Raya celebration meets Gangnam style -- hilarious! Malaysians do seem to have much more fun celebrating hari raya.

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Manipulation Level 5000!!!!

I've been bugging my sister to watch Gaksital (even bribing her with free sushi meals).  Susi, if you're reading this, here's a relatively non-spoiler-heavy clip to whet your appetite.

It shows one of many instances where Kang To exercises his awesome manipulation skills and uses his villain disguise to save the girl. Kang To is known to all Joseon as a terrible traitor who serves the Japanese Imperial Government but at the same time, he's the Gaksital who fights for the rights of Koreans. Could there really be a more intriguing disguise??? It's really just awesome to watch how he plays the villain-hero persona at the same time. Joo Won should get an Oscar.

Here he warns the girl that she and her freedom-fighter-daddy are in danger of being caught by the police while all the time pretending that he's the baddie who's always right on her tail. Also, funny bits by the rest of the cast!

It's so nail-bitingly exciting every week I'm like this @.@, so please, people, get a clue.

The following clips are SPOILER-filled but are here because they are my favourite parts of all of the drama so far, I think. It's the episode that really made me clutch my cheeks and think, "HOW IS THIS DRAMA SO AMAZING."

My old live-blogging comments when watching these parts:

Kang To is GENIUS. He uses his old bastard persona as an EXCELLENT DISGUISE. And makes Shunji totally second guess himself in the best way possible. KANG TO YOU ARE GENIUS AND THE MOST TORTURED HERO EVER.

He's the one in handcuffs and then screams for Goiso and Goiso comes skidding in, only to realize that Kang To in handcuffs, not his boss Shunji, was the one who shouted for him and he was all WHAT THE FFFF. HAHAHAHA.

KANG TO IS BEYOND AWESOME. WILL HE BECOME MY FAVOURITE K-HERO EVER?????? He totally takes charge -- he makes me believe in the whole just DO IT CONFIDENTLY AND EVERYONE WILL BELIEVE YOU'RE RIGHT.

oops, I've fallen for another drama

Apparently, I don't learn.

Been quietly following the Kdrama, Gaksital. I have no coherent words as to how awesome it is. It's about 8 episodes to the end now and it still hasn't disappointed, and has delivered one awesome episode after another.

I have now completely confirmed my weakness for tortured heroes (as if it was ever in doubt?). All the K-dramas I consider good and are in my favourites list (i.e. Iljimae, Princess Man, City Hunter and now, Gaksital) involve a hero tortured to the edge of sanity and then becoming a masked vigilante to avenge against a corrupted government. Ah, I'm so predictable. But really, if Kdrama has a talent, it's torturing their characters. Also, the female lead is usually equally awesome and physically involved in the conspiracy in some way.

I actually started live-blogging while watching because it's that good. I was barely able to contain my fan squeeing. Gaksital is not only possibly becoming my favourite K-drama ever, but really one of my favourite heroes of all time, outside the K-drama sphere. I'll probably dedicate a separate post to the reasons for why and how Gaksital wins -- additionally, I will try to be as objective as possible -- when the whole drama wraps up. I have a feeling this might be one of those things I'll physically force on my friends to watch.




In the meantime, enjoy a SPOILER-filled MV of the OTP (of course there's one! a hero always gets one):

Also, there are gorgeous, gorgeous shots. And people are raving about this incredibly moving scene. Seriously this drama is so nuanced at times, it makes me gasp in awe.

I'm really, really, really, hoping that the ending meets the standard of the drama so far.