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   

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

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    

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

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

Happily Ever After

My first foray into the world of Korean Dramas turned out to have a happy ending.  I was very lucky indeed.  Though I have a feeling from the words of netizens that a great many people’s first K-Drama is Boys Over Flowers.  Regardless, I feel pretty lucky that my first drama had a happy ending (for the most part).  Throughout the entire twenty-five episodes I was uncertain if there would be a happy ending, Jun Pyo and Jan Di kept encountering such immense obstacles that the ending was never definite.  However, the last episode wrapped it up in a sweet bow and I melted away from happiness. 

I am such a sucker for a happy ending.  Always have been.  This love of the feel good closure to a show/movie/book/graphic novel/etc has carried over to dramas.  I’ve experienced enough hardship and tragedy in the real world, I don’t like to end a drama on a note which rips my heart out.  Now, that isn’t to say that I don’t appreciate the twists and turns, ups and downs, and climactic moments within the drama itself which keep you guessing.  Those I absolutely love.  The moments where I am bawling my eyes out and unsure of the fate of the characters are some of my most favorite.  Yet at the end of that emotional rollercoaster I want to be left with a warm glow, a happy ending is a must.

Once I finished Boys Over Flowers I needed more, it was evident even then that I was obsessed and addicted.  Admittedly I chose my next drama because it had Lee Min Ho in it.  After watching him for twenty-five plus hours as Jun Pyo I really wanted to see more of him.  So I immediately started City Hunter, which was a completed different vibe from Boys Over Flowers.  It wasn’t until about halfway through City Hunter that I started to worry that the ending would tear my heart out and stomp on it.  It wasn’t enough to make me stop watching, but I found that as I closed in on the ending of the show I was terribly anxious.  I needed him to succeed and desperately wanted Yoon Sung and Na Na to be together with a happily ever after ending.  By the last episode I was so high strung with insecurity that it was a traumatic experience to finish the show.  It ended and I got my wish.  But boy was I exhausted after that ride.

That terrifying ride didn’t stop me from diving right into another drama.  This time I followed Kim Hyun Joong (Ji Ho from Boys Over Flowers).  I needed something light and fluffy and silly after City Hunter and Playful Kiss seemed exactly perfect.  Now, to say that I dove right in and started the show is a lie.  I took some time to research.  I read review about the show, well to be more exact I literally typed into Google ‘does Playful Kiss have a happy ending’.  Yup, I wasn’t going to commit to a show unless I knew that no matter how insane or crazy the plots twists and obstacles were that I’d get the warm-fuzzies when the show was done.  There were plenty of snippets out there and it was easy to ascertain that Playful Kiss would have a satisfying ending, so at that point I did dive right in… once I was sure I’d survive the ride.

Now before I commit to any drama I spend a few minutes searching the internet for a clue as to what I’m getting myself into.  Some people might say this is cheating or that I’m ruining the ending for myself.  I can’t deny that, I am ruining the ending because I go into the story knowing how it’s going to end up.  For me though I can’t handle the anxiety and chance that I’ll be left with this hollow pain because the characters I’ve fallen in love with end up dead or unhappy.  I watch dramas to escape reality and I want my fantasy to have happiness and rainbows at the conclusion of every tale.