Aryael
Twenty steps away from the toilet and just around the corner from the stairs.
Acting/Cast: All experienced actors and actresses. Directing wonderfully done. Movie well paced with no obvious gaps in the story-telling. Also - who can say no to a suave, handsome, mysterious and at times, brooding looking Wang Leehom? I'll like to see you try!
Music: Nice & sweet. Music suits the movie but nothing that will be a big hit anytime soon.
Rewatch value: This is one of those easy to watch movie that will find its way to your collections of DVDs/Blu-Rays. Certainly a high re-watch value.
Overall: Highly recommended. An excellent weekend or holiday movie that will live up to its promise to entertain.
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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: Generally great acting from everyone, including newbie idol-actor Henry. I do not know why but I'm not entirely sold on the main couple of this drama. Sure - I enjoyed the witty conversations and exchanges between the two of them - even their playfulness....but I'm not entirely convinced of them as a couple desperately attracted and in love with each other. The relationship felt more of best friends turned older brother-sister rather than the passionate and hot attraction of lovers. Maybe because they are an older couple, therefore the love felt more of a simmering sort rather than burning? Anyway, the chemistry between Shin Min A and So Ji Sub was not entirely the kind that made my heart go thump thump or sigh sigh...if you get what I mean.
Music: Quirky, silly and upbeat but not my cup of tea. Suitable for the drama though.
Re-watch value: Considering that there are many excellent KDramas in the romance and comedy genre out there, this drama has a pretty low re-watch value for me. Maybe because there were no scenes that I would like to re-watch or maybe due to the lack of burning chemistry between the main couple? It's an okay drama to pass the time with but not one that'll make me re-watch it again and again. It's a tick-I've-watched-it-and-it's-okay-but-now-let's-move-on-to-the-next-drama type of drama.
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Story: Good storyline and after a long staple of rom-coms where the woman falls in love with a rich guy and the comedy that follows the story, this drama started a new genre of "noona love" - the romance between an older woman and a younger man. However, this drama still follows the long-proven formula of rich man and average/poor woman with a refereshing twist of realism. My Name is Kim Sam Soon (MNKSS)is the pioneer in rom-coms involving older women and younger men and this is perhaps the secret of its success. It is also a story between an average Jane Doe with the "prince", making this drama the first to depict the relationship between the average everyday gal with a fairytale-like man. The script was well written. The story has a form of realism in it mixed with the usual comedy. All in all, it is a drama that teaches the audience about being realistic in love and that even though one may fall in love, one may also one day fall out of love, but that should not stop us from living our lives to the fullest and enjoying the moment.
Acting/Cast: Overall, it is a wonderful cast and acting was good. The actress playing Kim Sam Soon had to gain weight in order to fit into this role - something many actresses in Korea would hesitate to do. So, kudos to her for her sacrifice. She successfully depicted the average korean woman - slightly "meaty", loud, occasionally foul-mouthed and with a big appetite for life and love. As for Hyun Bin, I must say that this is not his best acting, partly because this is one of his earlier works, hence the lack of experience. The other characters were very well done and I have no complains there. The only thing that got to me is the lack of chemistry between the two main leads. No matter how I look at it, they fail to bring out the "ah~~~" feeling from me when they kiss or fight. The interaction between them was so neutral that you know you are watching an act. There was zero chemistry between them. My heart did not pound, my breath did not get caught, I did not wait for the next kissing scene etc. Most times, I had the sneaky feeling of watching an older sister bullying her younger brother in scenes where they were supposedly having a lovers' fight. Therefore, I gave the acting a 7/10, recognising the talents of the cast but also the essential lack of romantic chemistry between the leads.
Music: What can I say - I am not a big fan of its OST. The OST is a patch-work of work from various artists put together with only a couple of songs that are originally made for this drama. Hence, I would say that the drama did not have a big focus on OSTs.
Rewatch value: When you run out of dramas to watch and you just want a lazy evening on the coach with a glass of wine to relax, this is a possible choice. It is safe, neutral and no fuss (you do not need your brains and tissues to watch this one).
Overall: Considering the impact it first aired and the then new concept of love between an older woman and younger man and the concept of love between an average woman and the arrogant rich man, plus its good cast but neutral chemistry between the leads, plus the average OSTs....I give this drama a 7/10. Also, I was thinking of all the crappy k-dramas I'd watched and compared to those crappy ones, this one is still considered ok. Just do not let the lack of chemistry between the leads get to you overly much.
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Acting/Cast: Biggest brownie point goes to......the main antagonist: Mr. Lee Joong Goo, played by veteran actor Mr. Lee Deok Hwa! This is not Lee Dong Wook's best drama and I find his acting rather stiff with limited range of emotions. To be fair, Lee Dong Wok is not the most expressive actors out there. He's better known for his heavy-lidded eyes, plush lips, height and impressive body than for his acting skills. I am sensing daggers being thrown towards me by his fans now. I will cease to criticise his acting skills. Perhaps it is how the main male character was written:- stoic, misguidedly determined and a tragic hero. There wasn't much to say about Lee Da Hae's acting except that her character was an interesting blend of comedy and personal growth.
Music: Nothing that sticks to mind. Slow and suited to the moods of the drama.
Re-watch value: I would not re-watch this. If it was not because of the lack of good dramas around the time this one was aired, I would not have filled my free time with it. Sometimes, I let the episodes run a while before catching up with it in fast-forwarding mode.
Overall: A fair story that failed to excite. Fans of Lee Dong Wok will probably watch this just for the opportunity to see him in yet another romance drama, but I maintain - this is not his best drama to date. I will not recommend this drama but I will not frown either if you decide to pick it up. The choice is yours.
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Acting/Cast: Generally, the acting was good. Even Ice Prince/Stone Face Lee Min Ho acted well in the role of a general (which requires one to be quite expressionless since he's an emotionless killer and all). I would really like to see Ice Prince act in a drama that requires a wide array of emotions to truly test the limit of his acting skills. The female lead succeeded in annoying the hell out of me - so kudos on that part (if that is what the character requires!). My favourite, I have to say, are the bad guys - especially the two rotten princes. Acting wise, I reckon these bad boys nailed it. I even felt a sense of pity for the prince who kept wanting to "go to heaven" with the doctor because of his health problem and his ambitions. As a modern person, I can sympathise with his need to keep acquiring power and position and thirst for achieving something unique (this bloke can be a great scientist or businessman in this era!). The true evil in this drama, I would say, would be the prince who uses poison- -that bloke is just plain rotten. Once again, the actor nailed that role perfectly! Personally, I would prefer another actor for the role of the king - at least a taller actor. I have issues with men who are shorter or as tall as a woman... does not make them look powerful or important enough... but that's just me!
Music: The music is ok. It's not "wow!' but it's ok.
Rewatch value: I will not be rewatching this anytime soon. Maybe a couple of years later and I'm bored, I might revisit it. But for now, I look forward to the next new drama.
Overall: If you do not have something "wow!" to watch at the moment, this drama is a passable entertainment. Not the best historical, time-travelling drama around... but it's worth a glance.
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Story: It is a simple story about a woman who was once a child star and a man who is the best music producer in the industry. The female lead plays a woman who is always positive and cheery. No matter what comes her way, she would smile and shrug her way through. Initially, her overly positive disposition was criticised by the male lead as he viewed her as being ignorant and stupid to the point of being taken advantaged of. Later, he realised that smiling and brushing negatives aside casually is her way of coping with losses in her life and he developed a respect for her. When he was betrayed by his best friend and rejected by his girlfriend of 8 years, the female lead stayed by his side cheering him on. He, in turned, staked his entire career on coaching the female lead into stardom again.They developed a comfortable friendship at first which quickly turned into romantic interest. What I like about this story is its simple and honest storyline executed in such a smooth and brilliant manner. Some reviewers have commented how the ending seemed rushed but considering it's relatively short duration (16 episodes is 'short' for TDrama), I feel that the ending was executed well. Viewers were not left in the lurch or an open ending. It was a concrete ending. This drama also featured some good kissing scenes... but then again, this is Chris Wu we are talking about. He's a very convincing kisser in all of his dramas.
Acting/Cast: Brilliant cast. No complains in this department. Unlike some reviewers who commented on how annoying the female character was; I did not find her character annoying at all. She played the sunny character well. As she slowly finds her footing again in the music industry, the female lead learned to stop hiding behind her smiles and nonchalant attitude and to take on rejections and challenges face on. As for Chris Wu.... need I say more?? The man's a seasoned actor. I'm glad he choose a good drama. I look forward to his future work.
Music: Well, this drama is set in the music industry where the male lead is the best music producer around. He started his journey as the guitarist and composer in a band he formed with his friends before shooting into stardom. What do you expect if not for great music? Excellent opening OST by Mayday and ending OST by Jia Jia. Mayday and Jia Jia seem to be doing most of the drama (and film) OSTs nowadays (including ones produced by China). Not that I am complaining... both Mayday and Jia Jia have brilliant voices....but it does make me wonder about other artists as well. Can we have some variety maybe??
Rewatch value: Pretty high in my books. TDramas nowadays run into past 20 episodes and it is not always that you get a good story packed into 16 episodes with nice pace, good character, story development and a concrete ending. Not to mention the wonderful kiss scenes. I have a few favourite scenes in this drama. I know many love episode 11 of this drama but besides episode 11, there are many nice scenes (and episodes) I would revisit soon.
Overall: A solid 9/10. To those of you who liked my past recommendations:- you will like this if your preference is anything like mine! Highly recommended.
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Story: I will not repeat the drama's synopsis here which you can read from the drama description. Instead, what I'll say is the story in Ashes of Love is much more addictive than its most popular rival, Eternal Love. Both dramas belong in the same genre with similar themes:- gods and goddess, demons, heavenly politics, war, rebirth into the mortal world, triangle love, missed chances, three lifetimes of romance involving three worlds, angst and more angst etc. While Eternal Love has a good story, Ashes of Love has a better story pace and story development. Therefore, Ashes of Love wins by a small margin over Eternal Love when it comes to story rating. Those of you who love excellent story and story pace, you will probably rate Ashes of Love slightly higher than Eternal Love, but I did not. I gave both dramas the same rating and the reason why can be found below under "Acting/Cast".
Acting/Cast: This is the part where Ashes of Love rated slightly below compared to Eternal Love. Those of you who had watched Eternal Love probably couldn't forget Mark Chao's Ye Hua. Because of his portrayal of Ye Hua, Mark Chao went from an almost unknown drama actor in China (he's popular in Taiwan but not in China and the world in general) to an overnight International success! It was as if the man's born to take on the Ye Hua character! The charisma....the aura.....the screen presence....the silent gentlemanly smoldering look.....everything was perfect! He was totally reborn as Ye Hua!
Now, we go from Mark Chao's Ye Hua to Deng Lun's Xu Feng. Sure, Deng Lun did a good job, especially towards the end of the drama where he demonstrated some good crying skills, but somehow I feel that the role of Xu Feng was a little too big for Deng Lun to fill. He failed to attract me the way Mark Chao's Ye Hua attracted me. And I feel he lacked that heavenly princely-general aura. It was clear that he was acting. This is not to say that Deng Lun did not do a good job. He did. It's just that, in a baker's term, once you've tasted natural vanilla, you will not go back to using artificial vanilla/vanilla essence. Both get the job done but the natural vanilla's a class of its own! However, if you haven't watched Eternal Love before watching Ashes of Love, you will not notice this difference in the acting skills of the male leads.
As for female leads - both female leads in Eternal Love and Ashes of Love are of the same par in terms of acting, Same goes for the supporting cast. They all did a great job! So the slightly lower rating for "Acting/Cast" I gave for this drama was due to the fact I thought that Deng Lun's Xu Feng didn't quite impressed me. Instead, it was Ashes of Love, THE DRAMA AS A WHOLE which impressed me.
Music: The music's good. Check them out!
Re-watch value: It's 60 eps (DVD version) or 63 eps (TV version). That's quite a bit to be re-watching. So, I've rated the re-watch value as mediocre. In the meantime, if you are unable to immediately let go of this drama after watching it, you can fuel your need to slowly say goodbye to it by watching snippets of the main couple or your favourite scenes.....unless of course, if you are suicidal or fanatic enough to re-watch the entire drama again!
Overall: As an overall rating, I've given Ashes of Love a rating of 9/10. Definitely worth your time, effort and box of tissue!
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Acting: I loved Ji Sung in Protect the Boss and in HMKM, he brought my respect for him to a higher level! This is the script that even Hyun Bin, Lee Seung Gi and many big name actors rejected after reading it. I mean - who is crazy enough to pull through SEVEN different personalities - one of which a teenage female and one a young girl??? Well.. apparently Ji Sung was and he was rewarded for this gamble of a decision! Ji Sung shone through the entire drama. I do not know how the guy did it but he did it brilliantly! I also like that he was able to 'act with his eyes' from the doeful, kind look of Cha Do Hyun to the fierce, passionate and dead stare of Shin Se Gi. Another testament to his excellent acting skills! As for the female lead, Hwang Jung-eum, she's good and was well paired with Ji Sung. They had certainly proved that they can pull off a good on screen chemistry in 'Secret' and it is no surprise that the Ji Sung-Jungeum pairing worked again in HMKM. The rest of the cast were brilliant as well. So, despite being fraught with news of troubles in casting in the earlier part of its conception, HMKM turned out to be a great success with a cast that was perfect for it!
Music: Love the opening and ending OSTs - modern and haunting. The lyrics were meaningful and somewhat sad and suited the drama well.
Rewatch value: I have a confession - I fell in love with Shin Se Gi and I cannot get enough of Ahn Yo Na! They are the two personalities of Cha Do Hyun that I like the most! I have no qualms re-watching this drama just for these two characters.
Overall: I give this drama 9/10. Why not a perfect 10? Well, although the story manage to evoke a range of emotions and drew the audience into the world of Cha Do Hyun, there are some factual errors here and there - they are minor and depending on the level of perfection you demand, they are not important enough to distract from the enjoyment of the drama. Hence, the -1 mark. Other than that, this is a brilliant drama and if you find yourself conflicted if you should go for Kill Me, Heal Me or Hyde, Jekyll and I....go for Kill Me, Heal Me. You will not regret it! Happy watching!
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Acting/Cast: Beautiful casts and good acting but why do I get the feeling that the cast themselves felt bored and flat-out half-way through the drama? It's as if they are just acting for the sake of acting to complete the drama...which was a great waste of the talents in this drama!
Music: Not the main attraction of this drama.
Rewatch value: Not in a hurry to re-watch.
Overall: It was good enough to keep you watching just to see how the writer's going to end the whole mess but not good enough to create a huge Wow! factor till the end; hence I rate this drama 8/10.
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Acting/Cast: I will go out on a limb here and say I am a great fan of Jang Hyuk's work. So, it is no surprise here when I rate the acting/cast 10/10. Mature acting and all experienced actors. Wonderful cast. What more can one ask for?
Music: It is an investigative film - therefore, OST is not its forte.
Rewatch value: Unless you are a big fan of investigative movies or you've got the hots for watching a rugged Jang Hyuk dressed mostly in plain prison clothes, you might not want to rewatch this anytime soon once you know the twist at the end.
Overall: If you have not watch this, I highly recommend it. Just sit back and enjoy the movie. You'll find yourself constantly asking "Is he the murderer or is he not?" Fun stuff. ;)
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Story: Average looking girl with an average height has a low-self esteem problem with her looks. It didn't help that others around her passed negative comments about her looks too (yes! society is cruel this way)! She had never dated before and has this huge crush on the school's handsomest and most talented guy (who doesn't eh?). Her mum seeing how down and depressed she was with her looks and inability to date, passed on a family secret about a ring that can make the person whom you like see you as his/her ideal partner. She was at first skeptical but later was excited when the ring actually worked. The school's heartthrob fell for her. Life's starting to look and feel good. But is that true? You know what they always say.......trouble in paradise.....nothing's ever perfect!
This is a short sweet story that all young women who suffer from low-self esteem about their looks should watch. It has a positive and uplifting message at the end about love and beauty. In a nutshell, it nails the old saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"!
Frankly, I wouldn't have watched this drama if not for me being on sick leave for two days. Feeling urrghhh from a bout of flu, I wanted something light, sweet, uplifting and quick. After reading reviews, I decided to watch this drama. I wasn't disappointed. For a short drama, it's worth the one whole day I spent on my coach - covered with blankets and pillows, a full box of tissue for my runny nose, warm tea, yummy snacks and heater on. It's an ideal drama for relaxation. Doesn't require any brain cells to decipher what's going on. Doesn't incite any strong negative emotions such as sadness, anger, frustration etc. There's no evil character whom you wish you could punch. For me, the drama ends with me thinking "Ah~~~! How nice and sweet!" So, if you are after a quick, relaxing and sweet drama, this one is for you!
Acting/Cast: There's no odd or awkward acting despite the relatively young cast. Everyone did well.
Music: This is a short web-drama. No OSTs worth mentioning here.
Re-watch value: High because of its brevity and uncomplicated story.
Overall: Highly recommended for those who's after a short drama that delivers all the beloved KDrama staples: romance, handsome male lead, triangle love and happily ever after.
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Story: This is a time-travelling, medical romance drama. The drama started with a cheerful but jaded doctor in the Joseon era - Heo Im - who's job was to serve the people by day and the nobles by night. He wore two masks - one of a benevolent and kind doctor to the poor, and another a doctor who's only interested in fame and fortune. Which is the true Heo Im?
Heo Im was an exceptional and talented acupuncturist. After many years of treating the sick and needy, his efforts were finally recognised. In a once in a lifetime opportunity, he was summoned into the palace to treat the king. However, as he was about to treat the king, his hand shook and he lost his concentration. As a result, the king ordered for Heo Im to be imprisoned. Heo Im escaped and while he was being pursued by palatial guards, he was shoot by arrows and fell into the river. When he woke next, he's in 21st century Seoul. Hence starts his time-travelling adventure.
The female lead (Yeon Kyung) is a cardio-thoracic doctor who was skeptical of oriental medicines at first but after her many interactions with Heo Im, became impressed with his skills. The drama is very character-based. It's about the journey of self-discovery for Heo Im and Yeon Kyung as they learn about themselves, deal with their dark pasts and make peace with their current selves in their journey towards becoming the best doctors in their own fields.
I love the character Heo Im played by Kim Nam Gil. He's quirky, funny, wise, serious, ambitious, evil and nice all wrapped up in one yummy package of a talented acupuncturist. Heo Im is a bag of contradictions and Kim Nam Gil was born for this role. You'll find yourself laughing, smiling, nodding and crying with Heo Im. You will be emotionally and mentally invested in his character as well as his counterpart - Yeon Kyung.
Unlike Heo Im's hot and cold character, Yeon Kyung's a pretty straightforward character. From the get go, you'll know that she's someone who had had a painful past and that had caused her to be indifferent and cold towards her grandfather, skeptical towards oriental medicine and passionate about saving lives. From the moment they met, she and Heo Im influenced each other in a positive manner. Eventually, they fell in love with each other. Their chemistry is perfect. If I am to describe their relationship chemistry in two words, those words will be 'playful' and 'passionate'.
The time-travelling in this drama is not one-way. In other words, both Heo Im and Yeon Kyung travelled back and forth between Joseon and modern Seoul a few times. It wasn't until the third time that it happened that they finally figured out what triggered the time-travel and why they were the ones affected. After that, the time-travelling became a tool they use intentionally to help others.
The overall story is perfect but if I were to be nitpicking on the little things that the drama could improve on, it would be on the logical progression of the story at certain parts of the drama. For example: In one scene, Yeon Kyung and Heo Im were trying to fight off gangsters in Seoul and were cornered. Heo Im was injured while protecting Yeon Kyung. They time-travelled. Then, they met with Japanese soldiers. Yeon Kyung whipped out a taser and pepper spray and defeated the Japanese soldiers. One would wonder, why didn't she use the taser and pepper spray on the gangsters to start with? That would have saved Heo Im and they wouldn't have to time-travel right into the hands of Japanese soldiers! This is just one example of illogical story progression in the drama. Another would be the placements of things, like Yeon Kyung's medical bag, when she or they were running or when moving from one scene to another. If you keep an eye out on where she placed her medical bag when she fell and where it was after a while, you'll realise that in one scene, it wasn't with her and in the next scene, it's strapped over her shoulder! However, these are minor bloopers and didn't significantly distracted my enjoyment of the drama. You'd have to enjoy the drama as it is and not critically pick it apart as how professional reviewers do. As a whole, the drama focused heavily on the characters and not necessarily on little details such as those I mentioned.
Another part of the drama I loved was the interesting facts on acupuncture such as acupuncture points and what they do. I find that very educational. It made me want to read up on acupuncture and traditional oriental medicines.
Acting/Cast: Perfect acting and cast. Kudos to Kim Nam Gil and Kim Ah-Joong. There's also a significant number of elderly veteran actors and actresses in this drama. Three cheers for their excellent acting!
Music: Beautiful OSTs. I thoroughly enjoyed them!
Rewatch value: This is one drama that's enjoyable at every episode. I am saving it for re-watch. Perfect material for drama marathon when the mood strikes.
Overall: I am giving this drama 9/10. Overall story and character development's perfect. It is in the little nitty gritty detail that cost it a minus 1 point. If the director and writer polish up some scenes here and there, this drama will be a perfect 10/10. Absolutely a hidden gem!
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