TV Drama Review #178 - Terroir 泰勒瓦

No.of Epis: 20
Year/TV Station: 2008-2009/SBS
Cast:
Kim Joo Hyuk ~ Kang Tae Min
Han Hye Jin ~ Lee Woo Joo
Ki Tae Young ~ Joy (Jo Yi) Park
Yoo Sun ~ Ahn Ji Seon
Synopsis: (edited from SBS global site)
When Tae Min was young, his uncle took him to France and let him explore himself in the world of wines. It’s there that he met Ji Seon, who was adopted, and Tae Min feels his wounds healing with the help of Ji Seon and the wine. One day, Tae Min leaves for Bordeaux, France to grant the long-cherished wishes of Mir Trading President Yang Seung Geol and his uncle who is now in the final stages of his cancer. Their wish is to taste the 1945 bottle of Chateau Mouton Mayer. Meanwhile, Lee Woo Joo was raised by her grandparents in a traditional Korean winery called Nancho. She decides to leave for France after her boyfriend studying abroad in France hasn’t called her for a year. At last, Tae Min gets his hands on the wine, but the bottle ends up being switched with Woo Joo's raspberry wine. Tae Min reveals that he lost the bottle and President Yang thinks that he hid the wine from him and begin to be suspicious of him. Later, Tae Min's uncle passed away and Tae Min receives Nancho from his uncle's will.
Woo Joo's grandfather has to move out and Tae Min changes Nancho to Terroir, a western restaurant. Tae Min couldn't buy any wine as President Yang gets into his way, while Woo Joo constantly bickers with him. Woo Joo gets acquainted with Joy Park, who happens to be responsible for Tae Min's parents' deaths...
Slacker's review:
Terroir is one typical Korean romance drama which features red wine has its central theme. This is the 1st Kr drama to feature red wine, but the plot was really standard, u can guess what happens next and there's no twists. Well, the drama had lots of backstabbing from Yang and his employee who didn't want to see Tae Min succeed. Also, there's the typical love triangle b/w Tae Min, Ji Seon & Woo Joo, plus Tae Min, Woo Joo and Joy. And, there's the cliche plot of grandson working against grandfather. Although the the flow of the drama was expected, it's still watchable as a whole, as I was really curious how Tae Min would fall for Woo Joo. Hehe!
It has been a long time since I last saw Kim Joo Hyuk in "Lovers in Prague" and "Love Me Not". I really liked his performance and he didn't make me disappointed in "Terroir" as well. TM may seemed to be strong and confident on the outside, but he can be pretty weak inside. Initially, I like how arrogant TM was...but I didn't like how he reacted as the drama moved on, especially how he handled his relationship. But I thought this wld make TM a more realistic person as nobody is perfect in real life. Chemistry with Hye Jin was great, and with Yoo Sun too.
I think I havent watch Han Hye Jin's previous works before, though I watched some parts of "Jumong". Anyway, I liked HHJ's portrayal as Woo Joo. I like her short hair cut (made her looked younger) and she's always cheerful, before her relationship with Tae Min became closer. Also, I like HHJ's scenes when she learnt about red wines, and when she's competing with other pros in a competition.
Long time didn't see Yoo Seon...and she's quite a veteran actress la. Nice performance from her. Ji Seon was quite a pitiful character here, so u can't hate her though she wasn't nice to Woo Joo after she knew what happened b/w WJ & TM. Luckily, Ji Seon did end up with somebody in the end. **Happy**
Joy Park...another sad character. Nice to Ki Tae Young again (he was in "Star's Lover" too..) and in this drama, he's finally a support lead. I bet nobody will dislike Joy till he turned bad. Perhaps even some of you wld want WJ to end up with him. He's such a nice guy, but the closest ppl beside him could'nt forgive him for what he did. That made him guilty and sad for so many yrs, and finally...he walked to the wrong path and nearly did the wrong things. Like Ji Seon, I didn't dislike this guy though he nearly ruined TM and his grandpa. Well, KTY's performance was quite good la, as compared to his character in "Star's Lover". I liked to see him with HHJ too, nice chemistry.
Support cast was not bad, though WJ's aunt was rather annoying. The chef was quite a funny fella la. Didn't like the restaurant manager as well....she's always picking on WJ! Haha!
OST was alright, there are some nice insert songs. Can't rmb much of the instrumentals ne...

TV Drama Review #177 - Star's Lover 明星的恋人

No.of Epis: 20
Year/TV Station: 2008-2009/SBS
Cast:
Choi Ji Woo ~ Lee Ma Ri
Yoo Ji Tae ~ Kim Chul Soo
Lee Ki Woo ~ Jung Woo Jin
Cha Ye Ryun ~ Choi Eun Young
Synopsis:
Lee Ma Ri is a beautiful and successful actress who is considered as the No. 1 actress of Korea. However, Ma Ri always thinks that dating man is a game. Dating will be over once the marriage proposal is given to her. When a diamond ring appears, she will gets up and leaves without looking back.
Even so, there was once a sincere love for Ma Ri too. Ma Ri’s first love Woo Jin, who has mysteriously disappeared.
Ma Ri later meets Kim Chul Soo, who's an postgraduate of Korean literature giving lectures in the university. Chul Soo is hired by Ma Ri's manager to be the ghostwriter of her travel book. Although Chul Soo is reluctant to do it, he finally agrees to the proposal as he needs money. Chul Soo meets his ex girlfriend & colleague Eun Young in Japan...and the two got together again, despite Chul Soo starts feeling something for Ma Ri.
Ma Ri's ex boyfriend Son Ha Young, who's the heir of a chaebol family wants to get back with her, and makes a bet with his cousin Jung Woo Jin. If Woo Jin can make Ma Ri accepts his ring, he would return to his family business. Woo Jin falls for Ma Ri after reading her book, and they had actually meet before when they were young.
Slacker's review:
"Star's Lover" didn't do well in Korea's TV ratings, and some said it was tailor made for Japanese viewers. Personally, I didn't really know the direction of the plot. It's not those normal superstar falls in love with a commoner story, like Full House. SL is a romance story filled with literature aura. The pace of the drama wasn't that fast, but the front part of the drama was rather calm and serene to me. (Maybe it's becoz' they filmed in Japan? haha!) I didn't really like how the story turned out towards the end. Ma Ri became a "toy" between the men- her crazy manager, Woo Jin the CEO and Chul Soo. In the end, the plot was quite standard, we get to see how the couple worked their way out, despite the bad situation they were in. Also, there were lots of crying scenes from the actresses. Lolz...How i wish they wld be a little stronger? All in all, I think it's nice to watch a pure romance story thesedays from the K drama scene. (There's too many occupational-themed and family dramas.)
Choi Ji Woo didn't impressed me much in "Air City", though I really liked her as a confident career woman. In SL, she's really excellent in portraying her role as the top star. You might think it's easy for her to act as herself, but I think she had to put in the effort to act as another top star. (At least, I am not seeing CJW acting as "CJW" but Lee Ma Ri.) I really liked LMR's elegance, and her cheeky way of dealing her bfs. I like how she made fun of Chul Soo when they were in Japan, and how they fell deeply in love. She did looked pitiful when the two broke up, but the feeling was different compared to her role in "Winter Sonata". CJW's chemistry with YJT was perfect. I liked their scenes together, they're really natural & comfortable with each other, even their kissing scenes were filled with emotions.
First time watching Yoo Ji Tae on the small screen. He's more well-known for being a movie actor. YJT got that studious look, so I think he's very suitable for the role of Chul Soo. Actually CS seemed to be quite a boring man initially, but thanks to MR, I think we got to see the hidden characteristics of CS. CS was very closed to her sis who's sick, and we saw his hatred towards his mum who abandoned them. CS got another r/s line with Eun Young...I didn't really like them being together, but I was glad that EY wasn't made a bad person like the normal support female lead. Their r/s was sad as well, and it's quite obvious that nothing wld turn out in the end.
Cha Ye Ryun...has improved alot since I last saw her in "Bad Love". Eun Young was quite a sad character in the drama...she ended up with nobody, though she helped CS alot. I like how CYR showed her emotions. Her expressions were great too...much gentler compared to her role in "Bad Love".
Nice to see Lee Ki Woo again, but I didn't like his performance this time round. He seemed to be very stiff in the drama...and his expressions were kinda woody too. WJ knew MR when he's a kid, and his name was similar to MR's first love. So, there's some kind of bond b/w them even b4 they really know each other. I thought that part was great, but what WJ did afterwards was not very impressive. Sometimes I wondered if WJ really likes MR, or he just wanna possess her.
I like the other couple - Chang Soo (Lee Joon Hyuk) & Yu Ri (Shim Eun Jin). They were quite funny actually. (Though Chang Soo was quite annoying when he's MR's bodyguard.) MR's manager Seo Tae Suk was the most irritating character, butta I gotta give thumbsup to the actor. The way Seo speaks just gave me goosebumps. Hahaha!
There is one similarity b/w the 4 main cast, and that is.....they are all very tall!!!! Hahaha! I bet CJW must be very happy as she can wear her heels...lolz!
There were also some famous cameos in the drama, and most of them acted as MR's ex boyfriends. They were Shin Hyun Joon, Ji Jin Hee, Kim Ji Suk and Lee Dong Gun (he's related to EY.)
SL's OST has nice instrumentals...songs were alright though as they were quite forgettable.

TV Drama Review #173 - General Hospital 2 综合医院2

No.of Epis: 17
Year/TV Station: 2008-2009/MBC
Cast:
Lee Jae Ryong ~ Kim Do Hoon
Cha Tae Hyun ~ Choi Jin Sang
Kim Jung Eun ~ Jung Ha Yoon
Ryu Jin ~ Baek Hyun Woo
Lee Jong Won ~ Han Ki Tae
Go Joon Hee ~ Kang Eun Ji
Do Ji Won ~ Song Hye Soo
Synopsis:
Ha Yoon passed the bar examination so that she could become a lawyer who helps patients in malpractice cases. She decides to join a residency after she completes her internship. She meets Choi Jin Sang, who's famous for creating trouble. Though Jin Sang lacks in every way as a doctor, he makes the effort to help his patients. Hyun Woo is the total opposite of Jin Sang. He's the top student in medical school, and Prof Han recruited him to join his medical research team. He's mature and understanding, while Jin Sang is childish and can be annoying at times. Ha Yoon also created lots of problems as she has been critical towards doctors who compromised their values.
Eun Ji is Jin Sang's good friend and she has a crush on him. Later on, she starts to worry as Jin Sang and Ha Yoon keep getting into petty arguments. Do Hoon and Ki Tae are the staff docs in General Surgery dept. Ki Tae seems to be glamourous as he's famous while Do Hoon is more down-to-earth. Both of them do not seem to work quite well with each other, as they think and do things differently. And, Ki Tae used to like Dr. Song, the E.R dept staff, who has been in love with Kim for 10 yrs.
Slacker's review:
GS 2 is the sequel of "General Hospital" which was aired 14 yrs ago. I didn't watch GS, but the sequel's plot was not linked to it. The veteran cast like Lee Jae Ryong and some other support cast were from GS though. I haven't enjoyed a medical series after "Surgeon BDH", and I thought GS 2 was not bad, though romance was nt the big focus here. The main plot focused on individual struggles of the interns/docs. We got to see the resident docs overcoming their problems, like the minor errors which cld worsen the condition of the patients, deaths of patients etc. Also, the plot also touched on individual stories of the patients. Plus, the position of hospital/docs vs patients & families. That's typically the main plot of every medical drama. I didn't like how they let Kim kena cancer towards the end of the drama. Ya he didn't die, but the concept was overused. (We need more creativity)
So, what's interesting was KJE's Ha Yoon. She shld be a lawyer focusing on medical malpractice, thus her position and background really let her caused lots of problems here. U might find Ha Yoon annoying as she always stood from the patients' pt of view, but sometimes she didn't know that "justice" can backfire too. I like her scenes with Jin Sang & Hyun Woo. They were like the "3 musketeers" in the dept. Hahaha. Of coz, many ppl wld think that Jin Sang wld end up with Ha Yoon....err...That's nt the case here. Ha Yoon ended up with Hyun Woo!!! Yeahh! Finally Ryu Jin's character got the girl! lolz! I really like this couple...Hyun Woo was always there for Ha Yoon...he supported and trusted her. Jin Sang was actually quite a nice guy too, but he's always slower than Hyun Woo la. I liked how Ha Yoon always called Jin Sang "Tehji" (pig in korean)....it was just so cute for Ha Yoon to do that. So, how's KJE's performance??? I really liked it! She's no longer the "sha da jie" in her previous dramas. She looked younger here, more professional and serious. Ha Yoon is a character who changed slowly and realised her passion to become a doctor; she used to hate docs becoz' of the incident of her dad but now she has decided to be a doc to prevent such things to happen again.
CTH is not a young lad anymore, but he looked so chubby and young here! His scenes brought me lots of laughter, and of coz...lots of worries as he kept getting into trouble. Lolz! So, u know how proud he was when he was the 1st resident doc to complete a surgery at the end of the show. Hehehe! I missed his cow mooing ringtone and seeing him drinking his milk. Haha!
Very glad to see RJ, who's quite underrated in a fairly impt character. I guessed the biggest obstacle for Hyun Woo was Prof Han. Hyun Woo is nt a fella who simply follow orders, though he seemed to be more obedient as compared to Ha Yoon and Jin Sang. Luckily the screenwriter didn't make him into a proud and arrogant fella. HW was interested in Ha Yoon from the start of the drama, and I was hoping for more developments b/w them. But, that only happened in the last few epis...too little la! And Ha Yoon seemed to like Prof Kim...but it's not really obvious. Maybe the "liking" has nothing to do with romace...and Ha Yoon also knew that Dr. Song liked Kim...no chance ne.
It's a pity tt Go Joon Hee didn't get much scenes, as compared to other support cast. I thought that they shld developed abit more on Eun Ji's r/s with Jin Sang. There's no scene to show that the two were together, but I think Jin Sang was probably fine with the idea. Lolz!
The other cast like LJR, LJW, DJW etc did a gd job in portraying senior doctors and their professionalism. Of coz...handling the rookies wasn't an easy task. Lolz. I like the "wedding" scene of Prof Kim and Dr. Song...it was really a touching moment.
OST was alright, nice insert songs like "Pastel Smile" by Song Hee Ran & Kim Bum Soo's "Desire".
I think they are clearing the old characters from GS to make way for new cast for the upcoming GS 3 in yrs time. Hopefully I wld get to see the current cast in the next sequel too.

TV Drama Review #171 - Iljimae 一枝梅

No.of epis: 20
Year/TV Station: 2008/SBS
Cast:
Lee Jun Ki ~ Iljimae / Yong / Lee Geom
Han Hyo Joo ~ Byun Eun Chae
Lee Young Ah ~ Bong Soon
Park Shi Hoo ~ Byun Shi Hoo / Ja Dol
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Set during the Joseon Dynasty, Yong is a useless gangster in the marketplace by day but at night he is a chivalrous robber who robs corrupt government officials to give to the poor. After each robbery he leaves behind a painting of a wooden branch from a plum tree at the site. The poor citizens only know him as Iljimae. Bong Soon is a hilarious girl with good martial art skills and lives as a swindler. She only loves Yong and sacrifices her whole life for him. Eun Chae is government official Byun Shik's daughter and is good in nature and usually helps miserable people. She meets Iljimae once by chance, and their sweet love story begins. However, her love puts Iljimae in a dangerous situation as Shi Hoo, her half-brother and imperial guard, decides to catch Iljimae by himself.
Slacker's review:
Actually I had no plans to catch "Iljimae" at all. So I thought why not just give it a try? The first few epis when the characters were kids were really exciting. (Surprised...) I was very curious what wld happen to Lee Geom etc. But as soon as Lee Jun Ki appeared, the excitement just died out. Lolz...it's not that LJK's acting sucks, but as Yong became a gangster, the usual storyline sets in and it's back to a typical korean sageuk drama. SBS's version of "Iljimae" was a made-up plot. (MBC's upcoming "The Return of Iljimae" is based on the manhwa version.) Also, Chinese has her own version of "Yi Zhi Mei", so I am quite curious which is the real version. Haha! Back to "Iljimae", development of the drama was pretty predictable. One big attraction for me was to catch Park Shi Hoo. (Hehehe...) Shi Hoo's parents adopted Yong, who actually was Shi Hoo's blood-related half brother. Their relationship seemed complicated, but I thought that was interesting as this unknown relationship wld determine their fates later on. Meanwhile, Bong Soon was raised up by the killer who murdered her family. Bong Soon thought Geom was dead, but later on she realised Yong was Geom! Before that she used to bicker with Yong alot, but once she knew his real identity, her feelings for Yong changed. (I am sad she didn't end up with him in the end, as she couldn't face her "father" anymore.) I always wondered if Shi Hoo liked Eun Chae as a woman. He's always concerned abt her safety, and was even willing to cut his own little finger instead of Eun Chae's. But somehow, I didn't feel his intense feeling for her. (It seemed that he treated her more like his sister and he didn't even say gdbye to her before she left for Jeju. ) As for Yong and Eun Chae, they were just not meant to be la...(and actually they didn't share lots of scenes together...this is a guys' show afterall.)
Lee Jun Ki...he's not bad, but I didn't like his gangster scenes, as he's quite exaggerating & lame. Hahaha! (Just boring to me...let me see him in action will do.) He did really well in his emotional scenes though...like when his sis was hanged in public. Yong felt so helpless, but he couldn't let others know he's her bro. He gotta control his tears, and he had tried very hard...and finally, he burst into tears in a safer place. Also, other scenes like when he finally regained his memory-he rmbed how his father was killed and how his mum was humiliated in public; when his adoptive father was killed due to torture etc. As for when he's Iljimae, I think he's quite good in his action scenes too.
Park Shi Hoo's acting skills definitely needs to polish up. He seemed to be expressionless most of the time, but I believed it's becoz Shi Hoo (the character) himself was a pathetic fella. He grew up being bullied by his "half-bro" all the time, and his stepparents were not nice to him. Only Eun Chae viewed him as a family member. He's hatred for his birth-mum was understandable. I liked his scenes with his "birth-dad", though they hardly talked much. His action scenes were nicely done though...and I really liked how he killed the baddie in a single and powerful stroke.
Lee Young Ah!!! She's just so cheerful here. Finally she cld speak normally as I had heard too much of her accented korean in "Golden Bride". Hahaha! Well, I wouldn't say her chemistry with LJK was great, but with Bong Soon ard, the mood wld just lighten up.
First time watching Han Hyo Joo, the female lead here. Her performance was pretty gd, though nothing challenging for her to act as a official's daughter. Liked her scenes with LJK...they had gd chemistry. Just see them sitting on the plum tree branch..hehe! Though Eun Chae was very kind-hearted and graceful, I liked how she stood up for the poor and worked against her father & supported Iljimae. I am wondering if Eun Chae knew Yong was Iljimae...I am not quite sure myself, but I think she knew Iljimae is Geom...
There were some flaws towards the end of the drama...the last epi was actually rather rushed. Yong didn't meet his birth mum...and the emperor just went crazy ah. (He shld be killed man!)
Though in the end the 4 characters didn't end up with anyone, I was still quite fine with the ending.
Park Hyo Shin's "Hwashin (Flower Letters)" was really a nice song. Instrumentals were nice too...like the main title "we ro oon bal ja kook" (the strong instrumental opening/ending) & "maehwa" etc.

TV Drama Review #165 - Worlds Within 他们生活的世界

No.of Epis: 16
Year/TV Station: 2008/KBS
Cast:
Hyun Bin ~ Jung Ji Oh
Song Hye Kyo ~ Joo Joon Young
Uhm Ki Joon ~ Song Gyu Ho
Seo Hyo Rim ~ Jang Hae Jin
Bae Jung Ok ~ Yoon Young
Choi Daniel ~ Yang Soo Kyung
Synopsis: (from KBS World)
Broadcasting station, especially television drama production, is often called as the core of desire and materialism. TV station is the place of envy for many people, but they also criticize it as the place where unethical thoughts are generalized. However, those who work in drama production industry are not different from us; they are common people who need love and care just like others. Most of Korean dramas are focused on family problems and troubled relationships between lovers. However, for the moderners, workplace is where they spend most of their time. If one fails to build decent relationships with others in his workplace, it would be hard to read his life as a success. “Worlds Within” will bring out the stories of the makers of TV dramas; the warm, touching stories of their love and life.
Slacker's review:
This is the 3rd drama of the yr focusing on people working in TV Station, and the background was quite similar to its glamourous cousin "On Air". Well, that's the only simliarity the dramas got, so pls don't compare them coz' they are focusing on different stuffs. While "On Air" touches more on the stuffs needed to be done before and during filming of a drama, "Worlds Within" focused more on the directors who filmed the dramas, and very much less on casting, scriptwriters and rivalry between characters etc.
There are ard 2-3 dramas going on during the drama, but we won't really get a complete pic of them. There are also some focus on the actresses in the drama, like Yoon Young and newbie Hae Jin. Butta, the focus is more on their relationship to the people ard them, and not much on their acting. "Worlds Within" is a character-driven drama, every ep has a theme itself and the two main leads- JO & JY wld each do their narration, if the theme is linked to him or her. To me, it's a romance drama covered by the tv stn theme. From the romance of JO & JY, we get to see how the other couples cope with their own relationships too.
WW might seemed to be a little boring or unexciting to some, mainly because there were the usual shoutings from the ppl and to focus on the "less exciting role of directors" just didnt seemed to be interesting, as compared to actors. I like the execution of the drama, but the problem is WW didn't make me feel "addicted". The plot and cast were good, but something is lacking...perhaps a lack of excitement or anticipation.
Hyun Bin...this guy has improved alot since Sam Soon days. JO is a self-conflicted guy, but that's how the depth of the character comes in. Chemistry with Song Hye Gyo is perfect. I like their little moments together. JY and JO's relationship seemed to be really close to reality. Nobody is perfect, first we get to see JY's flaws, and later on, JO's problems. (Though i think JO's request to break up seemed to be quite cliche).
SHG received some criticisms for not acting well for her role JY. Hmm...I wld say she tried her best, but I felt that the role wasn't suitable for her. She did pretty well in her emotional scenes and scenes with HB, but when it comes to her acting as a director, I just felt something is lacking.
I dunno who Uhm Ki Joon is beforehand. His role GH is not a likeable character...he's proud and aloof, and likes to suan our JO. However, that's pretty much on surface, and the drama didn't really show him in more depth.
Pairing up with UKJ is Seo Hyo Rim, whom I last seen in "In Soon". Hae Jin is quite a bubbly character, she's like a fresh air in the cast. Lolz. Chemistry with UKJ was nt bad...HJ is probably the only person whom GY can open his heart to...and made him willing to fight for her.
Bae Jong Ok! She looked so glamourous here! Totally diff from her role in "my man's woman". I like her proud and confident look. Veteran actress never disappoints us. Yoon Young is also not a very nice character to start with...somehow she didn't seem to be serious to men or r/s. Her pairing with Kim Gab Soo was interesting too. Middle-aged couple sees r/s differently, I like their chemistry too!
Choi Daniel...is probably the only guy whom I didn't like. Firstly, pls go and fix your hair. He's not that bad looking actually. Lolz! His character "Miss Yang" just irritated me on and off. Hahaha! Luckily our JY couldn't bother with him at all. Phew~
OST was not bad, but I cld rmb only the opening and ending theme now. Oh my~
Well, though the ratings is not gd for WW, this is one drama which shows you the other side of the drama production, and how dramas relates to our daily lives in reality. Highly recommended.

TV Drama Review #164 - Painter of the Wind 风之画员

No.of Epis: 20
Year/TV Station: 2008/SBS
Cast:
Moon Geun Young ~ Shin Yoon Bok
Park Shin Yang ~ Kim Hong Do
Moon Chae Won ~ Jeong Hyang
Synopsis: (edited from Dramawiki)
Based on the original novel, Shin Yoon Bok is a talented painter who disguises herself as a boy to search for her father’s murderer and meets a master painter who guided her into being a great painter. Kim Hong Do is the man who teaches Yoon Bok how to paint and they develop a strong friendship of mentor and disciple. Yoon Bok met Jeong Hyang, who is a gisaeng, and often appears in Yoon Bok's painting. They had a rather closed relationship, but Jeong Hyang did not know that Yoon Bok is a girl...
Slacker's review:
Finally, no need to wait any longer for MGY's comeback drama. Yes! She's the little Eun Suk in "Autumn in my Heart". "Painter" is a unique ancient drama, it's not those typical kings/warriors or bandits themed la. But of coz, there's still links with the royal palace & officials, but the leading characters were the painters, who worked in the royal palace. MGY's character is definitely a challenging role for her, but this concept is nothing new if u had watched "Coffee Prince". MGY has to tone down her voice, which sounded alot deeper in the drama, she has to wear man's clothes most of the time, and her expressions when she looked at Jeong Hyang...it's definitely not a "woman" looking at a woman. However, when she got closer to PSY's character, u can see the softness in her eyes. I like how Yoon Bok conversed with Jeong Hyang when they were still curious about each other. Their conversations were a little provocative, but it was done in a very literature way. Lolz! (Actually you won't quite understand it on the surface ba?) U might be thinking that this drama has touched on lesbianism, but that's not really the case.
Speaking of Jeong Hyang, I gotta mention MCW. She's the most promising newbie I had ever seen. And she's a 86er too! (Faints....) Well, she had executed feminnity and some kind of sexiness through Jeong Hyang. Jeong Hyang became defiant when she spoke to the man who wants to control her heart. I like MCW's expressions...distinct and clear.
I am slightly disappointed with PSY's performance. I gotta agree that he's not suitable for saguks. His expressions and the way he speak didnt quite match with the era. Somehow, he reminded me of how he acted in "Money Warfare", especially when he was spoke loudly, or perhaps when he was angry. Kim Ho Dong's role might have been enlarged since they casted PSY, and that means he wouldn't be a second fiddle. So, the focus was not entirely on Yoon Bok, and thus some ppl might think they had changed the plot too much. Hmm..personally I felt that the change is fine, I can accept the development. We can see how Yoon Bok and Ho Dong developed bond and how they depended and encouraged each other to complete their missions. Chemistry wise, PSY and MGY were not too bad, but maybe due to age diff, I think most ppl don't think they matched. On the other hand, MGY & MCW's chemistry were perfect. Hahaha!
I like the execution of the drama, nice sceneries plus paintings, which were brought to life through the hands of the painters. One of my favourite scenes was when Yoon Bok (disguised as a gisaeng) swings with Jeong Hyang on a swing. There were also many funny moments, like when Ho Dong gotta disguised himself as a woman to get into the restricted area where the women bathe.
Nice ending song "Song of the Wind" by ballad prince Jo Sung Mo. The ost is not bad too..
And finally, I thought the ending was perfect.

TV Drama Review #162 - Tazza 老千

No.of Epis: 21
Year/TV Station: 2008/SBS
Cast:
Jang Hyuk ~ Kim Go Ni
Han Ye Seul ~ Lee Nan Sook / Jin Ah
Kim Min Joon ~ Lee Young Min
Kang Sung Yun ~ Mdm. Jung
Synopsis:
Based on the original manhwa, Go Ni is a young man with warm hearted soul and has a natural talent for gambling since his childhood. Both Nan Sook and Young Min have been close friends of Go Ni since young. In an attempt to raise money for his grandmother's surgery, Young Min ends up losing a round of "hwatu" and crosses over to the dark side, working under the ruthless Ah Gwi. Go Ni, who wants to help Young Min, steal his mother's money but lost the money in the end. In the end, he has to fled Busan and found out that his father's death is related to Dae Ho, the man who's like a father to him. Go Ni decided to learn "Hwatu" from a top tazza gambler and plots his revenge. Nan Sook, whose brother is jailed, has to work under Mdm. Jung due to circumstances, and now she works under the same boss with Young Min. Though she still longs for Go Ni, she's no longer the same Nan Sook. Now, with her new name "Jin Ah", she plots traps for her "targets" while she attends university. Go Ni finally met up with Nan Sook and Young Min, but later he finds out that both of them are working under Ah Gwi, the person who caused his father and Dae Ho's death. Later, to help Ah Gwi get rid of Go Ni, Young Min puts Go Ni to jail by framing him for murder.
Slacker's review:
Tazza has a movie version, but the drama is kinda different, with alterations in the plot and addition of new characters. Honestly, I nv expect much from Tazza, the plot and characters didn't have much attractions. I am watching more for the cast....but surprisingly, Tazza's plot was quite cool. The first few epis were like laying the background b/w Go Ni, Nan Sook and Young Min. It might be a little boring, but once they left the "high sch" stage, everything wld be in great pace. I like Young Min's transition...and Kim Min Joon really did a good job. I liked how Young Min struggled with his guilt, and how he decided to go on with his plans without any regrets. I like his scenes vs Jang Hyuk. Go Ni is that kind of character which Jang Hyuk fittted completely. Basically it's nothing new for JH to portray such a character. (I wonder how it wld be if JH acts as Young Min...shld be a different feeling...) I like how Go Ni and his gang outplayed Young Min and Ah Gwi. Just as u thought they were losing, here comes the twist and they won. Cool.
Many ppl criticised Han Ye Seul's acting. I think she's not that bad, but her portrayal of Nan Sook seemed to be abit stiff at times. Nan Sook's expressions kinda limited somehow...not sure is it becoz' of HYS's acting or becoz' the character was supposed to be like this. Her chemistry with JH was average...but I wld think that it's because the relationship b/w the two wasn't really being build upon or given more focus.
Kang Sung Yun's Mdm Jung was good...she had the sexy and seductive look. I like how she did things for Young Min...and how she cried when she read Young Min's letter to her. The final scene was when she shot Ah Gwi..everybody's shocked. I can see how much she wanted Ah Gwi dead. Terrific job KSY!
The other support cast, like Kim Gap Soo's "Ah Gwi", and Son Hyun Joo's "Go Gwang Ryul" did a good job too. You can't flaw these veteran's acting.
Well, I wld recommend this drama to you guys. Don't avoid it becoz' of its genre (gambling & gangsters). The drama will bring u the happy, emotional and sad times between the characters. I really like the ending....very satisfied.

TV Drama Review #160- Beethoven Virus 贝多芬病毒

No.of Epis: 18
Year/TV Station: 2008/MBC
Cast:
Kim Myung Min ~ Kang Gun Woo / Kang Ma-ae (Conductor)
Lee Ji Ah ~ Du Ru Mi (First Vionlinist)
Jang Geun Suk ~ Kang Gun Woo (Trumpeter/Conductor)
Synopsis:
Du Ru Mi is a music graduate who can't find a job and becomes an ordinary office worker in the city council. She's in charge of the city-funded orchestra and they are busy preparing for a concert. Just then, the conductor embezzled the orchestra's funds and the musicians are not paid. The musicians decided to leave and Ru Mi have to re-assemble her orchestra, and she's missing a trumpeter. She finds out that a neighbour cld play the trumpet, and it turns out to be Kang Gun Woo, a policeman. When Gun Woo learns that Ru Mi has invited maestro Kang Gun Woo to be their conductor, he became very angry...
Kang Gun Woo, aka Kang Ma-ae is an elitist and never settles for second best. With an oversized ego, he has a righteous attitude and thinks he’s superior than everyone else. He does not like to socialize with people and he believes that there's a need for talented players in order to give marvellous performances. Thus, he abhors players with mediocre talent and treats them with disdain.
Later,the new orchestra faces lots of problems, while we get to know more about the individual members, plus the love triangle b/w Kang Ma-ae, Gun Woo & Ru Mi.
Slacker's review:
Before BV was aired, the drama was linked to "Nodame Cantabile" as they both were music themed. However, don't expect BV to be like Nodame, coz' they're simply different. Actually I was hoping that BV wld be a more light-hearted drama, but then we know the style of Korean plot, it's not like the Japanese, so no super exaggerating comical stuffs, no silly plots or characters etc. Though BV's theme is refreshing, the typical korean plot just sets in and dragged the drama. We get to see Kang Ma-ae picking on the unprofessional orchestra players one by one. We also know that the orchestra will face lots of problems, from individual problems, to fine-tuning their playing, and the mayor keeps coming up with some trouble, then we have Ru Mi who's deaf at times, and the two Gun Woos who kept arguing with each other, though they also respect & admired each other. Romance took the second seat here, and I think they focus alot more on the two Gun Woos' teacher-student relationship. Somehow, music is more like a backdrop, and I am a little disappointed with that.
Kim Myung Min's performance was actually very good. Kang Ma-ae seems to be a cold-hearted man with little expressions. Personally I find Kang Ma-ae quite a boring character, though we can still see a little emotions underneath his skin. Haha! We get to see how he sees the talented Gun Woo and how he handled Ru Mi's feelings for him. One scene i particuluarly liked was when Kang Ma-ae realised that his music had changed...the internal struggle with himself was nicely done. Honestly, his chemistry with Lee Ji Ah is soso, maybe there's not enough scenes to show more on their relationship and they don't seem quite matched to me. I think KMM had better chemistry with Jang Geun Suk, as Kang Ma-ae valued his disciple alot more.
I didn't watch Lee Ji Ah's first drama "The Legend" which starred Bae Yong Jun. Her performance here was not too bad, but not very spectacular. I think she still has room for improvement. Du Ru Mi is quite a cheerful character initially, but we get to see how she coped with her deafness and how she gathered the new orchestra players who were from all walks of life. We also see a courageous girl who dare to let her feelings known to Kang Ma-ae.
Jang Geun Suk's performance was not bad too, but his character is not that interesting to me. Kang Gun Woo and Nodame shared one similarity - both of them can't read scores. Hahaha! I wonder is it a pure coincidence. Anyway, we get to see him being a trumpeter and a conductor as the same time, it's not an easy task. Well, it's great to see JGS trying new and distinct characters from time to time...shall anticipate his new drama. Hehe!
The support cast did a great job, without them, there wld be no story to tell. Ha! I like that veteran actress who played the cello...(she reminded me the gd old days I had being a cellist. Hehe!) The other main support cast-the flutist, the grandpa who played the Oboe, the other trumpeter and the double bassist were also given the chance to develop their stories.
OST is alright, but I think the drama has not come out with a full classical music ost yet.(Perhaps the music pieces they performed weren't alot...)
Well, it's unfair to compare BV and Nodame Cantabile. BV is a much more serious drama. It's interesting to see unprofessional musicians forming a orchestra, regardless of age, profession etc. However, I gotta admit that I did felt boring as BV progressed. I missed how "Nodame" made classical music so much interesting. I missed how S-oke performed their music pieces and how the drama brought me so much fun.
BV is still a watchable drama, but if you have never watch a music themed drama before, I wld recommend you to watch "Nodame Cantabile" first.

TV Drama Review #153 - Gourmet 食客

No.of Epis: 24
Year/TV Station: 2008/SBS
Cast:
Kim Rae Won ~ Lee Sung Chan
Nam Sang Mi ~ Kim Jin Soo
Kim So Yun ~ Joo Hee
Kwon Oh Joong ~ Oh Bong Joo
Synopsis:
Sung Chan is raised as the son of Oonamjeong’s current executive chef, Chef Oh, alongside with his big brother Bong Joo. Sung Chan and Bong Joo have a good relationship and behave like real brothers. Though Sung Chan lacks proper training, Chef Oh recognises him as a rare talent. Sung Chan meets Jin Soo, who missed a reporter exam and is determined to stay in Seoul and take another exam for another newspaper, and in the interim, she manages to score a job working as a server (in training) at the Oonamjeong. Chef Oh has decided that Sung Chan shld take over the restaurant as he's the real descendant of the imperial chef. This however, enraged Bong Joo who's expected to take over his own father. Later, Sung Chan left the restaurant and started selling his own food on his truck and travelled around the country. Joo Hee, who's Chef Oh's secretary, is romantically linked to Bong Joo, though they didn't date. Joo Hee seems to like Sung Chan too, but she didn't let her feelings be known.
As time passed by, Sung Chan has improved alot on his cooking skills. He decided to represent a company and come face to face with Bong Joo in a competition which requires them to prepare beef...
Slacker's review:
Gourmet is generally a drama about food and cooking. However, there are other sub-plots which make up an impt part of the drama. I enjoyed the scenes on the various competitions held in the drama. They're exciting, and u get to see korean cuisines, and know more stuffs about beef. Lolz..yeah that beef competition was quite intensifying. Now i know it's not that easy to cut various part of the cow meat ah...u have to be careful and accurate. Also, the quality of the cow must be really good in order to get nice marbled beef. I thought this drama's plot is very decent..covering various aspects..like food, restaurant crisis, family relationships, romance etc. Kim Rae Won, finally I am convinced that this guy can act...and he's suited for his role. I used to dislike his acting on emotional scenes etc. This time round, he's alot more natural. But then, romance is not a big highlight in this drama, nothing too emotional and u don't feel the intense emotions b/w the characters. Scenes b/w Sung Chan and Chef Oh were rathering touching, and KRW's performance when Chef Oh passed away was good.
Nam Sang Mi...performance was not bad..without her bickering with Sung Chan I think Gourmet wld be dead serious. Her chemistry with KRW was not bad, but her character Jin Soo was rather plain, not much in-depth developments. Kim So Yun...when will u be a main lead again? She's really really classy here..in her famous office look. Joo Hee is one character who has more developments in terms of romance...I wondered why she didn't tell Sung Chan abt her feelings..she's too reserved. And i wondered about her feelings for Bong Joo. It's not that clear cut.
Kwon Oh Joong...nice performance from him. I really like to see Bong Joo competing with Sung Chan. His chemistry with KSY was alright...maybe if the plot focused a little bit more on them, i think there wld be more sparks la. His emotional scenes were better when Bong Joo faced Chef Oh. He's like a son wanting recognition from his dad, who favoured Sung Chan more.
Thumbs up to the other supporting cast...they're good in providing comical relief from time to time.
There are two osts for Gourmet..but I didn't find the songs very impressive or addictive. KRW did sang a song in the drama too..
And finally, to those who like dramas on food/cooking themes..Gourmet is for you.

TV Drama Review #151 - The Lawyers of the Great Republic of Korea 韩国律师

No.of Epis: 16
Year/TV Station: 2008/MBC
Cast:
Lee Sung Jae ~ Han Min Kook
Lee Soo Kyung ~ Woo Yi Kyung
Ryu Soo Young ~ Byun Hyuk
Han Eun Jung ~ Lee Ae Ri
Synopsis: (edited from MBC Global Media)
Yi Kyung is a secretary at a major law firm when she fell head-over-heels in love with Byun Hyuk, a rising star attorney in the firm. They fell madly in love with each other and ended up living together for three years. However, one day, Byun Hyuk decided to leave her for the States, and all she had left were his law school books. The despaired Yi Kyung studied day and night with Byun Hyuk’s books, and soon passed the bar exam herself. Yi Kyung ends up opening her own tiny office with no employees. Her first task is to represent Han Min Kook, who winds up in a huge divorce lawsuit that could cost him an incredible sum of $100 million dollars. This case also lands Yi Kyung in a funny, cute tale of romance. Meanwhile, the story takes an odd twist when it is discovered that Han Min Kook’s ex-wife, Lee Ae Ri, is Yi Kyung’s good friend, and the lawyer representing Ae Ri is none other than Byun Hyuk himself. At the end of the day, Yi Kyung is left with the challenge of facing a showdown with her friend, Ae Ri, as well as her first love, Byun Hyuk.
Slacker's review:
Honestly, I'm watching this for Ryu Soo Young. Butta, it's a pity that he's not the main lead here, and he didn't get the girl! Arrggh! Actually I thought this drama was average in terms of storyline, but i was impressed by the performance from Lee Sung Jae. (He's more of a movie actor). Initially I didn't like his character HMK..not handsome, the way he speaks just irks me, and he didn't treat AR well etc. However, I gotta admit HMK was a funny fella when he met YK. I like their scenes together. The best scene was when YK said upteen times "YES" to MK's question. Back to the plot, the problem here is it's just simply too plain. We cld already expect what will happen next, and what's the ending. It's just sad that our BH & YK cld only remain as friends. (How i wish they cld end up together!) Just one gd e.g. on how typical the plot was..BH didn't explain why he left YK for the States. Kdrama fans sure can guess he must have left for some gd reasons...(and so he did...to save his dad..)
First time watching Lee Soo Kyung...I thought her performance was alright, nothing too unique or spectacular from her. Her chemistry with LSJ was not bad, but i thought she looked better with RSY. Hehe! Many ppl in soompi commented on how unethical YK was...coz' she shld nt have fall in love with her plaintiff (that's MK). Also, she continued to stay with BH, who's AR's lawyer. Just not quite right. Well, all i cld say is...the storyline still have room for improvement la.
Han Eun Jung..from the day i saw her in "Successful Story of a Bright Girl" up till now..she still hasn't change much, in terms of image, choice of character, acting. AR is not a devilish woman..she's quite pity actually. But i didn't see much improvement from HEJ, perhaps AR did not have much character development ba. I really hope she cld pick something more interesting or daring, and shed her classy rich sexy woman image.
As for RSY...I didn't know why he wanna pick this role. (This role is more suitable for 2nd rate or newbie actors). Well, I like all the scenes b/w BH and YK. Yeah..they quarrelled alot after BH returned to Korea...but i still cld feel the lingering feelings YK had for BH. I am pretty glad that they didnt become dead enemies in the end, but again, if BH had explained why he left her for 6 yrs, YK wld have returned to his side. (That's what YK told him..) Btw, this is the 3rd drama RSY had cooperated with HEJ. Though they didn't end up as a couple here, i thought their chemistry was quite good too.
The ost is quite ok...I like the sub-theme "Home sick" very much. Nice rap & vocal from Pk Herman & Song Ji Eun.
Is this drama worth watching? (that's really hard to say..) I cld only say that it's watchable, but it won't be a must-watch. The storyline is simply too predictable, and the theme of the drama (focused on the divorce case) wasn't interesting from the start.

TV Drama Review #150 - Hometown Legends 传说中的故乡

No.of Epis: 8
Year/TV Station: 2008/KBS
Synopsis/Cast: (edited from Dramawiki)
Epi 1 - Return of the Gumiho
Myung Ok (Park Min Young) & Seo Ok (Kim Ha Eun) find out that their sister In Hong, who is to get married, was dead in the sedan. Soon, they discovered the terrible secret of the females in the Lee Household. The Lee household is said to be cursed by the nine-tailed fox (gumiho), thus they have to check if the females wld turn out to be one. Seo Ok is caught and sacrificed, but she didn't turn out to be a gumiho. Lee Hyo Moon (Kim Tae Ho) finally knows the real reason of killing the gumihos, while Myung Ok, who knows too much of the secret is locked up, and hatred turns her into a gumiho.
Epi 2 - Baby, Let's Go to Cheong Mountain
Dang Gol Ne (Jo Eun Sook) is a sorceress who tells a noblewoman, Yoon (Wang Hee Ji), that in order to save her sick child, Young Hwa (Kim So Hyun), she must feed a baby's liver to Young Hwa. She hires Chun Soo, a man who digs up dead corpses to help her find the liver. The baby's mother realises that she was tricked and goes in search of her baby only to find her child dead. Devastated, she commits suicide. After Young Hwa recovers, strange things start to happen. All this while, the mother's ghost is still searching for her baby.
Epi 3 - Curse of the Sajin Sword
This story portrays the holy 'Sajin Sword' which involves the royal family and has fell twice into war. Yoon In (Choi Soo Jung) is a very resourceful detective who is sent to a village to investigate the death of the blacksmith who made the important Sajin Sword. Moo Ryung (Sa Gang) and Sung Goo (Lee Jung) accompany him on his journey but they soon feel uncomfortable as they found the blackened corpses.
Epi 4 - Ghost Letter
King In Jong (Kim Young Jae) suddenly dies after ruling for nine months. After his death, several deaths occurred. Certain people believe that this incident is similar to a popular ghost story called "The Legend of Seol Gong Chan." The former king's childhood best friend, Sa Hyun (Ahn Jae Mo), is a cold-hearted and righteous prosecutor who tries to figure out the matter of the mysterious deaths.
Epi 5 - Oh Goo the Exorcism
Min Yoo Rim (Lee Young Eun) is a young girl who loves an exorcist, Yoon Ki Joo (Jae Hee). But due to an unfortunate accident, she was hanged. As an exorcist, Ki Joo is able to distinguish between life and death. He arrives at a village in search of Yoo Rim's soul but finds that the village is in need of his help. Just when Ki Joo thought he had lost Yoo Rim, he meets another girl, Lee Chae Ok (Lee Young Eun), who resembles Yoo Rim. Together they try to figure out what is behind the mysterious deaths in the village.
Epi 6 - Gisaeng House Ghost Story
Kim Won Ik (Lee Duk Hwa) and Hyo Rang (Lee Min Woo) are aristocrats who caused the death of a Gisaeng. She comes back from the dead to seek revenge on them. The story is about human greed and violence that emerges from the bottom of one person's fears.
Epi 7 - Demon's Story
The story is about a death messenger (Lee Won Jung) who loses a book containing the names of people who are going to live and die. He enlists the help of a thief to help him steal the book from the governor but things are not as easy as he thought they would be.
Epi 8 - Returning Lady
Soo Yeon (Lee Jin) is married to Jung In (Kang Sun Min) but on their wedding day, she was forced to go to Shimyang. After being held captive, she escapes from the enemies' soldiers and returns to her hometown only to be ignored by her in-laws. Her mother-in-law fabricates a lie saying that Soo Yeon's carrying another man's child in order to throw Soo Yeon out of the house. Soo Yeon returns home only to be poisoned by her illegitimate half-brother and mistress. Soo Yeon and her sister-in-law become vengeful ghosts and seek revenge by seducing men and then killing them. Jung In has become a royal inspector who is assigned to find out the cause of the men's mysterious deaths. However, on the mountain ridge where all these deaths occurred, he sees the ghost of Soo Yeon...
Slacker's review:
This can be seen as the Korean version of "Liao Zhai". Most of the stories are rather sad in nature. However, they are not scary to me la. (Depends on ppl tho.) In fact, epi 7 is quite funny..haha! There are some big names here who u may know, like Park Min Young, Jae Hee, Ahn Jae Mo, Lee Min Woo, Lee Jin & Choi Soo Jung.
My personal favourites are epi 1,2,5,6 & 8. However, i gotta comment that their ghosts are really too pretty and not scary la. If they can build up on the eerie atmosphere and on the ghosts' make up, i think this drama wld be much better.
Well, this drama is quite entertaining, so for ppl who like horror stuffs, don't miss this drama.

TV Drama Review #146 - When It's at Night 每天夜晚

No.of Epis: 17
Year/TV Station: 2008/MBC
Cast:
Kim Sun Ah ~ Heo Cho Hee
Lee Dong Gun ~ Kim Bum Sang
Kim Jung Hwa ~ Wang Joo Hyun
Lee Joo Hyun ~ Kang Shi Wan
Park Ki Woong ~ Heo Kyoon
Synopsis:
Kim Bum Sang is an art scholar who detects forgeries and restores original art pieces. He does not get along with Heo Cho Hee, who is an inspector working for the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea. Bum Sang happened to join the Cultural Heritage Administration and have to work with Cho Hee to solve the cases of stolen cultural artifects. Initially, Cho Hee likes Inspector Kang while Wang Joo Hyun, who's Cho Hee's colleage likes Bum Sang. However, Bum Sang starts to fall for Cho Hee while Cho Hee isn't very sure of her feelings. Just then, several stolen artifacts are returned to the museum, and Cho Hee suspects that her father could be the person behind it. Things got complicated as some other people are also hunting for the treasures while the real person who returns the treasures happens to be...
Slacker's review:
Anticipated KSA's comeback after 3 yrs, but this drama didn't push KSA's career to a new height. Disappointed? A little. Maybe the storyline cld have been better, it somehow seemed plain with the usual cases and there's little excitement. On the official website, KSA's character Cho Hee was mentioned to have natural borned sexiness in her and blah blah...Don't expect that in the drama. Cho Hee was only sexy in her black gown in one of the eps. What a waste?! They cld have made Cho Hee a really sexy lady if they let her wear nicer clothes, and have a better hairstyle. Butta, thank goodness KSA's acting and chemistry with LDG were gd enough to make me continue watching. Honestly, the theme of WIAN is kinda boring. Lots of dealings with stolen artifects and the baddies. I am only interested to see Bum Sang & Cho Hee..hahaha! Quite an interesting pair...a playboy and a rather serious woman. LDG looked tired at times, but still gave a gd performance. Many of a times, Cho Hee kept reminded me of Sam Soon...that's not really gd for KSA, she needs to jump out from Sam Soon's image. There are quite a few memorable scenes b/w Cho Hee & Bum Sang, esp when they were in Japan. Super funny! Love the stolen kisses and hugs scenes too.
KJH was not the 1st choice for her role, but i think she did well la. I don't have much comments abt Joo Hyun since her main purpose here was to provide comedy relief..and Cho Hee's love rival. I hope to see KJH lead a drama next time...she shldn't be a 2nd fiddle anymore! Lee Joo Hyun's TL Kang was alright, nothing too spectacular from him.
OST was alright...the themesong is quite a cheerful one. Sub theme by SG Wannabe is nice too.
Overall, it's still a watchable kdrama and if u're a fan of KSA & LDG, don't miss it!

TV Drama Review #141 - Spotlight 聚光灯

How long? 16 epis
When & which tv stn? 2008/MBC
Who's in?
Ji Jin Hee ~ Oh Tae Suk
Son Yeh Jin ~ Seo Woo Jin
Jo Yoon Hee ~ Chae Myung Eun
Jin Goo ~ Lee Sun Chul
What's it abt? (edited from Soompi)
Seo Woo Jin passed the highly competitive process of joining the news bureau of GBS network to achieve her dream of becoming an anchorwoman. While undergoing the grueling first year as a cub reporter in the society newsdesk, she comes across a few bitter experiences. No matter how hard she works, her Cap, Oh Tae Suk somehow always finds fault with her abilities and it drives Woo Jin into a rage. Woo Jin wanted the prestige of becoming an anchorwoman but through Oh Tae-seok's hard training, she becomes a true journalist. She begins to develop respect for Oh Tae Suk as a mentor and gradually their relationship went deeper.
Love & Hates:
Plot-Spotlight is a rather serious drama. Not abit of romance though there's some ai mei here & there. Well, I am fine with the ending, though i bet many of us wld want something more b/w Woo Jin & Tae Suk. There's hardly any kdrama on news reporter, but there's plenty for jdramas. Personally I think the cases are not tt exciting, thus it can be quite boring for many ppl. Alot of shoutings and scoldings from Tae Suk to their heads etc. Well, it's a nice try from MBC.
Cast- Finally, Ji Jin Hee is back. His performance was great. OTS is a serious fella, but after knowing Woo Jin, I think he sort of did more for this fella. U cld see he cared and concerned more for Woo Jin. Sadly, there isnt much romance scenes, or else i think his chemistry with Son Ye Jin wld be better. Son Ye Jin has tried to shed her "nice & gentle" image in her past few works. Woo Jin is a character without any pretty dresses, or thick makeup. She's kinda "chor lor" and a little bad tempered. Hahaha..nice try SYJ! Her acting is getting better,and her image has toughen up too.
After "Snow White", Jo Yoon Hee seemed to MIA from kdrama. Finally she's back, but with an irritating character, who's the rival of Woo Jin. Didn't like her throughout the drama, but i am glad she has shed her cute girl image..at least Myung Eun is a matured character.
Jin Goo is alright here, his character's development is rather average, but nice chemistry with Son Ye Jin too.
Oh btw, Chae Rim's real brother is in this drama too. Do check him out.
OST-The ending theme and instrumentals hardly made an impression on me. Not much comments.
Worth watching?
I wld recommend to those who like dramas on news anchors or reporters etc. If u dun mind it to be serious & technical..too bad...no romance.

TV Drama Review #136 - Powerful Opponents 强敌们

How long? 16 epis
When & which tv stn? 2008/KBS
Who's in?
Chae Rim ~ Cha Young Jin
Lee Jin Wook ~ Kang Soo Ho
Lee Jong Hyuk ~ Yoo Gwang Pil
Kim Yoo Jung ~ Yoo Koot Nim
Cameo:
Ryu Jin & Han Go Eun - epi 16
What's it abt?
Cha Young Jin is the first female to ever work as a bodyguard in the Presidential residence, Chungwadae. Young Jin has not been in good terms with her partner Yoo Gwang Pil. After their "graduation" from the training school, they were assigned to watch over the president's son, Kang Soo Ho, who's always in some kind of trouble. Later, Young Jin realised that both guys actually know each other for a long time, and the big secret behind the long scars on their back.
Love & Hates:
Plot-It's a refreshing storyline, after a long domination of epic and family dramas in Korea. Basically, the plot first focused on how Young Jin got trained and how she coped with her job, and then the storyline focused more on the secret b/w Gwang Pil and Soo Ho. Of coz, we get to see other stuffs, like Young Jin & her family problems, the funny moments b/w Soo Ho & Young Jin, and how Young Jin & Gwang Pil understood and treasured each other as their partners. The romance factor is here & there, we weren't given a clear ans as in who Young Jin really liked. So it's a long 16 epi guessing game...and sadly, the ending is an opened one. Well, I have always been a YJ-GP shipper, just loved them so much. It has been quite sometime since i last got addicted to a kdrama..hehe! Well, the writers did a gd job in holding the suspense of the secret from the start to the end of the drama. It's not easy as they tried to give out more & more hints slowly as the drama comes to an end. It may be kinda confusing as we wld start guessing what really happened, but that's also one of the reason which kept me glued to the drama.
The only not logical part is why Young Jin didn't realise that she has dropped her pass for so long? I mean those identifications are impt, and she didnt seem to know it until Soo Ho returned to her...aiyo~ abit unrealistic.
Cast-I love Chae Rim. This drama isn't her best in terms of ratings, but I am glad that she's back with a youthful and cute role. She has toned down her voice in the drama la, and toughen her image. I really love her chemistry with Lee Jong Hyuk! Always praying that they wld get together (but it didnt happen...sobbzz). Chae Rim didn't disappoint me in acting, i really enjoyed her performance throughout.
Saying abt the male lead, many wld be rather confused. Who shld be the one? Logically, it shld be Lee Jin Wook, but Lee Jong Hyuk stole his limelight throughout the show. Lee Jong Hyuk's character is rather impt in the drama, and I think overall he had more scenes than Lee Jin Wook. Also, he had more scenes with Chae Rim. Well, Lee Jin Wook finally worked his way up la. I had seen him in a few dramas, think he had improved, but then, I think he need to try something different. I didn't really like his character Soo Ho initially, really irritating. But as he changed to be a better man later, I think LJW did a gd job in the image and personality transition.
Lee Jong Hyuk...my impression of him was stuck to his evil character in "Green Rose". Didn't quite use to his role in "Poweful" initially. However, I began to like him as the show went on. He's really rigid and boring to an extent initially, but thanks to Young Jin, Gwang Pil slowly opened up...LJH's performance was really good. I like his interaction with his child Koot Nim too, there's lots of touching scenes b/w them.
The other supporting cast did a gd job too, esp Young Jin's family. I didn't like Soo Ho's sister since she's the "baddie" in the show.
OST-Lovely themesong!! I like "Keep in Your Heart" so much. Plus, the ost has other nice insert songs like "Come On B.B" by As One, and "To the sky". The ost instrumentals reminded me of other KBS dramas like "Dal Ja Spring" & "Snow White". Great!
Worth watching?
Ah Ching highly recommend to you guys! Hehehe...Ah! I didn't spill any spoilers abt the secret...so do check it out.

TV Drama Review #134 - On Air

How long? 21 epis
When & which tv stn? 2008/SBS
Who's in?
Lee Bum Soo ~ Jang Ki Joon
Kim Ha Neul ~ Oh Seung Ah
Park Yong Ha ~ Lee Kyung Min
Song Yun Ah ~ Seo Young Eun
Ricky Lee Neely ~ Aidan Lee
Han Ye Won ~ Cherry
Cameos: (Total 28...some names not included here)
Kim Sung Min -Epi 20 Kim Jung Eun - Epi 16 Kim Jae Dong - Epi 15
Shin Dong Wook - Epi 14 Song Chang Ui - Epi 11 Lee Seo Jin - Epi 9
Uhm Ji Won - Epi 5 Kang Hye Jung - Epi 5,12 Kim Min Joon - Epi 4
Lee Chun Hee - Epi 3 Jun Hye Bin - Epi 3 Park Si Yeon - Epi 3
Jeon Do Yeon - Epi 2 Lee Hyo Ri - Epi 1 Lee Jae Jin - Epi 1
Others: F.T Island, Hines Ward....
What's it abt? (edited from Soompi)
Top actress Oh Seung Ah refuses to accept the Daesang award at an awards ceremony after finding out that she has to share the award with another artist. In the process, she makes a fool out of Seo Young Eun, who was there to hand out the award. Seo Young-eun is an extremely popular writer who has written dramas that have gained top ratings. But now she feels that there's a need to change. She wants to write a drama series with depth. So she chooses to write about a drama that centres around a woman who only has a mentality of a 7 yr old. To get ideas for her script, she visits a mental institution only to run into Lee Kyung Min, who's a young director. Things didn't go smoothly for Young Eun and Kyung Min as they faced problems with the drama proposal and casting problems, especially when Young Eun knows that Oh Seung Ah would play the main lead in her drama.
Seung Ah feels that she's unable to grow as a serious actress because the CEO of her management company is corrupt and too greedy. She decided to sign a new company and seeks out Jang Ki Joon, who happens to know Seung Ah years ago. Things started to come up with Cherry vying for the main lead position, and who's going to be the male lead. Finally, "Ticket to the Moon" started its overseas filming in Taiwan...
Love & Hates:
Plot-On Air is not really your typical Kdrama. The problems faced during the pre-production of a drama can be quite dry in content, and there's quite alot of quarrellings b/w Young Eun & Seung Ah from the start...plus Cherry. It can be quite tiring to see more problems coming out in the production team. Romnace didn't play a big part during the front part of the drama...gotta wait till the drama is moving to its end...many ppl are wondering who will end up with who? Since there's "ai mei" relationship b/w the 4 of them. Haha...There will be sweet and touching scenes for the romance part, so don't worry. Another thing to note is we get to see another drama in On Air, and that's "Ticket to the Moon"...it's quite interesting to see 戏中戏. I like the story too, it's very touching..(shall not spill too much spoilers here...)
Cast-It's rare to see 4 big names in a drama...and with 28 superstar cameos. They really give face to On Air sia. It's great to see Park Yong Ha again, after the long 6 yrs. Still as boyish looking as ever, and he's acting is great. Initially, I don't think he match with Song Yun Ah (she's older looking..), but luckily their chemistry was pretty good as the drama progressed. May be some of you wld think he shld match with Kim Ha Neul. Not bad too, but then it's very obvious that Kim Ha Neul with end up with our Lee Bum Soo lo. I am totally impressed with Kim Ha Neul. She's so different from her usual character. Seung Ah is one arrogant fella, but you will know why she's like this. She has the "superstar" look, and KHN did very well in portraying this character, plus the role she's acting in "Ticket to the Moon". That one is a challenge, to speak like a kid, expressions and emotions are harder to express. Well, nice performance from her.
Lee Bum Soo is a super nice guy here, kinda missed his character in "Surgeon Bong" now. I like his scenes with Young Eun....they have known each other for so long...know each other so well, the feeling b/w them was very warm. His scenes with Seung Ah is more on a rollercoaster...there are happy and sad times...especially during the ending part. Anyway, he's our happy fella here, cheering and entertaining the production team from time to time.
Many ppl wld buay tahan the way Young Eun speaks throughout the drama. It made Song Yun Ah seemed weird and uncomfortable (with her exaggerating way of speaking..). Well, Young Eun didn't really speak like that throughout la. She has her own story to tell, a divorcee and mum of a kid. She has her unhappy times too...lots of frustrations going on as she wrote her script. We just need sometime to adjust to her acting.
Other cast such as Han Ye Won (from ex girlband Sugar) and another US-kr hunk Ricky did well too. I find Cherry annoying, but without her, who wld spice up the show right? Ricky's scenes were not alot...but then it's still a nice try for a newcomer.
OST-Nice themesong from F.T.Island...and the OST is pretty good. Like the electro violin instrumental "Q".
Worth Watching?
I wld recommend to you guys out there. We can get insights of how a drama is produced, and the hardwork the team puts. And of coz, we get to see great performance from the all star cast & cameos.

TV Drama Review #132 - The Last Scandal of My Life 我人生最后的绯闻

How long? 16 epis
When & which tv stn? 2008/MBC
Who's in?
Choi Jin Shil ~ Hong Sun Hee
Jung Joon Ho ~ Jang Dong Chul/Song Jae Bin
Jung Woong In ~ Jang Dong Hwa
Byun Jung Soo ~ Lee Na Yoon
What's it abt? (edited from Dramawiki)
Hong Sun Hee is a strong, happy-go-lucky housewife who accidentally meets her first love, Jang Dong Chul, again. But now, he's Song Jae Bin, a famous actor. Dong Chul didn't recognise Sun Hee initially as Sun Hee's image is very "auntie" now, with super curly hair, and speaks roughly, which is totally different from the 19 yrs old high sch girl he knew.
Sun Hee is already married to a man who always lands their family in debts, later he decided to divorce Sun Hee and left with another woman. Sun Hee later became the housekeeper for the Jang family, and she's once again closer to both Dong Chul and Dong Hwa.
On the other hand, Dong Chul's ex Lee Na Yoon returned from abroad, and both the Jang brothers are unhappy to see her. She holds the secret abt who's Hoon (Dong Hwa's son) real father...
Love & Hates:
Plot-The storyline is actually rather typical, kinda fairy-tale liked (u can see from the 1st scene la..) However, what makes this drama so addictive is the cast. I think most of you wld know what wld happen as the drama progresses, but the plot makes me excited, esp. scenes b/w Dong Chul & Sun Hee. They are really a hot pair. I like how the drama handles the funny, heartbreaking, happy & touching scenes. The pace is nice too, no draggy stuffs here. I gotta mention the scenes b/w the 2 brothers...i hardly find dramas talking alot on brotherhood...(it's not abt rivalry, but the sacrifice they made without letting the other party know.) Initially, this drama shld have an extension of 4 epis, but they called it off..so it seemed abit rush towards the ending...kinda spoilt the pace somehow, but it's ok. I like how they handled the ending..so touching!
Cast-alright...generally the average age of the cast is older than the others, but that's not a prob at all. Instead, we get solid performances from them. Choi Jin Shil's comeback drama...she has sacrificed her pretty image again for an auntie image...I didn't like her curly hair, but that's ok. Her chemistry with Jung Joon Ho was superb. I really loved all their scenes man! Her acting is natural...and expressive. She's like a big child when she plays with the rest, cried her heart out when she knew abt her husband's affair, hesitated when she gotta go for a date & leaving Dong Chul alone. I hope that she wld find a glamourous role next time, enough of auntie roles liao.
Jung Joon Ho! Watched him in "Princess Lulu"...ok la..but not impressive enough. He's so much better here...a 39 yrs old big kid! He definitely looked so much better & younger here...haha! (superstar mah...) Oh my....he's the new auntie killer now. He's really gd in portraying the cheeky Dong Chul...and how he decided to face the media, telling them his real name & age, and the person he has always loved. (Great charisma!)
Jung Woong In, I really gotta say..i am totally impressed with him...he's such a gd guy here. I had watched him in "Outrageous women"...and i really can't take it...his role was really kns. But here, he's such a caring bro...I am glad i finally can get a better image of him, though i still missed his crazy acting in "O.W". Hahaha! Byun Jung Soo was previously in "What's up fox" & "Bad Couple". Nice performance from her, though I didn't like her character...
Gotta mention the two teens acting as Sun Hee's daughter & Dong Hwa's son...(shall not spill spoilers here...) Haha. They were nt bad...
OST-hmm...how i wish they have nicer songs for the drama...didn't find any catchy songs here though.
Worth watching?
Must-watch! That's all i gotta say....it's really a nice kdrama!

TV Drama Review #123 - Robbers 不汗党

How long? 16 epis
When & which tv stn? 2008/SBS
Who's in?
Jang Hyuk ~ Kwon Oh Joon
Lee Da Hae ~ Jin Dal Rae
Kim Jung Tae ~ Kim Jin Gu
What's it abt?
Kwon Oh Joon is a man whose only talent is to scam women of their money. Jin Dal Rae is a bright and innocent single mother who lives with her daughter and mother-in-law. The two met by an incident where Oh Joon heard that Dal Rae has 30 million won and decided to get close to her. Dal Rae never thought that she would ever fall in love with a scoundrel like Oh Joon, while Oh Joon never thought that he would fall in love with his intended prey.
Kim Jin Gu is a fund manager who graduated from a foreign university. He's inconsiderate towards others; but on the other hand he is a filial son who serves his elderly senile father who lives with him politely. He's been divorced once but even now he still doesn't understand women.
However ever since the day he met Dal Rae, the woman who is lacking in requirements, he often feels discomfort in his heart. This woman really has no foundation. On the contrary she even dares to teach Jin Gu how to calculate. Also, he has learnt how to cope with kids, all thanks to Dal Rae's daughter, Soon Dae.
Things didnt go well for the two when Dal Rae finds out about Oh Joon's motives, and later, Oh Joon's illness.
Love & Hates:
Plot-Idea was refreshing, by having a not-so-ideal character as the lead. But overall, "Robbers" still gave a rather standard storyline, especially with expected twists as the drama went on. Now the hottest topic in Kdrama-Single mum...we have it here, down with illness..we got it too! So, i bet nobody will like Oh Joon from the start...he's not a gd character to start with..full of imperfections etc. He's kinda horrible to some extent...butta, this kind of character will guarantee an interesting development later on. I am fine with the ideal that he became good in the end, that's the miracle of love. The other imperfect character is Jin Gu. Honestly, this character kinda shines in his own way...i thought he's really a pathetic fella man!
Hints abt Oh Joon's sickness actually gave away quite early-horrible nose bleeding. I hoped they cld have come out with something better than that...Ending was really great. Many ppl were anticipating Oh Joon's death, but the PD decided not to show us that...the ending was an open one...no death...dun worry. Haha!
Cast-I watched this for Jang Hyuk and Lee Dal Hae. Seriously, if not for them, I wldnt stayed on watching. Jang Hyuk shed his handsome image in "Thank You", and chose to be Oh Joon...slight long and untidy hair, exaggerated expressions, a liar etc...Quite alot of fighting scenes from him too. He did a pretty good job, portraying the crafty image of Oh Joon, and showing his true emotions when he felt terrible.
Lee Dal Hae shed her usual carefree image and portrayed the life of a single mum and her kinda spoilt child. I loved her interactions with Soon Dae, and I like how she taught Jin Gu to face his ex-wife. Sometimes, her expressions tend to exaggerate, but as she fell into Oh Joon's trap, I got to see fewer cheerful expressions from her. Her character started to suffer with Oh Joon, emotions steered up, because of love, she hated him for lying to her..but because of love, she forgave him, and stood beside him when he's sick. She's tough on the outside, but weak deep inside. (Somehow, Oh Joon is quite similar too..). Honestly, because of Jang Hyuk's image, I didnt find them really matching, but chemistry grew as their relationship got more intense.
Kim Jung Tae...surprised to find such a not handsome guy as support lead initially. But with his character Jin Gu, i sort of understand why. He's perfect for this role. Can u imagine a handsome guy acting as Jin Gu??? haha! His expressions were kinda "blur" intially, because Jin Gu didn't know many things..he's really "dead" (si ban). I had a great laugh when he interacted with Soon Dae! So cute! Btw, I think Pucca will be famous again as it became Jin Gu's soft toy. Haha!
Last but not least...gotta mention Soon dae la...she's adorable, but very spoilt in some ways..like lying on the floor crying...haha! I cld feel the lack of father's love as she's very attached to both Oh Joon and Jin Gu.
OST-Hmm...themesong "Shinhodeng" (Light signals) by Bay, other instrumentals are not bad too.
Worth watching?
Robbers can be classified as a typical k melodrama, but with a different feel. I wld recommend to those who like melodramas la, and those who are Jang Hyuk & Lee Dal Hae's fans. It can be a little boring here and there...but do bear with it..coz' the storyline wld unfold and end in a nice way.