Let’s meet the Great Seer

Set in the waning part of the Goryeo period, this snail-paced sageuk tested my patience to a hilt. The long background just span unnecessary side stories that didn’t solidify the intention and the richness of the tale from where it was derived. I almost dropped it but they threw Ji Sung oppa’s pretty face at the right moment so I will overlook the dry beginning and will just focus on the essentials.

In the collapsing years of Goryeo Kingdom, the country was burdened by political instability and power struggles that were being maneuvered by the divination people who aided the monarchy and military in their decision making. King Gongmin was obssessed in finding Ja Mi Won, a legendary grave site that would bring power to his reign. He ordered Mok Dong Ryun, a forecaster, to search for the powerful place, but the prophet received a revelation that it was not the right time yet to reveal its location. Failing to do his task, he became a fugitive but was soon found by Moo Ryu, a princess and a healer from the palace who harbored mutual feelings with him. To save him from harm, she convinced General Lee In Im to conspire that the sacred place was really found and feigned ignorance to the King that the Ja Mi Won location he will be getting was fake.

Lee In Im who slept with the high priestess was encouraged by the latter to harness his ambitions so they ployed on obliterating the barriers along the way. Prince Moo Ryu later on conceived a child but has to marry Lee In Im to save him and his father Dong Ryun. The priestess also conceived a child of Lee In Im but was raised by the princess after the former abandoned her baby through the pouring rain as her role of high priestess will be stripped off if her pregnancy will be discovered. The princess knew the danger awaiting for her child forcedly sent him to his father’s care away from the danger he might get from the palace villains. 

At a young age, Mok Ji Sang was showing fortune telling abilities and grew up in a gisaeng’s house while his father made a living as a herbalist. Determined to position themselves to the hierarchy, the priestess and Lee In Im revealed to the king that the Ja Mi Won information he has was a fluke, so the princess was imprisoned and Ji Sang’s father opted to have his bestfriend kill him to avoid torture if the palace will catch him. 

The second part of the story paraded grown up con-man Ji Sang who has used his gift of prophecy to make a living for him and his foster parents. He was also bent upon knowing the identity of his biological mother and he knew that the clue was in the palace where he saw the tortoise symbol that was on the ring given by her mother to him when he was a baby. He was able to enter the palace by posing as a revelator but his identity was revealed by Hae-in who was the daughter of his father’s bestfriend. But he was given a chance to stay in the school after he displayed his geomancer skills and found the long lost tomb of a Mongolian official’s mother. To fully realized his potentials he traveled and was mentored by a great monk who knew his destiny of finding Ja Mi Won that will establish a new era of the nation.

Resolutely blinded to seize Goryeo’s authority, Lee In Im and Head Priestess used the king’s concubine’s son to place their grip on the power at the expense of killing the King and the Mother Queen. Lee In Im served as the Prime Minister and made the country’s situation worst by promulgating unreasonable taxation laws and allowing land grabbing practices.

Factions in the great army arose after General Choi Young remained firm with old fashioned beliefs as General Lee Sung Gye felt so pained with the strenuous governance conflicts. Ji Sang became an efficient strategist for Gen. Lee Sung Gye in weeding the poisonous people responsible for the decline of a once powerful kingdom and bring to end the uncovering of Ja Mi Won where the mighty kingdom of Joseon was established by Lee Sung Gye.

The Great Seer really started slow but moved decently. It was not a flashy and a gripping sageuk but it has a very easy to understand and to follow depiction. It was done fairly in story and directing, but I was expecting more considering the talent of the cast. Nevertheless it was consistent in its filial love, brotherhood, and patriotism life lessons. The resident sageuk elements of swaying loyalties, indecisive protagonist, misplaced love were all in full swing and though minimal humor was evident, it didn’t go dry as it switches in each arc of the story.

Ji Jin Hee has always won me over in almost all his historical portrayals and Ji Sung oppa just has to smile and show his charming ways and I would willingly comply to his bidding. *chuckles This drama I thought would be focusing on Ji Sang’s oracle abilities that was passed on from his father but he equally shared the limelight with Lee Sung Gye and towards the end they leaned to the founding of Joseon after a long and exhausting road battle. It was a passing closure but I wished Ji Sang’s soothsayer abilities have been more pronounced when he was acting on it in the series. 

The romance sadly though was also most of the time gasping and flat. I got that period dramas were more on wars, politics, throne grabbing and all, but if the love stories would just appear weak then either don’t include it or insert a workable and memorable love scenes.  The redemption for the villains was present so even if it was quick, I will buy it, at least they have made the balance of the upper hand in this drama equally challenging for both the protagonists and antagonists.

The story moved in a flowing pace evading bewilderness and explaining instigations. There was a lull on the onset to establish the eventual strife on the “who wants to be the crown-holder” contest but all throughout I was not lost in the progress of the plot. That was the most positive thing about this drama… I didn’t have head-scratching moments and I didn’t question why the character had to do this and that.  So although not that much vibrancy and even if the screenplay was not refined at least the writers didn’t write nonsensically.  It even made me ponder on that realization of how the monarchy’s belief in superstition has caused serious repercussions to their judgment in running the country.
The Great Seer slowly stimulated me until I finished it.  I learned a few things about geomancy as well. It won’t definitely have a second serving for me, but if you are trying to educate yourself with Korean history, this would be a great help as the founding of Joseon era was the culmination of the storyline of this period TV story. –jediprincess ^_^

 

almost 4 years

Episode

I was busy routing for my favorite local basketball team in their goal to win another cup.  Sadly they lost but it was still a very memorable conference.  Today I discovered SPRING PAD and I will be using it for my episode recap for selected dramas.  In 2 days time it will be my 4th birthday and I’m really happy with all the friends I have met through this blog.  I’m closing on the 1st and 2nd quarter drama pendings but I really have to put The great seer on drama bucket this year along with Horse Doctor.  I am hoping to finish Level 7, Incarnation of Money, Queen of Ambition and Nine Times travel before May ends to finish the Spring dramas.  Please check my kmovie list for new films I added.  *lavitaebella

 

My PS Partner (2012) Movie Recap

In one of those lonely nights of trying to move on from the memory of his long-time girlfriend, a man received an erotic phone call from a woman while he was dreaming one of those steamy nights with his ex-lover. Caught off guard on what was happening he played along in the intimate weird phonecall adventure and was able to almost reach a satisfying peak before the woman realized that she dialed not her boyfriend’s number.

 

The “this is what realistic relationship is” tone has made this straightforward, lively and cheeky romcom hit all the love chakras in my body. Not since My Wife Got Married did I enjoy an R18 romance flick, but the started-weird-move-to-casual-and-turned-to-binding connection of the lead couple made me so inspired to embark on a dating binge. *giggles

 

It raised a question of which kind of lovers’ parting is more painful… Is it the long-running relationship or the half-way-inlove kind of intimacy? Is it worth it to be comfortable in a routinary relationship with someone who is unsure if he has even plans to get married or is it worth the risk to ditch it and have an honest, carefree emotional involvement that doesn’t take marriage as a scapegoat because you are tired of loving, breaking up, hurting and finding love again.

 

My PS partner is an example of another vibrant love movie I would strongly recommend to watch. It has a subtle indie appeal with a very smart screenplay. It went to the love trap cliche but the quirky development of the romance plus the organic feel of witnessing what relationship in late-20′s-early-30′s was about were depicted amusingly, realistically and candidly.

 

I gave it a 5 star rating and a space on my kmovie favorites because of how it has minimal mature content but was able to balance and even heightened the romantic essence, the seamless humor and the responsive chemistry between the main leads in the movie. Sweetly impudent, My PS Partner made me feel so wanting to be in love after watching it, and not the knight-in-the-shining-armour-cinderella-rose-petals kind of way but the wearing-his-oversized-shirt-singing-while-he-plays-the-guitar kind of love.

 

Still moping about his recent break up with his 5-year ex-girlfriend, Hyung-seung groped for the ringing handphone while he was in the middle of an erogenous reverie and was surprised to hear a woman’s voice. Still figuring what’s happening, his sleepy self became fully awake when the aphrodisiacal phone conversation became more intense, and just as he was nearing his climax, the woman, Yoon-jung realized her stupid mistake of calling the wrong person. Yoon-jung was a lingerie designer who has been dating her man for the last 5 years and was already feeling frustrated about his lack of wedding plans for them.

 

Hyung-seung met up with his friends to drown and numb himself with alcohol, and in tipsy state he tried calling his ex-girlfriend but was answered by the new lover of his ex. Furious, he inadvertently dialed the wrong number and landed an “all girls are whore” litany to the woman he got a phonesex conversation last night who also had a bad day after instead of a wedding ring she got a hairclip from her man on their 5th year anniversary date.

 

They engaged in a heated argument of who was the psycho between them but then he broke down and cry. Felt the pain of the man she was talking with and soon the two found themselves connecting to each other’s love frustrations. From then on they engaged in sassy and steamy conversation and when they agreed to meet up the sexy talks was fulfilled in action.

 

Their weird no-name-invented-yet relationship status has helped each other with their exasperating love problems but knowing and afraid that it would never work out with them Yoon-jung decided to stop their entanglement.

 

Yoon-jung has been patient of his boyfriend’s lack of consideration attitude and has been wanting to confront him about his infidelity issues. She almost reached her saturation point one night only to have him gave her a wedding proposal that she has been waiting for a while. Hyun-seung on the other hand still in limbo of the emotional throe he got ne after the other got anunexpected visit and another second serving with his ex-girlfriend. Then reality hit Hyun-seung, and not minding if it was right or wrong and whether there could be hope, he set forth to see Yoon-jung on her wedding day and in his weird, erotic love song declaration pushed her to admitting that she doesn’t want that marriage and even spilling the beans of her fiance’s illicit affair to an officemate who was also present in the wedding.

 

Yoon-jung went “runaway bride”, and not stopping and responding when Hyun-seung screamed ILoveYou to her.

 

Time flew and Yoon-jung found back her footing and was doing good in her business. She got a visit from her friends who arranged a slot for a phone-in segment to where Hyun-seung was having a disc jockey stint. She sang the same song Hyun-seung did on her cancelled nuptial day which was altered to a decent love song. He recognized her voice as she tried winning him back… and when he asked her “what cha wearin?”, she quipped a description of a sexy lingerie in response.

-jediprincess

Images from hanCinema

 

 

“When a relationship ends because of infidelity, it’s not about the sense of betrayal that kept you from moving on, it’s the unfamiliarity that you first feel because it never dawned on you that such thing could happen.”

 

Confession of Murder Movie Recap (2012)

This thriller flick kicked start in an electric tone that it caught my attention all throughout its duration.  It was smooth and I hated that I didn’t figure out what was happening until the very end revelation.

Confession of Murder tells the intertwining fate of a police officer, a serial killer, the family of the victims and a serial-killer-wanna-be.

Lieutenant Choi had an encounter with a faceless serial killer who has created havoc in the city killing 10 women.  He almost pinned him but the slimy manslayer was able to escape.

After 15 years when the statute of limitations from the murder committed ended, a book author emerged and released a book “Confession of Murder” claiming he was the serial killer of the cold case 15 years ago.  He was able to narrate in detail the details of the vicious killings.  The media and society feasted on the absurdity of the idea and were crossed on how to react on the ownership and the strange bravery of the handsome author.  And as soon as his identity was known public, the families of the women he murdered executed a plot to abduct him to reveal the location of where his final kill was.

So the still-grieving families of the victims connived a ploy to abduct Lee Do Seok by pushing snakes to attack him while he was doing his swimming routine.  They intercepted him by posing as the emergency team but the real emergency team appeared so their plan was discovered.   The police bodyguards and Lt. Choi tried to claim Do-seok back in a gripping pursuit, but the 15-year-grief-stricken-villains came up victorious.  But Lt. Choi was able to track down the location of the hideout of the perpetrators and was able to rescue his newly-met nemesis.

Do-seok gave an after-kidnapping interview and promised his appearance on a public television debate.  I love the involvement of media in this movie, it was really nonsensical cute and feisty, and they added the spice in the plot in their stubbornness to sensationalize the events.

Public television debate came and the famous killer-turned-writer faced the police officer he evaded.  He remained firm with his early statement of the reason behind his surprise publication to the mixed response of the audience and his detractors.  The segment for phone-in questions was inserted and a strange caller spoke and recounted details that were familiar with Lieutenant Choi.  At the end of the call he claimed that he was the true serial killer.

The new development created ruckus in the public and to support his claim the serial killer claiming the book author was fraud agreed on another public debate, and he even gave a tip of a location where he buried the last kill who turned out to be Lt. Choi’s ex-lover.

Lt. Choi listened to the evidence they acquired in the past years to scrape some clues detrimental to the investigation and on the day of their face off, the two claiming the crime and the officer who failed to catch the serial killer, threw measuring glances to one another.

“J”, the other serial killer, chronicled how he did his last kill and on cue, a live external feed from the tip he earlier gave showed the skeleton of the last woman he massacred to the fury of Lt. Choi and her mother sitting in the audience stand.  After his boasting, Do-seok affirmed that he was not the serial killer but the son of the first woman who was killed.  He also revealed the conspiracy he put on together with Lt. Choi. 

They inadvertently planned the whole scheme to make the real killer go out from his rabbit hole to finally claim justice from all his evil doings. 

Just because I don’t want to spoil everything and it’s a really must watch thriller, I would stop from here and would just give a strong encouragement to watch this movie.  I was on the edge of my seat on the chase-the-killer-fight scenes of this movie, and until now, I still can’t accept that I wasn’t able to deduce the ending twist of this movie.  *pout 

I thought when the “who’s the real killer conflict” was raised there will be a showdown between them, but there wasn’t.  Years of watching Dexter and Criminal Minds, I thought I have all of it figured out when it comes to socio and psychopaths, but this movie surprisingly amazed and amused me.  Well hidden, director… Well Done!   

Niftily written and cleanly executed… this was such a riveting delight and will be one of my favorites for the 2012 movies.

How To Use Guys With Secret Tips Korean Movie Quick Recap (2013)

Even if I enjoyed the amusing and lively editing, I didn’t like how predictable and unruly the characters were in this story.  For some weird reasons, I have seen most of Lee Si Young’s romcoms, and while undoubtedly she has a knack in comic-romance timing, I can’t feel her connection with the leading man, and not because he’s not that good-looking *giggles but because his projected persona was not that appealing to weave a cold Romeo with side arrogance issues.

So Lee Si Young played the role of Choi Bo-na, an unappealing girl who struggled to make the male population notice and adore her.  She is often times overlooked because of how basically she dressed and carried herself.  When she was left behind the production team she was working with packed up, she had an epiphany of a video shop where an ajussi introduced a video manual on how she can attract boys.  Bewildered and not buying the whole idea, she got sidetracked by ajussi’s sale pitch when he threw in a remark that something dark will happen to her if she won’t purchase it.  So she went home holding the “Instruction on how to Charm Men” video and was not really meaning to see it.  But then she found herself watching the video non-sense and actually learning a thing or two from it.  Soon the changes from her confidence were emerging and she even landed sharing sheets with a Hallyu star she at first had a bad encounter.  After their one night stand, the girl went keen in following the video manual and was able to draw the Hallyu star, Lee Jung Se, closer to her, but still the latter was still disregarding her because of his top star status so she devised a way to make him fall for her even more, and with hint of jealousy and not extending her attention to him, Jung-se found himself smitten by the Assistant’ director’s charm.

Just when everything is falling on the right places and just when both of them were acknowledging their presence in each other’s lives, the eventual conflict of the lead guy knowing about the manual she was following put a wall between them.  The growing and steadying fondness were almost halted but because the power of love can cure almost everything, they found the way back to each other’s arms.

This is the usual love movie, where viewers would already know what will happen in the story, and yet we stayed watching it hoping that at least it would draw some funk at least, but nothing happened.  I hate it when there’s a love misunderstanding and the people involved won’t give a chance to explain their sides.  In this modern time, where communication can be reached online and offline, if a relationship will be misunderstood, then there was no connection at all between the people claiming they were into each other. 

It was a sleek directing and editing, that’s what you will really notice about this film, considering that the plot was not a novelty, the director was able to make it so appealing because of how it was narrated.

I love the idea of how the lead couple “fell in love”, against their personality differences and going beyond their comfort zones, but I hated that they acted stupid on the course of falling in love.

I would give a fair rating on this film because I really found the editing cute and appetizing, but don’t account on a lingering effect, because you won’t find it. -jediprincess

Everyday – David Levithan (2012)

It was a very nice premise, however David Levithan’s “EVERYDAY” failed to consistently amuse me.  What got me curious was the situation of the main character “A” who doesn’t have a physical body and wakes up each morning inhabiting and sharing someone else’s life.  It was a novelty and I was so looking forward on how the protagonist will play each day in a literal varied life, but after a few chapters I felt I was just going in circles and found myself drifting from A’s world.

The main conflict from the onset was how “A” thrived each day adapting to the identity of the person he was hosting at.  He has become acquiescent of it until he fell in love with a girl, Rhiannon, an emotion new to him and impossible to prolong with given the scenario of his existence, but he made it work out by counting on Rhiannon’s faith in his metaphysical life.

It was a very sad love story narrated in an unimaginable perspective that’s why maybe I stayed with it even if there was really nothing much going on.  I know for a fact that there will be a safe closure eventually and I appreciated that Levithan didn’t go beyond the unusual premise by giving “A” a body he can live to have a happy-ever-after with the girl he loved.  If he did, he’ll really get a big BOO! from me.

While I move along with the story I was not that consumed to its progression, as there was never any.  It was like accompanying a friend from a series of friendly-going-to-romantic dates when all along she was still stuck at the last boy she fell in love with.

I managed to finish reading it even after I lost interest after 6 chapters.   It was I think a case of over patience or just wanting to justify the cost of the book I bought.  *chuckles  I’m perplexed on how it climbed to bestseller list, and though it was not really that good “reading experience” for me, I would give it an almost fair rating, well at least it didn’t annoy me.  *wink

Shadows of Love (2012) Quick Recap

This was a movie that until now I can’t reconcile why I was able to finish it.  It was bordering between plain to abysmal.  It was supposed to be a romantic comedy but the romance part I thought was playing hide-and-seek with me.  Chinese rom-coms are really far behind the Korean love video pills acting and story wise.  They really should invest in good stories first and not predictable ones.

Kwon Sang Woo oppa was soo good in Pained and it really baffled me why he took on this project.  Let’s just blame it to him trying to expand his stardom to the Chinese audience, but really it was such a waste of talent.

The story went like this… Paris, an heiress to a business empire was thought to be affected by a disaster in her visit to Korea, and because her father was stuck sick in the hospital, it would affect their position in the company especially because of her uncle who has been wanting to usurp the top position.  To remedy the situation, Kwon Jung Hoon (Paris’ boyfriend) approached a woman who looked exactly like his missing girlfriend to assume his lost GF’s identity in order to pacify the situation in the company and the worsening health of the Chairman.

Paris’ doppelganger acquiesced to Jung Hoon’s proposition but started awkward in imitating the heiress because of their extreme opposite personalities.  While Paris was bossy, cold and classy, Qin Xin was meek, natural and warm.  Eventually, Qin Xin was able to adapt Paris identity in time for a charity ball hosted by her evil uncle. 

Paris on the other hand made contact with her cousin and was aware of the contingency plan by Jung Hoon.  Conflict arose when Jung Hoon’s emotion was swayed towards Qin Xin who was also feeling the same way with him.  On the night of the ball, Paris emerged unannounced and met Qin Xin for the first time, the latter stepped down to the role she was playing sadly because of the fondness she felt over Jung Hoon.

Paris made Jung Hoon chose between her and Chung Xin.  Jung Hoon apologized for breaking Paris’ heart and decided to be together with the girl who has made him fall in love unexpectedly fast.

There… that was just the story about.  No frills, nothing new, not even something that would make your heart flutter.  This movie no matter how I tried to see any hint of goodness in it, I still am unable to compose a decent encouragement to watch it, as there’s really nothing worth seeing.  I’m sorry.

till next time Seoul… 보고싶다!

I am still enjoying the aftermath of my Seoul visit, so I haven’t started on a very comprehensive blog about it… maybe this week on my off I would be able to find some time if I will get too lazy to finish Horse Doctor.  *wink

I’m still feeling the separation anxiety from Seoul and is missing the breeze, people and strangely the loong walks… It was really a memorable experience for me and I look forward to coming back there soon.

For now, I will have to focus on working, saving money and starting to cut my books and dvds budget to put more on my travel expenses.  The short Seoul vacation has made me realized that amidst the clamor for me to get back to the love train, I am much more happy exploring the world as I see and feel it. ^_^

 

 

Love 911 Quick KMovie Recap

When Go Mi-soo misdiagnosed a patient, her doctor’s license went in danger, and only if she can convince a fireman, Kang-il, who was assaulted by the patient’s husband’s victim to side with her to reveal the violent nature of the former can she be reprieved of the situation and improve her chance on her medical suspension. She tried ways to persuade Kang-il by using faith, seduction and even attempting to jump on a bridge to catch his attention but his distant self stayed firm.

Then Mi-soo volunteered for community service and joined the rescue team to inch herself closer to Kang-il. In one of their rescue operations, Mi-soo’s constant fainting left her unconscious in the building’s basement, and when Kang-il noticed it and went back to the site, as soos as he held her unconscious body, the after treatment of the gas leak proceeded, shutting the room and filling it up icy temperature. The previously bickering pair was left no choice but to rely on each other’s nakedness to battle hypothermia.

When they were rescued, Kang-il lightened up and started opening himself to Mi-soo. He also revealed to her the pain he still feels whenever the memory of his deceased wife surges. But just when they were leading into rescuing each other and falling in love in the process, Mi-soo’s impending license issue reached an almost no escaping point because the patient’s condition worsened. She tried swaying Kang-il but he remained unmoved about his initial decision. The patient’s husband locked and hung himself but was revived by Mi-soo, and even if it was hard for her to leave the profession she so wanted, she resigned from her job and sought forgiveness from the patient’s husband. She met up with Kang-il and inside a church, she declared her love for him. But since she knew that he was not fully healed of his dead wife’s memories, she decided she has to let him go. 

Kang-il went back to the station and they headed to another dangerous encounter as they tried to rescue a man stuck by a boulder in a collapsing building.  Kang-il’s careless hero attitude kicked in again and decided to stay by the victim’s side and try to lift him in the split chance they will have once they induce a rapture.  He was able to free the man but they got caught by the wall debris falling. Luckily they were rescued and as he groped back to consciousness, he had an epiphany of Mi-soo.  He woke up and plot-crazy-warranted stood up, ran and look for the girl he is now ready to love back. They met in an intersection and shared a sweet, loving kiss and they carried on with their saving lives along with the rescue team.

Most love stories tell an evident 100% love from its onset, that being said I liked how the adoration build up in this movie. It was not “impossible instant”, but “I know where you’ve been” kind of love. I liked that the man was wounded this time, and the woman did the chasing to make the man fall for her and to heal his broken heart. It was a reversal of romantic roles that exuded understanding and maturity in handling love replies. 

It was a very comforting movie to witness, and not much korean movie cliches too.  It was a balanced rom-com that presented a picture of how love begins when we intend it to happen. It was filled with humor, funny supporting cast, and a couple you will really root for to be together. 

The thing about love is that it “grows”… so it is not something to be forced but to be realized. LOVE 911 nailed this romantic reality. Sometimes all we need is someone who can make us believe that we are wrong in thinking that we haven’t moved on yet from the pain of a previous relationship. If we have been doing it all alone, and nothing has been happening, then maybe we have to let someone help us … maybe push us to work even more, or maybe take our hands to do it together. 

This was an engrossing love movie I’m so happy I picked to get back on board from a quick kmovie hibernation. -jediprincess

 

That Winter, The Wind Blew Me Away

And back from my kdrama hiatus, I finished this stunning, stirring and affectionate “I pretended to be a long lost brother to a blind heiress because I needed money to continue to live only to find myself waking up wanting to protect my fake little sister every single day” in between anti-histamine and sleeping.  Given the drama bucket I’ve piled in the past few years, making me stay sitting on a drama was a feat hard to achieve, and this year, “That Winter, The Wind Blows” was the first one to notch it, and no candy crush nor any other distraction can compete with Jo In Sung oppa for my attention.  *wink

This is how a melodrama should be done, enough emotional scenes to stimulate the heart and tear ducts, but not bordering to weep fest.  This spectacle was like Innocent Man, but what was half-achieved by the former, was strongly fulfilled by this winter romance show.

Loving someone when you are literally blind takes faith beyond reasons, and finding a reason to live because you love someone takes bravery beyond faith.  These are the two love lessons I have learned from Oh Soo and Oh Young, and so far this year, they are my favorite love couple.

A tale of not really brothers and sisters who were entangled by fate, unexpected fondness, blind trust, and true love, this drama blew me away on the early episodes and the intense scenes when the revelations were surging up.  It took me a while to be convinced on how the lead girl’s firm grasp of things disregarded how her hero abnegated his own happiness because he got infected with the love he was feeling for her, but as I realized, I without disability have insecurities and would really feel awful if I will be betrayed, how much more for a blind girl like her.  It always help to step on the character’s shoes to see through their perspective.

Oh Soo together with his sidekick brother by affinity Jin Sung were famous gamblers in Gangnam, but when he can’t reciprocate the love of his sponsor’s mistress, So-ra, he was framed embezzling Mr. Kim’s money and was imprisoned for a year.

When he got out of jail, he was forced to pay for the debt he didn’t acquire by Moo-chul who loathed him because he blamed him for the death of the woman they both loved in the past.  Time was ticking and when Oh Soo learned that his dead friend who has the same name as his was a long lost heir to a big conglomerate company, he seized the opportunity and assumed his dead friend’s identity.

“Operation get some money and pretend I am my dead friend” proceeded and thanks to Oh Soo’s nimble mind, he was able to escape compromising situations requiring memories of his old friend that of course he didn’t have.  For him to settle his business, he has to deal with his supposed heiress-sister Oh Young who became blind after the separation of their parents.  She was taken care of by Secretary Wang, who was also the cause of divorce of her parents.  People around Oh-young are nice to her because of money so she shielded herself with a strong-this- is-what-I-want facade.  Oh Soo slowly broke the fortress her fake little sister put around her, and has made her understand that given her challenge in vision, she has to accept help from other people and be grateful and put confidence on them.

Soon enough he gained her trust, but the pressure from the gambling world he came from were also building up.  Oh Soo discovered Young’s hiding place where she kept her video diary while she was growing up, and from there, the urge to protect the innocent girl who was putting a brave front all her life grew in his heart and blossomed to pure love.  He also learned how her condition would have been resolved from its early stage if not for the selfish reason of Secretary Wang, who really cared for Young as her own daughter but has made her live a life in prison.

And then So-ra came back to spoil everything, in her little exposure in the story, she has managed to chafe me to a hilt as her selfishness pointed to Soo and Young’s suffering.  I abhorred her character.  She gave a whole new meaning to obsessive love. 

So when Oh-young was dubious of her frailty condition, and she was really being pushed to get the surgery by Secretary Wang and Oh-soo, So-ra dropped the truth bomb that he was not her real brother.  At that point of the story, Oh-young was already having a hard time because she has fallen romantically in love with her brother.  So I was thinking that she would initially caved in after feeling she was stabbed in the back, but her blind whims and unreasonable and irreconcilable trust issues let it lingered and made her even more jaded.

But since unrequited love can cure almost all kind of pain, on Oh-Young’s last attempt to make a fool out of herself, Oh-Soo in his knight-in-shining-armour self managed to rescue her suicide attempt, and I cried when she said… “I was not feeling scared of dying, I was actually waiting for you to come to me”.  When she woke up, they has a very heartfelt talk, and acknowledged that they both needed each other to live happily in their lives.

The finale episode was a combination of exquisite moments for me as the blind heiress and the conman finally sealed their love with a kiss, but Oh-soo has to deal with his final gambling showdown on the night when his girlfriend would also undergo the surgery.  Soo and Jin-sung were able to slap back Mr. Kim to avenge the unfounded grudge they didn’t deserve, but the vile villain took his last card to threaten Jin-sung.  Jin-sung stabbed his hyung in order for his family to live.

Since a lie started the web of deceit, the swinging of how to keep it up moved to degrees of annoyance and appreciation to me because I got a heroine who was frail but not gullible at the same time. I have always liked Song Hye Gyo, and this is her “I’m sorry abby for making you watch A Reason to Live peace offering”, I supposed.  When the illness-dying twist emerged in the story, I was shouting, “why is she in the brink of death drama scenario again?”, but I was appeased with her superb portrayal showcasing a vulnerable character who has learned when to turn off her protective bubble to bring the best of her and to reconcile with the idea that bravery can also mean trusting people wholeheartedly without a hint of hesitation.  But, in the finale episodes, I detested her stubborn self, I mean, “hell I know you are blind, but stop being proud! and just live happily ever after with Oh-Soo oppa!”

I have slight issues with how In Sung oppa exaggerated his acting sometimes, but given his hotness and knee-crumbling appeal, I let it slide and because at the strong scenes he was seamless in nailing it.  He was way beyond Cullen or Grey or the rest of the fictional sexiest man alive list.  He smiled.. he smirked… I fainted.  His every move in the camera was a justification of my korean drama addiction. *hearteyed

The supporting people helped in maintaining the crisp and throes of the storyline.  Oh-soo’s bromance with Jin-sung was amusing and cute as Hee-sun’s bossy-ing around to the darkside-brothers was a breather on despondent situations where Oh-soo was involved.  There was also that double sided hyung-villain that I despised and then learned to love in the end because he died.  I just can’t comprehend why he can’t move on when he didn’t even have the Oh-soo’s ex-girlfriend’s love in the first place. 

A lot of misplace love for the supporting villains, something that helped in strengthening the main lead characters and solidifying the conflict, but neglecting the redeeming point or karmic justice that would have been served for them.  I just want that So-ra girl to be crushed by a 10-wheeler truck, the way our local drama payback time always does.  *giggles

I would be honest that there were dallying episodes after the mid-part of the story and Young’s indecisiveness which you have to tolerate because of her disability was the minus factor in the story.  There were inconsistencies in her character that were just salvaged because she was blind, but since I grew tired empathizing with her, I disliked how she saw through her visual impairment and felt how the people around her move to please her so as to gain favor from her, only to not rely on her instincts when it was needed.  All throughout she was in a battle of who-to-trust-and-not, and had she not submitted to weighing the twinge of trust properly, I would have been disappointed because the building of this drama was impeccable, but the fulfillment should be at least satisfying.

I almost had an asthma attack in Oh Soo’s breakdown scene and how he was blaming himself on not just playing the con he started instead of making love complicate all things.  It was such a strong memorable moment that sent me to weep island, and will be on top of my favorite scenes this year on kdramaland.

It was a safe ending.  It was not a happy-yey!-ever-after closure, but at least they were together.  And I’m happy about it. There were hanging questions that were not explained and karmic justice that were not served to some of the characters like Mr. Kim and So-ra, and they only focused on what the ultimate yearning of the love couple was —  for Young-i to see Soo oppa.  So they ended it in her quarter-blindness, it was like… “Okay, blind girl, you can be happy now, but don’t jump!”  Other than this puny finale episode sulking, I really loved this drama because it didn’t give me the satisfaction of getting a fairy-tale ending.  And because at those scenes that really mattered I was able to feel for the characters and the struggle they were hurdling.  It drove to the path of how Oh-soo and Oh-young’s self-contemplation on what they have to offer with each other to be worthy of each other’s love.  Oh-soo who has never saw meaning to his life has found it when he met a woman who was also sharing the same sentiment as his.  Sometimes it’s really the pain that makes the love so worth it, because without it you can never differentiate if you are willing to let go or to love the person.

“That Winter, The Wind Blows” was a poignant love drama that will make you remember how you were scared to start a love you were unsure of, and how you took the odds to claim it.  This was a cure for people with “trust issues” and its delightful and piercing romance take will definitely appeal to people wanting to love… wanting to be in love and wanting to be loved back.  It was a splendid romantic drama ride for me.  It was not perfect but it was emotionally astonishing.

 

 

kdramaland here i come

This is it!  

My pilgrimage to kdramaland will be in two weeks time.  I’m elated and putting hearts on my calendar each closing day.

Bookhub Ramblings: The Fault in our Stars – John Green 2012

I rarely pick sob stories to encounter, mainly because my tears are dysfunctional, I cry easily. Picking up the premise of this novel, I was surprised at how I got so connected with the characters, there’s nothing in their world that I have felt personally, not that I care, but I’m happy I live a healthy life.

Cancer stories for me equate to weep fest and I’m not much of a fan, but as I listen to how Hazel Grace combat her cancer battle, be consumed at a book written by a deranged alcoholic and fell in love with a young man who got out but went back to cancer struggle, I marvelled, sighed, giggled and cried at Hazel Grace and Augustus love tale. Their frail cancer survivor bodies suspended me in a moment of unquestioning life uncertainties and has convinced me to love with all my might as if my days are numbered.

The witty and nifty narrative got my curiousity satisfied, and before I knew it, I was charmed by the brave couple who has made the best out of their unhealthy bodies. It was emotionally gratifying mostly because of how the characters resonated all throughout the story. It will make you feel their pain, woes and happiness like your own. It was as if when you held the book it became attached to your dna. It was affecting in a very reflective way that when the build up of pain reached its culmination, I was cursing on how John Green made me chuckled so much only to make me weep because he didn’t give me a happy ending. I know that it was inevitable. I know that death would emerge at one point in the book, but I was really rooting for Gus and Hazel’s Shakespeare-defying-young-love-in-sickness-and-in-health-if-death-will-make-us-part-romance. 

I’ve tossed some books due to time and sleep constraints, but “The Fault in our Stars” has haunted me beautifully that it managed to snap me back on my old reading addiction. I liked that this book go through a sad note but always seeing the brighter side of the “sickness” conflict. I like that the brilliant couple saddled with their illness moved through their challenges in all honesty and bravery. I liked that the love they had even if it was fictional, started and ended with the kind of love they both felt at the same time.

FAVORITE QUOTES

“That’s the thing about pain, it demands to be felt.”

“Don’t spend your wish hastily without little care for consequences.”

“I fell in love with you the way you fall asleep… slowly, and then all at once.”

“The weird thing about houses is that they always look like nothing is happening inside of them, eventhough they contain most of our lives.”

“The world is not a wish-granting factory.”

FAVORITE SCENE

“After my PET scan lit up, I snuck into the ICU and saw her while she was unconscious. I just walked in behind a nurse with a badge and I got me to sit next to her for like ten minutes before I got caught. I really thought she was going to die before I could tell her that I was going to die too. It was brutal: the incessant haranguing of intensive care. She had this dark cancer water dripping out of her chest. Eyes closed. Intubated. But her hand was still her hand, still warm and the nails painted this almost black dark blue and I just held her hand and tried to imagine the world without us and for about one second I was a good enough person to hope she died so she would never know that I was going too. “

 

P.S  Images searched and copied through Google Image

Lovesic (no pun intended) “Lovesick (2011) Taiwan movie musings

I also don’t know how I was able to finish this movie.  I’m crediting it to my watching of Ariel Lin’s “It Started with a Kiss” and “They Kiss Again” before, but to comment on it bluntly, it was a love in a many splendored cliches movie.  It’s funny as well that the girl from the Taiwan drama who together with Jiang Zhisu nursed me when I was heart-broken gave me a story I was with before.

A very predictable plot, not so much romantic vibes and no quirkiness from the story and the supposed to be love web, I relied mainly on my goal to try to update my Taiwan movie/drama bucket to stay not dozing on the development of the romance and the lack of it and the forced placing of it in the story.

Ariel played the role of a cheerful woman who became a commitment-phobe when her first love who showered her with rose petals, songs and promises left him as he became a pop star.  She went through 5 stages of grief and with the help of her supportive family, she was able to find herself on board in living again but she created a protective bubble and rules of dating which mainly directs her to not really dating at all.

Then came Dr. Cute whom she met while she volunteered in her grandfather’s hospital.  The laughter therapy she initiated was also the same program he was working on so their constant meetings were inevitable.

She tried to dismiss the growing feelings she was feeling for him and was looking for excuses and loopholes in Dr. Cute’s to-good-to-be-true persona to no avail, but the more she made an effort to deny the attraction, the more it was sinking deeper into her.

The main conflict arose when she came into terms that there’s no way out for her but to accept that she has fallen in love with him but she has to choose between making him stay to be with her or pretending their love is imaginary so that he would proceed to fulfill his lifelong doctor dream. Her fear in accepting a romantic involvement was the main story mover, and I was expecting a winningsome romantic scenes sweetly executed by the main lead actor to thaw the ice cold heart of the lead actress.

While I like the confusion-and-moment-of-truth-shock on love confrontations that involved “achieving dreams”, I mustered all my strength to get through into completing the remaining 5 minutes of the movie.  You see I have witnessed bucket of romance stories… read, heard and watched it all my life, that’s why when I knew on the onset of the movie what I will be expecting, I was hoping at least they would put some funk on the typical love phobia storyline.  Unfortunately though, it failed to do so.  It’s bordering to mediocrely done and almost passing.

Just remember Ariel gave you ISWAK AND TKA if you will watch Lovesick.  I’m scheduled to watch this movie couple’s drama project In Time With You, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will give me a different result.

Typical, not so much quirky and heart-fluttering romance for a love flick, I really don’t like this, so if you liked it I’m sorry, if not, you’re welcome with my saving you from a bad rom-com movie.

Hearty’s Heart and his loving Paws

Since ” A dog of flanders”, I have stayed away from dog movies because it put me on trauma when I was a young girl.  *giggles  When I got a little older and I thought I can face the world on my own, another dog movie threw me to tear binge – Hachiko Monogatari.  Since then, I have been searching for a man who will be as patient as Hachiko.  I have been waiting in vain because that won’t happen.  In between Myungwol the Spy and my tab space memory running out I decided to finish Hearty Paws to free some space and I made the right decision.  It brought me to tears as expected and I am really closed to being a certified Yoo Seung Ho stalker

.

“Hearty Paws” tells about the story of Chan, Soyi and Hearty.  Chan and Soyi’s mother left them in their auntie’s care and went to the city to earn money but she never came back.  Since Soyi wanted a dog for her birthday, Chan stole a pup for his sister’s birthday gift.  Chan loved his sister so much and has been living a simple life with her and their dog.  He was willing to take all the hardships in life and was trying to be strong for his sister.

While playing in the snowfield reigned by Hearty, Chan excused himself to poop, and when hearty saw a kite, he got distracted and run after it, but the ice broke and a hole was created.  Soyi followed and when Chan realized what was happening, he ran after then but it was too late as Soyi fell in the hole and died.

Chan sought his mother’s location but he could not bring up to her the news of Soyi’s passing. He has also disregarded Hearty and left him when he went to Busan, little did he know that his dog followed him.  He joined a group of children handled by a thug because he has nowhere else to go, and later saw Hearty while he was being caught in front of a public locker stand where he kept Soyi’s favorite pink bag given by their mother.  Hearty was also included by the gang but he later earned the ire of the gang leader when he stood up to his friend.  The next day they were brought to a theme park while Hearty was pawned to the ferocious fighter dog of the gang leader.  He was left wounded and hurting in a trash lot.  The minions of gang leader hinted what happened to Hearty and in Chan’s anger he slammed Becky’s dog cage waking up the gang meany and the rest of the household.  He was almost thrown at Becky’s cage but his friend called the police to rescue him.

.

Chan set forth to do what ever may come to him, but got hold up when gang leader chased after him and tried to abduct him.  Hearty came to rescue him and his cold heart warmed up with his dog’s sincerity, thus they went back to their dog-bromance.  When Chan got sick, Hearty looked after him, and when the police took him to look for his guardian, on Hearty’s barking, they were alerted that Chan was being kidnapped.  Crazy gang leader blaming Chan on his business decline and his pet dog’s demise tried to kill him, but trust Hearty to save his master.  Evil villain beat Hearty, and in his struggling sick self, Chan mustered his remaining strength to the dog that has given all of his life to him

.

Hearty unfortunately suffered so much, and in the end Chan and him went back home.  Chan woke up and saw Hearty lying down on the gate trying to go somewhere.  Chan figured where he was meaning to go, and in the bus stop where he and Soyi used to stay to wait for him.  Hearty bid goodbye to his master. *sniff *sniff Another heartwarming movie you can share with your family, and if you are a dog lover like me, I can guarantee this as a nice watch.

The Heartfelt Young Love of A Werewolf Boy

I initially feared that this movie could go overrated considering the familiar plot and stellar main leads but I’m so happy to have chanced upon a very beautiful, unconventional, heartwarming first love movie. The last time I felt it was with the film “The Classic” and I couldn’t be any happier witnessing a young love that was not bound to happen but felt so right.

Suni moved to a new house with her family. Her father passed away and the son of his father’s business partner who harbored unreturned love for her helped them settle to the new home. The house was previously owned by a doctor who died mysteriously.

Then a young man who appeared to have caved in for a while resurfaced, and unsure of who should take care of him Suni’s family temporarily took care of him, and named him Cheol-su.

Cheol-su extremely loved to eat and in a rush, barbaric way but Suni was able to make use of the dog training book she read and little by little he learned the normal way of how human lives. She taught him how to be patient and was able to form a bond that only her and him can understand.

When Suni refused to see the evil suitor, Cheol-su got enraged and morphed to a beast and dealt with evil suitor and his minions. Evil suitor demanded to take him out the house but the police decided against his claim. He accidentally bumped on the old house owner’s belonging and located a professor who revealed that the deceased former house owner was experimenting on fusing the qualities of a wolf and a human to create strong soldiers, thus the end product was Cheol-su. The latter got caged and underwent observation and was proven not harmful but evil suitor taunted him to show his beast nature and to save Cheol-su from the town police who was after him, she has to push him away so he won’t follow her.

Suni and her family left the house eventually and left a letter for him.

47 years later halmoni Suni got a call from Korea that the house was up for selling as a new resort was soon to be built. For the last time, she slept at the house and in the morning she went to Cheol-su’s roomcage, and there he was… he didn’t age and was holding the letter she left for him.

The fantasy element surprisingly blended to the heartfelt connection of the main couple as the simplicity of the narrative and the conflict failed to stripped the amazing progression of this moving love tale that will surely tug your heart.

Song Joong-ki was very remarkable in his role, mind you he only said a few words all throughout the movie and his chemistry with Park Bo Young was very evident. They should do a drama together. I strongly recommend this movie for first time korean movie watcher. I promise you, sweet sighing moments and bliss. I promise you those young love memories you miss.

The sometimes-consistent-sometimes-inconsistent-path of Jeonwoochi

<insert mixed mission impossible and Harry Potter theme>

 

I have to create a time line to connect the pieces, the characters, the trips to memory lane, the events and the conflicts evolving to the magical world of Jeonwoochi… and yes Hello Harry Potter, meet your long lost Korean brother. •wink
 
It started off beat for me but my part-witch-and-even-now-still-Gyeonwoo-lovestruck-self stayed loyal and while it groped its way to my curiosity, it finally hit the right nerve, and I stayed firm and loyal happily sending him off on the finale episodes. It was a scenario where patience is required to finish the drama to realize its potential and worth.

 

Jeonwoochi relied on its profound characters to cover the loose ends and frustrating subplots of the story.  But it was also where I saw a very stubborn cast as a whole and a hero who albeit his magical prowess and sort of brainy-self was sometimes confused on his strategies to defeat the opposing warlocks.

 Jeonwoochi narrated a Taoist wizard who hunted down his former fellow sorcerer friend, Gang Rim, after he destroyed their Taoist wizard community and runaway with the woman they both loved.  He has the Naruto cloning ability which comes in handy when he went to Joseon to track his frenemy.

 

 

Gang-rim almost killed Jeonwoochi if not for the last remaining help Jeonwoochi got from a surviving Wizard of the temple.  Gang-rim served his uncle-evil-wizard who harbored hatred to the Wizards of Yuldo.

 

They resumed the battles and adventures in Joseon era and both parties worked their way to protect and outsmart one another.  Jeonwoochi looked like he was Hercules on to a series of task to avenge his Wizard clan, to save the girl he loved and to protect the people of Joseon. 

 

He has to first undo the poisonous spell controlling Mu-Yeon to progress in his plans to obliterate Gang-rim and his Lord-Sith-Evil-Uncle.  As the grand-daughter of HongGilDong, Mu-yeon possessed strong magical powers and she also held the knowledge of the location of the silver mine Evil-uncle needed to proceed with his dark plans to devastate Joseon.  With the help of a book Jeonwoochi acquired he was able to take out the evil mojo bridling Mu-yeon but Mu-yeon convinced him that she has to pretend she’s still with the baddies to help him win over them.  Saddened by the thought of the people she killed when she was in her villain self, when the time came that the Evil-duo can be defeated, she used her powers to destroy the cave and trapped her with the fiends. 

 

Years later Jeonwoochi went to his news-reporter front while rendering justice to yangbans and officials that were misbehaving in Joseon.  He crossed path again with Mu-yeon who has lost her Taoist skills.  They reunited and cut to the Uncle-nephew-warlocks who were able to survive the mountain accident.

 

The conflict on the second half of the story involved the King and the Queen and the Left Minister.  While the Left Minister rampaged on his connivance with Uncle Evil to spite the young weak king, Jeonwoochi and Mu-yeon backed up the King and Queen. 

 

They were able to trap Gang-rim with Taoist runes. Mu-yeon begged him to leave the dark side, but he shoved her off and left to go back to his camp.  Mu-yeon threw a dagger at Uncle Evil, and in his dying breath revealed to him that he was his son and that he was meaning to destroy Joseon because he wanted him to get his rightful place to a country he really belonged.  Sparked up with his birth secret and his Uncle-real-life-father’s death, he set forth to blame the world.

 

First he kidnapped Mu-yeon and sent a note to jeonwoochi to choose who he will be protecting, the reunion of King and Queen or the love of his life.  Jeonwoochi walked the Queen towards the waiting King while arrows were pointing to tied Mu-yeon.  Gang-rim pulled the arrow towards the happy Royal couple and with his enchantment turned the single arrow to multiple ones as Jeonwoochi plunged to cover the Queen’s body.  Mu-yeon on the other hand closed her eyes as the arrow was approaching her and opened her eyes to see Jeonwoochi. 

 

It turned out that Jeonwoochi’s servant volunteered for him to feign Jeonwoochi’s stature to walk the Queen.  Gang-nim and Jeonwoochi engaged to a final showdown where of course the goodness prevailed.

 

As what I’ve mentioned earlier, you have to be really patient as it was an adventure that was really not that engrossing. If truth be told, it was really Cha Tae Hyun’s Jeonwoochi portrayal that saved the day.  I almost sent a howler to Mu-yeon to make her understand that there are really people who can’t be given a chance to change when she let Gang-rim out of the talisman cage.  For me her performance was flat. 

 

Jeonwoochi might have failed to live through its “consistency” mantra but it was still a good watch.  This drama has half-convinced me to give a fair rating because of the humor surge and main actor’s performance.  Other than that the screenplay, directing and even the visual effects were just mediocrely done.

 

If you need a neutralizer to the 2013 romance drama spree, trust Jeonwoochi to provide you a breather.  Bewitching and fun, this drama won’t brag much but will make you smile. -jediprincess ^_^

 

 

The love, the flowerboys and the neighbor.

Flower Boy Neighbor started very strong with its interesting characters, humor and romantic developments between the love receivers and givers, however it failed to accomplish a closure befitting of its cheerful beginning and heartfelt middle revelations due to the lead girl’s inconsistent and indecisive nature and the lead man’s inability to own the love he worked so hard to earn.  When you have made a she-agoraphobic embraced the past she was trying to forget and you scored another miracle by having her fallen in love with you, that’s already an extra-mile in the world of love.  No other things can come between the two of you if you both agree to face it no matter what.  And that is why the ending for me was a half-baked-okay-let’s-just-end-it conceived one, but then again it pulled a lot of crazy-Abby-laughing scenes for me from its onset, so there, the 3^rd Flower-boy series would be absolved of not nailing a worthy and fulfilling ending.

Go Dok Mi has shut herself to outside communication because of the trauma from her past.  The only entertainment value in her agoraphobic life was her peeping on a cute neighbor, but she was soon discovered when the cousin of the cute neighbor, Enrique, realized her binocular moments with his cousin.  Enrique was on a short visit to Korea because of her game business.  He was famous in the gamer and nerd world because of the games he developed.  He also harbored a long-running secret adoration to a girl who loves his cousin hyung.

In streaks of awkward moments he got curious about Go Dok-mi’s hermit life and before he realized it, he wanted to  heal her sad past and show her what she ahs been missing in her life.

To complete and make the love conflict move, son-of-chaebol-and-frustrated-webtoon-artist Jin-rak has been secretly loving the girl next door who was afraid to see the world.  Everyday he writes an encouragement note attached to a milk carton for her, but his secret love failed to launch because sunny Enrique in his blithe personality warmed Dok-mi’s heart. 

 

So far Jin-rak tops my list on the best supporting male lead.  He stabilized the story and gave a depth to the simple love conflict.  I dig “mimi” love big time, I don’t know why but his version of love was the same as that of the doctor 2nd lead in Greatest Love.  It was a very sincere love but then again no matter how honest a love is, it has to be reciprocated.

 

Enrique won me over with his suave, comic and don’t-worry-be-happy-smell-the-roses-life-is-beautiful-attitude, but at the end of the day I liked him but not to a point of loving him.  Maybe because this drama was just for the refreshing feel of love, it was that kind of love you look back sometimes even when you are happily in love with someone.

 

I have issues on the moments when Dok-mi can’t make up her mind and was dwelling on “I’m ruining his dream” thing because realistically, since she has already came to terms with her hermit self and has acknowledged that she has also the capability to love, she should have not gone to the extent of dawdling around and playing a she-loves-me-she-loves-me-not game with Enrique.

 

In all truthfulness I liked the “Jack Dawson I’ll show you the world love story of Enrique and Dok-mi, but this time I felt more on the unreturned and unwarranted love of Jin-rak to Dok-mi, because it was so heartfelt and realistic.  To make me remember more of the second lead’s love meant that the focal love tale was not cemented well. 

 

This was a good while it last drama case, but you eventually will forget as time passes by.  While there are a few moments that will make you feel good and love-filled, it was not a solid love story you get to tell your friends.  It lost the vigor along the way when they have inserted the “love, dream, leave” triumvirate.

 

The conflicts that arose in the story were half-acceptable, I really hated the nerd fans controlling the gamer-god Enrique, and the latter can’t do anything about it.   I mean, man if this is a modern-time problem, can you just give me a “you-and-me-against-the-world” love barrier  instead of geeks between Romeo and Juliet kind of conflict.  That basically was the weakness of this story, the “challenges” that pushed the characters to redeem and expound their personas and the resulting effect of the discord to how they deal with their emotions.

 

Sassy and sweet, this is a soothing spectacle perfect for teens this summer. I would still recommend this for a nice watch, but consider you’re forewarned on a quasi-Lie-To-Me closing episodes.  If you want to go with an upbeat characters, cute couple bickerings and cotton candy scenes, and a fairly done love story, go get your binoculars and take a peek at Flower Boy neighbor. -jediprincess

 

 

KMovie quick peek: Closer To Heaven (2009)

CAST:  Ha Ji Won and Kim Myung Min

Closer to Heaven was a very painful and yet love-affirming romance between a dying man who wants to live, and a woman who makes a living when a person dies.  Ji-soo was twice divorced because of her job as a she-undertaker, the love that was deprived of her, she fully realized when she met Jong-woo who will eventually die because of Lou Gehrig’s disease. This was a lovestory that will make you realize how blessed you are in a relationship because there are those who really want to love one another all the days of their lives but they have to battle death for it.

 

This movie has had me made me feel so weak with my convictions when it comes to loving someone.  You see I’m always the practical type, if I survey the situation and I know for a fact that there’s no common ground to hit, I won’t consider dating someone.  But there went Ji-soo – she knew right there and then that the man was dying but she never cared of the future together but of what she was feeling.

 

On a viewer’s perspective, the eventual outcome is already expected, but the strength of this film, was how it narrated the progression of the “sickness conflict” while the lovers involved fought hard to rely on an impossible love even on the onset.

 

A perfectly portrayed and a moving story of understanding the pain that comes when loving someone and loving someone when you are in pain.  With solid acting from Kim Myung Min and Ha Ji Won, this will touch your heart and will make you cry. Quintessential yet saddening, poignant and affecting… ^_^

The Grand Heist (2012) Korean Movie Recap

I’ve been having a peg on heist movies these days, and in the past weeks Cha Tae Hyun oppa has been sweetly haunting me because of my following of Jeon Woo Chi and 1Night2days.  I’m sort of resuming my long recap for Kmovies, I know I have been neglecting kmovies lately so I’m really meaning to finish my pendings.  WordPress friends, I present you… THE GRAND HEIST.

CAST

Cha Tae Hyun  Oh Ji Ho  Min Hyo Rin  Lee Chae Young   Song Jong Ho

Lazy bummer Lee Doek Mu has been living with Mr. Yang while tending a book store in Joseon era.  He is a son of the Right Minister through a concubine that’s why he can’t hold a government position eventhough he has a brilliant mind.

He has been loving a woman secretly and in his pursuit to know her he followed her one day when she was rushing to where local ice were being distributed and pleaded with the head royal guard, Baek Dong Soo, who was also her brother to give some ice for the children she was taking care of.  But Dong-soo refused to provide ice freebies so Soo Ryun left sadly.

Wanting to be her knight in shining armor, Doek-Mu donned multiple mask and in a gaksital way stole a block of ice, but Dong-soo followed him and they engaged in an ice chase where Doek-mu eventually earned some wood whips from the palace guards. 

Later on Dong-soo visited the orphanage where her sister works and brought some ice, and he got surprised to learn that someone left some ice already for them.

 
Dong-soo deduced that it was Doek-mu who was then being treated by Mr. Yang through the help of a book about torture that he got from Netherlands, a place he so wanted to go.

 
At that time ICE was a very prized commodity that they even pay homage to the winter god to continue the frost supply.  The left minister led the local official villains engaged into a whine about the King after the winter offering, and his eyes darted to the Right Minister reminding special ice rangers to protect the ice. 

When Dong-soo got into the wrong side of the Left Minister, he was framed and got stripped off of his position, after an avalanche was striked while they were harvesting ice blocks.  He barely escaped but his team drowned beneath the sea of ice.

 

Meanwhile Mr. Yang just came back from his travel exploits and was bragging about the western life style and the women which made Doek-mu interested as Mr. Yang described in detail how the western women were so pretty, blond and big-breasted.  *pffft boys!

 
Dong-soo handled the securing of ice storage and distribution but Left Minister’s nephew illegally did ice mining and forcing slaves to work with them.  Dong-soo learned about the forced labor and wondered who the official was behind it.

 
On cue, the official trying to go against the King’s law about ice order met with his baddie minions and discussed how the Right Minister, Lee Sung-ho was controlling the price of ice making life hard for the noble men.  His nephew also reported about special ice guard Dong-soo blocking the ice forced labor.

 
The son of the Left Minister proposed a plan to his father about their current worries and off they go to execute their evil plans.

 
As the upcoming storm was brewing, Doek-mu listened to drunk Mr. Yang explaining to him the meaning of “OK” (this duo chemistry really cracked me up).

Little did these two know that they will be framed through possession of an illegal book copy for the part 2 evil plan of the Left Minister and his cronies.

 
So Dong-soo, Doek-mu and Mr. Yang were imprisoned. Doek-mu’s father visited him in the prison.  He told his father honestly that they never have that book.  Unbeknownst to him he was in the middle of a minister feud. 

The Right Minister was left no choice but to step down of his position to save his son’s life as Mr. Yang wasn’t able to bear the torture and died leaving the last words that he didn’t get to see the Netherlands. 

Doek-mu gathered his remains in the morning when they were release.  He saw his father being carried away by the royal guards.  Realizing the cost of his freedom he grieved deeply at the lost of his father and his teacher-bestfriend.

 
He went to Mr. Yang’s house while the meanies were celebrating their victory.  He woke up and saw a glimmer of light across the room and found a box where he saw letters from his father to his teacher-friend.
After tears, he vowed at his master’s tomb that he will get to the bottom of what forcedly happen to them.
 

So in four seasons Doek-mu burried himself to studying in preparation of his vengeance scheme.  To put into his action his plans, he has to enlist Dong-soo who was exiled because of the demise of his fellow special ice guards.  He joined him in his abs work-out by the sea and inquired about the ice distribution work around. 

He explained how ice has been a staple need that’s why it needed to be privatized.  Doek-mu quipped how the process affected the noble people who wanted to monopolize the business and hinted how upon his discharged from his position, the nephew of Left Minister Cho Myung-joo proposed a plan to venture into ice mining and got an exclusive right to unearthing ice by pinning on the ice accident that was headed by Dong-soo. 

He further explained how the son of Left Minister controlled the pricing of ice conjugating the ideas that Left Minister’s family and allies have been in command of the ice dealings in the country and has been causing troubles to the common people who can’t afford the price of the frost commodity. 

 
So then Doek-mu went to disclose his intentions of joining force to cut the root of the problem, Cho Myung-soo, their common enemy who was the mastermind of the ploys to have both of them be jailed through plotting evidence against them.  Furious of learning the truth about his unfair dismissal, Doek-mu Doek-mu appeased him of his brilliant payback idea but their conversation was distracted by Dong-soo’s sister who was also Doek-mu’s crush.

 

He was so delighted to see Soo Ryun and started calling Dong-soo brother-in-law.  Dong-soo annoyed of his guest shoved him away as Doek-mu was left no choice but to oblige.  He made him promised to see him after a month to hear out his plans, and against his will, he walked away.

 
After a month, while Doek-mu dreamily muttered intimate maiden moment in his mischievous half-awake self, he groped for water and choked on it when he saw the brother of the maiden he was thinking about staring at his vengeance blueprint.

 
He agreed to the proposed connivance on three conditions:  that no innocent people will get hurt, that there will be no stealing of country’s money involved and the last one was that he will call the shots.  Doek-mu happily agreed to his conditions and was surprised how he understood his plan so easily.  So then they set to their herculean task and their first stop was to meet their money man.

 

alias MONEYMAN

They laid out their plans to the money man who will be sheltering the ice that they will raid from Cho family’s storage. Moneyman was adamant to go with the idea thinking it was impossible to move that amount of ice to his ice storage.  But Doek-mu talked him through it convincing him that they were assembling a great team for the heist.

alias DEAFY

They hired a deaf explosive specialist who caused ruckus while Left Minister was talking earning him a forced resignation from his job.  They will also be joined by a con artist expert in camouflaging himself. 

alias CONMAN

alias TRANSPORTER

To move the items, a cargo transport specialist will do the trick and a famous tomb raider who took China by storm will make all the ice disappear. 

alias TOMB RAIDER  

The moneymaker finally agreed to finance their mission and hide the ice blocks and they sealed the agreement with an OK. *chuckles (i love the humor of this film).

 
Then they got to the meet and greet event to spark up their thieving quest.  They were joined by last minute female members Seol-hwa and Nani to strong disagreements of the participants, but when the girls ran down each of the member’s identities and mischief-makings, the ladies took their roles as informants.

alias SEOL-HWA

alias NANI  

Then they went to the business and discuss the biggest score of their lives.  Doek-mu and Dong-soo alternately explained their cards and path.  The king’s grandson will be celebrating a grand birthday ergo it will require plenty of ice because it’s midsummer. 

They will be stealing the ice from Cho family and the ice dealers.  Because Lord Cho will be in charge of the event they will demand for an exchange of money amounting to his total fortune.  He will be forced to give in the amount less his son will be exiled and if he demanded to meet them, the book of his illegal dealings will be drawn, and will make him lost everything.

To go through the plan, they have to steal the book from Lord Cho’s house and dig a tunnel to the storage.  The mounds from the dugged soil will appear like mountain tombs

 

Con-man will get the book of the evil dealings.  Dong-soo pledged his and Doek-mu’s money to them to the latter’s protest, but then he agreed after seeing the smiling faces of the gang.

 
So then the new-found-band-of-thieves went to their plan, and first up they searched for a hideout and the place where they will dig the tunnel.

 
The Operation Shawshank Redemption will carry on until the night before the celebration and to hide their ploy, the dirt load will be converted to burial mounds after a supposed plague that hit an area near Seokbinggo, Nani will share urban legend to the children about the plague and burial site.

 
Seol-hwa would keep an eye on Lord Cho’s movements as explosive expert would of course silent dynamites that are so hard to get the right mixture.

 

Clueless about his upcoming downfall, Lord Cho marvelled at his cronnies bribes to him and then suddenly switched to his vileness when the defense minister failed to find something that would cause trouble to Yi San, a strong contender to be the next King.

Conman used Lord Cho’s concubine to infiltrate his household. Evil Cho commanded his son to raise the cost of the ice and handed him the book of their evildoings… and then we see conman dressed as a slave done with his eavesdropping of the location of the book they needed.  

While Left Minister fumed at his useless-non-thinking minions, the thieves watched explosive expert dry run of the soundless bomb, but of course you cant count on a hard of hearing person to create the bomb they were requesting so they ended up covered with smoke after the explosion dry run. 

They continued with their excavation but they needed the blueprint to know exactly where the tunnel would lead.  Doek-mu realized fast the best person to infiltrate the palace and encouragingly tapped Dong-soo’s shoulder to do the deed.

 
But on Dong-soo’s break-in night he encountered an assassin so his ex-protect-the-palace instinct kicked in and chased after the swift rogue but lost him. 

At the head quarters conman was enticing the boys with his steamy encounter with Lord Cho’s concubine but while the boys were almost reaching the excitement, deaf explosive expert complained on how he’s not proceeding with the story.  *chuckles

 
Dong-soo arrived at the hide out in a gloomy face and told the gang about the assassin who was intending to kill Yi San.  Then Dong-soo sensed a disturbance in the force and they quickly attended to the eavesdropper who happened to be a little boy.

Nami did the mini inquisition but the little boy made an excuse that he was curious about the plague and was investigating about it. Yey! mini-sherlock.  10pts for gryffindor for your story and cheek.

The next day on the minister’s meeting there was an outburst on the attempted assassination to Yi San, but Lord Cho firmly shoved it as a propesterous idea.  Tomb-raider happily entered the hide out and demanded Dong-soo of the blueprint. 

The young boy they decided to just hostage suggested that they can use of old King Sado’s journals which were settled at a place where spartan monks were inhabiting. 

The roulette spotted mighty Dong-soo to lead the invasion.  Clearly outnumbered Dong-soo and Doek-mi relied on their feet as they ran away from the chasing monks.  They finally got the blueprint so Professor Dong-soo proceeded with Seobinggo 101 crash course.

He lectured the eight conjoined rooms of the ice storage but Doek-mu noticed a faint 9th room on the the plan, the boy hostage pointed out that the country’s architecture was very particar to #9, so the team has to make sure about their accidental discovery.

Seol-hwa and Dong-soo visited the person who can tell them about Room #9.  The all-knowing-bald-musician can only communicate with music so as Seol-hwa played the gayageum to impart their intentions, Doek-mu has to bear the all-knowing’s-daughter’s not so sweet kisses and fondling.  *pooroppa  As the height of the music conversation go on, and so was the lady’s excitement over Doek-mu, until he surrendered and they ended up thrown inside a well, but they scraped an information about Prince So-hyeon. 

Doek-mu conversed with Moneyman, and he explained how he was exiled in China for 8 years.  Doek-mu narrated how his assets were confiscated by the King except for his gold.  Now a eunuch accompanied the deposed Prince, and when the Prince died along with the gold, the Chinese eunuch also vanished.  Prince Sado (Yi San’s father) borrowed some money from a merchant and returned it before he died. 

And the merchant who was also Moneyman received the Chinese gold which could probably that of Prince Prince So-hyeon.  Doek-mu called a meeting and he convened what the 9th room probably hid – GOLD. 

So the gang got all excited except for kill-joy Dong-soo, Doek-mu agreed with including the gold as he claimed it was not the country’s asset.

 

Dong-soo battled with his ex-royal-guard instinct, and decided to leave the group.  Short with one man, Deafy got an idea with the explosives and signed up the boy captive to be his assistant-cum-protegee. 

He ordered him to fetch urine and cooked it in a big fire.  *eeeeew gross.period.
It became a powdery substance and after Deafy and Chatty boy went Einstein, they produced “dragon fire”.  They tested the firefly-inspired bomb and boom!  It was soundless. 

The group sat on a campfire as they watch the flame roasting the chicken. Nami mentioned how they were almost done and would have been nice if Dong-soo would come back.  Deafy wondered where he went so Chatty boy has to remind him he left.  All eyes darted at Doek-mu to try to win back Mighty Doek-mu who was then at Lord Cho’s house and has just thrown a knife to announce his presence.  Evil Lord warmly greeted him.

Dong-soo delivered a why-are-you-so-greedy? litany, but the villain Lord just shrugged about him being so overly patriotic and ordered his men to drag him out.  He wildly chased after him but was halted when Lord Cho’s son, shot him.  He almost got a second gunshot serving but transporter man and Dong-soo came rushing to rescue him.

They engaged in a feud about principles as Dong-soo blurted how he wanted to avenge his friends who died in the ice mine but he was coveting the country’s gold.  Doek-mu argued that after they get the ice and they don’t include the gold, it will be of great use for Lord Cho. 

 

Stubborn Dong-soo won’t budge and left Doek-mu moping with the lighted orb.
Doek-mu visited his father.  He felt so bad seeing how his father is having a hard life but the old Right Minister re-assured him that he will get by. 

Conman was still out of luck in locating the book as Cave raider meticulously survey the tunnel they created and was pounding the wall but the prodigal member came back to warn him not to push it anymore. 

They located the safe location to move the ice.  The reunited team sat on a table as Seol-hwa prepared some iced sweets, but of course Dong-soo’s bowl was extra special.

Then Moneyman entered the hideout, and it was funny how Deafy thought it was Conman under disguise.

He delivered the news that the old King passed away.  Lord Cho was in grumpy mood as the retard puppet prince he was wanting to get to the throne worried that Yi San will soon be enthroned.

 

So mastermind Doek-mu gathered the crew for a last minute change of plans.  They will instead heave the ice and gold the night before the enthronement ceremony.  Since it’s impossible to load the amount of blocks in 4days, Doek-mu explained that they will leave something for the celebration and will use the water canal to bridge it to the ferry where the rest of the ice blocks were waiting.

The hoistering, shoveling and water way plans looked feasible.  The ice will not be wasted because it will be thrown to the people watching the fireworks, and the explosives will push the ice to move. And with the ice shower, they will take that opportunity to seize the gold from the secret room.  Move over big bang theory geeks. *giggles

 

But then there’s one problem, tunnel raider doesn’t know how to swim so he cannot sever the water vein to trigger the movement of the ice.  So they needed a pro-diver who can stay long under water, and trust Doek-mu to think fast, and they all admiringly gaze at Soo-ryun to Dong-soo’s annoyance, making her the last member of the group.

Doek-mu won’t waste the chance to hit on Soo-ryun so on her practice drill, he gave her the light orb to her amazement.  And as she muttered how pretty and precious the orb, he was also thinking the same thing as he stared at her.

The gang were hefting ice when Lord Cho’s son entered the room, he refused sending ice for the celebration and pushed his guards away to take a nap. 

Tunnel-raider who has been releasing gas all throughout the movie, can’t pick a perfect timing and released another one.  The evil son heard it but dismissed the thought and resumed his lazying around.

2 days until the ceremony the men are flexing their muscles to hit the water vein as Conman was going crazy on finding the Lord Cho’s book of evildoings.  While his blood bled on his nose he hit jackpot and found what he was looking for.

The crew were so tired playing archaelogists and worried that they might not beat the deadline, but legendary tomb raider boasted that they were in good hands.

They were joined by Soo-ryun in her aeon-flux suit courtesy of future sis    in law Seol-hwa… and to complete the cast, smiling Conman appeared holding the evil evidence.

6 hours before the operation though, a complication arouse when Conman’s borrowed Lord Cho’s concubine spilled his snooping around the Master’s quarter and revealed to Lord Cho’s son the hideout of our thieves.   *hellhathnofurywhenyouleftawomanwantingmore

Evil son eavesdropped about the secret gold, and upon hearing the treasure, evil son got so engrossed.

An hour before midnight, Evil Lord presided over a meeting to cause ruckus for the election of the new King, evil son rushed to his side and whispered what he found out.

Soo-ryun stretched in preparation for her water adventure.  Tunnel-raider asked Dong-soo to go to the secret room, and when the clock striked 12, Soo-ryun unleashed the water vein trigger as Doek-mu released the bombs.

 

They almost didn’t survive it, but you know power of love always complement a feel good movie.  Tunnel-raider madly hearing the rushing water pressure used his bare hands as he panic on a possible drowning idea for him, and as the water and ice let out to the ferry and so was he.  *lol

 
Doek-mu, Dong-soo and Soo-ryun went to Room 9 and walked to the treasure.  Doek-mu opened the treasure chest and while they looked at the fortune, the evil father and sin and their assassin wielded a sword to them and was held captive. 

They were dragged to the tunnel to meet the after-life.  Dong-soo escaped his ropes and the trio tried to run away.  Doek-mu sent signal to begin the cave blowing but Deafy sensed some faulty connection.  He encouraged chatty boy to carry on his legacy and went inside to manually trigger the bomb.

 

The heisters met outside to face the sad truth that Deafy sacrificed himself.
And then they got captured again by Evil Lord’s right wing man, luckily Tunnel raider just got back from a trip with the ice and waters, Dong-soo freed himself from the rope and on cue Tunnel-raider threw his weapon, and Warrior Baek Dong-soo tackled the assassin and the rest went berserk fighting the enemies. 

They were leading the surge but the family’s slaves went to the rescue, and just as they were all cornered, Deafy came back from the ruins and threw an ultimate bomb that wiped out the baddies. 

But Evil Cho right and snatched Soo-ryun and to rescue his lady love, Doek-mu counted on his memory about the principles of pistol using. 

 

In slow motion and I really laughed at this scene, Doek-mu poised himself to target the enemy and finally end his vile existence.

 
The adorable thieves happily reunited but forgot Moneyman behind.  *chuckles

 
Yi San got enthroned and the evil gang got tortured.

And we all wonder what happened to our thieves?  12 hours before they execute their plan, they already saw the treasures but they were moved at Prince Sado’s letter to his son, Yi San. 

They decided not to take their share and helped build a better country with no system class and kindness in each of the citizen’s heart.

But of course they won’t end up empty handed, Conman’s lover to compensate for her mistake stole Lord Cho’s fortune for them to share with one another. *victorious

Then we see an epilogue of Doek-mu and Dong-soo as the former revealed how he planted the letter on the treasure and left it to fate whether the rest of the thieves would be moved to let go of their treasure share.  Eventually they did. 

The foursome couple set to their journey to Amsterdam as chatty boy grew up geeky Song Joong Ki. 

 

And that WordPress friends is the story of 11 quirky thieves who defied ice, gold and politics.  -jediprincess

COMMENTS:

Set in the era with so many technological limitations, The Grand Heist will mock at those heist films you have already seen.  Overflowing with humor and showcasing a smooth sailing story, this movie will leave a smile on your face after watching it.

Modern heist films normally brag about the tricks and the smarts they utilized to get their score, this production is no different but it was made even so much better.  It’s not a precious diamond or a pricey antiquated work of art in spotlight to be pinched but ICE.  Why ICE?  Because at that time it was a very indispensable commodity.  How a band of thieves execute their premeditated plan to procure a tantamount ice stock and transport it to another storage is for you to watch (or read on my blog).  *wink

This fusion period movie was well mixed and well done.  I promise you cuteness and humor.  I promised you it’s gonna be worth your time.

The Way Home (2002) quick movie musings

 

Once in a while you get to sit with a simple story about love that doesn’t involve romantic feelings, and you will feel so happy and moved after spending time watching it.

It was narrated in an easy to follow manner but it will really hit home and linger a heartwarming effect that will make you think of your grandmother or if you don’t have one like me you will regret not being able to know them.

Sang-woo (played by little boy Yoo Seung-ho) was left by his mother in an old village to settle some financial problems they have.  Raised in the city he was not accustomed with the plain living in the old village and was disrespectful and a brat with his old grandmother.  Little by little though he became closer to her and when his mother returned for him it sent me to 60 weeping seconds as I grew attached of their relationship.

On their way to his mother’s hometown, a young boy, Sangwoo, was annoyed with the loud chatter of old folks inside the bus, he entertained himself by playing his video game.  His mother temporarily left him in the care of his old grandmother who patiently understood the brat who cared only for himself and what he likes to do and will make him happy.

Used to modern day living Sang-woo spent his days playing video games but when it ran off battery he threw a tantrum after Halmoni (grandma) can’t provide him any money.  He stole his mother’s hairpin and tried to sell it to get a battery but all the battery stores in the small town didn’t sell the kind of battery his video game needed.

When all of his spam were eaten, he clinged on Halmoni’s promise of “fried chicken” and off Halmoni went to sell some of her home grown stuff to get her grandson what he wanted to eat.  Halmoni brought home live chicken ready to be boiled and cooked in ginger and salt, and to his disappointment, Sang-woo wailed and cried as he didn’t get what he expected, but hunger hit him by midnight and in the dead of night he munched Halmoni’s chicken special. 

The next morning when he woke up and Halmoni was still lying down, he worried she could be dead but was just in fact not feeling well after she got soaked in rain on his way home to get Sang-woo’s chicken.  When Halmoni felt better they went to the market to barter Halmoni’s veggies for money.  Sang-woo wanted to eat chocopie and Halmoni’s friend gave her some of it.  Their bus was set to go so Halmoni tried to give something for Sang-woo to carry but on his brat self mode again, he shoved the plastic back to her.

Sang-woo ate all the chocopies except for one and wondered why buses have arrived and left without his Halmoni, and then he finally saw her approaching and felt sorry realizing she had to walk for him to ride on the bus, and he even felt sorrier because he didn’t help carry the plastic to lighten her load.  He slipped the sole choco pie to Halmoni’s plastic and from then on he showed some good signs of being good to his loving grandmother.

Sang-woo was having a crush on a young girl so he needed a haircut, so Halmoni gave him a funny haircut.  After playing though with his crush he went home and got himself some bruises and fright after being chased by the village’s crazy cow. He noticed the video game Halmoni was trying to give him and when he opened it he saw some money, he realized then that he was trying to give him money for the battery.

He went home and Halmoni was there waiting for him, and he started crying and through his tears he tried to tell her what happened that day.  Halmoni lovingly took him and gave him a letter from his mother.  Knowing that his mother will soon come to get him, he taught her how to write in Hangul.  “I’m sick” and “I Miss You”.  But Halmoni was having a hard time learning it.  He also made sure to stock up her needles with threads for her to use when she is sewing.

Sang-woo’s mother arrived and while he fought off the sad feeling of leaving her, he got in the bus but then rushed to go back to Halmoni and gave her his favorite robot cards. 

He stared lovingly at his mother while the bus drove away and when Halmoni got home she looked at the back of the cards which Sang-woo transformed into  “I Miss You” and “I’m sick” post cards.

This is a perfect movie to watch with your grandmother if you have one.  So touching and heart-stirring in its simplicity and yet the emotion surge you will while watching it was so compelling and family bond affirming.  This is a story of a grandmother’s unconditional love to her grandson and whosoever watched it will certainly feel good after and restrospect a little if he’s being rude to his grandma.

This will be added to my favorite movie list.  ^_^

 

The Romance We all Need

It was like watching my very own love story in the television screen (less the ever-after part)… I cried… I reminisced… I laughed and for a moment, I yearned how it feels to be in a blissful, addictive, sometimes-painful-yet-binding and worth taking a risk kind of romance.  Before the love month wanes, “I Need Romance” filled me up with so much retrospection and argued with my existing love standpoint and rules of dating. 

 

This love drama was tailored in a sex and the city vibe and narrated the modern love stories of women in their 30′s and how they struggled to keep a romantic relationship and the lack of it. 

The funk and the feistiness of the story and characters, the importance of sex, love and honesty in a relationship along with the sassy girl friendship were enough for me to be drawn and stayed peeking at these lovely women who covered the different faces of a relationship love boat.

 

In-young has been in a 10-year relationship with Sung-soo, it was your typical because-we-have-alot-of-memories-we-can’t-break-up kind of love, but their commitment was shattered when Sung-soo entertained a fleeting romance.  He liked both girls but in a different degrees.  His love for In-young was seasoned through time, and sealed by the familiarity, comfort and memories, whereas the new love was making him refreshed, it was thrilling him and was attacking his basic instinct.  He tried to fight it off, but a moment of laxing his guard has caused him an affair that broke his long-running relationship.  *pffftt *feltFamiliar

 

Sung-soo finally got his break as a Film Director, it was for him a great opportunity for his sort of bum activities all those years to make the woman who has stick with him happy, but his heart got swayed by a young, vibrant lady… And before him realizing it, even if nothing intimate has happened to them yet, his girlfriend’s instinct knew it and ended the relationship.  It is true for people who has been together for a while to be lost after a “trust” issue, for a woman at best, she will pretend that it will be okay, but then eventually she will sort to giving him a chance to recycle the love.  After late nights and sinking down the blame though, when you see the person standing in front of you, sometimes it would just take him merely standing there to wipe all the pain away.  Sung-soo and In-young survived the preliminary unfaithfulness surge until… The real infidelity happened.

 

They resumed their couple life, but when someone has cheated on you, paranoia are like internet pop-ups, it will annoy you.  And when the Juliet-stricken third party who went extra mile with her idea of love succumbed to the mistress position because of the clouded love she felt towards Sung-soo, her hardwork paid off and they engaged in a covert affair.

 

That moment when In-young saw in her very eyes the man she loved with all her heart happily chatting with his mistress in a place and day she thought was reserved for them because the day was special for them, will touch and make any woman who has been cheated on cry big time, because of the weight of the scene…  The thing about cheating is that women will try not to believe the lie and will stick to the person but when they get the concrete confirmation, it will break them in the most unimaginable-no-icecream-can-cure-painful way. There were no words, just tears agonizingly falling down her face… It was a perfectly hurting scene I was crying all along.  And when she tried to battle it making her busy in the day, the night time was killing her.  She was also in a spree of bargaining and justifying that she didn’t deserve that fate but sometimes you just really wake up and it’s as if you don’t know the person and as if you never loved each other.  I sympathized with her badgering her ex-boyfriend, because it’s how typically women tried their very best to move on.  She wanted to make him feel the same hell she was feeling, but in reality, it will never be like that, when you can’t find yourself time to sleep, that other person actually can do it.  *sniff sniff

 

A man knows a woman loves him by the usual saying of “I Love You” and when he sees her at her most “love-me-begging” state… Sung-soo knew these truths with In-young and to be fair with him, even after the damage, I would really forgive him because he realized his mistake and he knew he could never turn back time but he has all his lifetime to love her even more than he did before.

 

But to make their love realized fully, In-young met someone who helped her renewed her faith in love… That someone who appeared to be like her when she was with Sung-soo.  She has learned to love him but at the end of the day, sometimes the love we felt for someone can’t make us choose to sacrifice what we really are and what we really feel. Not all love begins as if it was meant to be, but In-young relied on giving up a new love because she wanted a love that has been happening.

 

After all the pain, you will eventually learn that you either love someone or not love anyone at all.  When In-young saw Sung-soo kneeling at her father and begging for forgiveness at what he did to his daughter, I knew right there and then that In-young will be back in Sung-soo’s arms.  There’s just a familiarity and unbreakable connection when you’ve been with someone for a long time.  When trust has become an issue, it will be a haunting wall between a couple, but as long as there is love… Love will always forgive and give second chances.  What would make love go away?  Time and Acceptance.

 

I Need Romance was a very fulfilling love drama to watch.  It drew the depth of commitment and the pain it comes when loving so amazingly and truthfully.  It has been bound realistically that the problems and happiness made the story so moving that I was able to relate to it.  When a drama can make me sit to finish it in one sitting, that drama is definitely superb and brimming with exciting-real-world love, Sung-soo and In-young’s adoration did it to me.  I strongly vouched for this romantic series, women should watch it, and men should learn a lot from it.

 

No one is born a complete person.  You live your life half-finished and become complete as you get older.  A lot of things will happen when you are young, even if things don’t work out, don’t drag yourself on it.

 

PS.  Images are from HanCinema.net

 

 

The twisted romance of Alice in Cheongdamdong

What would you do if you truly love the person but you started not with the right intention?

Alice in Cheongdamdong joined the romance ride in Kdramaland this year obliterating the fantasy trend from 2012.  This Cinderella-like tale brimmed with interesting characters and have splashes of mirth, reality slaps, gold-digging lessons, PTSD nonsense and thought-provoking love arguments.  With a rich-girl-poor-guy love affair premise, this was not a case of true love, but a love that was proven to be true.

Cha Seung-Jo came to Korea with the intention of getting back at the girl who loved him because of his rich man’s son’ status and then left him after getting paid by his father.  He led a Fashion company based in France and has affiliates in Korea and his “operation-ex-gf-payback” involved business dealing with the son of the family where his first love was married to. 

Han Se-Kyung  who dreamed of entering the Fashion world surprisingly got hired by GN Company.  Her lack of Fashion education abroad has always overlooked her potentials and innate abilities.  Little did she know that her old High School nemesis was the wife of the son of the company who hired her, and that she was not hired because of her qualifications but because of her old classmate’s emotional caprice.

Se-kyung and Seung-jo met when they got into a traffic accident, Seung-jo who was the President of Artemis, a Fashion company, pretended to be the Secretary of the President when they bargained on the aftermath of the minor accident. 

Then Seung-jo proceeded to his plan and as his ex-girlfriend who turned out to be also Se-kyung’s frenemy arranged a welcoming and special treatment for their guest for the family’s business venture, color ran out of her face as she faced the man he left for money and ambition.  Yoon-joo who has used her pretty face to get what she wanted broke up with Seung-jo when they were living together in Paris.  She accepted the money offered by Seung-jo’s father and used his father’s recommendation to enter the elite society world.  Her hardword paid off as she eventually married a chaebol family son.

Se-kyung eventually learned how she got accepted in the prominent Fashion company, but because of financial concerns she swallowed her pride and wallowed in the unfairness of life.  She was also facing problems with her 6-year relationship with her boyfriend.   When her boyfriend took off and stole products  from the company to sell illegally, she wrote a sincere letter to the President of the company to forgive her man’s mistake.  Moved by the feeling enclosed in the letter, Seung-jo let it go and admired the unfeigned love of that girl.  The break-up scene of Se-kyung and her 6-year love broke my heart and I was all tears because relationship like that really existed, relationship where you still love the person but you can’t do anything for him anymore.

But Se-kyung got tired of trying to achieve her goals through her effort so she settled to going through a shortcut with Yoon-joo’s gold-digging lessons.  She asked Se-kyung to look for a white rabbit (an insider in the elite world) to chance upon a potential prince.  She was able to get Tommy Hong’s attention, a famous matchmaker in the A-list society, but because of the remaining non-defiant attitude Se-kyung has, they ended on the wrong foot.  It was a blessing for Se-kyung though because she got rescued by Seung-jo whom she doesn’t know the real identity yet and humiliated Tommy Hong in public.  She then decided to have Seung-jo as her new white rabbit.

Se-kyung grew fonder and closer with Seung-jo-Secretary-Kim-identity and realized quickly that she doesn’t want her for a gold-compass anymore but Seung-jo revealed his true self first and declared his earnest love for her.  Clouded with her ambition regardless of the honest love she was really feeling for him, she hid the truth that she already knew he was rich.  Now Seung-jo suffered Post-traumatic-disorder from the emotional stress he got from his mother who left him at an early age and Yoon-joo, at that time that Se-kyung’s guilt to come clean was surging, she got a video message of Seung-jo’s past full of hurt and she also learned that the woman who left him was her friend and gold-digging teacher.  Yoon-joo confronted her and that scene was secretly recorded and submitted to Tommy Hong. 

Now Tommy Hong was commissioned by Seung-jo’s father to fix the marriage between him and GN fashion’s daughter (Yoon-jo’s sister-in-law) Shin In Hwa and when he learned that Se-kyung will impede the nuptial talk he’s working on, he threatened Se-kyung with revealing her social-climbing style, but Se-kyung didn’t submit to his taunting and was firm in going on with her come-what-may attitude because she was worried on how Seung-jo won’t be able to take another stab on his heart because of his money.

I had hair-tugging moments when Se-kyung was confused with the lie she started but she convinced me with her tenacity and justifying that even if her love was ugly, it was still love.  I love that line she mentioned about how poor girls were looked down because they married a rich man when rich girls who arranged marriages also marry for money.  There are a lot of reality check scenes in the drama inferring love disparities and that has made the texture of the story different from your typical you-and-me-against-my-rich-family premise.  Se-kyung was blatant with her intentions even if she knew that it will destroy her.  She was not your typical “I don’t care if you’re rich I just love you” girl because she’s been through a relationship saddled with financial constraint, and in the real world when you build a future with someone, love will be a foundation but money will sustain it.

Cheongdamdong Alice have many Korean drama clichés and if I may add product placements but it didn’t annoy me the way it typically annoys me because they bribed me with Park Shi Hoo’s smile.  *chuckles  The stuffed toy, the-airport-don’t leave-me-scene, and the pathetic-rich-girl-who can’t buy love were inserted strategically to when it was needed. 

When all the rest knew except Seung-jo what her girlfriend’s charade was, Se-kyung doesn’t know how long her protective bubble can take it and when the truth was finally revealed and Seung-jo kept blocking her to affirm it, I can only imagine how someone’s heart will be shattered to pieces when they are willing to accept the lie because they love the person so much.

That scene when Seung-jo was walking away from Se-kyung brought tears to my eyes because he was already prepared to accept that he was fooled again and was blocking it to sink deeper in him but then he got the confirmation from the person he doesn’t want to hear it from. 

Se-kyung who thought she was ready to take the bullet out of her indecisiveness relied to the very thing she didn’t believe would work on the onset – LOVE—She thought love without fear does exist, but she was not prepared that the moment you love someone, you will also fear of losing him.

This drama was like a sandwich, the middle part was the best of it but you won’t taste the best part without the beginning and the ending covering it.  Although the finale episode was sort of lecturing and safe, explaining the casualty of falling in love for the wrong reason was very well said.  The thesis-analyzation paper of Seung-jo sent me in laughing spree because if all love conflicts can be resolved with drawing probable causes and what-if’s there will be no Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club.  *giggles

Seung-jo passed through 5 stages of grief in overcoming and renewing the love he had and he raised the most important message of the story.  There are always reasons why you love someone and you can never ask for a proof of it.  When love fails, you can never go back but you can always start again.

Jane Austen said something about a single man of fortune universally acknowledged needing a woman to marry, yet she forgot to mention that a woman of pure love would also want to marry a man, not just because of love but his money.

Romance stories were evolving in kdramaland, and I’m happy they always take notice of opportunities to improve the quality and creativity of the drama productions.  Park Shi Hoo occupied a big space in my heart dedicated to my imaginary boys.  His voice, his face, his eyes never fail to make me drool.  Mom has already approved of my marriage to him, we just have to meet.  *giggles  His blithe lead man portrayal here was far different from his sageuk vengeance-driven-Princess-man, but I liked him more here because of his awkward humor and dorky packaging.  Next to bad boys, girls swoon over dorks… *wink

Alice in Cheongdamdong depicted a typical love story but twisting not just the conflicts and the characters, and in doing so it raised an imbalance that has made the story true.  Women dig any Cinderella-story because they wanted the feeling of being rescued.  In this love tale, the girl started the conflict, she made the the person who will rescue him part of the conflict, but she found the way to overcome it.  Way to go girl!  You rock! 

It’s sort of refreshing to see the reversal of roles, to have the man as the vulnerable character in the story and the one needed to be saved.  This has been the strength of this love story. 

The daddy-and-first-love-issues, the brave but twisted love of the heroine, the circumstances of why the main love was in a tug-of-war setting, the opposing beliefs in romance were detrimental factors in imaginary and real-life ever-after.  Cheongdamdong Alice was able to hit all those considerations of people who are looking for the kind of love they deserve.  Sometimes love started because it was meant to be but it has to end because we have to get the love we deserve.  If you are looking for a romance, this drama will show you the love at its purest, vilest and fulfilling appearance.

 

Swift, straightforward and sweet.  Cheongdamdong Alice will be in my romantic drama favorite list.  -jediprincess

Gaksitaaaaaaaaaalll!!!! You are officially my favorite local hero. *wink

Move over Ajussi, City Hunter, Masked Rider Black, Shaider, Spiderman, Superman, Batman… and all the rest of those superheroes who took the imaginary world by storm… Gaksital has only a  flute and superb martial arts move, but for the first time in my life, I fell in love with a local hero.

Dear Gaksital,

I follow Lunar Calendar year, can I make it up by saying “I was saving the BEST for last”.  *sheepishsmile  I judged too soon.  I know that.  I was all swept by Lee Min Ho’s pretty face that’s why I set you aside, and what a sweet payback for you because you will make me update all my 2012 year-end ramblings. 

A bromance defying all bromance invented… *giggles  Every episode, if not the same intensity as the last, always ended at a very strong note.  Boasting with its powerful stunts and whoa!-fight-scenes, my feminine lines were stripped.  Actually I don’t know what martial arts they used but the camera caught fist throwings, kick stretchings, gun shootings, sword wieldings in a thrilling and perfectly executed fashion that my jaw literally dropped and I just found myself immensely enjoying the gun shots, punch sounds, skin rips, sword slashes, blood spatters, and cat-and-mouse chase… In other words I embraced the dark side while I was watching it.  *evilgrin

The mise-en-scene of this drama really got me feeling what it was like 60-70 years ago.  I love the wardrobe and fashion.  I love the club entertainment scenes and the circus acts.  Sigh I love everything about the production design. Period.

Gaksital went to this milieu… “I accidentally killed my brother because our mother was killed by my bestfriend’s brother.  So I killed my bestfriend’s brother, but he caught me doing it and because of the circumstances and my family’s past which was just revealed to me when I have already denounced my patriotism to favor the Japanese empire, I’m not sorry I did it.  A test of best-friends-forever pledge.  Yes, that it was.  How’s that for a conflict?  Not to add that they both love the same girl whom they met when they were young.  Avenging the death of their family members, first love duel plus fighting the Japanese regime.  If this looks crazy in writing, it was astonishingly gripping in action.

Staged in the post-Joseon-Japanese-Annexation era, Gaksital surprised me with its quintessential story and screenplay as well as the stellar portrayals from the characters.  I was reminded of the overwhelming feeling I got when I first saw the costume and set design of Gone With the Wind when I finally submit to liking Gaksital.  And while I was surmising and digesting the circumstances of the story’s premise, I marvel at the pace and intensity each episode rendered all throughout.

Gaksital was a people’s champion protecting the Joseon people under the abusive Japanese regime.  He was hiding his identity as Lee Kang To’s deranged brother Lee Kang San, a once brilliant youth leader who was tortured by the Japanese empire due to his freedom movement campaign.   After his brother’s supposed mental breakdown, Lee Kang To worked his way to the police ladder thru Shun-ji Kimura’s Kendo teaching lessons.  A special appointment to become a police officer will be given to the winner of a Kendo match, Kang-to and his sensei-friend Shun-ji faced off in the finals but Shun-ji lost in purpose because he wanted to teach children and he knew it was Kang-to’s dream to provide for his family.  Kang-to became a prominent police but infamous to his fellow Joseon people because of his loyalty to the Japanese Governance.

For him to catch Gaksital, he deduced that the key is to find the girl, Mok Dan/Boon Yi/Esther, whom he has already saved twice.  Once from the deposed Joseon leader’s burial where she threw a stone and the other was when she created a disturbance to the trial of another freedom movement leader Dam Sa Ri, who turned out to be her father.  Mok Dan was finally caught but she was able to flee again after Kang-to saw the knife she was trying to retrieve which was the same knife he gave to his first love Boon-yi aka Mok-dan.   Mok-dan treasured the knife so much because it was given by the young master-friend from her childhood.  Unbeknownst to her, that young master was Lee Kang To of present time, the man she despised most because of his cruelty to his fellow Joseon men.

Kang-to eventually became best buddies with Shunji Kimura, a local teacher from a famous Samurai family.  His father was also the police chief and his brother was the superintendent in the police station where Kang-to was serving as a Lieutenant.  He has an unrequited love with Mok-dan.  He met her when they were young because she helped him when his nanny was hospitalized and in a twist of fate it’s the same girl Kang-to also loved when he was young. 

Shunji’s older brother looked and acted like your pro-villain and has been picking on Kang-to because he envied his skills.  His wily thinking accidentally uncovered the probable connection between Kang-to and Gaksital (Kang-san), but Kang-to was not aware that his brother was using his mental retardation front to hide his local superhero role and shot his brother who was beating Ken-ji after the latter shot their mother while she was trying to conceal Kang-san’s identity.  When the truth of what happened dawned on him, in his fury and angst he donned his brother’s mask and clothing to assume Gaksital’s persona to kill his bestfriend’s brother.

When Kang-to delivered the final blow to end Ken-ji’s life, Shun-ji witnessed it right on cue.  He chased after his bestfriend, but Kang-to fell to a cliff and his body was not retrieved.  He woke up later in the hospital badly beaten and bruised and in his still grief-stricken self, he vowed to make the people responsible for the death of his family pay for it ergo double agent Kang-to-Gaksital was born.

Shun-ji torn between his filial responsibility and saving the woman he loved was left no option but to take over his late brother’s vacated post to protect Mok-dan who was standing as Gaksital’s bait.  He was switching from stern to defiant to why-am-I-in-this-position identities just so he can assure Mok-dan’s safety.  Kang-to on the other hand was tasked to guard Mok-dan 24/7 and decided to agree to Dam Sa Ri’s request for him to help them out in their plan to oust the Japanese.  But because he was Kang-to he can’t just walk in and tell them that “my family’s unfortunate death changed me overnight, so I am a good boy now”.   So yes my favorite boys here were in a game of who gave up everything for the woman they both love.  *giggles

I liked that Shun-ji took over the conflicting villain role because Ken-ji was a bore, I hate his evil-looking face but he was a tofu-brainer so at least having Shun-ji faced off Kang-to was a relief because more than the reversal of the bad image role, my new favorite frenemies were on an equal footing when it comes to their skills, intellect and temper.  *chuckles

So off Kang-to-Gaksital to avenge his father’s death who used to be a member of a covert brotherhood but his brothers betrayed him killing him and his people.  The brotherhood thought they wiped out his family but Kang-to’s family survived.  He also continued his brother’s intentions while using his police badge as a cover and because Boon-yi abhorred him in his uniform, he can only communicate when he’s in Gaksital mode.  She plead him if he can help her father in the plan to cause ruckus in the anniversary of Japan-Joseon annexation, and (because there’s a contest for Mok-dan’s hand) just kidding… because he’s really trying to live upright, he chose to help them.

Dam Sa Ri and his comrade woman befriended the Joseon royalty couple, thus they were able to get an invitation on the event.  They were plotting a bombing to the event so they needed to raid the police armory to get bombs and guns.  They were able to cause trouble but Dam Sa Ri was captured.  The police went back to Boon-yi because of her connection with Gaksital and Dam Sa Ri, but she already escaped with other freedom movement members. 

But then Shun-ji’s suspicion of Kang-to was cemented when he overheard him pleading with Dam Sa Ri to spill Boon-yi’s whereabouts.  When Mok-dan escaped with Gaksital in the previous chase by Shun-ji, she left a letter for Gaksital and signed it Boon-yi, and as Kang-to said her childhood name, Shun-ji linked the connection.  Shun-ji put a shadow on his best friend but everytime he’s close to catching his true identity, Kang-to was able to raise arguments to protect his cover.  Shun-ji plotted a trap to catch Gaksital by setting them up in a supposed meeting with Mok-dan’s fellow freedom fighters, Kang-to terrified of what might have become of her went to rescue her in his Lee Kang-to’s persona declaring his love for Mok-dan.  He got interrogated again, but was able to sway his bestfriend’s convictions thanks to his acting skills worthy of an Oscar, Shun-ji again believed him.  Then came their general who commanded Dam Sa Ri’s execution and even asked her to enter the cage full of nails.  (Omg if I lived in that era, I won’t survive long)Stubborn Mok-dan refused to give the information on their fellow freedom fighter’s whereabouts so she bravely agreed to it.  While Kang-to and Shun-ji battled to the horror of seeing the woman they love get tortured, the General decided to send her in the Prosecutor’s office and Dam Sa Ri to the penitentiary.

On their way to the penitentiary, Dam Sa Ri’s people tried to ambush Kang-to and the rest of the police force, and in the brink of finally getting their leader, Shun-ji fire a gunshot so the exit strategy was thwarted.  Dam Sa Ri was put on extreme surveillance while Mok-Dan was sheltered in the hotel as Shun-ji bargained to retrieve pertinent information about the freedom movement from her but she didn’t budge.  Kang-to tried his luck too, and showing his vulnerability, he finally admitted to Mok-dan that he was the young master she knew from when she was young. 

Mok-dan can’t accept how the man she was waiting for grew up to become a ruthless person, and remembering how she suffered in his hands, she despised him even more.  Ra Ra, the adopted daughter of Kishokai’s president (an elite dark organization) kidnapped Mok-Dan because she deemed she was a distraction to Shun-ji’s heart and because she was cherished by Kang-to the man she also kept in her heart.  But of course, Gaksital always saved the day and he can’t let his damsel be in distressed so he rescued her and wielded sword towards the non-smiling samurai bodyguard of Ra Ra.  Barely surviving Ra Ra and her protector’s grip, he was carried by his horse to where Mok-dan was. 

Then fireworks, winged horses and angels sang in the heaven… *giggles Fighting for his consciousness, Mok-dan approached Gaksital and take off the elusive mask… and yes Bingo!  She got the biggest surprise of her life.  In 24 hours, her hatred became a full blown love that defied Japanese torture, pain and time.  Kang-to revealed why he turned 360 degrees from his old vile self and they reconciled and make up for the lost times.

To avoid Jong Ro (police station) noticing her absence and also Kang-to’s absence, Mok-dan showed up to Shun-ji while Kang-to rested.  Shun-ji was preoccupied with the upcoming public execution plans for Dam Sa Ri and was very determined that he will catch Gaksital if he rescued Dam Sa Ri this time. 

Public Execution came up and the circus leader stirred a slight upheaval that sparked the spectators emotions, my Shun-ji who I swore was really showing bipolar condition shot the ajumma in Mok-dan’s circus club so the crowd roared and ramble with the police.  The people were contained a little so they proceed with the death sentence. In split second timing, gaksital showed up to strut his heroic act but the officers subdued him to put him in the middle on the spot.  Then he undressed himself to reveal attached bombs in his body… then boom!  Surprise detectives!  You didn’t see that coming!  Then came another Gaksital, this time the true one, and off he rescued the freedom leader leaving Shun-ji wounded and frustrated.

Time for Kishokai to make their move after failed attempts of the members.  The easiest path was to kill Konno, the police commissioner who favored Kang-to.  So now Kang-to has no family and no friends and will have to rely to his father’s bodyguard, Dam Sa Ri and Mok-dan.  Kishokai placed their people to the upper echelon, appointing Shun-ji’s father in the vacated commissioner position and another member as Jong Ro chief.

Kang-to saw the man who killed Konno and remembered that he was the same Samurai he fought with when he was trying to save Ra Ra who was then a lowly gisaeng.  He drew the probabilities of what’s happening by the pieces of information he was getting with Ra Ra. 

Shun-ji learned from Koiso (police officer) that his brother killed Kang-to’s mother and because he was not yet sure whether his friend knew about it, he decided to have his frenemy closer.  It’s good that the characters were quick to uptake.  I lost count how Shun-ji went back and forth to his inference relating Gaksital and his friend that I settled to the idea that well eventually he will know it.

Yang Baek, a famous Joseon patriot and hero came back with Dam Sa Ri to Kyeong-seong.  They are set to make another attempt to fight the Imperial government.  While they were regrouping with other Independence campaign groups, Shun-ji’s growing doubts of Lee Kang-to’s identity reached finally the peak after failed attempt to make Ra Ra confessed about it.  When Gaksital helped rescue a reporter working for Joseon Independence group, he purposely used Kishokai President’s samurai warrior to hurt Gaksital, and when he laid motionless after barely escaping the fight, he finally… yes finally!  confirmed his suspicion.  For a moment there, I saw that glint in his eyes of still hoping that it was not the friend he treasured, but insanity, cruelty and betrayal got into him… so there I have to let go of Shun-ji.

So they resorted to jedi-mindtricking now… anticipating each other’s move while knowing that they have to outwit each other.  Shun-ji feigned ignorance of Kang-to’s front to try and get the rest of the freedom people but they lost their track to the liberation legion.

Before the waning of the story, I was still hoping that Shun-ji would go back to his smiling and good-natured self.  I was wishing that you know friendship and rationality will make him realized he’s on a wrong boat.  But then again Gaksital has always been a story of patriotism, friendship, love, family bond and how much you value those things.  So given his Ilbon roots, I understood that there was really no way out for him but to yield to what has been previously decided fate by his father.

So freedom movement was all set in their plans while their counterparts were trying to capture them.  I love how the mind games formed the building of final conflict in the story.  They were misleading and leaving false trails to confuse the police department, but the strength of the Imperial force was not that easy to be defeated.

When Gaksital sided with freedom fighters, it was a relief for him to finally get people to fight with him, because hello?   I’m tired of making him fight bunch of people ALONE.  `

So it all comes down to frenemies Shun-ji and Kang-to both realizing that they know what’s the score and it would a contest of “may the best man win”.  It’s Kang-to with the Freedom Fighters and Shun-ji with Kishokai members.  Freedom Fighters needed money and weapons to proceed with their plans, they were able to secure the money by defeating Kishokai but when they robbed the police’ armory, Shun-ji finally took off Gaksital’s mask.  He was rescued from the torture chamber by his fellow freedom group and gave a meaningful there’s-no-going-back-goddbye-bestfriend look to him. 

Freedom alliance camped at Dong-jin leader’s group to prepare for the uprising.  Yang-baek will leave Kyeong-seong to get help from China as Dong-jin’s men will launch a rebellion inside the country.  Meanwhile the evil group will be baiting the insurgents by killing the comrades they imprisoned so Kang-to-Gaksital was left no choice but to take care of so it won’t hinder the main plan.  Shun-ji tracked his hide-out so Kang-to was also determined to finally get a payback from Shunji’s father who set up the ambush to kill his father.  In the end, it was Gaksital can’t live while his villains survive… aw So Harry Potter-ish. 

The finale episodes saddened me because in the end Kang-to killed Shun-ji’s father to avenge his father’s demise.  It was so heartbreaking how their friendship has come to an end and after their fist fight where Kang-to still can’t make himself to kill his bestfriend I was worried on what would become of Shun-ji. Oh and the samurai fending Ra Ra finally talked declaring his love to her… better late than never huh?  I don’t know why they got so stressed out with that old man villain who just sat in the duration of the series and just went furious on their failed attempts to stop the mutiny… Duh? He’s old!  Ra Ra could have just thrown a knife at him.  *giggles

It was a closure befitting to the brilliance of this narrative.  I liked how both parties maneuvered the spies they plotted at the most important arcs of the story.  When Freedom Fighters interfered in the sending of college students to join the Imperial army battling Manchuria, Shun-ji schemed student-spies on their side to report the other camp’s plan.  While Mok-dan was walking down the aisle to marry Lee Kang To, the Imperial police were also marching to raid the hide out.  Shun-ji rushed to where the wedding was happening and saw the bride and groom blissfully smiling.  He triggered his gun pointing at Kang-to but Mok-dan saw it and covered her body on him.  *sniff *sniff  At this time my aunt was annoying me because the rest of the men in the camp were pulverized by the army.  I kept telling her they were taken by surprise and more than fighting back they have to back off for the mean time.  When the heroes’ spirit were shattered into pieces, I don’t know how they will bounce back because they only have 45 minutes to wrap up the series and all I got was the lead girl dying to shield the man she loved.

It was a series of retaliation where you can’t even question its impetus.  It was an incessant exchange of killing for both Kang-to and Shun-ji.  After mourning over his beloved’s passing, Kang-to stood up to fulfill Mok-dan’s dream to become a beacon of light to his fellow Joseon people.  He set forth to kill the old man leader of Kishokai who has been influencing the fortifying of the Japanese governance. 

Then he went to Shun-ji’s house and they had some drama and tea.  Shun-ji gave him their wedding picture as both of them felt the searing anguish of realizing her death.  Then they went to business as Kang-to enumerated how many people died in his hands.  They agreed on their final duel and if I may say bitterly and calmly.  Shun-ji asked Kang-to to go to the yard, and as Kang-to was walking away, he shot himself to die.  *sooooob 

Then we switch to freedom fighters in full swing with their final attempt for Independence and we saw a montage of Joseon people marching to claim their freedom.

1 night and 2 days depicted Joo Won in his human adorable self, and in his bad boy and impeccable Lee Kang To performance, he won me over convincingly.  He gracefully danced, he sweetly sang in a humiliating-PSY-kind-of-way and he gorgeously kicked asses.   He was reckless, uncaring and has put up a strong face because of the hard life he’s been through.  Temperamental outside but frail and kind-hearted inside…

Another second-lead-syndrome, Shun-ji broke my heart by how fast his escalation from goodness to Voldemort-self was.  He was teaching children how to sing one day and the next day he was beating people to death like a mad man.  *facepalm Why?  Why do I always fall in love with the wrong guy? *sigh  Shun-ji slowly destroyed himself in his effort to please his father and to find the culprit who ended his brother’s life.  His failing to connect the dots on Gaksital’s identity was more of because his mind was not accepting a feasible ill-fated confrontation with his best friend.  His unrequited love with the woman who loved his nemesis triggered his complete embracing of the dark side.

Gaksital has held me at the edge of my seat on how they perfectly executed the endings where Shun-ji almost-but-not-quite uncovered those Gaksital-could-be-my-bff attempts.  The ladies gave a decent performance although at some point Mok-dan’s stubbornness annoyed me but I cried when she died.  I was hoping for an ever after but a hero needed to bleed and the pain of losing her will inevitably strengthen him to defeat the baddies.  The rest of the supporting cast helped out to make the presentation the most fluid and chemistry-filled cast ensembles. 

There are a lot of reasons why I would highly recommend this drama but I’ll start with its strength to depict a stimulating story brimming with facets of history and layered with conflicts and resolutions that disheartened and made me happy at the same time.  It was as if my father’s World War stories came to life, and I can only imagine how life was hard back then.    I’m enjoying period dramas lately, there’s just so much to learn that’s why maybe.

Gaksital was the best written and directed drama for 2012.  It has so much depth and substance and youth of today will learn a lot from it.  It was an epic tale that perfectly bloomed along with the characters and was so successful in sending out the Patriotic theme where love, loyalty, family and friendship where at stake.  Gaksital made me realized how living at present time in comfort was such a blessing knowing that the way we are living right now was because of the sacrifices and hardwork of our ancestors. 

A must to watch… I hope they will continue producing dramas like this.  -jediprincess

Living a life while looking at someone who can’t love you back is misfortune.

The price of sin, though slow, will be paid without fail. 

I will be missing “I Miss You”

You know that child story about the princess who can’t cry?  If I give her a copy of “I Miss You”, she will cry all those tears she missed in her life.  After time-travelling expeditions last year, it’s romance after romance coaxing me, teasing me in different faces and approaches this year in kdramaland.  So here I am, love-filled, all-smiles, happily camping in the shower of rose petals.

Staying away from the chaebol-love-you-hate-you love stories, “I Miss You” plunged to a dark and painful romance between a girl who was left behind by her friend and first love, and the man who waited for 14 years to make up for letting go of the girl he first loved.

Tissue, more tissue and a lot of tissue.  Prepare for the weep fest and constant swaying and sighing over why Harry placed himself on that love triangle when he could have stayed by my side.  *chuckles  This is a sure headache that even Sherlock won’t resolve.  We normally get a love triangle where the third wheel stood as the villain because the main couple’s love is really unrequited, but this time, I was weeping, confused, annoyed and don’t know what to do on thinking how complicated their love was.  The people involved in the agonizing love triangle just chose to dwell on hurting each other’s feeling because of the depth of the reasons why they were holding back what they really felt, and why they were taking that path.  They were unaware that they were hurting me in the process because they were crying at any chance they can… and so did I.  *pout

You remember Winter Sonata?  When I was watching it on the local channel, my brother was always complaining how Choi Ji Woo cried every episode?  I Miss You almost broke that record but the story it was threading sufficed the sort of emotional outbreak that spited the vulnerable side of me. 

You have to prepare for the selfishness and development of the characters moving through the story.  Heck you just have to understand all of them because they all suffered from the trauma of their past.  On the 16^th episode, I was shouting, let’s just have Harry reunite with his mom and have Su-yeon and Jung-woo live happily ever after, but after Harry’s revelation, I was tugging my hair, broken hearted on how far his obsession went.  He could have just gone here to marry me, but going to that extent… sigh…

I felt like I was a part of the family that has waited for Su-yeon to come back that when she got reunited with her family, I was also crying incessantly.  And although I really want to comfort my Harry, I have to give space for him to reflect on his actions.  His noona romance really has gone way beyond revenge but I, my mom and my aunt were still siding on Harry.  My mom because he’s eye-candy cute and my aunt because he lived a hard life.  I know right?  I really came from this family.

When my mom was complaining how cheesy they were on the 17^th episode, my aunt replied in teary eyes… “If you have known how far they have suffered to finally be together”.  It’s different how generations explain love.  *giggles

So the story goes like this.  Shadowed by the notorious reputation of her father who has also abused her physically, Lee So Yeon was your typical wallflower at school and was the resident go-to girl for the bullies’ power tripping.  When her father was caught by the police, So-yeon and her mother suffered from the harsh treatment of the neighborhood and only when Han Jung-woo became her friend that she saw life in a different perspective.

Han Jung Woo was studying in the US but decided to come back to Korea and while he was walking one night, he saw So Yeon at a park and approached her.  So Yeon was surprised that he didn’t know that she was the infamous murderer’s daughter.  So Yeon tried to run away, but the rain fell and feeling happy that for the first time another person acknowledged her, she went back to the park and lend her umbrella to Jung-woo.  He promised to return the umbrella the next day but his grandfather passed away.

On a dark battle of inheritance quest, Jung-woo’s grandfather died which caused the tension in the family as his father and his grandfather’s mistress fought for the old man’s money.  Jung-woo’s father shoved his father’s mistress even damaging his half-brother’s leg when he let loose of his vicious pet dogs to chase him.  The young master was able to escape and was hidden by her mother’s friend and landed as So Yeon’s neighbor.
 Jung-woo transferred to So Yeon’s school.  Watching her being bullied, he decided to be her only friend even after hearing the stories about her.  Confused that for the first time, someone has treated her nice, Lee So Yeon found her first friend.

But the new-found-friends would become the eventual casualties on the money war Jung-woo’s family was waging.  Jung-woo’s grandfather’s mistress ordered him to be kidnapped and because So-yeon chased after the plan, they were both captured in an abandoned warehouse.  The two suffered pain, assault and unimaginable trauma.  Jung-woo’s father intervened , and the young man was able to escape leaving So-yeon behind who was almost hit by a car.  She was rescued  by the kid with a wounded leg who was the son of Jung-woo’s grandfather’s mistress.  He escaped his brother’s vicious dogs and was hidden by his mother’s friend and their family’s nurse.

Cut to years after and we saw So-yeon changing her name to Zoe Lou, she has become a famous designer and has been with wealthy debonair Harry Borrison.  After years of premeditated payback Harry Borrison set forth to Korea to face the long lost brother who almost killed him.  He was planning on making his son who became a police officer catch his father’s evil doings.

Jung-woo left his rich life and lived with So-yeon’s mother and has been living in the hopes that someday she will come back because he knows she was alive somewhere but what he was notprepared was the fact that his leaving her behind has made her hated him so much.

The obsession, longing and all those things you can do for love were the prime movement drawer of the story, and one man’s greed of money set the story to happen.

Harry Borrison/Kang Hyun Jun felt like a Math equation for me with no geek help I can try to lure to help me out solve the problem.  It’s just so hard hating his villainy obsessive self everytime the camera zoomed in to his super princey face.  I, my mom and my aunt felt the same.  That’s 3 generations of women, that’s a prolific charisma draw.  This is why I prefer it when they put ugly-faced or crazy-faced villains because it’s very easy to hate them.

Han Jung-woo has made Hachiko looked like he was not loyal with the amount of years he waited for So-yeon to come back.  He was yielding and leaning to his role effectively shielding the vulnerable lead girl but making her strong at the same time.  For some reason, Yoo Chun has really a knack of choosing good projects that can showcase the best of his side as an actor. 

Zoe Lou/Lee So Yeon was what the Beegees was describing in Melody Fair.  I was piling a mountain of tissue every episode each time she will break down and cry.  I have sort of anticipated and almost in the brink of hating why she has to cry every time but then again the story calls for it.  I really missed her performance in the old drama favorites and she really came strong here after her abysmal previous dramas.

This trio main character has ardently explained what a complicated love was.  My favorite line was So-yeon’s “I have always loved you, just not the way you wanted it.  That pretty much tells the gist of their love discord.  It’s always hard to be the receiving end of unfulfilled love, and even harder to know that you can’t love a man who has loved you more than his life.

I thought all of them will go crazy in the finale episode, and I was scared that they might pull a memories-in-bali closing of just killing the love triangle characters so there will be no problem anymore.  I was a bit annoyed by that confrontation and negotiation with Harry to stop his foolishness, but that was one of the best scene in the whole series.  All three of them were in to their characters.  They settled everything right there and then, and that’s what I liked about it.  They were the main characters entangled in that conflict, and in the end they must find a way to end it.  And they resolved it in a tearful, blame throwing, why-can’t you-love-me-manner?.  I liked it. period.

The romance of Jung-woo and So-yeon eventually kicked a well-deserved ever-after, after all the things that happened,I don’t want them saddled by my family doesn’t like you surprise ending conflict.  Good thing father who doesn’t know anything but money got jailed, I just hate him, he did all the problems and there’s no redeeming concept for him in the end.  You see I love all the tears in this drama, but there are neither black or white concepts on the motivational conflict.  The ending wishful thinking of what if the three of them met each other differently was a nice ending trick.  It was a cushion for a safe, well-explained and goodness-prevail-in-the-end windup.  What I can’t understand is how Jung-woo’s father was.  I mean he was all about money and evil all throughout that there was no character development.  I thought Harry was set to avenge his past but his hatred vanished and he even conspired with him.  That was not explained well, I won’t buy that because he loved the girl thought that’s why his priority changed.  I’m stubborn.  I won’t.

I sympathized and understood why So-yeon chose not to be reunited with her family and Jung-woo and I’m glad she decided fast to face herself without prejudice.  You see a kiss always change a woman’s heart.  She was so vulnerable considering the trauma she had with her father that she won’t really be able to put up with her strong face without hurting herself in the process.

Harry, my Harry showed a different meaning to the word antagonist.  Much as I want to hate him and when all his best laid plans were executed for his vengeance streak, I was still faithful and can’t bring myself to hate him.  Sweet-unrequited-one-sided love, that’s what it can do.   Tssss You loved the wrong girl!

“I Miss You” appeared to be a bundle of contradiction for me as I was fighting for my tears not to fall to no avail and at some point the emotion rush exhausted me.  There were moments were I was like… Don’t cry!  Don’t cry!  I said stop crying! And then I just ended up drawing the tissue roll to join the cast on their episodic sob fest.  To be honest, it was bordering to melodrama overkill where it was really living to the tears and more tears vision.  If not for the sad tone on the onset that has had me prepared as well as the painful love premise, I would have not lingered.  I know I’m such a lousy liar it was really because of Harry and his devilish handsome stare.

I mentioned that I’m on a love roll this year.  So far, I Miss You would be the yardstick for the romantic melo drama this year.  Strongly portrayed and definitely worth the tears. ^_^

Oh puhlease! Let them Get Married!!!

A single 29 year old lady-in waiting like me who sat on a 20-episode marriage-plot drama was supposed to be evading the kind of drama pill I took, but strangely I did enjoy this lively, feisty, emotion-draining and chatty love and marriage eye feast.  It was as if the contemplative and witty writing of all my favorite romance movies was made to a drama.  From the director of My Lovely Samsoon and Que Sera Sera, I found a no-frills-this-is-really-what-happening romance story of loving someone, breaking up and becoming brave to love again at the cost of once deciding of giving up on love because you can’t be brave enough.

It felt like a getting-married-staying-married-leaving-marriage instructional video for men and women entertaining the idea of committing their lives with someone.  I vowed myself my parents and in-laws-to-be should watch this before my own wedding preparations for them not to meddle on how I and future-hubby would want our wedding to be.   

HAE-YOON AND JUNG-HOON

“The love that defied their outspoken mothers”

After 3 years of dating Hae-yoon and Jung-hoon decided to get married but on the course of planning the wedding, their mothers got entangled on a series of misunderstanding that involved Jung-hoon’s salaryman status and Hae-yoon’s family background.  Jung-hoon was a regular employee and was born from a rich family while Hae-yoon was raised by her single mother and was working as a grade school teacher.   Even with their incessant bickering what I love seeing about them is they reflect on their actions and they talk about it even at the expense of hurting each other.  They are the classic strong-weak couple.  Hae-yoon who took after her mother’s sometimes unreasonable selfishness loved calculating what her decisions and the thing around them might impact their forthcoming wedding.  She can submit to being submissive just to please her future mother-in-law to be, but when she got too emotionally consumed of the conflicts raised by their mothers, she decided to end the relationship blaming the situation she was put onto.  Good-natured Jung-hoon whose spine grew later in the story accepted her decision and chose his solitary pain not because he can’t fight to be with the girl against his family but because he loved her so much, he was okay to be pushed over.  Their conflict was the main premise of the story and it was exhausting to watch a meek guy and his adamant girlfriend go labyrinth bound because they were both protecting their parents.  Sometimes there are reasonable situations that can make a person forget their filial duties, in their case, the parents have been so overly protective and thoroughly dissecting their future with their thinking and not with how their children were feeling. 

I have to cover my ears whenever Hae-yoon’s mother starts talking and ciphering Jung-hoon’s family’s action as I have to cover my eyes when Jung-hoon’s mother looked down on Hae-yoon’s family background.  Had they not finally conspired and forcedly comprehended that it was really true love that hit their children, and finally providing a way for them to get back together and get married, I would have not forgiven them too, nonetheless I promised myself I won’t get a mother-in-law like them nor will I become a mother-in-law like them too. 

Hae-yoon and Jung-hoon love story circled on how a couple can take the punches of a relationship with opposing beliefs their family and confusing themselves by weighing how good they are as a person and if they are worthy to be with the person.  At the end of it all, it was still how much they love each other that saved the day.  And just like any relationship, you might go against what you have promised someone, if you do, and you want to take it back, you can always will.  It takes a lot of courage to share your dreams and to love someone.

KI-JOONG AND DONG-BI

“The love that got sweeter the second time around”

Dating for 5 years both Ki-Joong and Dong-Bi were showing strong faces not to believe they really love each other.  Both coming from rich families, they have wounds that can’t be healed no matter how rich their parents were.  I like how real and painful their story was and that both protected each other in ways they didn’t allow one another to realize it.  In the end they both get the love while meeting their conditions.  It is always a happy feeling to get back in a relationship no matter how bad the past was.  The love won’t entirely cover the scar it created but the people in love will grow together with that experience.

HAE-JIN AND DO-HYUN

“The marriage that got away”

I got most of the tears from their love story.  The man loved his wife but his ego can’t bear following his manipulative mother-in-law.  The divorce settlement procedure showed how pride can ruin love, and I’m glad that they didn’t let them get back together because that’s what makes sense considering the man cheated on his wife.  I’m not siding with Hae-jin because I’m a girl but because any man who was pushed to his limit and because they have a son to be protected, I was really wanting Do-hyun to get a dose of his own medicine because he was given a lot of chance to make it right but his stupid hubris won’t concede.  While both of them know how their situation was affecting their son, they were wise to really be firm on their decision.  There are relationship that really needed to be ended even if the casualty will be damaging not just for the couple involved but for their children.

“Can We Get Married?” was a very ruminative tale that presented varied reasons, delusions, confusions, pain and happiness when intending to share a life with someone officially.  It sent me to pensive state in justifying my own stand of not believing that love is forever and acknowledging the happy truth that while relationship can be very moody at times, there are things like two-way happiness, warm embraces and sweet kisses that love can only define.

Grrrr I should have not watched this at all, now the love nerves that I put in coma is starting to annoy me.  *giggles  I think this will be a nice watch for people having second-thoughts to tie the knot and couples who can’t figure out why they are staying in love with the wrong person and wanting to be in love after break-ups. 

This is a love video pill in Before Sunrise, Love Actually and 500 Days of Summer witty screenplay vibe plus nagger moms and great support cast on the side.  It’s not your cheesy romcom but it’s oh-so-full of realistic romance that has happened, will happen and happening to all of us. –jediprincess

The King of Dramas and the writer who fell in love with him

With 4 main players and side characters moving to the riches to rags to riches to happiness kind of story, I was an invisible member of the production team feeling the reality, the failure and the triumph of the King of Dramas.

Staging a comeback to Korean drama production, Anthony Kim who used to be a big shot drama producer beat all the odds and reformed himself to successfully notch his return to the world he was once famous for.  But he has to compete with his former master and assistant to do that, but with his keen mind and full heart, he managed to achieve his hard-earned return and more than that he understood what was lacking to him as a person.

When he was the CEO of Empire Production (leading TV drama production team), he has a notorious reputation for his social skills.  But because he can strike really good dramas the drama industry was left no choice but to work for him.   All he was focused on was the success rate of the drama and money, but his assistant ploy an evil plan and the chairman of the production company kicked him out and for the next 3 years he struggled getting back to the field by opening his company World Productions.  The opportunity he needed to spark his return came in when a rich Japanese investor read a script he sent but he has to convince the writer Lee Go Eun whose dreams of becoming a writer was also ended by his doing.  When she hit by Anthony’s pep talk of her grilling mackerel all her life, she decided to give her dream another try. 

Conflict after conflict, I was patient and feeling the characters moved through its destination.  From finding investor for the money to getting the main actors and director to securing the broadcast slot and to the plagiarism stint that would have halted the first air date, I really gave a sigh when “Morning in Kyeongseong” was finally aired, there was just so much stories, hard work and effort put into it that it hit a dagger even in myself.  I could understand and relate to this drama because my inclination used to be being a part of a drama production too.

This drama is very smart and very brave at the same time.  The humor was hilarious, witty and pointed out a lot of inside jokes in korean drama production land.  The romance is not the primary driver of the drama, it was really the characters… how they evolved to a different one after, and how they blend in to each other. 

They made me anticipate on their next move and it was nice that they didn’t really made the underdogs so overly under, they gave the upper hand to the villains but they provided an equalizer to the main leads by outsmarting the evil guys.

Beethoven Virus was when I first saw Kim Myung Min, and it’s already given that he’s not an eye candy but he can really draw great performance.  Since becoming Baek Yoo Chi and the movie Pained, I have liked Jung Ryu Won and it’s good that they didn’t make their romance part dream-like but just eventual.  Choi Si Won pulled a few mirth out of me in his cute performance and the bromance My Sassy Girl scene with his PA made me laugh for two minutes.

The King of Dramas is beautiful depending on the perceiver’s eyes.  If you are up to just rose petals and romance, then this might not work for you.  It was a drama that was narrating a great story of bouncing back after a slump in someone’s life.  All throughout it was very realistic and straight to the point.  I had a slight disappointment about the lead man getting blind.  I mean it was just an overkill for me.  I was not expecting a happy ending but just a fair one.  I mean after blinding him you used their love to be together because of the blindness.  If I would end the story, I would have just made them back to their usual bickering relationship while working on another drama.  It would be a safe ending but not forcing a character redeeming scapegoat.

It was a drama about making a drama, and that has made this work interesting.  Although I liked it, I would score an above fair rating for now and will wait if there’s a drama with the same vibe that can even out or even mock the King of Dramas. -jediprincess

On Board May Queen

Sitting on a 38-episode melodrama where birth secret, superhero villains, revenge-and-greed-driven plot needs to be munched was a feat so hard to do for an impatient girl like me.  But I will give it to the setting of the story.  I love how Korean dramas are tailored because they get to bring me at different worlds I’m not familiar with unlike American produced series which normally go to the cops-doctors-lawyers triumvirate.  This time I learned something about the shipbuilding industry as the story evolved around characters moving in the oil exploration and shipbuilding technology business.  While I’m waiting for the 1^st quarter dramas to end, I played with the ocean, ships, azimuth thruster, drilling rigs, oil discovery and the realistic and moving love story of MAY QUEEN.

 

An oil expert Dr. Yoon Hak-soo and his friend Kang Wi were in the pursuit of probing and drilling oil but were thwarted by then deputy of Japanese intelligence unit, Jang Do Hyeon whose greed superseded his friendship with Hak-soo .  After causing a car accident to Kang Wi and his wife, he trailed Yoon Hak-soo and killed him concealing the truth that he was behind the ambush.  As if it was not enough Jang Do Hyeon ordered Park Gi-Cheol, (Dr. Yoon Hak-soo’s trusted friend) to kill Lee Geum Hee and Yoon Hak Soo’s daughter – Yoo Jin.  In fear of the evil villain and because he begged him for his life to spare, he became a slave to his evil plans.  Thank God, he got a little conscience left, he looked for his brother-comrade in the army and entrusted Yoo-jin to him.

Yoo-jin grew up and became Hae-joo, although she lived in a not affluent life, she was optimistic and cheerful and has loved her family so much.  When his father has left no penny to feed the family, they went to Ulsan to see Park Gi-cheol and asked help for him.  Gi-cheol who became the butler of Jang Do Hyeon’s mansion  in fear of having Hae-joo’s identity be revealed drove them away but a kind prosecutor Yoon Jang-hee (Yoon Hak-soo’s brother) took them and let them stay in his house.

So in the twist of fulfilling kdrama plot, of course all of the main characters should be connected.  Hae-joo went to the school where Jang Do Hyeon and Gi-cheol’s children were studying and ended being friends with In-hwa the daughter of Jang Do Hyeon’s family.  She also met Kang San, the grandson of a shipbuilding company and became friends with him.  Soon enough Hae-joo’s father learned of her identity but when he confronted Gi-cheol about it, he tried denying it.  The uneasiness and the possible beating he will get from the Chairman made him accidentally kill Hae-joo’s father when he swerved the truck he was driving to evade Hae-joo.  After taking over Kang San’s grandfather’s business and buying out the necessary land needed to expand his business, Hae-joo’s family momentarily stayed at the Chairman’s mansion, but Gi-cheol made contact with the loan sharks Hae-joo’s father was indebted to so they were left no choice but to leave Ulsan.  When Chairman’s wife found the yellow baby cloth left by Hae-joo’s family, she recognized it as Yoo-jin’s clothing, the chairman although believing Gi-cheol that Yoo-jin already died didn’t want his wife to be thriving on the memory of her lost daughter so he ordered Gi-cheol to have Hae-joo be killed but she was able to escape her near-death experience.

Years later Hae-joo emerged as a very skilled technician and the only thing holding back her innate qualification was her lacking of formal education.  Gi-cheol’s son, Park Chang Hee became a prosecutor and was dating Hae-joo for 15 years.  Chairman Jang Do Hyeon still is his usual Voldemort-villain self as Gi-cheol is in his Gollum-villain character openly disagreed on his son’s relationship with Hae-joo.  Kang San came back from the US and is representing an overseas big shipping company as an Inspector.   The story revealed how Hae-joo and Kang San’s fathers used to be friends and their involvement to an oil exploration they were trying to dig into.  They were murdered by the greedy Jang Do Hyeon who also passed on the burden torch to the late oil experts’ children.  Chang-hee who has loved Hae-joo so dearly upon knowing his father’s involvement to her father’s death was left no choice but to leave her and put on a devil mask to ploy an attack to defeat Jang Do Hyeon.  Avenging their parents’ death was a no easy task for Hae-joo and Kang-san, but combined with the support of the people who got hurt and traumatized by Jang Do Hyeon, with perseverance and clinging on the right path and thing to do, without magic they were able to throw a deadly stone to the mighty Jang Do Hyeon to finally end his tyranny.

All the fundamentals of a melodrama were ever present as the narrative crawled to its finale – the-most-vilest-of-‘em-all-villains, meek-good-natured-overly-optimistic-lead-girl and the good-prevailing-over-wickedness-theme.  It was a slow-moving drama but I can say I appreciated that all was explained when it comes to the conflicts raised — the motivation, the actions after the intentions and the resolution.  

May Queen depicted varied facets of villains, the prototype villain, the unreasonable villain and the secret villain.  All of them contributed to my annoyance meter while patiently stalking the drama.  Jang Do Hyeon as the head of the villains I’m sure attended Voldemort’s workshop to his unlimited whiplash thrown at everything that’s going in his way.  The last minute twist of his relationship with Hae-joo I felt to have been a wrong move for the writers, and ending his character that way although not sufficing to the pain he cast was an acceptable closure and has brought tears to my eyes.  You see there’s really a point that we get disappointed with our family, but at the end of the day they are still our family. 

Chang-hee who has lived under the abusive treatment of Jang Do Hyeon has lived with a promise to himself that one day the ill treatment his father got from the family they were serving will be avenged.  He has to rely on his intelligence and cunning ways to execute Jang Do Hyeon’s downfall even using his daughter by marrying her and throwing back the love he had for 15 years towards Hae-joo.  Chang-hee balanced the relationship of the cast with his villain/protagonist role, and at some point I was rooting for him, but you see usually the motivation for “first love” relationship is always based on the thought that you have felt that love for the first time and you are scared that you might not feel that way again, but in the end when all has been done, and if even the memories can’t save it, you have to really let it go.  Meanwhile Chang-hee’s father  irritated me to a hilt in the drama.  But of all the villains, his portrayal was the most painful and the easiest to be forgiven because you know that his reason for doing it is because of protecting his son.

Hae-joo stood up as your perfect heroine, vulnerable and defiant at the same time and knows what’s going on with her life.  She didn’t abuse the drama of her life and has taken advantage of her setbacks to bring out the best in her.  Kang-san who became her love-after-the-first-love has that comforting warmth and has been the source of my chuckles because of his comic timing.  I love that he patiently waited for the love of his life to be fully healed before he took her in his arms.  I really like the development of their love story.   It was something believable and justified at the same time.  In the end their love overruled the sad fact of their parents past and they were able to fulfill their parents’ dreams as well. 

What I liked about this drama is they compensated the long run to explain everything they have to explain.  They also made sure that each main character revolved and redeemed their personas.  I think I’ll have this drama as my yardstick to melodrama that’s not taking the romance as an integral part.  While it was not as stimulating as Five Fingers, it never lost its track to where it is heading.  I guess it helped that they drew delineation between the villains and the protagonists and clearly defined where the problems of the story was derived.

If you have some time to spare, this is a good watch to share with your family… actually with your aunt or mom.   Strongly-portrayed and defined, MAY QUEEN just like that historical ship famous for her endurance was able to justify its slow pacing… and just like a mighty ship soaring on the ocean and billowing waves, it will give you a serene feeling after.

 

P.S  The drama title May Queen was the name of the drilling ship Hae-joo and Kang-san successfully built after ending the evil streak of Jang Do Hyeon.

 

and the Pink Lightsaber goes too… (Abby’s 2012 Korean Drama Picks) Part 2 of My Year-end Korean Drama Review

Last year, I started on looking back and giving my hard-earned thank you’s for these dramas and characters I really liked.  I never thought of a name, just your regular, year-end awards something, and then since my world wide web name calls for it, I guess I would have to acquiesce.  This will be my First Pink Lightsaber year-end appreciation day.  Let’s roll in my 2012 DRAMA FAVORITES.

PS:  My Basis for Choosing… Well, let’s just say if I will be asked about these dramas in 2 or 5 years, I will still remember everything about them.

♥  HISTORY OF THE SALARYMAN – I watched Yoo Bang and Yeo Chi just as I was running out of time this year, and the splendid story and cheeky characters has earned an applaud from me.  This is the most DARING and the SNAPPIEST Drama this year.

♥ OPERATION PROPOSAL – No matter how many times Baek Ho made me joined him in his “renovatio spree”, I remained faithful and intertwined in this I-realized-too-late-I-love-you-please-give-me-a-chance-to-prove-we-are-meant-to-be-kind-of-love.  This is the most TIME-DEFYING Romance Drama this year for me.

♥  A GENTLEMAN”S DIGNITY – This blow-up F4 swept me off my feet with their unmatched friendship and opening anecdotes.  The wit, humor and love maturity was ever present until its culmination.  This is the Most FULFILLING Romance Drama and the Best Ensemble Cast this year.

♥ GHOST – Riveting and Stimulating, GHOST was able to put me on an addictive level while stalking it.  This is the Most THRILLING and SMARTLY WRITTEN drama this year.

♥ FAITH – Although slowly-paced the lingering effect of the romance, the villains and the story itself won my heart in a slow but surely and no looking back manner.  This is the Most HEARTFELT ROMANCE drama this year.

♥  QUEEN IN HYUN’S MAN – Drawing a well-pieced plot and nailing the best time-traveling trick from the time voyaging drama pack this year, Queen In Hyun’s Man Abby’s Man was an exceptional love yarn that made me giddy-ish, girly-ish and princess-ish.  This is the Most MEMORABLE and SUPERBLY WRITTEN Romance this year.

♥ FIVE FINGERS – I felt like I was in a trance while my usual romantic self enjoyed my favorite dysfunctional family ever. Five Fingers has managed to surprise me with the retaliation battle among the characters.  This is the Most FEISTY drama and the Most WELL-ACTED Drama this year.

♥  ANSWER ME, 1997 – Nostalgic and a sure humor pill, Answer Me, 1997 sent me back to memory lane reliving the sweet feel of falling in love for the first time.  This is the Most CHEERFUL Romance Drama this year.

♥  KING 2 HEARTS – The situation that brought Hang Ah and her Prince took a “now or never approach” and elevated to a strong commitment because of the efficiency of the villain.  This is the Most POLISHED Drama this year.

♥ ROOFTOP PRINCE – Addictive and very pleasant to watch, my Joseon Beatles replica made me root for them throughout the story.  Park Ha, Prince Lee Gak and the 3 Adorable sidekicks have given me so many laughter and induced plenty of love sighs.  This is the Most REFRESHING Romance Drama this year.

♥ THE MOON THAT EMBRACES THE SUN – It was a bracing romance that played and won over fate.  It was not that perfect but was very persistent in what it was trying to achieve.  This is the Most FATED and FULFILLING Romance this year.

♥ GAKSITAL – A bromance defying all bromance invented… Gaksital stripped me of my feminine lines and has made me at the end of my seat because of its thrilling pace, engrossing mise-en-scene and resonating characters.  This is the BEST WRITTEN and DIRECTED drama this year.

And Now Here’s to the Winners of Pink Lightsaber

FAVORITE SUPPORTING MALE ACTORS

Eun Shi-kyung in King 2 Hearts

Jo Eun Sung in I do, I do

FAVORITE FEMALE SUPPORTING ACTRESSES

Kim Dong Ah in Wild Romance

Im Me Ah Ri in A Gentleman’s Dignity

BEST SCENE-STEALER CHARACTERS

The Three Musketeers of Prince Lee Gak in Rooftop Prince

HALL-OF-FAMER-CHARACTERS

Kim Bong Gu in King 2 Hearts

Chae Young Ra in Five Fingers

FAVORITE KICK-ASS CHARACTERS

Kim Woo Hyun in Ghost

Baek Yeo Chi in History of the Salaryman

FAVORITE FEEL-GOOD CHARACTER

Arang in Arang and the Magistrate

Kang San in May Queen

FAVORITE BLUSH-INDUCING CHARACTER

Jung Jae Hyuk in Fashion King

Lee Ja Ha in King 2 Hearts

FAVORITE CUDDLY BEAR CHARACTER

Park Moo Yul in Wild Romance

FAVORITE LOVE-YOU-HATE-YOU CHARACTER

Kim Kyung Tak in Dr. Jin

Yoo In Ha in Five Fingers

Shunji Kimura in Gaksital

FAVORITE LEAD MAN KISSER

Seo Joon in Love Rain

Kim Boong Do in Queen In Hyun’s Man

FAVORITE I-WANT-TO-SEE-YOU-IN-MY-DREAMS-CHARACTER

Choi Young in Faith

BEST FIGHT SCENES

Gaksital

FAVORITE BROMANCE

Shunji and Kang-to in Bridal Mask

F4 in A Gentleman’s Dignity

Kenji and Kang-to in Gaksital

FAVORITE ROM-COM COUPLES

Park Ha and Lee Gak in Rooftop Prince

Sung Shi Won and Yoon Yoon Jae in Answer Me, 1997

FAVORITE UNYIELDING ROMANCE

Kang Baek Ho to Ham Yi Seul in Operation Proposal

Choi Young and Yoo Eun Soo in Faith

FAVORITE PICTURE PERFECT ROMANCE

So Yi Soo and Kim Do Jin in A Gentleman’s Dignity

Choi Hee Jin and Kim Boong Do in Queen In Hyun’s Man

FAVORITE VILLAINS

Jo Hyun Min in Ghost

Ki Chul in Faith

FAVORITE STORY

Queen In Hyun’s Man

FAVORITE SCREENPLAY

A Gentleman’s Dignity

BEST EDITING

King 2 Hearts

FAVORITE ENSEMBLE CAST

A Gentleman’s Dignity

Five Fingers

BEST IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

Love Rain

BEST DIRECTING

Queen In Hyun’s Man

King 2 Hearts

FAVORITE DRAMA

Queen In Hyun’s Man

Gaksital

FAVORITE CHOCOLATEY-SWEET DRAMA

A Gentleman’s Dignity

FAVORITE TEARS-AND-BLISS DRAMA

Five Fingers

FAVORITE PERIOD DRAMA

Faith

FAVORITE TIME TRAVELING DRAMA

Queen In Hyun’s Man

Operation Proposal

FAVORITE TEAR INDUCING CHARACTER

Yoo Ji Ho in Five Fingers

Eun Shi Kyung in King 2 Hearts

FAVORITE SEE-HOW-MUCH-I-LOVE-YOU-SCENE

The Skin-care Gifts to Hang Ah in King 2 Hearts

The Beach Painting Gift to Park Ha in Rooftop Prince

FAVORITE COTTON-CANDY DARLING SCENE

Lee Tae Sung painting Go So Ra’s finger nails in Haeundae Lovers

FAVORITE DRAMA ONE LINER

“I’ve never felt this way before” in Haeundae Lovers

BEST KISS

Love Rain Fountain Kiss

Queen In Hyun’s Man Neck-tie-tip-toe Kiss

BEST LOVE DECLARATION SCENE

Jo Eun Sung stethoscope Will you marry me? scene in I Do I Do

Ki-Joong and Dong-Bi’s Common Law Marriage Scene in Can We Get Married

BEST FINALE EPISODE

King 2 Hearts

Ghost

FAVORITE LEAD ACTRESS

Kim Hang Ah in King 2 Hearts

Chun Hae Joo in May Queen

FAVORITE LEAD ACTOR

Kang Ma Ru in Innocent Man

Lee Kang To in Gaksital

FAVORITE DRAMA CHARACTERS

General Choi Young in Faith

Kim Boong Do in Queen In Hyun’s Man

Sung Shi Won in Answer Me, 1997

It was so hard deciding on what I should pick, but I will stick to my simple rating rule.  My final stop for this year-end review, I’m hoping to accomplish before the year literally say goodbye.  

The Love in the Dramas, and the Dramas full of Love: A review of 2012 Korean Dramas

This is the year of Time-traveling, supernaturals, determination-driven characters and hotties parading… enticing and beautifully gracing effortlessly the place where Oracle Abby resides.  And because Love brought me to this Korean drama binge, I will be rating my drama picks this year based on my very own definition of love.

PS:  I have decided to include I Miss You, Jeon Woo Chi and Cheongdamdong Alice for next year.  I would have wanted to add them on the list but I don’t want to rush my self.  This will be the first of my 3-part year-end review.  And let us all wish 2013 will be as good as this year. 

2012 KOREAN DRAMA RECAPS

THE FIRST LOVE DRAMAS

This was the kind of love where all the emotions you haven’t felt came rushing for you to define.  It will be sweet if it endures, but will be painful when it fails.  Thus the dramas I pondered to belong here are two-faced, these are dramas that started well, blossomed reasonably and could either hit an ever-after or a parting of ways.  These are safe dramas, it will always be there in your heart, sometimes you want to reminisce it… sometimes you just want to forget.

♥ Love Rain – It was a “first love” drama festival that made me wept plenty of tears.  I always cry when the lead man is left no choice but to hurt the lead girl for some reason I don’t understand.  The director really made the scenes in such a way that it will hit your emotions.

I liked that this drama has only one conflict – how to defy your parents’ love to get your one true love… I know what barrier they will have to break and I was excited on how they would be able to overcome it.

Love Rain… less the oldies’ side love story turned eventual conflict you made me smile and somehow you let romance rain… You are relaxing and very eye-pleasing to watch… you may not be the best romance drama yet so far this year, there’s a lot of opportunities to insert romantic interludes and took out unnecessary story arc… but hey, I did took time watching you…  and for that I blame it to your sweet and simple love take. 

Coming from the director who gave the “season dramas” (Autumn in my Heart and the rest of the bunch), you are worth the hype even if some of the adorable scenes I already saw from other dramas.  What stood out in this drama was the beautiful cinematography as what the director’s trademark is and of course this is Jang Geun Seok’s way of bouncing back to my boyfriends’ list after the disappointing ride with Mary.  You are soothing and serene… a nice watch when you want some time to be alone.  ^_^

♥Arang and the Magistrate – The one-sided love of the magistrate, the too-late-reciprocated-and-realized-love-for-Joo-Wal-to-Lee-Seo-Rim/Arang, and the restricted-by-full-moon-love-of-Arang-to-the-magistrate illustrated a heart piercing and yet understanding kind of love that I greatly appreciated because for a change, I saw characters not ending up twisted because of the love they so wanted to have.  Instead, they respected whatever emotions they are feeling and they are getting, and for that reason I found the romance in this drama compelling.  Whatever they said about “letting love go, and if it returns, it was meant for you” was achieved by the main players of the love entanglement.

It was an incessant shower of disappointing sighs as I groped my way to finish Arang and the Magistrate.  Halfway through the drama, it was still bland and bleak with a plot not coherent to the characters or shall I say, the characters were all good but the story moves in literally a mysterious way, that I ended up mystified and wanting to know why it kept withholding the covert truths indispensable to the movement of the plot.  But then alas! On the 13^th episode it became lucky and started showing signs of promise.

Although Arang and the Magistrate showed languid episode movements, it sustained a convincing closure that has made it escaped a drama disappointment tag.  The main characters vibrant portrayals attributed to my not giving up on the drama, that being said, it helped that there are not that much characters to munch, and them being effective to their personas has helped the drama survive its slow-footed premise.

Arang and the Magistrate was able to evade an almost drama fury on my end.  It was a safe drama, period.  It goes down to the point of how you manage to end something, no matter how unsure and average the narration of the story was, as long as you give a decent ending that would suffice.

 

♥ Haeundae Lovers - The hotel-tug-of-war, the quirkiest-quasi-mafia-ish-fisherman family I have ever laid my eyes on, the stubborn-quick-to-anger-but-adorably-handsome-prosecutor, and the love story that was brought about by a criminal chase and one after another jumping into wrong conclusions were reasons enough to enjoy this light drama from the writer of one of my last year’s favorite — City Hunter.
  
This drama totally deviated from the supernatural-time-travelling trend this year to settle to a realistic love narrative that built up so perfectly I was almost falling in love at the same time as the couple was feeling it… amnesia plot and all that off-beat elements, I ended up appreciating it.

It stayed on low key but was consistent with the romance and mirth all throughout.  So I guess the City Hunter writer was not a fluke at all, she was a real thing.  I liked that they gave the couple love hindering conflicts and made them so strong with their convictions to overcome it.  They took one step back and then 10 steps forward to claim what is rightfully theirs.

It was swift and well-paced.  It was predictable and yet so fun to watch.  Amidst the 3rd quarter drama, Haeundae Lovers was not that conspicuous, underrated if I may say, and the irony of it is that it has the biggest heart so far from what I’ve seen… tapping on love, family and friendship in an uncomplicated and stirring way of defining life’s real moments.

Just like the serene ocean background setting, Haeundae Lovers was an endearing, calming drama that will drown a stressful week.  I am sure right now that it will certainly not be one of the best this year, but at least it didn’t disappoint me at all and was always making me smile while I am watching it.

♥ Wild Romance - It was one hell of a sweet, wild ride, and although the romance manifested itself in the latter part, I found this drama charming and endearing. I will miss the humor, the bickering and the adorable geek and geeker second leads, more than that I will miss Dong Wook oppa in his childish but still melting hot prince-like self. I will miss the heartfelt, true-about-love sweeping lines and the simple and yet vibrant attitude of the drama itself.

With amusing deutero-couple in their amazing wit, extraordinary relationship and erotic fantasies. check. A villain who sent me to annoyance but redeemed herself in the end because she threw the-best-who-do-you-choose-to-love-on-the-spot-situational-quizbee in the KDrama History. check. One of the best episodes I’ve seen and I hope I can justify it in recap well. check. This was another memorable love story full of fun, transparency, understanding and realization that “love is choosing to make a change with your feelings to the point of even defying fate”. check. This is a love tale you won’t overlook and will make you appreciate love even more. 

This deviated from the usual male domineering “I’ll protect the girl” kind of thing as I marveled on how Eun-jae candidly grace the TV screen. And while she took charge, she manifested her cute girly side when Aphrodite forcedly gave her girdle to the bodyguard who in time fell for Moo-yul’s devilish but adorable charm.

 It has a simple scriptwriting, it was not that super neat, in fact there were some frustrating notes. It was nothing fancy but I love that they were able to inject crisp and fresh ideas. A few oh-so-worth-it quotes here and then and the danger of leaning to “the habit of assuming when in doubt with someone’s love” was presented in a piercing my love veins approach. 

To be honest, I felt like I’m Paris while I’m trying to decide on my take about this drama. But like Paris, because I have a soft side on everything “love” even if Wild Romance was not barbie-like pretty, I loved it.

THE LOVE-AFTER-THE-FIRST-LOVE DRAMAS

A kind of love where you took a risk to open your emergency door and let someone in your heart again.  This is being brave to the possibility of being hurt again after failing on the first love you had.  Thus this is the kind of love that has the maturity to deal with repercussions that will not question the decision of why you let yourself love again.  This is when a person accepted the reality that love has two sides and is prepared for what will happen.  The picture-perfect commitment and love vow that fulfilled the yearnings of your heart.  This has made you a happy person claiming the love you deserve and giving back the love that was given to you.  On this note, the dramas I will include here are cheeky dramas, feisty and vibrant.  These are dramas you loved because you not only thought about it but felt that it was rightfully yours.  These are dramas which tapped successfully in your system causing you to be dreamy and full of love.  Wrapped with exceptional acting and perfectly executed story, these are superb series that your mind and heart won’t ever forget.

 

♥ Queen In Hyun’s Man - It’s over and done but Queen In Hyun’s Man Abby’s Man has left me insatiable.  Your drive to bring your viewers to your spontaneous romance binge whilst holding the reign to an incessantly bewitching plot was quenchless and I thank kdramagod for that.  Joining the KDramaLand time pilgrimage this year is  Abby’s Man.

I just so love how it deviated from the typical KDrama conflict norms of unresolved unfinished love issues, family problems, useless vengeance driven characters, personal exhausting battles and all those other tiring fillings they would insert to make the spectators just go with the flow.  Apparently though, I ain’t gonna go with something unless it is worth clinging to.

I have this habit of focusing on camera movements when I’m watching something, in short I’m particular to editing, so given the time-voyaging premise of the story, I was amazed on how the production team worked on the smooth transitions.  It was playing at past and present ends without losing the spontaneity and fluidity of the story.  The writer whom I will be stalking from now on was a delightfully mischievous conceiver who got down to the nitty-gritty of the screenplay and pulling off the conflicts and its deliverance in a make-sense and you-got-me-there kind of vibe.  Quintessential writing, editing and directing.  period.

Queen In Hyun’s Man has managed to outwit me and convincingly swayed me with what story drive I imagined to be achieved… He was playfully smiling at me in a “and you thought you had me figured out abby” kind of way.  With the time travelling and fantasy parade in the KDramaLand, he has managed to surprise all the players with his neat time transitions enabling a consistent and enticingly appealing plot.  Rarely would you remember equally the story and the characters, but with Queen In Hyun’s Man, the characters synchronized well with the story and strangely the characters would be able to stand alone as the story retain its brilliance and vice versa.

It was a supernatural and reality love drama at its best and is a romance story that is so worth my time and even curing my recently running emotional-limbo-bound-self.   It definitely deserved a slot in my hall-of-famers.  Yes it did!

♥ A Gentleman’s Dignity - From the production team that brought Secret Garden, City Hall and Lovers in Paris comes an addictive, relationship contemplating rom-com drama in a Sex and the City male version vibe.  The quirky and engaging cast and the quaint story made me a doper of the best F4, blow up middle-aged-hotties F4, that graced the kdramaland.

These quadruplet 40+ men grew up as friends since Highschool and nurtured their friendship since then.  The morning breakfast forums, the constant cover ups to survive the feisty wife, the one-sided love, the mischievous-kiss-may-december-love-affair, the now-we-break-up-tomorrow-we’ll-get-back relationship, the opening hilarious anecdotes, the sweetest, heart-wrenching love declarations and love-believe-me’s, and the bromance were some of the reasons why this would be my “MUST-WATCH ROMANCE DRAMA” this year.

Every episode was humor and wit overload.  Each character can stand alone and has his own remembering note.  All throughout there was never a dull moment.  It was exceptionally comic when the four main leads do their antics and so heartfelt when the scenes require them to tap on their emotions.

For a woman’s perspective, I never thought I would enjoy this so much and I felt that even if Jang Dong Gun was the main attraction among the boys, having them all together were the strongest points of the drama.  All four of them were a big pile of mirth and love. 

They say life begins at 40, and these men who were friends since Highschool rocked it.  Having their own stable life, they have to balance personal, family and relationship issues while maintaining the best bromance I’ve seen so far.

The 20 hours I spent with this drama has made a very jumping on the air happy girl.   The only thing that hindered me from liking Do Jin oppa and eventually erasing Kim Boong-do in my heart is because he looked like a boy I used to date.  *giggles

I have very positive feelings towards this drama.  All those minor so-what-situational-supporting-conflict I just disregarded because the story and the characters have such reverberating resonance that has made me reflect on how I’ve been dealing with my own relationship and commitment issues.  Come to think of it, they made this to make you remember how vulnerable and how defiant you can come after because of love.  This will definitely make it to my top 3 this year.  So I only have one slot left to give.   Come on kdramas indulge me.

♥ Ghost - There were no guns triggered… no swords drawn… it was a battle between heroes and villains equipped with digital powers. It was an enthralling power game that involved, system hacking, all-knowing CCTV cameras, secret bugging, and heroes and villains almost equally genius to take one step ahead of each other.

Ghost/Phantom broke my love drama binge 360 degrees and I was left dumbstruck and on a cliff hanging state all throughout the series. I was like in a trampoline were I was bouncing up and down without the rush hitting the bottom level.

Ghost/Phantom will hold your interest in a very gripping fashion. The cunning powerplays and counter measures were ever present to the story as it progressed. The brilliantly done ending emancipated the withheld secrets that were carefully and nifty hidden so as to achieve a closure befitting of this cyberworld investigating drama classic.

The race on who gets to maneuver efficiently the power of the computers will earn the opposing team an instant digital karma so all the while, the villains and heroes have worked double time to raise the bar in outwitting one another.

 If you want a breather from rom-coms, this cyber crime drama should be on your list. The dexterous cast and perceptive plot will take you all the way to an exciting oblivion where you will feel like you are also part of this buffed cyberspace police officers.

♥ Five Fingers – When you have your protagonist, villains, counter-villains living inside the same roof scheming on how they can make each other suffer and retaliating at the same time, you get the best drama ensembles acting wise.  I present you Five Fingers – a story of a dysfunctional family that burned each episode with intense unlimited angst thrown at each other in a battle where money is thicker than blood and first love.

The main conflict centered on a horrible case of Oedipus complex.  The mother and brothers whose grudges elevated and paced in a dangerous manner made this mellow drama so compelling to watch.  It was overflowing with dark tones, and yet it was heartbreakingly beautiful.  The characters were all driven, the story was full of surprises and wicked impulses.  Five Fingers was strong in balancing the protagonist and the villains.  It didn’t make the protagonist so annoying.

I vouched that this was the best tears and bliss drama I saw this year.  Everything was in coherence to the main theme, the actors pushed their limit in the scenes they were required to step up and not quivering at the same time on the middling notes.  It propelled a lot of emotions in me – impossibility, nostalgia, fondness, fury, remorse, and forgiveness.  Full of flavors and sentiments, fiery Five Fingers will be my favorite mellow drama for 2012.

♥ Faith – Assimilating the action plot with the supernatural spices and decorating it with folklore, having a band of villains equipped with mojos and x-men powers, a sassy and bubbly modern day doctor that was lost cutely to a new kind of living she was forced to live and of course the Thor-ish General who made my Kenshin Himura looked so inferior… were the essentials that made this drama such an enthralling TV experience.  The provocative plot matches the annoying villain assaults and the firm, arresting retaliation of the underdogs.  I know that goodness will prevail in the end, and I’m so looking forward to how the protagonists will take their final stand considering how smooth the pounces were of the bad guys.

This year most of the things in kdramaland involved paranormal activities and strongly portrayed characters.  A k-drama-addict like me was preoccupied year long because of these devastating beauties I uncovered.  Having Lee Min Ho in this drama really triggered my adoration, but more than that it was really the effective way of how the drama sweetly chained my easily bored self by presenting an astonishing picture of a balanced treatment between the characters and the story itself.  The story was there to make the characters shine as the characters made the story span.

Faith is a remarkably premeditated tale where notwithstanding the consistent dawdling and sageuk clichés it successfully notched the path where it was directing the audience – hope, holding on faith and happiness.  Faith’s ability to balance the transcendent elemental nonsense was plausible and cohering to how it mounted to the story’s peak.

♥ Operation Proposal -The fantasy element fusing to the reality was layered in such a way that you don’t question the magic pull they put in the drama.  In the latter episodes I was also begging for more chances of going back to the past because like most of the people around him Kang Baek Ho grew fond in my heart. All throughout I was feeling what the lead girl was — “there’s this man I’ve loved all my life, I’ve sent signals for him to realize that I like him, but he’s so clueless about it.”  Being a lady-in-waiting, I was able to relate to what she was feeling… it’s hard to be in a situation when you love someone all your life, and in that long span both of you are groping if there will be a romantic future that you can both share.

Operation Proposal was sweetly and richly narrated that even if I went to a lot of time travelling this year, I enjoyed it so much.  I love how they moved the romance from young childish love to a taking time to realize kind of love to a love that didn’t understand reasons but felt what’s important and to a love that was meant to have and to give…

There were a lot of love situations tackled in this drama but it all goes down to two main points:  How far you are going to wait for someone for them to realized your worth and that you are waiting?  And being brave to fall in love and discarding the what-if’s and saying it at the very moment you are feeling it.  I’ve seen a lot of beautiful love stories this year but Operation proposal took me from blushing to crying to understanding that in love someone can run to you that’s why he might have let you wait.

The time-space continuum voyages of Baek Ho was an endearing journey full of twist, oh no’s and romance.  It was a refreshing feel to have a conflict that was not evil motivated that’s why I loved the supernatural spike in this drama.  The lead character was competing with himself – with his past self for that matter and his forebearance endured his painstaking drive to be with the girl he loved.

THE LOVE-THAT-GOT-AWAY DRAMAS

All of us have that “one that got away”, sometimes we confuse it with our first love but I believe otherwise.  This is that person you have let go but will always belong to your heart.   Most of the time it’s a two-way thing but regardless both of you decided not to pursue the commitment because both of you are contented knowing that the love will always be there.  In dramas that I have seen this year, this will point out to dramas that has caught my attention without me realizing it and has made me happy in a way I can’t understand it… These delights you will put inside a vault and in moments that you wanted some pills to lighten you up, you will visit it again to bring you out of that predicament.

♥ Answer Me 1997 - Answer Me 1997 sprinted all the way to my heart with its vibrant characters, nostalgic premise, fan girl foolish escapades, friendship we all have at some point and we still have at the moment and of course the crazy first love.  It was suave, witty and comic, the kind of what I want for an ideal love.  I know nothing of the actors in this drama and surprisingly, they have hooked my very elusive heart.

Kdramaland was all out and has maximized the use of time element in the dramas this year, and this time for Answer Me 1997, it was nostalgic… I sighed, cried and laughed out loud as I joined the characters in their younger years memory delving.  Nothing magical, mythical and supernatural, just a pure trip down to the moments everyone watching can totally relate.  Spicing the flashback element, the drama will be switching from present to the later part of the ‘90’s showcasing the trademark of that generation where tamagotchi, flip top phones and the rest of the ancestors of the modern technology in their conceiving stage.

The familiar feeling of first love if given another chance could become a “fated love”.  I finished the drama in one sitting, that’s how engrossing and fetching the story was.  It was just there sharing a wonderful friendship and love story without hassles and annoying conflicts but the emotions were resonating and striking at the memory veins that it will make you recollect the good old times when you first passionately and recklessly fell in love.

This is a wistful memoir of that point in time that we first fell in love… and when you finish the story, you might wonder what if you tried to go back.  “The reason why first love is always special is because you kept the memories… because you can never go back”.  Answer Me 1997 will prove this quote otherwise.

♥ History of the Salaryman – Playing on deceit, out-foxing and counter-scourging, I say this is the Most DARING and the SNAPPIEST Korean Drama for 2012.

History of the Salaryman was a very intelligent story of people moving around the corporate world.  The recent World Wars would fail in comparison to the forming and disbanding of alliances in this drama as they race to who will snatch the contest for “the most ambitious of ‘em all”.  The corporate world is such a big, dangerous world and what this drama achieved was to present a miniature version of it that will leave life lessons that we always reap what we sow and that greed has two sides, when you became passionate in doing good you’ll earn a reward, but when you overwhelmed yourself with things you did not work hard, you’ll face your downfall.

The outwitting deals in kdramaland keeps getting better and I’m a happy camper because of it.  With the most vivacious cast for this year, and a story well plotted with no loose ends left hanging, it would be a waste not to see the story of the Salaryman.

A consistent gripping drive culminating to a fulfilling kick-ass who’s the boss now finale? — History of the Salaryman is a stimulating watch that will taunt you while leaving you inspired at the same time.

♥ Rooftop Prince  – Initiating the time space warp trend for this year’s Korean drama was this delectable treat of time-travelling Joseon Crown Prince Yi Gak and his adorable ducklings to literally learn a lesson from destiny.   The time portal brought them to vivacious Park Ha’s rooftop house, and the latter was forced to help the men to adapt in modern living.

The blithe and cheerful tones of this drama and the weaving of the plot as it converge the time elements amazed my already drowning from the cuteness of the characters self.  I don’t know how Koreans can easily pull fresh and new romantic love scenarios even if they have the past productions to contend with.  Cupid might be lurking in their country to inspire their writers so well.

Compelling, addictive and full of laughing out loud scenes, this will be one of my favorites for 2012.

♥ The Moon that Embraces the Sun  - This drama opens the year with a grand fireworks display.  The ratings stay up even if there were times that I was wishing for it to speed up.  But the production team sure know when they should wake you up when you are about to doze off so I remain positively raving. The young love which blooms and defied time, reasons, and political issues are what makes the production applauded I believe.  The strong and consistent character portrayals, supernatural seasonings, family issues and brotherly love cemented the viewers’ loyalty I say…

I like that the villains annoyed me to a hilt and made me scold the King when I felt he was not realizing he has actually the power to use as a King, but since he was really caught in between a not so good eventual outcome for the people he was protecting and the evil ploys of the head queen, I let his state of being caught off guard pass, and just prayed hard to heal his brother’s pain.  The second leads I can’t really complain much.  They have justified whatever their roles require to help the story spinning.

The series as a whole was creatively conceived, but I won’t say I’m all praises to it compared to what I felt with the recent sageuks I saw (Tree with Deep Root and The Princess Man).  It was euphoric on its strong notes and contemplating on its sad tones.  My verdict?  This is a drama full of love and anguish, but you will eventually CHERISH it.

♥ King2Hearts - King 2 Hearts was staged in a quasi-utopian Korean world where the North and South Koreans are sort of in peaceful communicating terms. 

King2hearts has always been polished, calculated but never failing to entice and push me to my assumed outcomes. That being said, what I applaud about this drama is how it seems predictable but will prove the viewers otherwise. But I would have wanted a different closure for Bong-gu… I could think of a lot of possible evil ways to end him because I was closed to calling the Criminal Minds team to help the North and South pin him down because of so much annoyance. Seriously I think they are now tired of having the male leads fought over the lead girl, so they are killing the second lead now… give way to the new face of the second-lead syndrome… It was a perfect Korean drama for the second quarter, all criteria were met… began well and ended with conviction.

THE FLEETING, ALTERNATIVE LOVE DRAMAS

Intense, thrilling and something new are what passing romance normally promised.  It is what we call “loving in the moment” kind of thing.  There will be no guarantee but it’s fun and refreshing.   It is the familiar love that you strategically keep in your life but you don’t put much adoration on because you know that he is your fall-back person.  In cold nights and periodically in a year if you are not in a relationship, you sort of hang around.  It is a relationship that can be turned on and off depending on your choice.  These are dramas that can cure the boredom, break the monotony and just pretty much indulge you.   Dramas like this are breezy, sweet and serene.  Feel-good dramas that will make you smile but not remarkable enough for you to remember.

 

♥ Panda and Hedgehog -It was basking in brightness and breeziness that all throughout I felt really good watching the predictable story unfolds.  It was underacted but heck I still did enjoy it that at some point I thought of becoming a patissier… a charming one for that matter.  *giggles

Panda and Hedgehog was an epitome of a predictable drama and there are a lot of opportunities acting wise.  It was an easy watch, you will just go with the flow and will never trigger a negative feeling in your veins.  It won’t promise you ohlalas but it won’t disappoint you either.  It worked well that they limited the characters, they simplified the conflicts, but they added zest in the romance and relationship of their main players.  That I think was the reason why I finished Panda and Seul-ji’s love story, they didn’t dig on misunderstandings.  They know what they want all throughout, they withdrew when they can’t, but they took a stand when they have to.  It was a realist romance, and even the sugar-coating was true to life.

♥ I Do, I Do - I do I do was very endearing to watch and for people like me whose emotional involvement can be swayed by our love of our independence, it was a sweet somewhat reality bites nudge. 

It was a smooth flowing 16 episodes with the right insertions of peevish soon to be mom who struggled a lot with her emotions and equally disarming male leads whose love runneth over and yet the woman they are wanting to have it don’t know how to reciprocate.  It occasionally have made me asked what I’m going to do if I’m on those situations.   (I bet I will sleep *giggles)  Will I be firm like her?  Will I falter to be rescued?  Will I let fate decide what’s next to happen? 

I say this is a passing drama, nice to watch when you are doing it, but is forgettable.   It was a story of a love that you can almost have, but you can’t have because life intervenes and throws in circumstances were you have to decide if it really matters.  But if you did bravely choose, you’ll learn that an ALMOST LOVE is one of the sweetest love… you can have and you will have.

♥ To The Beautiful You – this will be the 3rd adaptation of the Japanese shojo manga “Hana Kimi” and my favorite of ‘em all I say.. Well Koreans have this knack on doing their adaptation even better than the original.  I think Apple will agree on that. *chuckles

I was in constant tug-of-war between Eun-gyul and Tae-joon that I deviced a “who-abby-really-likes” scoresheet to break the sweet confusion.

This is another teenage love drama at its best… no worries, just purely cuteness, sassiness and first love vibes. I will miss Eun-gyul’s social media shout-outs and weird mind wanderings, Jae-hee’s radiant smile and pure heart, and Tae-joon’s… well everything about him.  *giggles

Candid and totally charming, To the Beautiful You will promise you smiles and refreshing feel.  If you are looking for something serious or evil induced story, then you won’t find it here.  Everything about it was lightly done even the conflicts.  Simply laid, progressed smoothly and stopping at a happy ever-after note… this drama will be one of my favorite among the rom-coms this year.

♥ Shut up flower boy band – The friendship and the boys were what I will remember most from this teenage drama.  It was simply laid, and I have nothing much to complain, but Eyecandy failed to charm me in their boyish, cute ways.  I love high school rock group, they bring so much excitement, and maybe that’s where the driving edge of this drama.  It was vibrant, full of fun and thrilling.  I like it while I was watching it, but I know in my heart that soon enough I will forget them.

THE HALF-HEARTED-LOVE DRAMAS

You don’t know why you fell in love while you were actually in the relationship, and when you broke up, you also can’t answer the same question.  It was the kind of love that commenced in the hope that it could get better, but it failed to cling on that possible reality.  On that note these are half-baked dramas.  Fairly done and would only hit a specific audience that can understand the underlying essentials of the plot.  The premise was good, but the entirety was not that strong enough to create a complete package drama.

♥ Innocent Man – Last quarter in the kdramaland is a melodrama short stop where vengeance, money-tug-of-war, misplaced love primarily span the main ingredients to watch out. 

Tutututut…. I neither liked nor hated Innocent Man, I loved Kang Ma Ru so much, but the story was not able to engross me…  I’ve been there in that kind of story a lot of times, the only novelty was that the main character was given the ability to hold both the yin and yang torches and rescue the people around him, and he did the rescuing unfavorable to him.  He wants a one-man show in becoming the best sacrificial lamb ever.

After catching the viewers in a web full of deceit, hatred, annoyance, angst, and the rest of the negative vibes they can think of they settled to a bright, happy ending.   My take on the ending was fair but considering the dark tone set in the story all throughout, I would have preferred a retribution deserving to the characters. The redeeming ending  for Han Jae Hee realizing too late her being ambitious didn’t leave her happy after all was I think not matching her style.  I love it when “yin” prevails, but I didn’t like how they placed it in the concluding episodes – “okay sleep now tomorrow morning everything will be alright.”  She went as far as killing someone, letting someone took the blame on it, and then suddenly because she apologized and ready to be jailed, we have to forgive her because of it.  It just didn’t make any sense for me.  Actually that’s what I learned from Jerry Yan hubby.  There’s no such thing as I’m sorry.

Innocent Man was able to bring out an excellent protagonist, even with unequal footing and at times annoying goodness, he still managed to bounce back from the evil doings the villains shot at him.  On that note, I didn’t like that all of the players are on the same level but the retaliation for the protagonists was snail-like when the villains weren’t that even scary compared to the bad guys I’ve seen in the past.  In short, Ma Ru’s support team was not efficient enough to make the story worth remembering for me.  Even if you have a star player on your team, he still need some help.

I’m not a fan nor did I dislike “Innocent Man”.  It was safe to a point that I liked so much the texture of the main lead’s character Kang Ma Ru, but I won’t vouch for how they contemplated on the movement of the story.  I liked that it gave us a feeling of relying that there’s always another day to hope and believe in life even if you’ve gone through days of tears, pain and sacrifice.

♥ Dr. Jin – I’m beginning to think I could pass for a Korean History teacher, after dissecting all the tales of antiquities relating to the period dramas I’ve seen lately.  I’m not complaining, a little research helps in assimilating the plot.  I struggled in finishing this drama, as Dr. Jin really took time to have all the pieces fall together.   Most of the episodes were open-ended, switching from the blending of the medical plot, the political dissensions and the paranormal insertions, which in my unbiased opinion was a no-nonsense attempt to present a different blend of sageuk drama.

The metaphysical aspect of the storyline was at first nebulous but it was a feat they were able to overcome at the end even if they explained it on the tail episode and in just 30 minutes.  (Well at least, they did, BIG did not) The multiple identities of the characters time travelling to an alter universe but coinciding with a time from the past made me so bewildered if not for my Fringe TV experience knowledge where everything is possibly impossible. 

The ending epiphany talk with Lee Ha-eung at least tied the loose end of the merging of two different eras, but I hated how they sent back Dr. Jin to the real world!  Well, duh? Stabbing a man in the middle of the war and letting him fall of a cliff was a lame time warp move.   I deduced the connection of the runaway patient, the embryo and the headache attack when Dr. jin operated on his yet another soul living in the Joseon time, so when they swerved to the culminating Dr. jin realization that he was in fact that runaway patient, and that the fetus tumor was actually taken from him, I said “okay, make use of your multiple identities, time and space continuum plot every way you can and wherever you want!“  *pout

They really struggled in keeping hold of their paranormal twist, it was not that polished that it could either make or break the viewers understanding, if you are Fringe-bound like me, then you’ll be able to grasp it, if not, most likely you will be lost.

In the tradition of period dramas, the death of the main characters, the daring moves of the villains and the counter-attack of the underdogs, the double-crossing and last minute betrayals kept hold of the sageuk feel.  The bromance and the supernatural-defying romance were also present and spun the major conflicts of the story.  It was flowing and got there without minding the bridge.  Albeit the craziness and lapses, it was still a good watch for me, but incomparable to sageuk classics.

♥ Fashion King – Fashion King kicked off in a darth vader-ish tone… It was dark, cunning, treacherous and hindered.  It takes the realistic tone, no fancy playing and leaning to character driven conflict.

The usual fight-for-the-lead-girl was presented in the story in an annoying kind of painful way.   It was the girl who secretly loved the man who doesn’t want to love anymore because he has long lost faith on it and with the pathetic and shrewd Jae-hyuk between them, I have long set my mind that they could not possibly get to a point of loving each other happily and comfortably.

True to my words it was a sad ending, sadder than the Autumn in My Heart ending.  I was hoping that with all that painstaking and half-cooked victories, in the end it will be inevitable for the deprived lead couple to be blissful and at peace, but then again if that will be the case it will break the dark tone of the story.  You already have Vader so why did I u get Voldy for reinforcement? I want to blame it on the korean drama ending syndrome but my mind thinks otherwise. I know the closure has to be sad because the story tone is dark and cunning… and a happy ending won’t fit in.

But why a disheartening death?!  You could have just let him live alone planting crops in the suburb or be blind. You could have traveled back to Joseon era and get King Suyang to spite those loansharks… or had Young-gul on a shower scene for the entire finale episode for a mind blowing closure, yet you remained firm and snob.

The angst that the series has been carrying around the whole time I thought would be transformed to something light that sprout out of the bravery and forebearance of the lead characters, but it did not.  It disappointed me, yes.  But it is what was expected to happen.

It has been a long ride.  What I will miss about Fashion King is its straightforwardness and strong vibe.  It’s your typical underdog story and it gave us the reality that underdogs sometimes no matter how hard they tried, they will remain suppressed and bound by their limitations.

Fashion King had a lot of weak points and loopholes.   There were a couple of dozing episodes and it was predictable, but kept escaping from it because they thought of a different way out plan than what would have been normally done.   If not for the immersion of the actors to their characters the drama would have been a failure for me.  I stayed with it because of Yoo Ah In mainly, but more than that would be its maturity and the transparent feel.   It thrived on my emotions.  It stood there tapping on my emotions annoying me, making me feel giddy, making me sigh and making me anticipate.

Compared with the rest of the second quarter kdrama bunch, what set apart this fashion world themed production was its fixed conflict of power manipulation and struggle that was concluded in a heart-wrenching fashion.  It’s a drama I won’t recommend to watch right away, but I will recommend to someone if he wants some time alone. 

My verdict?   Watch.  Go with the flow.  Drool at Lee Je-hoo and forget he’s evil ways.  Munch Kang Young-gul as much as you can.  Be prepared for the ending.

♥ Equator Man – The outwitting game and the friendship that fell but found back its footing were some of the reasons why I gave a shot on this drama.  In a vengeance thriving and friendship betraying world, I was left moved and appalled.

This was a classic father-and-son love relationship spectacle.  A lot of faces of family attachment were shown… good and vile.
As for the ladies in the story, they supported well but their acting were mediocre… the main female lead was even on a stagnant acting note all the while, but then again the drama focused on the friendship so it doesn’t really matter.  The men really took the load to secure a strong story and a gripping ending.

Equator Man commenced on a dark vibe.  I sat on it because I want to know how everything will turn out fine.  I won’t say that it’s a great drama because I’ve seen a lot underdog bouncing back from the unfairness of life stories, instead I will say that it’s a decent watch, but something that you can see when you don’t have something to watch on priority list.

If it involves your family or a romantic attachment with someone no matter who is right or wrong, you will always be left to choose to turn your back on a friend…(felt familiar to me) That’s human nature and that’s what the Equator Man focused on in a drama fest where ironically the main leads are men. That’s what this got me hooked, it was thriving on emotions but not a weep fest. It was solid and steady and has never derailed throughout the series. This gave a different meaning to the word “Bromance”. Serious and stellar, this is a delight for its amazingly woven human struggle plot and friendship affirming vibe.

THE LOVE-YOU-WANT-TO-FORGET DRAMA

It was a love that was never good enough to begin with but you feel for it anyway.  You saw it will not go through but you’ve used the second-nth chances cards.  In the end though, it fell apart in a way that you lost yourself, making you shattered into pieces.  There was a good intention but the poor execution killed the potential of the dramas belonging in this group.  The viewers stayed with it most likely because of loyalty.  Talents were wasted and the plot was all over.  These are disappointing dramas.

♥ BIG - But really BIG?  What happened to the ending?  It was so flat and it didn’t really end.  You got all the watchers who dragged themselves to finish the drama really disappointed.  I stayed even when I was dozing the first 6 episodes, I said Gong Yoo oppa can make it up for it, and hope that halfway I’ll see a light… you obliged and I was close to buying the soul switching-secret siblings who were vitro fertilization twins born years apart and who fell in love with the same girl who was all confused and weak throughout the drama.

With the supernatural, time travelling and impossible stories I have seen this year, I was not surprised with how they wove the miracle conceived brothers.  I was not perplexed but I won’t applaud it.  I was groping what the main conflict they were trying to arrive… was it Gil Da Ran’s emotion and who-i-really-love-analyzation?  Was it Kyung Joon’s why did my long lost family forsake me questions?  They presented a love story and didn’t give a decent ever after?

I was waiting for Yoon Jae to come back and answer the million dollar question.  I was rooting for him, yes even in comma, because I thought that it was really their love story and his little brother was just someone who will make them realize each other’s worth, but it diverted 360 degrees forcing a May-December love affair that looked good but didn’t feel right.

BIG was half-baked story wise, and you can barely feel its romance because it was not meant to be.  Signature Hong sisters’ humor went in every now and then, but nothing much special like how they used to insert it.  To be honest I didn’t like how indecisive and somewhat faltering GIl Da Ran was and that’s maybe the reason why even if KKJ paraded the most adorable teenager trapped in a full grown man’s body I was not left fascinated nor interested on how their love has progressed.

I didn’t like the love story period.  I didn’t like how the characters went to play their part but failed to salvage the drama potentials.  BIG was “not big enough” to have held on my diverted self.  It made me crawl on my way to finish it.  It made me wonder if some evil spirits took over the Hong sisters’ body.  It made me sad that Gong Yoo oppa was all pretty and hot and funny there, but I won’t remember everything about it.

I hauled myself to get through it.  I went to 5 stages of grief to let go of it.  I ended up feeling lost, empty and not in love after seeing it, that being said you have to love Gong Yoo and the Hong sisters soooo much to finish it. 

 

roll the film!!!

When my favorite basketball team failed in their mission to go to the Finals once again… I ended up consolidating all the TOP 100 Movies of All Time Search results on the web.  I ended up tallying all the films as part of my bucket list before I say goodbye to my 20′s.

I got the outcome of this list from online polls, movie websites, film critics, film festival results, directors’ picks and a whole lot of more.   I’m still working on finishing all the movies, and I hope that before July 25th 2013, I’m done with all of it.

P.S  Pictures and my Personal Take are to follow.  ^_^

 2001:  a space odyssey
  12 angry men
A clockwork orange
Adventures of robinhood
Aguirre, wrath of god
All about eve
  Amadeus
Amarcord
Andrei rublev
Annie hall
Apartment, The
Apocalypse now
Apu trilogy
Barry lyndon
  Battle of algiers
Battleship potemkin
  Best years of our lives, The
Bicycle thieves
  Blade runner
Blow up
  Body heat
  Bonnie and clyde
  Breathless
Bride of Frankenstein
  Bridge on the river kwai
Butch cassidy and the sundance kid
Casablanca
  Children of paradise
Chinatown
  Close encounters of the 3rd kind
City of god
Citizen kane
  City lights
Conversation, The
Double indemnity
Dr. Strangelove
Deer hunter, The
Duck soup
  E.T
  Eight and a half 8 1/2
Fanny and alexander
Fargo
Fight club
400 blows
The general
  The godfather 1
The godfather 2
Gone with the wind
Goodfellas
Grapes of wrath
  High noon
His girlfriday
  Ikiru
Intolerance
It happened one night
  It’s a wonderful life
Jaws
  Kind hearts and coronets
LA Confidential
  L ‘atalante
  La Dolce Vita
Lawrence of Arabia
The leopard
  M
Maltese falcon, The
Man with a movie camera
  Manchurian candidate
  Manhattan
  Mean streets
The mirror
  Nashville
  Night of a hunter
North by northwest
On the waterfront
  One flew over the cuckoo’s nest
Persona
  Psycho
  Pulp fiction
  Raging bull
Raiders of the lost ark
Raise the red lantern
  Ran
Rashomon
  Rear window
Rules of the game
  Schindler’s list
  The searchers
  Seven Samurai
Seventh seal
Shawshank redemption
Silence of the lambs
Singing in the rain
  Snowhite and the 7 dwarves
  Some like it hot
  Stage coach
Starwars: a new hope
  Sunrise
  Sunset boulevard
  Stand by me
  Taxi driver
  The good, the bad and the ugly
The graduate
The third man
  LOTR:  The return of the king
Tokyo story
  The treasure of sierra madre
The usual suspects
  The wizard of Oz
  To kill a mockingbird
  Touch of evil
  Trainspotting
Ugetsu
  Unforgiven
Vertigo
Wild strawberries
Wild bunch
Wings of desire

Feisty Five Fingers

 

When you have your protagonist, villains, counter-villains living inside the same roof scheming on how they can make each other suffer and retaliating at the same time, you get the best drama ensembles acting wise.  I present you Five Fingers – a story of a dysfunctional family that burned each episode with intense unlimited angst thrown at each other in a battle where money is thicker than blood and first love.

Chae Young Rang was a once a famous pianist who married a chaebol, Yoo Man Se, whose business focused on the music industry specifically in making grand pianos.   To secure a lavish life, Young Rang’s mother forced her daughter to marry Yoo Man Se, who harbored deep adoration to her although her heart belonged to another man but when Yoo Man Se learned of her infidelity, he made their marriage life enclosed in the memory of his wife’s being unfaithful. 

Young Rang performed her duty as a good mother to their son and a daughter-in-law to Yoo Man Se’s mother.  She let go of her husband’s womanizing around as arguing about it would sent them back to the nightmare of how their marriage started.   Then one day, Yoo Man Se brought a young boy, Ji Ho, in the house claiming that he was his son.  Young Rang and her son Yoo In Ha were totally opposing the idea but acquiesced because it was what Yoo Man Se commanded.

Yoo In Ha at a very young age was already considered skillful in playing the piano, but Yoo Ji Hoo surprised them with his innate ability and soon enough he became a piano prodigy.  Then one night, Young Rang learned of Yoo Man Se’s will which was favoring Yoo Ji Ho, they engaged in a heated argument not realizing that grandmother who was suffering from Alzheimer’s has lit some candles that accidentally caused a fire in the house.  Young Rang hit a hard object at Yoo Man Se and when she realized the house was on fire, she rushed to look for her son.  Prior to that In Ha gave his jacket to his older brother, so she was in horrified shock when she realized she saved Yoo Man Se’s son.  Meanwhile grandmother rushed to look for the man who was selling pancakes that she loved to help rescue her son, but he was caught up on fire and also died.

Young Rang pinned the man her mother-in-law called for help as the main culprit in the crime, and in his death his grieving family vowed to avenge their father’s death.  In Ha took a lot of damage from the fire, he recuperated but one of his little finger cannot function anymore.

Years later In Ha who kept a cold heart towards her mother came back from his living abroad and was welcomed by Ji Ho.  Young Rang tried to win his son’s heart and got to her long-running plan of claiming Boo Sung Group.  Clueless on her adopted mother’s hidden agenda, it was a big blow to Ji Ho when he realized how vile and selfish the woman who raised him was.  Ji Ho also reunited with his childhood friend Hong Da Mi, who turned out to be the daughter of the man her mother put the blame on in the fire accident, the underlying rage of Da Mi’s family caused a memorable once upon a time between Ji Ho and Da Mi, but a painful ever-after when they both became aware that they are modern-day Juliet and Romeo.

Now Young Rang’s first love, Elvin Kim, was also set to take revenge on her drew a premeditated plan to Young Rang’s downfall using Da Mi’s brother to be his right hand.  Da Mi’s family needed a proof which was under Young rang’s possession and at no cause just to clear their father’s name they wanted to get it to make Young Rang pay for her evil manipulations.  Ji Ho who never understood his father’s dying words not to trust his mother was consumed by rage towards the unfairness of the world and the woman he really took as his mother.   Da Mi’s brother met up with Young Rang to offer a final admit-your-sins but In Ha got in the way, and in protecting his mother engaged in a brawl and knocked out Da Mi’s brother.  Ji Ho came to rescue him, but was almost framed to the crime he didn’t commit. 

A year after, Ji Ho returned to play the piano for his younger brother’s engagement party, and when a rogue rushed to stab Young Rang, Ji Ho took the knife.  His heroic show raised positive feedbacks from the press and because his reputation has been damaged by her mother and brother’s doings, he was set to go Vito Corleone to his family.

The main conflict centered on a horrible case of Oedipus complex.  The mother and brothers whose grudges elevated and paced in a dangerous manner made this mellow drama so compelling to watch.  It was overflowing with dark tones, and yet it was heartbreakingly beautiful.  The characters were all driven, the story was full of surprises and wicked impulses.

Five Fingers was strong in balancing the protagonist and the villains.  It didn’t make the protagonist so annoying.  While Ji Ho maintained his meekness, he was also quick in comprehending the situation he was set to.  He counter-punched simultaneously whilst his so-called family threw a jab at him.  The last episodes were a workload for me as I ended up shedding tears while sharing Ji Ho’s pain. 

Young Rang’s character was brilliantly conceived, such a strong persona and I’m thankful that the retribution they created was not forced and was just complementing her image in the series.  She went from pretentious to persevering to full of pride and yes even to Lady-Voldemort.  But her pernicious ways requited when a forgotten birth secret emerged to trouble her conflicting self.  When the mother-and-sons-love-triangle was salvaged by her blindness, I loved that she remained restrained and true to her character.  She knew how demonic she has been and she didn’t take a shortcut in cleaning his conscience.  She isolated herself consistent to how she has been dealing with the people around her all her life.

Yoo In Ha who felt an intruder got all the things in his life was also well represented that I really pitied how his character moved in the dark side because he can’t beat his older brother who was not even in the mood to compete with him.  The love triangle between In Ha, Ji Ho and Da Mi span since they were young, forgotten through the years but emerged again when they met as adults latched the turning point to In Ha’s character making him support his mother in their villainous acts of overthrowing the son whom they thought brought all the misery in their lives.

The main lead on the good side, Ji Ho, forced me to a weep fest on the finale episodes as frame after frame he was frustrated, crying and not knowing how to deal with the last minute revelation he got about his birth secret.  I loved him when he was a nice guy, loved him more when he initiated payback time, but I was completely drawn to him when he hit the highest notes finally subduing his mother and brother, but deciding to forgive them because “they are still his family”.

I love the villains in this drama, alive and not.  The last minute conflict where they pulled Yoo Man Se’s premeditated-in-case-I-might-die revenge took the story in a different angle.  How can you accept your birth mother who pretended to be your mother because his being your mother would secure her and her son a fortune she so really wanted? (whew! There’s a lot of mother there)  Even at the end Young Rang’s heart was holding back and won’t admit her  shortcomings even if Ji Ho displayed his forgiving filial piety. 

The romantic injections supported and enhanced the struggle that tied Young Rang and Yoo Man Se as well as Ji Ho and Da Mi.  A really-can’t-be-together relationship  worked in the plot, and I’m glad the writers didn’t waver in thinking of giving them the love in the end.  As for the open-ended solution to close the drama, my Mr. Hyde-self really thought that Young rang falling off the cliff because she took all the time she can to finally break the walls she built between her and Ji Ho was just fair.  I know she was sincere in redeeming herself, so if I setteled to the idea of her dying that would be fine, if hse lived that would have been fine as well.  But I doubt she did and what mattered was she was able to glue the broken relationship of her sons and forgave herself to the life she lived.

I can’t find fault on how they executed the streaming of the narrative, but Hanna unnie pointed out that she was looking for the link between the opening montages to the conclusion.  It’s either it was an opening to introduce a not so good relationship of a son and his mother or they forgot about it because of so much rage and emotional uproar they conjured all throughout.

I vouched that this was the best tears and bliss drama I saw this year.  Everything was in coherence to the main theme, the actors pushed their limit in the scenes they were required to step up and not quivering at the same time on the middling notes.  It propelled a lot of emotions in me – impossibility, nostalgia, fondness, fury, remorse, and forgiveness.  Full of flavors and sentiments, fiery Five Fingers will be my favorite mellow drama for 2012. 

Rurouni Kenshin stop wandering now and marry me

It felt like they used Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū on how they framed the story arc of Rurouni Kenshin.  A polished foundation set up, characters paraded and had their own moments, conflicts laid layered to the main character’s personal issues and the fencing fights that even Juliet can relate to.  Ain’t that enough reasons to do a sequel as this initial film was a good watch? 

Rurouni Kenshin was a nice and exciting watch.  It managed to pass my personal simple criteria for an action movie.  Not much talking, whoa!-inducing and as much as possible a clear story to follow.  Over-all it was a very positive movie for me, it was an action film after all and the fight scenes were high-octane so it kinda shadowed the prosaic low notes of the plot.  I would take that it was really hard to squeeze in the full story of my favorite Samurai, so they don’t need to apologize to me.  I understand.  *wink

 

So the story opened to Kenshin turning his back from his assassin life after helping the Empire in the war.  He then wandered around and in his meandering met Kaoru Kamiya who was in search of Battosai who caused havoc and killings in the town taking in the name of the school she inherited from her father.  A poser assuming Battosai’s identity was the culprit in the murder spree sweeping the town.  Meanwhile Megumi Takani left the mansion of the rich businessman villain Takeda Kanryu maybe because of his Snape-like hair.  *chuckles  She bumped with Yahiko Myojin who was staying at Kaoru’s dojo as her student.  Snape-four-eyed-villain was into investing on opium, and he had Megumi formulate the production.  Megumi came from a family of doctors, and because she lost her family in the war, she was left no choice but to stay with the shrewd and vile businessman.

The town was hit by an epidemic tracing of course to the four-eyed-fiend.  Megumi left the dojo and returned to the mansion with the intention of killing Kanryu for making the people suffer.  Kenshin decided to rescue Megumi and Sanosuke Sagara who initially detested him after learning his former identity joined forces in trespassing Kanryu’s mansion which was guarded by a private army of homeless samurai.

Really outnumbered because they were only two, they managed to knock down the meanies to face Kanryu’s right and left hand.  Sasoke defeated his opponent in his comic style head banging and brawling and wrestling as Kenshin subdued blond-scarface in his sleek movements and precise sword strategies.  They rescued Megumi, only to find out that Kaoru was taken by Battosai-pretender to bait Kenshin in fighting him.  The poser who has sort of supernatural ability not being able to feel Kenshin fighting in his optimum capacity threw his power at Kaoru.  Her life would be at stake unless Kenshin kills him or Kaoru breaks the power.  So then my boyfriend realized what’s happening and summoned his old self, and in his beyond explanation speed and sword-wielding killer moves, he made the baddie-poser drink his own blood.  Almost giving the final blow, Kaoru broke the spell and saved Kenshin in defying his vow not to kill anymore.

My high school and college years were spent watching local anime reruns and that includes Samurai X, and that’s from where I fell in love with Kenshin Himura.  I never dreamt of a Knight-in-Shining-armor to rescue me, I was wishing for a samurai with an x mark on his face.  *giggles You see in anime he was an engrossing swordsman that any girl can fall for, I guess it’s really hard to translate Kenshin in real life.  I did enjoy the sword fights, but sometimes I just can’t connect to the actor. Yes I know he’s onto just kicking some ass business, but there were a few scenes that required a little emotion, and that I felt was missing.  Kenshin’s character has been through a lot because of the guilt he felt towards the people he killed mounted to a peak that almost consumed him, and coming to terms with leaving the life he used to have would produce a person bound in a limbo trying to deprive his dark side.  I’m all praises to the sword tussles and I loved that they fused the sword wielding techniques and stunts in a way that it’s not too computer generated.  I was really feeling the metal brawls, the slices and the hits from the fighters and yes even the blood spatters.  They were able to spice up the Samurai moves in sequences befitting of the story’s historical background digging on the groundwork of swordsmanship.

To live up to the hype of Nobuhiro Watsuki’s manga and its anime adaptation was a no easy task given the quaint anticipation of the viewers, and because you don’t want to disappoint the anime geeks.  Trust me, you shouldn’t.  Aside from the emotion issues I mentioned earlier, my feminine self was left astounded by the superbly done and rip-roaring action scenes.

I watched the movie alone, and I felt like I was in a geek convention.  I rarely watch films in the movie house, but taking some time off to see my Kenshin Himura in live action was worth the effort.

 

The cute Panda and stubborn hedgehog

It was basking in brightness and breeziness that all throughout I felt really good watching the predictable story unfolds.  It was underacted but heck I still did enjoy it that at some point I thought of becoming a patissier… a charming one for that matter.  *giggles 

With a family looking for their long lost son who in the twist of fate was actually living with them all along and a story thriving on a birth-secret, long lost friendship circle, setting up good mood incantation and a parade of gorgeously laid cakes and pastries, I also don’t know what hit me, but I ended up finishing the drama and actually liking it.

Go Seul Ji spent his childhood in juvenile detention, and from there he came across St. Honore, a leading big bakery specializing in cakes and pastries.  Naturally gifted in baking, he was very intent in entering the patisserie world.  When he got out of prison he, he set off to try his luck and talent to enter St. Honore, but he was treated very bad that he almost burned the building if not for a warm old man who stopped him and took him as if he is his blood (well, in fact he was).  When his adopted grandfather’s daughter got out of prison after 20 years, Seul-ji decided to left the old man’s wing to give way to the father and daughter who were cheated by time.  Luckily he landed to an almost dying café of Pan Da Yang, and with his genius in making cakes and pastries, they were able to preserve the café, which Pan Da kept so dear in her heart.  Then came Choi Won Il who was Pan Da’s long lost childhood friend who was the son of the owner of St. Honore.  After consuming himself to his studying broad he came back to take over the family’s business, and was also posed to finding his first love – Pan Da Yang.  The love triangle emerged but I’m glad it didn’t go all the way to hopeless plots to determine who the lead girl’s heart was beating for. 

Seul-ji was adamant to respond to Pan Da because of his past, losing his memory when he was young, he did all sort of things, bad and good, to survive.  He got under juvenile prison and from there he saw a pastry TV presentation by St. Honore.  When he got out, he mustered his will in the hopes of entering the distinguished pastry company, but ended up being bullied by the pastry chefs and ignored by the head chef and husband to Won I’l mother, Choi Jae Kyum.  So because of lack of confidence Seul Ji was at first hesitant to engage in a relationship with Pan Da, but Pan Da’s taking over and abidance to what her hear felt, she was able to break the wall Seul-ji built upon himself.

Before every pastry making he did, Seul-ji has this abracadabra speech to start up his flour and water craft, and when Pan Da caught him saying it, the knot tying the main characters of the story was revealed.  Seul-ji who lost his memory when he was young used to be friends with Pan Da and Won Il.  He was the son of a bakery owner, her mother was taken by the police because of the fire in their bakery and he ended p living with his evil father who caused his amnesia.  Pan Da whose first love was in fact Seul-ji never forgave her father after he let him left their house to be with his evil father.  They put up the bakery-café in the hopes that one day her long lost friend will return.  She even do part time works as a writer specializing in the patissierie world because she knew in her heart that the young boy will become a great patissier.

Panda and Hedgehog was an epitome of a predictable drama and there are a lot of opportunities acting wise.  It was an easy watch, you will just go with the flow and will never trigger a negative feeling in your veins.  It won’t promise you ohlalas but it won’t disappoint you either.  It worked well that they limited the characters, they simplified the conflicts, but they added zest in the romance and relationship of their main players.  That I think was the reason why I finished Panda and Seul-ji’s love story, they didn’t dig on misunderstandings.  They know what they want all throughout, they withdrew when they can’t, but they took a stand when they have to.  It was a realist romance, and even the sugar-coating was true to life. 

 

The Time-space warping love proposals

Once upon a time there was a man who lacked confidence in declaring his love to the woman he loved since they were young so the girl was left no choice but to accept another man’s love.  Realizing too late that he let go of his one great love, the man cried and a bored time conductor was moved by his lamentation over losing the woman she cherished most.  So he was given a magical potion to drink and a weird renovation incantation to say for him to go back to the past to correct the wrong choices he made in his life and make room for the love he thought was meant for him and his girl.

Operation Proposal was sweetly and richly narrated that even if I went to a lot of time travelling this year, I enjoyed it so much.  I love how they moved the romance from young childish love to a taking time to realize kind of love to a love that didn’t understand reasons but felt what’s important and to a love that was meant to have and to give… 

Kang Baek Ho and Ham Yi Seul met when they were in grade school.  Baek Ho’s father died when he was young and his mother rarely do her duties so Yi Seul has been his rock while growing up.  Yi Seul kept her best friend in her heart as Baek Ho harbored the same hidden feeling, but she got tired of waiting and decided to marry another man.  After her wedding, Kang Baek Ho read Yi Seul’s “Ilikeyou” letter and cried like he has never cried before because of the pain of losing his everything sank deeply in his heart immobilizing his system.  Then a man handed him a handkerchief and introduced himself as a Time Conductor, he gave him a chance to time travel to make things right.  He did a lot of time wrinkling and was able to claim his almost losing of his baseball career but everytime he got back to the present time Yi Seul was still bound to be married.  In his desperate attempts to change the past it brought about a final blow in the present causing Yi Seul’s death and to alter what happened he begged the Time Conductor for a last chance to time warp even if it means not being able to see the Time Conductor who turned out to be his father.  He was able to save Yi Seul from the accident but woke up with a selective amnesia remembering all but Yi Seul.  On her wedding day, Kang Baek Ho’s final attempt to declare his love was played which was done prior to the accident, Yi Seul runaway and found the man she has loved all her life in their elementary school room waiting.  She introduced herself again to him.  After a house party Yi Seul and Baek Ho was again locked in Baek Ho’s small room, Yi Seul hummed the song Baek Ho liked to hear and she offered to teach it to him.  When Yi Seul woke up the next day, Baek Ho left a note for her to go to the playground.  He asked her to tell him about the letter she wrote when they were in 9^th grade, but she refused so he narrated all that was in the letter.  With his memory back, and taking all the chances to be with the woman he loved, the girl who has waited all her life and the boy who regret what he could have done threw themselves at each other’s arms.

I lost count of how many times he went back and forth to correct something in the past to avoid the eventual wedding of the woman he loved, but I was so fond of Kang Baek Ho that even when I was tugging my hair because he can’t do it right when it came to expressing how he felt… I still gave him a chance… actually he’s the only person I’ve given myriad of chances to prove his love, and it paid off…  it was such a fetching feeling to be with him in his rollercoaster ride to be with someone who has been with him all his life… to finally own what other people may say to be love written on the stars. 

The fantasy element fusing to the reality was layered in such a way that you don’t question the magic pull they put in the drama.  In the latter episodes I was also begging for more chances of going back to the past because like most of the people around him Kang Baek Ho grew fond in my heart. All throughout I was feeling what the lead girl was — “there’s this man I’ve loved all my life, I’ve sent signals for him to realize that I like him, but he’s so clueless about it.”  Being a lady-in-waiting, I was able to relate to what she was feeling… it’s hard to be in a situation when you love someone all your life, and in that long span both of you are groping if there will be a romantic future that you can both share. 

There were a lot of love situations tackled in this drama but it all goes down to two main points:  How far you are going to wait for someone for them to realized your worth and that you are waiting?  And being brave to fall in love and discarding the what-if’s and saying it at the very moment you are feeling it.  I’ve seen a lot of beautiful love stories this year but Operation proposal took me from blushing to crying to understanding that in love someone can run to you that’s why he might have let you wait.

The time-space continuum voyages of Baek Ho was an endearing journey full of twist, oh no’s and romance.  It was a refreshing feel to have a conflict that was not evil motivated that’s why I loved the supernatural spike in this drama.  The lead character was competing with himself – with his past self for that matter and his forebearance endured his painstaking drive to be with the girl he loved.

The pacing and the timing were injected smoothly in the movement of the time wrinkling happening in the drama.  It was neatly done that I didn’t lose interest in it.  If you are looking for a complete romance drama with a magical side dish – Operation Proposal would serve the purpose.  It will be one of my favorites this year and in the brink of making it to my Best 7 while I’m just waiting for I Miss You and May Queen’s conclusion.  – jediprincess ^_^

 

My Innocent and Kissable Kang Ma Ru

Dear kdramagod,

Thank you for giving me my Sungkyunkwan boys in the dramaland this year.  Seeing Song Joong Ki in his devilish playboy charm and kissable lips was the sole reason why I remained faithful watching this drama.  Please give him another one in the future, his potentials are really brimming.

Last quarter in the kdramaland is a melodrama short stop where vengeance, money-tug-of-war, misplaced love primarily span the main ingredients to watch out. 

Tutututut…. I neither liked nor hated Innocent Man, I loved Kang Ma Ru so much, but the story was not able to engross me…  I’ve been there in that kind of story a lot of times, the only novelty was that the main character was given the ability to hold both the yin and yang torches and rescue the people around him, and he did the rescuing unfavorable to him.  He wants a one-man show in becoming the best sacrificial lamb ever. 

This is the story of Harry potter’s twin brother – “THE BOY WHO LOVED”  *chuckles

Kang Ma Ru, a bright young aspiring doctor has been a caring brother to his sickly sister.  He is your nice, intelligent guy in flesh and blood whom every girl’s mother wants her daughter to marry someday.  He cherished Han Jae Hee, a girl from their neighborhood who has been living in a dysfunctional family that has treated her like garbage all her life.   Ma Ru dreamt of a future with her, but she dreamt a different future for her.  Working as a junior reporter, Han Jae Hee met a man for a big scoop that will put a business conglomerate, Taesan group, to a scandal, but she accidentally killed the man.  Kang Ma Ru clouded by the idea that the girl he loved more than her younger sister will be behind the bars lost all the wit he has and took the murder blame to save Han Jae-Hee. 

Years after, Han Jae Hee became the wife of Taesan group’s CEO as Kang Ma Ru after imprisonment became an expert player and did every job he can to provide for his sister’s medical expenses.   Their paths crossed again and to spite the woman he was jailed for but forgot everything about him after, he made her stepdaughter, Seo Eun Gi,  fall in love with him.  Seo Eun-gi was caught in Ma Ru’s trap and while she’s also battling her position in the company, she learned of the man she love’s past relationship with her step mother.  Eun-gi asked Ma Ru and the latter confirmed the truth she found out.  They parted ways after throwing icy “that’s what you get when you fall blindedly in love” confrontation but she shifted back her driving to hit Kang Ma Ru’s approaching car.  That was a hell hath no fury when a woman got scorned move, and I know I’m weird but I loved that scene. 

After a year, Eun-gi who suffered brain damage from the accident has most of her memory loss so she was hidden by her secretary and her lawyer out of loyalty and guilt to his father and their company.  To protect the company from Jae-hee and her right hand’s evil clutches, (I forgot the name of the right hand because he looked so weird in poker face),  Kang Ma Ru re-entered her life to assist her in regaining her memory.   As Ma Ru feared the day when Eun-gi gets her memory back, he began to realize that a person doesn’t love once only in his lifetime.  And as Han Jae Hee’s greed chastised her because I think the people in hell hasn’t invented yet a place for her, she realized that she was wrong turning her back to the man she loved.  In the end, Han Jae Hee redeemed herself and confessed all of the sins she’s done together with her right-hand accomplice and they were put in prison for 7 years.  Kang Ma Ru survived a brain surgery, studied abroad and put up a small private clinic in the neighborhood he grew up with.  It was hinted that he lost his memory after the surgery and he also narrated how he prayed fervently for another chance in life and another chance to be in an ordinary love.  (Well I’m yours for the taking baby!)  *wink 

Kang Ma Ru was a memorable character this year, Joong-ki oppa was able to justify the facets of the many characters he had and was forced to have.  He was decisive and can kick asses when he needed to.  He didn’t throw a fit when the world was unfriendly to him as long as he got to protect the people that mattered to him.  How his character evolved I think most of people can relate.  He was unyielding and never backing out to what he believed, but his weakness was his embracing to his inner hero self to shield the people he cherished.

Seo Eun-gi in her tough front was fierce but she failed to disengage her feisty self most of the time in her showdowns with Han Jae Hee, the latter still made her looked like a strong-woman-wanna-be-heiress.  But what I liked about her is her willingness to abandon herself all because of love.  She was not scared to admit it and her love declaration to my battered Ma Ru was one of my favorite scenes in the drama.  When she got to the amnesia part I was paying that they might pull a supernatural trick because I really hated that part when she was in it, so when she got it all back, I was hoping for her former feisty self reprisal to beat all the odds and help Ma Ru together but instead they gave us that cut to 7 years after ending.

How Ma Ru and Eun-gi arrived to the point of they both love each other and there will be no turning back was strengthened by the conspiracies and deceit that surrounded before and after the actual falling in love part, but when they were supposed to be together to finally claim and own it, they were able to achieve it but it was lacking because of the time constraint, so it was salvaged by the narration, which was prettily written, but after all they’ve been through, they deserved some happily loving each other scenes, near the sea or in a beautiful garden maybe. 

Han Jae Hee and her 3-man-sometimes-2 minion were not my favorite villains this year, they were better than Tae-suk and Se-na from Rooftop prince who can’t kill a cellphone but failing to attend Voldemort’s workshop perhaps was the reason why the evil ways they released didn’t have a finishing kick.  They also  have that same facial expressions they carried whenever they cast off their dark moves and whenever they are cornered in those few paybacks they got from the main leads. 

After catching the viewers in a web full of deceit, hatred, annoyance, angst, and the rest of the negative vibes they can think of they settled to a bright, happy ending.   My take on the ending was fair but considering the dark tone set in the story all throughout, I would have preferred a retribution deserving to the characters. The redeeming ending  for Han Jae Hee realizing too late her being ambitious didn’t leave her happy after all was I think not matching her style.  I love it when “yin” prevails, but I didn’t like how they placed it in the concluding episodes – “okay sleep now tomorrow morning everything will be alright.”  She went as far as killing someone, letting someone took the blame on it, and then suddenly because she apologized and ready to be jailed, we have to forgive her because of it.  It just didn’t make any sense for me.  Actually that’s what I learned from Jerry Yan hubby.  There’s no such thing as I’m sorry.

Innocent Man was able to bring out an excellent protagonist, even with unequal footing and at times annoying goodness, he still managed to bounce back from the evil doings the villains shot at him.  On that note, I didn’t like that all of the players are on the same level but the retaliation for the protagonists was snail-like when the villains weren’t that even scary compared to the bad guys I’ve seen in the past.  In short, Ma Ru’s support team was not efficient enough to make the story worth remembering for me.  Even if you have a star player on your team, he still need some help. 

It was an unreasonable one sided love after one sided love after another one sided love that my love veins pulsated in irritation.  Much to what they were trying to arrive at how the story would progress and which love will be affirmed, it formed a lame basis and futile attempts owing to the unlimited blackmailing disposed all over.  Injecting that memory loss plot was a very dangerous thing to do, and I say it was an unnecessary move.  Closing the deceit plot and resurrecting it again by causing an amnesia trick just lengthened the strife which has been won by the bad guys since the onset of the story.  Had they made the protagonists more valiant and understanding in dealing at the stones thrown at them it would have been more rounded, instead of clinging to the amnesia cliché and the lead girl who I had a love-you-hate-you-relationship when she was strong and stubborn and meek and vulnerable. 

A quarter left through the drama, I was screaming “Give her memory back! or I will go straight to the prosecutor’s office!”  There are just so much intentions going on but no meaning to what they are trying to do.  It started intense, wavered relentlessly, gasped some strong punches in the last quarter, and ended safe… no apologies for the viewers they annoyed and put up to cursing mode because the story and the characters moving around it seemed to be having their own business and was not aware that they are supposed to play their part, out play their enemies and declared what they should have been.  If I dissect the drama, it was just a story of man who loved the wrong woman, became cold and distant, met another woman and fell in love again.  But they have to go all the way to the scenes borrowed from previous dramas, the weak villains, chaebol group managing rights and the memory loss.  It was just another love and goodness will conquer kind of thing but they made it so dragging and tiring to munch at. 

But then again even after all my incessant whining which I really limited, I’m not a fan nor did I dislike “Innocent Man”.  It was safe to a point that I liked so much the texture of the main lead’s character Kang Ma Ru, but I won’t vouch for how they contemplated on the movement of the story.  I liked that it gave us a feeling of relying that there’s always another day to hope and believe in life even if you’ve gone through days of tears, pain and sacrifice. -jediprincess

 

and when 1997 replied…

Coming from a Neal Caffrey movie marathon, Answer Me 1997 sprinted all the way to my heart with its vibrant characters, nostalgic premise, fan girl foolish escapades, friendship we all have at some point and we still have at the moment and of course the crazy first love.  

TVN offered another late year delight like what they did in Flower Boy Ramyun Shop.  It was suave, witty and comic, the kind of what I want for an ideal love.  I know nothing of the actors in this drama and surprisingly, they have hooked my very elusive heart.

Kdramaland was all out and has maximized the use of time element in the dramas this year, and this time for Answer Me 1997, it was nostalgic… I sighed, cried and laughed out loud as I joined the characters in their younger years memory delving.  Nothing magical, mythical and supernatural, just a pure trip down to the moments everyone watching can totally relate.  Spicing the flashback element, the drama will be switching from present to the later part of the ‘90’s showcasing the trademark of that generation where tamagotchi, flip top phones and the rest of the ancestors of the modern technology in their conceiving stage.

A group of high school friends sat down for a sweet reunion and reminisce their High School life.  The story mainly evolved to best buddies Yoon-Jae and Shi-won in their quirky friendship progressing to a secret love and turning to a first love that ripened at the right time.

Shi-won has made me look so prim and proper when I saw how she maneuvered her fan girl antics.  From idol stalking to product buying to blood shedding to fan meet camping… she took it all, and she took it in her bossy and feisty style Miranda Priestley cannot afford to do.  Her addiction has made the people around her forcedly support her in her quest to be close to her celebrity crush.  While she’s doing her craziness, their High School life in the year 1997 was narrated.  Yoon-jae who has been beside Shi-won has realized that his being protective towards his childhood friend was the result of cupid’s predestined meant-to-be-arrow, but because his brother who has devoted his life to him after their parents passed away liked the same girl, he gave up his first love.  Before they move to university life, he emotionally confessed his feelings and vowed to forget all the love and all the friendship they shared to move on with his life.  At that same night Yoon-jae’s brother also declared his intention to be together with his first love’s little sister but Shi-won rejected him because she realized too late the love that has been with her all her life.

Years later they met again, and in her all business let’s not talk about the details attitude, Shi-won got straight to the point and tried to claim the offer she last denied.  

Watching how the love entanglements unfolded in this drama hit home in me and made me really pensive at the time when I was not shielding myself because of love.

The familiar feeling of first love if given another chance could become a “fated love”.  I finished the drama in one sitting, that’s how engrossing and fetching the story was.  It was just there sharing a wonderful friendship and love story without hassles and annoying conflicts but the emotions were resonating and striking at the memory veins that it will make you recollect the good old times when you first passionately and recklessly fell in love.

The charming screenplay and story have brought out the best of the newbie artists.  The novelty and evasion from the drama rom-com clichés has made the plot a winner.  It was like reading a predictable book… you know what’s going to happen but how they made it happen was sweet, comic, beautiful and realistic so you stayed fondly watching them.  The story will grow on you without you realizing it.

This is a wistful memoir of that point in time that we first fell in love… and when you finish the story, you might wonder what if you tried to go back.
“The reason why first love is always special is because you kept the memories… because you can never go back”.  Answer Me 1997 will prove this quote otherwise. -jediprincess

FAITH-ED to be with Choi Young

Dear Lee Min Ho,

You are god’s gift to women.  If we can bottle you up, we will be free from mood swings, heartaches and all the rest of unexplained emotions men rarely understand.  Seriously, like every close-up shot zoomed in your newest drama drew ohs and ahhs from me.  We are really meant to be!  *giggles

I will be having a hard time on my year-end drama ratings and the reason for that would be because of this beautiful warrior and modern doctor love story set in the latter part of Korean history’s Goryeo period.  I love this drama not because of Lee Min Ho *lightning strikes*… *giggles nah, but seriously there’s a lot of excellent dramas shown this year but Faith was a complete package that I felt so Jerry Maguire-ish all throughout my drama stalking.

It was not as polished and calculated as City Hunter or Ghost, in fact it was sort of slow moving but it was moving to a direction where it was making the viewers joined the drama production… cheering for them, feeling each of the character’s pain, engrossed with the happy moments and frustrated with the inability to end the villains vile ways.  To make it simple, Faith was successful in establishing a connection that will not make it forgettable.

Choi Young, the strong and steamy hot Woodalchi warrior was a General serving the Goryeo King.  His last mission before embarking to his dream of becoming a bummer was to escort the new King and his queen that was held hostage by the Yuan Empire.  The opposing forces tried as much as they can to have the King not reach the palace.  They were unsuccessful with their intention but were able to harm the queen.  Should the queen die, Goryeo will be facing Sauron’s eye because the queen was a Mongolian Yuan empire princess so the King desperate to find a cure to salvage the wounded queen resorted to an urban legend of a famous doctor who just suddenly disappeared.  He commanded the General, Choi Young of the Royal family’s elite soldiers to go to the Heaven’s Door to bring the doctor. 

Choi Young bravely went to the portal and what they thought to be a heavenly place turned out to be modern day Gangnam city in Korea where he found Yoo Eun Soo, a plastic surgeon.  Not realizing and buying the craziness of the whole deal I guess, the general grabbed the doctor to Goryeo period to fulfill the King’s command with a promise that he will return the abducted doctor.

But complications arose when the news of a doctor from heaven swept the Kingdom, the wily Prince Gi Cheol, who has sworn brothers and sisters with supernatural abilities wanted Yoo Eun Soo for his invincibility dreams.

The major conflicts were mainly divided to the political assertions and the save-the-doctor-struggle in the winding part of the drama.  The main character Choi Young, weary but bound to his responsibility to the king was always resolved in prioritizing him, and it has pained him that he cannot protect the love of his life.  When his inability to wield his sword struck in the home stretch I was so worried that they may not get an ever-after, so when he went back to his nothing-fazes-me attitude and went Kenshin Himura to all the people who has been blocking the road to happiness with his woman, I just told myself that it’s really not a bad idea to be single as long as this man will always be there on the TV screen.

The time-travelling doctor was the source of zest and held the magical twist in the story.  At the latter part I enjoyed immensely the sweet nothings and the lines she shared with Choi Young, but it doesn’t erased the fact that Lee Min Ho has now proven that he can carry a drama by himself.  In all fairness Eun-soo was able to give justice to the general-in-the-black-and-grey-armor with her vibrant attitude.  She was strong and serene at the same time and avoided the lead girl theatrics of always wanting to be rescued, instead her steadfast love patiently found its way to the man of her life.

Eun-soo who was actually the wandering doctor they were really looking for on the onset of the series has travelled through time in the hopes of fulfilling her fated love with Choi Young.  She lost her way many times, and in her sojourns prior to her eventual meeting of Choi Young has left clues for her future self which she was not aware of on the presumed present time. 

Assimilating the action plot with the supernatural spices and decorating it with folklore, having a band of villains equipped with mojos and x-men powers, a sassy and bubbly modern day doctor that was lost cutely to a new kind of living she was forced to live and of course the Thor-ish General who made my Kenshin Himura looked so inferior… were the essentials that made this drama such an enthralling TV experience.  The provocative plot matches the annoying villain assaults and the firm, arresting retaliation of the underdogs.  I know that goodness will prevail in the end, and I’m so looking forward to how the protagonists will take their final stand considering how smooth the pounces were of the bad guys.

This year most of the things in kdramaland involved paranormal activities and strongly portrayed characters.  A k-drama-addict like me was preoccupied year long because of these devastating beauties I uncovered.  Having Lee Min Ho in this drama really triggered my adoration, but more than that it was really the effective way of how the drama sweetly chained my easily bored self by presenting an astonishing picture of a balanced treatment between the characters and the story itself.  The story was there to make the characters shine as the characters made the story span.

Our lead couple Choi Young and Eun Soo came from different time and extremely different personalities, but they have nailed their romantic scenes so perfectly…  the loving gazes, the watching each other while asleep, the cheeky arguments, the no-matter-what-I’ll-protect-you-assurances and the love that was fated to happen was a convincing and fetching depiction of love that can surpass reasons and beyond reasons.

A drama moving through governance contention and draped by the traditional settings normally sets a serious tone, but how the heroes and the villains pulled the tricks on their sleeves eased out the ambiance to set an immersing watch.

The baddies who were at a fight-club mood all the time has brought out the best of the protagonists.  They had a firm atmosphere that never wavered its proportion all throughout even at those times when the narrative was at a billowing pace after the first 4 episodes of setting the mood of the story.

Faith is a remarkably premeditated tale where notwithstanding the consistent dawdling and sageuk clichés it successfully notched the path where it was directing the audience – hope, holding on faith and happiness.  Faith’s ability to balance the transcendent elemental nonsense was plausible and cohering to how it mounted to the story’s peak.

The back to the future arc linked the primary message and the title of the drama – FAITH.  Every essence of it and how a person should have faith to claim the love he deserves.  “Was I lacking of my yearning to see him or was I lacking faith?”  This was a very strong line I remembered and has pierced directly to my romantic veins. 

For people who expect an ending with a kiss to seal it, the closing scene might looked “that’s it?”, but the meaningful smile of the two people who fell in love by defying time and never giving up on their love even if the time played with them has OFFICIALLY made FAITH my KOREAN DRAMA THIS YEAR.

 

The story of Yoo Bang and Yeo-chi

And I’m back to modern-day living!  I halted finishing this drama that was aired in the beginning of the year and it spited me sweetly, giving me a lesson to finish all the dramas on time next year.  Looks like my “Fabulous Four” will become LUCKIEST SEVEN after all.  *wink

History of the Salaryman was a very intelligent story of people moving around the corporate world.  The recent World Wars would fail in comparison to the forming and disbanding of alliances in this drama as they race to who will snatch the contest for “the most ambitious of ‘em all”.

Playing on deceit, out-foxing and counter-scourging, I say this is the Most DARING and the SNAPPIEST Korean Drama for 2012.

 

In his quest to make a line of sight to his life, Yoo Bang hit the jackpot when he got the chance to be employed at ChunHa, a huge conglomerate, what he was not aware of was that he was set up to become a mole by the rival company who was determined to take down the company to ashes.  Just as he realized the situation, he was framed for the murder of the son of the Chunha Group’s chairman along with Baek Yeo-chi, the grand-daughter of the chairman who harbored hatred towards her uncle whom she knew was the reason for her parents’ death.  Yeo-chi and Yoo Bang joined their hands together and was able to clear their names with the help of Cha Woo Hee, an analyst for a “miracle drug” who was thwarted by the murdered executive after she stole the drug for them.  Accidentally though she put the medicine on Yoo Bang’s bag  and upon learning of its rsurrection, he and Yeo-chi used it as a weapon to get back on track and save the company for a threat of investors pulling out their support.

The mastermind of the rival company Choi Hang Woo held a grudge towards Chairman Jin Si Hwang whom he blamed for the death of his father who spent his youth in helping to build ChunHa group.  To avenge his mentor, a high executive in ChunHa posing as a spy to carry out their evil plan, Hang Woo shifted his movement with executive Bum Jung’s encouragement to be motivated on his mentor’s death.  The High Executives here are all so shifty and feeds on power I tell you that I have my suspicion radar on because they tend to switch places and loyalty overnight.

So Choi Hang Woo moved to ChunHwa and it’s time to battle out the position for the Vice President left behind by the murdered chairman’s son.  The chairman held a contest and two of the teams were able to sort out a plan involving one of the company’s factories.  Yeo-chi was moved under Hang-woo’s wing and they were up to wiping out the company.  They were able to secure bidders for their project with the help of an infamous gang lord who is also known to have good reputation in the Chinese market while Yoo-bang with executive Jang Ryang were up to restructuring the company.  In the end though Hang-woo and his team won the fight but Yoo-bang secured an ace which he will be using on his Yoo-bang-strikes-back-plan.

A blood sugar monitor was in the process of being constructed in the company but because of a missing blueprint that was stolen by Hang-woo’s jack-of-all-trade-boy-Friday Han-shin it was not completed.  Yoo-bang holding on to his gut feel was able to secure a capital to start his business and set the ball rolling for them.  Han-shin joined his camp and from him they were able to retrieve the blueprint of the blood sugar meter product that sparked his return to the scene.  ChunHa disputed and moved to stop the product by claiming it was first conceived in the company premises and stole the product information to file for a patent, so a contest was the solution to close the contention.  Team Yoo-bang copied exactly the product look of ChunHa to give them a dose of their own medicine.  On the day of the contest Yoo-bang who has made Han-shin spied his old master switched the product container and after the judging which was won by ChunHa he stopped the short lived Hang-woo happiness and pointed out that the product was switched revealing their company’s initial on the product cover.  Team Yoo-bang emerged victorious and has also mended a once broken relationship with Chairman Jin who lent them money through Jang Ryang’s investment company.

While all these guys were playing the out-smarting game, they didn’t notice an evil queen emerging on the side lines.  Executive Secretary Mo Ga Bi, whom Chairman Jin trusted the most, has changed the amount of insulin medication, and on the day that the chairman asked her to help writing the will.  After drafting the will, he tested her true colors, and when she stepped out to get him water he read what Mo Ga Bi wrote bequeathing all his shares to her instead of his grand-daughter, Yeo-chi.  In his furious self, he suffered an attack and the evil secretary left him to die.

 

The heiress lost her fortune as Mo Ga Bi claimed the Chairwoman position and the final bout for Yoo-Bang and Yeo-chi to oust the deranged Mo Ga Bi was a no easy task to conquer.

 

Divided in three parts, the three conflicts each quarter was an enthralling and exciting watch and I was like watching poker match as the defendants lay down their cards, one after the other, better than the last.  I like it when villains are smart and not just evil, and I liked it more that the main leads are not just smart but cheeky.

That girl Yeo-chi was a revelation, she was so superbly played I was enjoying her the same way as I enjoyed Dokko Jin.  Yoo-bang’s street smart abilities has also proven that good education cannot assure someone that he can also be good in strategy.  It was a character ensembles where there was no weak link thus bringing about a fluid and crisp movement of the actors in the story.

The corporate world is such a big, dangerous world and what this drama achieved was to present a miniature version of it that will leave life lessons that we always reap what we sow and that greed has two sides, when you became passionate in doing good you’ll earn a reward, but when you overwhelmed yourself with things you did not work hard, you’ll face your downfall.

The outwitting deals in kdramaland keeps getting better and I’m a happy camper because of it.  With the most vivacious cast for this year, and a story well plotted with no loose ends left hanging, it would be a waste not to see the story of the Salaryman.

A consistent gripping drive culminating to a fulfilling kick-ass who’s the boss now finale? — History of the Salaryman is a stimulating watch that will taunt you while leaving you inspired at the same time.  -jediprincess

Feisty Arang and the Cheeky Magistrate

Once upon a time IlJimae was playing solitaire… feisty Gumiho got bored by it she taunted him to play poker instead.  This basically explained what happened to Arang and the Magistrate 20-episode stride.  It was like an Amazing Race where ghosts, Jade Emperor, humans, Hades, Grim Reaper and Heavenly-Fairy-turned-she-Voldemort mounted their moves to the slowly set pit stops and finally arrived at a momentous conclusion that sort of apologized for the dallying first half of the series.

 

In search of his mother, Kim Eun Oh, a son of a notable government official went to Miryang, but was halted of his main objective when a wandering ghost, Arang pleaded for him to help her seek justice for her death.  The magistrates who were supposed to be leading the town died of unknown reasons which were comically revealed to be because of Arang’s pestering of them to find the truth about her demise but technically the town was being reigned by a tyrant – Lord Choi.

 

Resigned to the idea that he will not help the feisty ghost, he ended up obliging after learning that it could uncover the trail to his goal of finding his mother when he saw the hair pin he last gave his mother worn by Arang.  Kim Eun Oh used his position as magistrate to investigate about Arang’s death and has done improvements in running the town where people were bound to the fright Lord Choi has brought them about.

 

The new magistrate soon learned Arang’s previous life’s identity who turned out to be the previous magistrate’s daughter Lee Seo Rim.  She was supposed to be engaged to Lord Choi’s adopted son Joo-wal but she went missing and was believed to have eloped with a low born man.  Eun-oh and his men stumbled on Seo-rim’s cadaver one day and when Arang learned of his ill-fated death she bargained with the Jade Emperor of the injustice she got.  With the help of the shaman she devised a way to personally visit the Jade emperor by trapping the Grim Reaper – the Angel of Death and forcing him to accompany her to the Jade Emperor.  She got what she wanted and was given a chance by the Jade Emperor to live for 3 full moons and has to find out the truth about her death, if she will fail to do so, she will be sent to the deepest recesses of hell.

 

So then Arang became human again and helped Eun-oh to track the mysterious cause of her death and the connection of her mother to her.  The magistrate also soon fell in love with her but knowing her short lived pardon to stay she can’t return the favour even if she was feeling the same way.  Joo-wal was also smitten by Arang, but was forced not to pursue it because of him serving his adopted aunt who was in reality the magistrate’s mother but was possessed by a fallen heaven fairy – Moo-yeon.

 

Moo-yeon was also revealed to be the Grim Reaper’s sister who harboured secret love towards her brother.  In her discontentment of things she cannot do because of heavenly status, she escaped Jade Emperor’s realm and possessed human bodies to survive on earth.   Only Moo-yeong aka Grim Reaper can stop Moo-yeon with her vile powers but his attempts has not been successful so he asked Eun-oh to help him, who was torn in choosing his mother and the woman he loved.

 

In the end, Eun-oh and Grim Reaper defeated Moo-yeon and was able to save Eun-oh’s mother’s soul.  Together with Arang, they embarked on her assignment to seek who killed her, and in doing so, he also learned of the truth that his life was also borrowed from the Jade Emperor.  It was revealed that Lee Seo Rim gave her life to protect Joo-wal and in the end Joo-wal became a Grim Reaper and Kim Eun Oh and Arang were reincarnated to continue on their fated love.

 

 

The one-sided love of the magistrate, the too-late-reciprocated-and-realized-love-for-Joo-Wal-to-Lee-Seo-Rim/Arang, and the restricted-by-full-moon-love-of-Arang-to-the-magistrate illustrated a heart piercing and yet understanding kind of love that I greatly appreciated because for a change, I saw characters not ending up twisted because of the love they so wanted to have.  Instead, they respected whatever emotions they are feeling and they are getting, and for that reason I found the romance in this drama compelling.  Whatever they said about “letting love go, and if it returns, it was meant for you” was achieved by the main players of the love entanglement.

 

It was an incessant shower of disappointing sighs as I groped my way to finish Arang and the Magistrate.  Halfway through the drama, it was still bland and bleak with a plot not coherent to the characters or shall I say, the characters were all good but the story moves in literally a mysterious way, that I ended up mystified and wanting to know why it kept withholding the covert truths indispensable to the movement of the plot.  But then alas! On the 13^th episode it became lucky and started showing signs of promise.

 

 

Although Arang and the Magistrate showed languid episode movements, it sustained a convincing closure that has made it escaped a drama disappointment tag.  The main characters vibrant portrayals attributed to my not giving up on the drama, that being said, it helped that there are not that much characters to munch, and them being effective to their personas has helped the drama survive its slow-footed premise.

 

It has a light villain shock so the thrill and driving point relied on the main characters’ do or die choices.  The myriad nexus of the story arcs and the paranormal conflicts crept blindly relying on a climactic conflict that salvaged the slow evolving drama.  The casper-ish elements catenated the central theme which focused on the yin-yang-yearnings of the human heart. 

 

Arang and the Magistrate was able to evade an almost drama fury on my end.  It was a safe drama, period.  It goes down to the point of how you manage to end something, no matter how unsure and average the narration of the story was, as long as you give a decent ending that would suffice.  I really applaud the characters… I liked the concept but how they thread on the bridge to get to the other side could have been better if they wove a straight yarn and minimize the holding back of what should have happened.  I was able to predict what will happen eventually, but I stayed with it because the dragging storyline in the first half was compensated by the fast-paced-surprise-after-surprise second half.  Had they made it consistent it would have felt better considering the stellar performance of the cast and the richness manipulation of the folklore from where the story was derived.

 Safe, fun and feisty, I still recommend this as a Korean drama to watch this year.  -jediprincess

 

The Sweetest Scandal at Sungkyunkwan

If Hogwarts has “Hall of Prophecy” I have my very own “Hall of Abby”… This is where I placed my drama hall-of-famers… drama pills that can resurrect me from unnecessary melancholy or can clear my decision-making ability when it comes to love surfing. 

I present you “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” – the drama that changed my belief that sageuk presentations are not fun.  A bromance-filled tale incorporating a touch of traditional Korean history and way of living made the series so riveting, you will find yourself insatiable with the charm it has cast upon you… 

  The person you will love after your first love is like Sungkyunkwan for me.  I can’t help but love this drama each episode I was watching.  It was so engrossing and full of love.  Having F4-like drama aired in the past few years, I say SKKS in its own right deserved so much applause.  Our F4 scholars made me so in love for a while and even now I still am in love with Geol Ah. 

This is where I suffered the most mind-boggling Second-Lead-Man syndrome, in the end the second-lead prevailed.  I’m just a girl… I’m weak… and a stubborn Yoo Ah In, who can transform to a night-Robinhood-lazy-by-day-Rebel and not to add that he’s really knight-in-shining-armor hot… what am I supposed to do?  Even by just standing there, he’s really making me sigh and wishing and hoping and making me think of a lot of things I can do with him and loving him.  I get so engrossed when I talk of Moon Jae Shin, who wouldn’t?  Not that the lead man was not appealing.   He was, he suited perfectly in the love entanglement, I just have a thing for “bad guys” you see they love deeper and you always remember how they loved.

Sungkyunkwan Scandal was a Hana Kimi-Boys-Over-Flower-fusion set in the Joseon era.  Bearing the weight of being the bread winner of her family after her father’s death and because her younger brother was sickly, Kim Yeon-hee has assumed her sick brother’s identity and has been working as a scribe in a book store.   

When financial constraint hit their family, she temporarily choked her personal convictions, and agreed to sit on the entrance exam on behalf of an aspiring Sungkyunkwan student, but another aspiring upright Sungkyunkwan scholar learned of her intentions and moved by her interesting character, he managed to have her entered the school which was then exclusive for boys.  From then her adventures in making a stand and enforcing “girl power” while hiding her true identity has stirred an addictive story full of love, determination and friendship.

This is a kind of school life every girl wished for, having three gorgeous men as your friends and even two fighting for your heart.  Despite the political strain conflict, what I loved most on Sungkyunkwan was that it was full of optimism and the bravery of the characters stood alone making each of their portrayals worth remembering.   

Yoon-hee’s warm, clever and pleasant personality has earned her a niche in the school and has made her friends with the rebel senior students Jae-shin and his rich-trendsetter-bestfriend  Goo Yong-ha.  These four completed one of the most quirkiest-you-can’t-help-but-swoon-quartet I have ever gazed on.

Together with the all-knowing-debonair Goo Yong Ha, reliable-strong willed Moon Jae-shin and determination induced and smart-ish Lee Sun Joon, they will help the King in his quest to build a nation that will value the nurturing of potentials of each individual as well as the equality of each person that was not evident at that time.

 

The heart fluttering inducing moments set in a not so modern way got me swooning and giddy-ish I would have made a boyfriend right there and then around that time because of so much love vibes I got from the adorable lead couple and the one-sided romance of Jae-shin. 

This is the perkiest period drama I’ve seen so far, if I may add it’s also oozing with vibrancy and resonance.  Considering the setting was in traditional times, they were able to execute love melting and love sighing scene while studying in the library, getting stranded inside a wooden elevator, and all the rest of those happy moments shared by the Sungkyunkwan Scholars. 

The romantic scenes laid were all heart blowing and amazingly done considering its sageuk premise.  The drama gave epic romantic scenes, REALLY EPIC… the kind of sweet love scenes that when you tell your friends, you get transported back to the moment where you were actually watching it. *promise  With its feel good romance in a traditional times premise, this has been one of my favorites and a drama I always recommend.  I was wanting to tell the story but I’m going to defeat that purpose because this is really a darling to spend your time on.  This is a kdrama addiction trigger that might catch you… consider you’re forewarned.  -jediprincess

 

Bunt Korean Movie Quick Musings

I was beaming and smiling and was so amused while watching this endearing father-and-son movie.  A heartwarming film full of a father’s love to his good-natured but feeble-minded child and a friendship so sweet, it will make you reminisce your childhood memories.

Dong-gu has been the resident water boy of his class.  He loves doing it even if his classmates constantly make fun of him.  His being half-witted was discussed to his father by his teacher and the principal, but his father still refused to enroll him at a school for special children mainly because Dong-gu is used to following routines, and going to that school has been part of that routine.

Annoyed by Dong-gu’s being simple-minded, his class partner put a frog inside the water kettle, not realizing what has happened, his teacher scolded him and from then on, a water dispenser replaced Dong-gu’s favorite water kettle.

I didn’t realize I was already crying when Dong-gu confronted the water dispenser.  Angry at something who has taken out the only thing that is making him recognized by his classmates, he threw punches at it for hurting his young heart.

While little Dong-gu is having a hard time at school, his father was also facing a predicament because their house which was pawned when Dong-gu’s mother was sick 5 years ago will be taken away from them soon if they won’t be able to raise a money to claim it back.

Then one day, Dong-gu saw a baseball player holding a water kettle, his slow-witted brain processed a miraculous idea and found himself imposing as the new water boy of the baseball team.   When one of the players quitted his position, the coach made Dong-gu one of his players.  The next day Dong-gu attended his class wearing his baseball uniform, and were teased by his classmates who can’t believe that a no-brainer would understand the concept of baseball, but his class partner has had enough of their classmates making fun of Dong-gu, so he stood up for him and from then he threw away the hesitations of taking in a slow person as a friend, and started to be Dong-gu’s bestfriend.

While having the problems of securing the possession of their house, Dong-gu’s father was also suspected of having a cancer.  The coach was also on pressure because of their upcoming game and Dong-gu who can’t still hit the ball was almost cut out from the team if not for his best friend stepping in to take responsibility of coaching him. 

Dong-gu tends to close his eyes when the ball approaches so he can’t hit it, but then one day while he was playing with the raindrops, his best friend got an idea.

He taught him the concept of “BUNT” in baseball.  This is a baseball technique where the hitter taps the ball so it would roll a short distance and would advance the base runners.  They kept practicing it in the hopes that it will be of great use in their upcoming match.

Then came Dong-gu’s first baseball game…  It was a fairly played game, and as the players and coaches feel the pressure, our little Dong-gu was still clueless of what’s happening.  Their team was behind a point in the closing inning, and when the player before Dong-gu refused to hit because he was not feeling well, the coach begged him to just hit it one more time.  In the end, he didn’t hit the pitches which put the next batter, our Dong-gu on position.  Dong-gu failed to hit the first two pitches, and while his coach-best-friend encouraged him… and in slow-climaxing-moment, the last ball was pitched, and Dong-gu tapped the bat to it and ran as much as he can.  With base runners realizing what the little hero has done they were able to reach home base and emerged victorious over their competitors.

At the closing scenes, Dong-gu was seen walking and using the baseball bases as his guide to reach their new home.  His father was also cleared from cancer and the father and son lived happily ever after.

Bunt was certainly a gladdening and encouraging movie experience.  Full of inspiring and beautiful lessons about parenthood, friendship and believing in yourself.   Even the humor was edifying, and you will just find yourself immersed in the story, cheering for Dong-gu… cheering for everything that will make him happy.

dear Beautiful you, go ahead be beautiful, I’ll take Min Ho! ^_^

To The Beautiful You – this will be the 3rd adaptation of the Japanese shojo manga “Hana Kimi” and my favorite of ‘em all I say.. Well Koreans have this knack on doing their adaptation even better than the original.  I think Apple will agree on that. *chuckles

So given its quite familiar story, two adaptations Kdrama viewers can compare it with, I was just expecting how the following of the plot and turn of events will make me feel good, and I was not prepared it will hit me really good that my teenager self from 10 years ago assumed herself and was kicking her legs, giggling endlessly and hugging her pillow so tight in every surge of romantic scenes.

I was in constant tug-of-war between Eun-gyul and Tae-joon that I deviced a “who-abby-really-likes” scoresheet to break the sweet confusion.

Eun-gyul was your typical funny and thoughtful guy… the guy the writer would claim to be the main lead girl’s soulmate because it also breaks her heart that he will not be chosen.

Tae-joon, the distant-hot-you-can’t-help-but-drool-with descendant of Darcy and was a fictional fulfillment of every teenager girl’s dream boy.  He has had my love security blanket stripped while he showered me with romantic meteors in his smooth suave ways. 

Now the lead girl, Jae Hee whose stubborn hair has resurrected Helen of Troy in her body as cute boys lined up to win her heart subconsciously and knowingly. The typical vulnerable and warm lead girl who sometimes struggle with her understanding of the way things move around her.  She thrives on self-sacrificing but her being clueless spins most of the romance moments in the drama.

Any drama with a clingy girl who can’t grasp and digest that the boy he likes doesn’t like her always irritate me.  I just can’t stand girls who thrive with their insecurities in real life and even in kdramaland.

So the story simply goes like this… Jae-hee was a fan of a high-jump athlete Tae-joon.  He was the person who inspired her to come out of her shell when she was discriminated at school being a foreign student.  Tae-joon met an accident, lost his mother and lost his passion as an athlete so Jae-hee disguised herself as a boy to enter the same school Tae-joon was studying and imposed herself to be his resident encouragement-human-pill.

In a twist of cupid luck she ended up sharing the same dorm room with him and little by little she has crawled inside his lonely-angsty-secluded-self.

Jae-hee’s life in a male-infested school was such a refreshing dose of young love that you will find yourself reminiscing the first time you fell in love. Unbeknownst to Jae Hee, Tae-joon learned of her identity secret, and when he was able to define the strong fondness he felt towards her, a clingy-assuming-girlfriend, daddy issues and Eun Gyul’s one sided love would shake their teenager romance.

This is another teenage love drama at its best… no worries, just purely cuteness, sassiness and first love vibes. I will miss Eun-gyul’s social media shout-outs and weird mind wanderings, Jae-hee’s radiant smile and pure heart, and Tae-joon’s… well everything about him.  *giggles

Candid and totally charming, To the Beautiful You will promise you smiles and refreshing feel.  If you are looking for something serious or evil induced story, then you won’t find it here.  Everything about it was lightly done even the conflicts.  Simply laid, progressed smoothly and stopping at a happy ever-after note… this drama will be one of my favorite among the rom-coms this year.

 

Dr. Jin who slipped through time

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:  Time Slip Dr. Jin fused with the reign of King Gojong, the last monarch of Joseon dynasty in the latter part of Joseon era.  It touched the waning 60-year wielding of power of the Andong Kim clan that was obliterated by Prince Lee Ha-Eung who served as a Regent of Joseon after his young son emerged as the new King.  It also plunged on the persecution of the Catholic Faith that was initiated by the French Missionaries which also led to the French Invasion of Ganghwa Island – Korea’s first war with Western power.

And yes, I have that Historical Background something now.  *wink  I’m beginning to think I could pass for a Korean History teacher, after dissecting all the tales of antiquities relating to the period dramas I’ve seen lately.  I’m not complaining, a little research helps in assimilating the plot.  I struggled in finishing this drama, as Dr. Jin really took time to have all the pieces fall together.   Most of the episodes were open-ended, switching from the blending of the medical plot, the political dissensions and the paranormal insertions, which in my unbiased opinion was a no-nonsense attempt to present a different blend of sageuk drama.

Jin Hyuk is a brilliant neuro-surgeon who is all business with his profession of saving lives.  After successfully removing an embryonic tissue inside a patient’s head, a supernatural surge will change his future.  He was planning to propose to his girlfriend Yoo Mi Na one day, but they engaged to a heated argument because Dr. Jin refused to operate on a patient who was already dead.   She walked away and got into a car accident putting her in a comatose state.

Meanwhile, a patient gathered medical supplies from the hospital storage.  He took the fetus which was stored inside a jar and was about to escape but Dr. Jin saw him and recognizing the voice which kept calling his subconscious mind, he tried to confront who he was.  The patient disregarded him and was about to jump from the rooftop but Dr. Jin tried to stop him, grabbed the medical bag but the patient was able to throw the embryo.  And it doesn’t make sense why he jumped to get hold of the embryo jar, but he did, then the embryo jar suddenly dispersed unearthly light and transported him back to the Joseon times where the police was currently chasing a group of native bandits.  Running for his life, he almost fell on a cliff but a man was able to save him, Prince Lee Ha-eung.    

Thought to be a part of the rebel bandits, a bounty for Dr. Jin’s head was issued by the police the next day so he has no other choice but to stick with the wily Prince.  While he’s trying to comprehend the tesseract joke played on him, he saw a woman, Hong Young-Rae, who looked exactly like Mi Na. 

Prince Lee Ha-eung pawned Dr. Jin to settle his debts with a notorious gang lord.  While the gang lord was eating though, there was a blockage in his air passage and instead of following the prince’ advice for him to escape, his doctor instinct kicked in to save the gang lord’s life.

On another pursuit of the police for the local bandits, the doctor who has a knack of being at the wrong place and at the wrong time bumped with a wounded man who turned out to be Young rae’s brother,  Yong Hwi, who was the secret leader of the local bandits. 

He performed a surgery on him but upon learning that Dr. Jin was on a “wanted list”, Young-rae sent their servant to notify the police of the “wanted person’s whereabouts”.  Not realizing the repercussion of what she has done her being grateful after saving her brother’s life can do no good as the police took the doctor for interrogation.  He was on the verge of the punishment, but was saved when the Left Minister lost his consciousness.  He performed another surgery to revive the minister and was waived of the crime accused of him.

From then on, his medical knowledge has been of great use to a country that hasn’t reached the advancement of modern medicine.  He improvised treatment that doesn’t have a cure yet at that time.   As he get on with helping out on illness that was thought to be incurable and as he carried out complex surgeries that has saved people on the brink of death,  the political faction strife was taking its toll to the country. 

Through Dr. Jin’s medical miracles, Prince Lee Ha-eung was able to go a step closer to the mother of the King, and from there, Lee Ha-eung’s son secured an adoption from the reigning King and eventually became the young King of the nation, but being minor, his father became the Regent of the Nation and administered new policies and trapped the head of the leading faction Andong Kim clan in his hope of building a better Joseon.  It was a no easy task defeating the seat of power but with proper drawing of the necessary cards, Lee Ha-Eung was able to strip the dominion that has been suffocating the nation for a long time.

The metaphysical aspect of the storyline was at first nebulous but it was a feat they were able to overcome at the end even if they explained it on the tail episode and in just 30 minutes.  (Well at least, they did, BIG did not) The multiple identities of the characters time travelling to an alter universe but coinciding with a time from the past made me so bewildered if not for my Fringe TV experience knowledge where everything is possibly impossible. 

Dr. Jin thought that his wrinkling of the time would be of help in saving his dying girlfriend from the world he left, but the time-travelling gisaeng, Choong Hoon warned him that his meddling with people that were supposed not to be saved will dig a depth to the mystery he was undertaking and could have worsen his chance of going back to the present time, but in the end, they pulled a parallel universe yarn which explained that his time travelling identities loved him so much, they find ways of putting his life to perspective by getting him trapped at a different time where your other person was at the same time living and still somehow connected with you – a trick they used with Mi Na and Young-rae.  Thus it equated to having the girls going to near death experience, and if one can be saved, the other will survive too ergo, before he warped back, his attempt to save the wounded Young-rae made it possible for Mi Na to live in the present time.  In the end, his alter universe escapade has saved the woman of his life.  Choong Hoon revealed to him that he was taken by time so his life can be saved… it was an unfathomable question for me… save from what? And in the end I came to a conclusion that losing someone you love is also a form of death – a kind of death that will not be healed no matter how time passes by. 

The ending epiphany talk with Lee Ha-eung at least tied the loose end of the merging of two different eras, but I hated how they sent back Dr. Jin to the real world!  Well, duh? Stabbing a man in the middle of the war and letting him fall of a cliff was a lame time warp move.   I deduced the connection of the runaway patient, the embryo and the headache attack when Dr. jin operated on his yet another soul living in the Joseon time, so when they swerved to the culminating Dr. jin realization that he was in fact that runaway patient, and that the fetus tumor was actually taken from him, I said “okay, make use of your multiple identities, time and space continuum plot every way you can and wherever you want!“  *pout

They really struggled in keeping hold of their paranormal twist, it was not that polished that it could either make or break the viewers understanding, if you are Fringe-bound like me, then you’ll be able to grasp it, if not, most likely you will be lost.

The main characters Dr. Jin and Lee Ha-eung were the focal point of the narrative.  While I have learned to like Song Seung-heon oppa, I still am going to wait for the best drama he will be making.  Lee Beom Soo was amazing in Salaryman, he was still the same here, so I look forward to seeing him again in the future.  Kim Jae-joong oppa made me tugged at my hair, he lost me with his super lost self and inability to have his loyalty in place… his character has the worst filial piety ever, but I still love him.  Park Min-young was still at her best, come to think of it, she really does suit well in classical themed dramas.

In the tradition of period dramas, the death of the main characters, the daring moves of the villains and the counter-attack of the underdogs, the double-crossing and last minute betrayals kept hold of the sageuk feel.  The bromance and the supernatural-defying romance were also present and spun the major conflicts of the story.  It was flowing and got there without minding the bridge.  Albeit the craziness and lapses, it was still a good watch for me, but incomparable to sageuk classics.

 

 

 

 

 

The Lovers who have felt every way of it at Haeundae!

The hotel-tug-of-war, the quirkiest-quasi-mafia-ish-fisherman family I have ever laid my eyes on, the stubborn-quick-to-anger-but-adorably-handsome-prosecutor, and the love story that was brought about by a criminal chase and one after another jumping into wrong conclusions were reasons enough to enjoy this light drama from the writer of one of my last year’s favorite — City Hunter.
 
 
Go So Ra and her uncles have been conquering the waters of Busan on their quest to pay off all their debts and to reclaim the Haeundae Hotel that her father founded but was taken away by a gangster rebellion initiated by his father’s second in command, Yang Man Ho.

 
Yang Man Ho, the man who snatched the hotel was dying and wanted to see his long lost son for the last time and a star scar would be the key to finding him.
 
Lee Tae Sung knows nothing only but to please his father who adopted him from the orphanage when he was young.  All his life has been channeled into succumbing to what his father commanded him, that including his fixed marriage to a daughter of a rich family.

 
Through these people, a love was fated to happen with a Romeo and Juliet background between a prosecutor and a fisherwoman-princess.

 
After failed attempts to catch a notorious con-man, Go Joong Shik, who has a lot of crime medals to brag about, Tae Sung was determined to seize him to appease his father’s disappointment and to prove his worth to the prosecutors’ office who are doubting his capabilities and who hasn’t had a smooth relationship with him because of his being egoistic.  

The slimy Joong-shik narrowly escaped his encounter with Tae-sung on a pier brawl so their team last chance was to locate him through Joong-shik’s girlfriend.  Go So Ra went to a night club where her cousin was said to be working, and to bail her out of the club, the boss wanted her to pose as a geisha and dance.  In the same night club, Tae-sung was preparing for the operation, and mistakenly thought So-ra was their secret mole.  “I’ve never felt this way before” – Tae-sung kept telling So-ra this line puzzling her while being annoyed at his insistence.  As So-ra found her way to escape the night club, Tae-sung who almost caught Joong-shik inadvertently let him slip away and in his fading consciousness saw Joong-shik on board So-ra’s truck which happened because she bumped at him while he was running away and while she and her cousin were in a hurry to get out of the place.

Even after just getting off his wedding day, he set off to Busan to look for So-ra as he thought she was Joong-shik’s girlfriend.  He worked his way to So Ra’s family in the hopes of getting a lead and when he finally traced him, the villain assumed his cat-like existence and won over their fight leaving him drowned in the water, but was luckily revived by So Ra’s family who has been thinking he was the culprit who took all their fish catch which was earlier sold by her cousin.

 
Lee Tae Sung woke up but due to a head damage, he can’t recall his identity. On the same hospital room, he was revived, Yang Man Ho was not aware that his long lost son was sharing a room with him. 

 
While battling amnesia, Tae Sung was taken in by Sora’s family as his family and wife thought him to be dead because of a car accident.

As Tae-sung/Nam-hae got used to ocean life, he has learned to rely on the only person in the world who can be there from him, and more than him realizing his vulnerability, his amnesia made him aware to listen to his heart more.

To save So-ra’s face when her groom ranaway, Tae-sung bravely marched down the aisle to assume a knight in a shining armor role, but in a twist of long standing Haeundae gangster fate, it was revealed formally that Tae-sung in deed was the long lost son of Go family’s arch nemesis Yang Man Ho.  But eventually Tae-sung and So-ra submitted to the mutual emotions they were both feeling and formed a plan to reclaim the hotel So-ra has been dreaming to have in the past 10 years. 

And just as their love story became crystal clear and freed from their father issues, Choi Joon Hyuk who harbored a one-sided love with So-ra did his chess move when he learned of Tae-sung’s real identity and revealed it to him in an off-guard-coming-out-of-amnesia-torn-between-two-lovers deal.

 

When Tae-sung’s memory resurfaced, to protect So-ra to the claws of power his father and his wife have, he left Seoul and buried his hours to his prosecutor job, and I’m happy that in a hurried pace, this drama made him bounced back so fast to come to terms with his daddy issues by blurting all the things he has wanted to say and also to confront the wife he has never loved not minding the guilt she was pressing on to him.

My favorite scene was surprisingly that one liner who has started their love story.  When Tae-sung told So-ra “I’ve never felt this way before”, with all his memory back and all the series of events that happened between them… and with all the love he was able to realized because of her, I smiled that I got lucky chancing upon this sweet love tale.

 
This drama totally deviated from the supernatural-time-travelling trend this year to settle to a realistic love narrative that built up so perfectly I was almost falling in love at the same time as the couple was feeling it… amnesia plot and all that off-beat elements, I ended up appreciating it.

It stayed on low key but was consistent with the romance and mirth all throughout.  So I guess the City Hunter writer was not a fluke at all, she was a real thing.  I liked that they gave the couple love hindering conflicts and made them so strong with their convictions to overcome it.  They took one step back and then 10 steps forward to claim what is rightfully theirs.

It was swift and well-paced.  It was predictable and yet so fun to watch.  Amidst the 3rd quarter drama, Haeundae Lovers was not that conspicuous, underrated if I may say, and the irony of it is that it has the biggest heart so far from what I’ve seen… tapping on love, family and friendship in an uncomplicated and stirring way of defining life’s real moments.

Just like the serene ocean background setting, Haeundae Lovers was an endearing, calming drama that will drown a stressful week.  I am sure right now that it will certainly not be one of the best this year, but at least it didn’t disappoint me at all and was always making me smile while I am watching it.

 

The optimistic Baby-faced Beauty

It was light, refreshing and full of hope and dreams.  The character development will slowly and surely capture you and strangely this was one of the warmest drama I’ve seen for 2011.  .  It may be slow moving but you will end up loving the story.

Lee So Young, was a 34-year old woman who has set aside her dream of being a fashion designer to stand as the breadwinner in the family.  She was given an opportunity to have her dream but she has to pretend she’s 9 years younger.   Given her youthful loom she was able to assume her sister’s identity and has worked her way to create an impressive expression through her designs. 

She worked with Choi Jin Wook in the designing team who thought she was younger than him.  The latter fell in love with So-young but because of her age apprehensions she can’t fully give in to return the emotions she’s also feeling with him.

The design competitions, the annoying she-devils-wearing-prada, the unfailing optimism and the typical story enveloped with effective and evoking acting were the reasons why I remained steady and raving about this true beauty.

The surging of the romance was well placed and of course you can never go wrong on the main lead doing all that he can for the girl he loves kind of plot.  The inhibition of So-young falling in love with a man younger than her, and the insisting spirit of a man who wanted to defy the May-December affair were the main entertainment value to the romantic presence of the story. 

The she-villains pulled their evil strings to spite the fashion designer Cinderella.  The comic, the fun, the drama and the competing vibes were ever present throughout the story that even if it was leaning mostly on tugging-hindering-the-dreams-of-the-main-lead I picked this story on my 2011 drama favorites.

It’s a nice watch with your mother.  It’s a reflective watch alone.  Sweet and Very Positive… This is a box of treats that will make you feel good and melancholic.

Skipbeat! in sync but ended missing a beat!

Watching Skipbeat! was a pleasant experience.  It was perky and fun and didn’t deviate much from the manga and the anime production.  That’s why maybe I took time to watch it, it played safe while playing on the strength of the characters.  The characters were able to live up to their persona, but there’s still room for improvement and sometimes chemistry was delayed.  The hero-worship and I secretly-love-a-girl-younger-than-me plot were enough to keep you following… to be honest I followed because of Si Won oppa.

Gong Xi moved in to the city and was working three day jobs to support the high-end place she rented with childhood friend and love interest, Bu Po Shang.  All her life she stood beside Bu Po Shang who has been wanting to pursue a singing career in the city.  His father strongly opposed the idea but in his stubbornness, he set off to claim his dream. 

When he finally reached stardom, he overlooked the girl who left with her to fulfill his dreams and cast her away.  Gong Xi accidentally overheard Bu Po Shang’s remark of how he has been using her all along and from then on pledged that she will also enter showbizness to be even famous than him.

To do this she auditioned to be part of a talent artist company and met Dun He Lian, the current top actor in the land.  Her hardwork and acting prowess surprised the people around her and has landed her contracts despite being put to a special section of artists needing to understand their motivation on being an actor.  Meanwhile cold-hearted Dun He Lian who was just focusing on his acting career slowly grew fond of her.  Gong Xi was not aware that he was the same boy who would stop her crying when she was a little girl. 

The story was well moving at a pace that held my interest but it was sort of weak in developing the sub conflicts.  The story mostly centered at Gong Xi and then to her relationship with Dun He Lian.  There was not much confrontation between the love triangle and I was hoping for hell hath no fury when a woman get scorned scenes for reasons that the main conflict was supposed to be vengeance driven.  Considering that I already know what the story about, it will be a challenge to watch it but it has manage to grasp my attention only because of Si Won.

The ending was a sure miss.  Unfortunately, I was asking the spirits around me if it was really “the end”, and when I got no response, I was forced to accept it.  I would say they did it because the focus is  not really for Gong Xi finding love but realizing that she has also her dreams and her successfully owning it was the pivotal moment of the drama.  But you know, a little cutesies and a real kiss scene or an open possibility that the feeling was mutual with Gong Xi and Dun He Lian would have mad the watchers happy.  That’s the reason why I won’t rave much to Skip beat.  It won’t hurt your time if you watch it.

 

And Yes Lee Shin, I’ve Fallen For You! ^_^

2011’S feel good romantic-young-love-reminiscing drama was “You’ve Fallen For Me aka Heartstrings”.  It caused me to miss a day’s work because it was so addictively enchanting. 

Heartstrings was a simply narrated love tale of how love bloomed in the sweetest way that almost all people who fell in love with can totally relate.  With the prince-like-guitar-guy who can make any girl feels so giddy-ish, I was sent back to my teenager years pretending I’m a member of a groupie.

Lee Shin was a campus heartthrob and the leader of a modern music department band’s Stupid.  Lee Kyu Won, a student from traditional music department plays a gayageum and is the leader of Windflower.  She was also the granddaughter of a famed traditional music singer and thus her music upbringing was inclined to antediluvian rhythms.  In order to raise fund to help their professor who was currently in the hospital, she invited “Stupid band” to perform with them but on the day of their joint event Lee Shin failed to come because his sister was brought to the hospital. 

Lee Kyu Won was forced to sing in lieu of the missing vocalist and the growing animosity he felt toward Lee Shin began.  She was sighted by a famous musical director, Kim Suk Hyun, in her performance and little did she know that it will change her preference in the near someday.

 

Still annoyed by being stood up by Lee Shin, the two band leaders concurred to a showdown of instruments and performance having an enslavement agreement at stake for the winner.  “Stupid” played their usual gorgeous rocking music, but “Windflower” surprised the audience and would have knocked it down but Lee Kyu Won’s gayageum’s string broke, thus making the boys winner of the spectacle. 

 

Lee Kyu Won became Lee Shin’s errand girl, bringing him coffee, attending his classes and attending to all the rest of my boyfriend’s boyish whims.  Now Lee Shin is on a one-sided-love with a dance teacher, Jung Yoon-Soo in the school who used to be a famous ballerina but got into an accident and was forced to leave her ballet dreams. 

 

Now the school festival approached so a musical presentation was planned to be shown, and spearheading the production was Suk-hyun who was also Yoon-soo’s ex-boyfriend.  When Lee Shin got the realization that his one sided love was just a part of growing up, Lee Kyu Won also realized she’s falling in love for the first time.

Suk-hyun who saw Kyu-won’s potential when she sang with Stupid encouraged her to audition for the musical, together with the Windflower girls they got in but Kyu-won was chosen to become the understudy if in case the main female lead won’t be able to perform.  Stupid and Windflower were tasked to arrange the music for the production so that means more time for Kyu-won and Lee Shin to be together.  Just when Kyu-won was almost giving up to her one sided love with Lee Shin, my boyfriend realized her existence and commanded her initially not to stop liking him.  Kyu-won’s pride was hurt and rejected the love she was wishing to have, but when Lee Shin attempted to win her heart again in “the stars are witness” kind of persuasion, the love bound couple together created heart fluttering TV memories when they finally acknowledged each other.

The conflicts were simple, but the characters were charming and refreshing hence anyone who has watched it have eventually became addicted.  Living up to its title, it was not just stringed with love but brimming with romance.  Lee Shin haunted me sweetly in my dreams and has caused me to ditch a day at work, and who wouldn’t?  A sight of a boy playing his guitar and singing like Apollo was just too much for a woman.

You’ve Fallen For Me didn’t have an intellect stimulating kind of vibe, it’s a comfort food kind of drama that you always get when you are suffering for some kind of emotional concern you can’t provide a name for.  *wink  This has been one of the best young romance I’ve seen mainly because Lee Shin and Kyu-won has achieved a chemistry that was so heartfelt you get to remember the first time you ever have that loving feeling.

The Phantom of the Cyberworld Opera

There were no guns triggered… no swords drawn… it was a battle between heroes and villains equipped with digital powers. It was an enthralling power game that involved, system hacking, all-knowing CCTV cameras, secret bugging, and heroes and villains almost equally genius to take one step ahead of each other.

 

Ghost/Phantom broke my love drama binge 360 degrees and I was left dumbstruck and on a cliff hanging state all throughout the series. I was like in a trampoline were I was bouncing up and down without the rush hitting the bottom level.

 

I knew how powerful technological breakthroughs are, and seeing it in detail made me yearn to have the best hacker in the world as a boyfriend. *giggles

 

Park Gi Yong and Kim Woo Hyun were bestfriends when they entered the police academy. But when Park Gi Young in his curious playful self used a virus to steal in random emails in the academy, he accidentally retrieved an email about a chaebol group involvement to public funds slush. He confronted Woo-hyun’s father who was then a high-ranked police officer, but was left to be silent about his discovery. His faith in the academy wavered and left his friend and his once dream to become a police.

 

Years later Kim Woo Hyun emerged as the leader of the cyberspace police investigation team. When a rising actress was found dead, the team connected her apparent death to the hacker they were tailing – Hades. Woo-hyun successfully tracked Hades and was surprised to see his old friend. Gi Young explained that he didn’t kill the actress and was able to escape his friend in that encounter.

 

He tried to look for links to find proof to what happened to the actress only to find out a video where he saw his friend and an old man dying after drinking a poisoned wine. He confronted Woo Hyun about what he saw and in exchange of principles and truth, they were halted by a big explosion causing Woo Hyun’s death. Gi Young survived and with the help of Woo Hyun’s girlfriday, Yoo Kang Mi, he assumed his identity in a quest to reveal and avenge the demise of his best friend.

 

Ghost/Phantom will hold your interest in a very gripping fashion. The cunning powerplays and counter measures were ever present to the story as it progressed. The brilliantly done ending emancipated the withheld secrets that were carefully and nifty hidden so as to achieve a closure befitting of this cyberworld investigating drama classic.

 Be prepared to be stimulated and trust me there will be no give-aways here… so you cannot defocus less you will be lost to the story.

 

The right amount of wit and the exemplary plot pulled a lot of “omg-they-really-can-hack-that-moments” in me… I knew technological advancements are dangerous if used for evil reasons, but the extent of how it can be destructive in our digital world was scary worth of 10 Voldemorts.

 

The showdown between the shrewd villain operating in a Lord Sith kind of persona and the computer geek Gi Young was like a chess game… and they have utilized their pawns to their advantage very well — that being said I love the villain here because to the very end he was cunningly and smartly vile, but of course the main character along with the cyberworld investigating team rocked big time in a thrilling sprint overcoming the dead ends.

 

The race on who gets to maneuver efficiently the power of the computers will earn the opposing team an instant digital karma so all the while, the villains and heroes have worked double time to raise the bar in outwitting one another.

 

If you want a breather from rom-coms, this cyber crime drama should be on your list. The dexterous cast and perceptive plot will take you all the way to an exciting oblivion where you will feel like you are also part of this buffed cyberspace police officers. –jediprincess ^_^

 

 

 

 

The Best Blow-up F4 Ever

From the production team that brought Secret Garden, City Hall and Lovers in Paris comes an addictive, relationship contemplating rom-com drama in a Sex and the City male version vibe.  The quirky and engaging cast and the quaint story made me a doper of the best F4, blow up middle-aged-hotties F4, that graced the kdramaland.

These quadruplet 40+ men grew up as friends since Highschool and nurtured their friendship since then.  The morning breakfast forums, the constant cover ups to survive the feisty wife, the one-sided love, the mischievous-kiss-may-december-love-affair, the now-we-break-up-tomorrow-we’ll-get-back relationship, the opening hilarious anecdotes, the sweetest, heart-wrenching love declarations and love-believe-me’s, and the bromance were some of the reasons why this would be my “MUST-WATCH ROMANCE DRAMA” this year.

Every episode was humor and wit overload.  Each character can stand alone and has his own remembering note.  All throughout there was never a dull moment.  It was exceptionally comic when the four main leads do their antics and so heartfelt when the scenes require them to tap on their emotions.

The female leads have played their part so well complementing the different personas of the four princes.

Kim Do Jin and So Yi Seo

The smooth alpha playboy who vowed not to be married because he can’t love only one woman in his life met his match alongside two declarations of love that were not meant for him.  Do-jin oppa was a classic example of an alpha-playboy and has won me over with how he can assess when he needed to be a knight in a shining armor, and when he can disregard someone because she already stepped on his mark as a man.  The one-sided love that eventually became two-sided was a fetching tale and a reminder that love just happens, and it will change you and your life overnight.

Choi Yoon and Im Me Ah Ri

The you-and-me-against-my-brother-who-is-your-bestfriend love affair was worth the wait when they eventually claimed what was rightfully theirs.  It was a long ride and if not for Me Ah Ri’s persistent and lovable bratty princess attitude, I would have been annoyed, but what made their tandem charming was her non-restrained “i-love-you-you-belong-to-me” attitude which warmed the cold widowed snd friendship bound heart of Yoon oppa.

Lee Jung Rok and Park Min Sook

They are my favorite husband-and-wife this year so far.  The playboy-of-them-all who occasionally hides his wedding ring when there’s a hot girl in a meter radius has always made me laugh big time whenever he faces his wife in a My-Wife-is-a-Gangster mode.  Jung Rok oppa was the stimulus of most of the laughter in this drama and how his friends would cover up for his womanizing was so fun to watch.  I would have wished for more of their marriage cute quarrels but I deem they have the most out of their screen time to be remembered well.

Im Tae San and Hong Se Ra

Tae San oppa was your typical good boy playboy… he plays but he knows when to stop.  He was ever reliable, nice and protective.  His relationship with a woman who was afraid of settling down and their love fights along the way presented what most middle-age relationship are… leading to marriage or forever single life.  Their pairing up solidified the main love plot, in fact the characters they played were the tying knot of the drama.

A Gentleman’s Dignity’s cast achieved a chemistry that was able to sustain and balance four love stories tied by love and friendship.   At first I was crossed between Yoon oppa and Do Jin oppa but then eventually I became too greedy I vouched for the whole set.   It was laid unpretentiously, realistically and happily.   So there if you want to make a drama in a real world setting, you have to put real life events, if you play with supernatural, you have to make sure that you will take care of all the lose-ends, and will not leave your audience in an annoying jaw-dropping moment.  (*BIG I still hate you).

For a woman’s perspective, I never thought I would enjoy this so much and I felt that even if Jang Dong Gun was the main attraction among the boys, having them all together were the strongest points of the drama.  All four of them were a big pile of mirth and love. 

They say life begins at 40, and these men who were friends since Highschool rocked it.  Having their own stable life, they have to balance personal, family and relationship issues while maintaining the best bromance I’ve seen so far.

The conflicts mainly focused on their finding and keeping love.  Do jin and Yi Soo depicted how sweet a one-sided love can be when it became two-sided.  Yoon and Me Ah Ri defied friendship and age to hold on to each other.  Tae San and Se Ra had a rough ride before they finally realized they belong to each other.  Jung Rok and Min Sook defeated jealousies and discovered that you sometimes have to lose love so that you can find it again. 

 The 20 hours I spent with this drama has made a very jumping on the air happy girl.   The only thing that hindered me from liking Do Jin oppa and eventually erasing Kim Boong-do in my heart is because he looked like a boy I used to date.  *giggles

I have very positive feelings towards this drama.  All those minor so-what-situational-supporting-conflict I just disregarded because the story and the characters have such reverberating resonance that has made me reflect on how I’ve been dealing with my own relationship and commitment issues.  Come to think of it, they made this to make you remember how vulnerable and how defiant you can come after because of love.  This will definitely make it to my top 3 this year.  So I only have one slot left to give.   Come on kdramas indulge me.  –jedipincess ^_^

QUOTES:

 

If you’re not going to sleep with me, don’t flirt.

You do not bait a fish that was already caught.

You forgot a man, with another man.

All break-ups done for another person do not make sense to the person who loved more.

By nature, a man’s first love is always beautiful.

Do you know what words a man can’t say after “iloveyou”?  “I’m sorry.”

Why don’t you let your emotions lead you?  Or the alcohol lead you… or let me lead you?

Do you know how it feels to have someone yesterday and then “you wish you have her” the next day?

 

 

 

 

I do I do… I really Do! ^_^

So what do you do when you are happy living alone with a powerful job and you suddenly got knocked up by a man you never thought of having? 

I do I do was very endearing to watch and for people like me whose emotional involvement can be swayed by our love of our independence, it was a sweet somewhat reality bites nudge. 

A successful shoe designer in a devil-wears-prada-persona lives a very comfortable life but thriving up to the inversely proportional love and work success idea.  She had a one night stand with a man younger than her who in the future ended up working in the shoe company where she also was designing.

 

As the baby grew up in her tummy and so was the realization that the one night that accidentally started it all happened for a reason.

The 7th episode where he drunkenly declared her claiming his virginity in the police station sent me to a laughter spree and the park brainstorming scene was my favorite.

I suffered the second-lead-syndrome all throughout.  How can I not love Dr. Jo In Sung.   That stethoscope-will-you-marry-me scene made me sweetly sigh more than Tae Kang’s song production wedding proposal. 

It was a smooth flowing 16 episodes with the right insertions of peevish soon to be mom who struggled a lot with her emotions and equally disarming male leads whose love runneth over and yet the woman they are wanting to have it don’t know how to reciprocate.  It occasionally have made me asked what I’m going to do if I’m on those situations.   (I bet I will sleep *giggles)  Will I be firm like her?  Will I falter to be rescued?  Will I let fate decide what’s next to happen.

I will just overlook the get married or leave the company taunt by the witch as well as the villainous small deeds to make the lead girl flounder as I deemed Ji An’s personal issues to be the stressor and driving force of the drama, and how she overcame it was the fulfillment.

Ji An presented women with power jobs and how they trudge to decide commiting themselves in a relationship as well as taking the responsibility to become a mother.  Ji An wo confuses romantic relationship to her passion for the craft she worked so hard was able to sustain the pressure in her gracious vulnerability and fierce convictions.  The spotlight was on her and she delivered.

I did love the boys here.  They were both worth having in their own ways but at some point both of them displayed vehement adoration that would go either way.  A person loved by someone would always feel grateful about it even if he can’t return it, but you have to know when to stop and when it’s enough.  The main male lead I understand was still lacking maturity in so many ways that he didn’t win me over right away.  I expected him to show an overnight “ownership”, it did but not so very firm.  An age difference in a relationship doesn’t matter if you know how to claim that person…  If you settle to insecurities that you are still lacking and you have nothing to offer to that someone then you will lose. 

 

It was a character driven film and I liked that it concluded with Ji An’s arising to accept fully the decision she was apprehensive before… that is to be a mother and to be in someone’s arms.

I say this is a passing drama, nice to watch when you are doing it, but is forgettable.   It was a story of a love that you can almost have, but you can’t have because life intervenes and throws in circumstances were you have to decide if it really matters.  But if you did bravely choose, you’ll learn that an ALMOST LOVE is one of the sweetest love… you can have and you will have.

seoul short stop 2013

Here’s the facebook images link for my sweet quick tour at Seoul… ^_^

Seoul 2013

Heart-warming Lenten Movie Pills

It’s Lenten week, so it means… it’s gonna be a looong weekend, and while I am grumpy about the delay on my passport, I am preparing my favorite heartwarming movies for my movie marathon in the next two days, and I’m sharing you some of the best heart-tugging, feel-good and love and life affirming films that you can share with your family if you would be staying home over the holidays.

Oscar’s Movie Spree: Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beasts of the Southern Wild disheartened me with the premise it presented but won me over with the lead little girl’s portrayal.  Her intuitive role carried the heart-wrenching tale of a young girl, Hushpuppy, living with her temperamental and dying father thriving in a small community away from the modern world.  Putting Hushpuppy’s world into a film, had me on pensive mood after, because the bareness, and the story’s conflicts were told from a young girl’s perception making it so emotionally evoking.  An unpolished and genius story, you will be immersed watching this little girl’s under-ordinary-inner-and-outside world.

Oscar’s 2013 Movie Spree: Django Unchained

Django Unchained  is cheeky, violent, but interestingly amusing.  Tarantino’s tailored cleverness stretches all throughout the movie.  It tackled black slavery pre-American-civil-war in a brazen way courtesy of a dauntless bounty-hunter and an equally intrepid black slave he helped to be freed.  Clearly narrated with ostensively riveting characters and OMG-that’s-bloody scenes, Django has so far satisfied my curiousity amongst the 2013 Oscar Contenders.  I liked the music, the cinematography and the twisted-Leo-DiCaprio-dressed-like-Rhett-Butler.  And of course I liked that Django got his ever-after.  *chuckles

P.S  not suitable for tweens below 15 though