrrve. 😉

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Beauty & Mr. Romantic Saw this on MDL. Cha HwaYeon Unnie getting her hair pulled in numerous dramas 🫢

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    Oh my I had a LoL moment. Don’t even know who the actress is (didn’t watch a lot of weekenders), but this post is sure hilarious.

    Is there anyone who hates her in the production teams?

    And I wonder what they think that women will jump at one another and start pulling hair like some wild animals when they hate one another. It’s just so funny I wonder if there are people who really do this irl. I only saw kindergarteners did this.

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>QoT Soju moment, fateful childhood momento, dreaded childhood meetup with psycho dog hater, who in-the present day, confesses to our FL , 🎵 ~I will always love you ~ 🎶 , Ottoke !?!



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    Shout out to Lee Joo Won as the young psycho . He played the mild mannered younger brother living in the shadow of his sister in Live Your Own Life .What a change in roles..

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Queen of Tears



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B&MRBirth Secret Semi-Reveal, ML learns he is not their bio-child. . Pil Sung’s mother(s) recalls finding her baby on the doorstep. Mom’s BFF is the bio mom who left the child at her bff’s door


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    50 episodes-think you’ll stick with it?

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      As long as there aren’t too many screeching chaebol want to bes. The deceased chairman’s side piece concubine is insufferable. The cook ahjumma should poison her. ☠️ 🧑‍🍳 🍜

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    That’s lot of tangle in the first couple of episodes. The usual. I haven’t decided if I will continue.

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      Not real crazy about the grandmother that spilled the beans. I at least have to see how the adults for the OTP are.

      I stuck with Live Your Own Life. I did not stick with The Real Has Come. I bailed about 10 or 12 eps.

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        Haha I was the opposite! I passed on Live Your Own Life after 4 eps, but stuck with 50 eps of The Real Has Come. 😂

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          The actors I know best are the two moms, Lee Il Hwa and Yoon Yoo Seon they have been in a bunch of dramas. I hope the script is worthy of them . Live Your Own Life didn’t challenge Uee to put it mildly.

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            And Ive seen a dozen or so dramas with mom Cha Hwa Yeon. She’s been in some of my favorite family angst dramas! I guess all 3 mom actors are in this one.

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