Tamra the Island

As some of you may know, cadragongirl and I often watch Asian dramas together. What you may not know, because neither of us has been posting much recently, is that we have been watching Tamra the Island (aka Tamna the Island aka Tempted Again aka Shipwrecked aka How Many Names Does One Drama Need, Anyway?). We watched the last episode this evening. And?

And?

And IT IS F***ING AWESOME.

Even at a stunted 16 episodes (it was supposed to be 20 but was cut back due to low ratings. The DVD director's cut has 21 episodes--apparently they added back stuff they were forced to cut out) it is AMAZING. I'll try not to be too spoilery, but there are some things you really need to know.

It's set on gorgeous 17th-century Jeju Island, where the ladies are hardcore abalone divers and the men... well, they kind of sit around and weave sandals and stuff. There's the bumbling heroine (Beo Jin) who's not so much bumbling as unsuited for diving and who does, in fact, have some useful skills, brains, and a great deal of personal charm. There's the shipwrecked Englishman (William), who's adorable and also a legitimate language genius. There's the deliciously repressed government official (Park Kyu), also known as the Exile, who has a number of unexpected skills (including dirt repulsion). There's the long-suffering sailor (Yan) who babysits William and is perhaps a bit morally questionable (he's one of my favorite characters). There's Beo Jin's little sister, who invents manhwa (the Korean graphic novel).

And then there is BEO JIN'S MOTHER. She's the head diver and she is a BADASS. She doesn't have to hit you. She doesn't have to get in your face. She just has to look at you. NOBODY MESSES WITH HER.

It's a comedy-drama-fusion-saeguk-adorablefest. It's a Korean response to Robinson Crusoe. It's completely engaging. It's gorgeously filmed. The music is often pseudo-Irish that sounds more like Riverdance than anything else (and it totally works). It's adorable (have I mentioned that?). It's hilarious. The first fifteen minutes are terrible and then it is the BEST THING EVER.

I'm going to go cry now because it is over, and then I'm going to re-watch all the best bits and not get any work done. Hopefully some day the 21-episode version will be available online.

SO GOOD. WHY IS IT OVER. I may need to do a proper picspam when this week's craziness is over. OMG SO GOOD.

Tamra the Island

As some of you may know, cadragongirl and I often watch Asian dramas together. What you may not know, because neither of us has been posting much recently, is that we have been watching Tamra the Island (aka Tamna the Island aka Tempted Again aka Shipwrecked aka How Many Names Does One Drama Need, Anyway?). We watched the last episode this evening. And?

And?

And IT IS F***ING AWESOME.

Even at a stunted 16 episodes (it was supposed to be 20 but was cut back due to low ratings. The DVD director's cut has 21 episodes--apparently they added back stuff they were forced to cut out) it is AMAZING. I'll try not to be too spoilery, but there are some things you really need to know.

It's set on gorgeous 17th-century Jeju Island, where the ladies are hardcore abalone divers and the men... well, they kind of sit around and weave sandals and stuff. There's the bumbling heroine (Beo Jin) who's not so much bumbling as unsuited for diving and who does, in fact, have some useful skills, brains, and a great deal of personal charm. There's the shipwrecked Englishman (William), who's adorable and also a legitimate language genius. There's the deliciously repressed government official (Park Kyu), also known as the Exile, who has a number of unexpected skills (including dirt repulsion). There's the long-suffering sailor (Yan) who babysits William and is perhaps a bit morally questionable (he's one of my favorite characters). There's Beo Jin's little sister, who invents manhwa (the Korean graphic novel).

And then there is BEO JIN'S MOTHER. She's the head diver and she is a BADASS. She doesn't have to hit you. She doesn't have to get in your face. She just has to look at you. NOBODY MESSES WITH HER.

It's a comedy-drama-fusion-saeguk-adorablefest. It's a Korean response to Robinson Crusoe. It's completely engaging. It's gorgeously filmed. The music is often pseudo-Irish that sounds more like Riverdance than anything else (and it totally works). It's adorable (have I mentioned that?). It's hilarious. The first fifteen minutes are terrible and then it is the BEST THING EVER.

I'm going to go cry now because it is over, and then I'm going to re-watch all the best bits and not get any work done. Hopefully some day the 21-episode version will be available online.

SO GOOD. WHY IS IT OVER. I may need to do a proper picspam when this week's craziness is over. OMG SO GOOD.