Doramas + Pondering about bad endings

[alexandral]

+ I am feeling a little bit tired because I am watching doramas (Asian dramas) like crazy. I have almost watched through the half of "It started with the kiss" . And this Taiwanese drama is truly lovely. It has an absolutely adorable main female lead (Ariel Lin) and an absolutely gorgeous main male lead (Joe Cheng). Plus abundance of fresh and hitting-home jokes. Plus important questions about finding your way in life. And it is also full of love , friendship, family relationships and all other things.

Small photo essay of the lovely stolen kiss from It started with the kiss:

Adorable Xiang Qin just rescued Zhi Shu's little brother. Xiang Qin /Zhi Shu are in the hospital near little brother's sickbed:



Zhi Shu looks at Xiang Qin and says that she is "Adorable hardworking idiot". He really means he loves her :) . He just doesn't know it yet because he is so clever and his brain is so big that he doesn't know how his own emotions work



And he just feels he must gaze at her a little longer:



And he feels that must lean forward and be close to her



Awww! KISSSSSSSSSS!



And he doesn't just jump away, he lingers



Meep - His little brother awoke and saw everything!



+ But I did all the ironing plus all the tidying and all such things. I just slept less.

+ Tomorrow I have to go to the doctor to do my regular cervix cancer check-up ( Everybody in UK does it every 3 years). I am not particular looking forward to the procedure, but well –one has to things one has to do :)

+ I have started watching a wonderful drama with Takyua Kimura – "Beautiful Life". I hope it has a good ending!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Pondering about bad endings in films and literature

I used to think that Asian dramas always have a good ending. I was very wrong. Last week I was thinking that my tolerance for the bad endings became very low since I have moved to UK. For Russian films or books bad or uncertain endings are very common. But over 8 years I got used to predictability, to good endings, to Hollywood and TV.

I must say openly – I DO NOT LIKE BAD ENDINGS! Especially when someone dies or does mentally ill or else. I get so immersed into the fictional world that when my favourite character dies it is like a death of my good friend. I can’t accept it whatever the author was trying to say!!

Some book’s endings are so bad that I will never agree to accept them:

1. “Idiot” by Dostoevsky
2. “Jude Obscure” by Thomas Hardy
3. “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy
4. “Gone with the wind” by Margaret Mitchell

But it also crossed my mind that when my heart is hurt by someone’s fictional dying it could be that this makes my heart better somehow. More compassionate. More understanding of people’s hurts. ** Sigh **

Comments

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

I so agree with you in regards to bad endings - and especially to the ending of Anna Karenina. I cried for hours when I finished that book.(and it made me scared of train stations..) And then my boyfriend tried to tell me "it was just a book" - which doesn't help at all.

I think my fear of bad endings is one of the reasons I sometimes read spoilers. Then I can prepare emotionally. For instance - I was spoiled for the Red Wedding in ASOIAF, and I'm so glad I was, because I still started to cry - but I didn't fall apart completely.

And good look with the doctor appointment.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

And then my boyfriend tried to tell me "it was just a book" - which doesn't help at all.

I don't know if this is always true for all men but I found that they more often don't take fictional things to heart then women. My husband is very practical, for example. Anna Karenina should not be read unprepared. In Russia I knew the ending long before I read it because the story is everywhere - in songs, in proverbs. But still that scene where she thinks about her life just before her death and also a moment where she actually wants to pull back and can't - this breaks my heart in tiny little pieces every time.

And even that I have read "Idiot" about 20 times I only read the ending once. I can't cope.

I agree about spoilers - I do the same. I am a real spoiler junkie . :) ASOIF for me was one of the books I read every spoiler I could put my hands on. I started doing it after reading about Ned's death - because I was unprepared for his execution it hit me very hard.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh, the hospital kiss picspam is love. I just love how he is so clueless yet so totally into her. Heeee.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

EEEEEEE! I just spoiled myself for the last two episodes. The rain kiss is fantastic!!!!!!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Isn't it so amazing? And he is so angsty and GUUUUUH.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Angsty Joe Cheng is GUUUH indeed. I am very close to ordering "Magic Ring" on e-bay. And the way Zhi Shu holds her after the kiss - "I am not letting you go. Ever".

And did you see the last episode ???? ** Much glee **

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I suggest you hold off on MR until I verify the subs are OK. The subs for e.g. ISWAK that catdecember is talking about are literally incomrehensible and you don't want to get that :P

"I am not letting you go. Ever".

And he keeps holding her throughout, afterwards in the house, in her room, etc etc. AWWWW.


Didn't see the last ep, trying to be at least a bit unspoiled :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I see. I have never come across anything as bad. Plenty of grammatical errors but everything makes sense.

And he keeps holding her throughout, afterwards in the house, in her room, etc etc. AWWWW.

And he says "I really love you". I notice that these exact words cros in different dramas. Also "do your best", "long time no see", "I am home/welcome home".

EEE! I can just say that the ending is fabu, but I guess this can't be counted as a spoiler.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

That, or the official box set of Goong are horrifying. Magic ring doesn't look to be as bad because the summary on the back makes sense, unlike with those two. But you never know.

If you want to see how bad, check out this summary on the back of my official Spring Waltz DVDs (btw, the subs on those DVDs are just fine, go figure. Not that I am complaining):

http://dangermousie.livejournal.com/501617.html

Eeeee, can't wait to see the ending!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

O my poor heart! That is horrible! It seems like they just used electronic translator.

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

i dont want to spoil you with Beautiful Life.... but i soooooooooooooooooooooooo love the "wheelchair, takuya slinging his leg scene". it goes unnoticed but the sap that i am turned to mush. :P

AHAHHH ISWAK!!!! i hate my grammatically bad subtitled dvds. :( i rely on dangermousie's play by play! :D

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Oh, if you don't mind - please spoil me!!!

ISWAK is loveliest thing ever. The files I downloaded are also very badly grammatically subtitled. But I don't mind because I am just so in love with it!

[koalathebear.livejournal.com]

Did I give you Beautiful Life? Oh dear, should I have warned you it has a sad ending? But there is an uplifting element and one of the bits at the end is the best bit in the whole series. I'm not making sense but you will know what I mean when you see it. Ahem :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Meep. I think you tried to warn me but I didn't heed. Pleeeese , tell me all - is she going to die? ** Sniff ** If I will get prepared I can cope better.

I keep seeing the adverts on d-addicts (good downloads web-site) for "A Sleeping Forest" which looks good to me. Kimura is awesome and I am going to watch it too I think.

[koalathebear.livejournal.com]

Do you really want me to tell you????? You know I don't mind being spoiled, but I feel terrible about spoiling!!!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Totally! I love spoilers, especially for the BAD endings - I can get prepared and construct the explanation this way :)

[koalathebear.livejournal.com]

OK I don't know how far along you are, but there's a bit in the series where she shows up at his house and they spend romantic time together. He says he wants to own his own hair salon, small, by the beach, with a bell on the door etc.

She does die and it's really sad (and I cried), but then right at the end, he does open up his own place and he looks so cute and you get the sense that he has found his peace. :'(

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much.!!! :( I felt this is going to happen. I have watched 2 episodes so far and I like Kyoko so much. It isn't fair that she has to die. They should not be doing this to us ** Shakes her fist at the story writers **

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

well it was kinda weird to see takuya as a hairstylist...but he was soo hot, it didnt matter. he made it look COOL. and god, i love him there.....

oh dear, i want to get a properly subbed ISWAK. :(

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

oh dear, i want to get a properly subbed ISWAK. :(

I am downloading ISWAK from here: http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/torrents.php?search=it+started+with+a+kiss&type=&sub=View+all&sort=

On that page, the torrents with the large size (around 700 MB) are particular good in picture. Subtitles are all right. They have some grammatical errors, but they make sense.

Takya is very bohemian-looking as a hair stylist. I like his coat in "Beautiful Life"

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

oh goodness, i havent told you but torrents and me = hate. LOL. its just that everytime i used torrents before, something goes wacky with my laptop. :(

Takuya's character is just....LOVE in that series. i want him! gaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!1

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry to hear this!

I had big problems whilst downloading previously with my old comp - to start with it was just too slow for such things and also I was getting the spyware pop-ups.

My new comp seems fine up to now (it has XP SP2 and Internet Security Centre) but I am not sure if this is going to be forever. But for certain things, like doramas, I don't have an alternative way of obtaining them so I download.

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

thats why i'd rather buy. i know its not for sale really, but i get spasms everytime torrent gets my laptop whacked out.

you're lucky, then!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

We bought this computer specially for multemedia purposes with plenty of memory and a good hard disk. I love it. I am a geek - I love my comp!

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

our desktop is slowwwwww.. :( we'll need to upgrade soon.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Oh, you must! I am a total computer geek and slow computers make me rather unhappy :)

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the lovely ISWAK hopsital kiss pic spam :)
I also love the fact that even though Yu Shu is confused, he keeps his brother's secret ... longer than it would seem doable for a ten year old :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

EEEEE! ** Icon love ** Is it possible for me to steal the icon on your comment? I really love it!! I will credit! I can't recognise the moment it is from but I love it!

Yu Shu is Zhi Shu reincarnate though he seems to be more emotionally intelligent. I love the way he finally tells his mom that his big brother likes Xiang Qin when he sees that his mother is so distressed. These family members love each other in a big way. And the following sequence where she tries to find out the details is totally crackstatic. And totally reminds me of some instances where I was trying to fish little secrets out of my little daughter.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

scottishlass posted a whole bunch of dorama icons, this one included, here:

http://community.livejournal.com/dorama_chat/3655.html#cutid1

This is also where my kiss in the rain icon is from.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for the link! !!!!!!

[teh-haley.livejournal.com]

I know exactly what you mean about bad endings, but it depends on how the book has touched my deep feelings... I mean, I know it could seem stupid, but the bad ending of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, that's all a sad story, didn't hurt me so much because even though it's so tragic, it's the most beautiful love story I've ever read...

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I understand exactly what you mean about "Wuthering Heights"! I think for me because both Heathcliff and Cathy were very tortured and damaged souls and also because of the circumstances it happens that the way story developed was the only way they could be together. And there is a hint about after-life and there is an incarnation of them in the children's story.

But in the case of "Gone with the Wind" - why their little daughter had to die!! ** very sad ** And totally don't believe Rhett would ever stop loving Scarlett.

[teh-haley.livejournal.com]

I never read Gone with the wind, and I must do it because I heard so many different comments and rumors about it, and I'm really curious!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

"Gone with the Wind" is fantastic!!!!!!! I am so sorry for spoiling the ending for you :(. But there is a sequel for "Gone with the Wind" ( which I think is horrible in quality) where the main pair get together. So all is not lost. :)

[teh-haley.livejournal.com]

don't worry, sweetie, you didn't spoil the ending, because my best friend Claudia had also told me about it ;)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

** Sigh of relieve **. But I love, love that book. One of the most passionate love stories I ever read.