Boys Over Flowers Video Review

       My first Asian drama video review. Hopefully I will improve in future videos. Feel free to recommend Asian dramas and movies for me to review.

Asian Drama Review: Heirs

Heirs

Score: 6/10

Country: South Korea

Number of  Episodes: 20

Episode Length: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Air Date: October 9, 2013

     Heirs was arguably the most hyped and anticipated drama of the year. It had a lot going for it-it starred Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye, was written by Kim Eun Sook (who wrote Secret Garden) and was being called the next Boys Over Flowers. It had so much potential but ultimately failed to live up to it's own hype. I felt that the cast was excessively large and there were too many characters, they are thrown into the mix but ultimately are not utilized well enough or their individual stories given enough focus. The plot was nothing new and combined with poor pacing made the drama a boring affair. There are cute and funny moments throughout but not enough to make up for all the negative aspects that brought the drama down. I really like Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye, I've seen them in a few dramas and I always enjoy their performances but I felt that they constantly play similar roles. I believe that they are capable of much better and I wish that they would take on more varied and challenging characters.  

Asian Drama Review: Wild Romance

Wild Romance

  

Score: 9/10

Number of Episodes: 16

Episode Length: 1 hour and 5 minutes

Air Date: January 4, 2012

   Yoon Eun Jae and her family are die hard fans of the baseball team The Blue Seagulls. After an incident at a karaoke club, Eun Jae is forced to become the bodyguard of Park Mu-Yeol-a player for the Blue Seagulls' rival The Red Dreamers. Eun Jae and Mu-Yeol dislike each other and spend the majority of their time together fighting, at one point getting into an actual physical altercation. Besides their constant fighting, the pair also have to deal with Mu-Yeol's mysterious and dangerous stalker.

    This drama received a lot of negative reviews and low ratings but I really loved it. This drama is different than most dramas and doesn't solely focus on the romance between the leads. I really loved the characters in this drama-they were unique and interesting. Although many disliked the fact that there wasn't more romantic scenes between Eun Jae and Mu-Yeol, I liked the pacing of their relationship from bitter enemies to lovers. My favorite couple in the show (and one of my favorite couples ever) was the Robot couple of Dong Ah and Manager Kim. Those two were so completely different and yet were so perfect for each other.

    This wasn't a perfect drama by a long shot and was definitely flawed. I liked most the actors but Jessica Jung is an idol turned actor that needs to stick to her day job. Some of the characters inexplicably suffered boughts of insanity and the psycho stalker plot line was handled quite messily. Overall this drama won't appeal to everyone but if you're looking for something funny and different then I highly recommend Wild Romance.

Asian Drama Review: Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge

  

Score: 10/10

Number of Episodes: 10

Episode Length: 45 minutes

Air Date: January 15, 2010

     Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (Perfect Girl Evolution) is a Japanese drama that is adapted from the manga of the same name. The story is about Sunako, a girl who loves all things horror, wears a cape and doesn't like to leave her room. She prefers to socialize with two plastic anatomy models and a skeleton rather than actual people. Her rich aunt Mine runs a boarding house and offers her four male tennants free rent if they can turn Sunako into a lady. Every character has some issue or situation that they are dealing with. Sunako became completely asocial and eccentric due to bullying in high school. Kyohei is extremely handsome and hates it. The attention he receives from females (and some males) has gotten him fired from countless jobs and ruined his relationship with his parents. Ranmaru is a playboy that has never had a serious relationship because he can only love himself. Yuki is in a long-distance relationship and feels inadequate compared to his friends. Takenaga has a domineering father who wants to control his life. While attempting to change Sunako, the guys each begin to go through changes themselves. In the end Sunako never needed to change, she just needed to be accepted for who she was.

     I have only watched a few Japanese dramas but I really like them. They tend to have fewer episodes (between 9-11) compared to the sometimes lengthy Korean dramas (16-50+) and are easier to get through. I found myself comparing this drama to Hana Kimi due to the humor and quirky characters, although I liked more of the characters in this drama.  Sunako and Kyohei are the primary focus but all the characters get a chance to shine. Acceptance and friendship are strong themes in this drama and help keep it grounded amongst all the bizarre situations. The pacing of the story was great, it didn't drag or get weighed down by the more serious and emotional plot elements. I really enjoyed this drama and I highly recommend it.
     

30 Day Korean Drama Challenge: Day 18

The Worst Kdrama That You've Watched Until the End

Delightful Girl Choon-Hyung

     Until recently I haven't watched a drama that I didn't like. I have definitely watched some that are extremely flawed but they were still enjoyable for the most part. That was until I watch DGCH. I had been planning on watching DGCH for awhile because I have seen it so many times on best drama lists. It was also a drama written by the Hong sisters who did You're Beautiful which I love. The show started out fine but then just got worse and worse and worse. The drama focuses on two high school students, Choon Hyang and Mong Ryong. Choon Hyang is very smart but poor and takes odd jobs to earn money. She has been raised by her mother, who works as a lounge singer and is usually irresponsible when it comes to finances. Mong Ryung isn't that smart and he gets into countless fights. His father makes good money as the chief of police and his mother is overbearing. Due to a series of misunderstandings, Choon Hyang and Mong Ryong are forced to marry in order to evade a scandal. If the show had stuck with this story line then this drama might have been decent. Cohabitation dramas are usually fun. 

      As soon as the two graduate high school the show takes a giant downturn in enjoyment.  It picked up again in the last 3 episodes but it didn't make up for the amount of frustration I was put through during most of the show. I think the biggest flaw with this drama aside from the messy plot is the characters-I don't like any of them except for Mong Ryong's dad and best friend Ji Hyuk. Mong Ryong is such a stupid and annoying character. He spends way too much time with Chae Rin and then he gets angry when Choon Hyang acts cold towards him. If the second male lead was even the least bit likable I would have shipped him like there's no tomorrow but he turns out to be an obsessive, controlling jerk who blackmails Choon Hyang to be with him. And completely off topic but if they showed one more scene of him looking at that stupid necklace I would have smashed my laptop. I totally shipped her staying single. Speaking of Choon Hyang, she wasn't that great either. In the beginning of the show you are lead to believe that she's strong, smart and independent but that turns out to not be the case. She spends the majority of the show telling Myon Ryong that she doesn't like him and to go away. Instead of confronting Chae Rin for being a backstabbing whore she usually apologizes to her or thanks her for taking Myon Ryang off her hands.

     There were a few things that I liked, and I stress the word "few." I loved the pink and grey school uniforms that Choon Hyang and Mong Ryong wore, they were the coolest school uniforms that I've ever seen in any drama or movie. I liked the fusion of the Chunhyangga tale throughout the show. I liked the fact that Choon Hyang made jewelry. As I mentioned earlier, I really liked the dad in this show. I have seen Ahn Suk Hwan in father roles before but this is by far my favorite performance of his. I also really liked the music, it got a little repetitive but I still enjoyed the songs overall. And that's it, those are the only things that I liked in this drama. I honestly don't know how anyone could recommend this much less love it. If this had been the first asian drama that I had watched then I might not have watched another one.   5.5/10