Currently Watching Update 7/30/10

After finishing up Coffee House, I don't have as many Korean dramas that I'm looking out for on a weekly basis. Bad Guy and Baker King Kim Tak Goo are the two leading dramas I'm currently into.


BAD GUY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After watching episode 15 of Bad Guy on viikii I'm even more excited to see the next episode. I can't tell you the details, but it seems like the next episode might just go toward a topic I hate to have in any drama: amnesia. Now, I don't know for sure if the next episode will actually contain that topic (as I'm not psychic), however it did end with a certain someone looking out the window with a blank face. If you watch Korean dramas, you know that amnesia seems to be a more common occurrence in their dramas. I think that's the only thing I really don't like about Korean dramas. Amnesia is a very rare occurrence, so to have it show up in so many dramas makes the drama seem more unrealistic. Usually when I see amnesia play a part in a drama, I take it as the writer had a writers block and didn't have time to think of a better solution to the problem other than wiping out a characters previous history.


KIM TAK GOO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's rare that I watch any drama over 25 episodes, much less 30, however the baker king's drama is something I'm really excited about lately. At first, I was kind of annoyed in the first few episodes. They spent a lot of episodes on KTG's childhood. However, as I continued to watch, I'm kind of thankful that they took the time to slowly paint the back story of the character. Unlike some dramas where they continuously flashback trivial facts to waste time, the writer took the time to use the childhood memories to really develop the characters. Now as I am getting into the middle of the drama, I am completely entranced. After watching episode 14 with english subs, I was really annoyed that I couldn't watch 15 & 16 with subs yet. This is why I'm upset that I cannot watch it on viikii anymore. The viikii translators usually do a good job of translating episodes fast. Because I couldn't watch it with the english subtitles, I ended up watching them without. Let me just say, even without subtitles, I really enjoyed episodes 15 & 16. Okay, so I only understood 10% of the language, but I guessed about 15% more from information on the previous episodes. Anyway, I don't know where the story will go, but I'm still on board.


Hotaru no Hikaru 2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've only watched one episode of this so far. Really, I don't know if I should even continue with it.

My Country Calls~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've watched the drama through episode 14 and I stopped there. There's only 2 episodes left, but I think I'll put it on the back burner for now. Ever since the user who was uploading the episodes was deleted from veoh, I've been too lazy to look for a new provider for my drama addiction. I really did enjoy it so far though.

P.S. Man~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PS Man has been on the back burner for a while now. I watched up until episode 14, but I suddenly just have no interest in it. Is it just me, or does it seem like the drama should have been shorter? It seems like it should be 14 episodes, not 21. I don't think I have the nerve to sit through 7 more episodes of this. The beginning was great, I really liked it, but I'm not sure if I want to keep watching. Anyone know if it is good enough to continue?

Cinderella's Sister~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I heard a lot of great stuff about Cinderella's Sister, so I watched the first episode. I have yet to watch anymore of it. I'm not sure if I should continue. I know everyone is saying it is great, but I'm just not that interested in it. I guess if I get bored I will continue.

There are more dramas that I'm in the middle of, but those are the main dramas I'm watching as of yet. What is your opinion on these dramas? Let me know!

Gumiho / Nine Tailed Fox

Rating: ****

Genre: Romance, Action, Fantasy, Horror, Drama
Episodes: 16
Cast: Han Ye Seul, Jo Hyun Jae, Jun Jin, Kim Tae Hee, Park Joon Suk

"Shi Yeon is a Nine-Tailed Fox living undercover in the human world. By day, Shi Yeon is an employee at a natural history museum. By night, she's a top-ranking woman warrior in the Nine-Tailed Fox clan, charged with preserving the delicate balance between man and fox. But her world is sent spinning when an atrocious serial murder - where the victims have had their internal organs gouged out - is uncovered. Detective Min Woo believes the murders may relate to the organ trafficking trade, and goes undercover in a seedy organ smuggling ring. But Min Woo's cover is blown, and it's only through the intervention Nine-Tailed Fox warrior Mu Young and Shi Yeon that he's able to survive! But he's seen their true identities as Nine-Tailed Foxes…can he be allowed to live?"

This bittersweet drama is a big hit in my book. However, there are a few unrealistic parts in this story. For instance, Shi Yeon (a Gumiho) was supposed to have grown up thinking she was human. However, Gumiho's are supposed to eat human liver, right? How could she have zero inkling that something was off when she was supposed to eat human liver? Another thing I thought was kind of off is that when the Gumiho's die they turn into ash. Gumiho's aren't supposed to be some mystical creature exactly, they are supposed to be the next step in evolution (basically). Unlike vampires, who are dead but continue "living" for thousands or so years, Gumiho's have a more normal life span. Why would they turn into ash after they die? It makes no logical sense at all.. Anyway, other than that it was a good drama.

Ying Ye 3+1

Rating: ***.5

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Action, School
Episodes: 16
Cast: Chen Qiao En, Jerry Huang, Jason Hsu, Ming Dao, Viter Fan

"Xia Tian, Jia Jiang, Fang Wei, Bulu all four grew up on Westside Street together and currently study in Ying Ye School. One month away from graduation. Xia Tian's dad is a police officer in Westside Street and is retiring tomorrow. But just on that day, they all had a fight with the Dinosaur gang in the school and were almost expelled by the principal. Officer Xia went to settle the conflict and not only did it not get settled, his gun got misplaced by the principal too. Everyone thus discussed things over and decided that AJ they all will remain in the school and they must find the gun within the one month of graduation to let Officer Xia retire peacefully and happily. Jia Jiang, Fang Wei and Bulu then can successfully graduate. While finding the missing gun, they discovered that a ex-convict Grey Wolf who escaped from prison is possibly connected with the missing gun and even more surprisingly, the Grey Wolf is actually having close communication and contact with students in Ying Ye."

Anything with Ming Dao and Chen Qiao En in it is a good drama. However, I'm not too interested in the way the fight scenes and such were made.. Anyway, it is something to check out.

My Lucky Star

Rating: ****

Genre: Comedy, Romance
Episodes: 20
Cast: Hong Xiao Ling, Jimmy Lin, Lee Wei, Leon Jay Williams, Yoo Ha Na

"Like the boy who cried wolf, Xia Zhi Xing had lied one too many times. So when she did tell the truth, nobody believed her except for the most unlikely person, Zhong Tian Qi, a runaway young master of a jewelry empire. His belief in her inspired her to become a real jewelry designer instead of a lying, scheming jewelry con artist. In the process, she taught him the real value of jewels that he is destined to inherit. "

Bull Fighting

Rating: (not Rated)

Genre: Basketball, Romance, Comedy, Sports
Episodes: 17
Cast: Cyndi Chao, Godfrey Gao, Hebe Tian, Lee Wei, Mike He

"It started as a 3-on-3 basketball competition between two rival schools; an annual event in which the winner would control the 13th Street basketball court for the following year. To everybody's surprise, the 9-year reigning champion lost this year... and it was all because of one girl. Now, this game has a new purpose. Yi Sheng Xue (Hebe Tian), a hot-headed young girl, is an avid Bull Fighting fan. At her side is her loyal childhood friend and personal bodyguard, Jin Zi Cong (Lee Wei). Their lives take a drastic turn when they meet Shen Ruo He (Mike He), whom Sheng Xue falls deeply in love with. However, they encounter many obstacles that stand in the way of them being together. Will love triumph over evil? And will Zi Cong be able to live with seeing the woman he loves, love another man? "

I like Mike He so much that I'm afraid my review will be bias so I won't say anything lol.. I liked the drama though.

My Bratty Princess

Rating: ****

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Episodes: 33
Cast: Jang Na Ra, Alec Su, Bao Lei, Chen Xiu Li, Lu Xing

"Situ Jin, a mischievous free-thinking lady, and her companion, A Ling, go on a series of adventures. She does not know that she is a princess of the former royal family. To protect her family’s reputation outside the home, Situ Jin dresses as a man and calls herself Xiao Longxia. Concerned about the plight of the refugees which the officials have been ignoring, she comes up with various schemes to help them. Emperor Zhu Yun has been steadily working on consolidating the empire that his father had left him. A monk once gave him a puzzle, telling him that whoever solves it will help him with the problems of the empire. He escapes from his palace to wander around the city with his companion. He befriends Xiao Longxia after he realizes that the money she has conned and stolen from others is being spent on the refugees. When Xiao Longxia solves the puzzle, he decides to maintain closer ties with her. The prince of Yunnan resents the emperor since his sister, the previous queen, had been killed with her family. He sends his son, Bai Yu Fei, to cause unrest and to marry Princess An Ning. An unlikely friendship develops between the Emperor, Xiao Longxia and Bai Yu Fei, each pretending to the others to be someone else. Palace and court intrigues, rebellion and assasination plots abound. "


Oops, I guess I forgot to review this.  It's kind of odd, don't you think?  I don't know how this slipped through my net.  I hope I haven't left a few more undone.  For My Bratty Princess, I really don't remember it well enough to give a decent review.  Seeing as how it was four stars when I rated it, though, it must've been good enough to watch.

My Bratty Princess was one of the first mainland period dramas that I watched.  I remember enjoying the mischievous attitude of Situ Jin.  Considering it was thirty three episodes, I don't know how I would've gotten through it if it wasn't good.  After all, I didn't have the patience for any drama that was longer than 18 episodes back then.

Anyway, I'm sorry for the less than informative review.  Feel free to let me know if I missed any more reviews.  I may have to re-watch some of the dramas.

Bad Couple

Rating: (Not Rated)

Genre: Comedy, Romance
Episodes: 16
Cast: Ryun Jung Soo, Choi Jung Yoon, Ryu Soo Young, Shin Eun Gyung, Yoo Gun

"Choi Gi Chan is an University Botanic Professor with the "perfect genes." The drama is about an editor of a fashion magazine, Kim Dang Ja, who suddenly develops an urge to have her own baby despite opposing the idea of marriage. The story will talk about Dang Ja striving to look for a man with perfect genes to accomplish her mission. Gi Chan happens to be her "target" in order for her to accomplish her mission. The story later develops as Dang Ja must persuade him to do it without any commitments, which is a problem because Gi Chan doesn't believe in the idea of sex before marriage."

Don't remember it well enough to give a proper rating.. I liked it though.

Autumn's Concerto

Rating: ****

Genre: Romance
Episodes: 21
Cast: Ady An, Tiffany Xu, Vanness Wu, Xiao Xiao Bin, Chris Wu

"Ren Guang Xi, a cocky law student, seems to lead the perfect life. He's the sole successor to a huge and famous business and a talented ice hockey player. But in reality, his lonely life lacks joy, laughter and motivation. That is until he meets Liang Mu Cheng, the new bento seller at his school canteen. Although orphaned at a young age, Mu Cheng does not let her past affect her and lives life with great passion and determination. A harmless bet brings the two together and Guang Xi slowly changes as Mu Cheng teaches him how to give and love. Tragedy strikes when Guang Xi suddenly has to go through a major brain surgery which causes him to lose his memory. His mother begs Mu Cheng to leave him and the latter has no choice but to do so. Little does she know that she already has Guang Xi's child. Six years pass. Mu Cheng lives a quiet life with her young son in the countryside while Guang Xi is now a successful lawyer and is engaged to He Yi Qian, the kind and beautiful doctor who took care of him after his surgery. A strangely familiar piano piece stirs Guang Xi's heart as he struggles to recall his past romance with Mu Cheng. How will the couple make up for six years of lost time? Happiness, which stop do I alight at?"

I'll be honest; any drama that uses amnesia is not really interesting to me. However, regardless of that part of it, I really enjoyed it.

Brown Sugar Macchiato

Rating: ****

Genre: Comedy, Romance, School
Episodes: 13
Cast: Ah Wei, Ao Quan, Gui Gui, Wang Zi, Ya Tou

"One day, six boys with different personalities and backgrounds are notified they shared the same father. And on top of that they are entitled to a large inheritance. There is only one catch. They must attend the same school and live in the same house for one year to become loving brothers. But, the boys not only hate each other, they have to deal with nine mean girls from their class. Will the brothers band together and successfully pass the inheritance test? Or, will falling in love with their classmates pull them farther apart? "

Hi, My Sweetheart

Rating: ****

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 14
Cast: Rainie Yang, Fang Fang, Lee Wei, Show Lo, Maggie Wu

"Xue Hai was a certifiable dork when he first arrived in Hangzhou. After his schoolmate Bao Zhu saved him from bullying, she became his first love. Then, a misunderstanding caused them to lose contact when she moved back to Taiwan. He thought she dumped him. So he transformed himself from a dork to a hunk in order to seek revenge. "

This drama was the reason I fell in love with Show Lo XD

My Sassy Girl

Rating: *****
MOVIE!

Genre: Comedy, Romance
Cast: Cha Tae Hyun, Jun Ji Hyun, Kim In Moon, Song Ok Sook, Yang Geum Suk

"My Sassy Girl is the smash hit of 2001. It tells the story of a young man not knowing what to do with his life, and a girl young sassy girl who turns his world upside down."

Definitely something you should check out.

He Was Cool

Rating: (Not Rated)
MOVIE!

Genre: Comedy, Romance
Cast: Jung Da Bin, Jung Joon Ha, Kim Bo Yun, Lee Ki Woo, Song Seung Hun

"Clever high school girl Ye Won falls into an unlikely relationship with the wealthy and arrogant Eun Seong. The king of the school, Eun Seong is quick with the fist and insufferably rude, but Ye Won realises that beneath his tough exterior, he is struggling to overcome the shadows of his past. Based on Guiyeoni's novel. "

Attack on the Pin-up Boys

Rating: ****
MOVIE!

Genre: Comedy
Cast: Choi Si Won, Kang In, Kim Hee Chul, Kim Ki Bum, Lee Donghae

"Seoul has been struck by a series of mean-spirited attacks targeting high school heartthrobs, with rocker Ye Sung and basketball player Han Geng among the victims. Word is the next victim will be at Neulparan High School, and the three most likely candidates are steely student body president Si Won, vain dance team leader Hee Chul, and judo team captain Kang In. Studious, bespectacled Ki Bum and breakdancing buddy Dong Hae decide to investigate. Rather than searching for the culprit, however, they're a lot more interested in finding the next target. Meanwhile, the three potential victims are also competing against each other for top pin-up boy status and the fame that comes with it. "

I definitely enjoyed this movie.. It's not exactly a five star movie or anything, but it's worth watching :D

Witch Yoo Hee

Rating: (Not Rated)

Genre: Comedy, Romance
Episodes: 16
Cast: Han Ga In, Jae Hee, Jun Hye Bin, Kim Jeong Hoon, Dennis Oh

"As the director of her father's advertising company, Ma Yoo Hee (Han Ga In) is known as a witch for her ruthless, no nonsense character. After a string of failed attempts to hire a housekeeper, she (literally) runs into Chae Moo Ryong (Jae Hee), ex-medical student turned aspiring chef. As a way to work off his debt for crashing into her car, he agrees to become her housekeeper and personal love affairs coach for one month. Gladly, he gives her a makeover that attracts both her old friend Johnny Kruger (Dennis Oh) and her first love Joon Ha (Kim Jeong Hoon). Despite having a girlfriend, Sung Mi (Jun Hye Bin), Moo Ryong eventually finds himself falling for Yoo Hee. "

I don't remember a bunch about it, as I haven't watched it in a while, however I do remember I really liked it.

Take Care of the Young Lady

Rating: (Not Rated)

Genre: 16
Episodes: Comedy, Romance
Cast: Jung Il Woo, Lee Jung Gil, Yoon Eun Hye, Yoon Sang Hyun, Moon Chae Won

"Of the high-rolling top 'hot celebrities' of the wealthy upper class in Korea's high society, Kang Hye Na (Hena) is the one desired by the men, feared and hated by the women. Being the only successor to the largest conglomerate company, Kang-san Group, Kang Hena has both the looks and the background. She is the owner of the ‘Lady Castle’ and lives a ‘princess-like’ life with her servants. Until one day, out of pure coincidence, she comes across Suh Dong Chan who turns her life upside down. Not only does he make her do community service, he even kidnapped her... and now he's the new household manager!!! Even after stepping on him, crushing him and biting him, he still doesn't run away. She may have finally met her match... "



I really don't remember much about this drama, so I'm not going to rate it.. I do remember I kind of liked it though :D

Coffee House

Rating: *****

Origin: Korea
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16 (not confirmed)
Cast: Kang Ji Hwan, Park Si Yeon, Ham Eun Jung, Jung Woong In

""Coffee House" covers the life of young & successful Seo Eun-Young Park Si-Yeon. Eun-Young is the owner of a successful franchise cafe "Coffee Page One", as well as the CEO of a publishing company. In the romantic-comedy, Seo Eun-Young encounters Lee Jin-Soo (Kang Ji-Hwan), a successful writer. Jin-Soo has published consecutive best sellers. The pair enters into a strange relationship ...."

I just finished the series and I have to say....

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know those dramas that have predictable story-lines, lame jokes, unrealistic dialogues, and bad production? Yeah, those are nothing like Coffee House. Normally I'm pretty critical of dramas, especially when it comes to the script, but this time I really enjoyed it. Previously, my favorite Korean drama was "You're Beautiful", but I think it just changed. This drama will leave your jaw and stomach hurting from laughter and your eyes stuck to the (television/ computer screen) throughout the whole drama. It never misses a beat and will definitely keep you guessing. I won't say more, except that you should definitely check this drama out if you like a good laugh.

Coffee Prince

Rating: *****

Episodes: 17
Genre: Gender Bender, Romance, Comedy
Cast: Chae Jung Ahn Gong Yoo, Kim Ja Ok, Lee Sun Gyun, Yoon Eun Hye

"The life of Go Eun Chan (Yoon Eun Hye) is not easy; she works many jobs to pay off debts and even gave up her feminine image. Choi Han Kyul (Gong Yoo) is the heir of a big food company, but his grandmother wants him to settle down, so she arranged many dates for him. After Eun Chan bumped into Han Kyul and was mistaken for a boy, Han Kyul decided to hire Eun Chan to be his gay lover in order to avoid the arranged dates. Desperately in need of money, Eun Chan had no choice but to accept. Han Kyul's grandmother also made Han Kyul in charge of a filthy coffee shop in danger of being bankrupt. Eun Chan begged to work at the coffee shop, and not long after, feelings start to spark, except, how would Han Kyul accept his "homosexuality"? "

Rewatching this drama made me smile. With a great storyline, dialogue, casting, and production, I found this drama very fun. I could go on about this drama, but it's probably best if you just watch it for yourself.

Sunao ni Narenakute

Rating: ****.5

Genre: Friendship, Drama
Episodes: 11
Cast: Eita, Ueno Juri, Seki Megumi, Tamayama Tetsuji, Hero JaeJoong

"Nakajima looks up to his father, who was a war photographer, but can only get a job as an assistant for gravure magazines. Mizuno is a provisional high school teacher, currently on probation. Nishimura is Mizuno's best friend, whose boyfriend has been avoiding her since she discovered she was pregnant. Ichihara works at a magazine where he is being blackmailed into sexual favours by his chief editor. Park, on Twitter, takes on the persona of a doctor, when he is actually working at a company that sells medical equipment to disinterested doctors, and at the same time, trying to take care of his younger sister.

This is a story about the blossoming friendship of five young people who were brought together by Twitter, and their journey to finding honesty with each other and with themselves."

I'll be completely honest here and tell you I was not at all interested in the plot of the drama. In fact, I completely ignored it the whole time it was still airing. The plot seemed like it was just a promotion for twitter and it seemed stupid. However, one day I was bored and finally sat down to watch it. In two days I watched it, and I'm very glad that I did. For the most part, I'm not a big fan of straight drama series (I want romance or action in it) however (for some reason) I really enjoyed this drama. The characters were real, the stories being told were believable, the dialogue was well written, and the cast did a good job of acting out their characters. There were some parts that could have been more realistic, however, that won't stop me from giving it 4.5 stars. :D

Kurosagi (Movie)

Rating: ***
MOVIE!

Genre: Crime, Romance
Cast: Daichi Mao, Horikita Maki, Ichikawa Yui, Takenaka Naoto, Yamashita Tomohisa

"Kurosagi is a film based on the 2006 popular TV series Kurosagi.Kurosagi is about a young man named Kurosaki who had his family destroyed by swindlers (con artists). When Kurosaki grows up, he becomes a swindler named Kurosagi, so that he can avenge his family. Ever since his family was destroyed by swindlers, Kurosagi swindles other con artists and returns the money to the victim. "

Much like the tv series, Kurosagi was good, but not great. Acting was decent, production was decent, but it made me kind of sleepy. I think the reason I get easily distracted watching this is because it is anti-climactic. It's a series of short stories, basically, put into a movie. There's really no strong main plotline in this movie to hold it together. Also, there really isn't any headbutting. All of the swindlers are no match for him. I would really like to see him almost get caught a couple times by the swindlers and end up being smart enough to get away with it. On another point, it says Romance in the genre but there's just about none of it. Horikita Maki is supposed to be playing a main character but she's only in a few short scenes. If you didn't watch the tv series you probably wouldn't even know she was a love interest at all. All in all, it just didn't phase me..

Kurosagi

Rating: ***

Genre: Action, Crime, Romance
Episodes: 11
Cast: Horikita Maki, Ichikawa Yui, Kato Koji, Reina, Yamashita Tomohisa

"Kurosaki is a young man whose family was destroyed by swindlers. Despite that, Kurosaki grows up to become a con artist known as Kurosagi. As Kurosagi, he swindles other con artists and returns the money to the original victim. He works with the master swindler Katsuragi Toshio even though Toshio had a hand in the destruction of Kurosaki’s family. Kurosaki's life begins to change when he meets Yoshikawa Tsurara, a young law student who disapproves of his disrespect of the law. Can she persuade Kurosaki to give up swindling and his quest for revenge? "

The plotline was good and most of the script was great. However, however, however... I really don't know.. Something made me get easily distracted. The acting was great. Horikita Maki always is a natural in front of the camera. The opening credits were very unique. The costumes were wonderful. However, it wasn't something that I couldn't look away from. Still, it was a good drama to watch if you're bored.

P.S. WTF is with the bare chest and suspenders in the opening titles??? Is that supposed to be fan service? Idk, it was just random haha.

Fanservice:

Hong Gil Dong

Rating: ****

Genre: Action, Adventure, Period Drama, Historical
Episodes: 24
Cast: Kang Ji Hwan, Sung Yu Ri, Jang Geun Suk, Kim Ri Na

"Based on a fictional book about a Robin Hood in Korea, Hong Gildong, this drama is very loosely based off of that book and the time it was set in.

Hong Gil Dong was the illegitimate son of a high ranked minister. A local monk took him under his wing and taught him martial arts. Hong Gil Dong was inspired to fight for the injustice in this society that divided people into nobles and ordinary citizens whereby the former enjoyed all the privileges due solely to their birth.

The heroine, Heo Yi Nok, had just returned to Korea from China with her grandfather. They made their living by putting on shows and selling their special brand of medicine in the marketplace.

Lee Chang Hwi had been told since he was young that he was the rightful heir to the throne which had been usurped by his half brother. He had also returned from his exile in China and was plotting to overthrow the emperor.

The three got entangled in love, hate, loyalty and betrayal and only one side can win."

This particular drama got one star removed because of the way it was produced. The script was wonderful. It is funny, has some modern puns, great dialogue, and wonderful character evolution. The acting was good too. The two main men (Kang Ji Hwan and Jang Geun Suk) were absolutely fantastic in their roles. The only problem was that it was made a little too unrealistic at times. The dancing sequences were way too modern and some of the fighting scenes weren't all that great. Other than that, though, I give this drama a big thumbs up. This is definitely a drama that made my jaw hurt from laughing so much and I loved the overall storyline. Kim Ri Na also did quite well in her role. She really made me despise her character haha...

Hotaru No Hikari

Rating: (I can't rate because I don't remember it much)

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 10
Cast: Ayase Haruka, Fujiki Naohito, Kuninaka Ryoko, Kato Kazuki, Takeda Shinji

"Hotaru works for a famous interior design company. It's a glamorous job but Hotaru's private life is totally the opposite of glamorous. She lives alone, and when she isn't working she's mostly lazing about her rented house in training wear. She's not interested in men. In fact, she isn't interested in anything. "I'd rather lay around than fool around," is her motto.

Her landlord is a bar owner, and one day his son, who has just separated from his wife, comes to inspect the rental property, not knowing that someone is living there. He is shocked at the mess, but not as shocked as Hotaru. He turns out to be her boss, Takano."

Although I don't remember much about this series, I do remember that I liked it. For me, I really related to the main character, Hotaru, who is very lazy at home and is a total slob. I recently remembered this series after learning that there is a sequel to it. I'll review the sequel as well once it finishes.

The Birth of the Rich

Rating: *****

Genre: Romance
Episodes: 20
Cast: Ji Hyun Woo, Lee Bo Young, Lee Si Young, Nam Goong Min, Shin Da Eun

"The drama follows the story of a man, Choi Suk Bong, who believes that he is actually the son of a rich father and heir to a chaebol group. He meets Lee Shin Mi, who is actually a chaebol heir but acts nothing like one, with her scrimping and frugal ways. Although they get off to a rocky start, with her help, he struggles towards his goal of attaining wealth."

The Birth of the Rich is one of those dramas where you can't possibly stop watching once you start. While some dramas leave you to a point where you can simply walk away, this particular drama will rope you in and tie you down with it's interesting storyline and great production. I highly recommend this drama.

Hero

Rating: *****

Genre: Comedy, Police, Reporters
Episodes: 16
Cast: Lee Jun Ki, Shin Joo Ah, Uhm Ki Joon, Yoon So Yi, Baek Yoon Shik

"Hero is the story of Korea's top reporters and ordinary citizens fighting against the society elite's abuse of power. Working as a reporter for a racy tabloid called the Monday Seoul, Jin Do Hyuk uses any means necessary to get a scoop. One day, he goes to interview Jo Yong Deok, the boss of the Axe gang, who suggests that they start their own newspaper. Do Hyuk lies about the credentials of his former co-workers when he introduces them to Jo Yong Deok as potential hires for the newspaper venture. With his former co-workers on board, he is able to launch the Yongdeok Daily together with Yong Deok. But the newly hired reporters soon find themselves sucked into a huge conspiracy that could utterly ruin their lives. "

I personally loved this series. Then again, I'm biased because I love Lee Jun Ki as he is extremely cute. He makes me want to give him a hug. Anyway, I really enjoyed the storyline and the directing was very good. The only problem I really had though was in the last episode when reporter Jin Do Hyuk (Played by Lee Jun Ki) was hurt, the bandage on his head was nowhere near realistic lmao. Like his hair was perfectly combed and a large bandage was just attached to his hair. Other than that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Chuno

Rating: ****

Genre: Action, Adventure, Romance, Period Drama, Historical
Episodes: 24
Cast: Jang Hyuk, Lee Da Hae, Lee Jong Hyuk, Oh Ji Ho, Gong Hyung Jin

"Set during the Joseon Dynasty, "Chuno" revolves around the world of slave hunters (known as "Chuno Ggun") and slaves (known as "Nobi"). The slaves were sometimes born into the system of servitude and other times became slaves as a punishment for a crime. In the drama series "Chuno," a slave hunter (played by Jang Hyuk) attempts to track down one such runaway slave (playd by Oh Ji-Ho). The runaway slave became a nobi after being falsely accused of a crime he did not commit. While the slave hunter tracks down the runaway slave, he also seeks out the woman he loves (played by Lee Da-Hae)."

I personally really enjoyed this drama.. It is nonstop action with bits of comic relief that kept me coming back for more. I know some were disappointed at it's ending, but I liked it regardless. I won't spoil the drama for you, but I hope you'll give it a chance.. Who knows, you might enjoy it as much as I have.