Reviews

I am surprised that I liked this drama as much as I did, because I usually can't stand stupid female leads. Jung So Min is so cute that she made her character very likable, in spite of her pitiful behavior. Kim Hyun Joong plays cold/arrogant really well, and I couldn't help liking his character too (his smile is killer!). Together they had an awkward chemistry that I think worked really well. I also liked the supporting cast of family, friends, and rivals, but Wang Kyung Soo was distracting because he couldn't possibly pass for 21 years old. Lee Tae Sung's Oh Ha Ni-obsessed character was annoying at first, but eventually he started to grow on me, and I was impressed by how different he was from his character in "Romance Zero". I absolutely loved the mom as well, who was definitely one of my favorite characters. I started to miss the band after a while too... : )

This show basically is about stalking, so if you don't find stalking cute/romantic, then you will probably hate this drama. It takes the opposites attract theory to the extreme, but as the story progressed their relationship started to make more sense. I haven't seen the other versions, or read the manga, so I can't compare it. I wouldn't call Playful Kiss one of my favorites, but it is worth watching.

*beware of fan commenting, especially if you are unfamiliar with the story, because they end up spoiling everything!*

Read More

Unfair is a mystery suspense, cat and mouse kind of drama. There is essentially no romance , no comedy, it is a really serious drama. I liked it, although it had a really slow start. Because the drama is so old, the first episode didn't capture me immediately like others do but as soon as I got into it around ep 5, I couldn't stop watching. The ending is really good I promise you wont see the true culprit coming!!

The positives are the character development for the main character. She is a tough cookie, however by the end her soft mushy side really comes out and its really good to see her being a human.. I also liked how the action is nonstop and a lot of the characters are played really well. The little girl is soo cute!!!

I didn't like how tiring the whole thing was. The action is really non stop but there is no to sleep or even eat a full meal. This drama was a little unusual that it was one whole mystery, not lots of little stories or mysteries leading up to a larger one. Because it is one large mystery, it is really engulfing, but it also makes you just want to get to the point.

Read More

I absolutely loved this drama. I have found that the Taiwanese actors/actresses don't usually display the emotions of their characters very well but this drama floored me. I loved the way each character was portrayed. The rxns of the characters were right on & were believable. I wish that Tong Dae was a little more inappropriate in his rxns but he was believable in that he was trying to display normal rxns to fool the ppl around him. This drama seemed to question if murders r born naturally or born from circumstance.



I don't know how ne1 could not enjoy watching this drama, but I am sure that if u don't like to look at the tragic side of life & the struggle to live through it, then u will not like this drama. My wisdom of the day is: U r only a victim if u act like 1.

Read More

Amongst the hundreds of dramas that air every year between Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China, it's hard for a single one to stand out as the best of the year, or a even harder, for a single one to be considered a classic. Aumtumn's Concerto does that and so much more, it deserves an outstanding ovation.



It goes from being a typical drama in the first few chapters to something so much bigger than that afterwards. It is like an onion(Shrek, too much?), it has many layers and you only discover more the further you watch it.



It is a love story, a family story, a story about forgiveness, a story about being true to yourself and your feelings, but it is also a story about treason, about the two sides of the story, that not everything is what it seems at first sight.



The characters are really well written, each has a hidden depth that you see little by little. The drama pushes you to watch more for you to understand the story, it doesn't lays it out at simple sight like most dramas do.



I saw this when it came out in 2009 and I remember being super impatient all week waiting for the next chapter to air. Since then I've watched it two times. I have the OST on my computer, and the MV of the theme song.



Taiwanese dramas are always being underrated because of the acting, but anyone who watches this will be really impressed with it, and if I have to name my favorite actor, it definitely is the little boy, he's just so cute and adorable, yet mature.



If you are reading this is because either you haven´t watched it and you aren't sure if it's worth your time, or you have already watched it and want to see if anyone feels the same way about this drama that you do. If you are in the first category, let me tell you that yes, it is worth your time, this is a brilliant drama by any standard, and even if you don't like love stories (very unlikely because you watch dramas) you won't be able to deny that this is genius. And if you are in the second category, yes, I think like you, this is genius and it is one of my favourite dramas. If I had a flavor of the week of "sucker for romance dramas" this one would definitely would be in there. Either way, I hope you find this review helpful.

Read More

Trust me there is a better drama that you could be watching.In chatting with some other drama fans they told me to not watch Hayate, but I couldn't listen to them. I said to myself "the anime was cool so let's try the live action!". I thought the first 2 episodes were good, so I just had to see the rest for myself. What an epic waste of my time and production money!

First what I did like; they used pretty handsome people in the cast, there were also some really cool special effects incorporated in the story. However, I hated that they had Park shin Hye with a voice over, I could never get used to it! I don't know if she was lost in translation because her acting was awful here. I kept thinking Maria should have been the female lead.

I don't know if the episodes were just long or boring. I found myself skipping episodes, and just watching the very beginning and the very end.

I didn't read the manga so maybe the story line in the drama is closest to the original, but I liked the anime way better. I think the drama had trouble staying true to the story that it was based on while trying to update it so it would be realistic and a hit. Maybe some things should never go live action.

Read More

I remember adding this drama to my list awhile ago and then I forgot about it. After stumbling across Peter Ho in Three Kingdoms [which I am watching at the moment, too], I rediscovered this drama again and decided to watch it. This drama starts off confusing, not more than 5 minutes into the drama you have a 5 year time jump. After the first few episodes things start to get a little less confusing - I found myself falling into the story and the characters and more things began to get revealed in the later episodes. The story is a little dark, and it's also unclear for most of the drama who the main male lead is - as they both have a lot of screen time and it's hard to figure out who exactly is the lead in the drama until later on. Both of them are some nice eye candy as well :p [for those that are interested]



The acting was done well for the most part. Barbie Hsu is an alright actress, I've seen her in Meteor Garden [she really doesn't look much different in the 1O years since that drama aired], and her acting is honestly just about the same as it was then. Not horrible but not the best. I mentioned above that I noticed Peter Ho in Three Kingdoms - so to see his contrast in characters makes me think that he is a good actor, as he played his part well and convincing. This is the first drama I've seen Huang Xiao Ming in and I think he's another great actor! I really felt for his character. Both of the guys - you could feel that they both loved Xia Mo [Barbie].



The music was really nice, I loved almost all of it! From Peter Ho's "Wo Ji De Wo Ai Guo" to Barbie Hsu's "Bubble Mermaid" were all nice songs. And the instrumentals were also nice and added emotion to the drama.



I'm not sure if I'll rewatch this drama anytime soon, or if I'll rewatch it again in the future. While I enjoyed it, it's not something I can see rewatching again.



Overall I think this drama is a little underrated, and it's a drama filled with romance and angst.



One thing I wanna add is Barbie's character, Xia Mo, is a character that I had a hard time liking. She's a character that's hard to related to, and she isn't open about her feelings.



And I'd also like to mention as a side note: I found out that this drama was based off a novel trilogy, which someone also translated online [all three books - dedicated!]. I plan on reading their translation and will post the link to those interested below in the comments box (:

It was also made into a manhua before being made into this drama series.

Read More

Let me first say I'm not an avid Historicals watcher. Because of this my scores might not reflect the same love that everyone else has for The Princess' Man.



Story- The first 12 episodes were okay. They went by at a good pace not too slow but nothing significant happened to capture my attention. I felt they could have cut a couple of episodes out of this part of the story, making the drama shorter. The last 12 episodes were epic and filled with heartbreaking romance, action, and just plain excitement. The ending was bittersweet but a pleasant surprise.



Acting- I'm really really glad Park Shi Hoo took this role on. He showed in his last 2 dramas that he is HOT and a good but not excellent actor. Well in this drama he showed a variety of acting skills and definitely proved his excellent acting ability. I hope he wins an award for best actor=D Moon Chae Won performed her role well but I actually dont think this is her best character she has played. The supporting cast all performed their roles well but I wasnt obsessed with the characters. I do want to mention the little actress that plays PSH's niece. She was so believable and seems so talented for such a young age. Definitely want to see more from her.



Music- Was intense and really added to the changing mood. When it was romance scenes the music was lovely. When there was fighting the music heightened and elevated the suspense.



Rewatch- Although I liked the show I didnt have that special feeling I get when Im obsessed over a show. Because of this Im not sure whether I would rewatch this or not.



Overall my favorite part of The Princess' Man is the romance storyline between the main characters and definitely would recommend it for that reason=)

Read More

Ok so I really liked the anime for the most part though I hated the end and I was completely prepared for the end when I finally got to watch the movie. I was so happily surprised by the movies end I had to give a higher rating because of it even though other parts were disappointing. I guess a lot of people didn't like the end because it wasn't like the anime. That was one of the things I hated about the anime. So personally I was very thrilled this ended different.

I do wish it had more romance and more passion and a better chemistry with the leads though. There were some changes but I liked some of them (like the end). I had to watch the end again just because. Not that it was fantastic, it wasn't at all but I was just so happy they changed the ending it didn't even bother me that it was like a minute long and I wanted a more finished thorough ending.

If I hadn't seen the anime I might have been more lost or more disappointed I don't know but you can't pack a whole series into one movie without losing something. Also the actors didn't really look much like the characters from the series either but they were cute. I guess they felt they had to tone it down a bit. George, yeah left something to be desired but I think some of that was because they left out all the sex and touchy feely parts. The anime Georgie was a poker face and I was never sure what he was thinking since he never said how he felt. In the movie I thought he expressed his feeling fairly well considering they never had sex in the movie. I will be watching it again.

Read More

I had a serious debate over this drama. At first I didn't want to watch it, but it popped up everywhere, so I started watching, just to what was the scandal about. I know that people here will kill for what I'm about to write, and would probably come as a mob to my house I they knew where I lived (don't look on my profile), but I will just say what I think.



Is Secret Garden good? Heck yeah it is! But it isn't as good as is commonly put, at least to me.



The story is interesting, although is the typical rich-boy-meets-poor-girl-and-falls-in love-against-his-family's-approval. I love that it has a heroine that can actually stand up for herlsef and doesn't need a man. Also, the side story is genius, I simply love Oska and Seoul together! I love that they didn't drag a lot the soul-changing plot, and that they ended it quick because if they had spent the whole drama changed it would've gotten really boring. Also I loved that the ending is very realistic given the circumstances.



The whole cast is amazing, each plays well his or hert part, specially Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Woon, which have to play someone of the opposite sex inside their own bodies.



The music was also a plus. I specially liked that they gave it an emphasis through Oska.



Overall, it is a really good drama, but in my opinion it isn't something that I hadn't seen before or that is really like a bomb. If you like romantic comedies with a lot of absurd yet cute situations, you'll definitely like this one.

Read More

So...if I start this review by saying I'm giddy in love with Park Shi Hoo would you roll your eyes, call me a fangirl and stop reading? You would? Well, then I'm not going to say it! Hey! Stop hovering your mouse over that unhelpful button and keep reading! I've have lots more to say about this Amazing show.

This drama started out with a lot of comparisons to Romeo and Juliet. It does have the element of two people who fall in love in spite of their family's bitter rivalry. But where the two part company is that in Mr. Shakespeare's original work you don't really get very much back story about why the Capulet's hate the Montague's. You simply know they hate each other and that the love between Romeo and Juliet is forbidden. In The Princess' Man you get a big sweeping story and you know exactly what odds are stacked against these two. They should have called this... "The Princess' Man and Her Father's Single Minded Drive to Be the King!"

The Princess' Man is packed full of action and revenge, sword fighting and battles to the death! What I'm saying is...This drama isn't just for women or those looking for a well told love story. If you are a person who prefers action, you need to know there is a perfect balance of badassery as well as a lovely and sweeping romance.

The acting in this show is stellar. I can't think of a single character in a single moment that had me cringing or thinking they were wrong for their part. Park Shi Hoo is wonderful and forgetting what I said up there...He is actually wonderful in everything he does so I wasn't surprised. Moon Chae Won is luminous as Sae Ryung. She pulls in a great performance. I loved her character's bravery and steadfastness. The plot kept me guessing until the very end and I love that I was never bored watching this show!

There is a lot going on, plot wise, and it is told to us by a writer with real story telling ability. I say that because I was also kept interested by the side character's stories as well. They were an intrinsic part of the tale, perfect satellites to the main characters and plot. I wanted to know their fates as well as the main couple's.

Let me sum up why you should watch this show in one sentence. The Princess' Man has an extremely well done and balanced combination of incredible acting, writing, directing and amazing cinematography.

I felt the music was a perfect fit for feel of the drama. There was only one song piece that felt a little overplayed. This show was so well crafted otherwise, I feel like I'm nitpicking but the music is my one 9 vote in a sea of 10's. I will watch this Lovely Show again. I can't recommend this highly enough!

Read More

I really enjoyed watching Sam Soon. Originally, I started after watching Secret Garden, just to see the progression of Hyun Bin's acting, and I was quite impressed. Though the drama is obviously old, as demonstrated through their atrocious outfits (I mean neon-colored dress shirts! Hello!), it has a story that is really relate-able to most people. Sam Soon is a woman with lots of dreams, finding the right man, the right job and finally fulfilling her dream of becoming a pastry chef, but her self doubt, accentuated by her weight (which in reality isn't that much, but really offers you a good perspective on societal norms and how girls need to look like twigs in order to be labeled as good looking or whatever) prevents her from moving on and fulfilling those dreams.

This show is really amazing, it has the whole message of empowerment and owning yourself, but at the same time, gives you this really sweet, romantic and comedic story about a woman, who at times acts like a whiny child--like we all do, that really learns to love herself, which then allows her to show that love for others.

The side stories in this drama were a bit melodramatic, but in essence held the same message. As much as I love Daniel Henney and all of his deliciousness, I wasn't a fan of him in this drama, partially because I couldn't really relate to his character. Some of the choices that were made for the character were a bit off for me.

Anywhoos...those things aside, I love this show and I think if you have the opportunity to, just go for it! It will not disappoint!

Read More

I absolutely loved this drama! I finished it about a week ago and still think about it. It's a simple story - a story about an innocent first love. It's one of the things I really loved about it - it was just simple, cliched even, but told in such a sweet way that it had my heart fluttering throughout the whole drama. It didn't have any over the top dramatic moments, it was just...nice (:



The acting was great! I loved the cast! I've seen Kame in 4 dramas now - and this is by far my favorite role he was in, his character just feels so real, just like an ordinary guy. He had great chemistry with Ayase Haruka, too, which just made the drama even better. And the friends were great! I loved Kou [Tanaka Koki]! His character was so sweet and nervous - just one of those guys you can't hate. And Toda Erika did a good job as Nao's friend (:



The music is great! Beautiful! I loved the soundtrack - I downloaded it (: Some of the music is reminiscent to Titanic's theme as other reviewers have mentioned. Of course it doesn't sound exactly the same, but similar definitely (: And the song "Cool Whispers" is a really pretty song. It definitely added emotion to the drama. Also I loved the ending song by KAT-TUN ["Bokura No Machi De"].



Will I rewatch this? Most definitely, I can honestly say I can see myself watching this drama again over and over (:



Overall - It's an underrated drama but one that's most definitely worth watching! If you're looking for a sweet love story this is a perfect drama to watch! For those sweet heartwarming moments. It even had me crying at one point.



There are a few really cheesy moments to note, one especially in episode one, but don't let it keep you from watching it, really (:

Read More