Heard it through the Grapevine Ep 21 - 30 Final Review

Heard it through the Grapevine A.K.A Heard it as a Rumor A.K.A I heard a Rumor [HITTG]

Finally, I managed to finish this drama! :)

It took way too long despite it only having 30 one hour episodes... 

About 3/4 of a year to be exact, my gosh. Sorry for delaying and procrastinating about watching this show, there just wasn't anyone who I could really share my joy of watching this drama with, and the motivation to finish the drama review just dropped to an all time low after school started. ><

So, I guess if you are all the way here at the final review, you must have finished watching this drama too, and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this series. :) Hopefully you did too. Except for the slower development of storyline in the mid of the series (which I've come to appreciate actually), everything else was really interesting and fun to watch. I especially love the cast. All of them were really good actors/actresses and the bad guys seemed really hate-able (haha that isn't even a word but you get what I mean) but had a human side too and I really liked the dynamics of the whole team! Daebak! I can't even begin to name who my favourite actor in this drama is. (Yes, they are that good, aren't they?) 

The story line for me was also a very engaging and thought-provoking one. Loved the conflicts and motives that the characters had with one another, and in a way, the scenarios reflected real life. 

The ending for the series was pretty nice, it picked up speed as it neared the end, and saw people draw their lines and whose team they were under. The people who were motivated by greed, by love, by self preservation etc and how their thoughts influenced their actions. 

For the last episode, I was really anxious to see the big fight go down. It didn't really happen like a crazy act that broke out but in fact, the closing was to show how the "villains" were tearing apart slowly. Torturous. The contrast at the very end between the smaller crowded house filled with lovely people and the big empty house filled with strangers was absolutely brilliant. How they showed the distinction between warmth and loneliness was a really great (open ended) ending to this show! 

So, this has been the only Korean drama I watched this year, and I must say I didn't regret picking this up. True, I did take such a long time to watch them all, but I am a 100% recommending this to anyone who wants to watch a korean drama from 2015. Heard it through the Grapevine has truly been a rewarding drama. This shouldn't disappoint anyone who is interested in black comedy/drama genres. 

Lastly, a big CONGRATULATIONS to all the awards and recognition this drama, cast and crew have received! ❤︎❤︎❤︎ 

With that, thank you all for reading! Have a great year ahead! :)

Find me on twitter @raycherr ^^

P.S. Below are some more goodies for you guys. Enjoy!

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Singapore YouTube Channels - Intro

Ho Ho Ho, 2015 is about to come to an end and I have two posts scheduled! :D This blog is practically dead after The Genius(Korean Reality TV Game show that you ought to check out!) ended its fourth season. 

Initially I wanted to do a Christmas Special posts on X'mas special tv episodes but umm it's too late for that... maybe next year. :/


So are you from Singapore? Want to support Singaporean content? Have no idea what you can watch that are made here? 
I have compiled a (by no means complete) list of YouTube channels that you might want to keep your eyes on! Some of the content they put out are really not bad!

(it's really hard to categorise them because they have content that are in multiple categories...)
Warning! Messy post ahead!

Series Format

Clicknetwork
As of the end of 2015, most subscribed channel in Singapore
Many entertaining content/series from top bloggers/actresses
Lifestyle, fashion, entertainment

The Smart Local
"Singapore Buzzfeed" anyone?
Fashion, entertainment

Yan Kay Kay - Babe of All Trades
a series about taking up different jobs

Music

The Sam Willows
One of the most known band/group in Singapore
Could check out Benjamin Kheng (a member of TSW)'s channel too

Gentle Bones
Singer Songwriter signed with Universal Music Singapore

Shigga Shay
Rapper

The Freshman 插班生
duo that sings mandarin songs, you know them from Project Superstar

Sam Driscoll
famous for his So Singaporean videos from 4 years ago...
but he does music too

Skits/Sketches

Night Owl Cinematics
pioneers
targeted at mature audience

Tree Potatoes
Occasional shorts

Wah Banana
Types of "something", A vs B sketches

Fashion

Jade Seah
advice on fashion, lifestyle

Speishi
vlogs and challenges too

Personalities

Dee Kosh
think Tyler Oakley?
Occasional interviews

Jianhao Tan
does sketches too

UMeAndHara
vlogs, sketches, challenges

Noah Yap
challenges

Munah And Hirzi
parodies

Ridhwan Azman
challenges, sketches

~~ End ~~

I admit, this is a pretty incomplete list and also really roughly done up... :/ I am no expert in this arena but hoped it helped if you were looking for channels to subscribe/look out for!

I am not sponsored by any of these channels, lol just trying to put out there that there are some entertaining stuff produced from SG if you ever feel like checking out local stuff from the net. Whether the content they put out are actually meaningful or worth your time, that is up to your own discretion! :) Cheers!

Feel free to let me know if I left out anyone that I ought to include in the comments below!

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The Genius 4 Finale Episode 12 Review

Hey fellow readers! :) Thank you all so much for reading through my reviews these past few weeks!
I am so sorry about the delay for this last one, maybe I just wanted to lengthen my time with The Genius and not be done with it...

Alright, for now let me get on with the review!
So it's Jang Dong Min vs Kim Kyung Hoon, the King and the King Slayer.
The introduction was pretty awesome, I liked how it started the last episode with this excellent story. However, I can't help but feel that the intro arc was making viewers feel more compelled that Dongmin should win. It was as if it was attempting to make Dongmin appear like an underdog again, and make us want to support him more. When in fact, he never was the underdog this season, plus Kyunghoon was more of the underdog/black horse. Haha I wonder... Winner's edit?

Then we saw all the returning players from this season! :) So nice to see all of them again! They had to choose who to support and it was pretty even.
Moving on, 2 new games! 1. Number Janggi 2. Mystery Sign (They never got to the last game Black and White)

1. Number Janggi/Chess
Like Kyunghoon, I don't really play chess, but I thought that the game itself was very interesting. Pity Kyunghoon couldn't read Dongmin's play too well. Dongmin had a good strategy to reveal 2 of the opponents tiles at once. I also really like that the narrator was guiding us along and explaining the situations (or possible scenarios). It really helped in quickly increasing my understanding of the game. I thought that receiving guidance from the eliminated guests for this game was also really cool. It was cool to see the players showoff their understanding and strategic side like that. :)
This was like a mix between Battleship and Chess, and looked super fun to play. This is definitely one of the games of The Genius that I'd love to play myself. ^^

2. Mystery Sign
This game to me, paled in comparison to Number Janggi... Players had to figure out how the equation was formed using hints. It wasn't exciting as it would have been boring to watch if you didn't play along and it was slightly frustrating when you couldn't get it/not good with calculations.
At first I thought that Mystery Sign was going to be a super Mathematical version of 5:5 but it wasn't really too similar, and lacked the excitement, compared to other math games like season 2 Final's Truth Detector(secret code). Kyunghoon was a mess, maybe he wanted really badly to win and he placed himself in worse situations numerous times, by becoming overly anxious. Like what Youhyun said, Kyunghoon gave his answers way too fast/soon; and I thought that he lacked the composure that Dongmin had in all the solo matches.

So yep, the winner is crowned, and he is Dongmin!! Again... haha ><
I am super happy for him! :D Okay, sure I didn't exactly supported him this season but it was really cool to see him outperform himself and win again! Dongmin is really an all rounder. He is so smart and doesn't back down in individual matches. Woah, who can beat him?
Plus, I wanted to add on that I always thought of comedians as super smart and creative people, because they are often really witty and always coming up with new ideas. Dongmin winning this definitely make us not look down on comedians anymore. :)

And as for Kyunghoon, it was such a good ride with him in the game all these 12 episodes. He outperformed the viewers' expectations and made such good progress with a lot of the games. :)
Crazyyy smart player that I will always admire but be like I can't bear to look at your performance in the first 2 main matches this season haha.

Alright, so it's officially the end of my reviews for The Genius Grand Final.

As for whether this is the end of The Genius, we don't know. I read somewhere maybe another producer will take over, but who knows... They said "till next time" in their exit speech so as a fan, I am hoping with all my heart that this show will continue and I will see players competing again next year. :/
If not, maybe I could watch the franchises. Or maybe they will make Liar Game Korean Season 2. That will be cool too. Oh man I am so sad that my fave tv game show has ended its season.

Hopefully I will get to see you guys again next year with a brand new season! ;)
In the meantime, find me on twitter @raycherr :D
Once again, thanks for reading! Appreciate all your comments and interactions! <3 <3 <3

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The Genius 4 Episode 11 Review

Woah woah woah! XD The Semi Finals are over.

This is super exciting.

But first, ep 12...

Kim Kyunghoon really did such a good job understanding this game which let to his victory and direct entry into the #GrandFinal. I am super impressed by his skills throughout this season and how he climbed all the way to the top from a troll/crazy character. :) 

Okay, I must acknowledge that both Dongmin and Hyunmin probably knew the last amount too but they fell short with the mind games all the rounds(especially the last) and they went straight to the death match. 

While I enjoyed this game How Much, it was a newer concept and fun to watch, I thought that it lacked certain elements that could have made it the most memorable. The last round was for 4 points, to me it was way too much, granted that all the players understood the game really well. If it was played again with more players and they had more time to share information (perhaps even within players themselves) and a few more modified rules, this, I feel would be an even better game. Also, it was rather lacking with the SNL guests and their vague replies, but their humor made up for it haha. 

So Dongmin decided to go against Hyunmin, as he thought that he probably was going to go into the DM and wanted to pick his opponent. Finally, we witnessed a rematch by the same players this season! I was waiting for something like this from the start! :) At first, I was like 12Janggi is going to be an easy victory for Hyunmin but I guess not... Apparently everyone else practiced it, as expected of The Geniuses, so it made for a different kind of game where everyone was prepared. It was a tough match too but ultimately Hyunmin was defeated. (Dongmin! How can you be so good at all the games? haha) This was not exactly the best season for Hyunmin to play on after watching the past episodes, he fell into the shadow of Dongmin way too much and was read by him too when he strayed. I find that a little upsetting but sadly it's the reality. ):

So... There we have it our 2 finalists. *claps claps*

Side note, Dongmin never gave way to players who haven't won before... (haha sometimes I wished he did though as he was a little overpowering heh... ><) 

It will be really cool to see Kyunghoon to go head on with Dongmin. I liked both of them a lot in Season 3 and now they are rivals at the end game, woah. Though, I can't see Dongmin show any weaknesses in the final. Kyunghoon is very right about Dongmin, Dongmin is really an all rounder and probably a perfect player in The Genius. Kyunghoon, on the other hand, is someone with a lot of potential, if he can misguide Dongmin in the final games, he will stand a chance at the title and grand prize. Looks tough though. :/

I don't really want to admit this but I am rooting for Kyunghoon haha, let's fulfill your role as King slayer and become a King yourself! He showed great versatility and abilities this past few games, thus while his chances don't look promising, I do hope that he will put up a great fight and somehow win it! ;)

#underdog #troll #kingslayer

Alright, next episode will be the last one for this season! ):

Keep the conversation going on twitter with me @raycherr or in the comments below!

See you next week when we will see who wins, plus all the players this season! ;)

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The Genius 4 Episode 10 Review

Woah. And then there were 3. Next week will be the semi finals already!!!

This episode, they played a new game with Mini Games and Hold'em Poker.
Edit: Sorry for the delay! Here's my review! :D

All Players had to bring in a guest of their choice to play together. I thought that it was rather interesting to see Hyunmin bring in a past guest brought by Kyungran; I thought that he would have people of his own capabilities from perhaps the KAIST the Genius, but I guess it could be that they hit off well enough to play together. Furthermore, they did really well! Okay, his guest not so much in the minigames as compared to some of the rest of the players, but overall they were a pretty good team! I would like to point out that it is rather interesting to see how in different seasons they could have different games that would benefit bringing in a certain type of guests. This time round it was more on the IQ side, which definitely made Kyunghoon’s guest do very well in the minigames. (23 and doing his PHD, wow) Back to the players, OMG Dongmin was so good at the sticks challenge, he is really a hidden gem in the IQ arena, not only is he sociable, but also good at this kind of visual games. :D I will say I wouldn’t mind him winning this time round anymore, after all he has proven himself way more than he did last season too! :)

However, overall this main match felt a little underwhelming. Not too much was going on and the minigames got rather boring after like 2 rounds haha. Also, just like Seed Poker, winning just 1 round got you quite a significant number of garnets, and it’s tough to change up the game more easily. It was wonderful though, to see Hyunmin convince others to go his way, he is definitely stepping up his game too, very deserving win for him this time round. Too bad, all went the wrong way for Jinho with his bolder moves.

Moving on to the Deathmatch, ”Practice Bug” Kyunghoon is totally killing it. I am almost certain he could beat someone else in the last deathmatch, 12 Janggi if needed to too. He was so good in so many of those deathmatches, and I guess practice does make perfect. How he knew that by giving up his low cards when the card holders showed a low number card on top was beneficial to him was daebak (fantastic) too. Too bad, Jinho fell short, but YES they played such a great game.

I felt so sad that Jinho felt quite a lot of pressure to perform and give us Genius moments this season. He never did perform that well despite knowing the games pretty well and deep. Quite a pity... Ah, I still love Jinho though, for all that he has contributed in the Variety/Reality TV game shows in Korea. <3 #IconOfTheGenius

Also FYI, I saw spoilers on twitter before I watched )::: It totally killed the mood for me to root for Jinho to win, because I knew that most likely he was going to be eliminated. Haiz. (note to self: I need to stay clear of Facebook/Twitter from Saturday night till I finish watching the episode.)

Next Episode, we have guests again! Woah. I can't help but feel like Dongmin is going to get an upper hand with his social skills. However, finally there is a more calculative game which definitely will be more for Kyunghoon and Hyunmin. (hahaha the joke about Dongmin's calculation in chain auction last season...) I am picturing a tough fight, we shall see, I'm looking forward to it! XD

Thanks for all your comments in the last episode's review! :D 

For now, you can tweet me @raycherr or comment below. 

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The Genius 4 Episode 9 Review

And so, my winner's pick has fallen. ):::

This was a rather good episode I feel, especially after a few weaker ones, though of course not the best one this season. Having the guests interact with the remaining players was rather cool to see who had the social abilities to work with people even outside of the game. Yep yep, Dongmin dominated again... Or should I say dongminated again hahahah >< I also liked how Kyunghoon sounded like Sunggyu when he interacted with Sangmin. O.O

However, I somehow feel like the guests were rather bias in a sense that Ahyoung went with the mindset of making sure Kyunghoon didn't get to win... Not exactly the best decision for guests to just target someone. Also, I wished that more eliminated players this season got to come back and play ): Furthermore, we didn't quite get to see some guests like Jongbum and Doohee do much to shake up the game. 

Alright, now that I have ranted a little about the guests, back to Horror Race II! I liked the slight changes about carrying other pieces and the mud (though the latter didn't make much of a difference). It made it slightly easier for characters with more supporters to still get to move forward a little. It started off with a brilliant move by Hyunmin to have 1 overlapping character with one player each. However, it proved to be a sad drop from there on out as the players kind of saw through him and didn't want to play with him 100%. Junseok had an interesting start to the game with the least number of players sharing the same characters as him, however it also meant that fewer players were supporting his characters... Kyunghoon and Junseok were doing rather well with their white chip, until they were just 2 players who were supporting them full on. 

I will fast forward to Dongmin winning the game with the help of 3/5 returning guests. Once again it just showed us how good of an influencer he is. Even Hyunmin couldn't understand how he got 3 guests and Jinho to back him. Me neither. :/ Looks like Dongmin stands a really good chance of winning, especially if he gets into the final 2. 

Kyunghoon lost and he chose... Junseok. I am upset. I kinda wished that Hyunmin would go to the Deathmatch for once just because he hasn't played. I was really hoping Junseok won but he didn't, so there goes my winner's pick. I really thought he did fantastic this season! :)

Deathmatch was the most awaited Quattro!!! Finally! :D

And they were playing with... players who were quiet and unresponsive? How rude, haha! The social aspect of this game which we all loved in season 2 ep 1 was gone for motionless players that could only swap cards. I thought the change was alright though. Now for a little game talk, I was thinking that the shuffle was a really important one. Kyunghoon got super lucky with three 6's? Wow. Meanwhile, Junseok wasn't too good with his draw. I thought that getting a (few) 0 card/s might be good at first and then if you let it/them out nearer the end, it might be interesting to make your opponent get them. I wished they had more silent players though, 6 players felt too little. 

A roundup after this session, 4 players left: Jinho, Dongmin, Hyunmin, Kyunghoon. 

I am seriously looking forward to how the last few episodes will play out. Also, now that we have come so far this season, the likelihood of seeing a non-winner win this grand final is looking pretty dim. ): I hope to see them win of course, but I guess if Jinho/Dongmin won again, I would be happy nonetheless. 

Next episode! With selected guests playing separated mini games... Looks really interesting and I am looking forward to see how it plays out, seems like Kyunghoon and friend will do well, but it could be misleading.

Crunch time! ;D 

Find me on twitter @raycherr or comment below! 

Cheers & I will see you next week!

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The Genius 4 Episode 8 Review

Harlow everyone, I am back with episode 8, getting pretty empty in the Genius studio yea...

Main match: Minus Auction II
Ooolala another auction game. To be honest, I have yet to re-watch minus action in season 2 and others are telling me that it is a really good episode... >< I WILL watch it soon haha and edit the post after.

But in the meantime, I had a really vague memory of the mainmatch this episode so I re-watched ep 8 with English subs. This also explains why I am uploading my review so late... ):

At its core, this game is about finding the right numbers and getting the sequential ones while earning as many chips as possible. However due to the hidden numbers, luck was involved once again to hinder some players who played by similar strategies used in season 2. Very interesting...
Jinho shined for a little this episode with his smart use of getting 34 to earn as much chips for number 35. Though it didn't last too long, when 32 came out, everyone else were bums and had little chips to last, cancelling out Jinho-Hyunmin's plan to eat up even more chips.
In such a slight change of rules of the game, Kyunghoon was also very smart to change up his strategy to use more chips and bargain with garnets, especially since he had way more than the other players. However, while he stood in a good position to win with the smaller numbers he got, he decided against Junseok's idea for a joint win???!!! I still don't really understand his relationship with Sangmin and the rest of the players. It was a game for him to win and he decided to let that pass. ): He said that he was reminded of Sangmin hyung and couldn't abandon his team?!? What team haha. His team wasn't going to win and suddenly he doesn't want to win too and be one of the possible DM opponent? Was he doing some image control there, hahaha it is really unbelievable how he thinks through the games. Ohwell but he wasn't picked so perhaps he was indeed thinking long term. :/

Finally Kyungran lost due to a hidden 26... How unlucky. :/ And she picked Dongmin to go to the Deathmatch. I was rather surprised by her decision, usually players went for opponents that they thought they could beat, but kudos to her bravery for taking on Dongmin.
Did you guys realised that Kyunghoon actually predicted that Dongmin was most likely to go to the Deathmatch??? O.O
However Dongmin just demonstrated to everyone that not only is he very good socially, he is able to play one on one and win. I was super impressed by how systematic and fast he was. A total all-kill for Dongmin. <3

I wanted to bring up Kyungran's words when she was about to leave. "Her responsibilities as a female player." There were really too few female players in The Genius. Final 5 are all male players. Hopefully they can get some girls who are more bold to be on the future seasons, if any. ^^

Next week we see returning players WOOHOO ... wait... eh most from previous seasons??? ): Haha I am excited to see them again but then... I really wanted returning players from this season. ):
Sangmin's back. (& Kyunghoon is his dog) With Horror race II. ;D

Okay I am excited but there are so few episodes left... ):
Keep up with the excitement with me on twitter @raycherr
Read my other posts on The Genius here too.
Cya next week!

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The Genius 4 Episode 7 Review

Hi! Wow it's already the 7th round and the space looks really pretty empty now. ): I miss all the season 4 players already. 

In Seed Poker, it was really nice to see a political game underneath it's poker exterior. While I would love to play this game myself, I do feel that there could be a little too many variables involved... Plus every time someone wins, he gets at least 7 chips which is a lot, considering the fact that everyone starts with 15 only. 

This time round we saw Jinho try to make an individual move to not stick with Dongmin... Erm, bad idea. We all love Jinho for his brilliant moves in Season 1 where he managed to get the show delicious Genius moments, but in the Seed Poker, it pretty much blew up in his face. With more complex games, and everyone having much ideas and different motions to play the game, the variables are now higher than ever. I thought that perhaps, he (+Kyungran +Hyunmin) got a little too greedy too with trying to get the last 3 points, but then again they could be right to want to make sure that Kyungran won. 

Jinho playing both sides this time was a little suspicious too. Haha, like I never thought that he needed to play with spies on his team to win. To bring in Jungmoon as the spy was even more questionable, but to his credit, it did save his ass life on The Genius after reasoning with  Kyunghoon. :/

Jungmoon sighs, I am just upset with her game play now. She chose to play the dark way again??? Why on Earth did she want to be a spy and betray her alliance members again? After all, she is definitely not the best spy out there and the players suspect her moves pretty frequently too. I wished that she played a more loyal game but it was too late, she was finally picked to play in the Death Match by Kyunghoon, and was eliminated. 

Why Kyunghoon picked Jungmoon instead of Jinho, I am not too sure. :/

Short break: okay, this is a bit creepy after I look at this for a while haha. >< reminds me of Caroline...

They played Same Picture Hunt (still not Quattro :/) and (by luck) Kyunghoon won. I have to say memory-wise, he was pretty on par with Jungmoon in this game but I guess you could say that he got all the right tiles in the right places, like 2 of the same in the row? Woah. 

Hahaha so I have to admit, I am starting to like the Kyunghoon that we are seeing again. The crazy Kyunghoon in episode 1/2 was just not really doing it for me... And... I will also admit that if you ever do read my private posts on season 3, I had like a crush on him in episode 2 then because omg he was like showing so much vulnerabilities... >< Season 4 Ep 1/2 was a turn off but now, I am starting to value him as a worthy player in this game again. :)

I want to mention Junseok too. I believe you guys know that I have picked him as my winner's pick. I do think that he has a fair chance of winning still depending on who is his opponent at the end game. Though, it is hard to see that more people would give the supporting items to him instead of to the other players (e.g Kyungran/Hyunmin).

Thanks for reading! Do tweet me @raycherr or comment below! I really like it when I can engage in a conversation with you guys. Cheers!

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The Genius 4 Episode 6 Review

Ahh this time I am posting late, my apologies. 

Garnet Thief... This episode had one of the more complicated game and game plays to digest, or is it just me? ><

I felt that the editing was also a little lacking this time round but perhaps it is just that there was so much going on, and was hard to fit into the time-slot?? >< 

So let's start with the editing. It mainly centered around Kyunghoon and Jungmoon this time round in terms of shocking reveals during the main match. Jungmoon got the short end of the stick and was, I think, portrayed under a less desirable and respectable light than Kyunghoon... Their games had much parallels with the spy/betrayal and secret codes, interactions with Dongmin and Hyunmin. Jungmoon's edit was somewhat like the edit of how Hyunmin fell in episode 4. Similar, yet lacking. :/ It was really such a pity when her secret signs were misread, and she was just thrown aside. Of course, both of them were sneaky to go off against their own foursome haha. Seems like the "dream team" Dongmin + Hyunmin + Kyungran + Jinho are looking really tight and strong. Kyunghoon is really good at recognising the situation now and he made sure he was the only spy over on the other side. Plus, they managed to end the game in a 5 way tie to win?!? Totally beyond expectations to have a nice ending for this alliance. Back to Kyunghoon, what's up with his suddenly upgraded game play? Haha I love it, but he was so crazy previously, this didn't seem possible anytime soon. The edit for him was really good this episode too, wow. I'm starting to think he faked it all along to build up a "dumber" character so that it will be to his advantage in games like this... 

Also, I was really quite surprised Junseok wasn't one of the players to do something shady in the Mainmatch. I am guessing that he doesn't like to be part of the "dream team" and is okay with working with less popular players/underdogs? 

Moving on to the Deathmatch, Junseok was picked as the elimination candidate. Urgh his bold and direct game play is creating much troubles for him as he becomes the easy target. I declared that my winner's pick is Junseok previously, and I still think so but how he is picking on players like Kyungran is just unnecessary in my opinion. I wonder why he is doing that... Haha. Then he picked Yeonseung as his opponent. Why not Jungmoon? 

So, they played Monorail! Argh when is Quattro going to come out? ): Hahaha it seems like it is never going to get picked even though I keep wishing for it to happen.

I am totally loving the English phrases used between Junseok and Kyunghoon. Leave it! Doesn't matter! Awww so swag hahaha they should totally just form an alliance till the end and use English to strategise since they both studied in the US. Okay sorry that's never going to happen, just a fantasy of an English viewer... haha. 

So monorail was a much shorter game than I expected that ended in 1 move... I was like no no no Yeonseung don't say it can't be completed! But it happened. ): Props to Kyunghoon for the idea too. This season Yeonseung really proved to be a smart and worthy player with his highlight in episode 4 where he outwitted the rest with Junseok by earning the most from selling fishes. I thought that he would go far... Oh man I am so emotionally attached to all the players, it's ridiculous haha. 

So next week looks exciting! >< Jinho and Kyungran finally steps up in the main match!?! I really hope so. The poker game just makes me miss Youhyun... #Stillnotoverhisdefeatinpoker 

And that's all for this review this time round, feel free to tweet me @raycherr or comment below! :) No worries, as long as it's related to The Genius, I don't delete them.
If you feel like reliving this season, you can browse through the previous posts here.

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The Genius 4 Episode 5 Review

Hey there! 

The Genius argh I get so emotional watching this season hahahaha. All the emotional attachments that I've built up since season 1, and now an all-stars season, I just become super tense during an episode. Whenever I see someone not doing well, I will feel so sad for them. Whenever I see flashbacks to past seasons, I choke a little.

Anyone feels the same? ):::

Okay, I admit episode 5 wasn't the best episode for me thus far. Yes, I've been wanting a "group" game for a while now, but this wasn't the kind of game I was looking for... :/ #Loyalists&Rebels was rather similar to #ZombieGame #JuryGame and somewhat like a group version of the first game this season #IDexchange While the individual convict in ID exchange made that episode a great start to the show, this episode's game was one with a group on the outs.
I deem it to be rather unfair. Why? The rebels were the minorities and had to work against more players to reach a separate end/aim. An individual rebel was responsible for the whole group's performance as well, and could easily pull down fellow rebels as shown. They had to put up a front no matter what (that is if the players play by the rules of the games), and it came down to luck to see who got to play the rebels.
I guess I could be totally wrong though, the producers had this game included because there had to be a way for the rebels to win... right? :/ However I still think that it's bias because most likely if you pick a loyalist, you could just sit pretty and get by the week. Just let Dongmin sniff out who are the rebels haha. But seriously, he was amazing again in spotting Kyungran and Jungmoon. Youhyun totally let himself get caught though haiz. Also, Kyunghoon managed to get Jungmoon right too! Hmm Jungmoon was really unlucky with her picks to be a zombie and a rebel... and she isn't really the best actress out there, so... ): Though I have to say how she can remember π to the 100 decimal place is super daebak. :) Too bad her knowledge became why Dongmin managed to read her...
It was really a sad end game scenario where it was either her or Kyungran going into the deathmatch. Haiz, such extreme option, to live or to "die"... I don't think she will be labelled as a betrayal though like what the narrator implied, Jungmoon did what she had to do.

Alright, so Youhyun vs Kyungran in the Deathmatch and I was surprised that Kyungran was willing to leave the poker games in the mix. I was so confident that Youhyun was going to beat her hands down, but... I really can't believe it sometimes. I have come to realise that luck plays a significant proportion of the games and it could really change up the strategies that the players had in place. I don't really like it, but I am accepting that things don't always go according to plan and that luck can bring in a bit of fun element to the games.
I enjoyed the flashbacks used throughout the whole season thus far and when they played out the scene with Kyungran playing Indian Poker from Season 1 finale, as a parallel to this Deathmatch, I definitely felt that I was tugged at my heartstrings. If she lost again with a 10 card, I am pretty sure we all would have lost it. Such an intense sequence!

So in the end, Youhyun lost. He lost in the game that he probably was most confident in. :/ Noooooooooooo );
Sigh, though I have to comment that everyone has been such graceful losers, they were really grateful to have the chance to play again and I think it is really admirable. Like when you see someone gets voted out on Survivor, and they say good luck to the rest. It's such a warm feeling.
Some of you might know I was rooting for Youhyun as one of the players to have the most potential to win. Such a pity he fell short of that goal. However, Ooooo Jinho broke the season 2 curse and was not eliminated, phew. Maybe it's because he claimed that he was from S1? Haha.

Garnet Match again next week! Haven't seen much deals with garnets going around though... See you guys then!
In the meantime, please do comment below or tweet me @raycherr
:)

P.S. I'm starting to support Kyunghoon more! Is he really Lee Sangmin? O.O hahahhahaha

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The Genius 4 Episode 4 Review

Omg shocker. 

Woah, this has got to be the most shocking reveal on the show yet. O.O The edit was really on point, I was so sad that Jinho was most likely going to be the elimination candidate. Also, Hyunmin looked like he was going to do super well and then WOW. WTH happened!!!??? Hyunmin became the elimination candidate??!! 

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The Genius 4 Episode 3 Review

I guess he played too hard too fast.

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The Genius 4 Episode 2 Review

This post is full of spoilers, you may or may not want to read the following post before you watch the episode!

So, I can't believe it, there are fans who found the post on episode 1 despite me not posting the link on social media, special thanks to all who commented!

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The Genius 4 Episode 1 Review

So... I have already watched The Genius Grand Final Episode 1 on Tuesday GMT+8 time. ;) Ahead of everyone else who are waiting for English subs and I really want to tweet about it... but of course I dislike spoilers so I decided to write a blog post about my thoughts instead of spamming them on twitter, like I used to when there were almost no The Genius fans following me haha.

They started off this all stars season with such huge personalities, everyone was so competitive!!! Though, it did kind of feel like a mess as there were so many things going on at the same time...
I will try to go in order of the edit as I go through the episode.

I really like the BGMs of The Genius, and when Dong Min came out, Fall Out Boy's Centuries was brilliant. Remember Me for centuriesssss.
Min-Min-Min! It was pretty interesting to see that Koreans had different chinese characters for their name, I never understood until then... :/

For this season, one main point is that the Death Matches are previous games. Each elimination candidate will rule out a few games and they will pick 1 from the remaining games at random. Interesting!
It will be so fun to watch the players come up with new strategies and to see if the same players go head to head in the same games again. E.g Kyungran & Sangmin with Same Picture Hunt! XD

Players started the main match by forming alliances.
But, some of them decided to make side deals... :/ Wait, Kyunghoon with DongMin? Oo that could be good! They looked pretty closed in the BTS clip for the press conference too. However, Kyunghoon decides to make sneaky deals and not be fully trusting of both his alliance and Dongmin... ?
He decided to switch cards unofficially with Sangmin... O.o He then swapped it with Yohwan. Interestingly, he swapped it back with Yohwan unofficially after, I wonder why...
Also, awesome, Sangmin managed to get rid of his Death card with just a quick lie. The other 2 alliances (excluding Kyunghoon's) then teamed up in attempt to get a joint win for all their members. They tried to recruit Yoonsun and Junseok too. Though, Junseok is pretty much all for himself heh. He took off after getting his points with the Official Card they were using, haha sneaky, sneaky. (Recall Layoff in Season 2.)
Then Sangmin tries to achieve an individual win???!!! O.O I can't fully understand. I mean perhaps he felt guilty for ruining Kyunghoon's game and tried to get him out of the situation by taking the Convict card back, but it just ends up ruining his own alliance/"team" game, no? I wonder who will continue to trust him after this. I just realised that Sangmin has been pretty sneaky all this while but he didn't get as bad an edit as Kyunghoon/Yohwan haha. Side Note: It was pretty cool to see that Yoohyun saw Sangmin's sneaky move to use the Convict card, but it was too late to savage their team's game. Junghyun ended up taking the fall for his alliance, such bad luck... /: He was such a nice guy.

I must say all these players have such poker faces! :| Also, while I don't really like Sangmin's moves in this game, props to him for totally turning his game from starting as the DM candidate to becoming the sole winner. Though, he did make his team mates look like fools for sticking together. ):

Death match was alright.

Now, for me to pick who I support as promised! :D
However, I am still not sure what to make of the dynamics between the players. ):
I do like Dongmin and Jinho but I was thinking there should be a new winner this time round. It's really hard to predict the players' future games as some change their strategies as the number of players dwindle... Plus, there are so few females this season! ):

I will not be picking one single player as my winner's pick yet.
For now, here's a whole list of players that I think could make it till the end and support:

• Jang Dong Min (Sorry I had to include him again, he has such strong winner's vibe.)
• Im Yo Hwan (If he gets better in team games, he will go far)
• Oh Hyun Min (just because he's good)
• Choi Yeon Seung (I could have underestimated his abilities in my preseason cast assessment)
• Kim Yoo Hyun (poker players are good picks, aren't they?)

Why I didn't choose the others:

Hong Jin Ho - he stands out too much as a target, it will be a tough climb all the way to the top.

Lee Sang Min - He's really good... but he doesn't have me rooting for him. 

Kim Kyung Ran - She's nice and works in group, don't see her surviving in such a ruthless group of players. :/

Lim Yoon Sun - I like her, but I am wondering if her game play is slightly too straightforward? I look forward to her moves in the game though. 

Choi Jung Moon - She's smart but I haven't seen a lot of her capabilities yet... 

Kim Kyung Hoon - I actually liked him in S3, but his image... is so down the drain for now, I can't support him anymore hahaha

Lee Jun Seok - If he keeps playing for himself, who will support him at the finale? He's good though. 

So... did Sangmin get a good edit this episode? Is there any similarities with Kyunghoon's move in last season's first episode?

~~~

Depending on whether I watch the next episode before English subs are out, I might write another blog post if you guys want me to.
Do comment/tweet me @raycherr :) to discuss #TheGenius

Cheers! :)

Click here for all posts on The Genius.

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Heard it through the Grapevine Ep 17 - 20 Review

Heard it through the Grapevine A.K.A Heard it as a Rumor A.K.A I heard a Rumor [HITTG]

A sincere apology for how my reviews are turning out... :/ I ought to dive into the issues that were touched on in each episodes, after all this is a complex drama. However, this is more like penning down my (random) thoughts... :( Hey, I should buck up.
Erm. :/ maybe its because I'm so behind on the series that I don't feel any motivation to write in depth. Forgive me...

Ep 17
Okay, I'm sorry, I take back all my words from my previous post on this show. I am finally starting to understand the lack of development in a drama. Its not always a simple affair with the story revolving around a few main characters, after all in such a complex show about secrets and power, it is only right that the viewers get a more in depth look into other characters that might make an impact. Hence, with the need of telling the backstory of the other characters, they had to sacrifice the pace of development. However, in return we do get a better understanding of a bigger picture, which I think is essential in such a show.

Ep 18
Pace started picking up again, I found the progress rather smooth and enjoyed this episode. Who would have known that some older episodes would have left me disappointed, but for these few to arouse my interest again. Here are some possible reasons:
a) Exposing the secrets of Han Song and Han Jeong Ho gets more intense
b) More In Sang!!! More Lee Joon!!! ;)
c) I started to get used to the kind of development, and can't get over this drama

Ep19
Things heat up. Han Jeong Ho wants his kids to beg for forgiveness for going against him, but too bad he doesn't pay for the house that they live in. In Sang and Bom gets to stay and not back down. Finally, Bom's parents get around to understanding the complex situation. This was a great episode built upon nightmares and how the world's falling apart for the characters. ;)

Ep20
This episode was pretty good. It was slightly ridiculous which played on the black comedic effects. Let me throw ice cubes! and make my servants wear ridiculous outfits! Sounds fun right? It was also slightly emotional and thought provoking. My Brother or my Daughter? My Family or Others? More Money or Justice? To Ruse or to Expose? Also, a lawsuit against Han Song from Seo Chul Sik is boiling. I wonder how that's going to turn out... Is Han Song really the ultimate puppet master controlling everything? So intriguing! The drama is starting to feel so intellectual.

I recently found this video as well:

To be honest, i should really brush up on my knowledge of directors and writers... oh man haha
Ahn Pan Suk is really a director to look out for, the actors totally trusted him and I'm really impressed. I should definitely watch some other dramas by him after I finish Heard it through the Grapevine.

catch me on twitter @raycherr
might be going on a hiatus and hopefully come back with quality pieces of reviews.

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Heard it through the Grapevine Ep 13, 14, 15, 16 Review

Heard it through the Grapevine A.K.A Heard it as a Rumor A.K.A I heard a Rumor [HITTG]

This will be one of the shortest review because honestly I don't have much to critic about, except that the spark that made this show so interesting in the first few episodes is dying down... Or maybe the drama is a little different from what I imagined it would be.
Many things are happening and there is certainly progress in the story but they aren't what I feel are that interesting, or fast paced enough to keep my attention.
I will touch on the affair bit. Is a love affair romantic? Can an affair be romantic? Wouldn't the parties involved feel guilt? Or is the thrill and satisfaction in the moment overpowering everything else? I am not expressing my stand here but I just feel that its such a tiring affair.
Also, power makes people do crazy things. I mean crazy as in wow that's unexpected and its awesome; I also mean crazy as in hmm, look at the moral dilemma that you are tempting the others with.

To compensate for the short review, here's a short recap of what happened
Seo Noo Ri(Bom's sister) is jealous of Bom? There was a rumor going on about Noo Ri and someone rich. Info sure flowed fast yea. Then Bom helped Noo Ri with her amazing manipulation of power and connections, so everything's good and now Noo Ri is dating a good guy, Yoon Je Hoon (?).
Young Ra and Han Jeong Ho are now together? The stupid things that Han goes through to up the affair are bewildering, haha. Also, Hansong has way too much power, way more than In Sang imagined. (which I think will be further developed on in later episodes).
...

Alright, I will be back with another 4 episodes review again soon! Let's hope the drama picks up and that I find it entertaining to watch again! :)
Meanwhile, you can find me on twitter @raycherr cheers!
[P.S. I'm too excited for season 4 of The Genius to start, you can read my cast analysis here.]

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Thoughts on The Genius 4 Preseason

*You can skip my backstory and scroll down to read about my cast assessment (when Hong Jin Ho's individual photo appears).
Super stoked for this upcoming season of TVN's The Genius. By far, one of my favourite Reality TV game show ever, not just for the really smart players but also for the execution of the show. While it is similar and influenced by the Liar Game manga, the show has taken off on its own and truly caught my/our attention. I actually found out about the show from the second season and I watched the first episode thinking that this is really cool, having had one of the best death matches [Quattro]. After, I pretty much just binged watch the whole of season 1 and caught up to season 2. By then I was definitely a hardcore fan of the show. Now, this is like a huge thing in the Reality TV Game Show arena, attracting international viewers [say what? Ian Terry(BB) + Myles Nye?] to get in on the action. Such success! #proudtobepartofhegeniusfanclubhaha

Alright, enough of the back story, on to Season 4! Final Match! :)
... Wait...??? What? Final? Is it the last season??? D;
NOOOOOO Please continue the show please.
So, this is an all stars season with returning players from all the first three seasons. Recently, the list of players was announced and everyone's super excited, except that Sunggyu (season 1) so ought to be part of it too so BOO and CRIES. Such a pity he wasn't casted, but oh well still very stoked to see all the familiar faces!

{5 from S1; 5 from S2; 5 from S3} I did double count but woah, I don't know how it will all turn up but looks like S3 players might be in a better position if they team up as there is no overlap with other seasons...

CAST ASSESSMENT
Here's the list of players and pardon my fangirling in advance:
**Background = BG; Predictions = PDT

Hong Jin Ho

BG

Winner of Season 1, Placed 7th in Season 2, member of Crime Scene 1 & 2, Previous a Pro Gamer (usually placed 2nd), sometimes has problems pronouncing words, Very Observant, Icon of The Genius

PDT

I think JinHo will do quite well unless targeted by others or feel like others should get a chance to win, after all he has played twice. However, generally still has a competitive side and will get to see some surprises and brainy moves from him. Do not expect to see him win though.

Kim Kyung Ran

BG

Runner Up of Season 1, shown some smart moves in her season, Former announcer

PDT

Compared to JinHo and SangMin, Kyung Ran has not been back in The Genius studios for awhile and might be a bit rusty at first. While I do not have a clear memory of her game play, she could use this to her advantage. Very glad to see her back with a second chance. 

Lee Sang Min

BG

2nd Runner up in Season 1, Winner of Season 2, believed to have been through some setbacks, says that The Genius Studio is like his second home, Good social player, Singer-Idol

PDT

I believe that he will be targeted near the start of the game as an outstanding player who has made it very far in both of his seasons. Might try to persuade others that he is back for the games and can help them to win in order to stay in it. A force to be reckon with and can go either ways.

Lim Yo Hwan

BG

Runner up in Season 2, Rivals of Jin Ho as a Pro Gamer (beat Jin Ho to place first), Good in individual games, Do not work well in groups.

PDT

His unpredictability might put some other players off as he screws them over in group games, but the same trait also becomes his weapon in individual games, making him both a huge liability and huge threat to be taken out ASAP. Might create drama by targeting Jin Ho. Do not see him going far this time round.  

Jang Dong Min

BG

Season 3 winner, member of Crime Scene season 2, Good leader and speaker, Threatens to control, Comedian-Host

PDT

Very smart player that was underestimated in his season early on, however it is different this time. He is capable of pulling off good strategic moves, but does not work well with everyone. Hard to predict where he stands with this group of players but he will be someone that others are threatened by. Not sure if he will team up with Hyun Min to help further his friend's game.

Oh Hyun Min

BG

Runner up of season 3, Smart and strategic player, but not too good a social player, Student

PDT

While he only played once and didn't win, Hyun Min is a target for getting very close to the ultimate prize and he is fresh in other players' minds. Should team up with Dong Min as a Dream Team or make alliances quick. He should go far in this season if nothing goes wrong. 

Kim Yoo Hyun

BG

5th in Season 3, Super Lucky at times, Poker Player/English Teacher

PDT

Unless S3 alliance becomes a reality or that he becomes super lucky, I do doubt that he will go far. Seemingly a less strategic player, I wonder if he had some tricks left up his sleeves, after all he is a Poker Player right? Unless he is back as an upgraded version, I think that he will only make it till about halfway into the game.

Lim Yoon Sun

BG

9th in Season 2, Strategic player but wasn't well liked in her season, Lawyer

PDT

Thought that the players in her season didn't quite do her strategic side justice. Yoon Sun has a lot of potential to do well this season and if she is able to gain alliances quick, I see her going far, or at least hopefully further than she did in her season.

Choi Jung Moon

BG

9th in Season 1, Not that memorable nor strategic, Mensa member

PDT

Surprised to see her name in here as she wasn't that memorable a player. I only remember her screwing up in the Zombies game (she wasn't able to hide the fact that she was a zombie) but the fact that she has high IQ is something worth giving a second (and probably last) chance to prove herself. Not expecting much from her TBH.

Yoo Jung Hyun

BG

2nd Runner Up in Season 2, did surprisingly well in the death matches, but considerably not included in any of the group game as a main player, Former Announcer, Now a lawmaker (?)

PDT

I don't know how he is going to stand out as a worthy player among all these All Stars and prove that he can play the game well too. I hope he is not dragged along which I have a feeling he will be again... 

Kim Kyung Hoon

BG

12th in Season 3, had his guns blasting from the start, Seoul Graduate, not sure what he does now

PDT

I think that Kyung Hoon has much potential to do well. Playing with a more laid back approach at the start might just work in his favor, but he is known to stir up trouble and is competitive. If he stays collected, he is a huge competitor. If not, he must as well just be burning the whole place down as he screws up everyone's game. 

Choi Yeun Seung (Ooo side note, all the players from S3 casting calls are back!)

BG

2nd Runner up in Season 3, I believe he has great concentration, Oriental Doctor

PDT

Not someone who come across as a strong player either, and not very memorable. Don't think that Yeun Seung will go far this season, especially with all the All Stars, unless the other players decide that he is easier to beat at the end and try to take out the "stronger" ones first. I do think that he is a great alliance member though. 

Lee Jun Seok

BG

Last place in season 1, JinHo thinks that he is a huge threat, Harvard Graduate, Politician, Entrepreneur

PDT

Will definitely do better and has lots of potential to go deep in this season. I think that Jun Seok will be just as good as Jin Ho, and might even win. 

List of Players that ought to have been called back
Kim Sung Gyu
Certainly a bold and smart player, I am positive most people wanted him back. A pity to have left him out.

Cha Min Soo
Really smart Poker player that had it going really well from the start of the first season. A crucial mistake made by Jin Ho/himself costed him the game during team death match, this would have been a much needed redemption.
[edit: okay I remembered wrongly. ): Not really Jin Ho's fault...]

Doo Hee
Smart and memorable player, he really was in the running to be one of the best but he was really screwed over by ID cards that were stolen.

Yoo Su Jin
Made an upsetting mistake that costed her game to come to an end, this would have been a great chance for a great redemption.

Kim Gu Ra
A giant player that was targeted from the start, and his group game play was pretty good. Would have been a great to see him back, but nope, it didn't happen.

Kim Jae Kyung
Was at the wrong place, making a wrong decision at the wrong time. Her acting was superb in the first death match in Season 2 and I still can't believe how she fell out with the rest so quick in the second episode. She had much potential to do well.


Such a pity they were not selected instead! haha maybe next time? ><
Alright so as we wait for the show to start, tweet me @raycherr and tell me who you are rooting for? :)
Might be doing a draft on who we support with a friend soon! Stay tuned! (Delayed until further notice haha)

*some of my opinions of the players have changed after watching the previews...

Click here for all posts on The Genius.

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Survivor 30 Finale

Worlds Apart Final Episode and Reunion happened last week!

This season has been one of the more awesome ones in a while! The castaways were truly memorable, even those that were booted before the merge and I had a blast watching this season. I must say that I really think that all of them had potential to be winners/make it far, agreeing with Mike's description of a "Season of gamers". Some complained that the casts were not likeable but I think good TV is when the cast is interesting/controversial. Haha. 

Ohwell, let's get into what I was here for!!! XD 

MIKE HOLLOWAY WON!?!?!?! What???!!! How on Earth did that happen? He was the target ever since Joe was voted out, and he managed to stay all the way till the end? Much respect bro! Well deserved win! I especially like the episode when he demonstrated one of my fave strategic moves this season: Russian Roulette. It was nice to see how he tried to corner the other players. Also, in a way turning into an underdog was somewhat a blessing in disguise. 

And... um... Yep. My first impressions of Mike, anyone? My impressions on who is the best have been pretty spot on! Or... is it the editing? ):

Side note* On the subject of editing, raw footage was shown for the first time ever. Pretty damn cool and revealing. :/

Thanks for such an epic season.
(pretty stoked for the next)



You can find me on Twitter @raycherr
& read other posts of Survivor here

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Heard it through the Grapevine Ep 9, 10, 11, 12 Review

Heard it through the Grapevine A.K.A Heard it as a Rumor A.K.A I heard a Rumor [HITTG]

I'm back with a multiple episodes review! Woohoo!
Alright, to be honest, I felt that episode 9 & 10 didn't have that much going on and decided to watch another 2 episodes before writing about my thoughts. I did a bit of digging around and found out that episode 9&10 had the highest rating thus far in the series?! I'm very surprised! To me, this was not the kind of development that I enjoy as much so to reach an even greater audience in these 2 episodes airing week really bewildered me a little...
Not to say I do not like this drama anymore, but I'm wasn't too impressed hey. I did like the emotional part near the end of episode 9 though. *thumbs up* for the scene where Bom's mum had a conversation with her over the phone after delivering red bean rice cake.

However, the next week's eps (11, 12) were definitely better in my opinion! :) There were way more character development, from Seo Noo Ri (Bom's sister) to Lee Sun Sook (Yeon Hee's secretary). The change in attitude from the Han family was also a game changer in terms of how the story was going to continue. How on earth did the Seo family get connected to others with power? In the meantime, Bom is starting to feel like an outsider to her birth family as she starts to grasp on to Power. :/

Also, something did catch my attention in these episodes. Or should I say someone did?
Yep, Min Joo Young.
Who on earth are you?



Name: Min Joo Young
Specialty: Stalking
Job: Secretary for the 8th level of Hansong
Secret mission: Clear her brother's name + Find dirt on Hansong (?)
Notable Skill: Speaks Mandarin fluently!!! *impressed!

O.O Side note, she looks really young for her real age too!
Her character development in this few episodes was really a huge jump and had a really good edit in my opinion. So curious as to what is going on, as I'm not 100% sure what is her relationship with Hansong and the backstory. I realised I really like her when her colleagues started to doubt her, I was like Noooooo don't get caught! She's not doing nothing! Haha, and her poker face was superb too! :| Looking forward to see her character move forward and make an impact on all their lives.
... I am predicting that In Sang's father will lose the battle in the end... But maybe not? ): (Oh man, I am almost always rooting for the underdog to win, so perhaps I am bias. :/)

Ok, that's all for now, I will be back next week with another review! :)
In the meantime, you can read my previous reviews here.
And feel free to tweet me @raycherr.

P.S Sorry I'm so behind on this drama... *still decides to watch another show, oops

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Heard it through the Grapevine Episode 7 & 8 Review

Heard it through the Grapevine A.K.A Heard it as a Rumor A.K.A I heard a Rumor [HITTG]

Global Perspective! Everything's complicated! This is the truth and nothing can be simple! Or can it? At least In Sang believes that the complicated issues can be tossed aside, life is too short just thinking about the positive things.
\\(◕ฺ ▿ฺ ◕ฺ)// #hero
While I do understand where Bom's coming from when she expressed her frustration of being different and "outcasted" from the rich and powerful, I love how In Sang still has this vision about everything working out. It didn't feel like a fantasy vision that was impossible to me when he said it. Or is it just me, am I becoming too optimistic like him? ); omg Lee Joon is such a good idol actor.

Bom is portrayed as a pretty smart kid (and i use kid here because that is exactly how most people are treating her). She is turning tables around and probably even on her way to fulfilling her dad's dream of her becoming at least a Minister of Justice. However, things are complicated, aren't they? The spider web unravels in these 2 episodes, giving us a look into how different characters are related and what they struggle with/care about most. The episodes also took a turn in storytelling and focused more on the characters and emotions than moving forward in the timeline. So, it was more like branching out than progressing in the story. Pretty refreshing.

The episodes also revolved around generations, virtue, self control and traditions. So basically, they were what some deem as important while others might deem as old fashioned values. However, pride was also another issue brought up and hinted throughout the episode, which I thought held greater significance than the others mention above. Pride was what led to wanting to hold on to what are "good and valuable"; pride was what was stopping some from being "real". Notice how I used quotation marks? While some might think that they are "XXX", it is not exactly Black and White. Yep, haha and this brings us back to complexity. Wow.

Black comedy is all about complexity yea. Looking forward to the next episodes!
Just so I don't back out, I will write here that I will continue to watch and write about my thoughts asap soon (after I finish rewatching Orphan Black! ><)
Tweet me @raycherr, or... read my other posts on Heard it through the Grapevine here ヾ(๑╹◡╹)ﾉ” 감사합니다!

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Heard it through the Grapevine Episode 5 & 6 Review

Heard it through the Grapevine A.K.A Heard it as a Rumor A.K.A I heard a Rumor [HITTG]

Wow, after a few weeks haitus, I am finally back with a short review of Ep 5 and 6... I believe I'm about 10+ episodes behind, ohno!!! ): I really should find time to just binge watch and catchup, shouldn't I? ;)

So... I am so sorry, I became lazy [read: writer's block] and I didn't take any notes for these two episodes. I feel super guilty about it as I don't remember that much details... :/
Actually, it has been a few days since I watched, but I decided that I will still write about what happened since I would love to continue to write about the show, there should be more of a continuity.

Alright, enough of me emoing and giving dumb excuses, back to super cute Han In Sang!!! XD This is actually one of the few korean dramas that I remember the main characters' names well: Seo Bom, Han In Sang and their baby Han Jin Young. The writers must be doing something right. *claps* Now, the next level would be to remember the parents' names.
Now to the story, yes! The young couple registered their marriage officially and practically the whole world knows about it! What?!? That was pretty unexpected, especially with the twitches that the rich parents had for the next few days after the shocking news arrived. Hence, this is a step forward for the young family, congratz! In Sang's female friend(aka his mum's friend's daughter) wasn't too good at hiding her jealously too, and was quite interesting to watch, I wonder if she will start to get in the way of the new couple to break them up somehow, to stir up some trouble? Sounds like a plausible story development to me! :/ Plus there were so many jealous characters after news of the marriage were announced too, its funny! For example, the pregnant lady in the office, she was quite pissed about not having the best nanny in town.
Following, the families had their own worries too. Like rich father and his politics. Bom's sister and her job... :/
Soon after, the couple's parents FINALLY met!!! Having the upper hand, the rich family tried to exert their authority by putting out terms and conditions on the table, trying to force Bom's parents into a corner with money and prospects again. Luckily, In Sang overheard the conversation, ok the entire house heard it hahahahhaha, and he was embarrassed by his parents' lack of real empathy. Justice!
And there you have it, a fight in the big beautiful house as episode 6 came to an end.

Cheers, in the meantime, you can find me on twitter @raycherr as I try to find time to binge watch the drama!

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Writer's Block?

Alright, I'm not exactly a writer, not worthy of this awesome title yet, but I guess I do write about my thoughts on dramas and reality tv... :/

So, recently I started this blog, and I began to write about my opinions and thoughts on different shows, with 2 of them starting out as long term "projects" that I should be writing on at least once a week, namely Survivor Worlds Apart and Heard it through the Grapevine. However, while first impressions got me excited to tell the world how I felt, it started to feel like work after a few episodes passed. ): Once the novelty of writing about the new show I'm watching started to wear off, I had about probably only about a paragraph of things to write about... While I could have dive deeper into each episode and discussed the topics with depth, I just didn't want to take notes and dig at "nothing" or that I just couldn't be bothered to ponder and review them. Perhaps, I just think that I don't have anything worthy of discussion when I only skim the surface, sorry. I just wanted to enjoy the shows and became lazy.
Look at this:

#SurvivorWorldsApart Great impersonation by Rodney; very impressive fake idol; upsetting that Joe is out; is Mike the biggest threat now?
— Rachel (@raycherr) April 16, 2015

): I am embarrassed by how little thought went into that compared to a blog post. But then again, I don't think that entertainment should be work. It should be fun, no? ):
Alright, all play and no work makes Jack a mere toy...
I sincerely apologise to anyone of you reading(if any!) for starting on this journey and then taking a short cut, changing to tweets(I love Twitter, don't get me wrong) after a few episodes.
Sigh, hopefully one day I will get to finish a long term "personal project".

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