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 :)

Personal: November update ~ Daily Blog?

Hello everyone! I think it's been almost 2 weeks since my last post and here's what I have been busy with :)

I'll start with my birthday...the previous days before that was spent at work so it's nothing fun haha 

1. My 27th birthday (NOVEMBER 15)

I can't believe I'm already 27. I still feel like I'm on my early 20s haha maybe my mind is the only thing that stayed young. When I asked my brother if I looked 27 years old already, he just asked me: "sa isip o sa itsura?" (in mind or body?) My brother believe I still think and acts immaturely for my age. Anyways, I still feel young and I am now enjoying a lot more freedom so that's the best thing that happened for me this year. I can now stay out very late with friends yay! :)

I spent my birthday working in the morning and watching Breaking Dawn Part 2 with my 11y/o cousin. My tita doesn't want to watch so she asked me if I can accompany Coleen in the movies since I am gonna watch it too. It was my first time going to Robinsons Magnolia and I enjoyed how clean it is. I just hope it is easier to commute from there.

Then, I had my favorite crispy pata for dinner. Yummy! That's my only request coz I really love eating that. Aside from the crispy pata, we also had Max's fried chicken which is also my family's favorite. I have been eating that since time immemorial haha :)

2. Lee Min Ho in Manila! (NOVEMBER 16)

Yep! The reason why I didn't had a birthday party is because I spent all my energy to meet Lee Min Ho at Araneta Coliseum! I went there super early and the line (for exchanging the invitations for the tickets) was already too long but everything was worth it. I was able to stand in front of the stage and I can clearly see him. I was, like, 6 rows from the stage! It's actually too hot there because everyone wants to go near so there were a lot of pushing going on. Luckily, we were able to stood our ground in the middle...I got training riding the MRT for a long time LOL.

The best part of this whole experience? I was able to enjoy this with my sister and my best friend so it was extra special :)

3. Bonding time with my special someone (NOVEMBER 17-18)

I spent the weekend with my bf because it's the only time we can go out and celebrate my birthday and our monthsary. We just spent it at home talking and playing with our dog. I'm lucky because both of us are home-body and we prefer to stay at home while watching a movie rather than going out. He cooked dinner for me and had ice cream. I also requested him to buy Vodka Ice so I can try it haha :)

4. Rescued 3 kittens (NOVEMBER 19)

I met with a client at QC Hall and on my way home, I found 3 abandoned kittens on the sidewalk. I'm worried that they might get hit by a car or something so I picked them up and brought them home. I know I can't keep them and I'm planning on bringing them to PAWS when I get to contact them. I have 3 cats already and I can't get more even if I want to because they will probably fight each other (my cats are a little territorial).

One of them is already a few weeks old (he's already walking and have his eyes open already) while the other 2 are newborns coz they still have umbilical cords (maybe 3-4 days old). So I'm really guessing they were thrown out by someone. 

I am used to getting puppies or kittens so I already have a feeding bottle at home and I used the nipple for newborns for them. I bought infant milk coz this have an approval seal from my veterinarian years ago for my puppies. I just add multivitamins to it so that it can help with their immune system as they probably have not had their mom's colostrum to help fight of illnesses.

I have them for 4 days now and the first 2 nights are a nightmare coz they wake me up every 2 hours to ask for milk. I felt sorry for my sister (we sleep in 1 bedroom) because she still need to go to work early in the morning and she can't sleep properly due to the crying. Luckily, last night was peaceful. I don't know what happened but I guess they were able to sleep throughout the night without getting hungry :)

I am really hoping that they can survive and grow into adults. All three of them have good sucking reflex and can drink lots of milk! They can also eliminate pretty well so I know they will not have problem in that area. I just hope PAWS can take care of them...I don't know how long I can foster for them since I also need to go to work so no one can feed them frequently. Please help me pray for these kittens.

***
So yeah, sorry if I can't post anything lately. I actually have no time to compose anything with all the things happening around me. Everyone and everything wants my attention so I got lost LOL. Hopefully I can come back into posting every other day once I delivered the kittens to PAWS and I have finished general cleaning the house (we have a lot of Japanese friends going here for a vacation) :)

Thanks for dropping by!
 

Drama Review: Faith, the Great Doctor

Hello! The Korean drama Faith has already finished its run yesterday and I am ready to share my thoughts on it now :)

TITLE: Faith / Faith: the Great Doctor
GENRE: Drama, Fantasy, Period, Time-Travel, Action, Romance
EPISODES: 24
BROADCASTING NETWORK: SBS
TIME SLOT:  Monday-Tuesday
AIRING DATES: August 13 - Ocotber 30, 2012

PLOT:
A 21st-century plastic surgeon Eun-Soo gets kidnapped and brought 700 years in the past for her healing powers. Goryeo-era bodyguard to the king Gerenal Choi Yeong is smart but a little naive, he almost never smiles. He faces conflicts with the female doctor Eun-soo, but soon feels attracted to her. 

MAIN CHARACTERS:

Lee Min Ho as Choi Young 

Kim Hee Sun as Yoo Eun Soo

 

Yoo Oh Sung as Prince of Court Ki Chul

Ryu Deok Hwan as King Gongnim
Park Se Yong as Queen Noguk

for the EXTENDED CAST click here. But I will show you who I think deserves recognition :)

The Woodalchi Soldiers - The ever so loyal soldiers that protects the King and Queen..
They are one of my favorites because almost all of their scenes are important and they are a loyal bunch. They are the most superior warriors among the royal army and they are trained personally by Choi Young.

The pledged siblings - Ki Chul's most loyal body guards that have inner power..They treat each other as brothers and sister and cares for each other.

The Royal Doctor Jang Bin - He is the doctor inside the palace and Eun Soo's friend and teacher..

Court Lady Choi - Choi Young's aunt and head of the Queen's guards...She is a really funny lady :)

ENGLISH SUBBED VIDEOS can be found at Drama Crazy. Just click here.

[spoiler alert] 

MY THOUGHTS:

OMGee! I really loved this drama to bits! Everything was well executed -- fighting scenes, romantic scenes, medicine-related scenes, special effects, etc. I also love how they solved all the conflicts cleanly all throughout the drama. I am just so happy and satisfied that this definitely made to my top 10 dramas of all time.

Lee Min Ho and Kim Hee Sun are really great actors because they really brought the characters to life. I really love how they interacted with each other and how well they showed the emotions needed. Even without dialogues I can feel it if they are happy, sad, afraid or determined. I know that they became good friends through this drama and if only Kim Hee Sun is still single, I will definitely ship these two because they have great chemistry :)

One of my kilig moments in this drama is this scene wherein Choi Young openly declared his love for Eun Soo in front of all the people. I think this is where he realized that he can't let her get married to another man even if it's just a ruse on Eun Soo's part.

Lee Min Ho is really one of the best kissers among Korean actors. It is so hard to see passionate kisses in Korean dramas so I really am happy that all of his drama have real kisses so far. I really get frustrated whenever they just put their lips together and the camera just goes around and around haha :)

I just love how the director handled the love story between Choi Young and Eun Soo. The development of their characters and the progression of their feelings is well executed. Even though Choi Young is a warrior through and through, he can't help but fall in love with Eun Soo in the end after going through a lot of challenges physically, mentally and emotionally. He started with the thinking that all he wants is to return her to her world as promised, then to fighting the thought of him falling in love with her,  then progressed to being her friend and partner and then to the point that he gave up and just became selfish to ask Eun Soo to stay with him instead of going back to her world.

I also loved the way Eun Soo's character developed from being a money-loving plastic surgeon, to a very scaredy-cat person because of all the people who wants her hurt, to an apprentice of the royal doctor trying to learn about traditional medicine, to falling in love with Choi Young secretly and ending it with loving the world he created for her that she doesn't want to leave anymore.

Let's not forget the antagonists too. I really salute them because they made the story so exciting and some of the part became funny too (c/o him in the picture). Gi Chul is really a funny looking guy so whenever he appears, I can't help but laugh hehe. He is the main enemy and everything that happened in this drama evolved from his endless wanting for power.

Now, after saying all those things that made me happy, there is only 1 thing that disappointed me -- The very last scene of this drama. Why oh why didn't they hug or kiss at the end? It has the same ending as City Hunter - bitin. I love the fact that Choi Young and Eun Soo was able to be together in the end. They even surpassed the challenge of being separated by time. But, director, why didn't you end it with a hug? They've been separated for 5 years and all they do is stare at one another? Oh, come on! 

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.75/5

I love everything except the fact that they didn't hug or kiss in the end haha :)

Thank you for dropping by!

Personal: Dream come true :)

Okay, I know I have posted this at my Facebook page but I want to share it here as well. I am just so happy I want everyone to know why haha :)

I was able to get patron seat tickets today for the Lee Min Ho fan meet by Bench! I really can't believe how lucky I am today!

I went to SM North around 2pm to buy tickets for Big Bang's concert tomorrow. I know that I'm buying it too late but I left it to fate since I don't have extra money to buy earlier. Sadly, as expected, concert tickets are out of stock already for the general admissions. I was sad, but then, it's my fault so I don't have

others to blame.

I then decided to check out Bench next coz I know they'll release a second batch of Patron tickets anytime and I wanted to inquire. According to the staff, they did have some but it was already sold out yesterday. I was so bummed out coz I missed it again.

I then decided to check out the Trinoma branch too because I just need to cross the street...And guess what? I was so lucky that 50pcs arrived at Trinoma this lunch and when I arrived there, only 30pcs are left. And after trying out stuff and deciding what to buy, there were only 17 tickets left.

I am really so lucky today! If I went either earlier or later, I would have missed the tickets. I was able to get 4 tickets for me, my best friend, my sis and her sis-in-law. I chose to get classic jeans coz it would be easier to fill the needed total at the shortest amount of time. I was so worried that I would take too long to chose and i won't have tickets anymore when I pay haha.

Anyway, I am just so happy I can't stop laughing and jumping as soon as I got home. My dad's best friend who are here thought I won the lottery or something when I arrived because I was super happy and giggly haha. It was really hard to keep all that giddiness inside :)

I called my sis at the office and told her the news and she had a hard time trying not to shout with joy haha I can actually imagine her giggling alone at the front desk..her client must have thought she was crazy LOL :)

Lesson for today: It's very very hard to contain your happiness in public when all you want to do is laugh with joy even though you are all alone! LOL :)

Lee Min Ho Live in Manila!

OMG!!! I can't believe one of my dreams will come true on my birthday! Korean actor Lee Min Ho is confirmed to come here in Manila on November 16, 2012 and will be having a Fan Meet at Smart Araneta Coliseum as the newest BENCH endorser.

My birthday is on November 15 and he'll be here the day after. I will definitely do my best to be able to get a ticket in the front row!! So excited!!! ^_^

For the rules on how to get a ticket, check it here:
http://www.bench.com.ph/news.php?benchsetter-fun-meet-lee-min-ho=62

UPDATE: (10/15/2012)
The selling of tickets started Saturday and yesterday night, there's already a shortage. I was only able to get  tickets for Upper B seats. I am going to check out other branches if I can still find Patron ticket *crossing my fingers*

First Impressions & English Subbed Videos...

So it's been 2 weeks already since Faith and To The Beautiful You have aired. I would just like to share with you all my first impression of the dramas and also some links to the videos with great quality English subtitles :)

FAITH

I really have a high expectation with this drama because Lee Min Ho is in it and he is a great actor. After watching the first 4 episodes, I am so glad I am not disappointed. Aside from the fact that he looked good in his warrior attire, he also did not disappoint with his acting. I was hooked from the very beginning because it combined fantasy and period so it is quite new for me. I love the fact that some of the characters have magical powers too and the director did a great job on making them look real. The only thing I am kind of iffy about is the narration of the past event because they showed it in a cartoonized version.

Here are the subbed videos done by Kimchidramas. I love watching there because they sub fast and the quality is superb on both video and subtitle =)

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

TO THE BEAUTIFUL YOU (Hana Kimi Korean Version)

As I've said before, I am a fan of the manga where this is based and I am in love with the Japanese live action (the original version..I didn't like the remake) so I have a very high criteria. The Taiwanese version didn't met it a couple of years back and I was a bit iffy about this too coz Minho is not actually an actor so I'm not sure if he can do it properly. 

After watching the first 4 episodes, I am definitely glad I gave this one a chance. Sulli surpassed my expectation. I was worried she'd be too girly for the role but she really did a great job in acting as a boy. Her acting is good too so I will definitely be expecting more from her from now on. I am also happy with the actor who portrayed Nakatsu though. He fits the character perfectly! Although he is not as handsome as Ikuta Toma, he still were able to portray the role perfectly so I don't mind. Can't say much about Minho because all of his scenes rarely have dialogues and he always have that blank bored look. :)

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

WE GOT MARRIED (first airing after the London Olympics)

For this week's We got Married, they have introduced a new couple -- Kang Julien and Yoon Se Ah.

After watching episode 1, I really believe I will like them. I was getting tired of the WooJung couple lately so this new addition will be a fresh new start. They are both actors and Julien is a foreigner so it would be really interesting to watch how this older/mature couple will act. I think this will be more realistic because of them are old enough to look for a real partner :)

Links from Kshownow ^_^

Enjoy the videos! 

Thanks for dropping by!