This drama is probably one of the most under-rated ones amongst Japanese fare. A very touching story of a terminally ill but spirited young girl who rediscovers what life is all about. People doubting Mao chan's acting prowess should watch this and shut up. She has single-handedly carried the burden of the story in this drama. The relationship between the brother-sister duo is portrayed with sensitivity, ditto with the love story. The side characters like Banba san or any of the brother's friends or the doctors have given fitting support to the leads. Must watch if you like emotional, slightly slow-paced dramas.

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This is NOT a popular drama although I heard it played a significant role in spreading the hallyu wave in the U.S. If you ignore Dennis Oh's below average acting skills, slow screenplay and sometimes boring scenes...this drama is sure to keep you interested. The story is ordinary but the execution was good. The scenes involving Choi Beum Gu and his gym cronies were so hilarious I'd often burst out laughing while watching alone. It's an earnest parody of a spy drama...it gets serious at times but it somehow manages to retain it's comic element. Nam Sang Mi's character was slightly annoying at times but then she made Lee Sun Ae seem genuine, innocent and honest. It is a good drama and somehow I've managed to develop a connection to it, hence I'm being generous and rating it at 8.

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Okay this was a predictable ride throughout, being a remake of the famed Demi Moore starrer Ghost. I watched it only 'cause it boasts of a cast which includes Song Seung Hun. Storylines are similar except the ghost in this case is the woman. The movie is exceptionally slow in the beginning and until Nanami dies. Only then are things set into motion. The cute ghost kid who teaches Nanami how to be able to move material objects without a body, added charm to the few frames she was seen in and I wish the viewers had gotten more of her. What this movie missed was Whoopie Goldberg's excellent portrayal of the psychic in Ghost. We needed someone like her to spice things up. But Kiren Kiki does a moderate job in the few scenes she is seen. Again I'm being generous and giving it a 7 as I am a die hard Seung Hun fan. And Nanako Matsushima is another favorite.

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After a long time I watched a drama for teenagers where the characters have been portrayed by a bunch of adult actors. But nowhere did it seem inappropriate or contrived or botched up badly. This drama was honest in its depiction of emotions and tried to recreate the H.O.T fanaticism among teenage girls in the late 90s as accurately as possible. But this story isn't about teenagers or Kpop groups in 1997. It is rather the story of a group of individuals with a greater focus on their teenage years and how their teens never actually leave them even when they mature into their 30s.
For a bunch of newcomers hardly known before their roles in this drama, the entire cast has done mind-blowingly well. Especially Seo In Gook and Hoya have been successful in making their characters of Yoon Jae and Joon Hee appear so believable and real. It was hard or near impossible to stop myself from being completely sucked into their world-laugh and cry with them.
The simplicity and the excellent screenplay notwithstanding, I have a few bones to pick with this drama. The whole confusion regarding Shi Won's husband was meaningless and unnecessary. It was plain obvious who her husband was from the very start. The script-writer should've worked harder in making the situation more ambiguous and the answer difficult to guess. The Yoo Jung and Hak Chan narrative gets very little screen time. I would've loved to see a little more development in their relationship since they were so good together. Also the way the story ends for the two couples seems too good to be true. Real life isn't that kind. The drama in spite of being realistic as possible, fails to make the cut when it comes to depicting the harshness of the real world where everything doesn't work out according to our wishes. But anyway I totally dig the ending and that's what matters in case of a highly successful show as this one.
Finally, the one thing that fans of this drama are bound to remember for a long time is Joon Hee. He did not ever properly spell out his feelings and yet he did so in the subtlest and gentlest of manners. Hoya is truly a revelation. Hoping to see more of him in the future. Also Eun Ji did an excellent job as Shi Won, who although annoying at most times is the crazy little girl next door who may not be pretty but is certainly very lovable.

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I will confess to watching quite a few kdramas and the fact that very few of them make my list of re-watchables or ultimate all-time favorites. And I'm happy to admit that I hear your voice makes that special list comprising very few names.
It has everything -
i)a recurring theme of justice, notions of culpability, a moving discourse on the thin line of difference between fair and unfair and the human desire for connection
ii)A solid ensemble cast who put up stellar performances (Lee Bo Young is outstanding as the prickly, smartass, intelligent, independent modern woman and so is Yoon Sang Hyun as the goofy but upright defense attorney. Lee Jong Suk is quite convincing in his difficult role as well)
iii)A well plotted story that makes sense and doesn't frustrate us with its lack of rationale.
iv)great music which goes with the overall tone of the story and adds to the many tender or suspenseful moments that the characters share with each other
AND last but not the least.....
v)a heart-melting noona-dongseng romance. If Soo Ha and Hye Seong's romance didn't move you or you are still cringing at the age difference thing then I'm sorry to say you're not a very sensitive human being.

So if you're still hesitating and wondering whether it's worth a shot to invest 18+ hours in this specific drama, do not worry and JUST GO RIGHT AHEAD AND WATCH IT. This drama gifts you with an amazing, amazing experience, teaches you lots about human empathy, nitty gritties of the law and the ultimate need to hear and respond to someone's voice (be it a stranger or someone you've known for ages) (Yeah sorry couldn't help but use that cliche)

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I was quite hesitant to watch this drama even a long time after it had finished airing, mainly because an idol cast isn't exactly my cup of tea. But prejudices can be so bad. This drama was an amazing watch throughout. Even though it had its fair share of cliches and typical Kdrama machinations to make the leads taste success even at the end of a road full of hurdles, it never failed to make me smile or feel what the characters were feeling. And despite all the leads, except Kim Soo Hyun, being newcomers as actors they did a pretty good job portraying the uniqueness of each of their characters. I found Suzy as Go Hye Mi, as the weakest link but even so her act did not grate on my nerves. Jason and Pil Suk's budding friendship/romance was a treat to watch and I always eagerly looked forward to their interactions. Park Jin Young, as Jin Man managed to provide the humor despite what some people are saying. Last but not the least, Kim Soo Hyun as Song Sam Dong was simply outstanding. Sam Dong loved unabashedly, never being narrow-minded or selfish. You will cry when you see him grapple with a terrible handicap, you will smile when you hear his hilarious country dialect and you will feel the depth of his unrequited love. Perhaps the most memorable character from the drama. All in all, Dream High is a MUST watch. I now know why they are making a second season!

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Honestly, the only reason I picked this one up because I needed something light, frothy and candyflossy to de-stress at the end of the day. And it served its purpose well for about up to episode 4-5. Then all hell breaks loose and all the familiar, annoying K-drama cliches are paraded one by one in a measly effort to progress the plot - jealous interfering ex-wife, typical-nice-guy second male lead, makjang-y secrets from the past involving accidental death of mothers. You name it.

It's not like the drama had a lot of things going for it - Yun Ho is at best a mediocre actor who has finally managed to get rid of his onscreen stiffness while the whatshername actress doesn't fit the cutesy role because more often than not I found her irritating rather than innocent or naive. (Who the hell wears such adorkable dresses and rainbow-hued skirts to work?) And yet the writer went ahead and destroyed the one thing that the drama served up well - flirty banter, aegyo-filled scenes, hot kissing and skinship. Another thing which galled me to no end was how quickly the guy went from 0-interest to let's-kiss-like-we-want-to-screw-against-the-wall-level-interest. There was absolutely no build up to the romance. Further melodrama and an excess of glycerine in a rom com is a deal-breaker. Especially melodrama that makes no logical sense whatsoever. So long story short, if you are looking for straight out hearty fun, lots of laughs and rom-comy goodness, you are better off looking elsewhere.

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Get this. I came to this drama after finishing with City Hunter which for some obscure reason I did not finish watching back when it was airing in 2011. And I have rated City Hunter 7.5 stars. So what makes me me rate a big budget blockbuster hit drama like City Hunter which has spawned remakes in other countries lower than a measly slice of life fare starring almost no young faces or A-listers?

Simple. The Story. If that title makes you think of a frothy rom com in which all conflicts will be easily resolved by the end to offer up only kisses and laughter, you are sorely mistaken. This is not a rom com. At all. It features 6 main characters, four of whom are already in the sunset of life, trying to find ways to make the remainder of their lives meaningful when they are mostly invisible and unimportant in the eyes of the people around them. So what is this show about then? It is about the capacity for love, it is about the courage to stay true to that love even when situations turn hostile. It is also about reclaiming one's dignity in an age when the world around you has mostly written you off as an unproductive member of society. It is about the heart-wrenching sacrifices parents make for their children to be able to lead peaceful and happy lives. Honestly, I have watched very few slice of life K dramas to make a comparative judgment, but this is easily one of the best ones I have watched in the genre since the last few episodes had me reaching for the tissue box more than once.

The halbaes and the halmaes steal the show here and Lee Soon Jae as the curmudgeonly, ill-tempered Gim Man Seok is at his best (when is he not?). I came to this drama for very shallow reasons...mainly to watch the SS501 maknae Kim Hyung Jun romance a lady again and hopefully get the girl this time (he does!!) but I stayed for the drama's real merits and its wonderful life-affirming message of the importance of the rights of the elderly. The drama exposes how cruelly complicit a society is in mistreating its older citizens and establishes how their trials and tribulations are every bit as worthy of being the core thematic essence in a drama as the romantic affairs and existential crises of the young.

Of course, the acting is not always at par. And much of the editing seem a little rough around the edges. For instance, the actress who plays an Alzheimer's patient often overacts while some of Gim Yeon Ah and Jeong Min Chae's co-workers are a bit OTT. But overall, the cast is more or less bearable.

It is sad that dramas like this go under the radar and candyflossy, high-budgeted dramas with little to no thematic merit, get rave reviews everywhere.

If your hunt for subs has been unsuccessful so far, go check the darksmurfsub page for this one. They have the auto-translated subs, translated from Chinese. They are nothing like fan-edited subs but they give you a gist of every conversation.

All in all, this is a drama I would recommend to those who do not mind a slow-paced tv show with its heart in the right place.

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Possibly the most uninteresting sageuk I have ever watched. What could have been a most poignant, emotionally stirring story of forbidden love between the prince and princess of two enemy kingdoms, turns into a horribly messed up, half-hearted attempt at making a great historical drama! The plot progresses at a snail's pace and right after it advances 5 steps, it takes 10 steps back and this keeps on going till the last episode. Casting is shoddy and the acting is either over-the-top exaggerated or too mellow. Jo Hyun Jae as Seo Dong/Prince Mookang possibly features in his worst role ever. He doesn't act, emote, mouths dialogues like a robot and he has no chemistry at all with Lee Bo Young.
Worst part is, right when you reach the happy resolution of all conflicts, they ruin the ending by trying to make it tragic and serious. Sheesh! I cannot believe the writer of this drama is the same person who wrote Queen Seon Deok, which is near flawless in every aspect.

The saving grace of this drama are Lee Bo Young as Princess Seonhwa, Ryu Jin as Giroo and Heo Young Ran as Princess Wooyoung (she, specially, shows astonishing character growth and integrity towards the end and does a fine job) who instill some vigour into a lifeless drama with their nuanced performances.

Otherwise this is simply a terrible drama. I hope the folksong 'Ballad of Seo Dong' is dramatized again by a better production house with more talented writers who shun mindless cliches and actors who can translate this extremely powerful story of forbidden love into a worthwhile onscreen adaptation.

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You know how pre-watch hype and the burden of expectations squashes enjoyment? Well that's what happened to me here. I had gone in anticipating edge-of-the-seat suspense moments and a genuinely thrilling storyline but what I got was an elementary school kid's idea of a half-baked murder mystery. Yoo Seung Ho (when was the guy not a great actor?) is great here as is Kang So Ra but what kills the movie is its wafer thin plot, abundance of character cliches and shoddy performances put in by the rest of the cast. The comic scenes come off as forced, the murder bits are mundane and bland and the end reveal of the killer absolutely bleh. If you, like me, are a veritable fan of crime thrillers then the murder and crime solving aspect of the movie will absolutely fail at garnering a reaction. The one redeeming aspect of the film is its short length and the two Yoo Seung Ho-Kang Sora kisses and their general chemistry. I mean the guy knew how to kiss at sixteen. Holy wow!

So watch this if you are into Seung Ho and So Ra. If you are looking for a genuinely intriguing murder mystery which gives rise to moments full of nail-biting tension or gets you to care about the crime and its resolution, you will probably be wasting your time watching this.

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I'm stopping short of giving this a 10 even though this 3-episode short minidrama entertained me throughout and completely. Probably because it's not a masterpiece despite being entertaining. But boy is it cute. It was full of so much adorableness and sweet moments that I lost count. And I watched it with a smile intact on my face. It had its cliches, stereotypes but even so came out as a refreshing take on a teen romance. How I wish it were longer in length. And must I say anything about idol Sun Woong(Irene/Hyun Woo)? He is as charming as a girl as he is as a boy and plays his part not to perfection maybe, but close. He was the heart and soul of this drama and every time he came onscreen he just lit it up with his mere presence. Kim Soo Hyun is also quite believable in her role here, which thankfully is as far from evil as can be imagined. And the 2 Idiot Trios of TaeJoon and Irene's fanclub are equally hilarious. So is the second lead, Min Hoo. Now I'm waiting for actual subs to release so that I can watch it again. Youtube somehow never gave me full satisfaction.
Hoping Tooniverse makes more such heart-warming teen dramas in the future. Also hoping(dying rather) to see Sun Woong in something new now.

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Well let's see now, the initial 2-3 episodes did not hold much promise. But strangely enough the story is set into motion afterwards. There couldn't have been a better person for the role of a scatterbrain princess than Kim Tae Hee and a suave, charming diplomat than Song Seung Hun. What makes this drama tick is the cute yet hot chemistry between the leads, the way their romance develops and ultimately triumphs over all troubles that come their way. Park Ye Jin's role as the evil woman also adds to the spice as she has portrayed her part as the cold, calculating Oh Yoon Joo to perfection. It may drag in the beginning but if you hold on and keep on watching you'll surely find yourself getting addicted to it. What's saddening is that when the drama ends you will find yourself missing both princess Lee Seol, the hot diplomat Park Hae Young and their refreshing romance. And aww those kisses! <3

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