This is my Drama List. I'll try and keep this up to date since there's always some new drama I'm watching. For some of these dramas I've done reviews so I link to those reviews so you can see my thoughts. My favorites are denoted with astirixs. The more astrixs the more I loved it. You can always leave a comment with a question about a particular drama or suggestions of a drama I should watch and review.

Currently Watching 
Keizoku 2 - SPEC
Runaway
Kaito Royale
What's Up!
Sunshine Angel
Lucky 7
Wild Romance
13-sai no Hello Work


( Read more... )

I don’t think I’ve ever watched a drama and felt emotional satisfied. I’ve watched a drama and felt happy, overjoyed, dejected, jibbed, and a mired of other emotions; but never have I felt like I’ve just ridden the best emotional roller coaster ever with dips and sways that you see coming and done with such finesse that it pushes you overboard to a feeling you can’t quite describe. I wish this drama had gotten more exposure. Placed on a new cable channel it didn’t get the audience it kind of deserved. While the story had it’s weaknesses: not tying up the loose ends tight enough and too much focus on Tae Yi for what was supposed to be an ensemble cast; the uneven storytelling is outshined by on point acting and production. And this is especially true when it came to the music of the show. The appropriation of Seasons of Love (from Rent) during the last couple of scenes with the professor and Doo Ri and the use of Dubstep when Jae Hun discovers who Tae Yi’s father is made the audience truly understand the emotion of those scenes. LOVED IT. Really, What’s Up! is the drama I wanted The Musical to be and the drama Heartstrings tried to be before it reverted to being entirely cute and fluffy.

This drama also introduced me to Im Joo Eun (Doo Ri) who is also playing the hilariously funny Dong Ah in Wild Romance. She’s one of my new favorite actresses for her hilarious comedic timing and choice of slightly oddball characters. I hope to see more of her.

I thought about just writing about my favorite dramas of this year, but I'm feeling kind of lazy and too incoherent to really express all that I love about these dramas so I decided to do this quick meme. I picked my favorite dramas from this year three from Korea and three from Japan. I don't really have a favorite Taiwanese drama since the only ones I watched were Love Buffet and Drunken to Love You. Both of which were good dramas but didn't leave much of an impression and then there was Love Keeps Going which I can't really criticize because the drama was clearly dropped and ended early.

1.     Dream High: I watched it twice this year...and both times it was good.
2.     Don Quixote: Probably the funniest drama I watched this year. 
3.     City Hunter: The first drama I've watched were I thought it could be released in the US.
4.     The Greatest Love: Awesome Writing about an older couple that didn't feel super heavy. Refreshing when it comes to contemporary dramas in Kr.
5.     Ouran High School Host Club: Lives up to everything I love about the anime and manga. Can't wait for the movie!
6.     Zenkai Girl: Reminded me of why I got into dramas two years ago. Heartwarming, a bit of drama, and characters you could love.
 
 
 01. Who is your favorite character from #6?
Wakaba, while she was cold and difficult, I really just enjoyed her journey to “feelings”. Normally it’s the guy who’s cold and unfeeling, but in this drama we got to see it from a girl’s perspective. She may be my favorite “robot” character for 2011.  

02. Who is your least favorite character from #4?
Pil Joo’s mother was so annoying, but it wasn’t like it was difficult to watch her. Most of the characters in this drama were pretty enjoyable.

03. What would a crossover between #1 and #5 include?
OMG…Dream High Host Club, The boys of Ouran would try to teach the boys of Kirin how to say all the right things to the ladies. Sam Dong would learn all kinds of useless information to try on Hye Mi from Tamaki.

( This meme is longer that I thought. )

14. (I added this one) Honorable Mentions:
Protect the Boss: If it hadn't been for the end this would have been a perfect summer drama.
Flower Boy Ramen Shop: Even though it's not finished, this is definitely a rewatcher.
Runaway: While I'm only a few episodes in the consistancy of this drama made me feel good and it was another reminder of how good Japanese dramas can be,

15. (Another I added) Disappointments: 
Lie to Me: Lazy writing that depended on star power and production. You could tell they were grasping for stars towards the middle by mimicking the competition The Greatest Love.
The Musical: While solid, the pacing was slow and wasn't helped by the fact that they're showing only one episode a week. It's hard to get into a musical drama that only has a couple of songs...and they're annoying.
Kaito Royale: More disappointed that no one was subbing this. 

 

I realize it's been ages since I talked about dramas. I'm watching so many I don't really have time to write about them or if I do write about them it's in the comments of someone else's post or on my twitter. So yeah here we go a quick run down of my thoughts on dramas I've finished lately and ones I'm currently watching.

FINISHED DRAMAS
Hong Gil Dong (6 out of 10): I was warned this drama was going to be cheesy and ryoflame wasn't wrong. The drama started out shaky got really good and interesting, but then fizzled out and went back to be just cheesy. The last couple of episodes didn't have the same emotional pay off I had been getting the last couple of episodes. It wasn't an awful drama, but average.

Baby Faced Beauty (8 out of 10): Cute, simple, and probably the drama I should have been watching instead of Lie to Me. It started out slow with everyone getting their punches in on the female lead but once that was over I really enjoyed this one. Daniel Choi went from annoying to super cute like a hyper active puppy. My only complaint was the constant use of the Project Runway type competitions between the design teams. After the third competition it got really boring and I would have liked something that would have shook things up like the teams having to work together. Honestly that was the one thing that really bored me about this drama.

Baker King Kim Tak Gou (6 out of 10): I love a good long overly dramatic drama...sometimes. Unfortunately this wasn't one of those times. I had to force myself to finish Baker King. I just didn't care after a while, but the ending was more satisfying than the whole drama.

Love Keeps Going (5.5 out of 10): I think this drama got dropped at some point because that would be the only excuse I could think of for the general laziness of this drama after the 5th episode. Everything moved too quickly and it felt like it was trying to put 20 episodes of drama into 13. It moved slowly during parts I didn't care about and focused too much on Xuan Xuan and Yi Feng, but then didn't focus at all on Yi Lei and Mei Le ( the main couple) when their struggle came up. There was one scene in the last episode that was really emotionally moving but didn't get deeply explored because the next scene was the final one and that was ambiguous as hell. I could just imagine what this drama would have been like if anyone had cared. At least Mei Le wouldn't have worn the same clothes three days in a row.

CURRENTLY WATCHING
Butler Sho's Dinner and a Mystery (ep 3): I'm starting to really like this drama as more than just something really pretty to look at. At first it really dragged for me but the most recent episode moved quickly and was interesting. I hope it only goes up from here. Also I'm really interested to see if the crew and stylist will keep up the trend of having Keiko wear pink which makes her pop against the white and green of the dinning room windows behind her and matches the cover of the manga.

Kaito Royale (ep 1): FIGHTING CHANSUNG IS HOT! Outside of that, this is one of those dramas I'm surprised no one is subbing. It has a lot going for it. And while I'm sad it's not being subbed, I'm grateful the drama is easy to keep up with and I understand generally what is going on. Skilled is funny and he's my favorite. Intelligent reminds me of Yoko in Yukan club...if he was playing him I'd probably get some freakin subs!

Runaway (ep1): Ok...I really don't get fandom. maybe it's the time of year and some time next year someone will finally get around to subbing this, but again yeah. at least theres a summary. 

Flower Boys Ramen Shop (ep 2): Am I allowed to give away the plot if promotions didn't do it, because the twist at the end of ep 1 was awesome and now I'm really interested. I don't know how I feel about the relationship and I hope there is some sort of time jump, but I think I'm really going to enjoy this even if I don't get gratuitous amounts of shots of ramen like I was hoping.

The Musical (ep9): I seriously forget I'm watching this drama sometimes. And the female lead is about as lovable as she was in Boys over Flowers...hardly. I'll be glad when I'm finished with this one.

Hunter (ep2): This is a good drama. I'm glad it's being subbed. The detective Gando-san reminds me of my mystery romance novel heros. The dirty unshaven detective with a past. But then he does stuff like sing Linda Linda at the karaoke bar. But I like that this drama is all about the ladies even if they're taking down murderers with ~feelings~.

Yeap that's a lot...now I'm going to go watch more dramas! ^_^

I just finished the 4th episode of Protect the Boss, and I’m not disappointed. It has this quirky kind of sass that I hope stays with the drama at least into the 10th episode (if not longer). While the characters seem obviously formulaic, they’re still fun to watch. I love when I’m in the drama not just for the story and actors but the characters for the most part. Here’s a run down of our four leads and how I want them to play out.


No Eun Seol: The main character, I love her kick butt attitude, but I also enjoy the fact that she doesn’t try and fight her way out of everything. It’s nice that she has a hard time holding her anger in. She’s pretty much your standard Asian drama spunky manic pixie (the drama version of the manic pixie dream girl) who does everything she can to help the main male lead while falling in love with both men until she’s forced to choose one. My hope for her is that she doesn’t go the way of her predecessors. That she doesn’t become Miss Mopey Mop (Boys Over Flowers) or lacks in her own personal growth like in Secret Garden. While I feel the drama will be mostly about Cha Ji Heon’s struggles of dealing with the company take over and his brother’s death, I hope she gets to be a protagonist in every sense of the word.

Which leads me to…

( I hope this drama stays excellent. )



Am I recommending this? Well if you like quirky, or you just happen to be a fan of cute behavior, you might like this one. Honestly the parents are the ones driving the actually drama and conflict at this point, making ultimatums and deals and generally leave our quadrangle to react in different ways. I'm not opposed to it, but I hope it changes as the drama goes on or this is going to just be Goong in a business suit.

Genre: Melodrama
Starring:
Lee Yo Won as Song Yi Kyung
Jo Hyun Jae as Han Kang
Bae Soo Bin as Kang Min Ho
Jung Il Woo as Scheduler / Song Yi Soo
Seo Ji Hye as Shin In Jung
Rating: 8 out of 10

First Thoughts: Melodramas take me a while to get into and after the wonderful feeling I was left with by Dream High, don’t really need it ruined by a sad story…but I’m really bored and the right melodrama usually has the emotional pay off to make a great drama.

Summary: Ji Hyun is getting ready for her marriage to Min Ho but a car accident sends her into a coma. Her Scheduler informs her that since she was taken before her time she gets 49 Days to get her life back using the body of Yi Kyung, a woman who’s been in the depths of depression for five years. But in order to do so, Ji Hyun must find 3 people who would shed genuine tears for her. As Ji Hyun uses Yi Kyung’s body to accomplish her mission she learns about her self and the cardboard world around her that starts to fall apart. Ji Hyun becomes determined to save her parents from bankruptcy as well as bring back to life the woman whose body she is borrowing, But can she do it before her time is up and find the tears she needs in order to get back to the ones she loves?

Plot & Characters: I can’t say enough for the plot and characters showing up in 2011. First was Dream High and now 49 Days delivering a drama where the characters play center stage and pull the plot a long rather than letting it pull them. What makes this drama great is that it’s a drama about not only life and death and seamless and fragile both of these concepts are, but also about human relationships. While I was caught up in the romance and intrigue that played center stage for this drama, I think the best part for me was the relationship that forms between Ji Hyun and Yi Kyung. It’s a solid relationship built around caring for one another and acts as a foil to Ji Hyun’s relationship with In Jung. As one grows, the other is slowly destroyed. But I loved watching a female relationship that wasn’t already preexisting, wasn’t a rivalry, and didn’t depend on a male character. It’s rare and here it’s refreshing.

Also 49 Days proves that you can do a fantasy element without completely destroying logic. Though while the drama makes you believe that in death things just end, it’s kind of troubling seeing all that corporate type organization for going into nothingness.
( ...... )

Overall: This is a great drama I would recommend it for anyone who likes watching melodramas. The story is easy too grasp and actually I would recommend this to someone who doesn’t necessarily watch melodramas but wants to give it a try. Unlike dramas like Bad Guy, 49 Days plays with your emotions (jerks them around more like) but at the end of the day settles you down to a satisfying end. I watched this drama and I didn’t feel gipped. The writers made sure to sooth my bruised emotions in a satisfying way.

This Week in Dramas...

 I love that moment when I get pleasantly wrapped up in a drama and become invested in the characters. I especially like when this happens in a moment of boredom with a drama I initially dismissed. This happens often, a good example would be last year’s Pasta, which I watched half of the first episode and completely rebelled against it only to pick up after the eighth episode had aired and a friend recommended it. (It had food in it, most people know to recommend something when food is involved.) This time, the drama is 49 Days, which I decided to give another try after it showed up on Dramafever and was 10 episodes in.

If you have taste like mine, SKIP THE FIRST EPISODE, the second episode flashes back to all the important points and you get the general gist of the relationship dynamics without a lot of the annoying set up that takes place for the story to get rolling.

Essentially what happens is Ji Hyun is on the verge of her marriage to Min Ho. Their romance is very drama-esque with him rescuing her on a mountain and then a chance encounter at the movies when they’re both stood up. On the flip side of Seoul, a woman named Yi Kyung lives an automated existence going to work at her part time job and living in a small studio apartment. These two women meet an interesting fate, when Ji Hyun gets into a car accident and Yi Kyung is knocked unconscious when she is saved from committing suicide.

In a coma, Ji Hyun’s soul finds herself wandering free when she meets her scheduler a carefree and uninhibited mediator whose five years of service are almost up. Not very interested in whether Ji Hyun succeeds or not, he tells her she has 49 days to find three people in her life who would shed genuine tears for her. The kicker, she has to borrow, Yi Kyung’s body during the day and no one can know she’s Ji Hyun inhabiting the body.

Even though the first episode turned me off I was extremely interested in the plot. There are a lot of things about this drama that helps it to be different from other K-dramas, like the fact that there are two female leads, each with their own story. While the main story arch is about Ji Hyun, Yi Kyung’s story becomes essential to Ji Hyun’s growth. We notice a serious change in Ji Hyun’s oblivious character when she starts to care and wonder about the woman she inhabits for 49 Days. It may not seem like much but it’s definitely a change from the usual.
( Fantasy Drama with great storytelling... )

Ok first, I’m not a Kiss Me. Kiss Mes are fans of not only the group but the music as well. The only song I’ve enjoyed is Binguel Binguel. That said I do love U Kiss. I watch their variety shows, tune in regularly for Pops in Seoul, they’re really the only KPop group I can think of where I continuous enjoy their television appearances.

Second, come on is the mini album really called Bran New Kiss? REALLY? It couldn’t hurt some poor sod to add a ‘d’ on the end of Bran so I wasn’t constantly thinking of Bran muffins and digestive health? When I first heard the name for the mini I posted on my friends Facebook wall: “The name for the UKiss’ new mini album is Bran New Kiss, does this mean I’ll get the runs every time I listen to it?”

What? I like puns, the cheesier the better. I am happy to say that Bran New Kiss doesn’t give me the runs actually quite the opposite. I really really REALLY like it.

( Let the Healing Begin~~ )

This week in dramas, we take a little bit of a breather. I'm still reeling from the end of Dream High and seething at My Princess and want to get my head straight before talking about either. I could complain about not getting to see What's Up because SBS is a bunch of pansies, but I thought this would be a little more warm and fuzzy for us.

I wasn’t joking when I said that favorite romantic pairings doesn’t go beyond the number 10, I’m just surprised that it’s as little as five with an obligatory shout out to Hana Yori Dango. I like a lot of different pairings in the ridiculous amount of dramas I’ve watched but few stick out in my mind as awesome. Thus the single digit number. I should warn that since I’m talking about my favorite moments and what makes these characters appealing there are a couple of spoilers, so if you haven’t seen these dramas I’m sorry, but shield your eyes!!


5. Seung Jo & Ha Ni of Playful Kiss

I used Sueng Jo and Ha Ni cause I liked the Korean version better, but this goes for the Taiwanese version as well. I don’t like them separately, separately they’re crazy they have these horrible personality hang ups that have me running in the other direction, but together and together working out their issues is drama gold for me. I’m kind of attached to them when I watch their antics; I think this is why I love watching them after their married as opposed to before when they’re trying to find each other. They’re just a surprisingly good couple.

Favorite Moment: I love the earlier episodes when they’re studying. The dialogue and the dynamics are both cute and frustrating but I can’t get enough of those earlier episodes when they didn’t like each other. For me it one of the best moments of watching them get together.

4. Ka In & Jin Ho from Personal Taste

When I put together this list, I rewatched a couple of episodes from Personal Taste and me being me zeroed in on episode 5&6 when Jin Ho tries to build up Ka In’s confidence as a person. He’s harsh but this is later juxtaposed by when he gets pads and rubs her belly during her period. It’s freakin’ girl porn at it’s best and sets the tone for this pairing as the sweet but sloppy girl and the straight laced heart of gold under lead incasing guy…which is my favorite type of pairing since I’m such a sloppy girl.

Favorite Moment: All of them, I just love how couple-like they are from the very beginning. It doesn’t make sense in the gay best friend dynamic, but it’s so much fun. And I was so in love from the very beginning.

( The Top 3 Heartflutters! )

So who is your favorite drama pairing? Why do you like them and what is your favorite moment?

 


I love you Big Bang, really I do, I love your sexy, I love your cool. I love that you have all these high ideas about wanting to be artists and to have growth, but when you say that I want to see…well…growth and not just the artistry of G-Dragon.

The Big Bang mini came out, I hope if you have even a tiny interest you bothered to listen, because this is the result of waiting for 2 years for them to release something in their native language. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not the epic album we’ve been waiting for and YG keeps pushing back. I think I finally know what going on here, but lets save that till end yes?

INTRO (Thank You & You): I enjoy it, I kind of love it. The beat is well thought out and definitely fits in with the many Big Bang intros that have become a staple to the albums and minis. It’s not my favorite Intro, but it’s break top 5, and probably does the best of melding what Big Bang is known for with the new Techno sound they’ve been favoring in their Japanese releases for the last year or so.

Hands Up: Moving from the intro to Hands Up was a smooth transition, but I think when Hands Up came out in its Japanese version I listened to it once or twice intentionally. I feel the same for this version (even with TOP’s change in vocals towards the end) I won’t jump out of my seat to turn it off, but I probably won’t say, man I need to listen to Hands Up right now. It’s not bad, it’s just mediocre.

Tonight: This is the thing everyone was waiting for and unfortunately I think the expectations of the VIPs got the better of them. I like it, it’s new for Big Bang, but as a person who’s always been a big listener of Techno and Electronic music since the early 2000’s, you can pretty much predict how this song is suppose to go and as a Techno/Electronic song it’s not very innovative. I still enjoy it, but I’ve heard better stuff playing DDR.

( Man it's been a long time since I've done a review. )
I got my finger smashed in a window Monday and today I'm starting to have pain in the palm of my hand. So it was kind of hard to type this....this is totally to guilt you to read it and I'm sure it's not working.