Pub Encounter: Hodo Yorihisa

Holy flipping fudge balls did I hate this route. It had been awhile since I did a Pub Encounter route and I'd set it up on the new-to-me laptop so I thought it'd be a nice little short diversion to try a new one. I'd done Yuze before and while it had some cringe going on, it was overall okay. So this time I picked Hodo Yorihisa since he's the writer. It said he had a "gentle personality" hahahahaha

So. Yeah. It jumps right in -- in the first chapter, the MC shows a bit of interest in him and then she discovers that he's her fav author. And he proposes a game -- basically, whoever falls in love first loses. Well, you know where that's gonna go.

I'm not going to recap, as it's like a gaslighting extravaganza. The MC's go-to move is to sob hysterically over everything. He's a raging manipulative asshole with a serious hangup about his dead wife (at one point he literally dresses her up in one of his dead wife's dresses). 

I got the "Good End" rather than the "Best End" because I didn't do a walkthrough. And, honestly, this is a time when I'd rather have wound up with a "Bad End" (which doesn't exist in this game) where the MC wises up, tells him he's an ass, and walks out of the pub, never to see him again or even any of the other dudes, who all kind of just stand by and let him walk all over this girl. 

I will NOT be going back to get the better ending or to do the date scenario. In fact, it may be a while before I pick up Pub Encounters again to get the taste of this one out of my mouth.

Also, as a writer, I'm rather offended. FFS.

From 5 to 9

I wasn't entirely in the mood for either Move to Heaven or Mad for Each Other today and I'd just seen a clip of a Japanese Drama, so...yeah...I started something new on Viki. No idea why, but it's called From 5 to 9. 

Junko Sakuraba, played by Satomi Ishihara, teaches English in Japan, but her dream is to move to New York City. Her goal feels far away. Takane Hoshikawa, played by Tomohisa Yamashita, is a monk and/or a Buddhist priest (not entirely sure which). They cross paths when Junko accidentally tosses ash all over him at a funeral she was attending (her feet had gone to sleep from kneeling so long). 

For reasons unknown (at least, by the end of the first episode), Takane becomes very interested in her and even manages to set up an arranged marriage meeting with her -- or rather, with her family, who trick her into attending it. She's got no interest in an arranged marriage, especially with this oddly formal monk/priest who doesn't seem to even listen to anything she says. Meanwhile, his grandmother would rather set him up with someone suitable for the temple.

So, at Junko's work, her old teacher (not much older than her) has come back and is now in charge. They're obviously interested in each other and he seems to be grooming her to take a position in the NYC office, where he normally lives. That'd be a dream come true for her. There's also another young guy at the office (maybe two?) who also seem interested in her, but she's mostly got eyes for NY.

In bad news, some rich bitch women who are only taking English classes because they like one of the hot male teachers, write a letter of complaint about Junko for no good reason. And she's made to travel hours away to the woman's vacation home outside the city to apologise. On her birthday. When she was supposed to be meeting boss dude and a bunch of NY bigshots at a dinner instead. Then she misses the bus and her heel breaks and the rain starts...she's having just a shitty, shitty day. That's when Takane shows up with an umbrella and a car. 

It's the first time he's been there for her without being annoying, though he's still kinda weird. But then he takes her back to the temple, rushes her inside and LOCKS HER IN A ROOM saying he's been acting really strange since he met her and he can't let her go.

So, yeah, that was a bit WTF. But I think the thing you've gotta realise about this show is that it's based on a manga. And every time I've ever seen a character called Takane, they're, like, literally half insane (i.e. Takane and Hana). If you didn't know it was based on a manga, you'd guess it 5 minutes in. It has that kind of feel. 

Interestingly, the very end also hinted at some perhaps interesting side stories with the other characters. 

Anyway, I wouldn't say this promises to be a great show. It promises to be a very manga-show. But I was in the mood for that kind of thing and at least they're close in age (unlike the other Takane). And the actors seem decent and not super wooden like some Japanese shows I've tried. AND! It's only 10 episodes. It promises to be very silly. Silly can be good. And, like, low angst silly. So, we'll see.

Edit: Ok, I finished it. And...by the end, I gotta say, it annoyed me and the only couple I felt like I could root for was the weirdest one (the BL-loving woman & the sort-of suave dude). Basically, the female lead went from I don't really like you to You're SO annoying to OMG I love you and then right to I'll give up all my hopes and dreams to be with you. And he goes from I love you and will never hurt you and will never give you up to now that I've seen how committed you are, I'll lie to you (even though I say I'll never lie) so you can be happy without me. 

And the grandmother was an evil beeyotch for no good reason. Like, at all. The FL reminded her or her old daughter-in-law. The younger brother was mean and awful for no purpose and no real redemption. I dunno. I knew going in that it wasn't likely to make sense, BUT...

The resolution was, apparently, that they do get married and he does take over as head priest of the temple. But then the very last scene is her with a suitcase off to NYC, like, immediately after they get hitched (i.e. complete the paperwork) and he seems to be staying behind. So...she's moving? He's not? For how long? I just...meh. 

Would I watch it again? Nope. I mean, I didn't absolutely hate it, but it wasn't at all satisfying. I'll leave it at that.

Mad for Each Other

I needed to try something funny to watch in-between episodes of Move to Heaven (it's good, but, man, it's heavy) so I tried something I'd downloaded an episode of ages ago. It's called Mad for Each Other. 

I was very confused when I first started it because I thought it had an entirely different actor as the male lead. The small cover image on Netflix (not the picture above) looked a lot like Lee Kwang-Soo. Though the actors really don't look alike at all. It was just the particular angle of the small picture. The male lead is actually played by Jung Woo, who I haven't seen in anything before. 

He plays No Whi-Oh, who has some serious anger management issues due to some incident in his past (no idea what as yet). The female lead is the actress Oh Yeon-Seo playing Lee Min-Kyung, who I've also not seen in anything, apparently. She's a paranoid OCD sufferer. 

The two wouldn't seem to have anything in common, except they are seeing the same psychologist and happen to live right next door to each other. No idea how they haven't run into each other before, but on this particular day, they keep running into each other. He's having a bad day. She's having an especially paranoid one, thinking he's following her. Things finally come to a head and at the end of the first episode, it looks like they're likely to wind up explaining themselves in the police station next. 

It looks to be sort of outlandishly funny and I more or less enjoyed the first episode. I wouldn't say I love it as they're both a bit hard to relate to -- though I might also be projecting because I'm having kind of a BLAH BLEH kind of day today and if I'd written this right after I watched it, maybe I'd have been more oh haha that was funny. I will give it another go, of course, whenever I need something over the top.

On the plus side, I love the female lead's look. I realise she's supposed to be kind of kooky, but, hey, it's kind of a me vibe.

Edit: wah, it took me a long time to finish this one. The first episodes were quite a lot of physical comedy and angst...I mean, funny angst, but angst. It was hard to see how it was going to develop into a romance. It did all come together at the end, though it very much tackled tough topics -- mental health, stigma around cross-dressers, bullying, dating violence, corruption...

So, I'd say I enjoyed it overall and it was a good show. It took me probably about half way through before I felt invested, but there wasn't anything *wrong* anywhere. Am I glad I watched it? Yeah. Would I watch it again? Probably not. I feel like it was a one-time watch. But it was good.

What?

Little dude is home sick from school. Went into wake him up / check on him. He's mumbling, stretching, not really awake.

Him: mumble tread mumble mumble?

Me: What?

Him: (a few more attempts, then) Apple or treadmill?

Me: Apple or Treadmill?

Him: Yes, apple or treadmill?

Me: (okay...) Apple.

Him: Pick a number between 1 and 12.

Me: 11

Him: Morning or night?

Me: Morning.

Him: Okay, thanks, mom. (rolls over and goes back to sleep).

Time Princess

So, back in January I was amazed to find myself playing a game called, horribly enough, Dress Up Time Princess. Well, I'm still playing it but they have since made some major updates and rebranded it as simply Time Princess. Which is marginally better but still makes me cringe. The general conceit of the game is still the same, but there are WAY more storybooks now and some new features. I'm caught up on my freelance gig, so I thought I'd take my free 30 minutes before I need to make dinner to write up an update post. 

The mechanics are still largely the same, though they have added an odd sort of story tree (the Mirage Forest) with missions and things you can unlock (including the only interesting bit: where the MC goes back in time to when her parents were her age). But, they haven't added to that in a while and it's a bit stalled out. Not sure why they did it if they aren't going to update it...which is actually a bit of a theme with a lot of these (see below when I go over each of the storybooks)...

The other major addition is a guild-like thing called the Society where you can gift your fellow society members items and unlock special outfit pieces. It's not terribly interesting, but is nice in that you can help people out and get some things. The first one I was in was kind of useless without many participants, but I moved to a new one and it's more active. Also kind of good (or bad, depending on your viewpoint) is that even though there's a chat function, it's not really used. So it's a very anonymous type of thing.

They've also added more mini-games. Some of which I hate (I'm terrible at flappy bird type things), some of which are okay (I rather like the bravery challenge one). It's a chance to earn extra stuff but you don't have to do it.  

But let me talk about the main thing -- the storybooks. There are two types -- basically, major storybooks (with a blue rimmed cover) and minor storybooks (with a green rimmed cover). The major ones can be multiple chapters and have full functionality. The minor ones are generally an expansion of a particular character's story from a major storybook. Sometimes, in fact, you even get to play as one of the characters you could have romanced with before. 

So, I'm gonna list 'em all (and will update this over time) and what I think of them personally. The biggest issue is that a lot of the stories really don't have an end but they also don't seem like they're going to finish them anytime soon.

Major Stories

• Queen Marie -- the original storybook, 2 chapters. I'm at 86% complete. I still think it's really a weird story in that you're a MARRIED character. That said, I find this one generally fairly interesting, especially some of the historical detail. 
• Swan Lake -- 1 chapter. 93% complete. Is the only one with voice acting. You'd think I'd really like this one but...eh, I don't really. The Swan Prince is really kind of annoying and his brother the wizard is, honestly, imminently smackable and I didn't hesitate in the one story path where you choose to stab him. The VA actually made it worse and I very very much wish I could find a way to turn it off. The MC herself is okay, but my preferred ending for her is really where the two brothers go their merry way and she rules the kingdom on her own.
• Romy and Julius -- 1 chapter. 84% complete. This one ends on basically a cliff hanger, which is really annoying. Story-wise, it was okay, though I didn't love it. I'm not even sure why they used Romeo and Juliet as a starting point, as they really changed it up.
• Gotham Memories - 4 Chapters. 88% This was the one I was really quite interested in but I gotta say after completing a lot of endings that I don't love it. See, there's the one newspaper guy (Davis) who is okay but a bit lackluster. Then Vittorio, the gangster, which is the only one there's any chemistry with who LITERALLY HAS YOU GO UNDERCOVER AND SLEEP WITH AN EVIL HOMICIDAL MOB BOSS and you agree to this because you...want to uncover the story. I mean, WTF. Then Charlotte, who's dad is a bad guy and one of the ways you have to get ahead is to betray her trust. And Diane, the DA, who, if you don't do exactly what she wants, is really a bit of a bitch. Well. At least the clothes in this one were nice. But I feel there are a lot of compromised morals in this one no matter what route you take.
• Helen of Sparta -- 1 chapter. 94% complete. Another very unfinished story. And really, most of it is just Achilles and Apollo bickering like bitchy little schoolboys. And the MC is underage. I feel like this one was a very missed chance to do something interesting, though it could be saved if they bothered continuing the story.
• Magic Lamp -- 2 chapters. 99% complete. This is one of the ones I've enjoyed the most. Both the love interests (Kahir, the prince, and Light, the genie) are interesting and engaging and decent (though Light really likes to be tsundere). The side characters are also reasonably complex and interesting with back stories that make sense. It also ends well with decent resolutions.
• Shadows of London - 1 chapter. 89% complete. Gah, would really like to like this more but it's another one that basically completely leaves you hanging without any good ending with any character. Both the possible dude love interests (the vampire and the doctor) were well written enough and engaging, but there's no resolution there for either of them. The girl Priscilla I found to be incredibly annoying and stupid. The story itself was mostly okay -- other than just not ending well (or at all, really)
• Little Women - 1 chapter. 96% complete. By all rights I should adore this one as Little Women was one of my favourite books when I was growing up. And she's a writer. But...it's just okay. And, hey, you can actually get yourself an ending with Laurie (though he's not a main character). But there was something generally lacking about it. I don't even know what. Didn't love it.
• Phantom of the Opera - 1 chapter. 92% complete. The MC in this one is unutterably stupid. And, honestly, if you know the story at all, why in the world would you ship her with the phantom? The best thing about it are the outfits.
• Taisho Adventures - 2 Chapters. 95% complete. This one is interesting and with decently developed plot & main characters. The MC is also reasonable. Good clothes too (though that seriously isn't why I play). The story was, however, fairly predictable. The side characters could have been a bit more developed too. But overall, not bad.
• Saga of Viera - 1 chapter. 84% complete. Another one where the ending is completely unsatisfactory and unfinished. I mean, basically she causes like a meltdown/war and they just...end it? Also a story very lacking in the romance part -- the one elf dude barely thaws and the dark elf lady is like a bunch of weird sexual tension. This could be saved but it's very frustrating in its current form.
• Tang Dynasty Hunter - 2 chapters. 97% I quite enjoyed this one but, again, they totally leave you hanging at the end! Both the love interests are fun/interesting and well defined. The MC is quite good. The setting was also interesting and had a fair bit of humour. BUT it needs another chapter. At least.
• Si-Woo's Sight -- 2 Chapters. 87% complete. This is a Korean Idol / Ghost story thing. The story and plot was interesting and I learned a few interesting ghost facts. Liked all of the characters okay. Wouldn't say the endings were particularly satisfying, but it was all okay.
• Princess Sissi - 1 Chapter. 44% complete. I have no idea why, but I have very little interest in this one. Maybe because it seemed really, really obvious who the love interest guy really was? Maybe because the girl character she helps is so snotty? Princess overload? I don't know. I only got as far as I did because I was doing the one thing a day for the daily missions. I didn't get to any real endings other than I think she died in one. I can't even remember why.
• White Snake - 2 Chapters. 55% complete. Huh, I thought I'd done more of this one. I did hit an ending or two, none of them good. So. The story is pretty interesting. I like the mythology. The main love interest guy was good too. I think I stopped because I kept running into dead ends and didn't have the time to go searching for a walkthrough to get to a good end. I do plan on finishing it at some point though.
• Dancing on Ice - 2 Chapters. 25% complete. This is the one I'm currently working on though I gotta say that it has probably my least favourite MC out of any of the stories so far. She's a hot-head figure skater accused of doping who doesn't try to clear her name and just bunks off to practice somewhere else with dreams of returning back. Her mom's a bitch. She kinda is too. The guy LI is prickly as all heck. The girl Nastia is saccharine sweet. I'm kind of curious to see where the story goes, but I can't say I really like it.
• Have You Seen Claudia? -- 2 Chapters. 2% complete. I haven't actually started this one. When I saw them post the teaser on what the new story was going to be and it looked like it was gonna be the H.H. Holmes murder hotel in Chicago, I was like WTF, really? And then, yes, it was. So I...seriously, W.T.F. Holmes looks like a romance option???? I just...wow. I mean, I'll probably try it just because I cannot imagine how they turn this into a story. I mean, what's next? Hitler? COME ON. It's a serial killer story!!

Minor Stories 

• Figaro Fever -- 100% A sub story to go along with Queen Marie involving opera. It's nicely self contained and a decent story. Worth doing.
• A Servant's Resolve - 100% Another sub story to go with Queen Marie, though this time you play as a servant who gets to know Lafayette. Interesting, some decent historical detail, though really an odd choice. 
• The Affair of the Necklace - 100% Another QM one, this time from the POV of the society lady that was trying to get you in trouble as the Queen over that super expensive necklace. Why did I finish it? I honestly did not care about her at all and learning about her motivations did not make me like her one iota better.
• A Precious Friend - 99% (which means I haven't finished constructing all the clothes) Yet another QM one, this time from Gabrielle's POV. Eh, it was okay. She's kinda cloying.
• The Western Wall - 100% A sub story for the Magic Lamp from Light's POV. Reasonably interesting and a bit of an insight into his character.
• The King's Mistress -- 98% Yet another QM one, where you are the Queen again, but this time you suspect the King of having a mistress (spoiler: he doesn't). It was a bit sweet but very, very predictable.
• Mysterious Island - 100% A Magic Lamp sub story with a side adventure for the MC. It was okay.
• For the Love of Flying - 96% complete. A sub story for Gotham Memoirs where you play as Charlotte and re-live her trying to get certified as a pilot. I...eh, just have no real interest in her. I finished it because of the clothes.
• Fated Encounter - 38% complete. A Queen Marie / Fersen story where hubby is very distant and she's torn by her encounters with the attractive Count. It's okay. I'm just such a prude. I mean, she's married.
• The Poet - 0% complete. A Magic Lamp side story that looks to feature Kahir. So I'll definitely do it. Will update once I have.

Amnesia: Memories

 So...I actually bought Amnesia: Memories (Otomate) ages and ages ago. And little dude and I sat down together and started the game. But we picked the LAST world from the list purely randomly and didn't get very far before both of us were like...ermmmm...maybe not. It seemed dodgy and like it was getting dodgier. Didn't trust anyone but there were so few choices that the MC makes that it was just, I dunno, kinda stressful. So I set it aside and figured I'd come back to it and try it alone and start at the first world in the list instead of the last. 

So, I finished my last major section for the freelance project today and hubby was out for some dinner meeting and little dude and I had watched two episodes of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and I had some free time...so I thought I'd try it out again.

This time, beginning in the Heart world. Which is, apparently, the world for Shin's route. But let me start over -- you wake up and there's a little fairy-like creature named Orion telling you that he accidentally wound up in your mind and he accidentally pushed all of your memories out of your head when he landed there. But, he thinks that if you get your memories back, it will push him out and he can be on his merry way. Just like the first time, I have to say I don't really trust what he's saying. But, ok. 

Then you wake up for real and find yourself in the hospital, which freaks Orion out because he was just going on about how you need to get out and experience things from your life and not get stuck in a place like a hospital or you'll lose yourself. Anyway, a guy (Shin) shows up and kisses you. So...your boyfriend? You have no idea. He takes you home, is a bit brusque, but overall seems mostly okay. He comes back again the next day and says some things and then confronts you about your memory loss as he was testing you and figured it out. You confide in him and get your first memory back (about him apologising to your dad at the hospital and saying everything was his fault). 

Anyway, it goes on in this vein as he takes you around to places, hoping to jog your memory and you also start working again at a maid cafe. According to him, the two of you are childhood friends and have been dating for just three months. He blames himself for the accident that injured you (and which is why he thinks you lost your memory...maybe). Then you start to discover some more...namely, that the accident was you falling off a cliff (WTF) and some people suspect Shin pushed you or had something to do with it. Someone else mentions a possible love triangle between you and Shin and Toma, another childhood friend that you also work with. But Toma is also insisting that Shin is a good guy and there's no truth to that. And there's stuff about Shin's dad killing someone?

Toma, incidentally, I'm pretty sure was the guy in the previous route that we tried and bailed on as he seemed dodgy as all hell. 

So, I know that the MC has a month to figure things out and I'm, like, 6 or 7 days in. I am liking this route more than that first one I tried. BUT given the setup, I...well...how do you trust any of these guys? It all seems so very, very suspicious. Which makes it hard for me to imagine romantic entanglements. Part of that is likely also because there really aren't very many choices that the MC makes. She's very voiceless. And the choices don't really...eh...show much personality? I mean, yes, she's got amnesia. So it really feels like she ought to be a tad bit more proactive, yes? Like, literally, the other characters ask her questions and there's no opportunity for a response at all. She just...stands there. Silent.

Though I do have to say that I am overall liking Shin much more than Toma. It's been a couple of years so I don't even remember why, but I just remember being like OH NO THIS GUY IS GOING TO KILL YOU YOU SHOULD RUN. 

The whole parallel worlds thing is odd too -- she's already regained one memory that everyone is telling her is wrong (she recalls Shin finding her first and everyone, including Shin, says it was some guys called Kent and Ikki). So...does that mean this is not her world? What does that mean for whatever final ending you wind up in? Is this one of the games where you have to go through every route and unlock some "real" ending? I guess we'll see. 

On the art, it's good (which it should be, considering who developed it), though there are some odd bits with the sprites like when Toma raises his arm and it's a bit wonky looking. The backgrounds are very low key and a bit undeveloped, but it kind of fits with the story and the MC's condition. 

Amplitude: A Visual Novel

I inherited the hubster's old laptop, which is MUCH better than the cheap HP that I'd bought to play Steam games on (and wound up very seldom using as it was so rubbish), so I installed everything on it. But, I've been so busy with a freelance project that I haven't really had any time to play--which is also why there wasn't a single post on here in October. Anyway, I did turn in all the roughs of the pieces that were mine on time, so I took an hour to dabble. I thought it would be nice to try something new (to me) and so I poked around in AMPLITUDE: A Visual Novel. 

I didn't know really anything going into this. And I'm still rather confused, honestly, as there's no tutorial. I thought it was going to just be a simple visual novel but there are crafting bits and street scenes and skills you can level up in. And that's cool -- but there's really no explanation on what you're supposed to do with it either in help text or in exposition. 

I'm gonna be lazy and just link to this description which is a perfectly succinct summary of the story so I can just talk about what I've liked so far and what I don't. 

The Good -- the story seems fairly interesting and it definitely doesn't feel like a typical visual novel. Well, okay, a little, as it borrows heavily on some sci-fi & fantasy classics, but it's not particularly derivative. Also, it seems like there's quite a bit to explore (if I can figure out how). Since you get to pick whether you want the MC host body to be male or female, I feel like there's some decent replayability (unless they weirdly used the exact same friends / situations?...huh, now I kind of want to start over and pick the dude to see if they do)

The Medium -- the art is acceptable, though not amazing. Actually, it's probably fair to say that it's just not totally my style but it is perfectly okay. I'll pop worldbuilding in here too as a maybe -- it might be okay, but I haven't really gone far enough to say yet.

The Not So Great -- can't say that I particularly love any of the characters -- either the Soul or the body she's taken over (I picked the Eve option -- for the teenage girl). But, I'm still early in, so maybe they improve. I'd say the Soul is more appealing than the teenage girl so far -- she's got anger issues and really just seems like a pill. Also, she's a petty thief and I kind of want to smack her.

Though, I suppose the biggest thing is that I can't say that the game has grabbed me yet, but part of that might be the bits where you're dropped into the room with crafting stuff and no explanation on how/when to use it or any direction. I figured out how to make a necklace (with the inventory I already had) and then, in the next scene, there was an opportunity to use it. But what if I hadn't made it? There was nothing telling me to (or even how). Also no idea how to collect more craftable items. And you don't get the options every time you are back in the room, so I feel like there may be some issues like with Backstage Pass where if you don't do something (that you have no idea you're supposed to do) at a certain time, then there are whole bits of the story that you're completely screwed over with and can't get to. On the other hand, I do like to play without a walkthrough -- but, a little of a tutorial would have been nice.

So, I guess I can say that the jury is still out on this one. It may also be that I don't have a huge amount of time to play right now and should've just tried out a game that had simpler mechanics where I didn't have to puzzle out how to do things.  Still, it's engaging enough that I'll go back to it...but maybe not until I'm done with the current freelance gig, the short story I need to write for an anthology, and some revisions on book 2. Sometime when I have the headspace. The spoons, man. I don't have enough spoons.

Yumi's Cells

So, by moving one of the repeater things out to the conservatory, I was able to get WiFi to the shed! The bad thing about that is it won't encourage me to go to the gym (where I can do weight machines) but the good thing is I can now watch Viki shows out in the shed when I exercise on the elliptical. Anyway, I realised (as I caught up on all the released shows for Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha) that everything else I have in progress is...kinda depressing. I mean, yes, some of those shows are going to end up happy by the end, but I mean they are generally darker in tone. Suicide/Murder, Trauma Cleaning, Family Drama. And I've been feeling a bit down. We've been sick. Little dude has been super negative and grumpy. Just, you know. The blahs. They are here.

So I thought I'd try a new show that looks super cute: Yumi's Cells. 

What was that cartoon movie a number of years back? The one where about the pre-teen girl and the emotions in her head? This definitely harkens back to that. Whatever it was called. I'm too lazy to look it up. Anyway, Yumi (played by Kim Go-Eun) is 30 something and about 3 years ago very unlucky in love. Since that horrible experience, she's dedicated herself to her work. She's a bit awkward and lives in her head a lot (and we get an up close glimpse of that with the animated "cells" that are avatars of things like Love, Sincerity, Reason, Hunger, etc. So more than the 4 or 5 or whatever it was in that movie. This is a whole village. It takes a village to raise a child, right?

Anyway, she mis-reads the cues of a younger handsome guy at work over the first couple of episodes (spoiler: he's not interested in girls, either her OR Ruby, one of those chirpy sickly sweet types that also works at the office who's very interested in him). This kind of drops her back into depression, obsessing over past traumas. But Wu Gi (played by Minho from SHINee and from To the Beautiful You), the guy she had a bit of a thing for, wanted to get close to her to set her up on a date with another friend of his: Gu Woong (played by Ahn Bo-Hyun, who looks VERY different with long hair! I like it!). 

Their blind date, which she's not even sure why she agreed to go to, starts off rather tragically (Wong is basically blindsided by the sight of her and can hardly get a word out), but by the end, things are looking pretty good. But then Yumi's "Hysteria" cell takes over (Love, at this point, is stranded on an island after being swept out to sea in a flood of tears and Reason, Emotion, Fashion and Anxiety are tying to hold down the fort). But Gu Woong isn't your typical guy and isn't ready to give up.

I've already watched three episodes and it's just charming. Bright, colourful. Yes, there's some pain, but the overall tone of the show is very light. It's actually the first show in quite a long time that I didn't get tempted to click to see how much of the episode was left to go. 60 minutes blinked by. In fact, (eep), I watched episode 2 this morning while exercising and then took a long lunch and watched episode 3 while I ate. Which I would not have done if I'd realised that all the episodes aren't out yet! AGHHHHH. So I think I've only got one more to go before I'm caught up on that one too. Dammit, Janet. 

So that means I'll probably be adding one more cheerful show to the list because the next Hometown won't be for a while either. Sigh. 

Though I do wish I hadn't read the comments on AsianWiki about this one. It's based on a WebToon and it looks like she ends up with another character called Ba-bi (?) in that BUT there's a good chance based on a) all the promo materials that just show Gu Woong and b) the cast listing where that character isn't even mentioned in the main listing, but instead in the "Other Characters" list. I hope so. Woong is charming and I like him a lot. Or, maybe, she doesn't end up with the Ba-bi guy either? Very confused by all the comments. It looks like it's another of those WebToons that's still ongoing, so who knows. 

I confess I rather like just a single season. I don't really want to get invested in one relationship and then have OOPs! Here's another season and a whole other character! 

But, anyway. Enjoying the show.

Edit: I'm up through episode 8 now and I gotta say that this one is really well done. It's so realistic in the not-always-ideal reactions of the main characters -- like, Woong gets salty after Yumi gets embarrassed (& embarrasses him) so they both nearly ruin their weekend getaway. And they're running into some trouble where he didn't mention that Sae-yi, the woman he works with (who likes him, even though she's never done anything about it, but now that Yumi's around, she's meddling) moved into his building. And you can see that he didn't mention it because a) he knew Yumi wouldn't like it but he didn't want to get in a fight about it and b) he doesn't like her (now) in that way BUT then you can exactly see why Yumi, who broke up with the last guy after dating him for 7 years (!) after he cheated on her, immediately is stormy over it. Because she's craving trust over all else, after hers was broken. 

They've also introduced the Babi character (who has a girlfriend but she, like Woong, is often busy with work and ditching him). He's confusing Yumi as he's sort of low key flirty but also could just be genuinely friendly. So, eh, dunno where this one is going to go. I do really like Woong, but however it winds up, I gotta admit that they're being very true to the characters and their motivations.

Edit: Eh, ok, finished it. And apparently there's going to be a second season AND it really follows the webtoon (?) so at the end of the first season, she and Woong have broken up. So. A little disappointing on one hand BUT it's all really well done and very believable so I can't really complain. I imagine I'll watch the next season when it comes out too, though I don't feel like there's much chemistry going on between Yumi and Ba-bi, so it's hard to see. 

But. Am I glad I watched it? Yes. 

Move to Heaven

I keep catching up to the last episode released in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and I can only watch Viki shows at the gym, so I started another show for home workout watching: Move to Heaven. 

I'd seen a trailer (or clip or something) for this one a little while ago and thought I would give it a try even though it a) looks like it will probably be a bit of a tear jerker and b) probably doesn't have much romance. There was something poignant about it that drew me. 

I'm gonna be lazy and post the summary from AsianWiki:

Geu-Ru (Tang Joon-Sang) is a young man with Asperger syndrome. He works for his father’s business “Move To Heaven.” Their job is to arrange items left by deceased people. One day, Geu-Ru's own father dies. Gue-Ru is left alone, but his uncle Sang-Gu (Lee Je-Hoon) suddenly appears in front of him. Sang-Gu is a cold man. He was a martial artist who fought in underground matches. He went to prison because of what happened at his fight. Sang-Gu now becomes Geu-Ru’s guardian. They run “Move To Heaven” together.

In the first episode (which is as far as I've gotten), you meet Geu-Ru and his father and, at the very end, the uncle, who bursts into poor Geu-Ru's life in a spectacularly rude fashion. Weirdly, the dad is an actor (Ji Jin-Hee) that I randomly followed on Instagram some time ago, so I recognised him. I have no idea why I'd started following him as I've never seen him in anything before. Maybe because he's my age? I have no idea.

The scenes with the father and son were very sweet. And also the bits with Geu-Ru and his female friend (not sure if she's supposed to be much older or around the same age--I think around the same, though the actress herself is a few years older than him). Joon-Sang is doing an excellent job portraying an Asperger's character. 

I can already tell this will be a very emotional drama and the construct seems like it will partly follow what they discover in each trauma cleaning job and, I'm sure, the easing of the asshole-ness of the uncle. Not entirely sure it'll be a good drama to exercise to, but it is what it is. At least the shed is private and I can cry in peace if I have to.

Edit: Ok, I've been getting on with this one. And it's really good. But it's really quite heavy. I expected that, but...it's hard to watch it two days in a row. I really, really hope it ends on a high(er) note. It's also a lot more about the uncle than I thought it would be.

Blue Birthday

So, since little dude decided he'd watch The School Nurse Files with me, I needed another show to watch. I was at the gym, so I picked another Viki title: Blue Birthday that I'd seen a clip or two of. It's one of the PlayList Global shows and the things I've seen from them online have all been good, though I don't think I've ever done an entire show before. They're usually just up on YouTube (and I've seen the clips on Facebook), so I was surprised to see it on Viki. Could be they're moving up in the world.

The episodes are all quite short and random lengths, which is actually kind of good for gym time. I watched the first episode (25 minutes) while on the treadmill, then did a round of all the arm weight machines, then watched the second episode (20 minutes) while on the cross trainer. 

Anyway, this one is about a 28 year old woman who's first love committed suicide 10 years ago on her birthday. She'd intended to confess to him that day (they'd been friends for 10 years) but found him with his wrist slit in the photography room -- which he'd decorated with streamers and balloons and cake for her birthday. Which seems a bit suspect...

So, she's still not over him and thinks about him a lot, especially (as you might imagine) on her birthday. On this particular one, she's back in her old neighbourhood because of her job (rescuing animals) and finds his camera and some pictures she'd never seen before at a lost and found in a shop (and the shopkeep obviously knows something). She takes it all home and, in a fit of sadness, burns one of the photos. This somehow transports her back in time to the day of that photo.

She thinks it's just a dream and is so happy to see Ji Seo-jun again. But, when she gets "back" to the present day she realises that she's now got a scar on her knee from a fall she took in the "dream" and some new memories to boot. By the end of the second episode, she's burned another of the limited amount of pictures and is back in the past again. 

Not sure if this is going to end happy or what...the shopkeep (who she also sees during her first trip back to the past) makes it sound like meddling will cause trouble and there's a fair bit of rather heavy-handed hints about how living in the past isn't good. So, we'll see. The acting is good. The story is interesting. I do hope it ends happy-ish. Can she save him? I dunno. But I have some strong suspicions that his death wasn't a simple suicide. It'll be a good one to do when I go to the gym.

Edit: Have watched a few more at the gym and, at the end of the last episode, she apparently managed to save him (!) and he's in the present day...but in doing so, she managed to kill her friendship with her former best girl friend. There's more episodes but...I'm kinda like...does she try and go back again to fix the friendship? Girl, don't mess around! You literally brought the dude back from the dead (so apparently it was a suicide and the hints it was something more weren't true??). You KNOW that when you go back and meddle, things change. But is trying to get a friendship back worth someone maybe losing their life again? Just try and fix it in the present day! Or give up! 

The School Nurse Files

So...since Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha isn't fully released, I knew I needed another show to watch alongside it. Apparently continuing on with my theme of picking a show with an actor I just watched, I thought I'd try The School Nurse Files. It's got Nam Joo-Hyuk, who I just saw in Start Up, as well as Jung Yu-Mi (the aforementioned nurse).

The first thing I gotta say is that this is one weird show. It might be the strangest Kdrama I've seen yet. Actually, wait, it definitely IS the strangest Kdrama I've tried. That's not a bad thing. Is there an anime of this? Because I could so see this being an anime. 

So. Story. Ms. Nurse has been able to see "jellies" since she was a kid--monster-y creatures that either are or are fed by human desires. Think Odd Thomas-like abilities. She can combat these jellies that no one else can see with a plastic light up sword and a bb gun. Yep. You read that right. Teacher Hong (Nam) is a Chinese language teacher and the grandson of the guy who opened the school. He's got some special aura/energy bubble around him that Ms. Nurse can use to help her fight the jellies. 

The first episode was a WILD ride. Just going to summarise it as I feel it wouldn't make much sense if I went about it as it was shown. Basically, the school was built on a location where there used to be a lake that jilted lovers threw themselves into and drowned. And monstrous things fed upon those poor unfortunate souls and it got to be such a problem that officials (?) filled the lake in. There's a stone that marks a spot in the basement of the school and Teacher Hong had been left instructions that the basement has to be "fumigated" every 6 months by a particular company...but it hasn't been done in a year (they've gone out of business? out of contact? who knows.). Which is presumably why the jellies are taking over and things are gettin' weird, yo. 

Literally kids are about to fling themselves off the school roof and into a crazy sinkhole at the end of the cliffhanger episode 1. I was, like, where the heck do they go from here if this is episode 1!?

So, obviously, the plot is going to be about Ms. Nurse and Teacher Hong teaming up to save students and combat the jellies and presumably figure out what's up with the school. I don't think there's going to be a ton of romance in this one. Maybe a hint. And I only say that because Nam Joo-Hyuk is in it. 

The acting is fiercely bizarre by everyone. Not in a bad way -- it's purposeful. Things are WEIRD, man. I don't actually even want to try and really describe what's going on because I feel like it would cheapen it somehow. It's inexplicable. I also would say that it doesn't make total sense -- like, why does Teacher Hong immediately go from "this woman is mad as a bag of frogs" to "ok, let me fight with you against these things that only you can see"? It feels like there are story beats missing. Maybe they're in the source novel? I dunno. Maybe they just want to keep you off balance? Because certainly this show is decidedly off-kilter.

At any rate, I'd say I'm enjoying the spectacle of it. I've just watched two episodes so far. Will update later, though I'll definitely not be doing any kind of recap on this one. It just wouldn't do it justice. It's like Stranger Things meets Odd Thomas meets The Dead Zone...but with all the colour of Moulin Rouge.

Edit: Re-watched the first two episodes with little dude. He liked it, though his immediate reaction was basically What did I just watch? which, you know, fair. So I'm going to save this to watch with him. 

Edit: Okay, literally months and months later (May 2022) and I finally finished this one. My general thoughts are that I liked it but I didn't love it, though I suspect it is one of those shows where, if you haven't read the manga/manhwa (I'm assuming there is one), that you're bound to be confused. Some of it seemed rushed. Some of it was a bit muddled. Some of it was a bit underdeveloped. 

Oh, just looked. Apparently it was based on a novel. I imagine some of the things I was all "what...?" about are expanded on in the novel. The romance wasn't really a romance either -- more a strange tension between the two leads. Did they like each other? Love each other? Feel drawn to each other? It's hard to say. Both of them played it very subdued, but that's also partly due to the story. I mean, it's a strange story. And I'm a person that writes strange stories. Literally, that's my career. So, yeah, this is a really weird one. Of course, that's the part that I really liked. It literally oozes weird. 

So, am I glad I watched it? Sure. Would I watch it again? Probably not, unless I go search for the novel and then want to re-watch to have a more fully rounded appreciation of it. 

It's definitely not a show that I would recommend for newcomers to Korean drama as it is unlike just about anything I can think of. Maybe a little bit of the Uncanny Counter? Nah. That one was a lot more straightforward. 

My fav thing, actually, was the main theme song. I really wish I could find it somewhere other than YouTube. It was just as weird as the show and sticks in your head.

A Witch's Love

Nuts. So. Went to the gym the other day and I can get WiFi there...so I thought I'd try something on Viki instead of Netflix (I can only watch downloaded stuff out in the shed as the WiFi doesn't usually reach). And I saw that A Witch's Love (aka A Witch's Romance) with Park Seo Joon was now available. And I'd wanted to watch it for a while because a) noona romance, b) Park Seo Joon. 

It's an older one (2014) but I was all excited. Then I started watching it and I'm, like, ummmmmmm why is this storyline so familiar? And, yeah. It's a remake of the Thai show Queen of No Marriage. Which I hated so much that I didn't even finish the first episode.

To be fair, the acting in this Korean version is MUCH MUCH MUCH better even from the 30 minutes or so of it I watched. But...I still really didn't like the character of the female lead (not her acting or the actress, but the character) and the story seemed pretty much dead on for the other one (other than it didn't, thankfully, open with the scene with the mother flagellating herself). I didn't get any farther because I only did 30 minutes on the elliptical and the rest on the weight machines. But...I dunno if I'm going to watch any more of it. The Queen of No Marriage left such a bad taste in my mouth that, eh, not sure even Park Seo Joon could take it away.

I have seen clips of this version though (obviously from later episodes), so maybe I'll give it another go. Or maybe I'll just watch something newer with Park Seo Joon in it instead.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha

So, yeah, I just watched Kim Sun-ho in Start Up where he was the victim of Second Lead Syndrome. And I saw that there was a new show with him in it, as well as Shin Min-ah (who I usually like a lot) called Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha so I thought, hey, what the heck, I'll try it. I'm through episode 4 now.

And, ok, even though it's breaking my rule of not watching a show until it is fully released, I am enjoying it. He's just a joy. But let me start over with the story...

Min-ah plays a Seoulite dentist who winds up quitting her job when she argued with her boss about her boss' practice of overcharging patients. She's very big city, but she winds up visiting Gongjin (a sleepy seaside town) on her dead mother's birthday as she is reminiscing about a holiday they took there when she was young. Then she gets stuck in town when her car breaks down and an outage nearby means her phone isn't working and all ATMs are out. 

This is when she meets Sun-ho, who is the local Everything man (literally -- he does just about every job and is even the town "chief"). She's polished, he's comfortable and cozy. She's never touched a squid & seems to barely tolerate people (even though she's out a job because she stuck her head out to make sure someone wasn't getting scammed), he's friends with all the grannies. 

Long story short, she winds up moving to Gongjin and opening up her own dental clinic. However, she immediately puts her foot in it in episode 2 by alienating everyone in town by being rude and standoffish. This is a bit of a quibble for me...they spent the first episode showing her being pretty nice (standing up for her patients, patiently helping some local kids, etc.) and then in episode 2 she undoes all of that by being sort of purposely socially dense and prickly. This is through the next couple of episodes actually -- she's trying to start a business here, IN A SMALL TOWN, and she does idiotic rude things A LOT. It doesn't really make sense.

Anyway, Dentist Lady spends more and more time with Chief Hong and they're obviously beginning to like each other, even though she (and possibly he) are nowhere near admitting it. Sun-ho is an absolute joy in this one. You totally just want to hug him. And I was thinking, oh, yay, there's not even a love triangle! ...but then I started writing this and went to get an image and...well, looks obvious that there's gonna be one. The other dude in the picture is the manager (?) of an Idol. They've just arrived in town at the end of episode 4. Dentist Lady had previously met the Idol in her clinic in Seoul. So far, from the brief glimpse, Manager Dude seems okay. But I came here for Sun-ho, so of course I'm rooting for him (and given the press photos and the show so far, he's definitely the main lead). 

Also enjoying the side stories with Dentist Lady's best friend (who moved with her and is her hygienist at the clinic) and a local police officer. She's played by Gong Min-Jung, who I've seen in Sweet Munchies, before I gave it up). And the divorced couple, with the wife played by Lee Bong-Ryun, who I just watched in Run On. Both seem to play those Always the Bridesmaid types so it's nice to see them getting a decent storyline of their own.

I'm definitely enjoying it more for the Chief Hong character than Lady Dentist, but overall it's a good show and low on stress. Which is good. Got enough of that in life!

Edit: Finished episode 5 today. I gotta say, they're really drawing it out with the love triangle. At this point, Chief Hong has met the new dude and there was a hint that the guy knew Lady Dentist back when she was in school (and dating someone who really put her down...back then she was far from a fashion plate, which is probably one of the reasons she's got such a hang up about social status/presentation now). But still no sign of him meeting up with her! There's also been a hint of some kind of dark past/sad incident in Chief Hong's life (presumably during the five years after he graduated from uni in Seoul but before he came back home). Still enjoying it overall. 

Edit: The love triangle is kinda in progress now -- though Producer Dude is keeping it a little too close that Lady Dentist has no clue -- she just thinks he's nice to everyone (and, indeed, so far he seems to be just that, so I don't blame her). If he keeps that up, it'll definitely be a bit of Second Lead Syndrome in this one. Chief Hong's tragedy looks to maybe be a wife and child dying tragically, which explains his reluctance. He keeps getting on Lady Dentist about how she can run hot and cold, but, honestly, I think she could say the same thing about him. But, anyway, still enjoying it! But bummed about being caught up!

Edit: Just watched episode 9, which is the one where Hye-jin's dad and step mom show up unexpectedly and Chief Hong sort of pretends to be her boyfriend (because parents overheard the gossip-y lady saying some juicy things). Also got to see some more glimpses of Producer Dude & how he liked Lady Dentist way back when but had bad timing. They're obviously setting him up so that his second in command (An AD?) is his consolation prize and that's all okay. She's nice. Though, like every drama with serious Second Lead Syndrome, he's a really nice guy that actually feels like a good fit for Hye-jin. I mean, I like her and Chief Hong -- but the one thing that he's really got going for him with her as a couple is that he really pulls her out of her comfort zone and challenges her. And that's not a bad thing, but Producer Dude's way isn't a bad thing either. So, yeah, I think this'll be another big SLS drama. It's kind of like She Was Pretty where the second lead guy is, in many ways, a better choice.

Edit. Whoopsie. I finished this awhile ago but I've been so busy on this freelance project (which I should be working on right now) that I haven't updated anything here. So. Quickly. It was good. They killed the grandma character in the end which felt a little unnecessary but it's easy to see why they did it -- they needed an emotional note to end on and that's where it came from. Chief Hong's tragedy was very vanilla, actually -- he had been a financial advisor and a security guard that he'd told NOT to invest too heavily in something instead even borrowed money and invested in something that a guy Chief Hong had referred him to had told him to. And then a big crash. And the guy was desperate, Chief Hong told him to have patience and he'd get back to him, but he didn't call right away and the guy tried to commit suicide but failed. And, on the way to visit the guy in the hospital, Hong and his best guy friend get into a car wreck and the other dude dies, leaving behind a wife and child. So, really, nothing at all that was remotely his fault, though he feels huge guilt. And one of the people working for Producer Dude OF COURSE happens to be the son of the security guard. But, all of that aside, the show itself was good, all the characters were lovable, there was a decent amount of time allocated to all the other stories (which was nice) and everything wrapped up well. 

Weirdly enough, Kim Sun-ho was involved in a huge scandal right after -- which a) shouldn't have been a scandal or news at all but b) looks like it is finally clearing up. His ex-girlfriend claimed that he'd promised to marry her and had *made* her get an abortion. Which, honestly, even if it was true, why in the ever loving hells would you air that laundry? Though now all the Korean sites are leaking text messages and exchanges between the two (more violation of privacy) and she seems like the crazy one. I feel bad for Korean actors and idols. I don't get the fans. I mean, yes, there are things that are "cancellable" offences (looking at you, Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein) but the stuff that most (not all) of the Korean stars seem accused of isn't at that level at all. Most of it is stuff that isn't anyone's business. It's a cultural difference, I guess. 

But, anyway. The show was good. Fluffy. Shiny. Would recommend it. Would I watch it again sometime? Hm, maybe. 

The exhaustion of the first week back to school...

This week is the back to school week. Back to "normal" week. House guest(s) gone. Back to work. Exhaustion week. Man, getting up before 7 AM sucks rocks. Little dude and I are both not morning people. At all. I never have been, to be fair, but the older I get, the harder it is. The tired goes bone deep, man.

It's been a bit since I really blogged anything other than updating drama posts. So I feel like I need to do a little catch up post even though I should be working. But it's weighing on me, so gonna do it anyway.

I took the summer off, mostly, to spend time with little dude and my niece who came to visit from Florida. She stayed with her sister in London part of the time and some of it with us. We did get out and about a lot, which was good -- a bit in London, but more wandering manor houses and English countryside towns. It was nice, though pandemic is still not over. Little dude can't get vaccinated yet, so he's still a bit stressed going out.  So we didn't go far, but at least we did get out a bit. It was nice.

Now for the kvetching and  annoyances -- one of the doors to the conservatory shattered (but didn't fall out of the frame) randomly a couple of weeks ago. Maybe 3? Heck, nearly a month now. I called and emailed all around. Couldn't get anyone to come out (we also want to put in a dog flap) or even call back. Finally got a guy who came right away and, honestly, he felt slightly dodgy but seemed okay and I did find some stuff about him online. So he says he'll do it. Orders the glass and we give him a bit of the money up front for that...he asks if he can do it one day, but hubster wants to be out that day so I schedule him for another day (yesterday). He says noon. Doesn't show. Call, text, etc. One message that he'll be over after he finishes another job and then nothing. So, now, I'm, like is he just a scammer? But if he were, why did he bother responding at all after he took the money for the glass? Do I need to try to find someone again (argh, so much luck with that the first time around...)? So it's annoying. I guess I'm going to leave it until tomorrow and see if I hear from him. If nothing by the end of the day, will start calling around again and just accept that I lost a bit of money. But, also, the door looks ready to shatter everywhere at any moment and it's the one we have to use to get outside.

In personal-ish...I've gained almost all the weight I lost back. Quite a bit over summer, actually, though I'd been slowly increasing this whole year. We were eating out a lot with the niece and also drinking a lot more than normal (especially me, as I'm normally a once a week kind of drinker). So I need to get back to eating less and exercising more. I went to the gym today and did the elliptical there (harder than the one I have at home, at least based on sweat levels!) and a round on all the arm weight machines. And I've just cut out drinking at all since the niece left. :-) That'll help. Alcohol is just empty calories. Maybe I should cut out my coffee a day too. I dunno. I feel like a slug. A plump slug. 

Though all I wanna do is sleep.

BUT! After months of stagnation with my writing, things are finally popping again. A bit. I guess I can't call it popping. Percolating? 

I picked up a new freelance D&D project for the same people I did the last one for. It's interesting, though less structured than the last one, so a little bit up in the air and confusing. That'll be work through October, maybe into November. Not loads of money, but probably another $3K or so. I'd partly said yes as I was still waiting on book 2 revisions for my middle grade series.

Though now, of course, I've finally (after 14 months) heard back & have the editorial letter for the book and a date (February -- much better than September 2022, which was the last date I'd heard as a possible). The edits seem doable and I don't disagree with any of it. After all, I wrote that book mostly right after my mom died. I figured it would need even more help than what they want to change. So that's good. Though I've gotta figure out exactly when they need my revision back. They had to get a new illustrator too (third time is the charm, I hope). I'd preferably like to wrap up the freelance thing first, so I can just do one thing at a time. Which means that after basically a year of going er, what should I work on? it's now yikes, I need to get moving! Which is very hard the week school starts back up. My brain feels like it is in second gear. I've had lots of ideas, but am having trouble getting stuff down.

In other exciting news...the kind of news that doesn't really feel real and may come to nothing, the agent has wrapped up the negotiations with the people who want to option one of my books for a movie. So I'll at least get the option fee (which isn't a lot, but every bit counts). IF a movie is actually made, it can be a bit game changing. Maybe or maybe not life changing. Certainly more money than I've made from all of my books together so far. But I know that a lot of options are purchased and very few movies actually get made. So I'm trying to not be excited about it. I feel like if I dream big, it'll get nipped in the bud and nothing will happen. That seems to be what usually happens. But, I can at least be excited that someone was interested at all. There was some early interest in my first book, but it didn't really go anywhere (probably also because I didn't have an agent then and had no idea what I was doing). 

There's other stuff. But that's more or less the big things. I'm even behind on my Kdrama blogging. 

I need to wake up.

Code: Realize--Guardian of Rebirth

I actually bought Code: Realize around the same time as Cafe Enchante during a sale, but didn't wind up trying it out until this week. Not sure why -- possibly because it's on the Switch and it never occurs to me to go dig it out of little dude's room. 

So far, I'm in Chapter 1. I've only completed the Prologue, which means I've only had about 2 decision points so far? Maybe three. Er, but maybe I should start over with what the story is about...

Though...I've REALLY tried not to get spoiled on this one, so I'm not entirely sure what the story is about yet. ;-) 

Basically, you are Cardia. She is the daughter (?) of a famous inventor. The world is a Steampunk version of England in the 1800s. She has some fanciful gem thing half-embedded in her chest called the Horologia and to touch her is to die; she's literal poison. So far, all of this is very very very like Rappaccini's Daughter, that short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. She only has memories of the last two years and her father disappeared, leaving her behind in a crumbling mansion. She may or may not have to eat (though she can; it's unclear whether she *needs* to). The gem is some kind of a power source.

Her father, apparently, also created something called the Twilight corps, which acts on secret missions or something...Anyway, the story opens with a bunch of Royal Guards tasked with capturing (if still alive) a "monster" -- and the monster turns out to be Cardia. But they don't get far with her before she is stolen away by top hat wearing Arsène Lupin, Master Thief (and the first of our romanceable love interests--and, I gather, the one you have to unlock by completing the others first). He claims to want to track down her father and knows about the gem and the poison, etc. 

Lupin is dashing, unlike Impey, who you meet the next morning. Impey Barbicane, the second LI, seems to be the comic relief inventor who surely has a decent heart but is quite flirty. He's got the pointy teeth; the Japanese anime mark of mischievousness. He also informs Cardia that Lupin is a Hero and that they suspect her dad is up to no good and they want to stop some coming tragedy.

They take Cardia back to London (not the London we know but a Steampunked version) but get separated somehow. Luckily, Cardia was given a map by Lupin to their hideaway, though it's doubtful this clueless (she's never been out before) young maiden who'd have made it if she hadn't run into LI number 3: Victor Frankenstein. He's also on the run, though he claims he's been framed; he's a former Royal Alchemist. He seems excessively kind. After they dodge his pursuers and some creepy plague mask wearing Twilight agent, they make it to the mansion.

...which isn't owned by Lupin. So I'm guessing it's owned by the next LI...I know that there are two more: Abraham Van Helsing and Count Saint-Germain. (Ya see where they're going with all these names??) She also meets a steampunked corgi in a top hat that Impey had saved (he gave it a metal leg) that seems to like her.

That's as far as I've made it so far. So...the art...it's good. As you'd expect. The sprites are well animated. The voice acting is very nicely done. I mean, this is an Otomate game for the Switch. You expect good quality and it delivers. The interface is the normal standard thing, though I am sad about the lack of LI Progress Indicator (but, to be fair, so few games have this!! Why??). 

The story is interesting and engaging; the dialogue is good; the character's seem differentiated enough. I do wonder a bit about Cardia as the MC as she's very clueless but also seems to be really taken aback by Impey, which makes it seem strange as he's an LI. Her reactions to Victor and Lupin are much more genial. Of course, Impey is over the top. But...it's very obvious from the get-go that Lupin is the "true route" (leaving aside even the fact that you have to unlock him by doing the others first). I gotta admit that I don't love that conceit. What if I like one of the other guys better? But, that's how the story goes...in this case, anyway. 

I'm hoping her passiveness gives way. I mean, I don't mind deadpan MCs or anything. But I do hope she grows and learns and doesn't stay like she currently is until the end. Because she was ready to die and thinks of herself as a monster. And...that's just sad.

Will update after I play more. 

Let's Not Stay Friends

Let's Not Stay Friends has been on my Steam wishlist for a while now. It came up in the sale, so I picked it up for £0.95 (normally £4.79). It's my first Russian otome game (translated, of course)...actually, I suppose it's my first non-Asian / English otome! I've tried Japanese, Korean, Chinese and English language ones. So, new territory!

In this one, you play Inske. You're attending a magical academy (I guess like upper high school / beginning Uni? as all the characters are aged 19) and are about to embark on your final exam. It involves being paired up with a partner and going into the deep dark woods/wilds and locating a portal to return safely back. 

The day starts with you being awakened by your friend-since-forever, Frenz, on the day of the exam. He's one of the three romanceable love interests and each one has (I think) four possible endings. There are a number of CGs to unlock, as well as "Items" (though there's no description of them or info, so other than the picture, dunno what they're for) and 14 Steam Achievements.

Besides Frenz (the rather tsundere childhood friend trope dude with the blonde good looks and ponytail---sigh, he reminds me just the tiniest bit of Zen from Mystic Messenger looks-wise), there's Taf (dark haired uber flirt with a fan club of girls and an ego the size of Texas) and Burain (the shyer smart dude with a probable complex and the in-between hair colour). They're all ridiculously attractive guys, maybe even a bit effeminate in a Fairy Prince type of way. Think Bowie in Labyrinth sans codpiece. For me, even though I don't normally like blondes, I'd probably rank them Frenz, Burain, and then Taf even though I normally like dark haired guys best. Not sure why -- either it's the smarmy slickness of Taf when you first meet him (I don't react well to being called "babe" in real life OR in game) or maybe just his hair cut. Honestly, the MC is pretty, but the boys are almost prettier.

As Frenz is already your planned partner for the exam and I found him the most attractive, I figured I'd start with him. I did the first play through without any walkthrough and got the "Paths Diverged" ending -- i.e. more or less the worst ending where things just get increasingly awkward and then you grow apart. So I was a bit WTF. I'd chosen the answers that seemed the "best" and most like what I would have chosen naturally. 

So I looked up a walkthrough and realised, perhaps, what the flaw in this game is. You've got to basically shove this poor dude into a corner by saying he's like a brother or a father-figure, which finally pushes him to make a move. I'm not sure how the other routes go as yet, but you definitely can't pick the "nicest" or most reasonable feeling options to get the best ending. Which makes you wonder what's up with the developers -- who hurt you? 

The other endings for Frenz are "Let's Stay Friends" which is, honestly, only slightly less awkward than the "Paths Diverged" one. Then there's the "Everything's Ahead" and "Sharing the Future" endings which are kinda similar in that you're both together forever (awwww) but one has a steamier date scene and the other has the approval of his grandfather (who happens to be a teacher at the school). Though weird thing about the steamy version...like, MC literally goes from "you're my friendzoned best guy friend" to serious shmexy-times dead quick, yo. Like, in an afternoon. I guess you'd have to say that's due to the nature of the game -- the time conceit ties it to this exam. But it'll be even weirder if each guy has a "steamy" route ending when the barely even talks to the other two before this.

I likely could have muddled through and figured out all the other endings without the walkthrough, but they definitely weren't the choices I would have chosen organically. BUT...it's quite a short game, route-wise (and you can skip between decision points), so in a bit over an hour, I unlocked all four of Frenz's endings and all his CGs (probably closer to an hour if you take out the bathroom break and search time). If I had to guess, you could get through everything within 4 hours unless you don't skip any of the repetitive bits.

Which actually leads me to the next point about this game -- the art is actually quite good. The backgrounds are really nice (especially the forest ones, with the magical trees). The sprites are reasonably animated and even blink and move (and not in a horrible way like that one mobile app where they *breathe* in a freaky, nightmarish fashion). It's made in Ren'py and I gotta say that it's one of the best looking ones I've seen made in that. Easy interface, good controls, good art. Some of the art actually reminds me a bit of Backstage Pass (the one picture of Frenz when he's about to go medieval on a forest monster is totally Matthew, down to the angle). I need to look up later if it's the same artist, though I doubt if it is. But maybe. 

The MC, Inske, isn't bad. I mean, she's clueless as to Frenz's feelings (and likely the feelings of the other boys too) and she's the classic klutz who needs to be looked after, not able to wake up on her own on exam day or remember a map and a terrible cook to boot. Sigh. Someday there will be an entirely competent MC... But Inske isn't horrible. You don't want to burn her with fire. Heh. I feel like I'm making excuses. It's just...I've seen so many that are far worse that her standard trope-y foibles don't feel that bad.

The writing is decent. It isn't earth shattering, but it isn't cludgy either. The translation seems to be of decent quality too (from reviews, seems like they revised it after the original translation was awful) -- I only caught one typo and it was a minor one. Dialogue is okay. The music was a little iffy as sometimes it just stopped, but I usually turn the music off anyway, so that doesn't bother me. If there were sound effects, I didn't really notice them.

I'll likely finish the other routes too, though I confess that I'm really not feeling the flirty dude AT ALL. He comes on super strong. But it's so short that I'll likely do it. However, given the structure of the game, it does feel like Frenz is the "True Route" even though he also feels to me to be the one you'd gravitate to first (which usually means he wouldn't be the "true" ending). But maybe my opinion will change after trying the others. 

Steaminess-wise, it's not R rated. The shmexy times are more implied than anything. I mean, I wouldn't give it to an under 13, but over 13 could likely handle it as it's pretty off-screen (especially if you didn't do the cave date for Frenz...though, given the character of Taf, that route might be more explicit). The game description said "mature" but so far it's really just a bit of kissing and anything else is implied. It's NOWHERE near the level of Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome, for instance. If people are buying it for that, they'll likely be disappointed, though it's at a level I like as I don't really want totally in your face stuff.

So, is it worth it? Yeah, for the price it definitely is. Shoot, even at the full price, it's still less than £5--cheaper than a movie ticket. Given the amount of probably game play, I think it is reasonably priced. Am I glad I bought it? Yeah. I don't think it's perfect as I get the feeling ALL the routes are likely to share that disconnect with what you FEEL the good choice should be and what the "correct" choice to get the good ending is. I'll update this after I've finished the other dudes though. Maybe the others are more organic. 

Edit: So, I was gonna do an experiment and answer every decision choice the opposite of what I would normally pick. I made it into Taf's route that way and then...eh, I couldn't do it. I couldn't flirt with the smarmy so-and-so. So I got the "Into Oblivion" ending where nothing happens between you other than him stealing a kiss and Inske being pissed about it. I think I'll have to try Burain instead. I just don't like Taf.

Switch Craft

So, there's a game I've been playing off and on for a while called Switch Craft, though I went for ages where it was just something I did for the puzzles randomly (think Candy Crush-ish). It's by Wooga and is a matching game BUT where what you unlock is an otome-like story (and decorations for your room). I had saved up over 300 of the magical D20s (or whatever they are) to unlock story bits, but hadn't used hardly any of them. I recently picked it up again and have now made it to Book 1: Chapter 18. You need between 1 and 3 of the tokens or whatever they are to read a section. It's a bit different from most of the otome/joseimuke that I normally play.

Basically, you're a freshman witch named Bailey (with too cool for school hair) at a magical school called Pendle Hill. You've reconnected with an old best friend named Lydia, but she's acting a bit odd. During a ritual out in the woods, you witness her disappearing. So far (up through this chapter), you're investigating her disappearance and uncovering mysterious goings on both in town and at the school.

Pros: The storyline is actually engaging and the decision points DO seem to make a difference. The graphics are cartoony but really good. There are potential love interests of both sexes. The plot isn't predictable; I've guessed some things, but had no clue on others (which, as a writer, is a rarity, so that's good). 

Cons: There's no way to go back and try different things or (as far as I can tell) or restart if you wanted to do a different path. There also doesn't seem to be any way to see how much MORE story there is. Like I said, I'm in Book 1: Chapter 18 but I have no idea how many chapters or books there are. There's also no gauge to see what your relationship with different characters is; there are brief bubbles that pop up when you make a choice that might say "Gilmore is happy" or "Rosie is upset" but since you don't know what your baseline is, it's not super helpful. 

It seems like you could probably romance ALL the characters at the same time if you wanted to, but I'm so boring that I picked one and have friendzoned the others. I wound up going for the geeky Gilmore. I mean, he plays D&D ffs, who else would I choose? 

Other options include a) broody, dreadlocked beefcake Dylan, b) a non-witch cop named Naomi and possibly some others? At least, some of the decision points kinda point to them maybe being romanceable? Like Janis, a potion brewing witch in a wheelchair. And maybe even Rosie, who has a girlfriend she's on the outs with. Not entirely sure as I've just been picking the definite Gilmore options. 

I don't know that I love that the game is tied to matching puzzles. I mean, I generally have at least one of those on my phone that I play (it's what I used to do when riding the Tube or bus). But I don't always want to play one of those and this ties you to it to unlock story. And I get the feeling it's an unending story -- like, do you ever actually find Lydia? When I just did a quick search to write up this post, I see people on FB asking for new levels and chapters. So I'm trying not to progress too far on the story as I don't know how long it will last.

This company has a couple of other similar games, so I might try one of them to see if the story is as good. I do like that you don't have to put a lot of effort into it and you don't have to log into it every day. But, over all, I'd say this one was a surprising keeper. The further you go into the story, the more interesting it is. 

Edit: So, I was curious and have plugged on through the story a bit more. I am now on Book 2, Chapter 2 and puzzle 612, with about 91 of the whatever token things saved up. 

You DO finally find Lydia after much craziness and pulling her out of the water after someone tried to drown her, but she seems...off. And her recollections of the night she disappeared don't match yours & she seems to think the guy who tried to drown her is her friend. So, still no idea really where the story is going. 

I also kinda wonder exactly who the target audience is of this thing. There are some "jokes" about things like tampons and lady things, which, combined with the female MC makes it seem  like they are definitely targeting females. But at what age? Some bits read older than others (there's kinda drug/potion abuse, some violence, etc.). It's a curious hodgepodge. There's also not masses of romance. It's definitely more of a mystery thing. Though, heck, I suppose you could say it passes the Bechdel test, so that's something. I haven't heard much about it either, in any of the otome groups I'm in. It's a curious beast.

Edit: Haven't progressed super farther in the story (too busy -- am on Level 860, Book 2, Chapter 4), but I probably play a puzzle level or two a day randomly. They've re-done the interface and now you collect stuff but don't get to decorate the room with it. Which is sort of weird. Not that room decorating was a reason to play, but now that it's gone, I'm, like, why am I collecting this stuff? It seems useless. Also, I totally don't like Lydia. Can we throw her back in the lake? She's not even interested in all the stuff the MC is digging up about her. It makes the motivation of the MC a little weird. Why is she doing it? Why does she bother? Does she never need to go to class? Shouldn't she be kissing Gilmore instead? 

Am really curious what other people think of it.

Edit: Am now up through Book 2, Chapter 8 and Level 933 (with 221 of the whatever doohickeys that unlock story bits). And, boy, do I really really not like Lydia. At this point, she's even tried to get the protagonist arrested for arson. The thing that I really don't get (other than it is what's supposed to be driving the plot) is WHY the MC is bothering with her at all. She's, like, not worth it. Give me Rosie and Gilmore or even Dylan and Naomi. Hell, give me more Espresso Joe. Lydia can go back in the lake.

Edit: Up to Book II: Chapter 10 and level 1023 (with 292 of the whatevers saved). SO hating Lydia and Jason and Travis. But I really don't understand the MC's motivations either. I hope they're going to come to some kind of a point or the MC becomes a crusader against them or something. Also, not sure if it's just because I picked Gilmore, but the romance-y sections seem to have really dropped off the map. It rather feels like they forgot to add in bits, even in side stories.

Start Up

I had absolutely no plans to start a new drama today. I was going to watch another episode of Run On (which I'm enjoying) out in the shed while I exercised. But, for unknown reasons, the next episode had not automatically downloaded like it usually does and I wasn't able to connect to the Internet from out there (sometimes I can, sometimes I can't; today I couldn't). Given what was already downloaded on the iPad, the lesser of all evils seemed to be to start a new drama. So here I am.

I'd actually wanted to watch Start Up for a while because it has Nam Joo-Hyuk in it (he plays Nam Do-San). Even though he has a sketchy reputation (in shows that I haven't seen), I really adored him in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Ju. He was absolutely brilliant in that. 

So I was kinda surprised as I was watching and watching and...nary a sight of him and I'd almost reached the end of the show. Had I mixed up titles again and this wasn't the one he was in? But then, yes, he shows up at the very end of the episode one! But now I'm confused as all of the promo stuff for the show I'd seen looked like Nam Joo-Hyuk was the male lead and his romantic counterpart was the female lead Bae Suzy (playing Seo Dal-Mi), the actress to his left in the picture. But...I just spent an entire first episode where it sure looks like they're setting up a romance between Dal-Mi and Han Ji-Pyeong (the actor on the far left, played by Kim Sun-Ho). 

The final main actress is Kang Han-Na, who plays Won In-Jae (formerly Seo), the sister of Seo Dal-Mi. And, at the moment, I totally DO NOT WANT her to have a happy ending because so far she's your basic bitch so I really, really hope that they either actually redeem her OR she does not get one of the boys. BTW, actress Lee Re plays Won In-Jae in the flashbacks to their teen years, and I just finished watching her in Hello, Me!

Anyway, let's set up the story, which is so far not at all what I expected as it looks like it's gonna be some kind of slightly twisted Cyrano story. 

I'm not gonna go back and explain it via the timeline in the story, because it goes back and forth in flashbacks vs. modern day. Instead, I'm going to start where it begins, in the past.

There are two sisters: Dal-Mi and In-Jae. Pretty sure In-Jae is older, though they are around the same age. The father wants to start his own business and has dreams but the mother doesn't want him to be brave, as all she wants is for him to suck it up and provide for the family even though he's literally getting beaten up at work. I mean, I get where the woman is coming from. BUT she's too rigid and unthinking (said, I suppose, as a wife that has moved country and home many times while following a husband). I suppose I also don't have a lot of sympathy for her because, after they inevitably divorce, she apparently never talks to Dal-Mi (who stays with her dad) again, not even to tell her daughter that she's getting remarried (which Dal-Mi hears from In-Jae...literally the day the other family is upping sticks to move to the US). We also see In-Jae growing increasingly distant over visits with Dal-Mi--she starts out as kinda sympathetic but then turns into a rich, whiny brat who hurts her sister without care. 

I get that they're setting up Dal-Mi as the main heroine, but right now, I really, really don't see any reason whatsoever to root for In-Jae and she appears from the promo posters to be the second female lead. She started turning into a snot when a teen and seems to have continued on with that as an adult and is just a hurtful, entitled beeyotch. I'm sure she's had her own issues but they've really set her up as a hard character to ever root for so far. Even with trauma or whatever....I feel like I'll always compare her to Dal-Mi and she'll come up short. But, we'll see, I guess. Dal-Mi isn't perfect. But you don't want to smack her.

Anyway, In-Jae moves away. Soon after, their dad is finally getting an investor for his start up. BUT he was in such a hurry to get to a meeting that he gets hit by a car. Oh no! Really, Kdrama? But then he gets up! And has the meeting! And gets the investor! But you know it's gonna be bad because a) you already know future Dal-Mi isn't doing well and b) he keeps having nose bleeds...and, yes, on the way home with fried chicken for Dal-Mi, he DIES ON A BUS as the fellow passengers leave him alone as they think he's drunk because he was slurring his speech and dropping things. Because, I imagine, he had a bad concussion or a stroke related to the accident, I dunno. But anyway, dear old dad is dead. 

Which leaves Dal-Mi to grow up with Grandma, his mom.

AND there's an entirely separate thing going on with Grandma that gives us our weird twist on a Cyrano story. Around this same time, she takes in a newly released orphan, Ji-Pyeong. Shoved out by the state as he ages out of the system with not enough money to live on and too young to even open up a bank account in his own name, he's angry and lost. She gives him a place to sleep in her corn dog shack. He's torn between wanting to stand on his own and taking her charity. Long story short, she has him write letters to Dal-Mi to cheer up her granddaughter and he does this under the name Nam Do-San because he'd seen that name in the newspaper from when Nam won a maths competition. He carries on this communication for A YEAR, never revealing his real name or actually meeting Dal-Mi in person. 

This story comes to a somewhat end when he witnesses Grandma taking a large chunk of money and giving it to her son (Dal-Mi's dad). He'd been using her bank account for his investing and had turned her 8 million won into 80 million won. He thinks she's taken ALL the money and gets upset and wants to leave for Seoul. Happily, before he goes, it does turn out that even though she'd taken all the money out of the account, what she gave to Dal-Mi's dad was only her own 8 and she gives him the rest of the money after he says some harsh things (he's hurting, thinking she betrayed him and he's a desperate orphan trying to convince himself he only cozied up to her because he needed to, when what he really wanted was family). They do have a sweet moment of reconciliation before he gets on a bus to Seoul. 

Coincidentally, this is the day that Dal-Mi's dad dies. So Dal-Mi has lost not only her father, but her pen pal, even though she didn't know it was Ji-Pyeong. 

Ok. Confused? Flash forward to modern times. Dal-Mi is struggling. She's still living with Grandma and working two jobs, including at Grandma's corn dog stand. She meets In-Jae and confronts her at Sand Box, some kind of start up convention-y thing where her rich sister is being featured. When Dal-Mi says her name, Ji-Pyeong (also on stage) starts -- he's obviously now a successful dude and he immediately realises she's his former pen pal. 

At the end, we see Ji-Pyeong reconnect with Grandma (but doesn't meet Dal-Mi). And Dal-Mi has declared she'll attend sister's start up incubator presentation meeting thing along with Do-San (WHO SHE HAS NEVER MET) because she just reached for a name when her sister was being mean to her. And now she wants to find Do-San...who we get a brief glimpse of at the very very end as a developer working on his own start up along with two other guys.

So, interesting. Where is this gonna go? Who is Dal-Mi destined for -- Ji-Pyeong who once was her pen pal? Or Do-San, who she *thought* was her pen pal and who it looks like Ji-Pyeong and Grandma are going to try and convince her actually *was* her mystery friend? 

I just...don't want either one to wind up with evil sister.

Edit: Okay, so I'm over half way now with this one--finished episode 10 out of 16. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster, but Dal-mi has FINALLY learned the truth. And, at this point, both the dudes like her. And she was liking Do-san, but partly because she thought he was the Do-san of her youth. So much of what she thought she knew about him is completely wrong. But now she's (rightfully) confused.

I feel like I'm supposed to root for Do-san. And, truth be told, he's at a more similar life stage/state to Dal-mi. But I'm kinda liking Ji-Pyeong a bit. Though...girl kinda needs to just have confidence in herself. But...based on all the posters/art, etc, I'm guessing she winds up with Do-san. We'll see.

Older sister has not really redeemed herself in any way at all but at least neither of the guys seem to like her. I...just really don't like her. She even stole Dal-mi's memory/story of the sand under the swing and claimed it as her own so as to get a leg up in Sandbox. Cheater. I get that she has her own confidence issues but she just goes about everything in the least nice way possible.

There has, however, been a bit of a reconciliation with ex-wife and grandma, which was kind of nice. But weird.

There's also a kind of out of left field sub-plot where they'd been teasing that the younger brother of someone who had been in Sandbox before and committed suicide is there seeking revenge...and it turns out it's one of Do-san's friends/co-workers. That was unexpected but also kinda WTF? They finished the episode with him attacking Ji-pyeong in the lift. Did they just feel like they needed to add a little oomph to the story? It really doesn't tie in with anything else, at least so far. And it's kinda weird that it's the friend (and also the friend that has seemed more level-headed and sweet than the other goofy one).

Anyway, I am enjoying it. And since the episodes are a bit long, they give me about 80 minutes on the elliptical.

Edit: Okay, just one episode left. Though, bleh, it's definitely a big case of Second Lead Syndrome in this one similar to She Was Pretty and True Beauty. My advice to every Kdrama Second Lead Dude EVER: when there's the inevitable 3 years where the Main Lead Dude is gone doing whatever, don't just do NOTHING. In this case, he really did have opportunities that he waited too long to take advantage of. He is, as Grandma says, "Good Boy" and does the same thing as Seu-jun and provides that last "nudge" that brings the main couple together. 

And, you know, I like Nam Joo-Hyuk as Do-san. But I kinda wanted to see Ji-pyeong (Kim Sun-Ho) with a chance. Not sure why. Maybe because Do-san has tried to solve problems with his fists first even though he's a smart guy? Maybe because Ji-pyeong is an orphan? Maybe because he was so sweetly excited by even the smallest bit of affection? I dunno.  

They have managed to bring the sisters more-or-less together, though I don't think they'll ever have a completely comfortable relationship. I can't say that I like older sister much still, but, eh, it's okay. 

Edit: So, I finished it last week, but was too busy to write things up as taking the niece around and about during her visit. 

Overall, yes, I enjoyed this one. I did feel like the last episode was a bit weak in as far as it wasn't super satisfying. But it was okay. The only really odd bit was that, while they (thankfully) didn't fob off Mr. Second Lead Ji-pyeong to the older sister, they gave this weird scene where he meets a young handsome guy (who I'm being too lazy to look up, but I've seen him in things and he's good) who has a start up that's all about helping orphans (so perfect fit) and he decides to personally invest...but they made it give off a strangely gay vibe. And I have no issue with a gay vibe, of course, but it didn't fit the character. Like, the young guy asks him why he's going to invest and he answers "Because I like your voice" and he's got this flirty smile on the whole time and the whole dynamic was just...odd. Now, if they'd given any hints that he might lean this way (or go both ways or whatever) at any point in the show, then, yeah, sure. Totally behind that. But up until this point (and in this episode in the same time frame), he's still broken up about not being Dal-mi's choice and has never shown any attraction to ANYONE else before. So it just felt very weird. Maybe it would have felt better if it had been a female? I'm not sure. Maybe it's just me. 

So, yes, I liked it. Would I watch it again? Nah. It was a good watch, but there weren't many scenes that were seriously swoonworthy to make me want to revisit it. Like...no scene hit me right in the feels (either as a personal success bit or a love bit or a family bit). Does that make sense? It was all solid but not...eh, doki doki. 

Definitely good on them for getting so much about start ups right though. Some of it was a bit off, but a lot of it was good.