K-Drama Review: The Heirs

I'm on a roll today! This is already my 2nd post of the day because I had quite a hard time signing in in blogger for 2 weeks now. Everytime I want to write something, I can't sign in. Luckily, i was able to today so here I am, uploading all the stuff I was supposed to upload in the last 2 weeks. 

I have actually finished this drama last December since I usually like watching dramas the same time it airs in South Korea. So yeah, this is a long overdue drama review but it's better late than never, right? :)

TITLE: The Heirs/The Inheritors
EPISODES: 20
GENRE: Drama, love story
BROADCASTING NETWORK: SBS
AIRING DATES: October 9 - December 12, 2013
AIRING TIME: Wednesday-Thursday
SYNOPSIS:  
"He Who Wishes To Wear the Crown, Endure Its Weight – The Heirs" 
This is actually a high school drama revolving about the different kinds of heirs in the upper crust society. The drama showed how each class lives & the restrictions & responsibilities that comes with their family's fortune. It also showed how the commoners live day to day. It's full of family, money & love problems.

CASTS: 

Lee Min-ho as Kim Tan
Park Shin-hye as Cha Eun Sang
Kim Woo-bin as Choi Young Do
Choi Jin-hyuk as Kim Won
Krystal Jung [of F(x)] as Lee Bo Na
Kim Ji-won as Yoo Rachel 
Kang Min-hyuk [of CN Blue] as Yoon Chan Young
Kang Ha-neul as Lee Hyo Shin 
  Park Hyung-sik [of ZE:A] as Jo Myung Soo 


MY REVIEW:

I will start my review by saying I am a fan of Lee Min Ho. All of his dramas that I have watched were awesome! He is one of my fave Korean actors because he can act any character from a young innocent boy to a dangerous killer. He can pull off anything so I know he'll do great here, which he did, I love his acting in this drama. Now, I know it's not a good thing to compare all his works but you can't help but have some expectations. That's where my problem began with this drama, I had super high hopes about The Heirs. 

As I've said, the storyline itself is great. It's not unique coz the theme has been used a lot of time (Poor-girl-rich-boy-with-snobbish-parents-meets-in-a-prestigious-school) but it's not always that the focus of the story is the family & personal problems of the rich kids. Also, the setting is  beautiful especially the scenes in California. This drama is full of gorgeous sceneries & amazing outfits.

Another point is that all of the casts are good in acting, even the K-pop singers are great. i have no complaints in the acting department because everyone fit the role they are playing & they were able to portray it with the intensity needed for each scene. I really enjoyed watching them especially Minhyuk & Krystal because they really fit the role. I really think they have a future in the drama industry. Choi Jin Hyuk is always awesome & I'm glad he got another supporting role here. This is my first time watching Kim Woo Bin and I'm surprised that a model turned actor is good. His emotional scenes are really on the spot & full of emotions. Even w/o dialogue you will feel him. This is the 2nd time I've watched Kim Ji Won & I actually liked her role here coz she was able to portray the mean girl aura perfectly. Hyunshik has such a little role and it's a weird one so no comment. Kang Ha neul is okay, but he also don't have enough scenes for me to judge his acting. Overall, even the supporting casts (the parents) are great and believable.

Now, for the lead characters. I have watched Park Shin Hye since You're beautiful until Flowerboy Next Door. I liked her personally because she's really a talented girl, not to mention pretty. All of her dramas that I have watched, I never had any complaints with her acting skills. Even here in The Heirs, her acting is superb. My problem is, she really can't create an on-screen chemistry with his leading men (well, except w/Jang geun Suk). She always looks reserved in romantic scenes & boy can't she kiss. It's always two lips smacked together with the camera moving around and around. I mean, she's not underage anymore & her partners are all great kissers on other dramas, so I'm betting she's the reason why the kisses turned out like that. 

 

* man, what's with the facial expression? just relax those eyebrows please*

I really can't feel any connection with the main couple in this drama. No chemistry at all. I love everything except for their romantic scenes, even the hugs don't feel genuine. Kang Minhyuk & Krystal's scenes are way better coz that one's believable. I'm actually sad for Lee Min Ho especially on the highlight kissing scene inside the closet, he's giving it all but Park Shin Hye can't even show a good expression the whole time. If you watch this drama, do come back & share your thoughts about that scene with me, i'm really curious what you guys think...

That's it! Those are my thoughts on The Heirs. This drama got very high rating both domestically & internationally w/ reason. if you haven't watched it yet, do so because it's worth the time. I really enjoyed it :)

OVER-ALL RATING: 4/5.

Not the best Lee Min Ho drama because of the lack of chemistry with Park Shin Hye but everything else was great! Really a good light high school themed drama for K-drama lovers out there that wants a somewhat romantic comedy w/lots of conflict behind it.

For English subbed videos click here DramaGo.

Note: I don't think I can watch another Park Shin Hye drama after this. I'm so bored in her roles already, no variety anymore :(

Thank you for dropping by! Stay safe :)

Drama Versions: Itazura Na Kiss

Hello everyone! I have decided to start a mini series for my drama reviews. For the last couple of years, a lot of manga/anime have been turned into a live-action drama by many Asian countries and they have been so popular to fans all over the world. There are also famous dramas recreated/adapted by other SEA countries. 

There are actually 3 major South East Asian countries that creates the most popular versions: Japan, Taiwan and South Korea..Asian Drama fans were always on the look out for the next drama to be out every season from these 3 because majority of the time they are really good! 

I am gonna start this series with the manga Itazura Na Kiss by Kaoru Tada because it was the last drama I have reviewed. This is definitely one of the most famous manga ever because aside from having an anime version, it have also been created into a drama 4x already since 1996! I guess the story of an ordinary girl falling in love with a rich handsome bad boy and getting loved in return really attracts a huge audience :)

DISCLAIMER: 
Now, I haven't watched the first live action created by Japan in 1996 so I didn't include that in this comparison review. I have also not read the manga because I'm not fond of the drawing style. BUT I have watched the anime multiple times and since that is very true to the manga, I will base my opinions on the anime rather than the manga.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have first watched the Taiwanese versions IT STARTED WITH A KISS (ISWAK) and its second season THEY KISS AGAIN (TKA) consecutively in 2007. I have watched this because of curiosity...Whenever I search for "best drama" online, the search results always include ISWAK in the top 10. After watching ISWAK, I fell in love with the love story of Zhi Shu and Qiang Xin right after the 2nd episode because Joe Cheng and Ariel Lin are superb actors and they really portrayed their role very well. I got lucky that after I have finished watching ISWAK, TKA begun airing a couple of months after. 

I really believe that this is still the best version out of the 3 I have watched. Since it is made in Taiwan, the romantic scenes were not toned down. You can see the development in the characters from being high schoolers to becoming adults. Even the intensity of the scenes developed from being innocent to more serious and mature. No one would believe that a 20-something year old couple will still kiss like they were still teens right? haha well, I wouldn't even consider a simple meeting of lips a kiss which is so common in Korean dramas.  So yeah, if you are looking for some real love story, this is definitely the version to watch. 

I especially love the fact that the Taiwanese versions consisted of 50 episodes in total (ISWAK 30 + TKA 20) so they were able to showcase a lot of the scenes and the story felt complete and not rushed after the 2 seasons ended. The first one focused on their high school life until their marriage, while Season 2 tackled about their married life. I really think that having 2 lead actors with great on/off screen chemistry is the driving force behind the success of this drama. Fans can really fantasize about these two because they are really close friends and as a fan of the drama you can't help but ship them.

The only gripe I have with this version is the ending of Season 2 wherein Qiang Xin got a terminal eye disease which created a big ? to the viewers on how their story will end. That is so not in the story line because in the anime version, the lead female Kotoko only had pregnancy hypertension and it got resolved too. Also, the manga is actually not finished because the author died so the anime was given the ending that the author wanted so that's why the anime have an ending. I just hope TKA didn't made it more dramatic than necessary.

OVER ALL RATING: 4.5/5 - This is still one of the classics. Everyone should watch this version because all the other versions are so not there yet when it comes to the acting department.

The second version I have watched was the Korean version titled PLAYFUL KISS/MISCHIEVOUS KISS (PK) that aired in 2010. I have reviewed this version here so if you want to read my thoughts on it after I have finished the series 3 years ago, click here.

This Korean version only have 16 episodes and 7 Youtube specials. The drama focused more on their student life and have ended with the early period of their married life. The company then created 7 specials that were released through Youtube to show some events in their married life like the mistaken pregnancy and the difficulties of Oh Hani as a nursing student. Although this drama did not get a high rating in Korea, it did have a lot of international fans and so the company decided to just focused on their international viewers thus the creation of the Youtube channel. I don't have a problem with that and I'm glad for those special episodes. I also loved the Baek Seung Jo Diary part because it showed the emotions and thoughts of Seung Jo throughout the drama. That special touch is what made this version so special.

On the acting, I liked Oh Hani compared to Qiang Xin because she is not too dumb in this version. Jung So Min were able to portray the role of idiot-innocent Oh Hani without becoming irritating which sometimes happens to ISWAK.
My problem lies with Kim Hyun Joong, actually. I love him but his acting here is kinda lacking. He can't really portray the role properly, in my opinion, because I did not feel any of the emotion needed on his dialogues and expressions. Example, the rain kiss is supposed to be the highlight of the whole drama and the timing was so off during the dialogue delivery. Just watch Episode 13 and you'll know what I mean. BUT its is not too bad that it was unbearable and I was still able to enjoy the drama and I can still watch it over and over just because Jung So Min were able to carry him with her great acting.

Saying all that, I still want to give credit to Hyun Joong and Jung So Min because theirs was still a real kiss and it made the whole love story believable. Their rain kiss and the honeymoon scenes were so sweet that you will still feel giddy after watching it.

OVER ALL RATING: 4/5 - This drama gave a more subdued and innocent kind of feel to the story. This is best watched by teens because event he kisses here are mild and sweet. I guess they are really aiming to show the innocence of a first love. The added Baek Seung Jo Diary for all the episodes is what really made this whole drama a must see for Itazura Na Kiss fans :)

And lastly and the most latest version of Itazura Na Kiss is the 2013 Japanese version Misschievous Kiss: Love In Tokyo. I have just reviewed this so if you want to read my detailed review of this drama, just click here.

My main comment to this one is that Love In Tokyo is definitely the most true to the anime among all 3 versions I have watched. The whole thing is really like watching a live action of the anime because even the emotions portrayed are the same and that's not counting the similarities in dialogue. If you have watched the anime, you will definitely agree with me.

I also liked the fact that they were able to make this drama really concise and smooth flowing without making it feel incomplete. Even though they did not include all the conflicts in the story, the director was still able to create a good live action with just 16 episodes. And by ending this with the wedding ceremony, it gave a good opening for a second season or an OVA to show their married life in the future (which I hope they do have a plan haha).

I also think Furukawa was able to portray Naoki's character perfectly and that Kotoko here is the best among the 3 versions. Their rain kiss is perfect and I really really love the towel scene right after. I hope I can find a clip for that scene to show you. It was so romantic.
 

The only disadvantage I guess is that in real life Furukawa and Miki have a 10 year difference in age so fans can't really ship the two that much. And since Miki is only 16 y/o, they can't really have a heavier kiss or dialogue. Maybe that's the reason why they haven't done the marriage life yet because she is still underage hehe.

OVERALL RATING: 5/5 - I so love this version! True adaptation from the anime and I really hope they will create a season 2 and end it the same way.

And for all the fans of the 3 drama, I really recommend you all watch ITAZURA NA KISS anime version if you haven't already. You will know the real story from the moment they met to the time where they already have a child. No need to imagine what their life would be like anymore because they really wrapped the story up very nicely by following what the author has planned before she died.
Once you've watched this, you will see that Love in Tokyo is the nearest live action version :)  


GALE AWARDS this based on my opinion and preference

STAYING TRUE TO THE STORY
Love In Tokyo

MOST MEMORABLE VERSION
It Started With A Kiss/ They Kiss Again

MOST ROMANTIC VERSION
It Started With A Kiss/ They Kiss Again

BEST IN ACTING 
Naoki: Joe Cheng (It Started With A Kiss/They Kiss Again)
Kotoko: Ariel Lin  (It Started With A Kiss/They Kiss Again)

BEST IN ON-SCREEN CHEMISTRY
Joe Cheng and Ariel Lin 

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE of Characters that I think matched the drawing
Naoki: Yuki Furukawa (Love In Tokyo)
Kotoko: Jung So Min (Playful Kiss)




That's it! Watch out for more Drama Versions post in the future. 


Thank you for dropping by my blog :)

 

JDrama Review: Itazura Na Kiss Love In Tokyo

The Japanese drama Itazura Na Kiss: Love In Tokyo ended its run this Friday and I have already watched the English subbed video last night. I'm so thankful to Drama Fever for the fast subbing and for Good Drama for uploading it.

I'm not sure if you know this but I really love the story of Itazura Na Kiss. Although I haven't read the manga yet because I'm not fond of the drawing style, I did watch the anime and have loved it. I have also watched the different live action versions: the Taiwanese, It Started with a Kiss/They Kiss Again, and the Korean, Playful Kiss. Japan have made the first live action version in 1996 but I didn't watch it so this remake is my first Japanese version. I will definitely make a comparison review next week to compare all 3 versions to the anime so watch out for that :)

TITLE: Itazura Na Kiss
EPISODES: 16
GENRE: Romantic Comedy
BROADCAST NETWORK: Fuji TV

AIRING PERIOD: March 29 - July 19, 2013

AIRING TIME: every Friday
PLOT:
During the high school entrance ceremony, Aihara Kotoko from Class F had experienced love at first sight with the handsome boy from Class A named Irie Naoki. Kotoko loved him from a far for some time but when she got enough courage to express her feelings to Naoki, he rejected her.publicly.
One day after that event, Kotoko's house got destroyed because a meteorite hit it. This event resulted to them living with her father's best friend's house which in turn is where Naoki lives.

CAST:
Honoka Miki as Aihara Kototko
Yuki Furukawa as Irie Naoki
Yuki Yamada as Ikezawa Kinnuske


MY REVIEW:

This is definitely one of the best version that I've watched because it really followed the original storyline. I really liked how they showed the innocence of first love that the story is asking for. I also commend the director of Love In Tokyo for the scenes he chose to include in the drama. This story have a lot of highlights and events and for the director to be able to include only a few but still be able to make the story feel complete is really an achievement. 
 
I liked the way Aihara Kotoko is portrayed in this version the best because they did not exaggerate her stupidity like with the others. She is still stupid but it's just the right amount of stupidity that is actually believable and is not irritating to see. Although the acting of Honoka Miki is just okay for me, nothing extraordinary to make her memorable.

Going to the lead male, Yuki Furukawa, now that's a definite hit for me. He was able to portray the cold hearted Irie Naoki very well without sounding monotonous. I really liked his way of acting and it fits perfectly with the anime Naoki very well. I especially love how he can show his emotions for Kotoko with just his expression.

Another good casting is Yuki Yamada because his version of Kinnuske is perfect. No exaggerated actions and words needed because his expression can say it all. His portrayal is my favorite among the 3 versions I've watched.

I love how concise the story is and they were able to fit everything into 16 episodes. They just chose to include scenes that have a direct impact on the story itself and removed "fillers" like the scenes about other people liking the main characters and making them jealous. I think the way they ended this drama is perfect because it is just right if they ever will create a season 2 which I hope they would do. I personally think that the married life of Naoki and Kotoko is much more exciting than their student days just because we can actually see the change in Naoki and their relationship.


OVER-ALL RATING: 5/5

I really love this version! It still made me fall for them even though I already know the whole premise of the story. My favorite part is the finale. I just love the rain-kiss and the confirmation of feelings scene the best. If you are a fan of Itazura Na Kiss, I really urge you to watch this version because you will definitely appreciate the purity of the story. 


Watch out for my comparison review for all 3 versions plus the anime too.

To watch the ENGLISH SUBBED VIDEOS, just click the link :)


Thank you for dropping by!

KDrama Review: Flowerboy Ramyun Shop

I had finished watching another Kdrama and I am really digging tvN right now. I have learned to watch cable TV Korean dramas because they are a little less restricted and will most definitely have a better approach to the story :)

TITLE: Flowerboy Ramyun Shop / Flowerboy Ramen Shop
EPISODES: 16
GENRE: Comedy, Love Story
BROADCASTING NETWORK: tvN
BROADCAST PERIOD: October 31-December 20, 2011
AIRING TIME: Monday-Tuesday
PLOT SUMMARY:
Yang Eun Bi is a 25 year old college student preparing for her civil service exam so that she can become a PE high school teacher. She encounters Cha Chi Soo, the arrogant son of the biggest food conglomerate in Korea. Both of them end up working at a ramyun shop run by the lazy Choi Kang Hyuk.


*source of info: drama wiki*

CASTS:
Jung Il woo as Cha Chi Soo
Lee Chung Ah as Yang Eun Bi
Lee Ki Woo as Choi Kang Hyuk
Park Min Woo as Kim Ba Wool
Jo Yoon Woo as Woo Hyun Woo

* for the list of the complete cast click here*


MY THOUGHTS:

OMG! I love this drama! I think I have re-watched this so many time within this week especially my fave scenes. It's so funny and there are some scenes that are really so romantic and "nakakakilig". I know this is not a new drama but I just got attracted to it after watching one episode from a re-run at tvN last weekend. And I don't think I will forget that Kimchi Kiss scene because it's so memorable especially if you will put it beside other dramas in that genre. Even without me knowing the premise of the story and even though it's just that scene that I saw, I got so attracted to it that I went ahead and watched the whole drama in 2 days :)

*the KIMCHI KISS*

This drama is also full of handsome young men and it's really an eye candy even to me who is already 27 y/o haha. I also love how they made them have something quirky in their personality just so they won't appear too perfect and unrealistic. I really would like to give a shout out for the casting director because ALL the cast have done a great job in portraying their parts on top of their good looks which I'm pretty sure is the main criteria why they became part of the cast hehe.

The storyline itself is not that unique (a high school student falling in love with his teacher), but the way they portrayed that is what made Flowerboy Ramyun Shop special. The way they showed how Cha Chi Soo's emotions developed and how he became more mature towards the end is what made it meaningful. Also, Yang Eun Bi is not your typical girl either which is why the whole drama became so fun to watch. She really have a temper  and a very unique charm that attracts guys to her.

I don't want to give out a lot of details as to not give spoilers to those of you who haven't watched the drama, so this is my last one. This drama contains two of the best kiss scenes ever! Jung Il woo really knows how to kiss and he do it so manly that it will make your knees weak if you're the girl he did that to. If you searched in Google and at Youtube "best Korean drama kisses", his kisses here at Flowerboy Ramyun Shop will definitely be included in the top 5 hehe. And having an actress that responds well to the kiss is also one of the major points this drama have. And that is one of the reason why cable TV drama is special because kissing scenes doesn't become a peck with the girl's eyes open and lips not moving with the camera going merry go round LOL.

OVER-ALL RATING: 5/5

I really can't find anything I don't like in this drama. I really really enjoyed it! This is definitely in my drama list that I will re-watch often and still get the same giddy feeling every time. Definitely a must-see drama if you love Asian dramas like me.

To watch the English subbed videos of this drama, go to DRAMAFANS website or click the link below.

FLOWERBOY RAMYUN SHOP

Thanks for dropping by!

Pinoy TV Review: Be Careful With My Heart

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope all of you are having a great week so far. Me, not so much as I have a nasty cold and it's hard to breathe so I stayed indoors and just watched videos online. And whenever I'm home during the weekdays, I make sure I watch Be Careful With My Heart (BCWMH) at ABS-CBN :)


TITLE: Be Careful With My Heart
GENRE: Comedy, Love Story, Family
EPISODES: ongoing (started airing in July 9, 2012)
AIRING TIME: 11:45am Monday-Friday
BROADCASTING NETWORK: ABS-CBN

PLOT:
This is a story about a simple girl MAYA DELA ROSA (Jodi Sta. Maria) who journeys to the big city to follow her dreams to become a flight stewardess to help her family. She would allow no one to stop her, not even the handsome, wealthy widower RICHARD LIM (Richard Yap), who threatens to ruin her dreams. Ironically, Richard is her last hope in reaching her dreams because of his influence in the Airline Industry and he will only help Maya if she agrees to become his children's temporary nanny.

click here for the wikipedia complete info 


MY THOUGHTS:
First things first before I say anything else, I wanted to inform you all that I don't typically watch Filipino TV shows and dramas. To tell you guys honestly, I kind of hate them because a lot of these dramas are so long (because of repetitive conflicts) with stereotyped problems and aggravating characters. I'm not saying ALL but A LOT of these dramas. Since time immemorial, the story always evolve around the topic of "poor vs rich" and "family conflict" things which I know is the most popular but to put so many unnecessary twists with it is arrgh! So just to spare myself some irritations, I tend to just spend my time watching other Asian dramas like Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese because every episode will contain something vital and you know that the drama will just run for 20 episodes or less so it won't have a chance to put weird story line most of the time. 

That said, you might say, "why do you watch Be Careful With My Heart if you don't like Filipino dramas?" 
My answer to that is simple: This drama has a very light storyline and only have a few conflicts. This doesn't even have "kontrabidas" (enemies) to begin with hehe and that's a unique aspect by itself and I guess this is what made the drama popular for all ages and gender. 

BCWMH aims to show its audience the fun and positive life of a simple Filipino family regardless of the social standing. They also reenacts the different Filipino values that everyone should have (that a lot of kids didn't do anymore, which is sad) such as always showing respect to adults, saying "po" and "opo", pag-mamano, and even the proper way of courting a girl which is asking for permission to the parents. The conflicts are also the common problems encountered for such age group such as "puppy love" problems and school for the teenagers, jealousy, coping with a death in the family, kids coping with the fact that their father is inlove again after the death of their mom, workaholic parents, OFW in the family, working student, etc just to name a few.  My brother even watches this because according to him, it's nicer to laugh than to cry in every episode which I agree 100% with.

According to ABS-CBN, they still don't know how and when they will end this drama because a lot of people are still watching and they have decided that as long as the ratings are okay, they will continue with the show. I also have read an article about the writers of the show having a hard time because according to them, "...it's so hard to stay positive...and to think of events that happens everyday to anyone..."   For me, I would actually like for the show to continue and for it to end with a "happily ever after" moment for everyone.

OVERALL, I'm giving this show 4.5/5. 

The casts did a great job in acting out their roles and I really salute the casting director because he chose them very well. I gave this a minus 0.5 because even though the acting is good, the way the writers wrote Richard Lim's dialogue is a little off. I don't know why Sir Chief always talks in English and then Maya talks in Tagalog. It's really weird to converse like that don't you think? Luckily for them, it works haha. But aside from that, I really enjoyed BCWMH and I will continue to watch the show at iwantv.com.ph.

To watch Be Careful With My Heart online, click here. There's also a rewind every Saturday morning at Channel 2.

What about you? Have you watched this show? Share your thoughts below and let's chat :)


Thanks for dropping by! 

Review: We Got Married Global Edition

Happy Thursday! 

Are you a fan of We Got Married? I am! I have been watching this show since Season 1 (2008) and although I don't like and watch every couple, I still enjoyed seeing the show. It is currently on its 4th season and although I love the new concept of a WGM Village, this season have been hit hard because of controversies and stuff so the first 3 couples were changed consecutively and replaced with new ones. MBC then tried their hand to make an international We Got Married (because there are a lot of foreign fans) so they created a Global Version wherein they made couples from Korea, Taiwan and Japan and it gets aired to many countries through the cable channels. Locally, it is aired through Animax but since I don't have an Animax channel in our cable subscription I just watched it online at WonderfulGeneration :)

THE COUPLES

Ok Taecyeon - rapper of Korean group 2PM (24y/o)
Gui Gui / Emma Wu - an actress from Taiwan (23y/o)

Lee Hong Ki - lead singer of Korean band FT Island (23y/o)
Fujii Mina - an actress from Japan (24y/o)


MY THOUGHTS:

I actually liked the concept of pairing a Korean singer and an actress from another country because it gave more dimension and opportunities for a story. They have different culture, working environment and views so you can really see how they adjust with each other. I also liked the fact that both couples were of marrying age because that's sometimes the problem with the Korean WGM -- They pair up very young idols (20-21 y/o) so it's not really realistic and viewers see them as "dating" instead of "married" which is what the show is supposed to be about. Anyway, there's no problem with the maturity too and viewers can enjoy the scenes without any awkward situations regarding skinship between the couple. They actually looked relaxed with each other and they progressed naturally throughout the episodes. The difference in language is also interesting to watch. Taecyeon and Gui Gui usually talks in English while Hong Ki and Mina talks in Korean and Japanese since both know how. The locations shown were also awesome! They were so beautiful and postcard perfect which added a more romantic feel to everything. Perfect backdrop :)

I only have two gripes about this Global Edition of We Got Married:
(1) This feels so scripted compared to the Korean version. Every scene and action lacks emotions and it felt forced. It's like the director said we should do this so I'll do this and your reaction will be this...that kind of feeling, you know what I mean? I guess because they don't meet regularly (like in the Korean version where they meet 2x a week to shoot) and doesn't communicate outside of shooting (they live in different countries), they lack the real feeling and it shows during filming. The language barrier, I believe, is a factor too which is very evident with Taecyeon and Gui Gui. Her English is not that good and she doesn't understand Korean that well so Taecyeon needs to talk very slowly in English as if talking to a kid. It made their relationship more like a father-daughter haha.

(2) This whole show is like one big advertisement for Samsung LOL! Really! After only one episode, I noticed it already and as I watch the following episodes it got more obvious. The cellphones are Galaxy Note 2, they uses Galaxy 10.1 tablets, they use smart TV and the most used is the galaxy camera and printer. It's like they kept on advertising every latest gadget Samsung is offering in the market.They even show and talk about the features of each gadget :(


OVER-ALL RATING: 3.5/5

I love the concept and the places shown but I still prefer the original We Got Married because this felt so scripted and there's too much screen time spent on promoting Samsung products. I started watching this for Taecyeon but I liked to watch Fujii Mina now because she and Hongki gives a more realistic couple feeling.


If you want to watch English Subbed episodes of We Got Married Global, just click the links below. Enjoy! :) 

Ok Taecyeon and Gui Gui

Lee Hong Ki and Fujii Mina

Thanks for dropping by!

Drama Review: Flower Boy Next Door

Happy Friday! ~

Flower Boy Next Door has just aired its last episode this week and here's what I think about the drama :)

TITLE: Flower Boy Next Door
EPISODES: 16
GENRE: Romantic Comedy
BROADCASTING NETWORK: tvN
AIRING TIME: Monday - Tuesday
BROADCAST PERIOD: January 7 - February 26
SYNOPSIS:
A romantic comedy about a girl named Go Dok Mi who locks her self in her ′tower′ from the world, is caught spying on the man living next door by Enrique Geum.
Enrique Geum is a genius creative director, who is good-looking, stylish and bohemian and can′t get enough of soccer. He will form a love line with Go Dok Mi.
Go Dok Mi is a ′city Rapunzel′ who never ventures outdoors, yet has her own set of charms that makes men go weak.

*Source: dramawiki

CAST:
Park Shin Hye as Go Dok Mi
Yoon Shi Yoon as Enrique Geum
Kim Ji Hoon - Oh Jin Rak/Oh Jae Won
Park Soo Jin as Cha Do Hwi

*for complete cast click here 


MY REVIEW:
I'll make this review short and sweet because I have already posted a "drama highlight" for it last month so go ahead and read it here. 

Anyway, my final verdict for the Flower Boy Next Door is...it's super entertaining! It definitely has a feeling of a fairytale (something like a princess that doesn't go out her castle and just looks out her window every now and then) but in a modern setting because it is at present. The storyline is kinda cliche and predictable but it is entertaining to watch so I didn't actually mind hehe. I'm a sucker for romantic comedy and I prefer watching dramas that have these kinds of flow rather than the heavy crying so I know that I'll get hooked to this one since episode 1.

Park Shin Hye is one of my favorite Korean actress and aside from her, I don't know any one in this drama hehe BUT I did get to like Yoon Shi Yoon because he really played his part very well and he matched Shin Hye perfectly with regards to acting skills. Sadly, I don't actually ship them and I didn't get a romantic vibe for them even though they have a love line in this drama but that's just because I still believe she is best paired with either Jang Geun Suk or Yonghwa. Maybe it's also because their relationship started more as a noona and a dongsaeng compared to lovers so I was unable to switch gear and see them as a couple. But regardless, I still enjoyed it and I liked how it ended with both of them living happily :)

If you want a light story and have lots of fun while watching, definitely check out this drama. 

OVER-ALL RATING: 4/5

I love everything! I just hope I was able to get a more romantic feel from the main characters. I know they can't be real couples in reality but I was hoping for something like the feeling with Lee Min Ho and Kim Hee Sun in Faith wherein you can feel their chemistry and "love" on-screen even though Hee Sun already have a husband in real life. I guess Yoon Shi Yoon still needs to develop those techniques in acting since he's still young.


Thanks for dropping by!

Drama Review: Love Rain

Happy Thursday! 

I have watched Love Rain in 3 days and I'm so happy I did! It's really hard to stop watching the next episode even if you're so sleepy already haha :)

TITLE: Love Rain
EPISODES: 20
GENRE: Love Story, MeloDrama
BROADCAST NETWORK: KBS2
BROADCAST PERIOD: March 26 - May 29, 2012
AIRING TIME: Monday - Tuesday
SYNOPSIS:
"Love Rain" depicts a 1970's pure love and a love from the present day at the same time. It shows how the children of a previous ill-fated couple, who met in the 1970s, managed to meet and fall in love. Seo In Ha and Kim Yoon Hee, an art student and a shy beauty, met and fell in love with each other during college in the 1970s but unfortunately their love was fated to never be. Now in the present 21st century Korea, Seo In Ha's son, Seo Joon (a liberal photographer) meets and falls in with the daughter of Kim Yoon Hee, Jung Ha Na, a cheerful and energetic girl who's personality is different from her mother's. Will their love for each other keep them together or will they have to face the same fate as their parents?

*source: drama wiki*

CAST:
Jang Geun Suk as Seo Joon (present) / Seo In Ha (1970s)
Im Yoona of SNSD as Jung Ha Na (present) / Kim Yoon Hee (1970s)
Jung Jin Young as Seo In Ha (present)
Lee Mi Sook as Kim Yoon Hee (present)
Yoo Hye Ri as Baek Hye Jung (present)

*For the rest of the cast, click here.

ENGLISH SUBBED VIDEOS here

MY REVIEW:

This drama actually started quite slow. It was kinda dragging in the first 4 episodes wherein they showed the love story of Seo In Ha and Kim Yoon Hee during their college years (1970s). This part is kind of cliche in my opinion and a little boring but it kept me going still because you can really understand the intensity of their love and the why's why there are a lot of conflicts at the present.

I love how they recreated the 1970s because it was really believable. From the lighting and colors of the film, the costumes and the background. I also enjoyed the contrast of the characters as if they really lived at that era. The take on friendship and love is really something I want to commend the writer for.

Going forward, if you wanted to watch the present only, skip to Episode 5 where their children have met. I love how the director separated the past and present characters even though they were acted by the same person. The color and tone of their personality really showed the difference.

Seo In Ha's son Seo Joon is a famous photographer who is a eclectic and temperamental while Kim Yoon Hee's daughter Jung Ha Na is a gardener who is always cheerful and always smiling.They have different personalities and interests so they really clashed when they first met. Their relationship developed quite normally and I am glad that it never was a love at first sight. This is really believable because it can happen in real life.

Jang Geun Suk is really a great actor. I am a fan since You're Beautiful and I have always watched his drama ever since. Love Rain is a nice break for him because he is not a musician in this drama. He have done 3 consecutive dramas wherein he is a singer so I am quite happy to see him portray a different role. I can't wait for his next work and I hope it's with a great actress who can can kiss him with the same intensity like Park Shin Hye in their Etude House commercial years ago :)

This is the first time I have seen Yoona acting so I was quite impressed how good she was. I think she did a good job with her role and it really fit her personality. I also liked the fact that she is not a wooden statue during their kissing scenes. Jang Geun Suk kisses well and I'm happy Yoona had done a great job. She were able to show the difference on how an innocent girl reacts when kissed for the time and when they are already dating for a long time. Great job Yoona and I will definitely watch your next drama.

I really love the ending! Seriously, I hope all melodrama ends this way hehe ~

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5/5

Although the story line is a bit cliche and it started a little slow, I really enjoyed this drama. It had a balance of fun scenes and melodramatic ones. The crying scenes are great because I understand why it is sad and the actors really did a great job of portraying the hurt they are feeling. This drama also showed the different faces of love: family, friends and romantic (both good and bad). Good job to the casts! I don't have any complaints on the acting. I love everything :)


[SPOILER ALERT]

Please stop reading if you haven't seen the drama yet and don't want to know what happened in the story and just come back once you have watched it :)

My TOP 3 scenes from the dramas are:

*In no particular order*

1.) I really love the back hug during their escapade when they learned their parents gave way so they can be together. It was very impromptu and the scene was just so romantic. You can feel the love oozing from these two hehe I guess being friends in real life made them really comfortable in acting lovey-dovey.

2.) Their first kiss in front of the fountain. That was so romantic! I guess, I just love how Jang Geun Suk exudes manliness when he did it. And that scene have no awkwardness whatsover that you usually see in K-dramas.

The yank is what did it to me, to be honest LOL :)

3.) And lastly, I really love their last scene - The kiss under the canopy of flowers before they got married. They look so good together and I love how sweet and romantic it is. I just hope they showed the actual wedding too :)

 I'll definitely have Yoona's look on my wedding. It's so gorgeous :)

Thanks for dropping by!!
 

Review: The Romantic and Idol Season 2

Hello! I have just finished watching The Romantic and Idol Season 2 today which aired its last episode this weekend and was so shocked with the ending. I do suggest that you watch this first before reading my review as I can't promise you guys that this will not contain any spoilers. I don't think I can refrain from saying something because I am gonna compare the 2 seasons so if you haven't seen Season 2 yet, feel free to click here so you can get directed to Kshownow and watch it with English sub :)

SHOW: The Romantic and Idol
SEASON: 2nd
EPISODES: 6
BROADCASTING STATION: tvN
AIRING TIME: Sunday
AIRING PERIOD: December 30, 2012 - February 10, 2013



CASTS:

Male
Jonghun (Ft Island)
Kevin (ZE:A)
Minhyuk (BTOB)
N (VIXX)

Female
G.Na
Yang Jiwon (Spica)
Yewon (Jewelry)
Eunyoung (Two X)


*My review for Season 1

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5/5

This is definitely an entertaining program and I really believe it is not scripted because if it is, it wouldn't end like how it did. The casts really did follow what's on their hearts and decided to act accordingly. I love it!
I'm also happy that they edited this in a very nice way unlike with Season 1 which used a lot of repeating scenes to make it reach 8 episodes. I really believe 6 episodes is perfect for a 4 day dating show.


MY THOUGHTS:
Oh my gosh! All I can say is, this season is way different than the first! This felt more real too because the reactions and decisions doesn't seem scripted. Even the "final decision" is a surprise because of the ending for all the couples.

I am gonna warn you guys, again, if you haven't seen this Season yet, please feel free to watch it first then come back to see my review as this will contain spoilers for the show.

[SPOILER ALERT]

ZE:A Kevin is the only one who I think didn't get to shine in this show. He's too quiet and shy for a variety dating show. No one actually chose him as an option since he doesn't put any extra effort to show the one he likes that he likes her, although it never changed since the beginning. I don't think he is ready yet to be part in a show like this. I'm just sad coz this show could help him practice for real life as he doesn't have any experience in dating until now.

Eunyoung from TwoX is the youngest female in the cast and I believe she gained a lot of fans with her participation. I didn't know her but she stood out the most among the four females because of her character and personality. Although she is very young and shy, all her interview parts are hilarious and full of charms. if only she warmed up a little faster to the others, she would probably have a lot of votes from the men because her happiness is contagious. She doesn't whine too and use cutesy voice like Yewon does. I really love Eunyoung and I hope I can see her in lots of variety shows soon :)

N is also okay but I just get to see him because of Eunyoung so I don't think it showed any of his charms. I do liked the fact that he turned off the camera when he and Jiwon had dinner together because it showed that he wanted to have a private talk with her and get to know her better. I think that's the trigger why he decided to choose Jiwon in the end instead of Eunyoung.

I can't believe there's a 2nd Seungah in this season. Poor G.Na becoming a comfortable noona to all the guys and never looking at her as a possible "love interest". I think it is actually the fault of the casting director because they didn't consider putting an older man in the roll of casts. All of them are too young for the girls because majority of them are older by a couple of years. I hope if ever they make a Season 3, they will cast older guys instead to make it more balanced. So sad because she's really a cool chick and deserves someone who will cherish her more.

Jonghoon stood out among the men, because since day 1, he followed his heart and went to show Yewon that she's the one. Although a lot said bad things about him, I really think he is the only one who is really honest on what he feels and stuck by it. He said pre-recording that he likes Yewon and when he saw Yewon is part of the show, he really went all out in "courting" her and showing everyone that he genuinely likes her. I don't think it's his fault that even though he liked G.Na at first, it changed after seeing Yewon and his like for G.Na became that of a noona. It's also commendable that he was really honest about it and never lead the other girls on like what Minhyuk did. He also stayed as a real gentleman to G.Na when they date even though he doesn't like her romantically which JB didn't do in Season 1 with Seungah. He is really a man, in my opinion.

Jiwon is also daebak! Even though 2 men chose her for the final decision, she decided to stay single because her final choice is not included. I hoped Seungah was like that when JB chose her in the end because he felt sorry. Jiwon is really cool about all these and the ending was really unexpected which made me believe this is unscripted.
 
Yewon and Minhyuk are meant to be together. They both liked each other since the beginning and they got paired to almost all the shuffles in the season which is commendable. They are comfortable and looks like they really are having so much fun. It is also fun to watch them trying to like other people but always ends up choosing each other. So, yeah, I think these two have a chance of really dating in real life hehe...IU just hated that Minhyuk always try to fix his hair and looks at the camera. he is so narcissistic.


So yeah, overall, I think this is not as scripted as the first Season. The only couple pairing was Yewon and Minhyuk and everyone else ended up alone. I guess Eunyoung's "curse" got granted when she got sad that N didn't chose her or anyone for that matter. No one should cross Eunyoung LOL. Anyway, I think I will still watch Season 3 if ever they decided to go again. I just hope there's a balance in the age between guys and girls.

Thanks for dropping by!
 
 

Review: The Romantic and Idol Season 1

Happy Wednesday! I'm not sure if I can post tomorrow so I'm just gonna upload it today :) 

SHOW: The Romantic and Idol Season 1
CHANNEL: tvN
EPISODES: 8
AIRING DATES: November 11 - December 30, 2012

AIRING TIMES: every Sunday

CAST:
2PM Jun K.
MBLAQ Mir
JJ Project JB
ZE:A Hyungshik
4Minute Jihyun
AOA Hyejeong
Fiestar Jei
Rainbow Seungah 

PLOT:
"The Romantic and Idol" is a spin off from a tvN show called "Romantic" which featured non-celebrity bachelors and bachelorettes looking for love. For the first season of The Romantic and Idol, they have decided to ban the managers of the idols and let them date for 4 days and 3 nights at the romantic island of Jeju.

According to the representatives of the show, they wanted this to become a reality show featuring idols dating and want them to show their real emotions without the interference of their managers.

ENGLISH SUBBED VIDEOS: At Kshownow.net


MY THOUGHTS:

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'll like watching this show. I really waited every week for the episodes to get subbed by Kshownow because their English subtitle is the best. This is one of those Korean reality/variety show that you will really get into because they are never long winded. You'll know that the story will just spun for a couple of episodes so there's actually a lot of happenings per episode :)

You all know how I love watching We Got Married and this has the same feel as they both have celebrity casts getting together and pretending to be couples. The difference between the two is that with WGM, the couples have enough time to get to know each other first before having some sort of skinship, but with the Romantic and Idol, they only have 4 days and 3 nights and they get different missions like holding hands and back hugging to accomplish.. so it's a much faster paced dating show. They also have 4 choices in front of them and they will be able to date anyone depending on the result of the shuffle.

The pairing will be up to fate because they won't know which ones they will have a date with for the day until after they finished choosing-- there were shuffles everyday.

Example:
1) Necklace shuffle - the girls will choose one necklace each (prepared by the guys prior to the show) and whoever owns the necklace they chose will be their date for the day.

2) Clothes shuffle - the girls prepared a top for the guys to choose and the pairings will also based on who got which shirt.


I really liked the unpredictability because you'll never know who will be paired up with whom and if their feelings will change after changing partners. After watching the first season, I really believed it to be a reality show because it won't end that way if it's scripted.

I watched this at first because of 2PM's JunK. but I learned to appreciate all the casts after 1 episode. They are all very exciting to watch. This is definitely a fun show to indulge in every week.
I am now watching Season 2 and I am enjoying it too :)

OVER-ALL RATING: 4/5

This is a really fun thing to watch and I believe that whoever thought about this is daebak! It's a nice twist to the regular variety dating show shown in the TV. Can't wait to see more from this show! :)

SPOILERS ALERT!

I really hated JB after watching the whole 8 episodes. I liked him before this show but instead of endearing him to me with this participation, I ended up hating him and I don't think I'm the only one who got disappointed. I have read a lot of comments saying they were so disappointed with how JB acted and they got put-off with his attitude. I really didn't like how he treated Seungah, it was so immature and ungentleman. I don't care if he's young, because age is not a reason to disrespect someone. The guys in Season 2 is the same age as him and they treated the other girl with respect even though they don't like to have a date with them. I really hope no one will become the next Seungah in Season 2 because that girl really felt bad and alone that she cried due to sadness.

On a positive note, I really believe that Hyungshik-Jihyun and Mir-Jei got together after the show. You can notice that their feelings were real during the show and according to their members, they usually find those two grinning and too happy after going back from Jeju. Also, Hyungshik started learning how to drive so he can have his own car...Yeah, he is dating alright haha. An idol only gets himself a car if he wants to date so that he can hide it from his manager :)


Thanks for dropping by!