That Love Comes

Rating: ***.5

Genre: Romance
Episodes: 12
Cast: Joe Cheng, Bu Xue Liang, Li Fei Er, Sun Jian, Emma Pei

"Small town girl Ye Zi arrives at the big city and works in a small convenience store. Ye Zi’s father died young and she left home early to repay her mother’s debts, and at the same time she also supports her younger brother with his studies. Although life is difficult, Ye Zi still believed that as long as you persevere, you will obtain happiness. In what looked like an ordinary day, Ye Zi prepares to return her final loan hoping that from then on she can start with her brand new life. However, fashion photographer Xia Tian unintentionally enters the convenience store and has an unexpected encounter with Ye Zi. After a series of circumstantial errors, Ye Zi’s dream of repaying her debts almost got destroyed. In the middle of the night, Xia Tian realizes the mistake and immediately goes back to the convenience store and returns the money. Having gone through a day of emotional torment, Ye Zi cried silently upon receiving directly from Xia Tian’s hands the money he returned which still held his warmth. This is her in the city, feeling the warmth amidst strangers for the very first time. At the other end of the city, fashion photographer Xia Tian and top supermodel Flora are being called the golden pair, successful and famous. However, Xia Tian’s innermost desire is a simple and straightforward life, he longs to become a wildlife photographer. His girlfriend Flora cannot forget the life of fame and fortune, and Xia Tian gets tired of dealing with her until he finally chooses to break up. In Ye Zi, the convenience store girl, Xia Tian saw his own desire for pure happiness. The distance between them may seem remote, but Xia Tian cannot help but be attracted by Ye Zi, finally he imitated Ye Zi and started to believe: as long as you persevere, happiness will certainly come.."


This is another great story that was ruined by its' production. Although the actual story was pretty good, the way it was shown wasn't that great. Like most of the watchers, I believe that about 1/6th (or more) of the drama was either flashbacks, opening sequences, or ending credits. Truthfully, if you were to cut all the unnecessary flashbacks, you would probably have about 10 episodes instead of 12. I think it really says something about the quality of a drama when they take up time by adding in useless flashbacks. There were also numerous inconsistencies, but most of them I cannot specify because I would end up spoiling things for prospective viewers. I have to say that I loved the opening song as well as some of the other songs used in this drama, though. In short, this story is a nice story, but be prepared to fast-forward through the numerous flashbacks.

Pasta

Rating: ****

Genre: Romance, Cooking
Episodes: 20
Cast: Alex, Byun Jung Soo, Gong Hyo Jin, Lee Sun Gyun, Lee Ha Nui

""Pasta" covers the dreams and success of a young woman who aspires to become an elite chef at La Sfera restaurant. Seo Yoo Kyung started her career as a kitchen assistant at La Sfera restaurant. She eventually works her way up to become a chef. Choi Hyun Wook is the top chef at La Sfera restaurant. He studied the culinary arts in Italy and started out as a chef assistant at a hotel in Sicily. Hyun Wook eventually worked his way up to become the most widely recognized Italian chef in Korea."

AGAIN!
Once again, I almost passed up a good drama. I love food dramas, but without comedy in it, no drama seems complete. I think that's why I tend to pass up good dramas on a regular basis. While watching this, I found nothing bad about the drama at all. Even though it wasn't that funny, it was cute and I enjoyed all the wonderful dishes in it.

Although I probably won't watch it again, it's definitely worth watching (AGAIN!)

What are you thankful for?

So this week I've been working on my writing and I haven't done much in the way of anything else. Thus, let's have a simple conversation this week. What are you thankful for?

For me, I'm thankful for the wonderful people I've met with on the internet. Although I could walk past them and never know they were there (as I have never seen their faces), I appreciate the kindness they have shown me as well as the friendship we have built. I'm also thankful for the wonderful inspiration everyone is given me, which has produced a story that I will be putting on my blog this coming year. The web series will be about 1-2 short chapters a month and (on occassion) a comic. This series will by my way of spoofing common Korean drama stereotypes and I hope my viewers will enjoy it. Should I give you a synopsis?

"Kat, an American girl, has a unique obsession with Korean super idol Park Min Ho. Incidentally, she wins an all expense trip to Korea for a chance to go to Min Ho's concert. In a series of unfortunate events, Kat ends up stranded in Korea and stays at a dorm room that pretty boy Micheal's (Kim Min Goo) family owned. With awkward incidents at every turn, Kat's journey has just begun."

So, now that I answered the question, why don't you answer? What are you thankful for?

Acting Obsessed & New Original Story?

As you may see at the top of my page, I'm starting a new blog called "Acting Obsessed". The blog is not done yet (I have a huge amount of work to do on it still), but eventually I will be posting information on all of the main actors that appear in the television shows that I review. It will also (occassionally) have updates with news about famous actors in different countries. Again, this won't be an immediate thing, but this blog will hopefully be up and running by the new year.

My new short story has already been started and this blog will be the only website in which I will be posting the chapters, so watch out for that. The original story will appear in 400-2,000 word blog entries and will probably be posted 2-4 times a month. The story is a comedy about an obsessed fan, possible love interests, and her daily life.

Anyway, I'm off to do a bit of work. Sayonara!

Dr. Champ

Rating: ****

Genre: Romance, Sports, Medical
Episodes: 16
Cast: Jung Gyu Woon, Jung Suk Won, Kim So Yun, Uhm Tae Woong, Cha Ye Ryun

"Kim Yeon Woo is an orthopedic doctor who takes up a new post at Taereung National Village, the training center for national Olympic athletes, after she is fired from her previous job. She becomes romantically involved with Park Ji Heon, a young judo athlete, and Lee Do Wook, the short-tempered, crippled director of the facility who is still haunted by the injury that had cut short his speed-skating career. This is further complicated by the presence of the swimming coach, Hee Young, who becomes her rival for the attentions of Do Wook."

You know how there are some shows that you enjoyed, but it still doesn't change the fact that you hate the genre(s) of the show? Well, one example of that is probably Dr. Champ. A fellow viikiier told me that Dr. Champ was good so I gave it a try. Although I enjoyed the story, it doesn't change the fact that I hate the genre. I don't really like romance, medical, or sports dramas unless they are funny. In fact, the reason why I avoided watching this drama for so long was the fact that the only genres it had were the stuff that I wasn't interested in.

As far as the story goes, I found it good. I didn't see any big errors in the writing, production, or acting. I do have to say that I think they did an overkill of fan service in the first 5-8 episodes. Although I'm very happy with a bunch of hot guys without their shirts on in my view, I think there is a limit. For example, most guys would wear at least an undershirt in an air conditioned gym, don't you think? I mean, you really don't need to be half naked when you're inside an expensive looking gym, don't you think? It's not that I mind, it just kind of makes me wonder if the reason that they put so much fan service into the first few episodes is because they wanted to distract the viewers attention. You see, the the story moves a bit slow for most of the show and then slams a lot of, what could have been part of the story, into the last two episodes.

So the question is: would I watch it again? Well, probably not. Although, I found nothing wrong with it, it doesn't change the fact that I don't really enjoy medical shows at all. Although I love gore, there is a distinct difference between medical and horror stories. In medical shows, you have to hope for the patients survival (which tends to cause nervousness and stress). However, in horror shows, you already know they are most likely going to die, so you don't have to stress about whether or not they are going to live.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

(Not reviewed. See reasons below)

MOVIE

Genre: Drama, Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer

"Balthazar Blake is a sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan fighting against the forces of evil, in particular his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath, while searching for the person who will inherit powers. This turns out to be Dave Stutler , a physics student at New York University, whom Balthazar takes as a reluctant protégé. The sorcerer gives his unwilling apprentice a crash course in the art and science of magic and sorcery, in order to stop Horvath and Morgana le Fay from destroying the world."

I really wanted to review a movie this week, as I haven't reviewed a movie in months. However, I watched about twenty-seven minutes of this movie and I had enough. According to some people's opinions of this movie, the reason this movie isn't very interesting is because of the action. However, that's not why I couldn't watch it. I'm fine with non-stop action when it's considered an action movie. However, with so many inconsistencies in the first half hour of the movie, I couldn't bare to watch. In my opinion, the script was horrible. The characters aren't rounded, the beginning is way too quick, the dialogue is dry, and the plot was kind of, well, "Disney-like". From the get-go, the script was barely working, and was hidden by the special effects and fight scenes. Truthfully, if it wasn't for the special effects I would have stopped watching it at ten minutes. The acting wasn't that impressive either.

In conclusion, if I were able to finish the movie without gaining a concussion by repeatedly banging my head against my wall and if the movie didn't get any better, I would have rated it one star. However, since I could only get through 1/4th of the movie, I don't feel it's right to put any rating at all. So if you want to watch The Sorcerer's Apprentice, be prepared to turn off your television.

Smiling Pasta

Rating: ****

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 17
Cast: Cyndi Wang, Gino, Jian chang, Joyce Zhao, Nicholas Teo

"Xiao Shi is a girl who has gone through many short relationships, 17 to be exact, not one lasting more than 3 months hence, she was cursed with a three-month curse. After being dumped by her 17th boyfriend, the world looks grimmer than ever. At that time, a famous idol, He Qun runs past, bumps into Xiao Shi, and they end up "kissing" on the street. Paparazzi swarmed by and to avoid a bad reputation, He Qun’s manager declared Xiao Shi as He Qun’s girlfriend of one year and fiancée. Thus, a love contract was made. This story is about how the couple learns to like each other after having disagreements in the beginning, as well as fighting the injustices the media throw at them. Will Xiao Shi finally break her 3 month curse? "


Although I haven't watched this drama in a while, I assure you that Smiling Pasta will make you smile. Although I haven't seen it in a while, it is a very cute little drama. Like all dramas, it isn't perfect. There were some things that weren't realistic. For example, there was a kick ball contest in front of the whole school. Obviously, this school doesn't uphold academic standards such as going to class. There were many more problems that I'm sure I forgot, but it really can't be helped as it has been more than a year since I last saw it.

The drama is lighthearted and is an easy watch... Although there is plenty of drama to go around, it wasn't annoying enough to make me want to shut off my computer.


Although it is off topic, Cyndi Wang always reminded me of the Wendy's mascot when she was wearing red pig tails.

How I rate videos

My rating method:

5 stars = Wonderful, wouldn't change a thing.
4 stars = A great show, but it could have been better.
3 stars = I liked it, but I probably wouldn't watch it again.
2 stars = I didn't like it, and I wouldn't watch it again.
1 stars = It was so horrible I couldn't even sit through the whole thing. I wouldn't watch it even if someone paid me to.
Not Reviewed/Rated = Couldn't finish it or felt that I would be too biased to review it properly.

Volleyball Lovers

Rating: ****

Genre: Romance, Sports
Episodes: 15
Cast: Annie chen, Godfrey Gao, Lan Jun Tian, Na Wei Xun, Wang Jing Ying

"Growing up together, Bai Qian Rui and Xin Hai Jing never saw one another as more than friends. So it's no wonder when Hai Xing called upon Qian Rui to help out the volleyball team, Qian Rui tried everything to wiggle out of it. He was more interested in romancing the beautiful Jia Kai Lin than sweating it out with his best pal. Yet, joining the team was exactly what they needed to turn their long-time friendship into something more. "

Throughout its airing, I had very little to no interest in this drama. The synopsis wasn't particularly alluring and I'm not a big sports fan either so I didn't give it much of a chance. However, one day I was extremely bored and decided to try it out since it had been on the front page of Viikii. I am glad I watched this drama, though, as I enjoyed watching it. Funny, interesting, and with decent plots, the drama never left me bored.

However, there were some bad parts that cannot be left out. Some of the writing and production wasn't all that great. If it wasn't for all the problems, I would have rated it a five instead.

Problems with Volley Ball lover:

1. Even though there is supposed to be both a girl and a boy team, I don't think I saw the girls ever practicing... They exercised with the boys, but that was it.

2. Many times, the props were unrealistic. Like, for example, the bike rack at the university was filled with three of the same exact bikes. I doubt all the students would ride the same exact bike.

3. Is this a school team or an amateur team? If it is a university team, then the main character shouldn't be allowed to play because he graduated from the school. Maybe I just missed the part where they indicated what kind of team it was? They said something about it being professional, but then why do they have to talk with the principle about it? Can someone clear this up for me?

4. Is the whole drama a coca-cola ad? For the first eight episodes all they did was drink coke. Every chance they got, they put the coke can in a shot. It's fine to put products in a drama, but I think they over did it...

5. If someone jumped, snatched a can of soda, and dropped back down, wouldn't the coke get fizzy when the person tried to open it? When I was watching it, I was kind of hoping that it would spill all over the guy. XD

6. There was this little angel prop that they used that was broken at least four times in the series, but was magically put together again without any cracks in it. Seriously? it's in mint condition after being broken into that many pieces? Are you kidding me? How is this supposed to be realistic?

What do you think of this drama? What would you rate it?

Sungkyunkwan Scandal

Rating: ****.5

Genre: Period, Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 20
Cast: Micky Yoochun, Park Min Young, Song Joong Ki, Yoo Ah In

"Sungkyunkwan Scandal is set in Sungkyunkwan University in the late Joseon era during the reign of King Jeongjo, revolving around the exploits and love stories of four youths. When her younger brother's illness worsens and their family is in danger of being evicted from their house for lack of money, Kim Yoon Hee enters the school under his name, disguised as a boy in her desperation to support him. There, she becomes friends with the intelligent and upright Lee Sun Joon, the playboy Goo Yong Ha and rebellious Moon Jae Shin."


I finally got to watch the finale of SKKS and I'm quite happy with the entire series. Ever since I heard about this series, I've been very excited to watch it. For me, I've always enjoyed gender-bender stories, mostly because they are generally very comical and provide a lot of entertainment. Like most gender-bender stories, this one has a young woman (Kim Yoon Hee) posing as a man. This drama was originated from a Korean novel, however the drama is very different from what I've heard of the original book. Watching it as just a drama, (and not in relation to the book at all) I found it very interesting, funny, and enjoyable to watch. I must say, though, the playboy Goo Yong Ha and rebellious Moon Jae Shin are probably the reason I watched this drama through the end. The way Song Joong Ki acted as a his character was just hilarious and the lines that the character said made me want to re-watch the drama over and over again. In the end, I think I got the "You're Beautiful" syndrome all over again. In reality, the reason I was hooked on this drama was not because of the main characters, but because of the supporting characters.

As far as the acting and production of this drama, I found nothing too wrong with it. Micky did an awesome job considering that he doesn't have much experience with it. Still, though he still has room to grow and get better at it. Micky, fighting! I really wanted to give this a five star rating, but, in the end, there were times when my interest faded a bit. I really hope you give this drama a chance, it's definitely something I would recommend.

hand injury

I was going to post my review of "Volleyball Lover" right after I finished it, but my right hand cramped and I am barely able to type. once my hand heals, though, I'll write my thoughts on it. In the meantime, here is a teaser for an upcoming drama airing Nov 8th :3


Mary Stayed Out All Night

100th Post!

On Monday, June 14th, 2010, almost six months ago, I started this blog. I still can't believe that I've continued to post on this blog for so long. Truthfully, I think this is the first blog that I've actually kept for more than two months. Although I don't have much of a fan base, I'm very happy that my blog is being read by other people. With 100 posts and more than 500 views, I feel like I'm doing something productive. Now, after finishing a drama, it is second nature to write about it on my blog.

When I first started my blog, I really just wanted to create a list of dramas that I had watched and write down my thoughts. I wanted to keep my writing skills up by thinking critically about the overall presentation of each television show I watched. As I started to post more and more television shows, though, I came to realize that my addiction to television was probably a bit unhealthy. Regardless of how unhealthy my obsession may be, I've really enjoy the magic which is television.

As I continue to blog, I hope you will join me on my journey as we discover new stories that will be written on our hearts and memorized in our minds. Let us make the next six months even better than the ones before.

Yoroshiku onegaishmasu (please treat me kindly) during the rough road ahead :D
(Yes, I know... yoroshiku may not be thought of as a way to say "please treat me kindly", but it is similar to the literal translation >.<)

To celebrate my 100th post, let's watch a MV!

Tube Obsessed

Today I wish to talk about television in general. When I was a child, it seemed like television was this magical place where everyone was treated kindly, where there were no bad parents, and where every day was like a walk in the park. This imaginary world was so foreign to me that I ended up becoming obsessed. Over the years, television has evolved and has created much more realistic stories, but my obsession with it is still as active as ever. I have to give credit where credit is due.

When someone turns on the t.v. and sits down to watch their favorite shows, they don't normally think of how much work goes into making it. Writers, actors, directors, producers, assistants, make up artists, prop designers, and many more employees work hard to bring our stories alive. Each page of a screenplay typically takes one minute to show on screen. If you consider the the length of an average t.v. show (20-25 episodes at 45 minutes a piece of actual screen time), a drama typically has more than 900 pages of content. Think about how much time, energy, and money that has been spent for a small, one hour, television show. The fact that there are so many television shows to choose from is really amazing. In the end, film is like a big piece of art that should be appreciated. After all, it takes a great number of people to be able to bring your imaginary world to life.

With that said, what kind of television are you obsessed with?

Paradise Kiss

Rating: ****
ANIME!

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, Josei
Episodes: 12
Japanese Voice Actors: Yamada Yu, Hamada Kenji, Mizutani Shunsuke, Matsumoto Marika

"Yukari is a typical high-school student who listens to her parents and attends school everyday. As she starts to question her way of life, she encounters a group of fashion design students who have a clothing label known as "Paradise Kiss". The group needs to find a model to showcase their designs in an up-coming fashion show and decides to pick Yukari. Initially, Yukari is reluctant to be associated with this seemingly eccentric group, but eventually she realises they are really nice people. Furthermore, their passion and enthusiasm to follow their ideals and dreams make Yukari realise that she has not been enjoying her life and thus motivates her to pursue her own dreams. The story follows Yukari as she gets involved in the group and eventually falls in love with the leader, George."

I recently found out that a live action movie is going to be produced in Japan. This has me very excited, as I really loved this anime. The art is gorgeous and the story is wonderful as well, so of course I had to showcase this anime in my blog.

Playful Kiss

Rating: (Not rated, see why below)

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Cast: Jung so Min, Kim Hyun Joong, Lee Tae Sung, Lee Si Young

"A high school girl named Oh Ha Ni who is in the bottom of her class has had a crush on popular and genius male student named Baek Seung-jo ever since she saw him on the first day of high school. Ha Ni decides to confess through a letter, but is rejected by Seung-Jo, who tells her that he hates stupid girls. Fate intervenes when a mild earthquake ruins Ha Ni's family's new house. While the house gets rebuilt, Ha Ni and her dad(Kang Nam Gil) stay at the home of her dad's childhood friend, who happens to be Seung-Jo's father. Now the two must live together and fun and chaos occurs as Ha Ni tries to win Seung-Jo's heart."

I loved this drama. However, I am not completely sure if I love the drama for the drama, or just because it is a remake of "It Started With a Kiss". You see, I've watched the anime, watched the taiwanese version, and even read some of the manga. Since it is the same exact story (more or less) I couldn't help but wonder if I am being biased. After all, when you love a series sometimes you love it so much that things that would normally matter in a drama (such as acting, production, directing, ect.) would be ignored because you are too focused on the story which you have always enjoyed. I do have to say, though, I found PK a bit more light-hearted than the previous versions, which is something I liked. Although I cannot accurately rate this drama, I do suggest taking a gander at this drama.


Little side note:
To the feminists to have an extreme view of this story: ladies, it's just a story. If you've been in love before, you know that there's always a submissive and dominant role in a relationship. Even if two stubborn people are stuck together, there will always be one of them that usually submits first. This is a story about an extreme dominant and an extreme submissive couple. Yes, you may not like that she is not a strong character, but that is her personality. Ladies, this is NOT a political statement, it's just a story. Let's try to move past the fact that the main character is a total blockhead and just enjoy the ride, shall we?

Sorry, I couldn't help it. It just annoys me that people make a drama out to be a political statement.