This drama left me thinking about it even after 49 days of finishing the whole series. I was pretty much fine and even laughing with the main character’s silly antics until I came up to episode 8, then the bucket of tears slowly started. I don’t know why but the concept of death and dying was all over the place with this one. How hard was it to find real tears of someone who really really cared about you? In this drama, it was dead hard.
I love the three main characters namely Shin Ji-Hyun (Nam Gyu Ri), Han Kang (Jo Hyun Jae) and Song Yi Kyung (Lee Yo Won). Their lives are intricately woven with each other and progress will be shown in every episode. The story line is very interesting because it still gives you a bit a humor even in the face of death and grave choices in life. Oh, and there’s this other character to whom I was really taken in with… the Scheduler/Song Yi Soo (Jung Il Woo). His character is more complex than what it seems to be.
Loving this drama in every little bit along with the music.
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Secret Garden is one of those drama where you would have a love-hate relationship with the main characters. i.e. Joo Won’s character was a pure hell-egoistic-bastard but he does have his points to fact. Like being very loyal, analytical and annoying which makes you like him because you have no choice that he is annoyingly always there.
Ghaaaa… where can you find a good looking annoying guy like him?
WHERE???
Only in dramas.
As for Gil Ra-im, the pretty innocent-strong-vibes-persona her character emits is an ace. If a deck of cards tells you what’s the highest card? It’s the ace. Ra-im is an ace. She may not be THAT pretty, but man… if you fall for her your head goes bonkers just like Joo Won.
The writer of Secret Garden has a twisted mind; that I am sure of. If you’ve seen the ending of “Lovers in Paris” and “What happened in Bali”? You would understand what I am talking about. I’m not writing these things because I hate the writer, I am saying this because I am glad that there are writers like her who explores things beyond people’s expectations.
The music score was so-so for me, along with the rest of the cast. The drama had a very good story line and two great actors to lead it with but… it just wasn’t one of those dramas that gave me the “I shouldn’t miss” feel in it. I loved it for what it was but didn’t really look forward to watching it too much. Maybe it’s because of Oska? Who knows? All I know is I watched it for Hyun Bin and Ha Ji-won.
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This drama shows that every lie or bad deed shall be discovered. It may not be today, tomorrow or even soon enough but in the long run… it comes out one way or another. When it does, there are always consequences. That is whether one is forgiven from one's stupid action or would end up with dire consequences.
I loved Dong Yi's character, where she was able to be a person with tough principles through and through. Growing in virtue and without political ambition inside a palace is such a rare thing. Another character that got to me was the king. I love the role he played all through out. He wasn't the average king character where I-am-the-king-so-I-can-do-everything-I-want cliché. Contrary to this, his throne is like a curse, where he has to think very deeply before making any decisions. Though when it comes to Dong Yi- the king's truest love, he is always on inner turmoil. The things Dong-Yi gets herself involved into always keeps the king on his toes. Heh.
Story wise, I have no complains for Dong-Yi. It doesn't have much of loop holes for a long running sageuk drama unlike Queen Seon Duk which left me with so much question and critics besides the high rating and the epic characters. *insert Bidam and Queen Mishil*
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The colors and cinematography all throughout was eye catching and the characters were as colorful in their own life story that it brought out the goodness of the series.
I have more thoughts about this drama and am definitely recommending this for those unbiased people who want to check out the pop-culture-industry of korea. Music wise, it was alright since I'm not much of a kpop fan BUT I love IU's rendition of Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles :)
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This isn’t your typical romantic comedy where girl loves boy and boy falls for girl… it’s different because girl is fox and boy is human. Then mix in different immortal beings of the world in the picture, like for example a goddess, a goblin and a human half goblin… yeah. Underworld creatures and immortals are invading the story line but it’s what makes it more interesting.
Not to forget the OST, it adds to the whole concept of the drama: cuteness, hilarity and love in whatever kind of form.
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Yes! The eye candy, the smile, the tallness, the oozing hotness and fashion sense… that’s all Lee Min Ho in this drama which he pretends to be GAY.
This is a really hilarious drama with conflicting emotions to watch. Why? It’s so hard to believe that he’s gay and that an older man likes him with the thought of him being gay. Anyways, putting that aside, there’s another reason that made me watch this: Son Ye Jin.
Yes… the epic melodrama actress.
I really wanted to know how she’s going to be in a comedy. I’ve always seen her in melodramatic movies and this one she nailed! Though she’s gotten older and her prettiness pretty much disappeared in this drama, I still love her to bits.
The series was quite hilarious due to it's main concept: guy pretends to be gay, girl accepts guy whole heartedly because of his sexual orientation but ends up falling for him and having mixed feelings because she believes he is gay. With this as your core plot, there are a LOT of things that could happen and eventually it did.
The only downer side of this is when we get to the last 3 episodes and this becomes too serious for my taste. I was sort of disappointed on how they inserted additional conflict to the story along with a twist, when the main conflict - guy pretending to be a gay - was already interesting enough. The twist wasn't even strong enough to make an impact in the whole story line. Just to say.
All in all, setting that disappointing factor aside, I still end up loving the drama :)
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Aside from her, I was very much interested in the story line. As you have noticed the title says “Cinderella” because it was depicted in the fairy tale but is very much different in every aspect. I wouldn’t elaborate too much. What made it similar to the fairy tale? We have the evil step sister who acted as Moon Geun and Cinderella herself as Seo Woo. But what I like in this story was how they made Moon’s character, it was far fetched from the original concept, but it justified her bitchiness.
This way, the story really amazed me and how the main character’s inner conflict was resolved. I love the tough exterior the main character had but in the inside she’s all marshmallows. Oh, and I’m not forgetting Chung Jung Myung, the man who moved the evil step sister’s heart. The music was also lovely especially in those very melodramatic moments in which you couldn’t help crying out loud and say “Please please please stop hurting so badly so I could stop crying for you” this dialogue always ran through my mind all through out every episode.
By far, this is one of the best melodramatic Korean series I have ever seen. So if you’re much into another cry-fest drama, this one is for you. Prepare your bucket for those incoming tears.
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Why did I say it was “sort of modern type”? Let me give you a clue… does Hana Kimi ring a bell? Or maybe Ouran High? To make things more simple what about You’re Beautiful? Or Coffee prince? Well, the last one was sort of a far fetched drama concept throw in but what makes it the same with the first two dramas? Ignoring the fact that 1st and 2nd were Japanese and the last one was Korean? The third one has a better resemblance since it is also Korean but it’s still has a different story line than this.
Got it???
Yep! It’s a cross dressing drama all over again. Throw in one girl in a lot of hot boys, make her dress up and pretend to be a boy, that’s exactly the concept of this drama. Then again, I have to remind you that THIS IS a saguek drama setting. A setting of the korean’s joseon era. An era where girls are unacceptable to hold prominence in schools or royal standing unless they get married to the prince, or kings or nobles. If they are caught associating in high ranks like Sungkyunkwan (Joseon’s most prominent ALL BOYS university) they get executed as an imperial order.
If that’s not interesting enough for you to watch, I don’t know how to convince you anymore. All in all, this drama is one heck of a show. With all those hot young actors to boost your esteem and the OST that’s very much modern to listen at but with a taste of sageuk and most of all the natural setting of Joseon with young boys + girl running around… YOU BETTER WATCH IT. Or you’re missing half of your KDRAMA life in it’s youthful state.
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It have made me cry a bucket but it was all worth it. Having seen the show made my sense of Kdrama more diverse, since I tend to choose rom-com to genres like this. My heart is just weak like that, but this show made my threshold on tears much stronger… or so I thought until I saw Cinderella’s sister and 49 days. Heh.
This drama would always be dear in my heart because of the story line. It may sound unbelievable or ridiculous or even annoying for some because everything was such a mess. The main character’s past was so jumbled up that the future became dim for them. You would tend to watch and wait and watch some more, thinking, when would it ever stop?
Until one day, things would just fall into their proper places.
The ending wasn’t that satisfying for me but the whole journey of the drama was worth it. Once again, I got my mother crying out of this drama and she had to point her fingers at me "again" for doing so. I so love my mom when she does that but still continue on watching anyway.
Acting wise was superb, so maybe that’s what got me hooked after seeing the first episode.
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Honestly, I’m not much of a fan when it comes to heavy drama because I tend to really get carried away but then this drama got showed in all its soap opera feeling. It just became too hard to ignore that I had to seat it through and finish it up to the last episode. I would be proud to say that I only cried once around the ending part.
It wasn’t much like the melodrama I have encountered lately whereas in every episode you just had to grovel and cry out loud in sadness or frustration. Autumn Tale was something more on the side of frustrating with this sense of bittersweet romanticism all throughout the show. If it’s possible to pull out all my hair during the first half of the drama I would have done so because it has that redundancy of I’m-not-yours-you’re-not-mine-we’re-not-for-each-other-so-let’s-just-forget-about-everything then it will go back to being I-know-you-love-me-and-we-love-each-other-so-let’s-stay-together-and-forget-everything. Having that out, why on earth am I recommending this?
Because Autumn Tale is worth the sound track, worth the backdrop, worth of SONG HYE KYO herself. The root of the story line may have been too much (having babies exchanged at birth??? puhleeeeeaaaassseee… not again) but the overall concept of the story is worth the watch. The characters themselves and the actor’s and actresses’ portrayal of their roles were amazing that you get to feel all that love, that hurt and that desperation. I say give it a try because it’s just that good despite the short comings.
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So I’m leaving the story line behind with all my rants at the backroom.
Why recommend IRIS after saying that?
The cast (I have fallen in love with the antagonist! Why is T.O.P. one heck of a slick villain???), back drop setting (they actually went to different countries just to shoot) and music was all a just a plus points for the series, what made it really recommendable was THE ACTION. As I have mentioned earlier it was like ALIAS. Kick ass and butt full of action. The fight scenes were really eye popping it makes it hard to think that it wasn’t a movie but just a drama. They outdid themselves in the choreography with the fight scenes, battle up gear and stunts. So yes. I am recommending it for scenes with: Judo moves and gun shots. Run-for-your-life-while-bleeding-on-the-left-side-of-your-gut-crazed-looks while guns are aimed dead-on skulls. Even dying beautifully while tears streaming down the face would be pretty much catchy for me.
Have I gone to the other side by having a man’s taste? Probably. Yet, with Iris. I simply don’t care as long as I get one full hour of action.
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The drama’s setting was about war times in which people were still ignorant about science and turned to believing in myths. The main character Seon Duk or first known as Deokman was born during those times of conquering kingdoms and ignorance. She had to be separated with the royal family right after birth due to the nation’s cruel beliefs . It was then, a prophecy was given that a chosen one will unite the kingdom of Silla. Though, never in their wildest dreams did they think it would be a Queen and a twin nonetheless. Seon Duk’s journey from being a traveler, to a soldier then finally to being a queen was an epic one. During her growth, she had a handful of help from different people she get to meet along the way. Her perseverance, wit and loyalty has touched people’s heart around her and because of this, they become loyal to her in return.
What I liked about the drama was the political conflicts in every aspect. The more problem there is on the top of the ladder, the larger the problem becomes at the bottom. Politics has always been a mar in our society due to the scoundrels who take advantage of their power. It’s sad that if one person tries to be righteous in his ways, a flock would try to bring him down. Solving political problems was never easy to begin with, but this drama even the antagonist had the same thoughts as on how to control the government properly. It was a good idea, only it had the wrong ways on executing it which turns the table to our protagonist. Though the antagonist Mishil is very much witty like Seon Duk, the show got more interesting because two great female minds are going to collide head on with their own tactics.
Inserted along the way is also a love triangle within the story line. (They just wouldn’t let romance get away in sageuk dramas!) There is the ever loyal Kim Yu Shin from childhood to puberty and then later on comes the feisty Bidam. This part of the story isn’t your average love story, there were so many twist and turns that in the end it just made me pull out my hair and cry out loud for all the things these three people had to go through.
I am recommending this drama, because it is a good watch. An eye opener and you would seriously love Mishil in this show. Love her and hate her all at the same time.
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What’s so good about a transgender rom-com? It’s good when it’s Eun Hye who’s being transgenderized (if that’s even a word), it felt like the role was made for her and she wasn’t afraid to step up and get her hair all chopped up for the role. That’s one thing about Eun Hye that I like, she takes strange roles that is full of comedy. I have yet to see her in a melodrama. Maybe somewhere in the near future she will.
As for the story, Coffee Prince is about Go Eun Chan (Eun Hye), a hard working girl who is always always being mistaken as a guy. Then fate made her meet Choi Hang Kyul (Yoo) in a misunderstanding. After which they come to an agreement to help each other out and eventually, she ended up lying about her gender so she could work as a waiter in Gong Yoo’s coffee shop.
The drama was hilarious in all angle, there is no realism in this one because it is obvious that Eun Chan is A GIRL if you look closely at her chest. So let not your head go swimming that this is not realistic enough to be watched. It may not be like that but the storyline would definitely blow you away with all the characters involved. The princes (namely the waiters in the coffee prince shop) and the OST had me hooked as well.
Check out the title “Go Go Chan!”
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The final installment of Endless Love series, Spring Waltz has it’s funny aspects but the whole mood of the drama is mainly romance and inner angst. I would have to warn you that the first 8 episodes of the drama was dedicated for the past of the two main characters. So you will see a couple of children playing around getting to know each other despite their poverty stricken condition and then... it sort of drags on.
Lee Su Ho, whose father was debt stricken and was left in the care of Su Eun Young’s mother thus making them live in the same house. Su Ho is a good kid and really cared for Eun Young while she, on the other hand adored Su Ho as well. Eun Young is a very talented but sickly girl. Her mother was actually working hard so she could get Eun Young an operation, but due to Su Ho’s father stealing that hard earned money, this drove the two kids apart.
Years past and they cross paths once again but now in different names.
As for why that happened? Watch the drama. *grins*
This is also the part where the story picks up it's pace.
What are the things I loved about Spring Waltz?
The story line is already given, so what else? It’s the back drop setting, the mood and the OST. The main characters are raw actors and they aren’t really that good in acting yet but… given the setting where SPRING color is all around, everything becomes an eye candy. The colorful hues of everything within the drama says SPRING SPRING SPRING! The luscious color of green, purple, blue, pink and everything else in between is accentuated. I couldn’t help but smile while watching it all. It was really great to look at. Then comes in the OST, it was more on the musical scoring but hearing Loveholic sing One Love was a plus point. Whenever I hear that song, I am reminded of how much I loved this drama.
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