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Story: To be honest, I don't really mind makjang as long as the writer embraces it whole-heartedly and doesn't try to write off the drama as something else, so I'm glad I got what I expected out of this one. "Hundred Years Inheritance" reminded me a little of "Nice Guy". Both dramas were fun in a soapy way, but there's no way in hell you'd want to *meet* the characters or even interact with them. As long as you don't overthink the story, "Hundred Years" is a fun watch. Full of characters you love to hate and characters you root for despite their personalities. I have to admit, I actually loved the family dynamic in this one. Everyone started out being polite but distant from each other, but gradually came to love and accept this hodgepodge of people as *their* family. That storyline was really gratifying to watch.
Acting: Everyone acted wonderfully. Eugene and Lee Jung Jin were brilliant in their roles, and Choi Won Young was great fun to laugh at. The family members weren't all A-list actors, but they acted well and knew what they were doing. I kind of wish Seo Young Hoon had more screen time so I could actually form an opinion on what I thought of him as an actor, but as of now I'll just keep an eye out for him.
Music: I have to say, it was pretty much like every other OST out there, but a few of the songs were actually pretty good. (I'm not really sure if I actually liked them or if they just grew on me after 50 episodes)
Rewatch Value: Maybe? As of now I'm done with makjang for a while, but later for the OTP scenes.
Overall: From a distance, this drama is a fun watch. It'll leave you laughing, crying and smiling, but at the end of the day the only reason you'll really remember it is because of the craziness.
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Story: "Nine" is another time-travelling drama, but just like "Queen In Hyun's Man" the rules of time travel were clearly defined from the get go. There wasn't a morally selective wormhole (Faith) or a weird tumor thing (Dr. Jin). The plot was really complex and the writers kept you guessing until the very end. Just like "In Hyun", this drama also went with the idea that some higher power punished you for trying to play god and change the past, and how trying to change them can just hurt you more. I liked how that had less to do with fate coming in and more to do with karma.
The plot itself sounded a bit like a mash-up when I first read it. So we have a time-travelling hero, with terminal brain cancer. And a birth secret. And a murder. And this hero lost everyone due to some past tragedy. That all sounds *really* unoriginal. We already went through the whole time-travel thing last year, and cancer is the illness that everyone has, and don't even get me started on the last two. But somehow, the writers used all of that in a way I really didn't expect. (On a side note, "Nine" felt like a darker, more dramatic version of "In Hyun". That's not to say is was serious all the time, but it was just *more* serious).
Acting: Lee Jin Wook was perfectly casted. I don't think I could ever imagine anyone else playing Park Sun Woo. He really bought the character to life with his emotional depth and dry humor. I loved his character and the easy chemistry he pulled off with all his cast members- whether it was the familial relationship with Jun Noh Min or the romantic chemistry with Jo Yoon He. Jo Yoon He has gotten much better since she was in "Lie to Me" and she was really good at the emotional scenes in "Nine". While she and Lee Jin Wook didn't have steamy chemistry, they had an effortless one instead- sort of like two people who have been together forever. Hyungsik is a surprisingly good actor for his age, and some of his scenes made me *cry*. I'm going to give an honorable mention to Lee Seung Jun because his character was mainly used for comic relief and he wasn't afraid to seem ridiculous on camera.
Music: None of it struck me as original. It sounded like every other OST out there, but it was really well used. The music really helped establish the mood in pivotal scenes in this drama.
Rewatch Value: This drama pulled me from one emotion to the next. Each episode left me a blubbering mess, but that was mostly because I had no idea what was going to happen next. That's why the rewatch value is sort of low.
Overall: This is one of my favorites. It could have had a better ending, but overall I loved it to pieces.
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Story: It was similar to the original in many ways, but there were more comedic moments.
Acting: I'm glad the actor who played Tamaki wasn't afraid to look ridiculous, because his character was downright crazy. There was a lot of overacting, but that served to make the show even more hilarious than it already was.
Music: Music was alright, nothing special in my opinion, but good enough.
Rewatch Value: Considering that this show is pretty much reverse harem, I'd watch it all over simply for the eyecandy.
Overall: An amazing adaptation of the original. I loved how crazy it was and would recommend it even to people who haven't read the manga.
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This drama hit all my sweet spots. Funny, romantic, well acted and full bromance. I can easily say that this is my favorite drama.
The actors were more or less break out stars, and it showed in their acting. That isn't a bad thing- it actually made the whole story more believable.
I like the fact that the romance in this drama wasn't the main concern. If I want to watch 16 episodes of typical Boy Meets Girl, they magically fall in love two episodes later and will do anything for it, I can go watch "Boys Over Flowers".
The story was relatable and well crafted, hitting the ups and downs of being a teenager perfectly. From the endless energy to what it really means to find yourself. It's tone is almost always pitch perfect, and the amazing directing helps connect you to the show emotionally.
This drama isn't perfect- nothing is, but it's pretty close. At times the plot twists are pointless and contrived, but you can move past that fairly quickly.
I give it's rewatch value a 9 because one of the things that make this drama awesome is the fact that everything hits you when you least expect it. The second time around, I found myself not enjoying it as much as the first time. Without the element of surprise, this drama doesn't have nearly the same impact.
Overall, "Shut Up: Flower Boy Band" had a well-crafted story, nice character interactions and brilliant cinematography. I would recommend it to die-hard punk rock fans, adults who are nostalgic about their teenage years, or even teenagers themselves.
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Story: This story is targeted towards a very specific audience. Unless you've gone through what the characters on screen are experiencing, you're not going to find this drama interesting in the slightest. Speaking honestly, when I watched this drama it bored me to tears., but hindsight is 20/20 and when I went back over it I found it to be a lot more enjoyable. I didn't really like Sung Joon and Jung So Min's scenes simply because the couple they portrayed was annoying. They bickered over the littlest things and Jung So Min's character was so whiny I found myself wondering why anyone would put themselves through that willingly, but when I took a step back and examined the couples around me, they really weren't anything special and were just like any other couple out there. They might not be perfect up close but they'll stick by each other. When I first watched this drama, I liked Han Groo's and Kim Young Kwan's couple better.
I didn't like the controlling parent storyline, but it did serve a purpose throughout the drama, so I'll let it slide.
Acting: Sung Joon is one of my favorite actors, and while Jung So Min isn't, I still liked her in this. Kim Young Kwang was great and had fantastic chemistry with Han Groo- so much that I even wanted them to be real-life couple. Lee Mo Sook was perfect and everyone else was good.
Music: It's been a while since I watched this drama, so I don't really remember how I felt about it.
Rewatch Value: Hmm... just for Han Groo's and Kim Young Kwang's scenes.
Overall: It's not candy-coated and there's no prince charming to sweep away the heroine. The characters are just normal people, trying to figure out what to do with their relationships and their lives.
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But it was pretty entertaining.
Story: At the end of the Ouran drama, we were left with the cliffhanger of Haruhi and Tamaki's romantic feelings for each other. Therefore, I expected this movie to focus on that. That's why I was surprised when I was wrong. The Ouran Movie had less to do with Tamaki and Haruhi's relationship and more to do with family and the friendships you form. I really enjoyed how all the characters became much more developed in this movie than in the drama. In the drama, it felt like the writers were rushing past all the characterization just to get into the story. Here, it felt like the writers took a step back and let the characters lead them. I loved how they were all so different but united by the fact that they created *this* family for themselves, and would do anything to protect it. The first half of this movie has a similar mood to the drama. It's over-the-top humorous and light. The second half deals more with the aforementioned Important Life Lessons, but still manages to retain its charm. Overall, the story is predictable, but it's a nice sort of predictable.
Acting: I mentioned this in my review of the drama, but I am *really* glad that Yamamoto Yusuke isn't afraid to look ridiculous. Because let's face it, his character is pretty much the epitome of all thing crazy. I felt that Kawaguchi Haruna was a nice fit for her role as Haruhi. She had the clueless look down pat and was really good at portraying the straightforward yet dense character we all know and love. Her stellar performance grounded the rest of the crazy characters, acting as an anchor for all their personalities. Haruhi is the most down-to-earth member of the host club, and I was glad that she pulled it off. Daito Shunsuke was pretty awesome as Kyoya, with his evil laugh and poker face. However, I really loved Ryusei Ryo as he played Nekozawa. It was hilarious every time Nekozawa popped up with his cat-puppet... thing. Not to mention the way Ryo spoke. That itself got a smile from me.
Music: Meh. I don't pay attention to music unless I want it on my iPod. I barely noticed the music in Ouran, so take that as you will.
Rewatch Value: This movie was hilarious. Who wouldn't rewatch it simply for all the times Tamaki is thrown against the wall by kanji letters?
Overall: I feel a little sad that this will be the last we'll see of this cast portraying all the host club members, but at the same time I'm glad that this movie successfully tied everything together. True, the end was a little open, but I think that was the point. It was to show us that the host club members still weren't done with their lives, and that they still had so much more to accomplish.
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Light. Funny.
Pointless.
Don't get me wrong, I loved this drama as much as everyone else. It made me laugh and cry, but at the end of it I was left with one question: What was the point?
You're beautiful is a light, breezy watch. There's pretty much nothing in this drama that sends a message that we haven't heard before. It doesn't make you view life in a different way, or even impart some meaningful knowledge. Nope. Just 16 episodes full of craziness.
That doesn't necessarily make this drama bad, however. "You're Beautiful" is hardly forgettable. A nun-in-training winds up pretending to be a boy to sing in a pop group? Have you ever heard of something this crazy going on?
Acting: The acting here was sort of "meh". Park Shin Hye and Jang Geun Suk fit their roles well enough, but the rest of the cast was sort of borderline. They worked well enough with their roles, it's just that some actors left something to be desired. It's not a major thing- the acting is decent, just sort of... meh.
As for rewatching, I'd just watch it for the comedic moments. That's pretty much all there is to "You're Beautiful". Comedy with a few random shots at a more serious tone.
Overall, this drama was light, funny and adorable. It's the perfect drama to watch with family, but not my favorite. It's a nice watch to recover from heavier dramas.
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Story: Up till about the 26th episode, this drama was pitch-perfect rom-com. The meddling second-leads' presence was overshadowed by the leads, both main couples had cute stories, the laughs were abundant and the angst was minimal. After that, the whole show went off its rockers. Suddenly the angst and the second leads were everywhere, and the laughs were gone. Oh, and that title? "A Thousand Kisses"? Total misnomer. We got a grand total of maybe five and most were from the secondary couple. Not that I'm complaining- I was only in it for Ryu Jin and Kim So Eun. Their story really stole the show- but it honestly wasn't anything new. In fact, nothing in this drama was original. It was just a hodgepodge of random drama cliches thrown together and we wound up with something that could have gotten maybe a 8/10 had the writer not suffered a sudden lobotomy in the second half and the story got out of control. It randomly shifted gears in the second half from focusing on the two couples to focusing on Cha Hwa Yun's character. The random plot change came out of the left field and really killed my love for ATK.
Acting: I love Ji Hyun Woo. In the right role, he really shines. Here, however, I kind of wanted to shake him by the shoulders and tell him to get his act together. His performance was decidedly sub-par and could have been a lot better. Seo Young Hee was great, Kim So Eun was bubbly and bright, and Ryu Jin put his all into his performance. I was surprised by the chemistry Ryu Jin and Kim So Eun had, considering their real life 20 year gap. Surprisingly, they pulled it off. Ji Hyun Woo's and Seo Young Hee's chemistry was fine, but I really felt nothing from that couple. Their relationship made sense on paper, but when I watched them together they seemed more like friends? I don't know, that was just my impression. Other viewers probably feel different.
Music: Random ballads and maybe a cute pop song thrown in? Nothing remarkable.
Rewatch Value: Certain scenes from the first half, definitely. Not touching the second half with a twenty-foot pole.
Overall: I really wish this had been better. That's all I can say.
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Story: To be completely honest, "Ten" just seemed like it was exposition for something else. In fact, it was barely that. The story placed some focus on the team members, but paid more attention to it's case of the week. The team dynamic was interesting, but again not much emphasis was placed on it. The characters, however, were very interesting and layered, so I'm hoping the second season can focus more on them. There was an over-arching plot, but it was only hinted at this season.
Acting: The acting was really good, as far as I could tell. The characters were layered and complex, and the main cast pulled them off wonderfully.
Music: The music was gorgeous- especially Mad Soul Child's "Breath". The OST itself had a very dark vibe to it, which made it perfect for this drama.
Rewatch Value: Most of this drama's time was spent on solving the cases, and once you know who the murderer is, it's not much fun.
Overall: "Ten" was dark and gripping, but at the same time it felt like it was just paving the way for something bigger. I have high expectations for season 2, though.
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Story: I'll admit, I don't have any specific love towards high school dramas. Maybe because I haven't seen that many, but I feel like high school dramas walk a thin line between coming off as whiny with too much angst or being well done and capturing the feelings of that age. The surprising thing about "Monstar", though, is that it does enough of the latter to merit it a *good* drama, but not enough so that it'll be a *great* drama. If you're a casual viewer, like me, then you really wouldn't care much for "Monstar". On the surface level it's full of fabulous cinematography and interesting characters, but it's plot seems slow. Now if you were the type of viewer who prefers deep and nuanced dramas- the type of drama where every single action means something- then you'll probably adore "Monstar". The quieter moments in this drama made it shine, making it seem very real and natural. But the thing is most people don't watch dramas because they want to see something realistic. The first half of this drama was everything you wanted from a high school drama, but the latter half dragged a bit.
Acting: I'm blown away by all the actors here. Ha Yeon Soo was perfect to play Se Yi, because she conveyed Se Yi's internal struggles and emotions with enough grounded-ness to make the character come to life. I adored Da Hee and Kang Ui Sik, and wish them all the best as their careers go on, because their characters were so nuanced and layered and they managed to make them real. All the other actors were good too, but the real star of the show was this drama's "Monstar", Jun Hyung. He's an idol who has a promising career ahead of him, whether it be singing, producing music or even acting if he chooses. Seol Chan's "I'm a star!" line takes the cake as best comeback of 2013. Plus Seol Chan was the main character. Even though he and co-star Ha Yeon Soo had the same amount of screen time, Seol Chan always felt like the main character. He was the character we got to see change the most, and he was the one I was rooting for the whole time.
Music: Music in dramas are hit-or-miss for me, and even though I adore music dramas, "Monstar" was more of a miss. The songs were good enough, but I just couldn't bring myself to love it. It just wasn't my type of music. It was, however, well used and great for conveying the emotions of the show.
Rewatch Value: Looking back, "Monstar" really did hit the highs and lows of being young. The thing is, the *big* moments like that were few and far between and the smaller moments like that were easy to glance over. Maybe if I feel like thoroughly analyzing a drama? Probably not.
Overall: "Monstar" started out with great potential. It wasn't that "Monstar" lost it's potential, but rather changed its direction. What could have been a great, loud and energetic high school drama petered off into a soft, understated story that just didn't appeal to me like the former would have.
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Story: A lot of people will hate me for this, but the story honestly isn't that new or that interesting. You have your typical "arrogant jerk" meets "sweet female lead" and they fall in love, then you have your typical mama-drama in which the mom opposes the relationship, then you have amnesia, then a time skip, and then the inevitable "we meet again". You can tell where I'm going with all this, right? It all leads up to the "happily ever after", where all the heartbreak is forgotten and everyone is forgiven and the whole world is just rainbows and butterflies and sparkles.
This whole drama sort of gives me conflicted feelings. On one hand, I want to like it. If I were to stop comparing it to other dramas, I probably would like it. If this were the first drama I had ever watched then I would like it- but the thing is that "Autumn's Concerto" is unoriginal and predictable. If I were to rate it based on it's merits, then this would get a 9. Compared to everything else? A 6. There are some fresher moments- I've never seen a drama where there's a kid involved, or a rape case, and while the writers did use those to their advantage, it wasn't really in a new way.
Acting: Bin Xiao Xiao is brilliant and the supporting characters are nice. I had a bit of a problem with Vanness Wu in the beginning. Not because his acting was bad, because he was pretty good, but because he looked way too old to be a college student. His hair and almost-stache made him look like a middle-aged ex-teen pop idol. I felt like the designers were trying too hard to make him look younger and it didn't really work out. As far as Ady An goes, the writers didn't really give her much to work with. Her character wasn't really a "Candy" girl, but she wasn't really anything new either. It felt like she didn't have any real personality of her own.
Music: The music was amazing. I loved almost every song on the OST.
Rewatch Value: I might, but at the same time I don't really want to.
Overall: I think the only reason this is a classic is because Vanness Wu is in here. Other than that I can't really see the reason why. This was a nice story, but it was a little boring and a]had really anti-climatic ending.
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Drama Special Series Season 1: White Christmas
6 people found this review helpful
Story: Are monsters born or made? This is the driving question behind the story, and this question is the catalyst for everything that happens. Many dramas and movies have attempted to answer this question, but none of the ones I've seen have satisfied me like this one. In the first three episodes, the narrator keeps saying that they had to become monsters to fight the monster, but there wasn't much going on in that front. All the main parts of the show take place after episode 3.
I loved how all the characters were fleshed out- that they were all similar but all different at the same time. They became real people to me as I watched the show, and reacted to each situation in a way that both agreed with their personality, and still showed their transformation into monsters.
Acting: The cast was all new, but their performances were stellar.
Music: The music befit the show- dark and dramatic at times, loud and angry at others. I particularly enjoyed when they played the same song (sorry guys, I couldn't find the name) during all the dramatic scenes.
Rewatch Value: The whole reason I liked the show was because it was unpredictable and unafraid to venture into the deepest parts of itself to answer the question. If I already knew what was going to happen beforehand. the show would have been kind of boring.
Overall: Brilliant directing, superb cast and a thought-provoking story. The last episode has a plot hole, but I didn't feel like that affected the story overall.
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Story: I didn't really like "City Hunter" until about episode 8, because before that point it was as if the writer had no idea what genre she was trying to write. She would have a rom-com scene, exchange it with some badass fighting and then have another rom-com scene. Needless to say, I think I suffered some whiplash. The thing is, I doubt she could have made the transition smoother, because there wasn't really a way for her to do so in the expository episodes. Once she did get the genres to blend together, I fell hard for "City Hunter".
It's not perfect. In fact, it's pretty far from perfect. But the writer knew what she was doing. She knew what story she wanted to tell from the start and didn't try to change rails suddenly. Another thing was that the writer put in so much heart into her story that it just resonated so well in most of the viewers. You couldn't help but root for Yoon Sung and his journey.
Plus the... resourcefulness of Yoon Sung. Like the water-bottle fight scene. Or the spoon fight scene. Or pretty much every fight scene he had.
Acting: I think I'm one of those people who can *see* why Lee Min-ho is popular, but just doesn't *understand*. Yes, he's pretty. Yes, he's a good actor. But beyond that, he doesn't really come off as all that obsession-worthy. I think I saw more of why he's popular, but I'm still not his biggest fan. "City Hunter" definitely played to his strengths, showcasing his wide emotional range and amazing chemistry with co-star Park Min Young. Park Min Young was also pretty good here. She was sweet and likable and knew how to hold her own against our sometimes-douchebaggy lead. Lee Joon Hyuk was a bit emotionally walled off, but still good and I just couldn't connect with Hwang Sun Hee.
But the one who stole the show was definitely Kim Sang Joong. He switched between the hardass father and a man broken over his comrades' deaths with equal intensity.
Music: I'm not a big fan of ballads, which sucks because guess what most drama OSTs are mostly composed of? That being said, ballads are great when you want people to be sad. But what about happier songs? What about those songs for when something fist-pumpingly awesome happens? I might be mistaken, but I don't remember if "City Hunter" had an actual somewhat-happy song in there.
Rewatch Value: Definitely. I loved this drama, faults and all. It just hit all the right notes in me, mostly due to the assured writing and the awesome directing.
Overall: I guess the main reason I loved "City Hunter" so much is the fact that it brings back old childhood stories. Stories where the hero might be a little worse for the wear, but gets his happy ending and goes off to save the world again.
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You know, the one that apparently had a deep and powerful story behind it?
Yeah. I don't know either.
That doesn't exactly mean that this drama was bad. Just... crazy.
The premise was cute and fun, with an adorable storyline that was just too cute for words.
And then you get revenge stories, birth secrets and amnesia.
Did I just step into "Nice Guy"? Or any other revenge drama?
And then the story switches back to cute with confessions and cupcakes.
Then back to makjang.
Cute.
Makjang.
I felt like this drama gave me whiplash. If it had stuck to the cute parts, then "Panda and Hedgehog" would have been a nice, but ultimately forgettable drama. If it had stuck to the makjang parts, then "Panda and Hedgehog" would have been a nice, but ultimately forgettable drama. Since it tried getting both, this became a mess of the most random things that confused me more than it entertained me.
Acting: The acting was okay, but there was a lot of eye candy *coughcough Donghae coughcough* so that didn't particularly hurt the story.
Music: Music was nice, fitting more with the "cute" part of the drama than the makjang part.
Rewatch value: I'd watch it for the cute. Not even going near the rest.
Overall: Let's hope this never happens again, shall we?
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This review may contain spoilers
"I Hear Your Voice" is a really hard drama for me to review, since it's one of those dramas you really can't describe. So I'm just going to go right on ahead.Story: The writer also wrote "Dream High", which was definitely well written but the actors weren't all that great. A few episodes in, it was really obvious that the writer was the same because- while the plot was completely different- the story was told with a ton of heart. The writer very obviously loved each and every character here and really fleshed them all out. I also feel like the writer has improved from her "Dream High" days, because the character arcs weren't so drastic here like they were in DH. The characters here moved along their little paths in subtle ways, becoming better people but still retaining their original selves. I especially loved Do Yeon's character arc because it really hit you in the heart. She started out a bitchy, arrogant girl and finally became a character you could love and respect. To be completely honest, by the end of the drama there really weren't any characters you actively hated. There were some you found pitiful, but everyone had their reasons for doing with they did and they all suffered the consequences of their actions. I kind of wish that Kwan Woo and Soo Ha had more scenes together, because they could have had an awesome bromance, but I did love the relationship they already had with each other. Another thing that I loved about this drama was the relationship between Kwan Woo and Hye Sung. Kwan Woo inspired Hye Sung to become a better lawyer and start trusting in her defendants, and they're the textbook example of a "what could have been" couple. As far as shortcomings go, they're all pretty much related to the courtroom stuff. For instance, there's only three lawyers, one judge and two prosecutors throughout this entire drama. The courtroom scenes were unrealistic and if I were a lawyer/ someone in the field, I would probably hate how that world is portrayed in this drama.
Acting: Lee Bo Young was really good and had cute chemistry with Lee Jong Suk despite their huge age gap. Yoon Sang Hyun was great and I adored Choi Sung Joon. Everyone worked well within their roles.
Music: 2013 seems to be the year of great drama OSTs for me. I loved "Echo" to bits and pieces. All the other songs were used well and really fit the overall themes of this drama.
Rewatch Value: Of course, the second time you watch it won't be the same, but there are some parts that are worth the rewatch.
Overall: I know this is a bit last-minute, but I really have to commend "I Hear Your Voice" for coming up with such a clever title. The titular "voice" is different for each and every character. For Soo Ha, it's people's thoughts, for Hye Sung it's hearing and believing in her defendant's words and I don't want to give away Kwon Woo's because it's such a spoiler. Unlike other dramas, the title isn't just there on a surface level, but it really touches each and every facet of the drama, which just shows how much thought was put into it.
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