June-July 2017 Korean Drama Reviews July 19, 2017

1. Circle/ Two Worlds

The first drama that I finished watching was “Circle: Two Worlds Connected.” It stars (Yeo Jin-Goo) as Kim Woo-Jin who has a twin Kim Beom-Gyoon who is currently obsessed with finding a woman who he thinks is an alien and Woo-Jin is trying to keep his brother balanced because he just got out of jail. Then the story splits off into the 2037 where there is a detective named Kim Joon-Hyuk who is trying to figure out how to get into this other “world” where there is no crimes and everyone’s emotions are controlled. So the episodes are split into two shared between the present and the future. There is a lot that happens and I don’t want to give anything away because I really liked this drama and I think that it is a worthwhile drama to watch.

I personally love the futuristic shows where you can explore the different situations that aren’t possible right now but I like that it makes you think. It has such an interesting mystery and story line that I was never bored and I felt like I could never get enough because they would split the episodes so it always left me wanting more. I feel like Yeo Jin-Goo is starting to get really popular in drama these days! He has such a low unique voice that makes hims sound so manly! There was also a newcomer (Kong Seung-Yeon) who is Han Jung-Yeon and I recognized her from “We Got Married” and so I was pleasantly surprised with her acting skills and I really enjoyed her performance.

I think that this drama could have done a lot more with it but it only has 12 episodes and I feel like the ending was a bit rushed or unfinished. I have to say I wasn’t that happy with the ending, it felt kinda resolved but I didn’t like the turn of events and wished for a different ending. Overall I think this is one of the best futuristic dramas that I have ever watched. I would recommend this drama I think the acting is perfect and the story is really fun ride to go on!

2. Lookout/The Guardians

The second drama that I finished was “Lookout/The Guardians”. I really wanted to watch this drama because (Lee Si-Young) who played Jo Soo-Ji was starring in it! I really like her from her past works and I think she is really cool and she hasn’t been in much lately. I was also impressed with (Kim Young-Kwang) Jang Do-Han and chose to watch this drama. This drama had 32 episodes but they were half an hour and shown back to back. So basically it still had about the same as usual the 16 episodes. This drama is about trying to fight corruption which is a topic in almost every drama it feels like! Jo Soo-Ji becomes a fugitive and this is her fight to win against the corruption. It also stars Key from Shinee and I have to say I loved his character, he is just so loveable! So this story mixes detectives, prosecutors and politicians.

I think this was a very well done drama and I always enjoyed every episode. I also have to say this drama had an awesome sound track that just fit the episodes and got you really excited. Although the last couple of episodes at the end they played a song and I still haven’t been able to find it! Does anyone know what the song is? I think that this was so interesting trying unweave all the stories of this drama. I have to say that the ending was sad so I warned you! but I would still have watched it even if I had known. It is a thrilling drama series and I think that it will keep you interested. I would recommend this drama if you like this genre, I have to warn you there is very little romance!

I think this drama did okay in the ratings and I think this drama was one that started to gain more viewers as it went along and things started heating up. I have to say the high schooler thing was a bit strange that he could basically fight with adults and do things that are a bit too advanced but I just went with it! Also I found it problematic with Do-Han’s father and what he did, he still isn’t an innocent person in the end. I understand the circumstances but yet not really. For the most part I really enjoyed this drama!

3. My Sassy Girl

The third drama that I finished was My Sassy Girl which is based off of the korean movie with the same title. I have not seen any My Sassy Girl movie or dramas or anything. I had no expectations when coming into this drama although I was expecting it to be good because it seems like that movie gets referenced a lot in other shows. The plot is that it is set in the Joseon Dynasty period and is about Gyun-Woo (Joo-Won) who is a scholar and a Princess who is quite sassy and good and getting into trouble.

Basically it seems to start off with the plot of the movie with this sassy girl causing misunderstandings and making Gyun-Woo’s life hard by getting him involved with her. It seems like at the beginning they did try to make it like the movie but it seems to stray with that and it became a much more serious drama and I found that it lacked the funny story line. Although in the original movie I think what probably worked was that Cha Tae-Hyun Jun Ji-Hyun and exceptional comedy actors and I am sure that is why the movie did so well. On the other handI do not find Joo-Won to be very funny and found him to be kinda bland in this role. I know that it seemed like people were complaining about the princess (Oh Yeon-Soo) and that her acting was to over the top and that she was annoying. I personally didn’t that it was that bad and I didn’t think that was the worst part of the whole drama.

Personally I didn’t really like this drama that much, I mean it wasn’t terrible but I found myself not being very invested emotionally in the drama. There were a lot of emotional type scenes in the drama but I didn’t tear much at all in this drama. I felt very disconnected to the characters and wasn’t that upset about the things that happened. It felt like this was a typical drama and I didn’t feel like anything special or different was brought into it. I didn’t care much for Gyun-Woo’s character it just felt very bland. I also thought the character of the head guard (Jung-Shin) was strange and it was like he was supposed to be part of a very weak love triangle. I had really hoped for more in this drama but in the end it just seemed a bit typical. I think the ratings weren’t bad for this drama so maybe I have become a bit jaded but this drama didn’t do to much for me! Compared to other dramas airing I would choose others to watch.

Dramas that I am watching and plan to watch

1.Queen For Seven Days- This drama from the first moment warns  you that this will not have a happy ending and yet there is a tiny little part of me that is hoping that it won’t end that way!

2. Secret Forest: This drama is again about corruption, prosecutors and detectives. I don’t know why but I like this drama. I don’t always understand everything that is going on and the motives of others but the actors are just so good at playing the characters that I keep coming back for more! It seems like an unlikely drama to pick up but it is really well done so far!

3. Bride Of The Water God: So I have read some of the manhwa and this drama is nothing like it, I wasn’t expecting to be so different from it! I can see fans of the manhwa getting pretty angry over this but I have to say I feel disappointed by this drama so far! I was really expecting something else!

4. The King Who Loves- I feel like this drama is getting the most hype because it stars  Hong Jong-Hyun and Im Yoon-Ah. It is about the Crown Prince, his childhood friend and a beautiful wealthy woman. It is basically about their love triangle. I hope that it won’t be to typical!

5. School 2017- This looks like a typical high school drama but I feel since I have watched the past ones that I will watch this one too!

6. The Man Who Dies To Live: So this is a family comedy drama and it stars Shin Sung Rok which is another reason to check it out! It also stars Choi Min Soo and he comes back from the Middle East to Korea and tries to reconnect with his daughter.

Spring Completed Kdrama Review June 9, 2015

So I think Super Daddy Yeol was a drama that did not get much recognition but I did enjoy the drama. The child actor did a very good job in this drama I was surprised at how well she did in her acting. This was very emotional drama and it played on your heartstrings quite a bit. I can’t say that it was the most satisfying ending but I also wasn’t left anger or the feeling of being upset. With the subject matter I found that their was still a lot of comical and funny parts in this drama. I found it very heartwarming and it was more about family and the happiness which it can provide. I would recommend this drama it was a fun ride!

 

The second drama was The Sensory Couple which was an exhilarating ride. There were so many moments where it got so intense I needed to pause it to catch my breath. I mean people seemed to be very upset with this drama because a lot of things didn’t make sense and sometimes it was just dumb but I still enjoyed this drama. I love a little mystery with my romantic story and this was an excellent mix of a drama. Usually I have no interest in cop dramas but this one felt different because it focused on one crime that they needed to solve and didn’t have like a new crime happening every episode. I felt drawn in and wanted the criminal to be caught so badly. It was a good type of psychological thriller. The love line was not that strong for me and I didn’t quite find it that believable but I still couldn’t stop watching!

The third was Falling For Innocence and again I don’t think this was as popular of a drama. I personally love the medical mystery type dramas with the heart donor has a personality change from the new heart. I found that this drama was a lot more focused on business and their strategies. I didn’t always seem to follow exactly what was happening with the business end but there was still something charming about this drama that made me want to keep watching. Again their is a mystery that needs to be solved and the ending was a sufficient one so I did enjoy this one but it wasn’t one of my favorites. I was hoping for more a emotional or human side to this story.

Lastly there is My Unfortunate Boyfriend. This was a good drama if you just want a feel good story and something that isn’t too intense. I think if you can get past the first two episodes or so the overacting and ridiculousness seems to calm down quite a bit. It was a bit cheesy but I still found it enjoyable and found it still had an interesting storyline that will keep you interested. I also think the ending is interesting but not terribly surprising. Overall kinda predictable and cheesy but still a lot of fun and enjoyable.

Hotaru no Hikari Review July 13, 2014

I felt like watching an older drama and so I chose Hotaru no Hikari which is a Japanese drama from 2007. It is based off of a manga of the same title. The plot of the story is a woman Hotaru is a professional businesswoman at work but when she goes home she is a slob. Her boss comes to live with her and discovers the dishelved messy side of her and tries to help her.

I found this drama to be pretty funny and interesting. I could really relate to Hotaru with just wanting to laze around and have a messy house!!  I found this drama to be fun and lighthearted. I didn’t mind the actor playing Hotaru but I found her love interest to not have that much chemistry and found some things to be a little far-fetched.
 

This series also has a second season called Hotaru Hikari 2 which I found to be not as interesting and would not recommend watching this series if you are not a diehard fan of the first series. 

 I did have to watch it because I needed to see what happened with the characters and so therefore I am still happy that I did watch it!  I became frustrated with the whole plot it was kinda weird with Hotaru being away from him for 3 years and so they are awkward with each other for so long.

I felt that I was waiting so long for them to even just share a kiss! The second series just seemed to be drawn out and it was more boring. The age difference seems like a big hurdle for them because she seems immature for her age and he seems more mature for his age!
 

All in all I would recommend the first season for something fun to watch, but I would just skip the second season if you do not fall in love with the characters.

To The Beautiful You Episode 11 Summary September 29, 2012

 

The eleventh episode starts off with Jae-Hee trying to hold back Tae-Joon because he wants to go talk to Ha-Na about her telling everyone that him and Ha-Na are dating. Jae-Hee also tries to tell Tae-joon that she is a girl but he tells her to tell him later.

Ha-Na is in her car and she is getting lots of phone calls and the director is angry with her announcement. Tae-Joon finds her at her house before she goes in and he tells her that they need to talk he drags her to a cafe. He asks her why she did it and gets angry with her and tells her to stop it. She says she won’t and she gets mad about his relationship with Jae-Hee. Ha-Na asks him if he likes Jae-Hee, he can’t answer so she gives him an ultimatum to date her or kick Jae-Hee out.

Jae-Hee is visiting Sang-Chu and she discusses that Tae-Joon will be angry with her for not telling him that she is a girl and she cries.

Eun-Gyeol is kicking soccer balls, he flashbacks to his time with Jae-Hee and the time he would tell her something after he makes the team. Jae-Hee and Eun-Gyeol meet up walking she asks how the match went and he says good. He asks if she has been crying and she says no.

Jae-Hee goes back to her dorm and it starts raining, she goes out with her umbrella and waits for Tae-Joon. They meet in the rain and they go back to their dorm room and go to bed.

In Ha-Na’s classroom everyone is looking at the tablet and reading the news of Tae-Joon and Ha-Na dating. This spreads to the rest of Korea and to a group of girls protesting their relationship.

Tae-Joon gets a lot of attention with the news of the two dating as he walks down the hallway at school.

Jae-Hee is doing the laundry, she flashbacks to Johnny and he wants to know the answer to his question of them dating. Jae-Hee tells him he has been like a brother to her and he tells her that he knows what she is trying to say. He tells her that he will always be on her side and they end things amiably.

Eun-Gyeol sees her in the laundry room so he puts faces on his sock and does a sock puppet show for her. He joins her and she asks why he wasn’t in class he tells her because he slept it because of the match yesterday. He asks her why she does her laundry everyday and he helps pull out the clothes and notices they are Tae-Joon’s clothing. He asks her if she likes Tae-Joon, she gets slightly mad and so he says he was just joking.

Tae-Joon meets Ha-Na at their managers office, she threatens that if he doesn’t tell the manager that they are dating then she will tell her about Jae-Hee. Their manager freaks out at them and that everything will be relayed through their office.

Eun-Gyeol hears guys talking about Tae-Joon dating and he finally finds out about Tae-Joon and Ha-Na.

Ha-Na gets a text from Jae-Hee asking to meet to talk.

Eun-Gyeol remembers the day before when Jae-Hee was crying and realizes that if was probably the reason she was crying. Eun-Gyeol pulls Tae-Joon aside and asks if he likes Jae-Hee, Tae-Joon tells him not to get involved. Eun-Gyeol tells him not to make Jae-Hee cry anymore because he likes her.

Jae-Hee and Ha-Na meet, Jae-Hee tells her that she is sorry and asks why she didn’t tell Tae-Joon that she is a girl. Ha-Na asks why she even pretended to be a boy. Jae-Hee asks if she can tell Tae-Joon she is a girl and Ha-Na tells Jae-Hee that she doesn’t have permission to tell him yet.

Tae-Joon is in the dorm and Jae-Hee comes in he asks her where she was and if she was with Eun-Gyeol. She says no and he tells her to not stay out so late. Tae-Joon goes to grab her and ends up touching her on her chest and he awkwardly says he is going for a run. Jae-Hee winces in pain, he asks if her stomach hurts and she says no so Tae-Joon leaves the room. Tae-Joon is in the hall and holds his beating heart. Tae-Joon wonders what the date is and pulls out her calendar.

Jae-Hee goes to see Dr. Jang, she asks him if he has any pads because she used all of hers up.

Tae-Joon comes back and gives her some medicine for better digestion.

Seung-Ri and Jong-Min are waiting for Eun-Gyeol in his room. Hyun-Jae tells them to leave and that he will text them when Eun-Gyeol comes back.

Tae-Joon goes to feed Sang-Chu and talks about what to do with Ha-Na.

Ha-Na is in practice and gets a text from Tae-Joon that he is going to her school to talk to her. She practices her ribbon and flashbacks to her earlier discussions with Tae-Joon and she hurts her foot in practices. Tae-Joon tries calling her from the car.

Jae-Hee texts Eun-Gyeol is call her, Tae-Joon comes in and says he didn’t get to meet with Ha-Na. He says that they should go out and eat, he gets a call and finds out Ha-Na is hurt.

Tae-Joon goes to the hospital he meets his manager and she goes to talk to him. He goes into her room and he asks if she is okay and in pain, she says its just a sprain and that she isn’t in any pain. Tae-Joon flashbacks to the manager explaining that Ha-Na may have extensive damage to the ligaments in her ankle and that they will know after the results come out. She also explains that they haven’t told Ha-Na about it yet and he shouldn’t either. Back in her room ,he asks where her parents are and she says that are in Europe vacationing, she asks if he can spend the night here because she is scared and he agrees. Tae-Joon texts Jae-Hee that he will stay the night and not to wait up for him.

Ha-Na is taken care of by Tae-Joon and he leaves to go to the bathroom, she says she is happy that she got hurt. Tae-Joon’s phone gets a text from Jae-Hee saying that Ha-Na is probably okay and that he will probably be uncomfortable sleeping there, Ha-Na erases the message.

Tae-Joon walking back meets Seung-Ri who says that he has appendicitis and why did he come visit him. Tae-Joon says he didn’t come to see him but another friend. The doctor scolds him for walking around Seung-Ri says this is his father and he asks if he was the one in Ha-Na’s room. Seung-Ri freaks out and asks what happened to her and his father pulls him away.

Jae-Hee is checking her phone at the dorm and Tae-Joon is checking his phone at the hospital both wondering why they haven’t received a text message. Jae-Hee wakes up and hears Tae-Joon filling up a backpack, he tells her that he will have to stay in the hospital again and that there is a chance she won’t be able to do gymnastics again. She says that he should take care of himself too, he hesitates and then says goodbye.

Jae-Hee is in class and they ask her where Tae-Joon is and where Eun-Gyeol is.

Tae-Joon and his manager are talking and she says she will have to tell Ha-Na already and he volunteers to tell her.

Jae-Hee goes to the hospital with flowers and meets Seung-Ri and he tries to take the flowers from her thinking that she came to visit him. Tae-Joon goes into the room and says he has to tell her something about her injury and goes to hold her hand. Jae-Hee opens the door and sees Ha-Na crying into Tae-Joon’s shoulder, so she closes the door and walks away.

Jae-Hee cleans the dorm room and then goes on the computer, Seung-Ri comes in wondering if she has heard from Eun-Gyeol because he had told him that he was going home. Seung-Ri explains that he has really been down because he didn’t make the nationals and he gets mad at her for not knowing this about him. She asks him if he knows where he lives.

Eun-Gyeol is on a patio, throwing a ball to his dog, his mom sticks her head out asking if he is not going to school and he says he is staying one more day since he came because she is sick.

The doorbell rings and Jae-Hee is at the door they go sit on a bench, she asks why he didn’t tell her that he didn’t make the nationals and he says because he was embarrassed. He says sorry and she also says sorry because she didn’t pay enough attention to him. He tells her that he didn’t go to school because his mom has been a little sick and he lost is cell on the bus ride. He says that those are all excuses and that he needed time to think, he then asks how Tae-Joon and Ha-Na are. She tells him that Ha-Na is really sick and that she is thinking that she maybe shouldn’t have come here for Tae-Joon. Eun-Gyeol heart starts beating and he moves closer to her almost puts his hand around her but doesn’t.

Ha-Na is watching a video of her doing gymnastics on her laptop. Tae-Joon comes in saying she should stop watching that and she asks him to get her a glass of water. She goes through is phone pictures and finds a picture of Jae-Hee. Tae-Joon comes back and she asks him that he decided to jump again was because of Jae-Hee. He nods his head and she asks why he is doing this to her and that she has nothing left and that she won’t let him go.

Eun-Gyeol is watching Jae-Hee play with his dog, Jae-Hee sits with her phone and looks at the old text message from Tae-Joon. Eun-Gyeol says to himself that he can’t stand watching her in pain anymore. Eun-Gyeol hugs his mom and says sorry because he might do something that will shame her in the future and she tries to figure it out. His dad overhears and takes out his golf club and chases him around the house with it.

Ha-Na tells Tae-Joon that there is somewhere that she needs to go out of the hospital. He takes her in a wheel chair to a gym, she tells him if she hadn’t been hurt she would have competed here today. He tells her if she works hard on her rehab she will be able to do it again, she says she really liked her program this time and decides to show him it even with her sore foot. She flashbacks to her as a kid and she is explaining that she is going to do gymnastics because he said that gymnastics girls are pretty and they make a promise for her to win a medal. While performing she falls and cries, she touches the floor and says thanks for everything and then goodbye.

Tae-Joon brings Ha-Na back, he tells her that its better when she is honest with him. She tells him to leave and that she wants to be alone, her parents are coming back today. She tells him that she doesn’t want to chase someone who doesn’t like her and that she had liked him because he was a good athlete and now he isn’t that good anymore. She says sorry and that she is going to get over him and get someone better.

Eun-Gyeol and Jae-Hee drive back silently and go into the dorm. Eun-Gyeol stops her and says he has something to tell her. Tae-Joon comes back and sees the two of them talking. Eun-Gyeol tells her that he likes her and this is how the eleventh episode ends.

The Wedding Scheme Korean Drama Review (contains spoilers) July 30, 2012

The Wedding Scheme/ The Marriage plot is not from the latest season but ended in May this year on tvN broadcast. I recently just finished this drama and I had wanted to watch it because it seemed like a more lighthearted and easy to watch drama. I wanted something that was more fun and less intense than the other dramas I was watching. This drama did not seem to get a lot of interest or hype as compared to Big or I Do I Do and I just happened to pick it up by fluke. I have to say that I really enjoyed it especially because of the disappointment from Big I feel better after watching the ending of this drama.

The plot of this drama is the mother of the four girls is the president of a kimchi factory and she wants to change her four daughters lives radically and come up with a plot for her girls to get married. Yoo Gun Hee the second oldest daughter is working at a rival food company and works with the most annoying guy Lee Kang Jae who is her boss and eventually those roles will change. The mom decides to fake a company crisis and there house becomes a boarding house and 3 men come to live in their house one of them being Lee Kang Jae who Yoo Gun Hee hates.

I found this drama to be very unrealistic and realistic at the same time. Some of the relationships that are portrayed are very realistic and some do not seem as realistic but sometimes I guess even life is unrealistic. I thought that this drama would be more lighthearted but of course cancer has to sneak its way into the story which made me teary. I am happy that it did not make me have a complete bawling session and a little bit of tears are okay.

Some things that I liked about this drama was the variety of relationships that are portrayed and if you did not like one couple there is more chances to enjoy some romance within this drama. I also liked that the episodes were a bit shorter because sometimes I find Kdramas a little bit longer than needed.  I liked that it was predictable in a good way and that there is a happy ending and I was surprised at how well written it is sometimes. I really liked in one of the last episodes the mom says something to the effect that you have to selfish in your love you can not be equal in your love to everyone. That it is okay for some people to be hurt by your love. I think that has touched me the most in the drama it made so much sense in that moment. It is okay to be selfish sometimes and to pick a person over another, it just means that your love is that important. I found this drama very heartwarming and enjoyed it for those reasons.

Some things that I did not enjoy in the drama was there was a little bit too much kimchi business in the drama I found it a little boring sometimes. Another minor thing that annoyed me was Lee Kang Jae was a little bit over the top sometimes and Yoo Gun Hee fashion in the drama was little bit 80’s and not my favorite type of clothing style. Another thing that bothered me in the drama is some parts of the story were a little unrealistic such as the mom wanting the girls to get married, but that sense of urgency in the mother is not really felt all that much in the drama. At one point she does not agree with the matches of the men and I think that she would have done a better background check on the men that she wants her daughters to marry.

I was surprised at how well this drama was made and I would want to watch a couple episodes in a row and found myself really enjoying the drama. I really appreciated it after the disappointing ending in Big and I realized that I like the predictable and satisfying endings in dramas and this drama has really accomplished this well. I would recommend this drama especially if you just finished watching Big!!