Noona Has Moved!

Greetings all you lovely denizens of the Asian Drama blogverse!

I've been debating moving my blog for awhile now (yes I know it isn't even a month old yet!), and finally decided to make the move last night.  Why you ask?  Well I've had some issues with spam comments and spam sites affecting the page and it has cause some frustration.  Additionally, blogger and I at times don't see eye to eye and it takes so much longer to get a post or page to look how I want it.  I'd rather spend time writing blog posts or reviews or watching dramas than struggling with blogger.  Also, my story Heart Murmurs is house elsewhere already because blogger wouldn't present the story as I wanted it viewed.  So with some helpful advice from Kfangurl and DDee over at The Fangirl Verdict I made the choice to move.

The new site is a copy of what I currently have here.  I was expecting a battle with blogger to export my information.  In actuality it was extremely easy!  Which was fantastic.  I won't be updating this page anymore.  Please, please, please come and join me at my new home!

The Drama Noona

Ilyoil Dongsaeng - Park Shin Hye

This week's Dongsaeng is the absolutely gorgeous and graceful Park Shin Hye.  I first saw her in You're Beautiful, she was portraying identical twins Go Mi Nam and Go Mi Nyu.  That show was about her thirteenth she'd been in, but it was my first introduction to her.  

I have since seen her in Heartstrings, Goong S, Running Man, and Heirs.  However, she always makes me want to hug her up.  I do believe that she is the queen of the pouty face, if not the queen of tears.

It is a definite talent that she is able to do sad so well and so convincingly.  Whatever place she goes to mentally to portray that sadness really does the trick.  I mean in nearly every episode of You're Beautiful I wanted to hug her because she was just so sad.

By the time I watched her in Heartstrings I already wanted to protect her as her Unni, but her sad face and crying just made it worse.  I wanted to make everything alright for her.

Look at those tears!  It broke my heart seeing her cry, which just means she is a good actress in my opinion.  Then I saw her on Running Man, she is too adorable for words!  Very opposite of the characters she plays, during the crazy stuff they do on Running Man she was often laughing and giggling and generally having a good time.  Which just made me adore her even more.

Then I started Heirs, after having seen her be so adorable and happy on Running Man, it broke my heart all over again to see her so sad all the time!  I mean like every episode she was sobbing and enduring hardships and I just wanted to dive in there and take her away from everything that made her upset. 

Let's have a round of applause for the utterly adorable dongsaeng Park Shin Hye!

My Princess

I both really enjoyed this show and was really frustrated with this show.  It took me a really long time to complete this drama.  Halfway through I just couldn't find that spark to want to watch the next episode.  I kept finding myself watching Running Man instead, always telling myself that I just needed a break or I just wanted to laugh today.  But, I finally did get back to finishing this one.  It was a little painful there at the end.  I don't think this one will be in the re-watch list.

I'll start with a few things that I really did enjoy.  I felt that the chemistry between the two leads was very real.  The expressions they exchanged, their playful banter, and the way they touched one another all made me believe that they were falling in love.  I had a good time watching them fall in love, it was adorable and cute and well written.  I also truly appreciated the chemistry of the palace cook, Geon Lee, and the maid, Shin Mi So.  They were totally adorable with Lee Seol and with one another.  They were fun to watch throughout the entire show.

Lee Seol's adoptive mom, Kim Da Bok, was excellent.  Though I do really like the actress, Im Ye Jin.  The way she reacted to all the ups and downs of what was happening to Lee Seol and what Lee Seoul was causing to happen was amazing.  It really felt like a loving mother-daughter relationship.  Some of my favorite scenes are with Lee Soel and Kim Da Bok.  They were just great together.

Some things that confused me with the family in general was Lee Dan.  I realize that the writers were attempting to show that Lee Dan and Lee Seol did not have a good relationship in the beginning of the show, but it just felt forced.  Towards the end as Lee Dan tries to provide a reason for her actions to their mom Kim Da Bok it just didn't feel real to me.  It didn't flow with the story, I couldn't really believe that Lee Dan was that angry and that hateful.  Also, they could not talk enough about Lee Seol's real father.  However, I'm pretty sure that they never once mention her mother, at all.  Did the Emperor's wife die in childbirth?  If not then where was she?  It was obvious that Lee Seol and her biological father were alone together in all the flashbacks.  I suppose I wanted something more definitive in regards to her mother.

The political intrigue with the President, Senator, and Yoon Joo at times felt like it was just too much.  I understand that they were heavily opposed to reinstating the royal family, however, for this show it felt like to much.  A lot of the scenes played like a romantic comedy, and then something with the political intrigue would occur and it would feel like a melodrama.  It was just too heavy for me and too much for the way the show had been written in the first few episodes.  I did like story of the last Emperor, his hidden son and granddaughter.  I also liked the twist in how Park Dong Jae earned his wealth and built his empire, all of that was very well written and done.

I want to take a moment to talk about the clothing, costumes, and outfits of this show.  On one hand you look at the men and they are all amazingly dressed.  The suits were sharp, well tailored, and of high quality material.  Each character had their own look and it fit him well.  Their hair and accessories were excellent too.  Then... oh man you look at the ladies.  I mean come on, what was with Yoon Joo's hair?  And even worse than that, her clothing especially hurt my eyes.  Lee Seol was also a victim of terrible outfits.  I have no idea what the designers were thinking, but the ladies looked terrible.

My last point is Hae Young.  For the first part of the show it felt like he had a separate set of writers than the last half.  In the first eleven episodes he was somewhat broody and moody and a little angry.  Though he was working through these issues and trying to accept his feelings for Lee Seol.  Then all of a sudden he was overly sweet and cute.  The actor was the same, but it was a completely different part he was playing Hae Young became like a fifteen year old young man courting his high school crush.  That made it very hard for me to enjoy the end of the show.  It was such a sudden shift in the lead character.

It wasn't a bad way to spend sixteen hours, but it wasn't one of my favorites.  I did enjoy the story and I liked a lot of the elements, but there were more things missing for them in the end.

For a full synopsis of the story click this link

Noona's Ratings
Overall: 7 (rated this 3 stars on DramaFever.com)
Story/Writing: 7
Cast Actors: 8
OST: 7
Sets Costumes: 6
Feels: 7   

Omo Oppa - Kim Jong Kook

I first watched Running Man after watching City Hunter.  I had been swept away by the utter adorableness of Lee Kwang Soo and saw that he was a main cast member of Running Man.  So I rushed over to DramaFever and started watching.  I was utterly hooked after one episode.  Though it wasn’t just because of my dongsaeng Kwang Soo or how much the show made me laugh like I was insane.  If I’m honest, I kept coming back because I just could not get enough of watching Kim Jong Kook!  Omo… what a gorgeous man.  This Oppa definitely had me squeeing like any good fangirl should. 

The more that I watched the more I found to enjoy about watching him.  I mean come on look at that man.  I really, really liked just watching him. 

However, the more I saw the more I began to adore the man’s personality.  Even though he’s built like Adonis, he seemed humble and shy even about his body.  Every time another cast member made a joke or comment about his buff frame he’d laugh and look away demurely.  Guh, that just made me squee all the more.

To add to that adorableness he has such a respectful nature about him.  Even when they are in the middle of a fierce competition he can always be seen taking care of Song Ji Hyo and the other female guests.  And it isn’t about screen time or the gag, it is just to be sure they are doing alright with all the physical and zaney stuff the show makes them do. 

And then add to that his friendship with Kwang Soo!  Guh be still my heart!  On the show they are often at odds, however, in real life they are often seen attending events and weddings together.  And in many interviews they’ve both stated that they are very close friends even spending the night at one another’s houses!  I mean come one how cute is that!

So here’s in honor of my very first Oppa!  Three cheers for Kim Jong Kook!!!

Read All About It

It's been awhile since I posted about the Fan Story that I was starting.  I wrote the dust jacket synopsis and then the preface, but then it took me a very long time to finish chapter one.  It is completed and posted on the Heart Murmurs page, so please go and read and give me feedback!

My concept is that each chapter would translate to one episode of a show. I have no idea how many chapters there will be, though I hope to keep it around twenty-five.  At least similar to the number of episodes that are average for a Korean Drama.  I do  have a plan, though it has already changed several times with the writing of the first chapter.  I hope to solidify my outline while writing chapter two.  So that way I feel a bit more confident while creating the story.

This is the first story that I've written that I'm actually sharing for mass consumption.  I do write a lot, but I've never shown those stories to anyone, not even my husband.  I just love to write, it is like a form of stress relief.  With that being said I am a horrible editor so there are bound to be grammatical and continuity mistakes.  If you, my amazing and lovely readers, find these errors I beg you to please let me know so I can fix them.  The only way to get better is to listen to honestly provided feedback and critiques and I most assuredly do want to get better.

Because I am also a visual person I thought it would be fun to cast the characters of my story.  So there is also a cast page with the actors and actresses that I think best fit the roles.  Some of them have yet to be introduced in the story, but I wanted to get them all posted there so as they appear it is easy to visualize who they are.

So without further ado... here is Heart Murmurs. 

Ilyoil Dongsaeng - Jeremy

This week's edition will be a little different than last week's.  And as I plan out the next few dongsaeng's I think it will be a lot more like this.  What's the difference you ask?  Well this week my dongsaeng is a character from a drama not the actual actor who plays the character.  There are loads of characters that I've seen in my short time in drama-land that I just want to squeeze and cuddle because they are just beyond adorable.

Which brings us to this week's dongsaeng.  Introducing Jeremy from You're Beautiful!

  

If you're seen the drama perhaps you shared my absolute adoration for him.  In fact he was my favorite part of the band.  I loved his fun attitude, zest for life, and innocence.  He was the little brother to the band as well and I was glad to see Shin Woo take care of my dongsaeng throughout the show.  

As he gets to know Mi Nam/Mi Nyu Jeremy doesn't trust the newest band member.  His attempts to get Mi Nam/Mi Nyu to talk are childish and silly, but they made me love him even more.  I also loved his relationship with his dog Jolie.

When I really wanted to swoop in and take care of Jeremy is when he begins to trust and like Mi Nam/Mi Nyu, but doesn't understand his feelings.  The poor boy doesn't know that Mi Nam is really Mi Nyu and is afraid of how he feels for another man.  I just wanted to cuddle him and tell him it was ok.

But what really kicked in my Noona sensibilities was after he found out that Mi Nyu was a girl.  He realizes that he's fallen in love with her, but she's fallen in love with Tae Kyung.  Holy cow my heart broke so badly here and I cried more over this moment than any other moment in the whole show.  Then he has to go and cry while singing that song... yeah I was a goner.

So this week's dongsaeng is adorable Jeremy!

Heartstrings

After Playful Kiss I vowed not to watch a drama just because a bias or crush was in it.  I failed that vow almost immediately with Hearstrings.  My second favorite part of You’re Beautiful was the chemistry between Jung Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye.  My favorite part of You’re Beautiful was Jeremy.  So once I finished You’re Beautiful I saw that Yong Hwa and Shin Hye had been given leading roles together in Heartstrings and I really just couldn’t resist.

The first thing that I want to mention from the list of pros for this show is the fact that the two main leads enter into a relationship fairly early in the episodes.  Which was an oddity, at least to me when I watched this show seeing as I’d only seen four dramas before Heartstrings.  It was a breath of fresh air for me, I loved that the drama was about maintaining that relationship instead of fighting against having a relationship at all.  They had to overcome a whole different slew of obstacles compared to the other dramas that I’d watched.  I enjoyed that journey and thought it was very well done.

However, the chemistry between Shin Hye and Yong Hwa felt completely different than it did in You’re Beautiful.  I’m not sure what it was, but it sure didn’t feel as passionate as it had in the previous drama.  In You’re Beautiful they had some truly amazing interplay.  You could see the connection between the characters and it really had me rooting for them, even though I knew already that I would be crushed since Yong Hwa was the second male lead.  I just wish that the relationship didn’t feel as wooden in Heartstrings.  For me there was definitely something missing.

The music for this drama was amazing.  I had the songs stuck in my head for weeks even after I completed watching the drama.  I’m sure it helped that the band members were actually playing their instruments.  Not to mention Yong Hwa and Kang Min Hyuk are in CN Blue together.  For me the music really stood out and I even bought the OST because I wanted to be able to listen to it whenever I wanted.

In my limited experience with drama-land the supporting cast has to really gel and standout on their own for a drama to work.  The only two characters outside of the leads that really captured my heart was Min Hyuk’s portrayal of Yeo Joon Hee and Shin Hye’s grandfather.  I cannot even properly convey how utterly adorable Joon Hee was throughout the entire show.  I loved him, probably more than I liked Yong Hwa’s character.  The grandfather cracked me up, he was hilarious.  I also really enjoyed how he lived-breathed-ate traditional music and a traditional lifestyle.  I found him wonderfully interesting.  Beyond Joon Hee and the grandfather, the rest of the cast just didn’t really shine for me and that hurt the drama overall.  I wanted to be pulling for the side stories, but more often than not I found myself plodding through all of that to get back to Joon Hee, the grandfather, or the two leads.

Towards the end of the drama I really felt that we finally got to see some character growth.  For the majority of the show the characters were static in their maturity and personalities as they dealt with the obstacles which were put in their way.  However, the last fifth of the series I enjoyed the way the story moved.  Shin Hye’s character showed amazing maturity with how she handled the play and the drama surrounding being the lead actress.  Both Yong Hwa and Shin Hye’s characters moved towards a natural progression of fulfilling their dreams.  Even the supporting cast seemed to finally bloom and I enjoyed seeing how they evolved towards the end.

However, the ending of the show felt rushed.  I’m not sure if it was cut down in the number of episodes, or that was how it was originally planned.  But, things just felt a little choppy in the last two episodes.  It made the character growth that had been occurring seem as if it weren’t important.  I wish that they would have taken more time with the ending, perhaps another episode to have made it feel a little smoother.

Overall, I enjoyed the show.  It was a feel good journey with some nice happy messages within it.  I am glad that I watched it, but it just never quite captured me in the feels.  Still it is a cute watch and a pretty story.

For a full synopsis of the story check out this link.

Noona's Rating
Overall: 7.6 (I rated this 4 stars on DramaFever.com)
Story/Writing: 8
Cast/Actors: 8
OST: 9
Sets/Costumes: 6
Feels: 7

First Love?

Recently my Sunbae showed me a post that she wrote a little while ago.  We were discussing my review of You’re Beautiful.  Her article is called What Makes Drama Crack Stay Fresh / Turn Stale?  It really hit home for me.  Especially since I just went back and watched  Boys Over Flowers last weekend.  Ouch…

In that article she talks about how you can get sucked into a show and need to watch it like its crack.  Then when you go back at a later time to re-watch the same show it falls short.  Though she also discusses the reverse effect, and she used You’re Beautiful as her primary example.  The first time she watched it she felt it didn’t measure up, which is how I felt about it as well.  However, her second (and third) time through she absolutely loved it.

If you’ve gone over to read her article (you really-really-really should if you haven’t) then this might seem like a rehashing of everything that Sunbae’s already said.  However, it is very true and I feel that I need to get it off my chest.  The very first Korean drama I ever watched was Boys Over Flowers.  When I wrote my review I still had my rose colored glasses on and my heart still fluttered at the thought of that show.  It was seriously my first love and I could hardly accept that there was anything wrong with it. 

I was having a bad day and wanted something to lift my spirits, so of course I immediately thought of Boys Over Flowers.  Turning it on I sat down with coffee and a brownie and prepared to be relieved of my stress and feel that heart-pounding love I’d known seven months ago when I watched it the first time… oh boy was I disappointed.  No, it was way more than disappointed, I was in pain!  I watched the first four episodes in a row and just couldn’t get back that feeling that I’d known, the pedestal upon which I’d placed the show was cracking. 

But I wasn’t willing to believe that it wasn’t as magical and perfect as I had thought just a few weeks ago.  So I skipped ahead to the beginning of the contest to win Jan Di… and the pedestal was even worse off.  So I spent the rest of the day skimming through episodes trying to qualify the exemplary review that I’d written.  And sadly it just didn’t live up to my dream.  But… I still love the show, I mean a lot.  However, that love has less to do with the story and more to do with the fact that because of Boys Over Flowers I found Korean Dramas.  And for that I will always love it, always.

Sadly though, I’ll probably go back and adjust my rating and review of Boys Over Flowers to reflect a more objective view.  But not today, I want to preserve at least a little bit of the pedestal that is still standing.

You're Beautiful

The gender bender genre hasn't really ever interested me.  So how did I end up watching You’re Beautiful, a gender bender drama?  Funny story that.  My husband and I were building a computer, neither of us are overly tech-savvy, but we’re competent.  We’d dismantled our old computer and started building the new one from scratch.  Unfortunately we did not complete it in a day, which meant that I had no way to watch my dramas.  Fortunately, I have a Kindle Fire and Amazon Prime so I jumped on there and started searching out Korean dramas.  I now know that there is an app for DramaFever (where I watch all my dramas) for the Kindle and we also have a Roku so if this happens in the future I’m covered.  There were only about five shows that I could find on Amazon Prime to stream through my Kindle, and of those five You’re Beautiful caught my interest more than the rest.  So I sat down to watch a gender-bender drama.

My biggest turn off was how they dressed/styled Park Shin Hye.  Since watching You’re Beautiful I have watched Coffee Prince and Yoon Eun Hye was such a more convincing boy.  Even back when I had watched this drama, before having seen Coffee Prince, I was disappointed with the effort they put into Park Shin Hye as a boy.  Shin Hye is definitely feminine and beautiful even with neutral makeup and the short hair, it wasn't enough to disguise her.  I wanted more effort in the styles they dressed her in, though I couldn't honestly pinpoint any specific ideas.  It just fell flat for me.  Also, her actions and mannerisms weren't masculine.  I know it is a TV show and I should suspend my disbelief and just accept that the members of the band would look at her with her short hair and accept that she was a boy.  But I can’t, she was still just too pretty for me.  Anyway, even though I can’t really give meaningful ideas on how this could be improved, it was what made me not emotionally invest in the show as much as I could have.

The thing I liked the most was the Bromance between the band members.  I thought they cast the band perfectly.  Each one represented a different quality/personality.  Their interactions with one another were very enjoyable.  They were like brothers and best friends throughout the whole of the show.  Jeremy was so adorable and innocent.  His fun loving attitude made him my favorite of the band members themselves.  Though I think my most favorite thing about him was the fact that he read the fan-fiction about him and the other band members, that was just an absolute hoot.  I like that Kim Shin Woo was the calm one, the voice of reason.  He balanced out Jeremy's eccentricities and Hwang Tae Kyung's diva/narcissistic personality.  Then Hwang Tae Kyung was the perfect leader role, he was pushy and needy but also really did have a desire for the band to succeed.  The writers did a great job with the band as a whole.

Kim Shin Woo also gave me yet another seriously heartbreakingly painful case of second male lead syndrome.  I wanted him to get the girl so badly.  However, it frustrated me how he went about getting the girl.  His plan of attack had so much to do with why he didn't end up with Go Mi Nyu.  I wanted him to get the courage to talk to her long before he confronted her in the chapel.  If he had been more open with her and let her know that he was in on the secret, well it could have been a totally different story.  So I both loved his character’s story and disliked it.

I also appreciated Uee in this drama.  She did a fantastic job with portraying her role.  I totally believed that she was a spoiled brat who had the whole nation fooled.  Additionally, I think she did a great job as her part as a villain.  Though I think the best part was her redemption wasn't completely out of left field, she grew as a character but didn't escape the natural boundaries they’d set up in the beginning. 

However, out of everything I think I loved the music the most.  This is only one of four OST’s that I’ve actually purchased.  It helped that the songs were actually performed by the actors, it gave it a very real feel throughout the show itself.  If A.N. Jell was an actual band I would buy their music in a heartbeat.

Though I do really like this drama, it just never really reeled me in through the feels.  I think it had the most to do with it being a gender-bender story.  I just couldn't completely invest myself in the story as it unfolded because I found it so very unbelievable.  But that doesn't stop me from giving it a high rating, in the end it was an enjoyable ride and I’m glad I watched it.

For a full synopsis of the story check out this link.

Noona's Rating
Overall: 7.8 (I rated this 4 stars on DramaFever.com)
Story/Writing: 8
Cast/Actors: 8
OST: 9
Sets/Costumes: 7
Feels: 7    

Ilyoil Dongsaeng - Lee Kwang Soo

I first saw Kwang Soo when I watched City Hunter.  That drama is in my absolute favorites list.  He played Go Ki Joon; the stiff, intelligent, and awkward tech for the Blue House.  He worked along side Lee Min Ho's character as he worked undercover in the same office.  He was just so utterly adorable that I wanted to squish him and take him home.  

After completing that drama I saw that he was a main cast member in Running Man, I must admit he's the reason I started to watch it.  I'm not much for variety TV, I don't watch any American variety TV at all.  However, from the first episode I was completely hooked.  That show makes me laugh so much that sometimes I cry.

I've only recently started watching Running Man's first episodes, I actually started somewhere in the middle.  After the cast members had already formed their particular roles within the show.  So Kwang Soo was already the Betrayer.  Every time they play his theme and he looks sad I want to swoop in and scold the others for hurting my hyung's feelings.

  

Kwang Soo is just adorable.  He is my first dongsaeng and will always hold a very special place in my heart.

Fan-story?

I'm not new to the world of fan-fiction, I've even tried my hand at it a few times with other fan clubs that I'm a part of (i.e. Firefly, Harry Potter, Supernatural, etc).  Though I'm always reticent about portraying a canon character because if I set out to write their unwritten stories I have to be sure that I am true to the character.  And with a fan-fiction it can be so very easy to change the character to fit the story you want to tell.  To me that defeats the purpose of the fan-fiction.  If you aren't being true to the character completely then you aren't writing fan-fiction, you're writing a story based on a character that you are head over heels in love with.  Which is completely fine, just don't call it fan-fiction.

Currently I've been watching Heirs, though I gave up at episode 14.  The show had so much potential and it felt as if the writers were just coasting through the story depending on the big stars they had on screen.  So I threw my hands up in the air and walked away.  I'm certain once its complete I'll go back and watch the rest, because I do want to see how it ends.  So why mention Heirs?  Well the character of Choi Young Do absolutely inspired me to want to try my hand at fan-fiction again.  However, the same old doubts kept nagging me and I love the character so completely that I do not want to mess up in portraying him.  So that got me to thinking... why not write a fan-story that is based on my love of Choi Young Do, but make something completely new.

So that's what I've started to do.  I've taken what I love about the character and I've created a story all my own based around that.  Its a story that I've thought about and outlined previously, but once I made the choice to base the main character on Choi Young Do I made some simple changes and bam I've got a new story to tell that allows me to take all the things I love about the character and make it my own.

I'll be posting the chapters on the Heart Murmurs page here on my blog.  You'll see it above in the navigation bar.  Every so often when I have a few chapters to show I'll make a post to let everyone know there are some words over there to take a gander at.  I hope that people enjoy the story and I look forward to feedback and suggestions.  So please comment to your heart's content here.

So Many Shows So Little Time

Sometimes when I’m trying to decide on the next drama I want to watch I feel like I’m drowning in choices.  Which, in essence, I am since there are hundreds of dramas out there to choose from.  I’ve compiled a rather lengthy list of dramas I do want to watch, which is only a pin drop in the ocean of dramas.  As I’ve talked about in a prior post, I want that happy ending, so I often search the net for lists of dramas that have happy endings.  And then I search out each individual title and try to discern from posts and reviews which of them have a confirmed happy ending.  That’s at least where I start.  Though having this list of dramas that all sound good story and premise wise with a confirmed good or at least mostly good ending is just as overwhelming as looking at all the dramas out there which are available to watch.  So I sit there for an hour, sometimes more, and try to figure out what I want to invest my time into.

Honestly I depend a lot on reviews that I find on Dramabeans, Drama Fever, Crunchyroll, and other various sites focused on dramas.  Personally a recap review is less valuable to me than a review that talks about the writer’s likes/dislikes about the series.  I don’t want to know exactly what happened, but I do want to know if the viewer enjoyed the show.  And of course, if there was a happy ending.  I do a lot of searches that are similar to “does Insert Drama Name Here have a happy ending”.  I can usually ascertain quickly from the snippets in the google search results if the show ends happily or not.  Sometimes I get mixed signals, some say it was good and some say it was satisfactory and some say it wasn’t what they had hoped for.  I put those into a second list that I title, “Mostly Happy Ending.”

With so many shows to choose from and a large chunk with a happy ending, how do I pick one fish out of the sea to watch?  It depends on what I just finished watching.  If it was a lighthearted romantic comedy with a very simple feel and youthful story then I’ll probably focus on something a little more mature or with more serious story themes.  For example after I finished Flower Boy Ramen Shop I picked A Gentleman’s Dignity.  Flower Boy Ramen Shop was cutesy and lighthearted so I wanted something a little more mature.  The main actors in A Gentleman’s Dignity are all in their forties and so the themes were much different.  But sometimes I just want more of the same so I’ll go right into another sweet romantic comedy right after finishing one.  Like when I finished You’re Beautiful and started Heartstrings right away.

I’ve tried making lists ranking the shows I do want to watch with the information I know about them and then just sticking to it.  Then my current show ends and I look at the number one choice… and then still spend ages reading reviews looking at suggestions, and researching any number of aspects about any number of shows to finally choose something not even on the list.  If I could only make a plan and stick to it I’d have more time to watch my dramas.  But I just can’t help but look at other shows, read up on a show I’ve never heard of before, contemplate re-watching one of the shows I’ve already watched but loved so much it left a hole in my heart when it was done.  I keep telling myself I’ll just follow my list no matter what.  Maybe this will be the time that I can, maybe after I finish My Princess I’ll be able to go right to I Need Romance.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!   

Playful Kiss

This review will go against the popular view, but I just couldn’t get truly invested in Playful Kiss.  It was the third drama I watched and after the first episode I turned it off.  It was too over the top, too campy, too much of everything, and not enough of anything to draw me in.  I went back to watching something that I can’t remember now, because through Hulu there weren’t that many Korean, Taiwanese, or Japanese dramas to choose from that I could easily find.  Combined with the fact I hadn’t really become fully addicted which meant I just didn’t take the time to look around I just moved on instead of trying something else.  However, after about a week or so I decided to give Playful Kiss another shot.  The second episode wasn’t as bad and the third was alright, and so on and so forth.  But, I just never really felt invested in the story or involved in the characters like I had with City Hunter and Boys Over Flowers.  I picked this drama because I absolutely loved Kim Hyun Joong in Boys Over Flowers, that was my only reason.  I learned my lesson about watching a drama just for a bias and now I do my research about the story and reviews before devoting my time.

I really liked the idea of the story.  Girl has a huge crush on arrogant boy, a series of unfortunate events has the two families living together, and slowly arrogant boy sees the girl as his soul mate.  A totally sweet and cute idea and I was pretty excited to see it.  However, for me the execution of the story was lacking.  I kept wanting to like it, kept wanting to have it move me, kept wanting more from the show.  It just never got me in the feels.

Throughout the entire shore I saw little growth in the characters themselves, they remained as immature and aloof as they were when the show began.  I wanted to see more development of Oh Ha Ni, there was so much they could have done to show her growing up.  Yet she remained perpetually a child in actions and mentality.  Then Baek Seung Jo never seemed to change, he began as a narcissistic and egotistical character and ended exactly the same.  Once Baek Seung Jo admitted that he loved Oh Ha Ni he was as cold to her as he had been when he hated her.  There was no warmth, no affection, and certainly no chemistry between them.  For me the main couple totally fell short, and left me cool.

Even though the lead couple didn’t really meet my expectations, I loved the secondary couple.  Bong Joon Gu and Chris were absolutely adorable!  The moment she came into the noodle house and stared at Bong Joon Gu with that puppy love gaze I loved them.  There was real emotion there and reaction.  However, the bromance of the fathers Oh Ki Dong and Baek Soo Chang was amazing.  Every time they had a scene together I loved it!  They were just cute together and I wanted to see more of them.  On top of that Oh Ha Ni’s relationship with her father, Oh Ki Dong was lovely.  Their moments almost made up for the lack of feeling between Oh Ha Ni and Baek Seung Jo.

I also really enjoyed the big reveal kiss in the rain.  Even though I didn’t care for the series as much as I wanted to, that kiss is in my top five best kisses.  For that moment, for whatever reason, the leads made me believe that they were in love.  I just wish that passion and fire had carried through to the episodes after the kiss. 

Playful Kiss just dragged for me.  If it were me now as opposed to six months ago I would have stopped watching and just moved on to something else.  However, back then I felt guilty for not sticking with a show from beginning to end.  But with full time work, a husband, and a rambunctious five year old I just don’t have the free time to commit to a show that doesn’t immediately capture my heart.     

For a full synopsis of the story check out this link.

Noona's Rating
Overall: 7 (I rated this 3 stars on DramaFever.com)
Story/Writing: 7
Cast/Actors: 7
OST: 7
Sets/Costumes: 8
Feels: 6

City Hunter

I watched City Hunter immediately after having finished Boys Over Flowers.  Since I was pretty much clueless on K-Dramas and what to watch I only picked City Hunter because it had Lee Min Ho in it.  Also, it was the first suggestion on Hulu after I rated Boys Over Flowers so highly.  It was a lucky happenstance that I watched this next, but I’m pretty sure that I would have gotten to it sooner rather than later anyway.  This is in my top three best/most favorite dramas so far.  I’ve only watched fourteen dramas in the six months since I discovered Korean Dramas, so I’m sure that as I delve further into dramas my top three will change.

As with Boys Over Flowers it is difficult for me to look at City Hunter with an objective eye.  And since this review is just my opinion anyway I’ll just gush over it as much as I want.  I really enjoyed this one.  Prior to K-Drama’s my usual genre of movie/show was action and adventure.  So the fact that this is an action/spy based story line, well I fell in love even more.  The basic story is South Korean Spec. Ops group is sent to North Korea by politicians, once there a deal is struck with the States and the South Korean politicians end the mission and hide any evidence of its existence.  Then they kill off their own people, only one man survives.  He then steals his friend’s baby and raises the child for one purpose, revenge.  When the baby, now a man, returns to Korea he completes the revenge for the man who raised him.

I’m not even sure where to start because I loved everything.  So I suppose I’ll start with Lee Min Ho.  He did an amazing job.  The character grows from a rambunctious teen to a young man with a purpose and he truly did a fantastic job showing that.  Additionally, Lee Yoon Sung (Lee Min Ho’s character) is being asked to do some truly despicable things by the man who raised him.  You can really see the pain Yoon Sung feels at disobeying the only man he’s ever known as family.  And that pain only intensifies as Yoon Sung’s past comes to light.  He really pulled me in and I felt his suffering with him.

Kim Na Na is my favorite female lead in any drama so far.  So often when a ‘tough girl’ part is being cast the actress is not right for the part or just way over acts in order to appear strong.  It can ruin a show when the ‘tough girl’ is trying too hard or not believable at all.  Kim Na Na was just perfect.  She was an excellent mix of strong and tough woman with vulnerable and soft.  I truly believed that she could beat the snot out of anyone attempting to harm her charge (the president’s daughter).  Though on the other hand when she’s home alone I believe that she just wants someone to lean on and make her feel safe too.  Park Min Young did such a phenomenal job portraying Kim Na Na.

Sometimes the chemistry between the leads falls short, but not here.  The main leads and their secondary counterparts just had the perfect mix of tension, aggression, attraction, and sensual interplay.  Along with that, the supporting cast was perfect.  I especially enjoyed Ahjussi, he added just the right amount of comic relief to a story that was intense.

Lee Jin Pyo, who went by Steve Lee when he returned to Korea, was the man who stole Yoon Sung and raised him.  Oh I just loved to hate this man.  He was so focused on his revenge and so set in his ways that he didn’t care what it was doing to Yoon Sung.  He was an evil and horrid man who I hated with a passion.  Yet, he’s my favorite villain to date.  I loved him, he was so broken, but had such a strong will that he didn’t let his broken heart stop him.  And then at the end he redeems himself and I loved him even more.

Additionally I really loved Yoon Sung’s City Hunter look.  The face mask and the clothing he wore.  It was simple and easily obtained which makes it realistic in the sense that anyone could have those items.  He wasn’t wearing anything that was cumbersome or tacky just for the look.  It was clean and simple and functional.  Also, for me this is my favorite look of Lee Min Ho’s.

The only criticisms that I have are minor and really just a few nit-picking items.  Yoon Sung is supposed to be a genius and the Blue House is very pleased to have him there.  However, he just comes and goes whenever he wants without a word or a reason.  I would assume that the Blue House is tightly guarded, scrutinized, and watched.  It seemed a little improbable that he would have such free reign to do some of the things he did while there.  Additionally, speaking of improbable.  Being raised on a drug farm and then somehow managing to enter the US with valid identification to fabricate a past and go to school.  I understand that with most action flicks you need to suspend your disbelief, but this just seemed like to much.  Though I’m not sure what they could have done to make it a little more believable.

The last thing that I could possibly say as a negative was the fact that it felt like the characters were written to be particularly slow in figuring out who the City Hunter was.  Yoon Sung didn’t exactly cover up his actions very well.  I thought it would have been much better had they discovered his identity sooner and we could see the struggle they had in deciding what to do with the information.  They had the epiphany too late in the series for my tastes.

However, eve with those few small things this is definitely in my top three best dramas of all times.  I would absolutely recommend it to anyone and will most definitely watch it again. 

For a full synopsis of the story check out this link.

Noona's Rating
Overall: 9 (I rated this 5 stars on DramaFever.com)
Story/Writing: 9
Cast/Actors: 9
OST: 9
Sets/Costumes: 9
Feels: 9

What's Up Fox

I picked this drama because I saw it in a blog article on dramabeans about Noona Romances.  Being a Noona myself I love this story trope.  There’s something about the younger man doggedly perusing the older woman that just pulls me in.  There aren’t as many Noon Romances as I’d like and sometimes it is the secondary story.  So if you have some suggestions I’d really appreciate it.

There were several things about What’s Up Fox that I really loved and a few that fell short for me.  First, some more mature themes were mainstays throughout the drama.  The main character, Go Byung Hee, is a reporter for an adult man’s magazine and writes erotic stories along side actual reports relevant to the male readers.  The daydream scenes of her stories were hilarious.  Because sensuality was such a main theme in the story it dealt with sex in a much more straightforward way than is typical in a Korean drama.  It was refreshing.

The humorous moments were well placed throughout the show.  It was funny without being over the top, and added in just when it was getting too serious.  Being a Rom-Com, that’s part of the formula anyway, but I found myself enjoying the series more because of it.  Additionally, there were very few instances that I felt the story progressed too slowly.  The whole show moved along at a steady pace, never really very fast, but moving things along at a rate that I wasn’t bored with it.

The main couple was great together.  Park Chul Soo took a little bit of time to admit his feelings, even after the big whoops of the first episode, but once he committed he was dedicated to wooing her.  Just the way he looked at her was adorable, puppy love all the way.  Chul Soo did his best to prove to Byung Hee that he was really in love with her, but she fought against the idea valiantly.  It was great to watch her evolution, starting out seeing him as nothing more than a little brother to denial that she was attracted to him, and finally to accepting what her heart had been trying to tell her all along.  Their chemistry was just right, the perfect amount of tension and playful banter.

Doctor Bae Hee Myung just never really felt all the strong to me.  I understand that the character was written to be pretty low key and accepting, but as a part of a love triangle he just fell short.  Doctor Bae never fought for Byung Hee, he never made an attempt to really tell her that he loved her.  And on that note, he admitted that he didn’t feel love or want to feel love.  He just wanted someone to live with, something comfortable and warm.  Not the kind of talk that sweeps a girl off her feet.  As far as a second male lead goes he just didn’t really make me pull for him.  Perhaps I’m comparing Doctor Bae to other second male leads and that’s why he just seems lacking.  But to me the other guy in the love triangle should be like Ji Hoo (Boys Over Flowers) or Kang Shin Woo (You’re Beautiful).

The side story of Go Jun Hee and Park Byung Gak was so much fun.  They were just as strong as the main couple, for me anyway.  Their love-hate relationship was hilarious.  They were just as horrible to one another and then would turn around and be wonderfully sweet.  As they grew closer and closer to one another I just couldn’t help but root for them even though they were seventeen years apart in age.  It was just such a sweet love that formed between them.

As we all know I’m a sucker for a happy ending and What’s Up Fox had a satisfyingly happy ending.  The stories were wrapped up well and the things I’d been hoping for through the whole show came to pass.  I got the warm-fuzzies, and really that’s what I love at the end of the day.  The ending didn’t have as much punch or fireworks as I wanted, and was just a little rushed I think.  But even though they didn’t show as much sensuality and love as I wanted they left it open enough I could imagine.  All in all this was a good time.    

For a full synopsis of the story check out this link.

Noona's Rating
Overall: 7.6 (I rated this 4 stars on DramaFever.com)
Story/Writing: 8
Cast/Actors: 8
OST: 6
Sets/Costumes: 8
Feels: 8

Why K-Dramas?

Since becoming immersed in the world of Korean and Taiwanese (I have yet to watch a Japanese drama though I have a few on my list that I do want to watch) dramas my friends and family have often asked me a simple question, why?  No matter how many times I try and explain I just can’t seem to get them to understand.  I also can’t seem to get them to try and watch them with me.  Oh but if they would only give them a chance!  Because I get asked why so often I thought I’d try my hand at putting down my thoughts and defining the reasons for my addiction.  Not an easy task and it has become harder than I anticipated.  A great deal of my reasons have to do with feels and that doesn’t translate so well to the non-fan.  Anyway, I’m going to do my best to put some of my feels down on paper (or down in cyber-space).

I still watch American TV(only about 4 shows) and I watch a lot of British TV (dying for the new Sherlock episodes!), but they’ve lost my interest in a big way.  I don’t have that overwhelming need to see the next episode.  The cliffhangers seem less emotionally traumatizing.  I can guess the plot of the episode within a few minutes (Doctor Who and Sherlock don’t qualify for this one).  I don’t get invested in the characters, even for shows that run for a long time and build up the stories and histories.  I just can’t seem to invest in these characters like I used to.  In essence I just don’t have much interest in Western TV. 

So what is it about Korean Dramas or Taiwanese Dramas?  Prior to six months ago I would have looked at anyone talking about Eastern Dramas with a blank expression, not getting it at all.  Now, I look at people who have never watched a Korean or Taiwanese Drama with that same look.  I’m not really certain I can adequately explain my obsession and why it exists, but I’m going to give it a try.

These are in no particular order.

I love the actors, from the main casts to the supporting casts and even the extras.  Compared to Western TV, at least in my eyes, the actors look more like real people to me.  Less make up, less perfectly crafted hair styles, less plastic like bodies/faces.  They just look and feel real.  I’m not sure how their acting training is approached, but the people feel more natural to me.  Granted I don’t speak the language and there are only so many subtleties that can be picked up through subtitles and body language.  But regardless I feel like the acting just flows better, as if I really have become a fly on the wall for people a few thousand miles away.

Perhaps a large part of my addiction stems from my fascination for Asian Cultures.  These dramas give some valid insights into the cultures of Korea and Taiwan.   Logically I know some of the social rules have been exaggerated, we do that in American and British TV too, but I love seeing how society functions there.  It fascinates me that asking a persons age is polite and expected so that you can address them in the correct manner.  I love that there are formal ways to interact to show respect and honor and also a familial language.  There are so many ways to bow, so many reasons to bow, and certain lengths of time for certain situations.  I could really go on and on within this section, but I think you get the idea.

I have a five year old son and there are just too many things that are ok to show on regular TV in American and British shows that I do not want my son to see.  Which means that most shows that I might have an interest in must be watched once my son is in bed.  I work full time (sometimes more as I’m salaried) and I work a later shift in the day.  This doesn’t leave a lot of time before bed to watch these shows.  But with Korean and Taiwanese dramas I can watch most of them with my son and never have to worry that he’ll be exposed to something inappropriate.  And, as an added bonus, he’s started to pick up on words and asks what they mean.  Which, come on, that is super cool.

There is so much focus on the flash factor, effects, gross out factor, and various other visual things that a lot of story is ignore or lost in Western TV.  There are of course gems out there that defy this; however, I think that Korean and Taiwanese TV dominates the story and character development market.  There is a definite path, a predetermined number of episodes, a known ending…  All of this helps to sharpen the focus on the story and the people of the story which lets them forget the over the top visual effects that don’t really add anything at all.  Each episode (usually an hour) delves deeper and deeper into the relationships of the characters.  Be it a sixteen episode run or fifty, you can actually see the characters grow and evolve and mature in front of your eyes.  This might be the most important thing for me.  I really love the focus on people and relationships.

So far I’ve only watched a tiny number of dramas, but I am addicted to the plot twists.  Some of them are so outrageous and ridiculous you know it would never happen in real life.  Others are so down to earth and grounded that it sends chills down your spine, because it could happen to anyone.  I never know what is going to happen.  I’m not certain how the characters are going to deal with the issues thrust upon them.  I’ve no idea how they are going to handle the obstacles they encounter.  And each issue or situation or obstacle pushes the characters to grow and evolve and change.  It is a journey that I love to be involved with.

Lastly, I wanted to mention the Variety Shows.  I do not watch American or British variety TV.  It has just never captured my attention.  However, Korean Variety TV tosses their hottest stars into crazy games/places and films it.  Oh boy what a concept!  I love seeing them as people, just regular folks having to deal with silly and physically challenging situations.  I think I’ve watched more Running Man than actual dramas combined.  I laugh like an idiot with each episode and leave it feeling good.

I know there are so many reasons that I’ve missed.  Arguments to make in favor of Korean and Taiwanese dramas that I should make.  The feels and reasons I love these dramas are endless.  But I think for a first attempt at putting my feels into words I’ve done a decent job.      

Boys Over Flowers

I got the urge to re-watch this drama recently.  The feels will never change, I loved this drama when I watched it.  It caused my addiction and I will always have fond and sweet and warm memories of those hours I spent getting to know this show.  However, when I re-watched it after having not seen it for seven months... It did not live up to the memories I had.  I won't change this review, because it was written like my other reviews after only one complete watch through.  However, I am updating my rating numbers, because sadly it didn't live up to the pristine memory I had created.

Oh boy... this is the first drama that I ever watched, the one which started it all.  It will always hold a special place in my heart, on a high-high pedestal, perfect in every way, the drama to which no other drama could ever compare.  Well... it is really hard to think another drama might take its place in my heart.  However, as I've watched more and more dramas I've found this level of love for other dramas for a whole plethora of reasons.   But no matter how many dramas I watch I highly doubt that the special and honored place that Boys Over Flowers has in my heart will change.

In my opinion this drama is an excellent choice to introduce the non-K Drama-believer to the world of K-Dramas.  For me it made me hungry to know more about the culture of Korea, the language, and the story concepts used to tell this tale.  Because of this drama I was introduced to some very basic concepts of the K-Drama scene.  Chaebol, Eomeoni, OTP, OST, STP, Flowerboy, Sunbae, Wae/Wae-yo, Ya!, Second Male Lead Syndrome, and Oppa.  As I watch more and more dramas I gather more and more terms and words to my knowledge base.  I’m sure there are other really phenomenal choices for a person’s first drama, but I’m biased and really believe Boys Over Flowers is in the top three best choices to bring people into the fold.

I won’t summarize the story here, there are so many places and blogs which rehash and retell the store in its entirety.  Instead, my goal is to talk about what I liked and disliked about the story itself.  Hopefully help others to decide if Boys Over Flowers is for them.

Let’s start off by saying if you’re watching a drama for the eye-candy then Boys Over Flowers has it in abundance.  All of the F4 are handsome Flowerboys.  Each fulfilling a different character archetype.  Goo Jun Pyo is the cold hearted Chaebol who torments and tortures others with a smirk.  Yoon Ji Hoo is the tender hearted and warm second male lead with a smile that can melt your heart.  So Yi Jung is the suave Casanova/Plyaboy who can charm the pants off anything.  And Last but certainly not least is Song Woo Bin, the enforcer and smooth talker of the group who will defend his friends no matter what.  Something for everyone that’s for sure.

Geum Jan Di is the poor, working class gal who finds herself wrapped up in the world of the excessively rich.  She is stubborn, cheerful, hard working, and a bright light to her friends.  For me she was amazing to watch.  The story put her through the gamut of emotions and she still remained strong and true to her own morals.  For me that was an amazing journey to witness.

I keep saying what I loved about this show, so I should add a few notes about what I didn’t like.  Geum Jan Di’s family caused me no end of frustrations.  The more I learn about the culture there and the image portrayed in their TV shows I can see where they were coming from.  However, this poor noona just couldn’t get over the fact that they were pretty much trying to sell their daughter to a rich family for their own improvement.  Plus the strained/strange relationship between the parents didn’t sit well with me.  Because Jan Di was so hard working I really wanted to see a family that supported her and was happy at home.  Lastly, it bothered me that the parents left the high school daughter in charge of her middle school brother and left to make money. 

The Eomeoni, Jun Pyo’s mom, yeah I hated her so much.  I understand the role she played and the way she created dramatic intensity in the story, however, she was a bit much.  I wanted to see her part toned down a little, because then it would have been a little bit more believable.

This story introduced me to Second Male Lead Syndrome, I’m sure there are a ton of other names for it.  But what it boils down to is that I loved Ji Hoo so much that by the end of the story my heart was broken and bleeding for him and his unrequited love.  I hated that he didn’t get a happily ever after, it still bothers me to this day.

Other things that I loved about this show was the secondary love story between So Yi Jung and Cha Ga Eul.  It was fun to watch Yi Jung grow as a man and to see Ga Eul slowly fall in love with him.  The friendship that blossomed between Ji Hoo and Jan Di makes my heart all warm and fuzzy (as long as I don’t think about his unhappy ending).  I loved how Goo Jun Hee (Goo Jun Pyo’s older sister) and Min Seo Hyun (Ji Hoo’s first love) protected and supported Jan Di.  I also just loved the story.  Angry, rich, spoiled, brat who slowly becomes a good man through his love for a woman he shouldn’t want.  The acting was superb and writing amazing.  Best of all, for me, it had a mostly happy ending.  There were a few sad things which I wish could have turned out better for the characters I adore, but even with these road bumps the ending was happy and sweet.          

For a full synopsis of the story check out this link.

Noona's Rating                                                               Noona's Rating After Watching a 2nd Time
Overall: 9 (Rated at 5 Stars on DramaFever.com)                                           Overall: 7.4 (rated 3 stars on DramaFever.com)
Story/Writing: 9                                                               Story/Writing: 6
Cast/Actors: 10                                                               Cast/Actors: 9
OST: 9                                                                            OST: 6
Sets/Costumes: 7                                                             Sets/Costumes: 6
Feels: 10                                                                          Feels: 10