(no subject)

[puddleshark]

Finished watching Korean magical fantasy Alchemy of Souls on Netflix yesterday. Really liked this one. Sympathetic underdog male lead, fighting doggedly for every scrap of education or power. Amusingly ruthless - though not quite as ruthless as she thinks herself - female lead. Interesting secondary characters. Clever plotting building up to an amazing finale.

Oh, that ending. Brilliant. But... a cliffhanger, drat it. And I feel like I've been swindled.

Korean dramas are always 16, 20 or 24 episodes, and the story is always wrapped up, neatly or otherwise, in those episodes. Only, Alchemy of Souls has broken this rule, ending in a 'To be continued...', and I have to wait for the second series coming in December to find out the fate of the characters.

Bah.

***

Nearly finished watching Chinese fantasy romance Love Like the Galaxy on Viki.com, which is watchable, has some very good moments. Leo Wu's acting does actually get a lot better towards the second half, and I enjoyed his character's story arc. But the writing just isn't that clever, the secondary characters never really come to life, and the story drags in places. Really don't understand why this is so amazingly popular.

***

Enjoyed the first two episodes of Korean mystery Good Job on Viki.com, which is very silly, and contains all the Tropes: arrogant CEO who is a master of disguise, and his hacker sidekick, investigating the murder of the CEO's mother, and clashing swords with a poor, hardworking young woman with an extraordinary power.

First two episodes were fun, but we'll see where it goes next. (I actually enjoyed the first few episodes of Café Minamdang on Netflix, but then the comedy mystery suddenly turned into a gruesome serial killer mystery, and the flamboyant silliness became stupidity, and I quickly bailed).

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Books

Re-read Fortress in the Eye of Time by C.J. Cherryh. A densely-woven fantasy of politics and friendship. An ancient wizard, sole inhabitant of a dead city at the heart of a sinister forest, works a summoning: but at the crucial moment his nerve fails, and the creature he summons is not the weapon he sought, but something else... a young man, without memories, and innocent.

***

Frances Hardinge has a new book out next week, Unraveller. One of the few authors whose books I will buy in hardback, just for the pleasure of owning a proper book, with dust jacket and everything...

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I've had a couple of episodes of invisibility recently.

After my walk at Kimmeridge last week, I thought I might treat myself to breakfast at Clavell's Restaurant in the village. The restaurant was open, and I walked in. Then I waited at the counter, while three locals stood around gossiping with a chap who was wiping tables. But no-one looked at me, or greeted me, and I had time to think, and realise that I was being extravagant - Clavell's is expensive - and that I should leave, drive home and make myself a nice cup of Nescafé instant instead. So I did.

Also last week, by chance, I passed some open doors with posters advertising free entry to a camera club exhibition. But when I went to walk in, two of the organisers - older gentlemen - were standing in the doorway talking, and one of them turned his back on me, blocking the way. Over the gentleman's shoulder I could see photographs of kingfishers. But I never went in.

Should I have coughed? Shouted a loud cheery greeting? What if they still couldn't see me then?

Comments

[heleninwales]

Invisibility can be nice sometimes, like not getting the catcalls and comments that one would get as a younger woman, but at times it can be annoying.

[puddleshark]

Yes, invisibility has its advantages as well as its disadvantages. There are times when it's nice to wander around completely unnoticed.

[nikonf3]

Re- Alchemy of Souls. A few weeks back, I read on a Korean entertainment site that Jung So-min (Mu-deok) might not be back.(?!) This is the second time for me. I watched Business Proposal and it had a similar, vague ending, hinting at another season. Forget it. I also didn't care for how A of S went from the usual fluffy ending to something so violent. They may have been going for shock but the emotion aroused was disgust.

[puddleshark]

I agree about the ending. That seems to be a thing with the writers, the Hong Sisters, which is probably why I've haven't been a big fan of their dramas in the past.

[benicek]

Sounds like invisibility saves money!

[puddleshark]

It certainly does! Especially with the price of coffee these days...