biniBningPunkista
By the beach.
This drama's story line is original, the characters are very interesting and although plot lines are freaking full of cliches as what the Hong Sister's usually do with their drama's, but the heck! It doesn't matter, because they use the cliche in its full potential.
Episode 1 was a strong entry for this drama and for a sucker of romcom, it hooked me so much I had to watch episode per episode, week by week. Which is very unusual of me because I usually watch a drama when it's done airing and all episode/subtitles are out. The last time I did that was when Hana Yori Dango was aired in Japan. So this drama is dear to my heart because I felt the potential from episode 1 and it never disappointed me (until episode 16) which sort of felt like a filler of an episode that's why I had to rate it an over all 9/10. BUT! Episode 17 made up for it so their's no point in worrying for just one episode.
The characters were very solid, I loved the mannerism Ji-sub came up for his character Joo Jong-won. He had that hand gestures which I find rather appealing for the type of guy he was portraying. An egoistic rich guy who had less to care for in the world. As for Hyo-jin, she was very convincing and really catchy as Tae Gong-shil. Although within the drama there were sudden shifts in her character. I am not referring to the times she was possessed, I'm talking about when she's being really the strong/angry type of Taeyang and not the seemingly Sweet-Naive-Candy type of Taeyang. There were sudden shifts and it was annoying me because she was sort of getting out of character. I think I had to find that fault in the writers or director, it was annoying. Because if her character was the soft one - it has to be consistent. If they were going to make her strong... that personality had to stick-like in what they did to episodes 16 and 17. But when her character shifted to a strong one in around episode 11 then revert to her old self at episode 12, it was like she had to act within her acting. If you get what I mean... and because of that I had to give another 9/10 for the story because the character is based on that.
Now that being said and done, I have to give compliments for the music, because it was catchy and unforgettable. It's like nostalgia sticks to the music and as for the re-watch value, I say... HELL YEAH! I am going to watch it over and over again, never mind those ghost infested scenes-they aren't really scary if I don't think too much about it.
If you are a fan of romcom and of the Hong Sister's writing style, you'll love this. You won't be disappointed with this. YOU BETTER WATCH THIS.
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Story flow, suspense, characters and insights.
The story had a good premise with a really solid back bone. I'm glad that the writers were able to keep up within its theme which is about justice in the view of different people. Since the story started when the main characters where young, justice followed up even after 11 years passed by. As for the pacing, the drama could be quite serious
at one time then funny the next which looses the heaviness of a particular scene and sometimes, its sensibility.
There's also another fact that caught my attention, it's how the main characters were consistent. Even though there were a lot of growth in each of them, their attitude and there personalities were still the same up to the end of this drama. The actors were great when they were acting their roles. It was as if each character was made for them. Even te antagonist didn't feel like the antagonist after watching this drama. That's how good their character portrayal was for me.
Music wise, it wasn't something that stuck into my head but it was still syncing beautifully. What caught me the most was how emotional the background music became when the scene was about Hye-sung and Su-ha's bittersweet moments.
Over all, I would be recommending this to people who have different insights about justice and devotion to one person. I love the loyalty this drama has shown within its characters. It was a really good series.
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Toda Erika as Toma Saya was perfect. It felt like the character was made for her. She usually had cutesy or prim-proper roles but here, it was an overhaul of every drama she did. As for her co-actor Kase Ryo (who speaks perfect English with US accent), I haven’t seen him in a starring role and am not too familiar with the guy but his acting here as Sebumi Takeru was in perfect sync with Erika’s. The chemistry between the actors was so smooth there were no dull moments even in silence. There character had this specific peculiarities and that’s what made them really interesting. Like in Toma’s case, she has an IQ of 201 which doesn’t really define her – because in actuality she is already eccentric in the first place. She has this great feature of annoying people because of her mannerism and certain habits that are out of place to any normal person, but this does not make her insane, it only makes her different. As for Sebumi, he is the usual honor police with great fighting skills and a really uptight personality. This type of character is what would seem normal and boring, but what makes his role peculiar? It’s the way he handles situations and most of all that specific thing he always carries with him; a brown paper bag which consists of his things – gun, wallet, etc. It kind of makes me wonder why that paper bag never rips and spills all his stuff. LOL.
The story line was continuous, it reveals enough on every episode to make you seat at the edge of your chair to continue on watching and ask yourself, “What’s going to happen next?” or just plainly say “WTF?!?”, yes this is how this show was for me. There were wtf moments, but those are the times which made the show much more fun.
Another boost for this drama is the fact that the soundtrack was also nice. It was kind of funky-pop-ish-rock themed sang by the band The Ricecookers. For those who are into the jrock genre, the theme song would not disappoint. As for the whole OST – it was very much appropriate for every scene.
If you are into sci-fi and mind boggling suspense things with a twist of weird wackiness on the side-lines, this may suit you as it did to me.
Rating this 8/10 – because though I really loved the characters and story line, there are still limits on this drama, like the fact that there are times when the characters go overboard. I know that’s part of all the drill to make this drama more interesting but still, there’s that point in which how much of that silliness you can take in.
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I was already having fun watching it for all the humor and what-not’s until episode 12 came about. That’s when the story line drastically changed, it began to spin around senselessly aiming nowhere and it was plainly a disaster. I realized that the writers never really thought of giving proper closure to each of the character's problem, specially on the main ones due to the cut episodes. This drama was supposed to air 16 episodes, instead they decided to make do with 14, ending up with a rubbish ending.
Episode 13-14 was produced in a haste. Maybe its the production management but I have a hunch they couldn’t extend the drama up to 16 episodes due to the bad ratings. The story, the characters and the over all production had so much potential if only they have been developed properly.
Yes, everything has been all fun and cute in the middle of the series but the ending plainly sucked. There was a lot of loopholes and never ending problems. Episode 14 had this sort of time snap where everything was cut and then here comes out the protagonist saying “everything is going to be okay” just to resolve the very main conflict in the story which is: The female protagonist pretending to be a boy in an all male K-pop idol group.
How the heck do you resolve that in one freaking episode?
Episode 14 was clearly telling the audience that the conflict was resolved, but in reality… they just don’t have the time to resolve it. Period.
There… I finally got that out of my system. I don’t even like K-pop music, or am I a fan of K-pop Idols in general. I only wanted to watch this because of the story line: A girl pretending to be a boy for some important self-inflicted reason.
Sigh.
I need a better drama to watch or a movie. Rating this drama 5/10 for the sole reason that I enjoyed the middle part of the series but at the same time want to forget that I even dared watching it.
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I was initially looking forward to it because Joe Chen was the main female lead but then the character was a berserk. There was no consistency or proper flow in her character's development as Lin Xiao Jie. The writers might have wanted to make her progress fast but they did it TOO fast there was nothing substantial in her newly reformed persona. As for Tang Jun, at least him being Tom and Tang Jun at the same time was a clear cut thing. And his fondness to Xiao Jie was obvious and unwavering giving us a solid main lead. Then there's Godfrey as Gao Zi. The man is like a prince, I swooned at first sight and I was already shipping for the second lead instead of the main one. His character was quite fickle though that's why I still liked Tom despite the huge difference in the hotness scale.
The story was subpar, the usual rich-guy-meets-poor-girl and it was all predictable I almost cried out of boredom because I was already telling myself what's about to happen. There were also scene executions in which made the story far fetched and circus-y already. There were unneeded plot lines which only made the story dragging and made the episodes longer. Over all it was tiring to watch. I only finished it because I was hooked with London's wonderful view along with Xiao Jie and Tang Jun's cutesy moment.
Oh... I also liked the soundtrack... but I'm still not recommending this as a must see drama. I would hate myself if you wasted precious drama time on this. But then again if you're a fan of the main leads... go ahead and knock yourself out with their cuteness.
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Now off to the main event, I wasn't really a fan of flashbacks to give substance to the stories. Flashbacks feel like cheating... so after those flashback from the main characters story I felt cheated but setting that aside, I love Yeo-wool's character. She was a bad ass woman with skills, the downer for me here is the consistency of her being bad ass. Initially she started off as being Kang-chi's protector then as the story progressed little by little Yeo-wool was turning into a damsel in distress. That annoyed me. If she was a bad assed chic who dress up as a man and could fight equally as a man, why didn't the writer own up to that character? I have this inkling the writer was trying to feminize Yeo-wool in way that would not over shadow Kang-chi's strength. My take on that? It was a lame move. Yeo-wool could still have supported Kang-chi even if she was strong.
As for Kang-chi's character, I like the way he progressed from being recklessly clueless about his real identity up the part when he has evolved to who he really is to the very last episode. I love how he decides on his own and the trail of thoughts that runs inside his half gumiho head. It shows how pure his heart really is. That's the kind of solid character I wanted in a drama I watch.
Of course if there are the good guys, there are also the bad guys. Jo Kwan-woong was the ultimate baddie in this drama and I just loved to hate the guy. I was already plotting my revenge on him inside my head because he has been killing off wonderful characters or marring their image to a point of no return. That's how affected I am with his character.
There were also several character that I liked:
Gon, he was that kind of guy who doesn't say too much but gives off all the vibes in his facial expressions and physical gesture. My favorite expression on his face is the I-like-you-lady-yeo-wool-but-I-could-never-have-you-because-I'm-only-here-to-protect-you-and-your-heart-already-belongs-to-someone-else.
Choon Soo-ryun the gisaeng head mistress because she's level headed and her principles are way beyond being desperate and lastly she's awesome with the five drum beat.
Finally there's Head servant Mr. Choi, Kang-chi's second dad. His character was consistent all throughout. Never wavers not even when he gets beaten up multiple times, he was one of the underrated characters which I would have cried if he got killed off.
The music score was lovely, I like the song they have used especially during the pilot episode for the mom and dad. It was cute, romantic and timely.
I would highly recommend this drama for those who are into sageuk fantasy. Its not too light but its also not too heavy as a kdrama. I'll have to say it's just the right mix. I just wish they make a second season out of this because I'm pretty much looking forward to it already.
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Oh yes... the consistency of the story. Hence my self discussion of like and dislike from this drama.
First, why I like it is the mention from above. Eye candy couple always help bring in more viewers anyways. Then there's the team of solid characters. I believe these individual characters where built up in a really good way, even the flashbacks (which I personally dislike) were essential as a foreground. Not annoying but instead, needed. So I'm letting that one slide.
I love Arang. She's such a feisty ghost/woman. She talks brash, she's persistently cute and most of all she knows how to care. What I hated about her character is the inconsistency of her self-defense behavior. She's supposed to know how to defend herself by kicking ass of both human and ghost alike, but there were slips along the way which makes her such a damsel in distress and THAT is what I dislike about her character.
Sato Kim Eun Oh. *sigh* I want to look on forever at that face. I totally feel how Arang feels. *shakes head to come back to reality* Okay, back to what I like about him - it's the way how he progressed as a person. I love the fact that his personality evolved gradually after meeting Arang, PLUS the fact that he knows how to fight. (I am an action fan so learn to deal with it.) As a wishy-washy character, Sato is still influential and yes… yes… yes… we already know that he is good looking, but besides that he is a man with integrity. What I hate about his character is the fact that he gets all mopey when it comes to his mother. That part irritates me the most. If Arang feels annoyed by it, so do I, in triple folds.
As for the other characters like Dol Soe and the Shaman, the three other officers whom I get to call the three stooges because of the multiple mischief they try to conjure within Miryang and the Great King Jade (Oh man, oh man! My dear Seung Ho, how I adore thee!!!)is also one of the characters that's a dessert to look at. There's also the constant bickering of the King of the Underworld which by the way is cute, but let's not forget the insightful conversations regarding the humans and their hearts. The grim reaper has a good role in all of this as well, I like the fact that he's supposed to be a bad-guy-but-not-really-bad kind of character. The idea that he's also a confused soul but still has to harvest other confused souls feels rather eccentric yet interesting.
Then finally, we also have the REAL bad guys. Not much to say about them but they are very much helpful in building up the story to what it should be. Basically all in all - the mix of all these characters were simply great.
So what went wrong?
The characters were great, the MUSIC was a lovely mix of eeriness and sometimes soulful, the cinematography was love and then… the story line went bland. It was a Sageuk Fantasy fusion with a mix of Rom-Com Horror, it had a good premise but there was that feeling after episode 8 that the story began to drag on. Maybe it's just me, but it felt like there were moments in the series which could have been cut short to emphasize more on the main story and the fun sort of died out and became too serious for my liking. The ending wasn't my cup of tea as well, there was so much that could have been done with that. That's why I would give it an over all rating of 8.
I may not re-watch this drama, but I would recommend it to those who love the actors, good set of acting and well… a ghost filled episode per episode.
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Setting that aside though, I still enjoyed Jin 2 in all it's glorious details about the Tokugawa-Shogunate era in Edo. I loved the cinematography and the actors. These actors by the way aren't like the average newbies or jpop idols who could only pose on screen and look good. These actors are veterans who has a couple outstanding dramas and movies under their belts to boast of.
My favorite character would be Tachibana Saki acted by Ayase Haruka. What's so interesting about her character is the fact that she's the only female doctor who has chosen her own path, away from a samurai clan. This being said, women with strong aspirations in life gives lasting impressions.
Music wise, the drama had a good OST. The ballad on every dramatic scene was in perfect sync and feel. I also like the theme song Itoshiki Hibiyo by Hirai Ken, it felt like every time I would hear it, I would feel Minakata Jin's internal turmoil.
I may not watch this again, but I would highly recommend it to people who like Japanese History and is into sci-fi-medical drama and all the likes.
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What's to like about this movie aside the fight scenes? Kang Dong Won.
I always have this image of him in my head flying around in his fight stance and martial art moves. I initially got that from the movie Duelist. And now, to see him once again just like before, minus that serious manner he sported in his previous film, I just had to see this movie.
Then comes in our pretty Seo In Kyung who was casted in "Finding Mr. Destiny" and "...ing", I have never realized how vital her character was until the very end. That doesn't go the same to the other supporting roles though, BUT they are still essential in this film. They made this film comedic, action packed and yet interesting all at the same time.
Woochi has a very interesting story line once you have immersed yourself into it. Hopefully you don't get distracted too much from the character's mischief and fight scenes because it has a really decent plot line to begin with.
There were two settings in this film, first from a sageuk setting and second on a post modern era which is our present date. Cinematography wise on both settings were awesome. You would know that most of it are CG effects but still, to conceptualize something like that takes a lot of creative thinking.
As for the OST, it is perky and quite catchy and if you listen up to the very end, the tune would probably still be in your head. Then you would revert on thinking back on specific scenes of the movie because of that.
I would recommend this to people who wants a feel-good-none-heavy-story-line completed with action and fantasy.
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In my case, I was in a mood for a low-key-rom-com drama which does not require me to think too much. Ta-da! Ma Boy was perfect. I couldn't help myself from smiling from one episode to another.
I may like the drama but of course it is far from being perfect. There are scenes that made me want to cringe and fast forward due to unnecessary airtime of mischief but since this is supposed to be a light story... I sucked it all in and enjoyed the whole show for what it could offer.
Be reminded that this is a high school gender bender story where Boy Dresses up as a Girl while Girl keeps his secret for him. It's light, funny and cute. Not to forget that the boy is really good looking and dances so well. Music wise, as per young k-pop idol themed drama - you already know what to expect... but wait! There's more.
The drama may be light but the characters has their own story to tell. Thus making this drama more interesting than what the plot line let's us perceive. I also like the fact that the young actors and actresses suits their role. Who wouldn't fall for the plain looking girl paired up to pretty boy scenario without the perfect casting? Even the mean trio of male/female fans for each idol was the right fit. I couldn't imagine anyone else being casted for the roles, including the main ones.
I am surely recommending this for those who's craving for something light, cute and funny to watch.
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In this movie, what was really interesting was how each character had their own story to tell. I'm also glad that the director and producer gave the chance for these characters to show their own side of the story. The movie is quite long, with bits of musical pieces in between that I almost thought it was going to be like a broadway musical show up to the end.
Joo Ji-hoon (from Goong and Mawang) who played as Kim Jin Hyeok, Antique's owner was the most complex character in the lot. He had this terrible past which he doesn't have closure with up until he made up the Bake shop. Jin Hyeok do not actually like sweets because of an incident 20 years ago. The only way he could move on from that was to catch the person who inflicted trauma in his past but the story does not only revolve around him. There's more...
Kim Jae-wook (from Coffee Prince) as Min Seon-woo, the gay Patisserie (my favorite character) was VERY queer, charming, hot and definitely devious when it comes to making men; straight or gay fall for him. Only Jin Hyeok is the exception for some certain reason related in the past (again). He is the only guy who is able to resist his charm thoroughly up to the present but there would be some side story between their friendship and how things work out in favor for both of them in the end.
I loved the way Jae-wook presented his character, it seemed so real and not icky to watch all. There were several kissing scenes with a guy in this movie to show how gay his character really was. What fascinated me more was that before I actually watched the movie, I have read several comments from him as to how he was able to portray the character in a realistic manner. During the filming sessions, he admitted that he was having a very hard time internalizing his gay character because in reality he wasn't gay. What's more interesting is how it seemed so natural on screen, you wouldn’t even think he was uncomfortable with the whole process. He was so darn convincing that I would think he was gay if I didn't know any better.
Yoo Ah-in (Sungkyunkwan Scandal) as Patisserie apprentice Yang Ki-beom, a punk kid who wanted to eat cakes and is running away from something. The kid is an insistent worker, stubborn but has a high respect for Seon-woo and would only acknowledge him as the best Patisserie in the whole world. He also has a sweet tooth that he became the official taster for the bake-shop.
Choi Ji-ho as Nam Soo-yeong, the guy who is unbelievably stuck with Jin-hyeok. He is the son of the Kim's house nanny and became Jin-hyeok's body guard in the process. He may be a bit slow, and could have been affected by the charms of Seon-woo but he has a great respect and kin-ship affection (not in a gay kind of way) towards Jin-hyeok. He always sees to it that he will be able to cater the needs of his young master.
There are other characters that have their own roles, but it would be too tedious to mention them one by one. Over all the movie's quirkiness is thanks to these four wonderful guys. They have brought the entire film to the best of its ability that even in its 109 minutes, did not once made me feel it was draggy or boring. The mixture of humor and suspense was perfect, even the soundtrack fit so well with the whole movie. There might be some several graphics that was a bit too exaggerated but the colorful atmosphere and acting took that tiny glitch away.
The movie may not show any love interest between a man and woman, but it would certainly show how people could connect deeply with each other no matter how one is scarred from the past or has a marred future. It only shows that in the end, everyone would be able to cope up with their own personal demons.
A must see movie for those who has a queer eye and a different perspective in life.
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Then all of a sudden her life is being infiltrated by an annoying man... she learns to adore. The amateur photographer was kind of a mystery as to why he was like that towards her but the story develops towards the end.
Not to forget that there is also that mother (a definitely cool one) who tries to help her daughter in every way she can. I definitely love the way she showed her affection towards Mina and her sacrifices for her. This movie was not just a story about love between a man and a woman but it also shows the love between a mother and daughter.
What I like most about this movie is its subtlety in the dialogues and the small clues as what could happen in the end. I had this small notion that something was up with the guy or the mom, only I can't pin-point what until the very end of the film.
...ing is a very heart warming, tear-jerker movie that I have sworn not to watch for the duration of 2009. I tried to stir away from sad movies as much as I could, but what can I do? I'm just an addict to good story line films and this is definitely one of them. How can anyone pass it up? This film is a 2003 production but I only got hold of it 6 years after. It actually came out way before Kim Rae Won's "My Little Bride" with Moon Geum-Young. Here in this film, the leading actress looked so familiar, so when I looked her up that's when it clicked as to where I have seen her first. It was in "I'm a cyborg, But that's ok." her co-star in it was Rain.
Kim Rae Won never seize to amaze me when it comes to acting. He could be cool, he could make you smile and most of all, his crying definitely gets on to you. A very effective actor, that I am very sure of.
To finish this off, the cinematography was perfect. The music vaguely reminded me of the sound track from the drama series coffee prince, and it worked perfectly well with the movie. The actors were an A plus for their acting and the story line... as I have already mentioned above was one of the best stories I've liked so far.
I'm definitely giving my two thumbs up for people to watch this.
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As for my verdict after finishing the movie, the first part was pretty much shady to watch and I noticed that some scenes were even rushed. The situations weren't explained well enough to understand what really happened in the past, up until everything was revealed at the latter part which is kind of awkward because it felt like there was an information overload when the movie could have explained it in the first hour or so to build up the story much better.
What exactly made me like this movie? It was actually near the ending part when everything FINALLY made sense, which by the way, I still felt that it was rushed. Setting that aside, I like the ending because it made me cry a bit. I liked the thought that they made this into a melodramatic movie with very touching scenes full of serendipity moments. Add up the back drop music, it could have been almost good enough to re-watch, if not for the story line.
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Dong Wook Lee's performance as the detective Jae Hyuk catching crooks was a plus point for the whole thing but I find Yeong Hyeon as Soo Jin, the journalist a pretty much annoying person with an equally irritating voice. I don't get why they wanted her to act so stupidly at all times and get into so much trouble to the extent that it wasn't funny anymore. There were several scenes which you would find funny, especially at the last part but aside that, there were so many broken moments and plots where things could have been cleared up easily if the main female protagonist wasn't too much of a ditz.
The flow of the story wasn't my thing, even the characters lacked their own substance or much more like it was TOO Exaggerated that it became irritating to watch. The sound track was quirky but it wasn't something I would get a hang over with.
I wouldn't recommend this movie, hence it shall end up too disappointing.
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That’s until I’ve watched through 5 episodes.
This is the type of drama that just tells you, no matter how hot or how popular the actors are, if the story line is crappy, the drama ends up dead.
It was cute, yes. I would have to be honest with that. Seeing Wi Mae Ri strut in her fake voluptuous hair emphasizing her eyes, it was enough for me to go on and watch it. Then throw in the musician Moo Kyul with his long hair, pale skin and shiny shiny smile! Oh wait… not to forget the rich daddy’s boy Jung In, the angsty big boy with daddy issues and melancholic aura. Yes. I’d say they were quite good characters! The show could have been better but it just died with the plot line.
The story revolved in a never ending mess about being in debt, going broke, living a hobo life, making lies which made no actual sense, being employed, being engaged, being dragged around… it was going nowhere. The story went round and round with little bits of cuteness that couldn't save the drama. It was sad because the production had big name actors thrown together and yet they were not able to utilize them to their highest potential.
I won’t be recommending Mary Stayed Out All Night/Mary Me Marry, but if you like to get all gooey eyed to these eye candies… be my guest, just don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.
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