#eaw episode 11

[becomingabeing]

Current fave show is Extraordinary Attorney Soy Sauce

[thepersona]

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Thoughts on episodes 11-12 (spoilers!)

Check out my midseason review here!

Lots to unpack this week.

First, let's talk about romance. Most dramas with a major romantic storyline have a defining moment (kiss) near the midpoint of the series, and a 'Now what?' phase that tends to mess with the plot towards the finale.

And the 'mess' can manifest in different ways, and it's not a bad thing when handled thoughtfully. The most common I can think of:

The writers give the couple something to disagree on / misunderstand because the honeymoon phase only lasts so long on and off screen.

The writers separate the couple because of a third party (family, love triangle, other).

The writers give the couple something to fix that may not have anything to do with their relationship to give the lovey-dovey stuff a break.

The couple gets boring because the relationship is put on the backburner and the writers are flipping a coin whether to set up a wedding or a breakup. (This is the worst.)

This week's episodes have shown signs of the first three. Don't get me wrong, conflict is necessary in any story, otherwise it wouldn't be interesting and succumb to the fourth point. What I love about the romantic storyline in EAW is that it blends well into Young-woo's overarching struggle to be just another person making her way in the world. It makes so much sense that her inexperience and unintended insensitivity would frustrate Jun-ho, seeing how much effort he puts in to be the best possible boyfriend to her.

Gwang-ho's reaction to seeing them kiss, first comical then slightly dramatic (masterful acting from Jeon Bae-soo btw, you just see the words Taesan and Boston pop in his head through his eyes). His decision regarding Tae Su-mi's offer is still up in the air and we don't really know which way he will lean towards once he officially meets Jun-ho.

I'm waiting to see how this unfolds now that trash boy Kwon Min-woo knows, and the preview for the next episode where it seems more people (Jun-ho's family?) are telling him to find someone else.

Now let's talk about the cases / themes.

I must say I wasn't the biggest fan of the lottery jackpot splitting-turned-divorce case of ep 11 (which really said men ain't sh*t except for the men in Young-woo's life minus KMW). I mean, people fight over money all the time so we are bound to see a money-splitting case more than once, but it was a little weak(?) compared to let's say the three brothers' case. The ruling just felt so unrealistic (though I'm not an expert to say it's impossible) and even a bit rushed just so they can show how the husband did a 180 because of the money.

Then there was the issue of attorney-client privilege. I'm sure if it came down to it, there would be a big issue about Young-woo and Jun-ho visiting the gimbap shop if the husband ever decided to sue. But then he died so that was that.

Overall, I felt that while it wasn't a case for Young-woo to showcase her talent and that's ok, the case was a bit too on-the-nose in driving the theme of how men (yes, it's getting a bit misandrist, I know and that's a problem, too) can drastically change in a relationship and that they are not what they seem (poor Su-yeon deserved a better storyline this week).

I think the biggest misstep in ep 11 was choosing to feature another relationship case. We just came from the massive r*pe case from episode 10 so it is inevitable that the audience would automatically look for and speculate looming similarities between the case and the relationship between the leads. Perhaps to minimize ridiculous suspicions towards Jun-ho, they chose to add Su-yeon's storyline to show that anyone, no matter how well-adapted, could fall victim to betrayal and deceit.

The other theme was about Young-woo's inflexibility with the law, which could have been more central in ep 11 but the writer chose another route. This was mostly used to add funny moments in the episode but it didn't have a very sound resolution because the truck did all the work. And let's talk about that truck for a moment. While I'm happy to see the husband's demise given how abusive he became, the accident in itself was so rushed-deus-ex-machina that I was scratching my head when it happened. It cut the looming divorce case so abruptly. It also gave us a chance to see Jun-ho in hug chair mode and more amazing acting from Park Eun-bin and Kang Tae-oh. However, it cuts directly to him walking her home, saying cute things about the hug chair, and another kiss in full light this time.

My problem isn't with the romance, but the lack of transition between the truck accident and the next scene. Maybe the exchange between Tae Su-mi and Kwon Min-woo could have come right after the accident, then have the romantic scene so it ends on the shot of Young-woo's dad catching them. I'm nitpicking at this point but it definitely contributed to how disjointed the episode felt overall.

Episode 12 had the better case and storytelling. I loved seeing Lee Bong-ryun play the activist Attorney Ryu and the return of Judge Ryu from ep 6. I liked the wrongful termination case and how sexist it could be. The outcome wasn't in favor of the underdog, but it felt more grounded in what actually happens due to legal loopholes that favor big companies.

The character of Attorney Ryu was very enjoyable to watch. Loud, but likeable. On the manipulative side, but knew well enough not to throw Young-woo under the trashy bus driven by Kwon Min-woo. She also has a strong sense of morality, but is willing to play with the gray areas of the law. We may never know how she really got the HR manager's notebook and that's ok. See, this is the kind of good characterization I've been missing since ep 9. And well portrayed at that.

Poor Jung Myung-seok went through a lot in this ep. I certainly hope he isn't fatally ill. Stabbing fugitive aside, it was a bit surprising (but also not surprising) to hear him rant about his interpretation of what attorneys do. It was a strange feeling, I felt a bit disappointed in him as Young-woo's mentor but I agreed with him to an extent. It was a practical take on his job as a corporate lawyer.

Along with the legal opinion statement that Hanbada drafted for the company, this certainly puts Young-woo on the crossroads between the expectations of the law firm and the type of lawyer she wants to be by challenging her understanding of right and wrong. A wonderful link to episode 5 (sunflower vs. letter on the wall) as I thought they had forgotten about that for a moment.

It seems we'll have a Jeju-do episode next week so maybe they'll stumble upon a case there about whales. I do hope they'll expedite the secret-child drama and give Su-yeon something substantial next week. At least let her meet Geurami who already calls her an angel!

That's it. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. See you next Whoa Whoa Wednesday.

[the-fangirl-diaries]

They’re the same picture. XD

[mjfan4life18]

I know that the cast of EAW has said this in many interviews already that they did not expect or think this show, was going to gain such immense popularity as it has. That being said with only 5 episodes left. This is definitely a show that can go on for a few more seasons(maybe 2 or 3 more seasons). I know some might be against that but, there are so many different cases that they can write about.

They can continue to show the ups and downs of Junho and Woo Young Woo dating and the new experiences Young woo learns from dating Junho.

Woo young woo moving out on her own or maybe with her best friend as she always says she is an adult and wants to learn/make mistakes on her own freewill from her Dads support.

Characters like Minwoo are dime dozen so they can have new characters that question Woo Young woo ability as a attorney and try to hinder her that we can hate immensely.😈

They can have a side story arc of romance for woo young woo best friend Dong Geurami or better yet forming a strong friend alliance with Choi Su-Yeon (I would love to see that more honestly) 😂

Also having Woo Gwang-Ho find romance. He has solely lived for his daughter and now that she is dating he doesn't have to worry as much, as he did before and start to slowly ease back out there into the dating world a bit.

I seriously hope there is talk amongst the writer, cast and director about this cause man I would love a season 2 especially with Kang Tae-Oh going to the military for 18 months🥲 just when popularity is kicking off for him do to his performance in this show.

[books-over-flowers]

I want a guy like Jun-Ho si so badly that now I feel sick inside😭😭😭

[thebirdandhersong]

@permanentreverie and other knitting circle ladies following Extraordinary Attorney Woo Young-woo: I am currently (mentally) lying face down on the wooden floors of our new house sobbing uncontrollably. How are y'all doing :)

[clubfluffer]

This is a terribly edited gif but it'll illustrates my feeling re. EAW episode 11 perfectly.

[pagesofkenna]

eaw episode 11 takeaways:

cute

i love suyeon so much and im SO SAD FOR HER i just want her to be happy /cries

CUTE

i love relationship negotiation?? i love learning to be a better partner?? i love silly cute office romance scene???

ah, theres the traditional kdrama 'well that escalated quickly' scene!

youngwoo: did you know this thing about autism

junho: yes actually, i have bothered to do at least a minimal amount of work to learn what life is like for you so i can help make it easier

youngwoo talk to your dad challenge

youngwoo dad talk to your daughter challenge

MINWOO WHAT A HYPOCRITE I am obsessed with this loser!!! this man is a trainwreck happening in slow motion and I cannot stop watching it!!! (i desperately want to interpret that slight look of confusion as him realizing his entire premise is built on a misunderstanding of the situation but lets be real!! this guy couldnt suffer the indignity of admitting he was wrong even to save his career!!)

[aylinaliens]

i had to pause to go somewhere when i was only FIFTEEN MINUTES INTO EPISODE 11 OF EAW so get ready for a spam

[seiten-taisei]

A Seiten-Taisei Rant about the new Saiyuki Blast anime: AKA: Why I’m not as excited about the new anime as I could be

For awhile now I’ve been holding back on posting on tumblr my thoughts on the new anime. I didn’t want to tie my comments to another post, so I have decided to do it’s own post.

Let me be clear, this is why /I’m/ not excited. This post isn’t meant to make anyone else less excited. I’m not here to stomp on someone else’s happiness. You may disagree with me, or you may agree. I welcome comments on the matter.

Because there may be some spoilers, I will put it behind a cut.

Why I’m not excited for the new anime:

There’s not enough content.

I’m getting to this point right away.

As we all know Kazuya Minekura struggles with releasing chapters because of poor health. As of writing this on February 27th, 2017, the last chapter we got was in late October 2016. This is not uncommon. We often see hiatuses that range from a couple months to nearly a year.

We understand, she is ill. That’s not the problem.

My fears first began when we were told we were getting an animated adaption for Blast. At the time we were barely 3 volumes into Blast, and months later we have only gotten about 2 more chapters.

Even if the anime is only 12 episodes there’s not a whole lot of content.

Why is this a problem? Let me take you back to the early 2000s.

Saiyuki Reload had ended and now we were knee deep in Saiyuki Reload Gunlock. The anime had just completed the Against the Stream arc, yet it was still continuing. Curiously, I continued watching. Even a worm was being animated, but there were only about 4-5 chapters released at the time.

We had no idea EaW was going to span nearly 6 volumes.

Apparently neither did the anime, and we got a mess of an animated adaption that many find to be terrible. The art suffered, the boys were off character, and the story was abysmal. So much good character development and amazing reveals were missed out on...

The new anime is coming too soon

Here’s another problem the continues on from the point above. Reload Blast is only getting started. There are a lot of questions that are being raised with each chapter, and the problem is that more than likely many will be unanswered. Maybe this is good to get readers into the manga, but therein lies another problem:

As I said Minekura has health issues and it’s not uncommon to go 2-6 months without a chapter. How will new fans react to that? Will they be accepting and patient as many fans currently are? Or will they drop it once the realize the sporadic schedule?

It would have made more sense to wait close to the end of the manga to generate sales for the entire series. This probably also puts pressure on Minekura to try and release chapters as quickly as possible when she should be focusing on her health. I can’t imagine how stressful this must be for her.

If the latest arc was longer and close to finishing, I can see them adapting that and it would be fine, but the way I see it: The first episode will no doubt be the first ‘arc’, where the guys are introduced and they save a village. This chapter is about 60 pages, 1/3 of a volume. So we’ve already gone through a ton of content leaving only about 2 1/2-1/3 volumes of content left to adapt into 11-12 episodes.

Now maybe they will animate sky burial and a filler episode with body switching. Maybe not. If they do then they can stretch that out a bit. If not? Expect slow pacing or fillers. Something the Saiyuki Anime are plagued with. The other problem? An ending that cuts off suddenly or a ‘gecko ending’, meaning the animation company comes up with a non canonical ending to the arc.

Neither are ideas I’m happy with, but I’m expecting to happen.

The current arc isn’t a good introduction for new readers/watchers

The new arc is good, but not to show to new fans. Why?

A lot of action, not a lot of character development.

Once the guys reach India things start moving fast. Not a bad thing, however it doesn’t allow us time to get to know our boys. The newest arc hasn’t been the best to see our boys’ personalities and their complexities.

Even a worm would have been a fantastic arc to start with. It’s a complex plot thanks to a certain professor who is revealed to be a major instigator in problems our boys must face. Even a Worm had some major character growth, primarily in Goku and Sanzo, but had some very good interactions with Gojyo and Hakkai.

The antagonists, Hazel and Gat, had much more depth than what Gunlock provided and the main villain, Ukoku, is incredibly fearsome.

Plus let’s not forget some of the most anticipated and brutal fights, Seiten Taisei Vs Youkai Hakkai and Ukoku Vs the Sanzo ikkou.

Many people were looking forward to the fights, the reveal of Youkai Hakkai and Ukoku. Sadly it looks like we wont be getting that, even though it would fit quite well into a 26 episode season.

And on to my next point:

Even a worm will, more than likely, never be properly animated

Ever since the Seiten Taisei vs Youkai Hakkai fight I wanted to see this arc animated. Gunlock in no way does this arc justice. It’s obvious that Seiten Taisei is one of my favorite characters, but Even a Worm also shows how incredibly mature Goku has become. Many still think of him as a ‘kid’ who just likes to eat and fight, but he grows up so much in this arc and learns that the problems and solutions of the world aren’t always black and white.

Seeing the character art for Kanzeon and Kougaiji give me little hope that this arc will be animated as they don’t really appear much in Even a Worm but are prominent in Blast.

There have been folks hopeful that it could be adapted into an OVA, but that wouldn’t work as those tend to be 2-4 episodes, no where near the time needed to cover such a massive arc.

Saiyuki Gaiden was 3 episodes (+1 special) that was pulled from 2 volumes. Even a worm is about 6 volumes long. Definitely long enough for at least 13 episodes.

If only the Blast anime is adapted that gives me little hope for Even a Worm. It would be silly to animate Blast, then go back and animate the arc prior to it. Which means it probably will be skipped over.

I have dreamed of Even a Worm being animated for over 10 years, since we saw how much more complex and engaging the plot was. Yes Sanzo left the group in both adaptions, but his motives are made even more clear in the manga. Hazel’s characterization in the anime was horrid, and he was much more charming and interesting in the manga.

All I know is, if Ukoku appears in the new Anime somehow, it’s going to be strange. Nataku’s appearance alone will make little sense unless you’ve read Gaiden. There would have to be something added in to show Goku’s relationship to Nataku, how he’s an amnesiac.

What would have been nice would be a full series reboot done in this new style, from beginning to end. We have so many series and so many different art styles. 

I’m perfectly happy with the new art style, though. I was worried because Minekura’s art is so detailed it’s hard to animate. This looks like a decent style.

Now let me end with this:

If you’re excited for the anime, stay excited. Don’t let my pessimistic attitude derail you from your own happiness and excitement. And I will continue to support the manga and encourage people to watch the new anime (unless it ends up being bad). 

I love this series. I’m incredibly passionate about it. I have met amazing friends thanks to this series. So that’s why I decided to type this all up.

Again, feel free to tell me your thoughts. Or send me a message if you want to comment. 

[everythingaboutwealth-blog]

EAW 11: Tips on Buying & Selling Multifamily with Real Estate Broker Joe LaFleur

In this episode, Dessi and Denny interview commercial real estate broker Joe LaFleur. He has sold over 200 million of commercial real estate. We ask Joe how to work with brokers as a first time buyer, what sellers need to know and ask when getting ready to sell their property. Joe gives us a synopsis on the real estate market and why multifamily is such a great asset to own as an investment. There is some great information on this episode for those getting started and experienced folks as well. Note: The call was recorded in March so the monetary market has changed regarding interest rates since then.

Remember to like and subscribe!

Check out this episode!

[the-fangirl-diaries]

[books-over-flowers]

Everybody is obsessed with Kang Tae-Oh but here I'm wishing a happy ending for this guy.

This scene broke my heart💔