Where do I even start with Tree With Deep Roots? There’s so much I want to say, but this first part is dedicated solely to the aesthetic value that Tree provided, which I think is unrivaled with any other drama I’ve seen in terms of production value and sheer ambitiousness of artistic vision: set design, costume design, music direction, cinematography. Everything was lush and inspiring, from start to finish, and the fact that this was only a drama belies just how meticulously crafted the final product was.
Read the rest of this entry »
The young adult cast of The Moon That Embraces the Sun in the latest issue of High Cut. They’re going a weedle too hard on the whole “Flower Boy” thing, but this is the cutest photoshoot ever. Whimsy and Victorian fancy…! Can’t wait for the rest of the images to be released.
UGH I MISS THEM. /sadface
Yeo Jin-goo, pick! next! project! soon!
I find that a general problem with K-dramas that are based solely on romantic relationships and the getting together of two people is that romance alone can’t sustain a story; there has to be other elements. With sageuks in particular, a lot of writers often times feel the need to fill their stories with a certain amount of politics — almost to fulfill a quota — or else, hey, their dramas would just be regular ol’ dramas.
And that’s what I’m starting to feel with The Moon That Embraces the Sun: what the writer of the original source material really want is for King Hwon to mack at it all day with Yeon-woo, but because they can’t, he’s gonna throw in a bunch of plotting ministers and rich nobles taking advantage of The Common Folk so that it feels somewhat historical, and call it a day. I love the relationship between Hwon and Yeon-woo, but I am wary already of how much fluff we’re going to have to sit through in order for the two to get together. It would be fine if the fluff were well-written and well-acted, but it’s not, so I’m gnashing my teeth a bit.
Read the rest of this entry »
Okay, I don’t watch all TV like this, but Tree With Deep Roots is particularly dense and confusing historically, so I really needed to write everything out…
As some of you may know, I work on a weekly segment over on Seoulbeats called the SB Chat Box, a podcast on K-pop. We’re trying to expand our coverage and currently, we’re trying to amp up our drama discussions, but we’re a little short staffed in the drama department.
I’m looking primarily for somebody who is knowledgeable in K-dramas, has watched a good number of them, and is aware of recent trends in the drama landscape. In addition to that, it’s important that you’re a good speaker as you’ll be having a lot of verbal conversations with me :D
If this sounds like you or you would like more information, please email me at amy[at]seoulbeats.com.
