#pre-Code romantic drama

[peggy-elise]

Beautiful Claudette Colbert in The Sign Of The Cross 1932 ⛲️

[autumncottageattic]

Red Dust is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic drama film starring Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, and Mary Astor.

Part I

[moviesiveseenandwanttoremember]

Josef von Sternberg’s “Shanghai Express” February 12, 1932.

[satoshi-mochida]

Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom announced for Switch

Gematsu Source

Publisher eastasiasoft and developer Idea Factory have announced Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom, a remastered compilation of Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms and Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds for Switch. It will launch in 2024.

Both Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms and Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds have already been released for Switch in Japan, and for PS Vita and PC worldwide, but this collection marks the first time the Switch versions will be available in English. This release also includes revisions to improve English localization based on feedback from the fanbase.

Pre-orders for the physical editions will open exclusively via Play-Asia on January 11 at 7:00 a.m. PT / 10:00 a.m. ET. (Save five percent with our one time-use “GEMATSU23” coupon code or multi-use “GEMATSUCOM” coupon code.) The limited edition will include the game, manual, soundtrack CD, art book, sticker sheet, and numbered certificate in a collector’s box. Standard edition copies will also be available for pre-order.

Here is an overview of the collection, via eastasiasoft:

About

Two legendary visual novels come together in Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom, a remastered compilation of Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms and Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds, each among the most beloved entries in the acclaimed Japanese otome series. Players take the role of young heroine Chizuru as she is surrounded by the handsome warriors of the Shinsengumi. As battle ensues, who will emerge victorious and who will claim Chizuru’s heart? Embrace the political and interpersonal drama of feudalism while navigating romantic scenarios and witnessing events inspired by Japanese history, brought to life through beautifully illustrated cutscenes and passionate dialogue sequences. Explore multiple story routes across both epic visual novels, renowned by long-time fans of the series while serving as a standalone jumping-on point for new players. This updated version includes revised text for the best possible experience, making Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom the definitive way for players to enjoy the game!

Key Features

Take the role of a young heroine surrounded by handsome suitors!

Immerse yourself in a feudalistic setting inspired by the rich history of Japan.

Explore two complete otome visual novel adventures and meet an unforgettable cast of characters!

Navigate dramatic dialogue, making decisions for Chizuru to decide story route and love interest.

Enjoy beautifully illustrated cutscenes and unlock CGs in the gallery as you progress!

Watch the opening movie and limited edition trailer below.

Opening Movie

Limited Edition Trailer

[netherese-blorb]

Troubling Thoughts on Wyllstarion from my Wyll Origin Playthrough

I started a new run to fulfill my Wyllstarion fantasies of princely good boy Wyll learning to let loose while teaching manic-pixie-dream-pire Astarion about true love. But I'm near the end of act 1 and as I'm gaining a better understanding of these boys, it's pretty clear that this relationship is going to be bleak.

Putting Wyll in the position of the player character, where he narratively has total agency, but also no pre-determined stances on the events of the story, is oddly perfect for him. My initial read on Wyll was that he's an idealist with a rigidly lawful-good alignment that makes him an easy mark for hucksters. But now I get the sense that, rather than having too strict a moral code, his gullibility ultimately stems from being too weak-willed (no pun intended).

He wants to do the right thing, but other than "self-sacrifice = hero = good", he doesn't have a strong idea of what that means. He doesn't have a clear ideology or divine mandate to guide him like a lot of the other companions do, but he also doesn't have any newfound freedom to embrace like Astarion and Karlach. All he has are fairy tales and an adolescent understanding of his father's politics. His confident bravado thrives when there are innocents to protect and/or villains to slay, but the moment a situation becomes more morally complicated than that, he's totally lost.

It's why Wyll the monster hunter still has dialogue options to immediately offer himself up to Astarion the undead vampire without any real convincing. It's why the drama around Mizora is more about her being an abusive boss he personally has to bear, rather than any larger ethical concern about his work aiding an objectively evil demon's agenda - but also why he's so easily convinced to disobey Mizora and accept Karlach. (Also-also, and this may be a cope on my part, I think it explains why tav/durge has to make the decision for him about selling his soul again in act 3. He truly can't handle it.) There's no need to manipulate a man who's already so desperate to martyr himself, or better yet, to have someone just tell him the right thing to do.

To bring it back to the point, Astarion's seduction is designed to ensnare insecure romantics like Wyll. On top of that, his tortured backstory hits all of Wyll's pain points. The fact that Cazador was operating right under his nose, in his city, while he was off dancing at balls (maybe even with representatives of the Szar family) would send him into a spiral. Did the other nobles know? Did his father know? What more could have been done? It chips away at his reality, and he looks to absolute pinnacle of mental health and stability, Astarion Ancunin, to fill in the gaps.

Even if both of them come into the relationship with the best of intentions, neither are emotionally equipped to move past a victim/savior dynamic. Astarion makes Wyll feel like a hero and Wyll makes Astarion feel safe. No one pushes the other to learn or grow. In act 3, Wyll helps Astarion ascend as a kind of reparation for his suffering, Astarion convinces Wyll to put himself first for once and keep his soul. Even if they rescue Ulder in time, eventually the title will pass down. I don't see this going any other way than ascended!Astarion using his spawn Duke Wyll Ravengard to rule over Baldur's Gate with an iron fist for time eternal.

If my feelings change as I continue the playthrough, I might add some updates, but I'm also interested to hear other's thoughts about this, so feel free to add on!

[gay-otlc]

Stellarlune Recap

You couldn't get your copy of Stellarlune yet? No worries, my summary will give you all of the relevant details and will definitely not be entirely focused on the gay side characters.

Diversity win! The ogre chemical thing is aromantic!

Gisela is still doing evil things but have you considered; she is very sexy while doing them. Gisela is a milf and I will die on this hill.

Amy! Amy is great. Very glad to see her again.

Obligatory scene where Sophie talks about how she's so much more comfortable when she's not wearing a dress. In a very gender confirming cishet way of course.

Fitz's reaction to Keefe running away was BULLSHIT and I do not accept it as canon. He had to care about his boyfriend- uhh, best friend- leaving and fuck Shannon for not giving us the Keefitz angst we deserved.

The Vacker accent sounds haughty :)

Glimmer is called Little Miss Neverseen now, and I think this means we need a Glimmer/Umber Little Miss Perfect songfic.

Shannon doesn't know how to spell bestie.

Linh and Wylie sibling fight??? Man instead of saying shit like that she should have just hit him with a broom like normal siblings.

Rayni is trans, for no reason other than her name reveal sounded exactly like a coming out scene.

Sophie's description of Rayni is incredibly gay, as expected.

Imagine talking about all the flaws with the matchmaking system and not even acknowledging it's messed up gay elves can't get married? Yeah, Shannon just forgot about queerness ig.

Wylie needs to stop being a council stan >:( please Wylie I know this isn't who you really are-

Pyrokinesis continues to be extremely queer coding- the pyrokinesis ban forces people to deny who they are.

Oralie has trichotillomania! Good to see BFRB rep, less good to see it immediately dismissed as a silly quirk.

Unhinged gardener Fintan! He's so weird and I adore him for it.

Pyrokinesis once again is queer coded. "I have the right to be who I am in the privacy of my own home," okay Fintan. that's gay.

Prentice! No actual thoughts. Head empty. Only Prentice.

Why does it actually sound like Kenric is flirting with Prentice though? He outright asked to be Prentice's partner, I cannot.

I will NOT make a joke about how "keeper and probe" sounds like an innuendo and Kenric called Prentice the most talented keeper while flirting with him. I am NOT. I'm better than that.

I'm extremely normal about the Endal family pre-mind break, I'm not crying, you're crying.

FORK MAN SAID THE TITLE???? You know shit gets real when a character says the title.

For many reasons, Ro deserves to be punched. One of those reasons is invalidating Sophie's trich.

Sophie has alexithymia, it's basically canon. The most honest thing she's ever said is admitting she doesn't know what she's feeling, I am blasting her with my alexithymia laser as we speak.

Also I did enjoy Sophie's "do I have a crush" on Keefe crisis. I honestly found it fascinating from an aromantic perspective.

Sophie is probably on the aro spectrum, by the way. I think allo people usually don't struggle so much with identifying whether or not their feelings are romantic.

Tiergan is "adept at misdirection" because he's closeted. Also he's not that good at misdirection, Sophie is just not very observant.

Sophie's description of Biana is so fucking gay I can't.

Marella reminds Fintan of himself?? Canon?? Time to be insane about their dynamic again.

The sweet and sour chicken monologue >>>

Tiergan has to be Sophie and Fitz's marriage counselor. Rip.

Nobody expects the Cognate Inquisition.

Seriously, why did Shannon call it that. She had to know we would all think of the Spanish Inquisition, right? Or did she... not expect that.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT LET'S GO (tiertice chapter)

Qualden will never get a happy ending. That sucks ig

Tiergan all but admitted to being in love with Prentice, they were almost cognates, and Sophie had a live slug reaction. 10/10 scene

Tiergan would rather die than hear about the Fitzphie drama. Also he still doesn't understand ship names. Iconic.

Alden... why do you know so much about the rules regarding cognates and dating... did you perhaps want to date your cognate?

Edaline wins all the mom points.

Alden and Quinlin are canonically divorced.

Tiergan canonically wants to marry Prentice.

HOW did Shannon not know what she was doing when she said cognates were like marriage??? How???

Additional training with Marella, Linh, and Maruca you say? That's gay.

Sophie has advised Wylie to fix every problem with the power of homosexuality.

Also, Sophie is trying to break the news to Wylie that his dads are gay for each other.

Dex is bad at picking up when someone is joking or exaggerating. He's neurodivergent your honor.

Keefe... why are you just taking your shirt off for Tam... he wasted NO time with that damn

I want more Keefe and Grady interactions on screen. For. Science.

Chapter 42. I enjoyed it more than I thought. The kiss was... whatever, but their dialogue was very nice and I appreciated the healthy communication. Also the touching foreheads.

Sophie is canonically polyamorous!

"Tiergan held them [Wylie and Prentice] both" I AM GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT THIS FOR THE REST OF ETERNITY I AM SCREAMING SOBBING THROWING UP THEY LOVE EACH OTHER THEY ARE A FAMILY ETC ETC

Tiergan: Well no one in this group ever fucking listens to me so I might as well stay with my husband >:(

Prentice needs a hug. Tiergan is giving him a hug. Love wins.

Sokeefitz can still happen. I refuse to give up hope.

IT/ITs Masteress Elysian. Elysian has the gender of all time.

If my summary somehow wasn't enough for you, you can read Stellarlune for free here. I gave you all the information you need to know though.

[vintage-every-day]

Joel McCrea and Constance Bennett in a publicity photo for 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝑳𝒂𝒘, a 1931 American pre-Code romantic drama film, directed by Paul L. Stein and produced by Charles R. Rogers.

[peggy-elise]

Fredric March and Norma Shearer in Smilin’ Through 1932 👰🏼‍♀️

[autumncottageattic]

Red Dust is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic drama film starring Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, and Mary Astor.

Part II

[moviesiveseenandwanttoremember]

Josef von Sternberg’s “Blonde Venus” September 16, 1932.

[cantsayidont]

Spring 1941. For sheer noirish atmosphere, no era of Batman stories has yet topped the period of roughly a year and a half between the introduction of Robin in DETECTIVE COMICS #38 and the late 1941 story in which Commissioner Gordon officially deputizes Batman. By this time, the strip was beginning to find its own voice and aesthetic, but it had not yet abandoned the intensity of the character's pulp roots. The material is not always particularly grim or dark, but there's a real sense of madness in some of these stories: Batman and Robin are still outlaws, moving through a macabre underworld of irrational violence and implacable fate, where any real rules are mostly arbitrary. There's also a degree of romance, something that the strip would later abandon for many years. This was the period in which Batman regularly let Catwoman escape him with a kiss and shove, and in which he could still be moved by a pretty girl like Queenie (above), the ill-fated heroine of "The Riddle of the Missing Card!"

This story from BATMAN #5 begins with an explanation of how the Joker survived his apparent demise in his most recent appearance (in the previous issue of BATMAN). Three crooks in a boat find the villain in the harbor and decide to rescue him for their own reasons:

At this point in the series, the Joker was not yet a prankster pulling themed novelty crimes; he was a greedy, homicidal schemer with a gruesome sense of humor. He proposes that they operate a gambling ship just beyond the three-mile limit, where it will be out of the jurisdiction of the police, and suggests that rather than simply fleecing customers at the gaming tables, they also gather information about their guests to identify targets they can rob later.

Reading about the controversial gambling ship, Bruce Wayne decides to pay it a visit in mufti, although while getting ready, he accidentally cuts himself shaving. On the ship, he soon meets Queenie, who's acting as hostess:

Writer Bill Finger often borrowed from the movies for these stories, and the conversation between Bruce and Queenie plays on a popular convention of talkies made in 1930–1934, before the strict enforcement of the Production Code: characters surrounded by libertines who make a romantic connection based on their shared weariness with debauchery and fast living. This particular trope played out many times in pre-Code films, one well-known example being the 1934 crime drama MANHATTAN MELODRAMA, in which former good-time girl Myrna Loy leaves gambler boyfriend Clark Gable for his straight-laced friend William Powell, and adds context to Queenie's reaction to Bruce beyond what's actually on the page.

Bruce then overhears Queenie talking with her confederates and realizes that one of them is the Joker in disguise, which so startles him that gives himself away. To Queenie's dismay, her partners' response is to immediately attempt to murder Bruce:

(Bruce does occasionally smoke in these early stories, although more frequently a pipe than cigarettes.)

Bruce of course survives and later returns in costume with Robin, leading to a fight and a car chase that ends with the Batmobile sailing off a cliff. Robin is captured, and Batman surrenders himself in hopes of freeing his ward, even if it means gambling for Robin's life. However, this gives Queenie a close look at Batman, and the familiar shaving cut on his chin:

As Batman fights the Joker's cohorts Clubsy and Diamond Jack, the Joker decides it's time to cut his losses by sealing the hatches and setting the gambling ship ablaze, intending to kill everyone aboard. Meanwhile, Queenie chooses Batman over her own accomplices:

It's not entirely clear here if Queenie has dropped the gun and Jack has picked it up, or if Jack has a second gun. In any case, Queenie collapses in Batman's arms and dies of her wounds after a final kiss, as seen above. Her statement that she was in love with Bruce is a bit much in context — they really interacted only briefly — but her fate makes an impression, not least because this story is framed as much from her point of view as from Batman's.

Batman and Robin then pursue the Joker by boat through a rainstorm, leading to a final confrontation in a nearby lighthouse that culminates in Robin throwing the Joker to his latest apparent demise:

Note that there's no pretense here of turning the Joker over to the police, and as with some of the men Robin apparently killed in his first appearance, calling this self-defense might be a stretch.

Afterward, Bruce has a reflective moment about Queenie:

While there's no mention of Catwoman in this story, the parallels between Catwoman and Queenie are notable, aside from their physical resemblance. Like Queenie, Catwoman is a criminal, but she still has a conscience, a dangerous commodity in these stories, and one that leaves her vulnerable to more ruthless villains like the Joker. Indeed, in one of her previous appearances (in BATMAN #2), Catwoman had attempted to bargain with the Joker to stop him from killing Robin and was nearly burned alive for her trouble, after which she plunged into the river to an uncertain fate, much as the Joker does here.

In this period, few of the characters had been around long enough to be assured of any script immunity (even the Joker had very nearly been killed off at the end of his second appearance), and it's easy to see this underlying the early flirtation between Batman and Catwoman: Their world is a lawless one of frequent, serious jeopardy, beyond just the whimsy of a dedicated crimefighter being attracted to a pretty thief, and it's probably not coincidental that the frisson of their interactions steadily diminished as Batman and his mise-en-scène became less perilous and more respectable throughout the '40s. By the end of the decade, the Batman series rarely had any meaningful romantic subplots, and it would be years before there was another with any real spark; Batman had grown too staid and his world simply too safe for it to carry the same charge.

[byneddiedingo]

Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett in Me and My Gal (Raoul Walsh, 1932)

Cast: Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, Marion Burns, George Walsh, J. Farrell MacDonald, Noel Madison, Henry B. Walthall, Bert Hanlon, Adrian Morris, George Chandler.��Screenplay: Arthur Kober, Philip Klein, Barry Conners. Cinematography: Arthur C. Miller. Art direction: Gordon Wiles. Film editing: Jack Murray.

Why have I never seen Me and My Gal before? Is it because it's not an easy movie to pigeonhole, being not quite romantic comedy, not quite screwball, and not quite crime drama? Or because it's one of those pre-Code movies that teeter on the edge of seriousness and back off from it in sometimes uncomfortable ways? It starts with an old man about to drown his dog and ends with the police detective protagonist fudging the truth to protect the not entirely innocent. And in between it's wall-to-wall wisecracks, most of them delivered by a never-better Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett, who does the gum-chewing dame as well as anyone, even Joan Blondell. Tracy plays Danny Dolan, a cop whose attitude toward those he's supposed to protect and serve is summed up in his response to someone telling him there's been another bank robbery: "Oh, who'd the bank rob now?" And when told that it was the bank that got robbed, retorts, "Ah, turned the tables on 'em, eh? Smart!" There's also a slapstick drunk, a well-staged bank break-in, and even a parody of the Clark Gable and Norma Shearer movie based on Eugene O'Neill's Strange Interlude (Robert Z. Leonard, 1932), which Dolan remembers as Strange Inner Tube. Much of the credit for turning potential chaos into a thoroughly entertaining movie has to go to Raoul Walsh, one those Hollywood tough-guy directors who seem not to get the recognition they deserve today. 

[ub-sessed]

Death Takes a Holiday is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic drama starring Fredric March, Evelyn Venable and Guy Standing. It is based on the 1924 Italian play La morte in vacanza by Alberto Casella (1891–1957), as adapted in English for Broadway in 1929 by Walter Ferris.

The film was remade by Universal again in 1998 as Meet Joe Black starring Brad Pitt, Claire Forlani and Anthony Hopkins.

[warlordarcher]

The Code

In war there aren't rules, but here there are

Interacting

SEND MEMES, it’s a quick and easy way to start interacting. It can even work as an ice breaker. Whether we never spoke, or we’re RP a while ago, please send memes, I find them very entertaining while working on longer plots!

You can turn any ask into a thread. I don't mind having multiple threads! In fact, I encourage it.

Feel free to bombard my muse with asks, he loves when both you and your muses interact with him, so he will always be happy to receive attention.

I love plotting! Please talk to me to plot something. I’m okay with almost all genres (Angst, fluff, fight, chill, romance, gore, smut, etc…). If you are shy to approach me to talk, send me an ask and I will land in your inbox

Few topics are blacklisted, but I’m not going to role-play anything related to pedophilia, rape, zoophilia, etc … but Gore is fine! (As long as mun and muse are 18+)

Don’t be intimidated by my length of writing! Quality is better than quantity! I always adapt to the way you write, just give me something that allows me to work! (For example: If you give me -hugs them- and nothing more of context, it is almost certain that I will not reply it, because it is not giving me the opportunity to work)

Romance / NSFW

For any romantic / sexual interaction there must be chemical (emotional or physical) first!

Shipping. LOVE SHIPPING. This blog is multiship, so consider each ship in a different AU! My muse isn’t here to play cheating games and stuff, unless we plot something about it, but it will be in the universe of that particular ship. Saying again, think each ship in a different timeline. I won’t ship anything underage or blood ties. Crush is fine!

NSFW. Mun is 25+, all nsfw interactions, both mun and muse must be 18+. I reserve the right to not respond or block if you try to generate nsfw content while are minors. Usually use “Read more”.

You can talk to me if you want our muses to have a pre-established relationship or want to make one.

Disclaimer

Drama-free zone. Please, this’ a hobby or an escape from the daily routine, bitter is life, so I take the liberty of ignoring anyone who approaches with bad intentions

Please have patience if I don’t reply quickly. Sometimes I don’t have time in my real life or I just feel stuck and don’t know how to advance the rp. You can ask me anything! Maybe simply by talking we can follow the course or plot something new.

Sometimes I just don't have time to sit down and reply to threads because real life is consuming me, but I can make quick interactions through memes. That doesn't mean I've thrown away our thread, I'm just waiting to have enough time and motivation to give you a good reply

No Godmodding, don’t take control of my character (unless it’s something basic like moving to a place, to make the rp a little more fluid)

[imsailorpluto]

Island - 아일랜드

thoughts pt xyz, pre-finale

It all started with a few cool gifs on suggested for you page. Then I found the show and watched the first part. Next thing you know, I was reading the old manhwa, it was like discovering oasis in the middle of a desert. At first I was ecstatic but then disappointment hit me and I tried to brush it off. I thought reading manhwa would give me some solid answers regarding drama. Despite the fact it didn't, reading this unfinished masterpiece was extremely enjoyable. There is a new remake of manhwa, which I'm not a big fan of and honestly doubt I'll be finishing it (but you never know, curiosity does wonders if applied constructively).

The thing is, I'm in love with the old graphics of Island. This is it for me. I don't want the reboot. I want the old manhwa to continue where it stopped. That's Island.

If you've meet Pan and Miho through manhwa, then watching the drama might be quite shocking. These two (four??) characters only resemble each other. As a matter of fact, atmospheres these two products bring are not comparable at all. The only consistency that keeps binding manhwa and drama seems to be Johan or John, whatever you want to call him, although even he was wrongfully neglected too many times. He isn't a weak boy who can easily be stopped by someone pulling on his hoodie, and although such depiction does contribute to his cute image, it also contributes to making him look weak. That, he most certainly is not, which is greatly covered by manhwa.

Liking Johan is as easy as breathing. He deserves the world. If that character came to life and asked for anything, my card would fall out of the wallet and start hitting the desk all by itself that instant. No questions asked. The end.

While this isn't an attempt to draw parallels between drama and manhwa, I can't help but think why the writers chose their approach of bringing many tremendous changes. There's so much potential in the story and character development, but that's all. It's just the potential. Miho is regressing as a character as drama continues in pt 2, and so is Pan. And all for the sake of recycling an overused love story.

Just don't mess with the original code if it works, ok?

I can't deal with this pairing. Yes, it was cute at first how Miho and Pan interacted in part 1. They made my heart flutter. It's something about Pan's lack of interest and Miho's character portrayal in part 1 along with her fascination with Pan in those very first episodes that made their dynamics charming. Their toxic interaction tickled my imagination, just like everyone else's. Anticipation of possible romance between these two fit in there perfectly. However, actually going a step further in a way it was executed (in ep 10) feels inconsistent with the previous events.

Can't we have yearning and bond as deep as the sea that isn't romantic? Because their bond was pretty special. She actually needed him to protect her from lust demons. She was desperate at this point. It was either she dies or she hires a "killer" to protect her.

What's wrong with "I'm a half-demon and would kill you but you pay me well so I'm not going to" or "I promised not to let those demons harm you and that alone is the reason I am there for you, don't be fooled". Can't we have a human falling for a half-demon who's been out of touch with his humanity for so long that he doesn't even take Miho's feelings (in development) seriously?

It didn't felt right when Pan pushed Miho's head into the desk in part 1, but something about Miho reaching out to him nonetheless makes all the difference here. That's the point. That's them.

Couldn't writers work more on that toxicity, since that's how their relationship started in the first place? Somehow we got damsel in distress and knight in a shining armor instead, even for a brief moment in ep 10. I love a good romance but the drastic shift from their original selves doesn't sit right with me. Characters went from 2.0 to beta-testing mode.

Appealing to the masses just doesn't seem like a suitable explanation anymore. Someone who is only getting familiar with Island through watching the drama will almost certainly get awfully confused before disappointment hits them, let's keep it real. Wrapping up is rather clumsy and episodes leave impression as if different crews worked separately on filming. Making one slow burner episode in a 12 episode challenge is something most would frown upon. Making more than one slow burner episode while not resolving so many important issues most definitely won't sit right with the audience. Well, it's done. Whether we like it or not.

Then there's Gungtan, a whole mess of a character. Beautiful. Tragic. Broken. Beyond repair. But only on the surface.

While the old manhwa has John in the position of writer's personal punching bag, in drama that special place is reserved for both Pan and Gungtan. Gungtan appears in the remake of manhwa for the first time and his purpose there is killing Pan, apparently. That's as far as I've got, which is really not even half-way through. In drama, however, writers put him through hell and back, for the sake of creating a generic super-villain. It's been implied that his purpose is killing Wonjeong/Miho, but something doesn't feel right about this. Again.

My what will be what now? Honey, can we talk about this? You know I want only what's best for you. Let's have some nice warm tea, I've even baked you your favourite cookies. Let's take a shower, put on some fresh clothes and then we can go to the park and have a little picnic out in the sun. Come on now.

Writers, why couldn't you make a choice on time and stick to it? Why would anyone appreciate this poor and hurried attempt of vilifying? Are we building a complex character who is also a villain? Are we adding some very realistic depths to his character and making him look more human? Or are we making a simple cold-blooded murderer without a proper backstory because there is simply no humanity in him to begin with and therefore this whole narration is useless? What the hell are we doing? We can't do both at once. Because I'm pretty sure accidentally turning him into an actual protagonist of the show in few easy steps cannot be "fixed" by a (useless/pointless) shocking mass murder, preceded by lovey-dovey fabrication pulled out of thin air. Only to bring him back to factory settings from part 1 all over again. I'm taking it as screenwriter's cry for help, nothing more and nothing less. Did that second mass murder even happen? Not in my head it didn't.

Fear of the audience favorizing Gungtan, murderer of the whole religious sect of child abusers, over a forced cliché beauty and a beast love story, between a damsel in distress and a morally enlightened demon-slayer who is half demon himself, is very real. God forbid that happens, of course. Well, it's happening anyways and no cheap trick will stop it. He stole the show, it's done.

We. Love. Gungtan.

May the babygirlification begin. Starting sequence in 3, 2, 1

Leaving manhwa aside, the series had a huge potential to go in so many different directions, without even following original plotline. That's exactly what happened, it went into too many different directions at the same time and ended up being a huge mess difficult to clean up and wrap up. The only thing that makes me cling to it is the genre it represents and what's left of main characters, as each of them has their own well distinguishable charm. I'm loving the series, despite what it turned into.

It's like putting on every piece of clothing you ever looked good in, all at once, at the same time, because, well, you think you'll look even better. And it doesn't work that way. Or buying all the finest ingredients you could find and thinking it will make the food taste heavenly but instead you've got served Rachel Green’s Thanksgiving Trifle, so what do we do now?

All in all, it's easy to conclude even writers got lost in redefining already well defined plotlines, so nobody truly knows what is going on and why. Formulas for success got mixed up pretty badly. Even without taking manhwa in consideration, there's that bitter-sweet taste. Nothing is clear and everything's been mushed. It takes some time for impressions to set, but as time goes by, the less I am happy with the final result.

It's gonna be better next time. Hwaiting!

Pluto's out