Friday, October 29, 2010

What Star Did You Come From?


Rating: ****

Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Cast: Kim Rae Won, Jung Ryu Won, Kang Jung Hwa, Park Shi Hoo

"Seung Hee, after losing his girlfriend in a tragic accident, left for 3 years. When he came back, he sought to make a film in a rural area. Someone caught his eye – Bok Shil, who looks exactly like his deceased girlfriend, Hye Soo. Seung Hee followed Bok Shil in order to get some answers, and ended up falling for her. Still the questions remain, is he attracted to Bok Shil because of the memories of his ex-girlfriend, or does he like Bok Shil for who she is? What happens when competitors come into the picture and families opposing their love?"

The only problem with this drama is its' plot. I'm being serious here. It has the most annoying plot ever. In fact, I avoided watching it for a long time because I hated the storyline. However, the dialogue is wonderful, the characters are realistic, and I think they did a wonderful job directing/ producing it. Although it might be hard to get over its' over-dramatic and almost unrealistic plot, it is a drama worthy of watching. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Wanida


Rating: ****

Genre: Romance, Arranged marriage
Episodes: 16
Cast: Tik Jesadaporn Pholdee, Aff Taksorn Paksucharoen, Joy Rinlanee Sripen, Boy Pidsanu Nimsakul, Jaja Primrata Dejudom

"Major Prajuab Mahasak was offered to get m arried with Wanida Wongwiboon, Dao's daughter to repay for the debt that he borrowed from Dao. If not, he would be sued and it would dishonor his family. Prajuab was very distressed and refused that proposal. He consulted with Major Prajak Mahasak, his older brother about this. Prajak suggested his brother to resign from the government service and move to stay with his friend in the South and Prajak would go to negotiate about the debt with Dao instead.

However, it was not easy to deal with because Dao gave Prajak the condition that he must get married with Dao's daughter instead of his brother. Prajak has no choice and he has to save the honor of his family. So, he accepted to get married, but he gaved the condition that if his brother could find the money to repay for his debt, he would divorce Dao's daughter immediately. Dao told Wanida about this and told her to prepare herself for marriage. Wanida was confused. Though she didn't want to get married, she couldn't oppose her father.

Prajak told his mother and Pisamai, his girlfriend about this. It made them very upset. His mother couldn't accept this married, so she went to take vacation in his son's wedding day. After marriage, Both Prajak and Wadina feel awkward to live together. Wanida had to be strong and confront with his mother and his girlfriend who disliked her and kept insulting her.

One day, Wanida knew about the past of Lady Montha, her grandmother from the neighbor. She told Wanida that Lady Montha was set up that she committed adultery and was chased out out Mahasak family. Therefore, Wanida intends to find out the truth about this to prove that her grandmother was innocent. Wanida is a story telling about one woman’s patience, goodness and her great love."


I enjoyed this drama very much. It was my first Thailand drama so it took a while to get used to the language, but it was a good drama. I did, however, hate the character "Pisami", she's extremely annoying. She's kind of like the Sakura (Naruto) of Wanida. Whiney, weak, and annoying. However, overall it was a good show to watch.

City Hunter Update


Article from: http://redirectingat.com/?id=356 ... 94ca384b2404af6c9ab
Translation by: happy@osen.co.kr

(This is not written by me. I just wanted to give a small update)


이민호, "'도망자'와 닮아 '시티헌터' 걱정 한다고? 천만에!"
Lee Min Ho: "Worried because 'City Hunter' is similar to 'The Fugitive Plan B'? No way!"

[OSEN=이정아 기자]이민호 측이 비가 KBS '도망자 플랜 비'에서 연기하고 있는 지우라는 캐릭터와 이민호가 차기작 SBS '시티헌터'에서 연기할 강진이라는 캐릭터가 비슷할 것 같아 걱정을 하고 있다는 말에 전혀 근거 없는 말이라며 손사레를 쳤다.

Lee Min Ho's side has responded to the rumors that things had been worrisome [because] the character Lee Min Ho is undertaking for City Hunter (role of Kang Jin) is similar to the character played by Bi (role of Ji Woo) in The Fugitive Plan B
by saying that it's not a big deal and waved it off dismissively.


그동안 까칠한 도련님, 동성애자로 의심 받는 멋쟁이 건축가 등으로 변신했던 이민호는 세계적으로 폭발적인 인기를 모은 일본 호조 츠카사의 동명만화 '시티헌터'의 남자 주인공 강진 역에 캐스팅 돼 진짜 강진이 되기 위해 사격, 무술 등 각종 액션 준비와 함께 캐릭터 분석까지 하나하나 세심하게 신경쓰며 준비를 하고 있다.

Lee Min Ho who has played roles of a picky young master,
an architect who is questioned to be homosexual had been picked to play the main male lead of Hojo Tsukasa's internationally popular manga 'city hunter'
and has been training in shooting, martial arts and other action skills as well as [analyzing] the character
he will be acting as, scrupulously immersing himself in the preparation

.
이민호가 난봉꾼에 미인을 보면 어쩔 줄 모르는 호색한이지만 고도의 기술로 민첩하게 사건을 해결하는 비밀을 간직한 남자 강진으로 분한다는 사실에 벌써부터 설렘을 감추지 못하고 있는 시청자들도 많다.

Many viewers cannot conceal their thrill (anticipation) of the drama in which [Lee Min Ho] will be acting as a playboy who finds himself rendered helpless in the presence of beautiful women,
but is also a highly skilled and agile character who unravels cases while harboring a hidden secret.

이런 이민호를 보며 최근 일각에서는 "비가 출연하고 있는 '도망자'의 시청률이 절반으로 떨어진 가운데 비슷한 캐릭터를 연기할 이민호의 '시티헌터'에 대해 내부적으로도 걱정의 목소리가 나오고 있다"는 우려를 나타냈다. 하지만 이는 일단 기우에 불과하다는 것이 전반적인 의견이다.

Thinking about [Lee Min Ho] as such a character, reports that the production team of city Hunter is worried since ratings for 'The Fugitive' (where Bi plays a similar character) has dropped by half has arisen.
However the overall opinion is this may be undue worry.

특히 이민호 소속사 측은 26일 OSEN과의 전화통화에서 "비와 이민호가 연기하는 캐릭터 강진이 어떻게 비슷하다고 말씀을 하는 것인지 모르겠다. 이민호가 연기하는 강진은 원작과도 다른 부분이 많을 것이고 아직 대본도 나오지 않은 상태다"고 밝혔다.

In particular, Lee Min Ho's agency spoke with OSEN through the phone on the 26th saying "We don't know why people are saying how the character of Kang Jin is similar to the character played by Bi.
The character of Kang jin that [Lee Min Ho] will be playing will be different in many aspects from that of the original manga.
The script is not out yet."

이어 "강진의 캐릭터는 아마 상상 이상으로 입체적이고 색다른 인물일 것이다. 요즘 이민호는 그런 강진을 표현하는데만 몰두하며 준비를 하고 있다. 걱정 마시고 이민호의 강진에 많은 기대 부탁한다. PD, 작가, 스태프들 모두 '시티헌터'를 멋지게 만들어 내기 위해 구슬땀을 흘리고 있다"고 말했다.

"The character of Kang Jin is perhaps more 3-dimensional than what people imagine and will be a different (unconventional) person.
Recently, [Lee Min Ho] is immersing himself in the character while preparing for the drama.
Don't worry and please eagerly anticipate [Lee Min Ho]'s take on Kang Jin. The PD, scriptwriter, and all staff are working hard to prepare a cool 'city hunter' drama."

이민호가 주연을 맡은 한국판 ‘시티헌터’는 1980년대 도쿄를 배경으로 삼았던 원작과는 달리 2011년 서울을 배경으로 펼쳐진다. 큰 키에 잘생긴 외모를 가진 전직 CIA요원 출신인 강진이 차가운 도시 속에서 상처받은 사람들의 가슴 아픈 사연을 말끔히 처리해주는 해결사로 활동하며 자신의 마음 속 상처를 치유 받고 더 나아가 사랑과 가족에 대한 새로운 인식을 갖게 되는 이야기가 담겨진다.

The Korean version of City Hunter that [Lee Min Ho] will be in has 2011's Seoul as the background rather than 1980's Tokyo.
Kang Jin, who is a tall and good-looking ex CIA agent, neatly solves and takes care of the painful situations of the city dwellers who live in an indifferent environment,
and in the process heals the wound in his own heart and takes on a new perspective towards love and family.


Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The Fugitive Plan B creates problems for City Hunter?

According to the some sources, City Hunter may actually be rewritten or canceled.

Many fans are excited about the cast for City Hunter, an upcoming drama starring Lee Min Ho about a private detective. However, after "The Fugitive Plan B" (a drama airing that has a similar set up) received many negative comments, the City Hunter drama is being taken out to be re-evaluated. The thing is, though, I've barely heard anything about "The Fugitive Plan B" until the other day. I guess I'll have to go watch the show in order to see what they are talking about.

This is something I'm not too happy about. I really like Min Ho and I love detective shows. I guess we can only hope and pray now though.

While we are on the subject, though, let's view the two story side by side. Do you think that they are making a wise decision with their re-evaluation of City Hunter? Why or why not?



The Fugitive Plan B
(Now airing)
City Hunter
(Upcoming Drama)

Male Lead - Rain


Male Lead – Lee Min Ho

In Korea, you are not allowed to work on a secret investigation or be a private detective. This is why Jiwoo’s official job title is “P.I.A (Private Investigation Administrator)”. Many years ago, Jiwoo handled the case of Asian couple who died at a casino in Las Vegas. As a result, Jiwoo received astronomical amount of money as the reward and also became one of the top detectives. Jiwoo didn’t know this incident would rebound upon him at that time. He loses his best friend Gyudong and meets a lady named Jini. Jini requests Jiwoo to find a person calls Melchidec. Jini believes that Melchidec is the one who killed her foster parents and she will also get killed by him. She thinks Jiwoo drew the conclusion that her adoptive parents committed suicide, even though he knows all these facts. As Jiwoo and Jini come closer to getting the full story of the case, they notice that they fall in love for each other.

The series follows the exploits of Ryo Saeba, a "sweeper" or private detective who works to rid Tokyo of crime, and Kaori Makimura, a tomboyish girl who manages Ryo's business affairs. Their "City Hunter" business is an underground jack-of-all-trades operation, contacted by writing the letters "XYZ" on a blackboard at Shinjuku Station.











Sources:
http://news.nate.com/view/20101025n02148?mid=e0101
http://www.hancinema.net/is-lee-min-ho-owned-by-rain--25624.html
http://www.wikipedia.com

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Sick

I've been quite sick this week so I really haven't posted anything. Sorry about that.

I did, however, catch up on some of my favorite American shows.

Let me just say that I love Supernatural and Smallville.. I will be sad once they are gone.. Where am I going to get smexy sarcastic male leads like Sam and Dean or the wonderful Clark Kent??


As far as American tv, though, most of the television shows have really gone down hill.. American tv shows care more about the profit that they are making then the fact that their plot lines and dialog have gone into the garbage can.. Seriously, some shows really just need to be canceled. You can only milk a money cow for so long before it dies. Here's some much needed advice that they need to realize: ALL STORIES HAVE AN ENDING!!!

That's right people, all stories have an ending. People who try to continue a story that has pretty much already ended are complete idiots. It's like the last season of lost. I couldn't even get through the first episode of the last season. Look, I'm a huge LOST fan, but I couldn't go through with it. The whole thing was too ridiculous. There is a time to live, and a time to die, and writers need to learn when to quit.

I think that's why I like asian dramas better. Most of them are 15-30 episodes long, they film the whole series before they air it so that they can fix their mistakes before it airs, and it is not stretched so thin that it is practically see through. There really needs to be more dramas like that, and not some copycat tv series that is aired longer than it should be.


Anyway, that's just my thoughts. What are yours? Leave me a comment!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

New blog features are comming!

As you know, this blog is a bit new. So, I am going to be implementing new features to the blog in order to get it going in the right direction. Some of you have noticed that I have already created a viikii channel to showcase some of my favorite dramas as well as upcoming dramas I am interested in. Because I've been busy with that I haven't updated my normal blog as often. However, I will soon be starting to review dramas again. I have watched over 100 dramas and tons of anime & movies from all over the world. I have only reviewed about 80% of them so far, though, so soon I will be working on catching up on the reviewing.

Anyway, new features will be like:

Upcoming drama sneak peaks, behind the scenes information, and news
Entertainment news pertaining to TV dramas
Trailers for new movies
Profiles for popular actors/actresses
More detailed review
Episode Summaries? (This is a possibility, but I'm not 100% on whether or not I'll be able to spend that much time on it)
& much much more


So stay tuned to my blog. I promise it will be worth your time :D

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

When It's at Night


Rating: ****

Genre: Comedy, Romance
Episodes: 17
Cast: Kim Sun Ah, Lee Dong Gun, Kim Jung Hwa, Lee Joo Hyun

"Kim Bum Sang is a arts scholar who is crazy about virgins and is a supervisor of property assets. Heo Cho Hwi is a 29 year old woman who is always mistaken as someone who is crafty because of her natural-born sexiness. The story will be about how these two cross paths and how their chance meeting will cause turmoil for the both of them."


I started watching this drama a while ago but I stopped watching it for some reason at least six months ago. I am not sure why I stopped watching it either. However, yesterday I decided to try finishing it. I watched the last 7 episodes, and it was definitely worth finishing. I can't give it a five star rating because I don't remember how the first 10 episodes went, but I can give it a four easily. I hope you enjoy this drama as much as I have.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Love Marriage


Rating: (Not Reviewed)

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Cast: Kim Ji Hoon, Hwang Bo Ra, Kim Min Hee, Park Ki Woong, Yoon Se Ah

"Lee Kang Hyun is a manager at a company that sets up people who have been divorced with dates. She meets a divorce attorney, Park Hyun Soo, and they begin a relationship with each other."

I forgot all about this drama until I saw it on viikii the other day. I remember I liked it so I thought I'd share it with you. I can't give a full review, though, as I haven't watched it in a long while.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Spooks / MI-5


Rating: (Not Reviewed)

Genre: Spy, Action
Episodes: 75 (as of 4th October 2010)
Cast: Harry Pearce, Lucas North, Ruth Evershed, Tariq Masood, Beth Bailey, Dimitri Levendis

"The series follows the activities of the intelligence officers of Section D in MI5."

I've only been able to watch the first 2 seasons, but I really like this television series. Check it out!

Calling Big Star/ Calling for Love


Rating: *****

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 14
Cast: Charlene Choi, Chen Zhi Kai, Mike He, Zhang Yu, Zhou Cai Shi

"Bo Ye is a reluctant big star who entered the entertainment industry to support his family. Now that he has earned enough money and his contract about to end, he happily starts planning for the next stage of his life. Around the same time, unfortunate financial downturn struck his agent, his sister and his best friend. Feeling obligated to help them he contemplates on renewing his contract. Totally depressed by this thought, he buys a lotto ticket hoping that he can win the big one and save him from this dilemma. As luck would have it, he wins the jackpot but loses the ticket before he can cash it. Now he is chasing after a taxi driver, De Xing, all over town in order to get it back."

This is another drama that I have probably passed by a hundred times without even being slightly interested in. I don't know, I guess the plot just didn't sound all that interesting. However, once I watched the first episode, I was instantly hooked. As you know, I'm quite biased when it comes to Mike He. Mike is probably one of my favorite actors from Taiwan and I love him dearly. Actually, I think I've seen Charlene Choi before as well but I really am not sure. The acting was decent and I loved the storyline much more than I had thought I would. Again, because I'm completely biased, I just have to rate this five stars.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Someday


Rating: ****

Genre: Romance
Episodes: 16
Cast: Bae doo Na, Kim Min Joon, Lee Jin wook, Oh Yoon Ah

"Someday is about four different people's story about love.

Hana Yamaguchi (Bae Doo-Na) was a successful young cartoonist in Japan. Abandoned by her parents and brought up by her grandma, she was cold and aloof and did not believe in love which to her was only a simple biological response. When the elderly neighbourhood street sweeper died, she discovered the affection between him and her neighbour which lasted 60 years. Hana could not understand this kind of love, so she decided to trace her neighbour's footstep to Korea when she disappeared with her lover's ashes.

Go Jin Pyo (Kim Min Joon) was a doctor who was a comic book fan of Hana. He was overjoyed in meeting Hana and believed that he was in love for the first time in his life. He decided to help Hana in fulfilling her wish to look for her neighbour and enlisted the help of a private eye, Lee Seok Man (Lee Jin Wook).Lee was the sole survivor of a car accident whereby his parents and brother were killed. He carried a lot of guilt towards the parents of the other victim and did his best to help out even at the expense of owing money to the loan sharks.

Hye Young (Oh Yoon Ah) was a PD of animation projects and a close friend of Jin Pyo. she didn't realize that she was in love with him till Hana appeared.

In bringing her neighbour's love story to fruition and published in print, the process changed the lives and outlook on love for these four people."



This drama has a very laid back feel to it. In most dramas it's all about the drama. There's always some sort of something going on. There's lies, deceit, jealousy, love, and more drama than necessary. This series was much more calming than the norm so I was grateful. I also liked the art and story as well. All in all, I think this was a nice little drama. It's not one of those dramas that you get easily addicted to, but it leaves you with a calm smile and a warm heart.

Friday, October 1, 2010

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho


Rating: *****

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Fantasy
Episodes: 16
Cast: Lee Seung Ki, Shin Min Ah, No Min woo, Park Soo Jin

"Lee Seung Ki is a man who meets a girl and falls in love with her. The girl is actually a gumiho, a legendary fox with nine tails that eats the livers of humans. When he finds out that she is a gumiho, he ends up doing crazy things to prevent the girl from eating his liver."

I've been crazy over this drama ever since I first heard about it. I think a lot of viewers get excited about dramas if there are actors that they like, but not me. For me it was about the storyline. I absolutely love the plot of the story. After watching the last episode, though, I have to say that this story is probably one of my favorite dramas of all time. It was hilarious, sweet, action filled, and had a wonderful storyline that kept me interested.

I really want to talk more about this drama, but I'm afraid I might give away spoilers and I don't want to do that.. You'll just have to watch it for yourself :D


Teaser:

10/1/2010: New dramas heading our way?

Since most of my dramas are winding down I decided to go drama hunting. And what are my rewards? Let's take a look at some of the new dramas that are heading our way, shall we?

Absolute Him - Taiwan version of Zettai Kareshi. This drama is about a woman who ends up accidentally receiving a love robot who is supposed to be able to love its owner. You can learn more about the plot by reading the original Manga. The original story was good enough that it already got a short 11 episode Japanese Live Action tv (Absolute Boyfriend) show so you can bet it's going to be a fun watch if it's anything like the original.

Queen not getting off work - Taiwan. This drama is already airing. The synopsis didn't really interest me, though, so I'm going to wait a while and see if there are a lot of good reviews before I start it. After all, I'd rather not waste my time on a drama I'm not interested in unless it's something worth watching. You can find more info on this drama at http://www.viikii.net/channels/goto/queennotgettingofwork#

Love that Comes - Taiwan. The synopsis is kind of long but you can check it out at http://www.viikii.net/channels/goto/ThatLoveComes# It's supposed to start airing today so I might check it out.

Mary Stayed Out All Night - Korea. The synopsis is interesting but it's hard to explain. You can read it for yourself at http://www.viikii.net/channels/goto/marystayedoutallnight#

Someday - Korea. This drama is currently airing but I've heard absolutely nothing about it. The synopsis kind of interests me, though, as I can kind of relate to the main character. "Although Korean-Japanese cartoonist Yamaguchi Hana (Bae Du Na) has found great success with her romantic comic books, she herself doesn't believe in love." To read the full synopsis go to http://www.viikii.net/channels/goto/someday#

Originally I wanted to post some Japanese dramas that were coming up but I really wasn't interested in any of them..

Taiwan version of Coffee Prince?

Just today I heard that Taiwan will be airing its own version of one of my favorite Korean Dramas "Coffee Prince" starring Ariel Lin. I'm not sure who the male lead is. Originally the male lead was supposed to go to Jerry Yan (another favorite of mine) but apparently after there were rumors about the male lead changing to Wu Zan, Jerry got mad and quit the drama altogether. The original male lead will be replaced by Korean group Super Junior's Siwon and Donghae.

Really, all of this is mainly just rumor so far. There's nothing to confirm or deny this information so I guess we'll just have to wait it out. In any case, I'm curious if the Taiwan version will be different or if they will change it up a little in order to make it not completely boring for those who have already watched the Korean version a million times before.