Reviews

[wil92]

May contain spoilers, read at your own risk.

I finally finished Wotaku ni Koi ha Muzukashii (Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku) starring Takahata Mitsuki and Yamazaki Kento and I cannot even express how utterly disappointed I am by this live action version. I’ve read some of the manga and watched the anime and I liked them both, but this movie feels like a hot mess.

I didn’t mind Takahata Mitsuki as Momose Narumi, but I didn’t find her character as likeable as I did for the manga, especially with the random singing. I wasn’t a big fan of Yamazaki Kento as Nifuji Hirotaka though. Yes, he’s good-looking but I don’t really think he really suits the character. His acting is just kind of meh, but I don’t really think he could do much with the material he was given. I didn’t really feel any chemistry between the two leads, but honestly, when I saw them in the first dancing and singing scene I think they already lost me. I think they did a good job casting Nanao as Koyanagi Hanako but I wished I could have seen more of her character, especially with Kabakura Taro (Saito Takumi) instead of as some random lady at the bar. I think they did injustice to Kabakura’s character with the crying/complaining about his girlfriend. I don’t remember his character being so whiny especially to Momose. There was just injustice to the manga left and right.

Plot-wise, the beginning seemed like it would follow the manga, but then it just got bizarre, especially with the added in flash-mob and unnecessary singing. I feel like they should have developed the side characters like Koyanagi and Kabakura instead of including all those unnecessary musical scenes. I’m not sure what they were trying to achieve with all the singing, but I don’t think they succeeded. I know this might sound mean, but the singing wasn’t very good either and I shouldn’t expect it to, since no one singing are professionals, also another point as to why it was unneeded. I wished they followed more of the manga instead of whatever they felt like because they really lost the spirit of the story and characters.

Apologies for the rant about unnecessary singing, but my heart just burns (with anger, not passion) at the thought of it. If you didn’t like the movie as well, give the manga a try if you haven’t, it’s much better. Anyways, I give this movie 5/10.

photo credit: asianwiki

[wil92]

who was Qu Man Ting's Parents?

It’s been so long since I watched it, that I don’t really remember. I’m gonna take a wild guess from my shoddy memory and say the lady who raised her is actually her aunt and I think her mom was raped, but I can’t recall by who. I apologize in advance if this is completely wrong.

[wil92]

May contain spoilers, read at your own risk.

I watched Until I Meet September’s Love last weekend starring Kawaguchi Haruna and Takahashi Issey and I was surprised at how much I liked the simplicity of this movie.

Kawaguchi plays Kitamura Shiori and she did a good job in that role, but I feel like this character didn’t have any scenes that showcased her acing abilities. I do have to say that Kawaguchi looks great in this movie. I’m not sure if its because the last thing I saw her in was One Week Friends, which was a couple years ago, but she’s maturing well. Sometimes when she smiles, she reminds me a bit of Aibu Saki, but I think its probably the dimples. Takahashi plays Hirano Susumo and I think he fits his character well, but, again I don’t think there’s much parts that showcase what he can do. I think I’ve seen Takahashi in minor roles, but nothing that really pops in to my mind. What really blows my mind is the age difference between the two in real life.15 years between the two. I couldn’t tell in the movie, but damn, they look good.

Generally stories that include a plot involving the future is never simple and can get quite complicated, but for this movie, they really moved away from the science of it and focused on the relationship between the two main leads. I think it worked well, because if you try to explain it too much it might get confusing and I tend to analyze and overthink things. Obviously, I do have questions, like exactly how was Hirano able to talk to Kitamura from the future, but I’m just gonna go with the flow and assume a miracle happened. I really enjoyed the scene where she’s trying to confess to him and he rejects her. I think they did a great job acting that out emotionally. I like how she was the one who confessed first, but I was a bit baffled that he thought he wasn’t worthy enough for her.

I give this movie 8/10.

photo credit: asianwiki

[wil92]

May contain spoilers, read at your own risk.

I just finished Arsenal Military Academy starring Bai Lu as Xie Liang Chen (Xie Xiang) and Xu Kai as Gu Yan Zhen. I’m not a big fan of political or military shows, but I liked Bai Lu and Xu Kai in The Legends so I decided to watch it.

I didn’t mind Bai Lu’s character in this drama, I think there’s something admirable about being able to keep up with military training with the boys, especially since she’s a lot smaller than most of them. I liked that she didn’t take shit from other people and that she wasn’t a weepy character (there’s nothing wrong with crying, but sometimes they make the character cry too much). While I didn’t mind her character, her wig was another story, it didn’t look good and was so fake. I think Xu Kai was a good fit for the role of Gu Yan Zheng because he did well in acting out a mischievous person who can rise to the occasion. He could be quite childish, but I liked how he was able to lead others and come up with plans. I was relieved to find that when I watched AMA, I was not reminded of the characters from The Legends. Zhao Yao was more charismatic and more of a leader compared to Xie Liang Chen. Also, I was surprised that Bai Lu was able to pull off a guy look because she was so pretty in The Legends. When I look at Li Chen Lan from The Legends, he was quieter character and wasn’t a rogue like Gu Yan Zhen, but both were protective. I think Xu Kai shined brighter in this drama than he did in The Legends.

There were many characters and sometimes it was hard to keep track of who was who, but there were some supporting characters that caught my eyes ( some in good ways and some in not so good ways). One of them is Qu Man Ting ( played by Wu Jia Yi), who could be a bit of a diva, but I liked that she did her own thing and that she was able to use her connections to aid in certain situations. In the beginning I liked Shen Jun Shan ( Toby Lee) because he was such a sturdy person but his persistence in trying to woo Xie Xiang irritated me at times especially when he wouldn’t let her reject him. Jin Xian Rong (Gao Yu Er) almost had my pity with her family story but her smug smile and bad deeds made me want to smack her. I liked Shen Ting Bai (Hong Yao) more than I thought I would. I admire his ability to let go of the girl he loves so that she can be happy ( but I’m glad that they were able to get together in the end).

Gender-bender stories are nothing new and neither are political ones, so I can’t really say that it was a refreshing story but it was able to keep my attention. It did seem a little far-fetched that she was able to get into the military without anyone finding out she was a a girl though. I think one of the best things about this drama was the camaraderie that formed between everyone, I really loved the support that they gave to each other (although there were times where some soldiers ganged up on specific people). I know people were upset because it wasn’t more romantic, but for me I didn’t mind it. I considered the romance pure and I think they had more on their minds like surviving and trying to find out what nefarious plans the Japanese had rather than worry about their romantic life. I’ll be honest, I was expecting more characters to die since there was so much fighting. I wasn’t exactly surprised when Huang Song died, but I was still sad and of course, it was a selfless death. I was unsatisfied with Li Wen Zhong’s death because I thought that it was a bit pointless. I get that he wants revenge for Huang Song for saving him, but it was stupid to provoke a group of Japanese by himself. I think he should have saved himself for a bigger plan to take them down. It was sad to see a new character be introduced near the end ( An Wen played by An Xue Yi) for Li Wen Zhong to fall in love with, only for him to die that way. I think I should have expected Guo Shu Ting’s demise, but I gave myself some hope since he finally married Huo Xiao Yu (Liu Min) and I thought they would be able to have blissful ending after all they’ve been through. The ending was happy, but I wished they showed more about Xie Xiang and Gu Yan Zhen other than them walking into the sunset. 

I give this 8.3/10.

photo credit: mydramalist

[wil92]

May contain spoilers, read at your own risk.

I finally finished Hotel Del Luna starring IU (Lee Jieun) as Jang Man Weol and Yeo Jin Goo as Go Chan Seung. I think I could have finished earlier, but I kind of lost the motivation to keep watching the last few episodes.

I loved IU as Man Weol and had a girl-crush on her, but I think still prefer her character, Lee Ji An in My Mister because she’s more relatable. I like how cool her character is (most of the time) and the way she dresses and styles her hair really brings Man Weol to life. I’m kind of impartial to Go Chan Seung, not that Yeo Jin Goo didn’t do a good job, but his character didn’t really do much for me. I didn’t feel like there was much chemistry between the two main leads and there wasn’t too much romance either (compared to other dramas) so I didn’t have an emotional attachment to their relationship and wasn’t very sad when they had to separate.

I liked the supporting cast that made up the hotel workers, Shin Jung Keun as Kim Sun Bi, the bartender and Bae Hae Sun as Choi Seo Hee, the room manager. They were cute and interacted well with each other and others. P.O ( a member of Block B), who played Ji Hyun Joong, the bellboy, was quite awkward in some scenes and to be honest, I cringed a bit. I know he’s a rookie and maybe he’ll improve over time, so I’m not completely putting all my judgement onto him yet. This is also true for Kang Mina (Gugudan member) who plays Kim Yuna, an internist, who had some okay scenes, but can still learn more. One of my favourite characters was Sanchez (Cho Hyun Chul) because he was a good friend and was able to take everything thrown at him in stride. I also really enjoyed the multiple cameos that happened in each episode, especially Kim Soo Hyun at the end.

Story-wise, I really liked the beginning, but it got a little draggy for me near the middle and had an anti-climatic end. I feel like the episode with Chan Seong’s mom was a little out of place because they didn’t take it further and resolved it quickly. I was glad that they were able to conclude the the hotel workers’ stories though. I know people thought that the ending was sad, but I didn’t feel that way, and was instead confused when the leads met up again after she crossed the bridge. How did this meeting happen, were they both dead or was it a dream? The only scene that almost made me cry was when the manager before Go Chan Seung, Noh Joon Seok (played by Jeong Dong Hwan), was leaving and he was talking to Man Weol by the moon tree. I felt more melancholy when Man Weol was crying about Manager Noh and Choi Seo Hee leaving than when she and Chan Seung had to separate. In the back of my mind I think I knew they weren’t going to end up together unless some miracle occurred, which is always a possibility since it is a drama.

I give it 8.5/10.

photo credit: asianwiki

[wil92]

May contain spoilers, read at your own risk.

I watched King Is Not Easy featuring Zhang Yi Jie as Ji Man, the emperor and Bai Lu as Da Xi after watching The Legends with Bai Lu. I had seen the first episode a while ago but dropped it and only picked up back up because I wanted to see Bai Lu. Honestly I wanted to drop it again but it was pretty short (only 20 episodes) and I didn’t have anything better to do.

I wasn’t a big fan of either characters and I think it’s cause its hard to connect or relate to them. I didn’t really like how boy-crazy Da Xi was and while I think Zhang Yi Jie did a good job pretending to be a girl, it was hard for me to see him be more macho when they went back into their own bodies. On a side note, I think the emperor’s mother, played by Xu Bai Hui was gorgeous and fit her character well.

The plot started out alright and there were some funny scenarios because of their body-swap, but then it starts getting crazy near the middle. All of a sudden there’s some going-into-dreams thing to get revenge happening and then at the end there was a going-into-the-future plot. It was so random that it completely ruined it for me because I couldn’t understand why they needed it and how it all connected. There was no explanation about why Ji Man went into the future and why the body-swap occurs, it was like they just threw that in there for fun at the last minute. The little scenes at the end of each episode were cute, but it wasn’t enough to save this drama for me.

I give this 5.5/10.

photo credit: mydramalist

[wil92]

May contain spoilers, so read at your own risk.

It’s been about a month since I finished The Legends (Zhao Yao) featuring Bai Lu as Lu Zhao Yao, Xu Kai as Mo Qing/Li Chen Lan and Shane Xiao Yan as Qin Zhi Yan. I only considered watching this drama because of the ongoing translation of the novel that this is based on. This translator posts pictures of the drama within the chapters and I was curious as to how close the book and the  drama were. I quite like the novel, but I’m not a big fan of of historical or Jianghu shows because I don’t always understand the politics or the effects for them aren’t up to my expectations. I was on a Chinese drama-watching roll and I did watch the first episode when I was watching the last two dramas I reviewed, but I wasn’t interested, especially when I realized that it had more than 50 episodes. I’m not sure why exactly I picked it up again, probably because I enjoy the book so far and I think I needed something Chinese that was different from the last two that I watched. It was a very quick watch for me since it was already completed, I think I could have finished it in a week, but I was busy on the weekend and once I stop I don’t have as much motivation to watch it as quickly.

Since the book hasn’t been translated too far, I didn’t really have much ideas as to where the story would go. There are obviously changes from the novel to the script to make it flow better but I heard that many people weren’t happy with the ending. I liked how it kind of came back full circle for Li Chen Lan and Zhao Yao, but with their roles switched. So in the beginning it was Li Chen Lan looking for Zhao Yao in the rubble and waiting 5 years for her to show up again as Zhi Yan, but at the end, it was Zao Yao looking for and waiting for him.                                             

For me, the last episode was okay, but the way they edited it was confusing. I feel like the mixed up some of the order of the scenes and some of the transitions from one scene to the next were really abrupt. This didn’t only happen in the last episode though, it happened a few times and there were times when I started an episode and then had to go back to the previous one to make sure I didn’t accidentally skip something. The ending scene was weird and random because it was their kids re-enacting their story, but why would they have them do that when they were siblings and its a love plot. Story-wise it wasn’t too bad, but even with 50 episodes I feel like there was always something happening and not much breathing room. I think that’s why I like the beginning the best, when he still hasn’t confirmed if Zhi Yan was Zhao Yao because that was the main focus.  

I loved Bai Lu as Zhao Yao, she was so kick-ass and domineering and I feel like it was a good contrast to those gentle ladies or scheming wenches that generally appear in these types of dramas. Her prettiness doesn’t take away from her evil smirk and I think her heavy make-up when she’s still alive really added to her character. Xu Kai was a little overshadowed by Bai Lu’s acting in my opinion. I don’t really have much complaints about his role as Li Chen Lan, but I don’t have any praise either. I think I liked his acting more when he was still Mo Qing, before he became the Wan Lu sect leader because he’s so cute and I think he fit more into the shy character. I wasn’t a big fan of Qin Zhi Yan’s character at first because she was always doing stupid things, but I liked her character’s growth. Shane did a good job contrasting between Zhi Yan and Zhao Yao in her acting, although they don’t show her acting as Zhao Yao that much. There was one character that I couldn’t help but love, Shi Qi played by Zhang Xin, she was so innocent and adorable, but hella strong.

I give this drama 8/10

The novel is still in the process of being translated if anyone is interested:

https://www.novelupdates.com/series/ostentatious-zhao-yao/

photo credit: mydramalist

[wil92]

May contain spoilers up ahead, so read at your own risk.

I finally finished watching Put You Head on My Shoulder yesterday, but it feels like it’s been forever since I started it. This show is like light reading between heavy subject books.You read something with serious content, which you need to digest after finishing, but you also need something to fill the gap until you’re ready for another book. I’ve been watching this in between some other dramas I’ve been watching, or if I’m bored and I have nothing else to do.   

This features Xing Fei as Si Tu Mo and Lin Yi as Gu Wei Yi, both of whom are new to me. I know Xing Fei became popular from other dramas and I like her as Si Tu Mo, I think she’s cute. This is Lin Yi’s first drama and I think he did an okay job for his first time, I enjoyed watching his character develop, but I feel like he's not expressive enough. I wasn’t a big fan of Fu Pei (Daddi Tang Xiao Tian), their mutual friend,  I really hated how clingy he was to Si Tu Mo, but I’m glad he was able to move on quickly afterwards.

I know that this was a spin-off/same universe as A Love So Beautiful, but I feel like it can’t really compare. While it was an okay watch, to me, it’s more like an afterthought and didn’t leave much of an impression. I think that’s why I was watching it in between my other dramas, because it didn’t really matter whether I kept watching it, there wasn’t any serious plots that I needed to pay attention to.

Overall, I give it 7/10.

photo credit: mydramalist

[wil92]

May contain spoilers up ahead, so read at your own risk.

I finished Le Coup de Foudre yesterday and I still can’t stop smiling when I think about this drama. I loved it, it’s been so long since I’ve watched a Chinese drama that I love. I’m not sure what it is about Chinese dramas that fail to invoke any interest on my part. This show is based on a book called I Don’t Like The World, I Only Like You that I read a few years ago and loved it (and yes, I think the book is better). I didn’t know that it got turned into a show until a saw an article about it on soompi (so thanks soompi). Honestly I’m not a huge fan of Chinese dramas as I’ve mentioned before, but I liked the book and I like the main female actress, Janice Wu Qian, so I thought I would give it a try.

The drama is based on the author’s life and is made up of anecdotes. When I realized they made a show out of it, my first thought was how in the world are they going to piece all these little stories together to form one big picture? But I think the screen writers did a good job making everything fit into place and expanding the secondary characters. Obviously they had to make changes from the book to the script that would make it more coherent, but overall, I think they kept the same mood. I loved how they incorporated some of what the author wrote into the script. It is a very sweet story, so sweet that you might get a cavity, but man, it sure does make your heart go-aflutter. It did get draggy during some parts, like when they keep running into trouble with their wristband product, but I was honestly just there for the romance. My favourite parts where when they were in high school and the very ending, because there was something so pure about their love, especially when they were young. The ending episode had clips of their married life and they were reminiscent of how the book is written.

The author of the book, Qiao Yi is played by Janice Wu Qian, who I have seen in My Sunshine, My Amazing Boyfriend, (didn’t finished, but this was my first exposure to her) and The Brightest Star in the Sky (didn’t finish, only started because she was in it). There is something about Janice Wu that I like and I’m not if because she’s not afraid to act out embarrassing situations with ease, but she’s just so cute. I think she fits into the role of Qiao Yi very well, especially when she’s acting alongside with her co-stars, because I feel like she has a lot of chemistry with each one. I’ve never seen Zhang Yu Jian, who plays her love interest, Yan Mo, in anything before, but he’s cute too, especially his dimple. I like that even though his character is rather emotionless, there are subtle movements in his face that express his feelings. I did find one of his scenes awkward to watch, it was when he was crying in the rain after he found out about his parents’ divorce. I feel like his facial expression looked like a sad puppy, but it wasn’t sad enough for me ( this is just my humble opinion). I liked watching the heartfelt scenes between Qiao Yi and her brother, Zha Guan Chao (played by Eden Zhao Zhi Wei), and although they have a love-hate relationship, they’re there for each other when it counts. I also love her Qiao Yi’s friendship with Hao Wu Yi, there’s just unconditional support between the two and thankfully no jealousy or fighting over guys. There were other relationships forming, like between Wu Yi and Guan Chao, but I didn’t find them that interesting, although I would have liked to have seen more development in Cheng Youmei and Fei Dachuan.

I give this drama 8.9/10.

If anyone is interested in reading an English translation of the book, here is it:

https://www.novelupdates.com/series/i-dont-like-the-world-i-only-like-you/

The translator did a really good job, so please read on their site and not an aggregator’s.

photo credit: soompi

[wil92]

I watched We Love (You, I Love) the other day featuring Hinako Sakurai as Yuu and Sho Hirano as Rin and I have to say I did not enjoy this movie. I was quite annoyed by many things in this movie, especially the two main characters. Yuu is a shy girl that is always being bullied by her childhood friend Rin and she thinks this bullying helps her become more confidant. Rin bullies her because he likes her and because he overhears that Yuu’s father said something along the lines of “People that are nice are actually bad people acting good”, so thats’ why he’s always mean to her. I just can’t get behind the thinking of these two and it makes me want to punch things. Of course, there needs to be a love triangle between the leads and Kazuma (played by Kentaro Ito) so that the two can finally realize their feelings for each other. The only things I didn’t mind about the movie were the other two childhood friends of the group, Koyomi and Keita (Tina Tamashiro and Hayato Isomura). They both knew about Yuu and Rin liking each other and tried to rationalize with them to no end, but alas, that would make the movie less dramatic if their advice were taken.

Within the first minute of the movie I already thought about not watching it , but I sucked it up and powered on. This is a live action movie based on the manga, Uirabu and maybe the manga is better than the movie ( I haven’t read it ). I feel like sometimes the ridiculous scenarios that occur in mangas are better left on page rather than on screen. There were scenes where Rin would imagine scenarios in his head between him and Yuu and goodness me, I had to look away every time, it was so cheesy, my lactose intolerance almost couldn’t handle it. The cheesiness did not make up for the fact that the two leads needed to stop being like morons and get their shit together.

Whoa, that was more like a rant, I do apologize.

Anyways, I give this movie 5/10.

[wil92]

Some spoilers up ahead, read at your own risk.

Anoko no Toriko is a live-action movie based on the manga series by the same name. It features Ryo Yoshizawa as Yori Suzuki and Yuko Araki as Shizuku Tachibana. I’ve seen Ryo Yoshizawa in Gintama and Marmalade Boy and I think his acting is alright, but I’m wondering if he could show off more of his potential if he had more varied roles. This opinion might be biased since I haven’t really seen much of his work. I’ve only seen Yuko Araki in Our Meal for Tomorrow (which didn’t leave much of an impression on me) and she was okay in this role, but it might just be this character and not her acting that makes it mediocre. 

I have to say that I found this movie a little boring and anti-climatic. I think the characters are flat and the story was a bit boring. I’m not sure if the manga is the same way, or maybe because they had to cram it all into one movie. I really didn’t like how the Yori and the second male lead, Subaru ( played by Yosuke Sugino) thought that if they succeeded in one thing than Shizuku would be theirs, as if she was an object that could be obtained, with no thoughts to her feelings whatsoever. I did like the ending though, not the part where he asks her to marry him ( they’re way too young and haven’t even started dating), but where she tells him to go to America and do his thing and she’ll do the same and they can both be people that the other can be proud of. If they married, I think it would affect their work and it would seem like she was holding him back from becoming something big in America. The ending was a bit of a saving grace for this movie from being rated lower.

I give this movie 6/10.

photo credit: asianwiki

[wil92]

I finally finished watching 100 Days My Prince starring Do Kyung Soo (D.O) as Won Deuk/Crown Prince and Nam Ji Hyun as Hong Shim. I’m not a big fan of historical dramas because there’s too much politics, but I wanted to watch something and so I decided on this. I wanted to see if I would like Do Kyung Soo’s acting.  I’ve seen him in It’s Okay, This is Love, but I didn’t finish that, so I can’t really say that I have much of an impression of his acting. His acting is okay in this drama, there wasn’t a specific moment when I thought this was great acting. I did think he had a really intense gaze that fit well with his character. I’ve seen Nam Jihyun in Shopping King Louis and Suspicious Partner (which I also didn’t finish, I’m a champion non-finisher of dramas) and I don’t mind her acting, but there are times when I find it awkward to watch her. With that being said, I think both of them still have the potential to grow and hone their acting skills. They were cute together, but I wish they had a bit more chemistry or spark between them. 

The story isn’t anything new, especially for a historical drama, there’s people trying to acquire power and control everyone, betrayal, status and of course, forbidden love. The one thing the writer threw in there to make it stand out  was make the crown prince have amnesia and live as a commoner. I feel like it could have been more exciting or more interesting, since I did drop this when I only had 5 episodes left before I picked it back up just for the heck of it. I did like the last episode, it was more humorous than I thought it would be and it ended happily (which has a big influence on how I rate it).  Since it’s been a few months since I’ve seen the beginning of this drama, I can’t remember what else I could have said about it.

So, I give this drama 7.5/10.

photo credit: asianwiki

[wil92]

I finished Goblin awhile ago, starring Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun, Lee Dong Wook, and Yoo In Na and I have to say I loved it. I think it might have been one of the best Korean dramas I’ve seen in a while. I wanted to wait until it finished airing to binge-watch it , but I couldn’t. The very first episode got me hooked and although the plot did slow down about half way, I couldn’t stop watching it. The plot was interesting, not just because it was about an immortal goblin (I have yet to see any dramas with its concept revolving around goblins), but it also involved grim reapers and deities. It was a mixture of mystery, romance, intrigue and comedy. I’ll admit I did not peg this drama to use the kind of humor that they did, but it seriously made me laugh and not just the heavy breathing through the nose, but actually laughter. I felt like the mystery of everything never really stopped. Once one problem was solved, another one would pop up and it took a while for them to be explained, but I liked that because it let me come up with my own theories and its interesting when the writer takes it in another direction than what I predicted. There were a few times where my assumptions were totally off and I was pleasantly shocked by the the actual results. I generally don’t become too emotional for dramas, but this one made me cry a few times, not hysterically, but silent tears and a few sniffles. I think it was the way that the actors cried that made me cry as well, not just the situation. Some have the pretty crying which really has no effect on me and then there are the ones that deliver those heart-wrenching sobs that make my eyes mist. 

I loved the cast, not just the main leads, but a lot of the side characters too. The last time I saw Gong Yoo in a drama was in Coffee Prince, which was ages ago and when I saw him again, boy, did I swoon. I feel like he looks even better as he ages. I liked him in this role as Kim Shin, not just because he’s lovely to look at, but it’s the voice, the little gestures and facial expressions that make me really appreciate his acting. His interactions with the other characters are also fun to watch especially with his goblin bride, Ji Eun Tak played by Kim Go Eun and  with the grim reaper played by Lee Dong Wook. I’ve seen Kim Go Eun in Cheese in the Trap (but I didn’t finish it) and I’ve seen her in Coinlocker Girl and The Advocate: A Missing Body, but  I adored her in this role. She was mature beyond her age and occasionally cute, but not overtly and she was really likable to me. I know there have been criticisms about casting her because she’s not beautiful and it’s true she’s not a classic beauty but she’s got her own charms and she has such an infectious smile. I think she proved a lot of people wrong after they’ve actually seen her as Ji Eun Tak. I’m glad that Lee Dong Wook was able to land the grim reaper character because I think I like him best in this role compared to the other works I’ve seen him in. This isn’t because I hate his acting but because I was never fond of his other characters or their story-lines. He was cute especially when he was acting opposite of Yoo In Na’s character, Sunny. Although she didn’t get as much screen time, Sunny was cool and chic and a total bad-ass and those shots of her where her hair was blowing from some random wind was gorgeous. The characters  Yoo Deok Hwa played by Yook Sung Jae and the grandmother/ Red lady played by Lee El (she was really a babe as the red lady) were interesting and quite mysterious, and I feel like sometime they were overlooked and it would have been nice if they were shown more. I think Kim Min Jae and Kim So Hyun who played the king and queen respectively did a good job in their short appearances and the looked splendid in their Goryeo period costumes. There are more minor characters that left quite an impression on me and I think they all did an amazing job.

Overall, I give this drama 9/10

photo credit: asianwiki

[wil92]

Some spoilers up ahead, so read at your own risk.

I loved My Mister. I didn’t think I would because not really a fan of sad dramas and big age gaps. I watched the first episode and started the second one when it first started airing but I stopped because it was a little too depressing for me. I didn’t pick it up again until it was finished airing and I’m so glad I did. I finished it within a few days and feel slightly down because it’s over. I started watching it again mostly for IU (I love her as a singer and am growing fond of her acting), but she wasnt’t the only reason I stuck around.

It features Lee Sun Kyun as Park Dong Hoon and Lee Ji Eun (IU) as Lee Ji An, both going through a hard time, but somehow come together to help each other overcome their difficulties. I haven’t seen Lee Sun Kyun in much, but I have seen him in Coffee Prince (I’ll be honest, I don’t really remember him in it) and the movie The Advocate: A Missing Body, which I liked him in. I think he portrayed the character Park Dong Hoon very well, a quiet man who prioritizes his family first and struggles with his work life, especially since his eyes look sad. I liked Lee Ji Eun as this character the best out of all the dramas I’ve seen her in. It contrasts with her previous character because even though she’s pitiful, she’s doing everything she can to protect the ones she loves and she has no qualms about blackmailing and manipulating her enemy. I like how strong she is and how she is able to control the field when it comes to Do Joon Young, even when he throws her a curve ball. I felt conflicted with Park Dong Hoon’s wife, Kang Yoon Hee (Lee Ji Ah) because she cheated on a decent man, but I can understand why she did it (although I don’t get why she chose such an asshole). I felt the same about Lee Kwang Il ( Kang Ji Yong), Lee Ji An’s tormentor because he was always harassing her but I think he redeemed himself a little when he sent the recordings of Do Joon Young to Park Dong Hoon.

The thing that touched me the most about this show was the neighbourhood comradery. I admired how all the ahjusshis had each other’s back, especially when Park Dong Hoon took a beating and one of them saw him and everyone was running over to find out who did it to him. I also loved it when Lee Ji An was included in the neighbourhood, like when they walked her home and had another ahjusshi who lived near her watch for strange people. The one scene that made me cry (other than Lee Ji An seeing her grandmother at the morgue) was when everyone came to her grandmother’s funeral. That scene really hit me hard especially because the three brothers were always worrying about not having many people or flower wreathes show up for their own mother’s funeral.

When I first heard that IU was thinking about joining this drama, I thought the same thing a lot of people thought, don’t do it. I hated thinking that it would be a romance with an older guy and he was married. I’m glad that the romance wasn’t typical, there was no instant love, it wasn’t sexual or lusty, and the guy wasn’t a douche. I’m not even sure if I would classify it as a romance, since there was no wooing. In my opinion it was more of an understanding and supporting of each other and some might call it an emotional affair, but for me it was very innocent, they didn’t really cross any lines, they were just two lonely people who couldn’t really express themselves to others. I struggled over whether I should cheer this couple on and hope for them to be together but on the other hand, I felt like it wouldn’t make sense for them to end up together since he wanted to stay with his wife even though she cheated. I was satisfied enough with the ending where they just met each other happily. I was a little sad that he was still lonely, since his wife was possibly moving to the US to be with their son, but I was pleased that she was working well and she had friends.

Overall I give this drama 9/10.

photo credit: asianwiki

[wil92]

Splash Splash Love is a drama special with only two episodes that leaves you wanting more. Kim Seulgi plays Jang Danbi, a girl who travels back to the Joseon era on a rainy day and meets King Lee Do (Yoon Doojoon). I’ve seen Kim Seulgi in other dramas (Flower Boy Next Door and Oh My Ghost), but she was always just a supporting character, although I do think she is really a scene-stealer even in a minor role. It was nice for her to finally get a chance to in the spotlight with this role. She’s quite lovable and funny, which is no surprise since she used to be a cast of SNL Korea. Her onscreen chemistry with Yoon Doojoon was off the charts in my opinion and they would fully have my support if they started to date in real life. I loved Yoon Doojoon in Let’s Eat season one (didn’t finish season two), but I think I loved him more in this because he’s more mischievous and I think he looks fantastic in a hanbok. There was something really mesmerizing and graceful about Jin Ki Joo, who plays Sou/Queen Sohun and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I would like to see if she still captures my attention in another role and I would also like to see Ahn Hyo Seop (who played Park Yeon) in something else as well. I liked how the writer used the history and actual people of that period to tell the story, it made it more interesting. I also liked how people from the future that Danbi recognizes play different roles in the Joseon era because adds to the story. I’m glad that there was no love triangle or drama and its humorous. I find that many Joseon period dramas are quite tense and betrayals happen because there’s always a fight for the throne or aristocrats are being pricks. Anyways, I give this drama 10/10.

photo:asianwiki

[wil92]

I finished watching Love Me, If You Dare, starring Wallace Huo and Sandra Ma last month and I only started it because I read a description that said it was like Sherlock but with romance (and I love BBC’s Sherlock). It began well enough, with a few crimes that usually took two episodes to solve, but when it got to the middle, it was just a tad boring for me before it started picking up again. It isn’t fast pace like I thought it would be and in my opinion there was only one episode where there was really any romance (quite cheesy too). I get that Bo Jinyan (Wallace Huo) separates his work and his love life with his assistant Jian Yao (Sandra Ma), but I feel like there was no in-between for him. I think the two leads could have more chemistry between them as well. There is a bit of similarity between the villain in this show and Moriarty from Sherlock, but unlike the latter, there is more than one person at play. I believe that their voices were dubbed over and it bothered me more than it should. This drama is based on a book written by Ding Mo and I started to read an English  translation of it by a fan. I’m half way through and I think the book is better (it has more crimes and romance than the drama does), but the Bo Jinyan in the book is quite the perv (maybe because Jian Yao is his first girlfriend). Anyways, if you like the drama, but decide there isn’t enough loving, then I suggest you read the book. I give this drama 7/10.

photo:dramawiki

[wil92]

Oh Hae Young Again, starring Eric Moon and Seo Hyun Jin was unexpectedly good. I skimmed the first five episodes (just watched the scenes with the main characters to get a feel for it) because I was curious and I diligently watched the rest. The story is quite unique because the lead male character, Park Do Kyung, can see glimpses of the future, but I’m glad that the show isn’t focused too much on that aspect. There are quite a few scenes that are hilarious and lots of cheesy, cringe-worthy moments, but its the heartsick scenes that really get you. The female lead, Oh Hae Young shares a name with the supporting female lead, played by Jeon Hye Bin and this leads to misunderstandings between everyone. I’ve seen Seo Hyun Jin in Let’s Eat season 2 (which I didn't finish), but she didn’t really make any impression on me in that show. I loved her as Oh Hae Young though, because you could really sympathize with her and her crying was so heartbreaking (I love a good crier). She’s not what some people would call beautiful, but she’s charming and sometimes, when you watch her, there are parts where you think, you know what, she’s kind of pretty.  Occasionally, I felt like she really was shameless and it was embarrassing to watch, but the fact that she was aware about how easy she was makes me pity her and love her more. I’ve seen Eric a few years ago in Spy Myeong Wol and I have to say, I think he fits this role better. There’s something about him that makes him seem perfect for it. I think because Park Do Kyung is a tsundere and Eric has a cold, city boy look to him (but his actions toward Oh Hae Young prove otherwise), he suits the character well. It’s not only the leads that you come to love but also the other characters such as Oh Hae Young’s parents (played by Kim Mi Kyung and Lee Han Wi, who are adorable), Park Do Kyung’s sister, brother and lawyer friend (played by Ye Jiwon, Heo Jeong Min and Kim Jisuk, respectively). Also, you initially think that you’ll hate the “pretty” Oh Hae Young (Jeon Hye Bin), like you usually do with second female leads, but I don’t believe that I’ve felt anything more than a mild dislike, which I am thankful for (because it’s a little cliche). It was a good ending, thank goodness, but it left me with a lingering question, how did the singer relate to Park Do Kyung? I give this drama 9/10.

photo:asianwiki