A few months ago Kmuse suggested that I start watching some Filipino movies and dramas with her… Little did I know that after our first post about La Luna Sangre, I would be sucked into this drama.  For the first time ever, I’ve committed to a drama longer than 30 episodes.  Let’s talk about why I’m still watching, what I like about this drama and what drives me nuts.

 

Why I’m still watching:

The Plot

Malia is the Chosen One, the daughter of a vampire and a werewolf, and the prophecy says she will unite the enemy werewolf and vampire clans.  Sounds simple right? Except Malia has to go through many hoops and heartache as she waits for her powers to manifest, and of course, she falls in love with someone who may or may not be an enemy.  We go through every trope in the book along the way, gender-bending, orphans, birth secrets, mommy issues, daddy issues, lots and lots of secrets. Is this a bad thing? No, it’s actually what keeps me watching, even though I sometimes think I need a Bingo card to keep track of what tropes we have left. We have lots of little plot twists that help you forget that they still haven’t resolved half the issues of the prophecy.

Our OTP

Malia and Tristan may be more than they seem on the surface.  Malia’s the New Chosen One and she’s also the Head Guardian Werewolf. She may not have all of her powers, but she’s still a powerful member of her group.  I love that she isn’t afraid to fight and that she doesn’t back down.  Tristan’s character isn’t a wimp either, he’s got his own birth secret that makes him prime to be a leader also. So not only do they have a  pretty solid backstory, these two do long soulful stares like no one else.

Tristan’s Aunt Betty

Tristan’s Aunt Betty is the mom we all want. She has raised him as her child, and her love for him just shines through.  Every time this actress is on the screen I love it, she has an amazing ability to make her emotions seem real. I became really interested in her character and I’m pretty sure the rest of the audience has too since her part seems to have grown. Actually, there are a lot of really good secondary characters in this drama, but Betty is the one I’m rooting for to have her own happily ever after.

What’s Driving Me Nuts:

The special effects are pretty inconsistent with this drama, one minute you’ve got horribly fake fangs, and the next you have some decent CGI wolves.  Suspend your disbelief and don’t look too close at the props.

The hairstyles are killing me.  We went through way too many episodes where Tristan had this funky red clip in number in his hair and half the time you could see the clip.  Malia’s male alter ego hairstyle is even worse, that wig looks like it was found on the side of the road somewhere.

I’m sorry, I can’t stand the character of Prof T.  He’s the leader of the Moonchasers, but no matter how sympathetic they make him, I don’t like him.  His whole “for the greater good” attitude rubs me wrong. I spent a LONG time thinking he was secretly a bad guy, but I think his character is just hardened from all that has happened.  Still, I don’t like him and I don’t trust him fully.  Plus, his fake as all get out, hair, beard, and mustache are as bad as Malia’s old wig. Whoever decided that they had to style him to look like a hipster professor with all that dryer fluff on his face needs to be fired.

When will this drama end?  How many plot twists can we plot twist? 

Ok, so I mentioned above that the plot twists keep this show interesting, and they do. That said, I’m tired of plot twists, I’m ready for the showdown between our Big Baddie Vampire Sandrino, and Malia to take place. I feel like we are on a 10 episode rotation where the story keeps repeating with a plot twist at the end that changes everything and nothing, but it interests me enough that I keep watching.

Should you be watching La Luna Sangre?

I’m going to say yes, I’ve really enjoyed it. This drama actually made me sympathize with a couple of the characters that I swore were evil, and that means that the writing on this drama is really well done.  Just like with any long-running drama, it has its ebb and flow where you are excited and then bored.  I like the paranormal story, it’s Romeo and Juliet with Vampires and Werewolves and who wouldn’t like that? I’m committed to the end on this one, will Tristan and Malia be able to rise above all the obstacles in their way and find true love and happiness? I hope so!

Let me know in the comments if you have any other paranormal dramas that I need to watch. I’ve probably already watched the Korean ones, but I’m open to suggestions in any language.  I’m a big wimp and I don’t do horror, I love paranormal, but no horror.

Until Next Time,

CLKYTTA

Dramas With A Side of Kimchi