Gabriela

"Second Husband" is a revenge drama that follows Seon Hwa, a young woman who can't let go of any injustice and always tries to help others. She lives with Sang Hyuk, the two are basically married and have a child together, everything seems perfect, until she finds out that he is cheating on her with Jae Gyeong, a coworker and intends to marry her.

Seon Hwa tries to hold Sang Hyuk back, but he was determined to marry Jae Gyeong, even her grandmother tries to interfere and ends up tragically dying. Not believing that her grandmother's death was an accident, Seon Hwa investigates and finds out the truth. In order to cover up her crime, Jae Gyeong frames Seon Hwa for another crime she committed and Seon Hwa ends up going to jail. When she finally gets out of jail, she finds out that her son Sae Byeok is dead. With the help of Jae Min, Seon Hwa makes her revenge plan to punish all those who destroyed her life.

The relationship between Jae Min and Seon Hwa is good, he really was the support she needed in those difficult times and it's clear that over time she would fall in love with him. The big problem is that there was no time in the drama for them to be a real couple. When Seon Hwa finds out that Jae Min was Jae Gyeong's brother, even though she liked him, she couldn't act on her feelings. Then with Sharon Park, she ended up marrying Jae Min, but it was a fake marriage and after that came the shock that they would be siblings, with Seon Hwa being the lost daughter of Jae Min's mother. Their chemistry on screen was great, but they didn't give us any chance to see them as a couple, that only happens at the end and honestly, after watching 150 episodes, I needed more than just that.

Sharon Park is magnificent, I had a lot of fun with this version of Seon Hwa, in fact I liked her much more than the original. HAHAHA'

Jae Gyeong is the bitch of the story, without a shadow of a doubt. She and Seon Hwa had created a kind of friendship at the beginning, until the moment when Jae Gyeong discovers Seon Hwa's relationship with Sang Hyuk, from that moment on everything changes completely. Jae Gyeong did literally everything to steal Sang Hyuk. She killed Seon Hwa's grandmother, stole her son, prevented her from finding her biological mother and tried to kill her. Oh Seung Ah is great for this type of role, it suited her perfectly.

The drama is average, the story drags on at times, but with the amount of episodes it was to be expected. The romance is weak, because technically there is no romance per se, but it is worth watching because of the relationship between Seon Hwa and Jae Min. The ending of the drama was not very good in my opinion, ending with a wedding was predictable, but seeing Sang Hyuk's mother, his sister and Jae Gyeong's mother together with the rest of the characters, in harmony? It was very strange.

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"The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won" tells the story of Lee Bang Won's journey to become one of the most famous kings in South Korean history.

Seong Gye is a well-known and beloved general who eventually takes power from the tyrant king who was ruling Goryeo. However, he never had any interest in becoming king. He really just wanted to make the world a better place. However, the situation is different with his children, especially Lee Bang Won, who, after his father's victory, begins to have a great desire for power.

Lee Bang Won always used the excuse that they needed to change the world for the people, but at the same time, he didn't care about the sacrifices that were made or how many people might die in the process. The person who started this flame in him was his wife, Lady Min. She was always a person who yearned for more. She wasn't content with what she had and thought her husband deserved more. Technically, she was the one who started it all. After having a taste for power, Bang Won could not stop until he became the king and killed anyone who stood in his way.

The turning point of the couple is after they achieved the goal they wanted so much, putting Bang Won on the throne, their problems begin after that. Lady Min thought they would walk together, as they always did, but Bang Won had no desire to share power with her, in fact he liked to make it clear that she was just another subordinate.

Lady Min is a badass, what an incredible character, she is the example of a woman who does not submit to anyone, she knows what she wants and goes after it. She fought hard for her husband, so he could fulfill his dream of being king, but she did it thinking of herself too, of her children, she just could not imagine how Bang Won would change after becoming king.

Even though she was the incredibly strong woman that she was, there was no way she could handle all of this. How humiliated can a person be? Is there a limit? Her family was destroyed, her own son caused the death of her brothers, but the worst was how Bang Won treated her, he broke her, humiliating her with all the concubines, the false accusations... she got to the point of begging Bang Won to stop and still he didn't give in. Eventually Lady Min could no longer bear to stay in the palace and left, to try to be free from it all. She died surrounded by her children, but without the presence of Bang Won, as she did not forgive him until her last moments.

The production of the drama is exceptional. It's a story that has been developed before, but none of them managed to reach this level, it really keeps you hooked from start to finish. The acting is impeccable, especially Joo Sang Wook, who in my opinion, gave his best role so far.

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"The King's Affection" is the story of a girl named Dam Yi, a simple court maid who discovered that she had the same face as the crown prince Lee Hwi. One day, they switch places and Lee Hwi accidentally dies, forcing Dam Yi to disguise herself and live as a man in Lee Hwi's place.
Ji Woon is her teacher and someone from her past life. Their lives intertwine and they fall in love, but Ji Woon thinks that Dam Yi is a man.

I've wanted to watch this drama for a long time, the story is good, but not enough to hook me as I expected. The main couple is cute, but I didn't see much chemistry between them, nothing that made me root for them.

To be completely honest, I think Dam Yi and Hyun would make a better couple; if the drama developed the story in that direction, I would like it a lot more.

Park Eun Bin's acting is the highlight of the drama, which makes it worth watching, the way she pretended to be a man and did it amazingly, she wasn't weak or feminine.

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"Mr. Bad" tells the story of Nan Xing, an online writer that has no luck in love. One day, she makes a wish and unexpectedly, the villain from her novel, Xiao Wu Di gains life.
In the beginning the two fight like kids, because Nan Xing has the power to control Xiao Wu Di, but eventually they fell in love, the problem is that Xiao Wu Di isn't really real.

It's a very cute drama, I have to say, but it's really not my style of story.
The relationship between Nang Xing and Xiao Wu Di it's basically a fairy tale, since he came into her life out of a wish and the moments between them are very cute, but for me it was all very dull, they couldn't capture me.

The beginning is cool, when Xiao Wu Di treats her like a slave and was acting like a villain, but a short time later he becomes a little lamb in love and then the drama lost me. Obviously I imagined that the drama would end with them getting married, even though they've only been together as a couple for a very short time and there was no need for that now, but it's the biggest cliche of all, so it had to appear in such a drama filled with it.

Now what I found incredible was the twist about why Xiao Wu Di appeared and that it was all because of Xiao Jun, which was a wish he made as a child, to protect Nan Xing. Now that was something interesting and something I wasn’t expecting! But I was confused when Nan Xing calls Wu Di, Mao Xiao Jun at the end... does that mean he's living with Xiao Jun's identity?! But how is that possible if the boy died?!

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"Goodbye My Princess" it's a drama that follows the love and hate relationship of Xiao Feng and Cheng Yin.

It's a pretty intense drama, so if you're looking for an easy love story, you'd better make another choice, because the romance here is doomed to tragedy. The performances of the three main characters are incredible, especially Peng Xiao Ran, you could feel all her pain, in an almost tangible way. It is possible to see clearly in two moments, when she realizes that she was betrayed by Gu Xiao Wu, that he was only using her and that he killed her grandfather.
And also Gu Jian's death, which I have to say was one of the saddest scenes I've ever seen in dramas. Seeing the expression of hatred on Cheng Yin, the desolation on Xiao Feng's face, and the smile on Gu Jian's face... all caused a mixture of emotions that I can't describe, but that impressed me greatly.

The romance between Xiao Feng and Cheng Yin is very engaging, they hook you instantly, but I think the drama made a big mistake in making little use of the couple. The entire first part of the drama happens very quickly, the two fall in love, get married and then Xiao Feng realizes that she was being used by Cheng Yin, that's when they fall into the river and lose their memories. From that moment on, the second part begins, as if it were a second life for the characters, going through the entire process of getting to know each other again, but that is exactly what the drama got wrong. We don't know when Cheng Yin falls in love with Xiao Feng and the episodes go by with just a few cute moments between them, but nothing very romantic or impressive. They should have made these two happy, at least while they could, because it was obvious that they would have a tragic ending, there was no way to fit in a happy ending for this couple.

Even though I liked the main couple, my second lead syndrome was intense in this drama, because Gu Jian is a wonderful character, it's impossible not to fall in love and root for him! What makes it worse is that Xiao Feng initially liked him, but since he couldn't arrive on time that day, Gu Jian missed his opportunity. Besides A'Du, he was the only person who truly cared about Xiao Feng, as her safety and happiness were his priority. Gu Jian's death is very sad, but at the same time it is the moment in which we see Cheng Yin's true colors, how cruel and possessive he is, since until the end he did not trust Xiao Feng.

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"Tokyo In April Is" it's a BL about two friends, Kazuma and Ren. Ren was Kazuma's best friend and first love, and he just disappeared when they were teenagers. The two grow up apart from each other and reunite as adults.

I'm starting to realize that the best BL aren't actually Thai, but Japanese!
After "Cherry Magic" and "Old Fashion Cupcake", comes "Tokyo In April Is", a story that starts slowly but grows in your heart and when you least realize it, you are already completely in love. The love story between Ren and Kazuma is wonderful, they went through so many challenges just to be together.

And who knew that Ren loved Kazuma from the beginning, but to protect Kazuma he kept a distance and also to not get hurt in the process. Kazuma's confession on the street was the most beautiful thing in the universe, he showed how important Ren is to him.

A simply unforgettable drama <3

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"The Rebel Princess" follows A'Wu, she's a princess that is considered one of the most beautiful woman in the country, basically every man wants her, but A'Wu has Zi Dan in her heart and wants to marry him. Her father frames Zi Dan and his mother for killing the emperor, so to save Zi Tan, A'Wu agrees to marry Xiao Qi. The two start in an arranged marriage, but with time, A'Wu and Xiao Qi fall in love with each other in a passionate way.

A great drama, the story grips from beginning to end. A'wu is an amazing woman, I completely understand why basically every man in the drama was obsessed with her!

I honestly don't know how A'wu handled everything that happened to her, because she was betrayed in every way possible. Her grandfather tried to kill her and her husband, afraid that Xiao Qi's power in the army would influence him in the palace, as if he wanted to take the throne. A'wu's mother killed herself and in that same day A'wu lost the baby she was carrying. A'wu's father and brother made a secret plan to frame Xiao Qi, they used Huaien, Zi Dan, everything to take the throne, they even killed Aunt Xu, a woman who only helped their family. I still don't quite understand how in the end A'wu's brother didn't suffer any consequences for what he did.

Stories with arranged marriages are always great and even though it has 68 episodes, it never got tiring. The romance between A'wu and Xiao Qi developed too quickly, I think I would have liked more to see them get to know each other little by little, but their relationship is very natural, the two combine very well.

I could tell that General Song fell in love with A'wu a long time ago, I just didn't imagine that it had been since the night of the wedding. I even felt sorry for him, because the one who was always by her side when Xiao Qi was going to save the country was Huaien, but he should have kept his love hidden, when he decided to betray Xiao Qi who had only helped him all his life, his actions were no longer justified.

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"Namib" is a story about two broken people who help each other heal.

Soo Hyun seems like a very cold and distant person, but in reality she is a woman who carries a lot of guilt, she blames herself for her son's accident and his hearing loss. Soo Hyun doesn't want to appear weak, so she hides all her problems and worries, trying to fix her son's future, with the obsession of buying a factory for him. One day she meets Yoo Jin Woo, a very talented young man, but in order for that to become something, he needs work and attention, so she makes a deal with Jin Woo, she will sign with him, with the promise that Jin Woo will become popular and pay her back.

The drama is very intense, the story deals with difficult issues like self-harm, depression and guilt, as well as the whole issue of being an idol, how this life is not easy at all. It is a beautiful story, because it takes all of this and turns it into hope. Jin Woo is an incredible singer, but his life was very difficult and hurting himself, it was his way of surviving, of coping... Soo Hyun then becomes his shelter, his home and the person who changed his life.

It's the kind of story that people need to watch, it's inspiring, it reminded me of the drama "Uncle". If I had to find a flaw, it would be that there are only a few musical moments, there should be more.

There was also an extra bit of happiness, every moment between Joon Suk and Bong Gyu, their bromance is so cute. At first they only fought because of Soo Hyun, but after spending so much time together, they became friends <3

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"Princess Aurora" tells the story of Oh Ro Ra. Just like her name, she is different, interesting and doesn't like to follow anyone's rules, other than her own. Basically, she is a spoiled princess. She falls in love with Ma Ma and does everything to win his heart.

First of all, we have Ma Ma's sisters, who are so weird that it's hard to explain. The way they treat Ma Ma, especially the older sister, sometimes seems like a mother's love and at other times it seems like she loves him like a woman. There was even a moment when she got so angry because Ro Ra slapped Ma Ma in the face that she not only fainted but also became mute. Very bizarre. From the beginning, it was obvious that Ro Ra wouldn't be happy staying with Ma Ma because of his sisters and that's exactly what happens.

After much insistence, Ma Ma manages to get Ro Ra to marry him, but this happiness doesn't last long, because the friction between Ro Ra and his sisters only gets worse. Ro Ra even tries to become friends with the sisters, but there was no room for her to do so. It got to a point where Ro Ra would only cry in her own house and drink to forget... that's no way to live, so she was absolutely right to get a divorce, she should have done it sooner.

If you think the drama is about romance, you're wrong. It's actually Ro Ra's journey, all the suffering she went through to become a better person. She lost all her money, her father, her mother, her dog, her first husband, to finally find true happiness in the person who was always by her side: Seol Hee.

I understand that she needed to go through these difficulties to mature, but I would have chosen Seol Hee from the beginning, it was clear that he was the right person for Ro Ra. This was one of the only dramas I watched where the second lead ends up with the girl.

Oh, I can't forget the whole situation with Natasha. What the hell was that in a 2013 drama? I was impressed by the fact that they dealt with the transgender issue, but I was upset that the solution they found for Natasha was to "transform" her into a real man, as a kind of cure.
And in those final episodes, when Ro Ra, Ma Ma and Seol Hee are living together? To make matters worse, they were going to move to the US so they could continue their relationship like that, since they imagined that it wouldn't be possible in Korea. To be honest, even I found it bizarre. HAHAHAHA'

Despite having several mistakes, the drama is good. It is a big commitment to watch since there are 150 episodes and at several moments the story lost its direction, but it ended well.

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"Gu Family Book" is a fantasy drama about Choi Kang Chi, a young man who is half human and half gumiho. He was abandoned by a river and discovered by a rich man who took care of him, as if he were his own son. Yeo Wool is different from any woman her age, she dresses like a man and love martial arts. These two lives are connected by fate.

Kang Chi has a crush on Chung Jo, the daughter of the man that saved him, but he keeps his feelings to himself. One day, a tragedy happens in the family, they are framed are traitors and Kang Chi while trying to save them, revealed his true self. His heart is broken by the disgust of people, so Kang Chi goes into hidden. He only finds a safe place in Yeo Wool's house, she's the only person that helps him and doesn't care about what or who he is.

Kang Chi and Yeo Wool's romance is one of the best I have ever seen. They are cute, funny and romantic, but from the beginning we knew something bad was going to happen between them. Yeo Wool's death scene is heartbreaking but so beautiful at the same time.

Another couple that is truly amazing is Seo Hwa and Wol Ryung, that's why it's a pity that they have so little time together. I understand that their romance and sorrow it's what formed the story, but it's so good that I wanted to see more. At least they have a sort of happy ending, with Wol Ryung finally understanding that Seo Hwa didn't betray him after all.

Susy and Lee Seung Gi are really perfect together <3

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In "Me Too, Flower!", Bong Sun is a police officer who follows her own rules and Jae Hee is a playboy who enters her peaceful life and changes everything. They fight like children at first and then, they can't stay away from each other.

Lee Ji Ah and Yoon Shi Yoon have amazing chemistry on screen, the romance is sweet but passionate at the same time and for 2011, that's impressive.
There's a scene where they kiss with handcuffs on, she was literally holding him down and they just kissed. It's really something else.

The ending is a bit rushed, but the rest is great. It's a great choice for a romantic comedy. It's definitely worth watching.

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"I Hear Your Voice" is a romance/thriller drama about three people connected by a murder.

Soo Ha witnessed his father's death when he was just a boy and ever since that day, Soo Ha has the ability to hear people's thoughts. He has searched his whole life for the girl who helped him catch the culprit, as he promised to protect her... Hye Sung is that girl. She grew up to be a lawyer who cares about nothing but winning, but as she spends time with Soo Ha and he helps her with her cases using his ability, Hye Sung begins to change and realize that justice has meaning.

I really thought this drama would have no real romance, just hints of it, but thank god I was wrong, this couple is fantastic.
Hye Sung and Soo Ha are basically a perfect couple, you want to see them together from the first episode. They are really different people but you can see that they belong together, there is a connection, a bond. One scene that makes this clear is when Min Joon Kook says that he killed Hye Sung to make Soo Ha a murderer too, but he made a promise to Hye Sung to never do that. Seeing Soo Ha running to the hospital, looking for her like crazy and finally finding her, that warm hug, is one of the best moments of the entire drama.

Besides the romance, there is Min Joon Kook, the psychopath who makes their lives hell. I really hated this man and I couldn't understand his actions even after knowing about his past, how his wife died because of Soo Ha's father, that doesn't make everything he did right. Killing Hye Sung's mother, trying to kill Hye Sung and Soo Ha multiple times... there is no way I can feel sorry for him, he became a monster by his own choice.

The story, the characters, the romance, the soundtrack, everything is just perfect. I would recommend this drama to any kdrama fan, this is a story you need to watch.

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A drama that was mostly good, but the ending is terrible

"The Brave Yong Soo Jung" it's a drama about Soo Jung, who lost her parents and her home at the same time. Fortunately she meets Jang Won, who became her adopted father and helped her grow up to be a bright woman. Her life is also entangled with Eui Ju and his mother.
Time passes and Soo Jung becomes a sales announcer. There she meets Woo Jin, a cold man who doesn't let anyone come in to close. The two eventually fall in love. In between them, there's Eui Ju, who's reunited with Yoo Jung as an adult and finds out that Woo Jin is his brother. Both of the brothers like Soo Jung, but she likes Woo Jin and also wants to use him as a way to make Hye Ra suffer, since Hye Ra and her mother were the people that stole Soo Jung's money and made her mother died.

Soo Jung's adopted father unfortunately dies by the hands of Woo Jin, Hye Ra and Kyung Hwa, she swears to take her revenge and comes back a different woman. Now, Woo Jin is married to Hye Ra and Soo Jung does everything to break them apart. Eventually Soo Jung and Eui Ju become a couple and they join hands to make the evil people pay for their crimes.

After this, the drama loses it's direction. Eui Ju learns that he has cancer and the couple's happiness is totally gone at this moment. Actually they didn't even had a moment to be a real couple, now that Eui Ju and Soo Jung are married, he's going to die? It's not fair. We only see Eui Ju suffering from the side affects of the tumor and trying to hide the truth from Soo Jung, who eventually finds out.
Yes, in the end Eui Ju is alive, but I think it's because the writers didn't have the courage to kill off his character and actually it would be better if they did that. This whole thing with him being missing and the amnesia, it was just lazy writing. It would made more sense if Eui Ju became health again or if he died.

Woo Jin was the best character, his transformation is one of the best things that happened in the drama. For him to realize that he was used and lied to his entire life, all because of his so called "mother". Woo Jin decided to become a new person, made Kyung Hwa pay and even used Hye Ra in the process.
Until the end I was hoping that Soo Jung's birth father would show up alive, because we actually didn't see him dying in the beginning, even Soo Jung's mother only said he was missing. I think the drama lost a really interesting plot twist with this.

The story is good and so are the characters, the development was going great, but the drama became confused basically at the middle and went downhill from there.

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"Because of You" is the Chinese version of the Korean drama "Jang Bo Ri Is Here," with a few changes.

Yi Bei is the daughter of a family famous for embroidered dresses. She meets Yun Kai, a lonely boy who finds a friend in Yi Bei, but the two are separated when Yi Bei disappears. She goes after her mother and witnesses something terrible, leading to her becoming lost and suffering amnesia after a car accident. Yi Bei then begins living as Guo Guo, raised by Wang Ai Yu, believing she is her mother and Yu Xin is her sister.

Guo Guo has always been mistreated, having to work from a young age, while Yu Xin receives all the love and attention. One day, Yu Xin becomes pregnant and abandons the child at her mother's house. Guo Guo bonds with the baby and decides to raise her as her own.

The romance between Guo Guo and Yun Kai is very sweet; there is a strong focus on their relationship, and it unfolds much more easily. At first, they fight like children, but end up falling in love anyway, without even truly recognizing each other, since Guo Guo has no idea of her identity, just like Yun Kai. They grow apart when Yun Kai thinks Guo Guo deceived him, that she had a child and never told him anything. But the two eventually reunite, and Yun Kai decides to put it aside and falls in love with Guo Guo again, and now also with Le Tong, treating her as if she were his own daughter.

The biggest problem with this version lies in the character Yu Xin. She's not a good villain, she's a bland character. You end up not caring about what she does. Seeing her try to destroy Guo Guo and hide her identity from everyone should be an essential part of the story, but Wu You's performance is so weak, she left the character almost as a supporting character.

It's worth watching for the romance, because otherwise, it ends up being far inferior to the original story.

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"Bargain" is a drama unlike anything I've ever watched, because we have no hero or heroine, it's a survival story with people who don't trust anyone and will do everything to survive. Basically it is a more realistic version of what it would be like if an apocalypse really happened, without any embellishment, the human being in its crude version possible: each for itself.

Hyung Soo is the perfect example of this, someone who can survive any situation. He hired a call girl, literally a virgin girl, but was eventually sold in an organ auction, which was interrupted by an earthquake and to complete, we find that he is a police officer. More disgusting and corrupt than that ... Impossible, even though he tries to deceive Joo Young saying that he is in a secret police investigation, but of course this is a lie. He took any opportunity possible and he allied with anyone who was going to help him escape.

Joo Young is a very interesting character, but I liked Keuk Ryul the most. I was impressed with his ability to survive. It happened everything with this boy and he was alive in the end. HAHA'

The open ending is a pity, because I don't think there will be a sequel to the history, it only ends up showing that the earthquake was not isolated for the building, but a large disaster.

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