KING OF HECK!

[verbminx]

Do you get AZN Television? You know, the new Asian-American channel that used to be the International Channel? If you live in an area of the US where there are a lot of Asian immigrants, and you have cable, you probably get this channel.

If so, you have absolutely no excuse to not be watching King of Hades. (others may stump for Korean dramas Hotelier or Rooftop Room Cat, but my heart belongs to Yan Luo.) It's on three times each day, and one will surely suit your busy schedule.

King of Hades is a Chinese supernatural soap opera. I don't know if it's made in China proper or, say, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, etc. It's pretty low-budget, has about the production values of the average American daytime soap, or of the later episodes of Dr Who. Basically, from what I've caught of it in the three or four episodes I've seen, it's about people who die going on to live and intrigue in the underworld, and their occasional ability to affect the lives of their friends and family who are still living. It's all set sometime way back in some legendary historical period. There is minimal kung-fu, but people do occasionally float around. I don't think Yan Luo, the title character, is actually King of Hades yet* - it seems like he's an up-and-comer in the underworld, with some favor from the Celestial King or something. It seemed like the person in charge of the underworld a few episodes ago was a nasty trickster.

There's a show that's often on just preceding or following KOH, called Legend of Heaven and Earth, which seems to be kind of similar in type, but has slightly better production values and fight scenes. It could be just as addictive. However, it's in either Mandarin with Cantonese subtitles, or vice-versa; this keeps me from watching it, because I just look at the pretty costumes and wonder what the heck is going on. The Powers That Be have seen fit to provide the Mandarin King of Hades with English subtitles. This is good, because I really don't know how you'd be able to figure out that two guys are competing for the title of Top Scholar of China by doing an impromptu poetry slam without them... unless, in fact, you speak Mandarin.

Anyway, the show is crazy fun, and addictive, and melodramatic and silly, so if this sounds appealing to you and you have the opportunity, check it out.

* I actually didn't know that Yan Luo was to become King of Hades, except that the name popped up during a google search I just did. But it IS him they show during the opening credits, and during the last episode I saw set in the underworld, someone else was wearing the same ceremonial costume (as the one he wears in the credits), and making deals, and issuing commands, and that someone was pretty evil. In the handful of episodes I've seen since, Lord Yan seems to be up-and-coming, accruing power and followers.

Comments

[bioproject.livejournal.com]

Also good to catch--NHK radio in japan (they're like the third understandable channel on a cheap world band set) plays japanese radio soap operas. I don't understand the language well enough to get much, but what I get--hilarious.

[aranel.livejournal.com]

I know you turned off comments on the previous post, so I don't mean to be invasive, please feel free to delete. I just wanted to say that I know, through my boyfriend, of a legitimate contract work-at-home thing, which I will probably be doing some of for extra money starting in August or September. The basic requirements are that you be able to do internet research, write clearly, and use Microsoft Office, and be smart and trainable, though having a working knowledge of a foreign language is a definite plus. It's not interesting or creative, but probably better than temp work, and it pays pretty well. It's very flexible in terms of hours but does involve pretty firm deadlines. Let me know if you're interested.

[verbminx.livejournal.com]

Oh, my goodness, yes, interested. I can do all of the above, and I have about four years of high school French (I can't speak it very well but I can usually read most text).

[aranel.livejournal.com]

Okay, obviously I can't promise anything, but it seems like the general policy of the place is to give people a trial and then keep them or not based on how they do (rather than going solely by college degrees or past work credits). Do you have a resume that plays up writing and/or technology-based stuff, that I could pass along?

[verbminx.livejournal.com]

I don't exactly... most of that stuff comes in under my hobbies, anyway. But I can add stuff to my current resume that points up the things they need to know.

[aranel.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, and most of what you'd need to do with the language would be reading, I think. They did have my boyfriend making phone calls in French and (I think) Japanese, but that was only after he'd worked there quite awhile--I don't think it's a basic job requirement.