Aryael
Twenty steps away from the toilet and just around the corner from the stairs.
The female lead is the best second lead actress in the industry who spends her $$ to fund a well-digging project in Africa. Even this fact alone is laced with irony and Chinese satire! The male lead is a human who somehow acquired immortality after recovering from a bite that almost took his life away 500 years ago. Around 100 years ago, someone drained his blood and placed him in a coffin in an attempt to kill him. The act did not kill him but forced him into a dormant state until an accident caused him to be revived through the female lead's blood. With his memory of the last 20 years of his life from 100 years ago lost, he set out to regain his memory and exact revenge. Along the way, he managed to wiggle himself into the female lead's home, life and heart. This is a very entertaining drama and the use of comedy, exaggerated facial expressions and tongue-in-cheek type humour reminds me so much of the popular 'Go Princess Go' web-drama that had taken China and the world by storm! The female lead in My Amazing Boyfriend displayed similar characteristics as the female lead in GPG - loud, bossy, narcissistic, rude, funny, likes to curse, a bit of an airhead but can sometimes be amazingly clever and downright devious. The male lead, also similar to the male lead in GPG - quiet, calm, cold, intelligent, calculative and mature... a role that probably suited first time actor Kim Tae Hwan as it is a role that does not require much facial expressions.
Acting/Cast: I think it is fair and somewhat obvious to say that Wu Qian stole the show with her portrayal of the likeable character Tian Jing Zhi. She's the burst of sunshine - the vitamin booster that took this drama into a delightfully entertaining level. Her counterpart, first timer Kim Tae Hwan, however reeked of the deadpan-expressionless face of a first timer and for this fact alone, I ranked the acting lower. He has a long way to go to learn how to embrace a cold and quiet character without coming across as being 'woody'. I'll also like to fire the person who dressed him in that long black jacket style. It was unflattering and only emphasised just how tall and painfully thin he is. Granted, the guy's a model by profession - still there are ways to dress him up tastefully. His hairstyle was also unflattering and was actually quite distracting to me (it reminded me of a coconut on the head!). The rest of the cast did really well. Special mention goes to Fu Jia who acted the role of Tian Jing Zhi's cop ex-boyfriend. There's a bright future for this guy and I do hope the next time around, I'll see him acting as the male lead!
Music: The opening OST (Not Sacred by Just) is not my cup of tea and from the odd pronunciation, I guess it to be sung by a foreigner or at least someone who's native language is not Mandarin? I love the sad and slow ending OST though (Waiting For You).
Rewatch value: Pretty good re-watch value as there are many cute, funny and romantic scenes you might want to go back to again and again.
Overall: Good entertainment value. If you are looking for something light that makes you laugh and cry but has a story to tell the way "Go Princess Go" did, this is the drama to go to. The ending is....interesting and without giving anything away... it looks like we can expect a Season 2 or at least 1 or 2 special episodes after the drama ends???
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Acting/Cast: Mature cast and experienced actors. No complains here.
Music: Standard Korean melo songs. Nothing outstanding that sticks to your mind after the final curtains are drawn.
Rewatch value: Not in my rewatch list. Can do without.
Overall: Watch in fast forward mode to past time when you are totally bored out of your mind! At least you get to see Ji Sung in action.I am being lenient by giving it a 7/10...call it a favour for Ji Sung.
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Acting: All good and seasoned actors and actresses - no complains in this department. Certainly a plus watching Choi Jin Hyuk as the lead actor in a romance drama after capturing so many hearts worldwide as the mysteriously handsome and dashing 'Father Gumiho' in Gu Family Book.
Music: Ok but nothing to go gushing about.
Rewatch value: Personally for me, this drama has a low rewatch value simply because of its mediocre storyline.
Overall: If you do not have an "OMG! You gotta watch this or you are missing out bigtime" drama to watch, this drama is a sufficient offering to while the time away. It is a safe bet for debuting Jin Hyuk's career as lead actor but it is no where near the "OMG!" worthiness of dramas that had carved legendary status such as Secret Garden and the like. So while Emergency Couple is good, it is not excellent. Certainly worth watching if you are Choi Jin Hyuk or/and Song Ji Hyo (of Running Man fame)'s fan.
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Acting/Cast: Good acting from everyone.
Music: This is a movie. What can you expect?
Rewatch value: A good movie but not one that will score high in the rewatch value. Once you know the ending - the twist at the end, the movie will seem pretty mediocre at rewatch. Nevertheless, I will recommend this for those who had not watch this movie; just will not rewatch this myself.
Overall: A good movie and worth your time if you haven't watched it yet.
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Acting/Cast: What can I say? I fell in love with Yoon Shi Yoon when he was Baker King, Kim Tak Gu and this drama made me a confirmed fan of his acting. A different character than Tak Gu and he pulled it off very well. Lee Ji Ah's return to acting following her highly publicized scandal was not too bad either. She was very believable as the ill tempered policewoman. A special mention for Lee Ki Kwang for his dual characters in this drama (as Jo Ma Roo and Pink Chicken). For someone from a non-acting background, he did well. The rest of the cast were also fantastic.
Music: I totally fell in love with the sexy OST "Dreaming" by B2ST (the song that kept playing whenever the main actor is in his "rich guy" mood). It totally suited the scenes and atmosphere. The other OSTs are excellent as well. What can I say....they are all in my MP3 walkman already and I am listening to them as I am writing this review! :)
Rewatched value: I am already rewatching it after finishing it. I am also planning to buy the DVDs for keeps. This drama is worth its spot in my personal collection of KDramas.
Overall: I am impressed and entertained. I could not stop kicking myself for having scrolled past this drama when it first debuted but because of the new year holidays, I made time for it. Best decision so far where KDramas are concerned for year 2011. I am surprised why it has not received much love and attention from fellow drama addicts. This one here is a true gem, despite its rather bland synopsis that does it no credit whatsoever! My verdict? WATCH IT! SERIOUSLY!
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This is how a romance involving an alternate world should be!
I suppose many people when reading Lost Romance's synopsis will immediately connect it to the KDrama "W" or even last year's high school comic book romance drama "Extraordinary you" (which was very ordinary in my opinion). I admit to being quite skeptical at first when I read LR's synopsis. I went "Not again! Another W!" You see, I was very very disappointed with W. It was a total wreck in my opinion. Hence, that influenced my perception of any romance drama with an alternate world setting. Having said that, I have a soft spot for TDramas even though most of them performed terribly; there were times when you get gems of legendary status such as Autumn's Concerto, Meteor Garden, It Started With a Kiss, Prince turns into a frog, Fated to Love You etc etc that got adapted many times over into CDramas, KDramas, JDoramas, Thai lakorn, Filipino drama etc. So, I have some hope left for the TDrama industry. Hence, I went into Lost Romance with caution and I am glad I did!Lost Romance is by far the best example of how a romance drama involving an alternate world should be! I know so far it has received mixed reviews. Those who disliked it mostly could not wrap their heads around the alternate world setting. Why did they go into the novel world? How did that happen? If you are one of those who can get caught up with the scientific explanation of the hows and whys in order to enjoy a drama, you might not like this drama. Lost Romance does not offer to fully explain why and how they traveled into the novel world. The leads did try to discuss why and how it happened but in the end they too had to dismiss it. The ML, in the final episode, reflected and said that perhaps it was due to his desperation and lost of hope that drew him into the novel world. The jury is out on that but again, the hows and whys are not important in this drama. If you had watched Someday or One Day - which coincidentally is also one of my recent favourites - you'll also notice the they did not fully explain the whys and hows - simply the ML & FL time traveled when listening to Wu Bai's song and hence the events/story started.
Another popular reason given by those who disliked LR is because they could not comprehend or stand the FL's hesitations. This I have to disagree. I think the hesitations are valid. After all, the ML in the novel and in the real world are two entirely different people in character and personality, and the FL had promised the ML in the novel world that she will love only him. So, immediately jumping on to the ML in the real world will be equivalent to cheating. In this, I agree with the FL's actions to stay firm and loyal to one man only (aka the man in the novel world whom she gave her promise to).
The pacing of this drama is just right for me. I am after all, a person used to watching CDramas with over 30+ episodes. This sort of pacing in LR is just perfect -neither too fast nor too slow. I find myself wanting to watch episode after episode without fast forwarding any parts.
The chemistry between the ML and FL is perfect. And while we are at the topic of chemistry, I would like to announce a good news to all those drama lovers out there who are seeking for romance dramas with lots of kissing, skinship and bed scenes....you will be pleased to know that Lost Romance will fulfill them for you!
Where story goes - it is a pretty simple romance story. Lost Romance does not pretend to make things complicated with multiple plots or try to explain every single thing. It is simply a love story. There are some business and family-related skirmish but it's just on the side and do not distract from the main couple's love story. There are love-able and dislike-able characters, some comedy and adequate push-pull factor in the romance to keep the viewers interested in the OTPs relationship. It also has a perfect and unhurried ending. With only 20 episodes and lots of lovey-dovey scenes in every episode, LR has a high re-watchability value. So, what's stopping you? Now that it has ended, it's the perfect drama for you to binge watch! Overall, I give Lost Romance a 9/10. Happy watching!
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Acting/Cast: No complains in this department.
Music: Nothing stood out.
Rewatch value: Since I had watched this a while back, I am currently considering if I should rewatch this for this weekend. However, if you had just finish this movie, you might not think to rewatch it immediately... I certainly did not.
Overall: The movie is a blend of dark humour and romance; somewhat a sarcastic take on professional killers and the idea of committing suicide. Yes, of course you will fall in love with your client if she is the victim you are supposed to do away with as well.....what more, she gives you specific instructions on how to do it! Very helpful! Must be the perfect woman all professional killers are looking for out there..... NOT! LOL
In short, watch it if you have not watch it. Certainly worth your time. :)
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Acting: Kudos to all of the actors and actresses for pulling off a live-action without it being too ridiculous and overly exxagerated. I really enjoyed the various facial expressions and renditions of "imaginations"; but I think this credit goes to the director, screen writer and producer as well. Job well done!
Music: To be honest, not my cup of tea, but the selection of songs itself is appropriate for this drama. Cute, sweet and funny - which suited the theme of the drama.
Rewatch value: High rewatch value, especially during this holiday season. With only 8 episodes, it is short, straight to the point and downright funny... which helped with its rewatch value. Certainly a drama you'd want to enjoy with your feet up, snuggled in comfy blankets while in your PJs with popcorn, chips and coke by your side.
Overall: Wonderful entertainment for those of us looking for a good laugh and a ligh hearted spirit for this coming holiday season. Works well too for those of us who wants a break from all those melo or mediocre romance dramas that are on offer at the moment. Great stress reliever too! In short, highly recommended! :)
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There, I've said it! I hope that is warning enough.
In short: Love Buffet is a buffet of mess and disappointments. It is a typical idol drama from the dodgy storyline to the idols who cannot act.
Story: Ordinary with a capital "O". Maybe more suited for young teenage girls who likes to daydream about good looking boys as their possible bfs, eg: "Oh! Wouldn't it be nice if BOTH Calvin and Aaron falls for me??? And oh.. I can't choose between the both!" Similarly, in this drama, the female lead dons a "young-ish" character with a rather naive view on relationships to appeal to the young audiences. Mature women will probably find this drama annoying and filled with fluff.
Acting/Cast: Life size cardboard cut-outs of artists have better expressions than Calvin and Aaron in this drama. Their interpretation of the two lead characters were shockingly poor and lacking. PLEASE....just because they are idols, do not mean they HAVE to act. Some ppl are just not gifted that way.
Music: Possibly the only saving grace of the drama. I am no fan of the OSTs but Fahrenheit's "Wu Hui" (Misunderstanding) was worth its place in my iPod. The MV for "Wu Hui" was nice and I especially like how my fav Taiwan artist Jiro Wang looked in the MV... simply deeeelicious! This again proves that Calvin and Aaron should just stick to singing and MVs. Jiro should act more as he is definitely the more talented one out of the 4. I know Wu Chun has many fans but I personally thinks Wu Chun's acting left much to be desired as well. So, yeah, get the music, forgo the drama.
Rewatch value: Unless you are crazy over Calvin and/or Aaron and thinks they are the "sun, moon, sky..etc" and that you absolutely cannot live without seeing their faces, then by all means, re-watch this drama. Even so, I suggest that you re-watch KO One and X-family because I think their acting in that 2 drama was better than in the Love Buffet (not that it was better by much!). Otherwise, the 100th re-run of Disney's Beauty and the Beast have much better re-watch value than this drama!
Overall, I gave this drama 5/10 (in my most lenient opinion!).
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Story: This drama has a very simple storyline: rich man falls for poor woman, they were opposed by his parent(s) but they eventually have their "happily ever after". The "Cinderella story" appeals to all the romantics of the world, especially to the female viewers. We have read and watched many movies and dramas along this line. So what is new? Does throwing in a fantasy gimmick such as body swapping makes it new? Not really. Body swapping is not a new idea either. What made SG extraordinary from the ordinary? It was certainly not the story, but rather how it was told. My full brownie points go to the director for his interpretation of this story. By throwing in otherwise "cliche" albeit creative scenes, amusing lines and characters that you cannot help but fall in love with (eg: coffee froth on the lip, the sit up, the coordinated walking-side-by-side, the "New message" ringtone, Joo Won's monologue about how expensive the tracksuit is, the infamous "Is this the best?" line etc), the director turned what was otherwise ordinary to extraordinary. Without these, I believe SG would have ended up in the "Just another fantasy rom-com" pile. What I love about the entire story was the simplicity of it that turned the old into new. SG taught me that one does not need a complicated idea to make a great story; an old idea can be made into a great story if it was told from a different angle. I love the ending and the message it brought to the viewers. Thanks to this brilliant re-telling of the Cinderella story, we can now look forward to future rom-coms that will make use of the "trademark" SG scenes and lines. In this way, we know that SG has been immortalized.
Acting/Cast: I would not be able to find a better cast than the existing one. Hyun Bin successfully portrayed the arrogant and most times childish Joo Won. His acting in this drama was spot on! The fact that he was able to make me shed tears with him when he cried was the pinnacle of acting - the ability to make the viewers feel what the character was feeling. I am not a fan of him per se - he was not too bad in My Name is Kim Sam Soon but he did starred in dramas that were not so succesful either, yet in SG, he totally nailed it! Ha Ji Won as Gil Ra Im was the perfect choice for Hyun Bin's Kim Joo Won. They had such a natural and perfect chemistry that the pairing was a work of genius. I believe that for many years to come, people will walk pass Ji Won and call her "Gil Ra Im". That is how strong the impression of her character and how succesful she was in protraying Gil Ra Im. Next, I come to my favourite character- Oska, played by Yoon Sang Hyun. Oska's was an amusing and interesting character. I sincerely believe that without the excellent work by Yoon, SG would have fallen flat on its face. Oska may be a supporting character but without Oska, the drama would have lacked the necessary chemistry needed to gel all the other parts and characters together. Thanks to Yoon, Oska was a success and so was SG. The other characters, such as Kim Sung Oh as Secretary Kim, Kim Sa Rang as Yoon Seul and even the lady who played Joo Won's mother (forgotten her name!) were brilliant choices! For the cast, I award the rare 10/10 because without such an excellent cast and wonderful chemistry, SG would have turned out as a flop.
Music: SG has one of the most heartfelt OSTs around - that is if you are into ballads. Some of you may not, hence the 9/10 rating I gave it. Admittedly, I have my favourites and not-so favourites from its OSTs.
Rewatch value: This is where I admit a secret of mine. I had not rewatched SG since it ended, not for lack of disinterest, but rather due to lack of time. I have too many projects on hand now and making the time to watch a drama nowadays takes effort beyond my already busy schedule. Top that with the expectations from others that I write formal reviews of new dramas, I rarely have time to re-watch dramas (no matter how good they were) because I have to move on to the next new drama. So, I became very selective with what I watch. Unlike most drama addicts, I can forgo watching if the drama is not up to my taste. To me, SG has a high rewatch value. It is surely in my list of drama to re-watch when I get the time for it. I remember fondly all those scenes and lines from SG and hope that one day, when I get that break or holiday away from work, I will be able to re-visit it. So, yes, by all means, if you have the time, re-watch SG again. Better yet, go out and buy the whole original set of the drama. It is definitely a collector's item; one you will not regret keeping for years and years to come and one you probably can proudly show to your kids and next generation what "the good ol' Korean dramas were like in the early 21st century".
With this review, I end my thoughts about SG. All I can say, if you haven't watched it, you better do or else you would have missed an excellent drama that may well ended up as the k-drama of the decade!
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Acting/Cast: Great acting from a seasoned cast. Always wonderful to have seasoned actors and actresses in a drama over those young idols.
Music: So-so... mostly instrumental. The only gem I am taking away from this drama is Rihwa's Last Love.
Rewatch value: Probably will not be re-watching it anytime soon. Why? I am in the losing team... that's why! Still trying to nurse my wounded heart.... but no matter who she ends up with,, this is a nice light drama that is worth watching in a day when you have nothing to do but wish to feel the "Cinderella" feeling. Does not require much IQ or tissue papers. Generally, a nice sweet simple story. Fast paced.
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Acting/Cast: Acting is good but not amazing. What sets this drama apart from others is the style of filming. The drama has a rather realistic and rustic feel to it. I must admit to frowning a lot in the first episode because I was not used to the way how the scenes 'move' a lot - like how you are watching a semi-professional home-made video. Eventually, however, I got used to this style of filming. There was none of the polished feel of the bigger budget 'mainstream' dramas. Even the special effects were minimal and low budgeted (mostly just light play). Yet, despite all of these, the story was good enough to make you want to click for the next episode (out of curiosity). It also helped that each episode runs for only 30 mins - kept things tight and concise without the audience losing interest in the story.
Music: Music was mediocre.
Rewatch value: This is a drama that you should watch at one go but once you know the story and its plots, you may not want to revisit it anytime soon.
Overall: If you have 6 hours to burn and do not have any excellent dramas you have not watched, this is a good alternative. Takes a while to get used to the different filming style, especially if you'd gone from the highly polished Korean dramas to this one. This drama is neither bad nor excellent. It sits somewhere in between as a fair entertainment.
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Story: It started out with aplomb and almost immediately, I fell in love with the Scheduler's character. However, I can't say the same for the other characters. The IDEA of the story (of a woman in coma and having 49 days to gather tears whilst being "helped" along the way by a charasmatic scheduler) was great but disappointingly enough, it was not exploited to its potential. Somewhere in the middle, the drama lost its plot and that was when the dallying tactics were used. Thankfully, it picked up pace between episodes 13 and 14, went flat again until episode 17 and finished wonderfully at 20. While some may be disappointed with the ending, there are equally many who were more than satisfied with it. To me, it was a strong ending and exactly how I myself would have wrote it. It was unexpected but it delivered some form of "being at the end". Every character were given a closing chapter. Everyone was accounted for. The sereneness of the ending taught the viewers many lessons:- one of which is about reality, fate, life, death and love. In its own way, it is a happy ending for all.
Acting/Cast: Needless to say, Jung Il Woo did a brilliant job as the charasmatic Scheduler. We can all say for sure now that Lee Yo Won had the most beautifully sad face as the often depressed Song Yi Kyung. Jo Hyun Jae as Han Kang captured many hearts as he tried to make up for lost time and opportunities to express his hidden love for Ji Hyun. Nam Gyu Ri was able to express the naivety, mild characteredness and innocence of Shin Ji Hyun. All the actors and actresses did their best to portray the characters given to them. My biggest brownie points, however, went to Jung Il Woo for his protrayal of the Scheduler. It will be difficult for anyone to watch this drama without falling in love with his character.
Music: There were 3-4 music in the OSTs that were excellent and a few in there that were not exactly to my taste. I took into account the favourable opinions of others and my own "not-so-favourable" opinion before giving the music 8/10. All I can say is, it's personal taste. ;)
Rewatch value: If you are a person with lots of time on hand, you might rewatch this drama for the sake of passing time. I am a busy person and do not often rewatch dramas and taking this into account, I ranked the rewatch value at 6/10. I doubt I will ever rewatch this drama because of its length and the dallying in the middle, though I might choose certain episodes or parts that were interesting to view whenever I feel nostalgic of this drama. You can be sure that those scenes are the ones that involved the Scheduler! ;)
Overall: It is a worthy drama but unlike others who gushed on and on about how great it was and rated it at the same level as Secret Garden, I would actually rate this below Secret Garden and a few others that I felt were more worthy. The only memories of this drama I will take away were the character of the Scheduler and the poignant but wonderful ending. All in all, kudos to all the acting casts of 49 Days and all the best for the future. Fate willing, we will meet each other again...soon. :)
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Wow! Just wow! Lots of action, the way I like it! This is a story of growth, self-discovery and heroism all bundled up in a package filled with gaming-type CGI and story line. Basically by the end of Season 1, the male lead is very powerful...if he gets any more powerful, he might as well be god! LOL Sure, there were cheesiness and dodgy CGIs along the way but the journey was fun. The story is generally interesting though at parts, it got a little 'complicated' along the way. Maybe it's because of the many story lines happening at one go. After all, this is a series that will probably be nearing 100 episodes in total by the end of Season 2 (if there is a Season 2)! My suggestion....sit back and enjoy the action. If certain parts get uninteresting, just fast forward them. But generally, for those who appreciate fantasy series and gaming, this is an enjoyable ride. I look forward to Season 2 where I hope to see our hero further develop his skills and self-confidence to fulfill the 1000-years' prophesy of him. After all, no one is born a hero. You become a hero. :)
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Acting/Cast: Perfect 10 for cast and acting. Ji Chang-Wook was the perfect 'Healer'. Although I watched his acting in Empress Ki and Smile Donghae, it is his acting in this drama that drew me in to this young actor. I am expecting great things from him in the future.
Music: The OSTs are good - if you are into ballads. I am surprised that they did not have at least 2 or 3 OSTs in this drama with stronger and faster tempos for the action scenes - again, a big giveaway that this drama is more of a romance drama than action. The action just spice things up a little (though not too much in my opinion).
Rewatch value: This drama is an easy re-watch despite it being a 20 episodes' drama. Each episode is interesting and has its' 'moments'.
Overall: I gave this drama 9.5/10. It is just a touch under perfect but still a very worthy drama! If you haven't watch it, you need to start clearing your schedule for 2-3 days, sit down and just marathon it. Trust me, once you start this, you are hooked!
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