2012 Best TV Shows

Happy Friday, guys! It's another long weekend coming up and I'm pretty sure a lot of you are excited to spend it with your love ones. I, myself, is gonna go with my family to our rest house in Tagaytay this weekend so I will put up 2 post today because there's no internet there hehe :)

For today, I have decided to put up my BEST TV SHOWS for the year 2012...As with the books, this can include shows aired from the past years but as long as I have just watched it this year, it is included :) 

* If I have reviewed it, I will put the link on the title*

In no particular order:

1. Rooftop Prince

This drama is perfect! Among the 2012 Korean drama releases, this is by far the best because it's story is complete and the storyline is well executed. Even the explanation for the time travel and the ending is good. I also enjoyed the drama and comedy all throughout the 20 episodes. There's no repetitive conflicts and every scene is needed to make the story whole. Highly recommended!

2. Faith: The Great Doctor

I really, really liked this Korean drama. It starred Lee Min Ho and Kim Hee Sun which are both great actors. Even the supporting roles are played perfectly so thumbs up for the whole cast. This drama have everything: love story, comedy, drama, fantasy and time travel. The story is very well executed and there's no loop holes. I just hope they ended it with a hug or kiss but aside from that everything was tied up in a pretty little bow. I definitely recommend it to anyone :) 

3. Vampire Diaries

Season 1,2

Season 3

Definitely one of the best vampire TV shows now. The casts of Vampire Diaries are great actors and I can't single out anyone who can't portray his/her role perfectly. Even without having able to read the book, the show itself got me hooked with it's own storyline and adaptation (unlike with the Twilight Saga wherein I just watched it because I love the books =/). This is still ongoing and I am currently watching Season 4-- It's still good! Bonus points for having good looking casts too hehe :) 

4. Skip Beat

This is a live action Taiwanese drama based on a Japanese Manga. I love how true to the story this is and I really felt like I'm watching anime except the actors are real people. Kudos to Ivy Chen for making the whole show enjoyable to watch because she was able to act perfectly according to the character of Gong Xi. Definitely recommended for manga/anime addicts and Super Junior fan like me :)

5. To The Beautiful You

I really enjoyed watching the Korean version of Hana Kimi. I am a fan of the manga and my favorite live action was the one made by Japan a couple of years ago. I can't even remember how many time I have re-watched the Japanese version so I really have high expectations for this drama. I am just so happy that To The Beautiful You made their own adaptation and they gave it a new flavor that is their own. I loved it! 

6. I Need Romance 

Season 1

Season 2

I grouped these 2 together even though they are different dramas because they have the same concept. I really applaud TvN for making these Kdrama unique from others. These have a new appeal and is more mature in content because it was shown in a cable channel, which I think is an advantage because the writers had a lot of room to work with. Great cinematography and perfect execution. I can't count how many times I have re-watched Season 1 just to see the romantic scenes that I can't normally see on other dramas. Perfect for those looking for something different than your average Korean drama :)

7. The Romantic and Idols

Another TvN show but this time it is a reality TV/variety show type. I really enjoyed watching this 8 episode cable show that consists of 8 idols going on a 3 days 2 nights dating game in Jeju. I will do a separate review on this once the last episode got aired next week. But for now, all I can say is, it is worth watching especially if you are a Kpop fan :)

8. We Got Married Season 4

My first impression

I am really enjoying the current season of We Got Married. I liked the concept of having a WGM Village and there's a constant interaction between the 3 couples. All 3 couples really gives me a lot of laughter every Sunday night with each episode. I always look forward in watching them. I hope there will be more funny episodes to come with no interruptions :)

So, there are my best TV shows of 2012! Do check any of these out and I'm pretty sure you will enjoy them as much as I did. I am looking forward on what I will watch for 2013 :)

Thanks for dropping by!

Drama Review: Rooftop Prince

Hello everyone! A rainy afternoon to you all. This is kind of a long overdue review because this drama have ended last week and I was able to watch the English subbed version this Saturday. I just got busy with my dad getting injured during the race this weekend so I was unable to post until now.

Anyway, let's go back to the purpose of this post. I am gonna share my thoughts about the Korean drama Rooftop Prince.

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Historical 

Episodes: 20

Air Time: Wednesday, Thursday

Broadcasting Network: SBS

Broadcasting Period: March 21 - May 24, 2012

Casts:

Park Yoochun as Prince Lee Gak / Yong Tae Yong

Han Ji Min as Park Ha / Bu Young

Jung Yoo Mi as Hong Se Na / Princess Hwa Young

Lee Tae Sung as Yong Tae Mu / Moo Chang

Lee Min Ho as Song Man Bo

Jung Suk Won as Woo Yong Sool

Choi Woo Shik as Do Chi San

Summary:

This is a time-travel drama which also involves reincarnations.

Joseon Era (18th Century) - Crown Prince Lee Gak lost his Crown Princess Hwa Young and he believes that she was murdered.  He gathered 3 warriors (Song Man Bo, Woo Yong Sool, Do Chi San) to help him investigate the case. During the investigation, they were hunted by a group of bandits and ended up disappearing.

Seoul (2012) - The Prince and his 3 warriors appeared on the rooftop apartment of Park Ha. After they realized that they jumped 300 years to the future, they concluded that they were sent there so that they can investigate the death of the Princess. They attached themselves to Park Ha because they don't know anyone except her since she's the first person they met and she is very nice.

Park Ha grew up in the US because she was adopted after she lost her memory due to an accident when she was only 9 years old. She came back to South Korea because she found her biological father after searching for a long time. She reunited with her dad's 2nd family but her step sister Se Na didn't like her at all.  She took care of the 4 strangers that appeared on her rooftop apartment and thought them how to survive the present. They became great friends and she believed that they came from the Joseon Era.

MY THOUGHTS on the drama Rooftop Prince:

I watched this because of two reasons: (1) The main character is played by Mickey Yoochun of JYJ and (2) it is a romantic comedy. I really loved Mickey because aside from being a great singer, he is also a great actor. He already have won awards for some of his dramas but my favorite would be Sungkyukwan Scandal and he played a noble of the Joseon era too...He was so good there and I really believed that he would do great in this new drama...and I'm not disappointed :)

This drama made me laugh, cry and fall in love with the characters all throughout. It never had a dull moment and I love the writer and director for that. Everything is well written and well executed. The comedy parts are not awkward because it feels so natural. I believe Mickey is meant to play this kind of roles.

I also commend how the love between the two lead character Lee Gak and Park Ha evolved from irritation to being actually in love with each other. There's no such thing as love at first sight in here which made it really realistic. And as an audience, it made me feel the emotions more when they finally realized that they will get separated anytime because of their situation. 

The distribution of scenes and the character development are also superb. Each of them have their own moment to shine. I specifically love the Joseon Power Rangers (that's what the fans call them hehe) because those three warriors are so fun to watch while they are trying to adapt in this new world. 

Here's a clip of their first day in the year 2012...you can watch it in Youtube with English sub...just click CC and choose the language ^_^

*SPOILERS alert!*

The ending...I don't know what to say. It is sad but funny at the same time. I guess it gives a complicated feeling but since it was done great, I did not get put off by the ending.

I am sad that Lee Gak and Park Ha can't be together because they are living 300 years apart but I still hoped it is possible. I love that they got "married" before Lee Gak disappeared and went back to Joseon because it made their relationship's ending beautiful. 

I cried during this scene because just after this kiss, Lee Gak started to disappear and Park Ha was left alone with no other memories like pictures coz those disappeared too :(

Prince Lee Gak ended up alone because he stayed in love with Park Ha...he also learned that Bu Young loves him but they can't stay together because she's dead.... while Park Ha ended up with Yong Tae Yong who got revived from being in a coma (I guessed this because their meeting is the last scene).. I guess it is still a realistic ending...

But I laughed during the scenes when the 4 Joseon Power Rangers got back to their era and they learned that even though they lived a long time in the future, they were just missing for one day in their time.My favorite part is when the three warriors brought with them things from the future like mp3 players, beer and candies. I actually laughed that after solving the murder case, the three warriors set up a small cafeteria that sells omurice only. They still love the omurice made by Park Ha and they eat it whenever they miss her ...and they used their knowledge too to earn money at the same time ^_^ 

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5/5 -

I still can't get over the fact that they didn't get to stay together hehe

WILL I RECOMMEND THIS? Definitely! This is the best Korean drama for the 1st half of 2012. Also, after watching this, definitely check out Sungkyukwan Scandal too if you haven't watched that yet.

Thank you for dropping by! Until my next review ^_^

New Korean Dramas to Watch ^_^

Here are some dramas that started airing last week that I've decided to watch ^_^

1. Rooftop Prince

Genre: Fantasy, comedy, romance

Episodes: 20

Air Time: Wednesday-Thursday @ SBS

Synopsis: The Crown Prince of the Joseon Era was sent 300 years in the future (2012) with his 3 body guards while they are searching for the murderer of the Crown Princess. Coincidentally in 2012, some key characters like the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince himself looks the same with the present people.

Reason for watching: I am a fan of Park Yoochun who is acting as the Crown Prince.

Initial Impression after 2 episodes: I am hooked! It is so funny that I can't stop laughing whenever I remember the scenes. I am so glad it consists of 20 episodes coz I would love to laugh and fall in love with Mickey again.

2. Fashion King

Genre: Romance

Episodes: 20

Air Time: Monday-Tuesday @ SBS

Synopsis: The story is about the aspiring fashion designers with different backgrounds and how they conquered the different trials and became well know in the fashion industry.

Reason for watching: I searched for this because I want to see Yuri of SNSD in her acting debut. At first I just want to watch the first episode but when I saw Yoo Ah In as one of the main cast, I decided to watch this for him.

Initial Impression after 2 episodes: This is actually a little on the drama side because the main characters' life was hard but it has a touch of comedy here and there so I still laughed. I can already tell the actors are great so I know I won't be disappointed. I'm excited to know how the story will unfold. Really looking forward to it.

3. K-pop Extreme Survival

Genre: Musical, romance.... & (cross-dressing...Is this a genre? haha)

Episodes: 16

Air Time: Monday-Tuesday @ Channel A

Synopsis: This is a story about the life of a Kpop Idol group M2 and its members. The company conducted a survival audition on who will become the new members of the group. The character of Ji Seung Yeon is a boyish girl who is very talented and wants to become a hip hop artist. She needs to pretend to be a boy in order to reach her goal.

Reason for watching: I love musical shows like this...just like You're Beautiful and Dream High. I decided to watch the first airing and I got hooked.

Initial Impression after 2 episodes: I love it! It feels like YAB and DH combined with a little Coffee Prince on the side haha. I think it's the perfect blend because the lead actress really looks like a boy and not just trying to be one...She's the older sister of Mir of MBLAQ and they really look alike...check out their pic. They look like twins!

Also, the character of Kang Woo Hyun is acted by Park Yoo Hwan who is the brother of Park Yoochun. I just learned about this when I watched the first airing because he really looked like Mickey Yoochun. Check out their pic :)

The first 2 episodes are really promising and I am looking forward to the story. It is very entertaining too ^_^

4. Love Rain

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Episodes: 20 (not yet confirmed)

Air Time: Monday-Tuesday @ KBS

Synopsis: The drama is about an ill-fated love story between a couple of the 1970s and the story between their children at present who have met and fallen in love too. Will they also end up heart broken like their parents?

Reason for watching: I am a fan of Jang Geun Suk and I wanted to watch this one. Plus, his leading woman is Yoona of SNSD hehe.

First Impression after 2 episodes: No comment yet coz I haven't watched it yet. I'm still waiting for an ENglish subbed episode until now.

You can watch English Subbed episodes of any of these drama at:

www.kimchidramas.net

www.mysoju.com

www.viki.net