Mars, ep. 10-14
Thu, Jul. 10th, 2008 08:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterI think I am now sort of maybe completely and totally obsessed with this drama. As in, I replay bits and reread the manga to see exactly what's been changed and speculate if the drama writers were using the Chinese translation I have (probably) and look forward to watching the next episode all day long. I am not exactly sure how this happened, as I have already read the entire series two or three times and the drama hasn't changed that much, but clearly it's not narrative suspense. Mostly I just want to see more of the characters interacting.
Spoilers through 3/4 of v. 8 of the manga
I'm continuing to absolutely love Barbie Xu's Qi Luo; I think she's slightly less accomodating than the manga version, and there's something about her that feels more solemn and serious. I also really like Vic Zhou's Ling, even though he's not as great acting-wise; Vic Zhou brings a lightness to the part. Overall, I think Qi Luo ends up a little stronger and more certain of herself, while Ling ends up more uncertain, and I really like how that very slightly shifts the balance in the relationship.
The drama has also made some minor changes that have added to the shift. After Qi Luo is angry at Ling for not telling her about his "job" gambling at pool, the manga has Kira apologizing to Rei for losing her temper, whereas the drama has Ling come up to Qi Luo the next day, tell her he couldn't sleep because he can't bear that she's angry with him, and that he got a new job. And you can see Qi Luo's face when he starts; she's still angry at first and doesn't give in until it's clear that he's actually made a change. Also, after he nearly rapes her (more on this later), the manga has him telling her that he won't force her any longer, while the drama actually has him apologizing. I feel having the hero apologize a lot after such an occurence shouldn't be such a big deal, and yet! I also really liked that after Qi Luo's told him about her stepfather and they're at the beach talking, Qi Luo doesn't jump in to make him feel better when he says he can't possibly understand how she feels (in the manga, Kira rushes in to reassure Rei that he'd never be the kind of person to rape someone); instead, Ling tells her that they're both not normal people, that he likes who she is no matter what, and that none of this makes any difference to him.
Mostly, the small changes make it so that the focus stays on Qi Luo and her feelings, rather than having her constantly reassure Ling that he's right or not a bad person or whatnot even when she's the one going through immense emotional trauma. Again, the changes aren't very big, but the cumulative effect changes the characterization just enough.
Anyway, these episodes mostly finished the Saori/Sa Zhi arc, began the Masao arc, and began the Kira rape arc. I continue to boo and hiss at the blatant homophobia in the Masao arc, which is also pretty boring to me, as I am completely unconvinced by a) the idea of intrinsic evil, b) Masao's view of how the world works, and c) Ling's ensuing mental trauma.
And now, the Kira arc. I am always half excited and half unhappy to hit it, as I love that the focus and angst is on the heroine, for once, but I hate how so much of it is handled. Most of all, I would like to whap Ling on the head and tell him that if you suspect that your girlfriend has been sexually abused before, perhaps the best plan of action is NOT to basically reenact the rape to the point that she runs screaming for the door and mentally breaks down. I mean, really! What the hell was he thinking? I'm guessing that Soryo Fuyumi wrote it as a way to push Kira to tell Rei what happened, but honestly, I think she would have if he had just, you know, sat down and talked like normal people do. Alas, this part stays in the drama, although at least he apologizes afterward instead of just saying that he won't force her anymore.
On the other hand, I do wish that the drama hadn't cut Kira's speech on how she, too, is like Masao; I liked having that in the manga as an acknowledgement that women aren't always smiling and forgiving and kind.
I've also just hit the point where her stepfather comes back into the picture, and, um, am very interested to see how the drama handles what happens next.
On another general note, the entire rape story line affects me much, much, much more viscerally in the drama than it does in the manga; having sound and picture together is painful to watch. This isn't a bad thing, just a note on how the media differ. On the other hand, the scenes in which Ling is desperately kissing Qi Luo before she has PTSD flashbacks are, um, really hot. Oh! I forgot! I also really liked the staging in the second one, in which it's very clear that Qi Luo doesn't just initiate the kiss, as in the manga, but she's also the one who deepens the kiss. I love the little moment of hesitation Ling has before he starts really kissing her back and taking over. The manga's got her giving him a kiss on the cheek and a hug, then a shot of his hand reaching out, then a shot of him bending her over in a kiss. It just gives Qi Luo a little more agency, particularly in terms of sexuality, so that there's more a sense that she's also trying to push her own boundaries when it comes to sex, not just Ling always forcing her into things. Also, I'm glad they cut the skinny dipping from the double date, as that always seemed weird to me right after the big Kira revelation scene.
Not that rape survivors have a set list of reactions, but just that Kira in the manga and Qi Luo in the drama both seem to be fairly uncomfortable with nudity, so it feels OOC. That noted, the drama has just cut most of the semi-nude scenes in general, from Rei modeling shirtless for Kira to Masao showing her his scars. I'm really curious to see how they'll handle stuff later on.
Please use <span style="color:#333;background:#333">spoiler text</span> for any further spoilers of the manga! I've read the entire series, but other people may not have.
Spoilers through 3/4 of v. 8 of the manga
I'm continuing to absolutely love Barbie Xu's Qi Luo; I think she's slightly less accomodating than the manga version, and there's something about her that feels more solemn and serious. I also really like Vic Zhou's Ling, even though he's not as great acting-wise; Vic Zhou brings a lightness to the part. Overall, I think Qi Luo ends up a little stronger and more certain of herself, while Ling ends up more uncertain, and I really like how that very slightly shifts the balance in the relationship.
The drama has also made some minor changes that have added to the shift. After Qi Luo is angry at Ling for not telling her about his "job" gambling at pool, the manga has Kira apologizing to Rei for losing her temper, whereas the drama has Ling come up to Qi Luo the next day, tell her he couldn't sleep because he can't bear that she's angry with him, and that he got a new job. And you can see Qi Luo's face when he starts; she's still angry at first and doesn't give in until it's clear that he's actually made a change. Also, after he nearly rapes her (more on this later), the manga has him telling her that he won't force her any longer, while the drama actually has him apologizing. I feel having the hero apologize a lot after such an occurence shouldn't be such a big deal, and yet! I also really liked that after Qi Luo's told him about her stepfather and they're at the beach talking, Qi Luo doesn't jump in to make him feel better when he says he can't possibly understand how she feels (in the manga, Kira rushes in to reassure Rei that he'd never be the kind of person to rape someone); instead, Ling tells her that they're both not normal people, that he likes who she is no matter what, and that none of this makes any difference to him.
Mostly, the small changes make it so that the focus stays on Qi Luo and her feelings, rather than having her constantly reassure Ling that he's right or not a bad person or whatnot even when she's the one going through immense emotional trauma. Again, the changes aren't very big, but the cumulative effect changes the characterization just enough.
Anyway, these episodes mostly finished the Saori/Sa Zhi arc, began the Masao arc, and began the Kira rape arc. I continue to boo and hiss at the blatant homophobia in the Masao arc, which is also pretty boring to me, as I am completely unconvinced by a) the idea of intrinsic evil, b) Masao's view of how the world works, and c) Ling's ensuing mental trauma.
And now, the Kira arc. I am always half excited and half unhappy to hit it, as I love that the focus and angst is on the heroine, for once, but I hate how so much of it is handled. Most of all, I would like to whap Ling on the head and tell him that if you suspect that your girlfriend has been sexually abused before, perhaps the best plan of action is NOT to basically reenact the rape to the point that she runs screaming for the door and mentally breaks down. I mean, really! What the hell was he thinking? I'm guessing that Soryo Fuyumi wrote it as a way to push Kira to tell Rei what happened, but honestly, I think she would have if he had just, you know, sat down and talked like normal people do. Alas, this part stays in the drama, although at least he apologizes afterward instead of just saying that he won't force her anymore.
On the other hand, I do wish that the drama hadn't cut Kira's speech on how she, too, is like Masao; I liked having that in the manga as an acknowledgement that women aren't always smiling and forgiving and kind.
I've also just hit the point where her stepfather comes back into the picture, and, um, am very interested to see how the drama handles what happens next.
On another general note, the entire rape story line affects me much, much, much more viscerally in the drama than it does in the manga; having sound and picture together is painful to watch. This isn't a bad thing, just a note on how the media differ. On the other hand, the scenes in which Ling is desperately kissing Qi Luo before she has PTSD flashbacks are, um, really hot. Oh! I forgot! I also really liked the staging in the second one, in which it's very clear that Qi Luo doesn't just initiate the kiss, as in the manga, but she's also the one who deepens the kiss. I love the little moment of hesitation Ling has before he starts really kissing her back and taking over. The manga's got her giving him a kiss on the cheek and a hug, then a shot of his hand reaching out, then a shot of him bending her over in a kiss. It just gives Qi Luo a little more agency, particularly in terms of sexuality, so that there's more a sense that she's also trying to push her own boundaries when it comes to sex, not just Ling always forcing her into things. Also, I'm glad they cut the skinny dipping from the double date, as that always seemed weird to me right after the big Kira revelation scene.
Not that rape survivors have a set list of reactions, but just that Kira in the manga and Qi Luo in the drama both seem to be fairly uncomfortable with nudity, so it feels OOC. That noted, the drama has just cut most of the semi-nude scenes in general, from Rei modeling shirtless for Kira to Masao showing her his scars. I'm really curious to see how they'll handle stuff later on.
Please use <span style="color:#333;background:#333">spoil
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(no subject)
Fri, Jul. 11th, 2008 01:12 am (UTC)On the other hand, Barbie Xu is so good in this part. She's really good throughout, but man can she break down convincingly.
It's been several years since I first read the manga, and I don't recall ever seriously re-reading it (I've visited parts of it since, probably when I was first watching the drama). I was a little irritated by Kira's reassurances and apologies to Rei. For a while, I put it down to a cultural difference; now, I mostly figure it's a shoujo-ish convention with a bit of her damage mixed in. I do like her better in the drama.
(no subject)
Sat, Jul. 12th, 2008 08:12 am (UTC)