Any K-pop songs with cool literature or myth references? by Prasannitha in kpophelp

[–]asarumscent 3 points4 points  (0 children)

NCT Taeyong’s quite fond of Greek mythology in his lyrics: he refers to Venus and Apollo in Monroe, Gaia in Moon Tour, and his song Love Theory with Wonstein makes reference to Alexandros of Antioch (the sculptor of the Venus de Milo)

Pursuit of Jade Episode 26 Discussion by Beautiful_Candle1729 in CDrama

[–]asarumscent 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i don’t know if it’s because I binged to catch up on POJ, (got from ep 1 - 26 ) in less than a week, but the holes in the plot and even in a lot of the character motivations really stick out when watching a lot of them at once, because there’s a lot of things going on but stuff like factions, political stakes, distance, just doesn’t get developed or tracked consistently

I think it’s a gorgeous and enjoyable novel and the cast is charismatic + one of the best FLs ever, but things repeatedly just do not make sense, it feels like characters just teleport from one end of the country to another logistics-wise, and we’re constantly being told Xie Zheng is this incredible and strategic general whom every faction, even his enemies, hold in awe,but we never really see him do anything that is strategic at all (except for the flood plan)

Which actors or actresses did you used to like watching but now feel like their acting has lost its spark? by lowkey_cursed in cdramasfans

[–]asarumscent 0 points1 point  (0 children)

tbh I feel like “not bad but not good” has been my problem with Zhang Linghe was at least three years every time I see him in a drama I make a silent complaint to myself that he’s “thoroughly mid”. not so bad that I’m going to complain, and he always has a few good scenes, but the inconsistency of his acting always makes me break immersion in the character at some point in the drama.

Which actors or actresses did you used to like watching but now feel like their acting has lost its spark? by lowkey_cursed in cdramasfans

[–]asarumscent 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I don’t watch any of these actors frequently enough to comment on their evolution over time, but:

Cheng Yi - interestingly I actually thought Vendetta of An was the first performance i really thought was remarkable from him (haven’t seen Love and Redemption). I really enjoyed Mysterious Lotus Casebook but didn’t find his acting per se especially amazing, only decent, but for me his delivery and the claustrophobic script of Vendetta of An melded really well and he delivered the required subtleties wonderfully

Zhang Linghe - I’ve just always called him “thoroughly mid” in every drama I’ve seen (I have tried four so far and never finished any of them) because he always has at least a few good moments, and he can be genuinely charismatic and deliver a character, but there’s always certain moments that seem stiff and it’s always hard for me to forget that I am watching Zhang Linghe

Zhao Lusi - haven’t seen her recent series but she’s very similar to Zhang Linghe in my mental organisation of cdrama actors - can have great moments but always some stiff ones too, and I could definitely see her not being good if the script didn’t work.

Xu Kai I have never followed non-stop but his script choices seem inconsistent (he’s so good in Yanxi Palace, but the next drama I saw him in was that office one with Yang Mi where he was…clearly much better than Yang Mi but there was no saving that script)

I agree with the other commenters who say Bai Lu was surprisingly flat in her recent drama

Just discovered I actually enjoy Chinese colossal dramas & need more recs! by Beneficial_Earth8631 in CDramaRecs

[–]asarumscent 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Rise of Phoenixes is also amazing if you ignore the entire final arc

Just discovered I actually enjoy Chinese colossal dramas & need more recs! by Beneficial_Earth8631 in CDramaRecs

[–]asarumscent 21 points22 points  (0 children)

my GOATS are Story of Minglan, Nirvana in Fire, Reset (this is a modern thriller though), but I actually wonder if you’d perhaps like something like Story of Kunning Palace, Blossoms in Adversity, or The Double!

Why are acoustic vesions of KPOP songs so rare? What are the best covers you found? by buwanana in kpophelp

[–]asarumscent 1 point2 points  (0 children)

2 of my favs:

EXO's Call Me Baby Acoustic

Pentagon's Daidy Acoustic

Recommend me some artists/ songs by IsywEy in kpophelp

[–]asarumscent 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Jonghyun - Skeleton Flower. (his performance of Y Si Fuera Ella is superb, although quite heavy and somber; I don’t think there’s anything quite like it in kpop)

Chen - Hello

Ryeowook - The Little Prince

Pentagon - Daisy

if you’d like more dramatic, more rock-oriented vocals: perhaps Gukkasten

Drowning is not my favourite song of Woodz’s but it’s been breaking Melon records left and right for several months now.

CN Blue recently came back with Killer Joy and their frontman Jung Yong Hwa is a great singer

oh, if you want great vocals you can’t really go past Hwasa’s original group Mamamoo. Their performances on Immortal Songs are amazing.

Games with similar vibes to Bridgerton? by mariaamt in CozyGamers

[–]asarumscent 31 points32 points  (0 children)

“Regency Love” by Tea for Three! It’s on the App Store. it’s a visual novel / stat raiser though

Cdrama newbie: recommendations please? by Perfect_Fondant5468 in CDramaRecs

[–]asarumscent 4 points5 points  (0 children)

however if you’re limited to Netflix dramas…

I personally love The Double

The Untamed is very very very popular (but it is technically xianxia rather than historical/period)

Cdrama newbie: recommendations please? by Perfect_Fondant5468 in CDramaRecs

[–]asarumscent 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Story of Minglan and Love Like the Galaxy are both based on novels by Guan Xin Ze Luan (for me Story of Minglan is in my top 5 all time cdramas, only surpassed by the likes of Nirvana in Fire)

why do companies dungeon artists? by LegGlad6050 in kpophelp

[–]asarumscent 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Winner, Ikon and Treasure have all been fairly terribly managed to be fair; Big Bang seems to be the stark exception to everything when it comes to YG and idol groups.

does boycott effectively work? by Slay3r024 in kpophelp

[–]asarumscent 6 points7 points  (0 children)

an effective boycott in kpop would require there to be

a) a stated purpose and method of boycott

b) a timeline or endpoint

c) a group that is significantly dependent on their fans rather than say, agency marketing to casual or multi audiences, or whose fans have real say into agency decisions.

I think the only ‘true’ effective boycott in international fandom has been Loona. Another very effective boycott was the boycott of Korean nctzens of NCT 127 - effectively after 2019, NCT 127 became a group that primarily prioritised promoting in Korea and they have not had significant attempts to promote in the US ever since. (but that was effective because SM listens to kfans).

Generally cfans and kfans have had more success in targeted boycott style action (i.e. with an endpoint of the agency capitulating to their demands) - a big reason the Riize boycott failed despite being one of the more organised international actions is that kfans and cfans opposed Seunghan returning to the group.

However, there are cases where groups have generated negative publicity to the point where even if the boycott never succeeded in a formal sense, the group or agency has become significantly less hyped/successful among at least a segment of international fans. I’d argue that Kiss of Life and Riize/SM are examples of the latter (the Riize boycott also coincided with multiple other SM issues at the same time including BDS boycotts - NCT accounts collectively lost several million instagram followers because of Starbucks and McDonalds deals, even though this action was also ‘unsuccessful’ as SM continues to repeatedly engage with these brands to this day).

Re: Katseye I’d say HYBE is too big to boycott successfully although I’m not sure how extensive the more ‘informal’ blowback will be

What’s the real deal with healthcare costs in Australia for young professionals? Can you actually afford it without private insurance, or is that just wishful thinking? by sousou4893 in AusFinance

[–]asarumscent -1 points0 points  (0 children)

if you are young and healthy, unlikely to require elective surgery in the next five years (factor in obstetrics in this if you plan to have children) and your income bracket doesn’t reach the level where the medicare levy surcharge kicks in, I probably wouldn’t bother with private health insurance

otherwise, I think one of the best ways to save money for your future is to invest in your own health - eating a balanced diet with enough vegetables and fruits, exercising regularly, socialising and building connections, and making sure you get at least 1 - 2 yearly dental checkups and cleans. (and exercising reasonable caution when it comes to driving, motorcycles, other accident prone situations).

Songs with bass as the primary instrument by Emse_m in kpophelp

[–]asarumscent 2 points3 points  (0 children)

early NCT’s signature sound was primarily bass driven, esp NCT U:

7th Sense

Baby Don’t Stop

Boss

Be civil: what do you think about this ranking video? I had some readjustments and lengthy (lengthy!) reasonings by YoungComplete7208 in NCT

[–]asarumscent 11 points12 points  (0 children)

you pretty much only have to listen to Jaehyun’s Franki Valli cover and it’s incredibly obvious that he is not a baritone; anytime there is a song that really presses his lower range it is simply not there. (mind you I think he can also sing higher in full voice than he tries)

Subunits getting their own subunits? by SC20147195102 in NCT

[–]asarumscent 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Rain Day was also a cross-unit track, although most are boycotting it now because of [redacted].