yankumicho
catch me in the latest flying spaceships
Straight out of a fanfiction probably not so deeply recessed on the Internet, EXO Next Door's story bursts forth onto the screen in what is both cheesetastic and fantastic at the same time. Two simultaneous narratives intertwine: the girl next door to EXO cleans EXO's house and Chanyeol needs inspiration and seeks it in his grandfather's home. It's pretty simple, but things become more complicated. It's not an innovative story, but it's a cute one with a lot of sweetness, humor, and of course, one amazing bromance.
The story of EXO Next Door was brought to the screen by some solid acting. Actually, the performances of the EXO boys (in particular, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, and Sehun) surprised me. Chanyeol's portrayal of a character that was less "Happy Virus" and more "Grumpy Gus" was quite interesting and kind of sexy. Do Kyungsoo impressed me once again. The way he says some lines made me melt and cry. Sehun was the biggest surprise. He was witty and funny (I often describe his character as a cross between Perry Park and Oh Ri On from Kill Me, Heal Me). Moon Ga Young's Yeon Hee was a bit shaky in the beginning, but warmed up nicely and had some great facial expressions. Because of the acting and comedic timing, EXO Next Door made an "okay" story shine a little brighter.
What can I say about the music? It's Baekhyun's first OST track, and Baekhyun's sweet, but strong voice gave a nice hand to the music.
Overall, EXO Next Door wasn't a masterpiece; it wasn't a game-changer; it wasn't devoid of tropes and cliches. However, it was the fulfillment of a dream sequence; it was a fanfiction come to life; it was an answer to a fangirl's questions, "What would it be like to live next door to my idol?" For that, and that alone, it was great.
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The story of Cunning Single Lady was, in my opinion, fairly generic as far as romantic-comedies go. In fact, it was the weakest part of the whole show because it often fell back on particular tropes (especially when parents/siblings/love interests are introduced into the mix). However, I still enjoyed the story of the main leads, and I don't feel that was overshadowed by the rest of the background.
Probably what allowed the main leads' story to flow so smoothly and shine so brightly were the performances of Joo Sang Wook and Lee Min Jung as Cha Jeong Woo and Na Ae Ra. These two actors brought life into their characters, and I was particularly impressed with Joo Sang Wook's ability to bring both the chaebol-esque Cha Jeong Woo and the nerdy Cha Jeong Woo to life (and eventually together). Also, the chemistry between the two leads is off-the-charts good.
I'll admit that I wasn't initially invested in the whole divorcee story, but after a few episodes, I connected with the characters and reveled in their witty and biting repartee along with their undeniable sweetness and goofiness. Because of this, I will watch this again for sure.
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From the beginning, the story of King2Hearts gripped me. While not being completely in love with politics, I do enjoy shows which deploy controversial situations, real or imagined, in which the characters must overcome obstacles not only personally, but in the outside world. In King2Hearts, this struggle shows in parts as miniscule as one man's journey to maturity and as grandiose as the ever-vulnerable balance between war and peace. I never would have thought that the expression "All's fair in love and war" would be used with such precision.
The acting in King2Hearts, then, grounded the precision. Without the fantastic acting of pretty much all of the main characters, the story would just be a story. Yet, I was moved by how much the actors made the characters relatable, their struggles palpable, and their pain just as unbearable for the viewer as it was for them.
The great story and great acting were only bolstered by an OST that is dramatic, thrilling, and hits the right notes.
Overall, combining these three elements (story, acting, and music), King2Hearts breaks the barrier between screen and viewer; that life-or-death feeling transcends to us and how we react to the situations involved.
As a result, I can only say that I will rewatch King2Hearts again and again. I probably will never tire of it.
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Dramas-within-a-drama have been around since Shakespeare, but in k-drama, we rarely see the interworkings of the drama world. We don't see the bitter battle of production companies for time slots, the schemes of networks, or the interactions of actors, producers, directors, and of course, the writer. In KoD, we see all of these while focusing on the work of one fledgling writer and the resurrection of the career of one crazy Representative.
A drama like this could have gone south were it not for its acting. KoD's actors stood up to the challenge of producing two dramas at once. Although almost every character is of mention, Kim Myung Min, Jung Ryeo Won, and Choi Siwon were my personal favorites. Each brought such abandon to their portrayal of their characters.
Dramas also rely on good music. I liked every song in this drama, and probably had the songs memorized by the end of the show.
Overall, King of Dramas not only gives a glimpse of the drama world from the production's eyes, it also teaches us the importance of hard work and hopefully exposes to us how dramas work (or how they don't, at times). I can't wait to watch this again!
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The story started in an interesting way, but the Hong Sisters' cliched mommy drama and flummoxing machinations ruined it's basic plot of the body switch. What actually began as a decent story with a few flaws ended up being a bad story with very few lights at the end.
To be honest, other than Gong Yoo's Yeon Jae/ Kyung Joon, none of the main characters made me too happy. I liked Suzy as Mari for awhile, until that character got so out of hand that my mind hurt. The supporting characters were much better--I especially liked Choong-shik. Shin Won Ho didn't really get an opportunity to shine at all either.
I will probably never rewatch Big, unless I'm desperate to watch Gong Yoo. All I get from the show is a headache, when rom-coms are supposed to make you forget why your head hurts.
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Another reason that I enjoy Gokusen is its cast. To be honest, my interest in watching this drama started because I like Matsujun and Oguri Shun-being that they were the leads in the first two dramas I'd ever watched. In Gokusen, both of them proved to me even more why I like them; however, I was most moved by Nakama Yukie's performance as Yankumi.
Some argue that a flaw of this show is the similarity in situations of some of the students. I don't see this as a flaw; rather, I find that this use is important to it's message: "You're not alone." As humans, we go through similar things each day, but we think we are alone--that no one else could go through the things we do. The beauty of Gokusen, therefore, reveals the flaw in this type of thinking.
Overall, I would watch Gokusen again and again and again. Also, the drama got me into the manga-which is awesome--and the anime--which is also very good.
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GTO: New Year Special! Winter Break with A Hot-Blooded Class
5 people found this review helpful
One of the reasons I enjoyed the new special was for its good storyline. Being able to utilize Saejima and Ryuji in a greater role was always a hope for the series as a whole, so bringing those two in more made me appreciate the story more. Also, the story didn't fail in bringing in some rather serious issues but in a relatable way.
Of course, the cast was good as always, but I think that with the more consistent story, Onizuka and co. acted a bit better, and we finally get to see Yamamoto Yusuke and Shirota Yu used to further the plot rather than as caricatures (even if Saejima is a natural caricature).
One thing I enjoyed most about the special was its bawdier moments, which were often brought on more by misunderstandings than anything else. These parts were funny (especially the moments between Kanzaki and Fuyutsuki).
Overall, I enjoyed the New Year's special and cannot wait for the graduation special this spring. I'm certainly going to rewatch this later.
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The story is filled with many twists and turns, and though that may be confusing, I think it was fairly well done. It kept me invested in what was going to happen to both Dae Woong and Gumiho.
I can't say enough about the acting. I had never seen Lee Seung Gi or Shin Min Ah in any other drama before this, but I now wish that I had. They were great together and had so much chemistry! I rooted for them from beginning to end, and every time they cried, I cried. The supporting cast was good as well, especially Ban Director and Min Sook, who were epically cheesy but so sweet together.
The Hong Sisters are always known for their musical prowess in dramas. This drama doesn't disappoint that generalization. I think this might be my favorite OST of any of their dramas.
I will rewatch this drama because I've fallen so in love. If you find yourself debating on watching this, I say give it a try. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
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Coffee Prince did not disappoint at all. The story took me on an emotional rollercoaster just like it takes its characters. The romance is beautiful and I love how it was handled--that issues weren't glossed over, but solved and thought through, just like in real life.
I can't say enough about the cast. They are amazing; all the pairings have great chemistry, both female/male romance and the friendships. Each character plays off the other; without one, the dominoes of this drama would possibly fall. I've fallen in love with this cast and hope that they act together sometime in the future.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Coffee Prince, and it will always have a special place in my heart. I will certainly rewatch this again and again. :D
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The first time I uttered "You have potential" was at the story. I looked forward to a narrative about trot music and about a girl trying to make it with trot music (not an exceedingly popular genre) in a time where pop is royalty. Obviously, knowing it's a rom-com, I knew there would be a romance, but I didn't really care about that. I just wanted to see growth, in the characters and in the narrative.
That's where the potential fizzled out. The story of Trot Lovers reeked of cliche, of moments where the narrative could have ventured into new territory. Instead, the show kept the status quo, threw in elements of makjang the size of large watermelons, and basically disrupted it's main premise--to feature trot music.
It's a shame, really, that the story had to be like that when given to such a talented cast. Jung Eunji was fairly on-point with her character Chun Hee. Her acting and her voice were spectacular. Shin Sung Rok made a loveable, goofy, and quirky son of a President and Ji Hyun Woo, barring the first couple of episodes, wasn't too bad as Joon Hyun. The star of the drama, in my opinion, was Yoo Eun Mi, whose character Byul lifted our spirits when the plot could not.
Despite this, even the acting had flaws in its potential. Lee Se Young's Soo In (and admittedly, it may in part be the writing) was a decidedly one-note character whose pathos was completely unpalatable once it moved past petty jealousy.
Musically, however, Trot Lovers held a decent amount of potential, and for the most part, fulfilled that promise. While I wished there was a bit more trot actually performed throughout the drama, when it was performed, it was very good.
Overall, Trot Lovers slid into that mold of mediocrity pretty well. It had cute, even funny moments, but those moments never imprinted much on me, never gave me any anticipation for the show, and never made me jump for joy at a new episode. It was glitzy and glittery, but had very little feeling outside of its main characters. For me, the show was not a rising star, but a falling one.
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