The Moon That Conceals The Sun

Rating: ****


Genre: Fantasy, Period Drama , Romance
Episodes: 20
Cast: Han Ga In, Han Jin Hee, Jung Il woo, Kim Soo Hyun, Yeo Jin Goo


SYNOPSIS:
"Historical drama "The Moon Embracing The Sun" tells a love story between King Lee Hwon (Kim Soo-Hyun) and a female shaman named Wol (Han Ga-In). Wol was born from a noble family and became the crown princess, but she was entrapped and faced execution. Finally, she lived as a shaman. "




REVIEW:
What can I possibly say?  I think my rating said it all.

MBC really did a great job with this drama.  It is simple, addicting, and just short of amazing.  There were a few little errors here and there, but I think they did a really wonderful job with this drama.  The biggest thing was the child actors, though.  Whoever cast these little actors really needs an award.  I think they really did great in the casting.  Not only did they have similar presences as the actors that played the older characters, but the kids did really wonderful on their acting.  I definitely recommend this drama for anyone who likes Joeson period dramas.

What did you think of this drama? Comment below!


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Warrior Baek Dong Soo

Rating: (Not Rated - See Below)


Genre: Period Drama
Episodes: 29
Cast:  Choi Min Soo, Yoo Seung Ho, Yoon Ji Min, Yoon So Yi, Ji Chang Wook


SYNOPSIS:
"Set in the Joseon Dynasty during King Jeongjo’s reign, this martial-arts fusion sageuk is centered around the events involving Crown Prince Sado’s conspiracy. Warrior Baek Dong Soo was a real-life legend who created a martial arts guide in Joseon. His group who defends King Jeongjo is pitted against a mysterious organization of assassins who plot to kill the King."


REVIEW:
As some may know, I helped in the subtitling process for this show on Viki.  As such, I have to wonder whether or not the influenced my view on the drama.  That being said, I don't think I can properly review it.  Although it's probably worth watching again, I've seen it too many times because I was working on it. XD

Although I went fangirl for this drama, since there are some smexy actors in this one, I cannot say that the production was spotless.  Let's be honest here, the blood stains look like coolaid.  Do they not know that blood stains turn brownish after a little while?  (Sorry if I assumed wrong here, but I think the person who applied the fake blood was a man.  Most women know what blood looks like.)

On a final note, I think there was an issue with Episode 13.  Notice the sword is bloody before going into the person's body (even though it hadn't slashed anyone prior to its use), but it is clean when it's coming out of the body.  Isn't that a bit backwards?  If I'm wrong, please correct me, but it looks like the person who did the blood should have been fired.

What did you think of this drama? Comment below!


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The Duo

Rating: (Not Rated - See below)


Genre: Period Drama
Episodes: 32
Cast: Chun Jung Myung, Han Ji Hye, Kang Ji Sub, Lee Moon Shik, Lee Sang Yoon


SYNOPSIS:
"The drama tells the story of two men who were switched at birth. Chun Dong, born of noble birth, lives his life as a slave while Gwi Dong lives Chun Dong's life as a nobleman. They both fall in love with the same girl, Dong Nyeo."



REVIEW:
Although I liked watching it, I don't think I would watch it again.  Truthfully, it wasn't as great as I thought it was going to be.  The acting and film production is top notch, but that doesn't stop the script from being sub par.  I know that many viewers will probably throw rotten tomatoes at me, but this is just my opinion.

Although it is a good character study, it doesn't have the makings of an addicting story.  When you are watching a good drama or reading a story, you always have a person to root for.  The audience of the story end up becoming one with the main character(s).  They laugh, cry, and root for the protagonist.  However, this story just makes the viewer lost.  What is the main plot?  Yes, they were switched right after birth, but that's not the main point to the story.  Without a main idea, it is not a story.  I mean, if this was a historical drama it wouldn't be so bad since they would be following the history of a certain person, but this is fiction.  You can't have a good fiction without having a goal being reached in the end.

P.S. Anyone else think that the ending was kind of unrealistic?


What did you think of this drama? Comment below!


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Jewel In The Palace

Rating: *****


Genre: Period Drama
Episodes: 54
Cast: Hong Ri Na, Im Ho, Ji Jin Hee, Lee Youn Ae, Yang Mi Kyung


SYNOPSIS:
"About 500 years ago during the time of Chosun Dynasty, Korea boasted a rigidly hierarchical and male dominated social structure. Set in this period, "Jewel in the Palace" is based on a true story about a legendary girl (Jang-Geum) who became the first woman to be the supreme royal physician of her times. Despite her poor condition as a low class girl in the male dominated society, Jang-Geum overcame a series of social discrimination and landed herself as a royal cook, later becoming the royal physician, then ultimately the physician in charge of the king. She was even given by the king the title "The Great Jang-Geum". The story of her checkered life on her success and breakdown as well as her love story beautifully unfold. "Jewel in the Palace" is sure to touch your heart."


REVIEW:
Jewel In The Palace, also named Dae Jang Geum, is a very popular drama series.  Truthfully, I wasn't really that interested in it.  However, since there were many viewers that recommended it, I decided to give it a chance.  Much of the cast I've seen in other dramas, and they did wonderful.  I very much enjoyed it, even though there were some scenes I just closed my eyes.  I can watch someone cutting up a fake body, or even effects that make it look like a head has been chopped off, but I can't stand to watch someone putting needles into someone else's body.

This drama will make you hungry by showing you people making food and then will make you want to puke by hearing about what they used to put in people's medicine.  That being said, your weight will eventually balance out by the end of this drama.

The only error I saw that was a big issue was the person who made the food for the drama.  Couldn't they have picked a thinner person to represent Jang Geum's hands?  It's like she suddenly gains 50+ pounds whenever she is making food.  I know I say that I gain weight just watching them cook, but that is just ridiculous.

P.S. Don't expect this to be in any way historical.  Although it's supposed to be about the first female physician, it doesn't seem to have any reference to actual historical documents.

What did you think of this drama? Comment below!


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Ballad of Suh Dong

Rating: ****


Genre: Drama, Period Drama, Historical
Episodes: 55
Cast: Han In Soo, Jo Hyun Jae, Koo Hye Sun, Lee Bo Young, Ryu Jin


SYNOPSIS:
""Sodongyo" is said to be one of Korea's oldest folk songs. According to Samgukyusa (The Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) from the Silla Kingdom, the song was written by Sodong, a commoner from the Paekche Kingdom. Hearing that Princess Sonhwa, a daughter of King Chinpyong of the Silla Kingdom was beautiful, he writes a song saying that the princess visits Sodong's room every night and spreads the song around. When her father hears the song, he condemns the princess to exile. Sodong picks her up and takes her to Paekche, and they become the royal couple of the country."


REVIEW:
Just hearing the synopsis of this drama really made me want to watch it.  The thought of a guy spreading around that song made me laugh pretty hard.  However, a viewer should remember that the actual story isn't always as wonderful as the synopsis.  The synopsis kind of makes it seem more silly than the actual story, but you mustn't be disappointed.  Although 55 episodes is a bit of a hard watch, it's definitely worthwhile.

Again, this review has been on the back burner for about a month so I kind of forgot about it for a while.  That being said, I kind of forgot some of the details by now.  However, this post will be updated if I can remember what I was going to say about it. >.<

What did you think of this drama? Comment below!


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Legend

Rating: ****


Genre: Period Drama
Episodes: 24
Cast: Bae Yong Jun, Choi Min Soo, Lee Ji Ah, Moon So Ri, Oh Kwang Rok


SYNOPSIS:
"This drama portrays the life of the 19th king of Goguryeo, Hwanwoong, who was sent from the heavens to make the world a better place. He falls in love with Saeoh and gives her the joojak necklace; however, Kajin becomes jealous since Saeoh has given birth to Hwanwoong's son. She takes the baby and throws him off a cliff. Saeoh, thinking that her son had died, is overcome with grief and turns into the black joojak to destroy the world. Hwanwoong is the only one who could stop her. Afterwords, Hwanwoong returns to the Heavens and prophecizes that, 2,000 years later, the true Joo Shin king will come to Earth. With the help of the four gods, he will rebuild Joo Shin."


REVIEW:
I enjoyed this drama very much.  Although there were some errors in the special effects department, the show made me an addict for a few days.

Unfortunately, though, I kind of put off writing this review for a month. So, basically, I can't remember what I was going to write about.  My laziness is really getting out of control.  In any case, I hope you enjoy this series.  If I remember something else about this series, I'll update this post later on.

What did you think of this drama? Comment below!


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The Kingdom Of The Winds

Rating: ****


Genre: Fantasy, Period Drama
Episodes: 36
Cast: Choi Jung Won, Kim Hye Sung, Jung Jin Young, Park Gun Hyung, Song Il Gook


SYNOPSIS:
"The drama about the life of Jumong's grandson, Moo Hyul, who later became Daemusin. it features Song Il-Guk as King Daemushin of the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C.-A.D. 668).  Moo Hyul was born with a curse to kill his parent, siblings, son and destroy Goguryeo."



REVIEW:
Song Il Gook has once again made me addicted.  After playing Jumong in 2006, he came back to play Jumong's grandson Moo Hyul.  I love the fact that he plays Moo Hyul after playing Jumong because it makes it very easy to watch the Kingdom of the Winds right after watching Jumong.

Although addicting, I cannot say that there were no errors.  In fact, this had a lot more errors than the 81 episodes of Jumong.  I would list them, but I was too lazy to do so when I was watching.  I think that I'll let it go for now.

P.S. Did anyone else think that Kim Hye Sung (as Prince Yeo Jin) looked really feminine?  When I first saw him in the drama, I couldn't tell if he was a girl or a guy.

What did you think of this drama? Comment below!


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Jumong

Rating: *****


Genre: Historical, Period Drama
Episodes: 81
Cast: Kim Seung Soo, Han Hye Jin, Hu Joon Ho, Song Il Gook, Song Ji Hyo


SYNOPSIS:
"Meet a hero bigger than the myth.Alexander, Genghis Khan, we have the hero who overwhelmed his generation and changed history, Jumong! Up to now we have been used to dramas dealing with the history of kings and knights but now we are about to challenge in creating a drama with the birth of a true hero. A name only remembered as a myth. Get ready to meet Jumong, the hero who opened up the skies of the Old Joseon, which was once ours, by fighting thousands and thousands of armies.Meet the love even bigger than the history.‘Love’ seems to be the one common denominator across people of all generations and nations. ‘Love’ gets swept away with the waves of time and also gets hurt with biased views in societies, but it also creates a new kind of history by wrestling against adversity and the trials of time. True love, which is uncommonly seen in history, is re-drawn through the drama of our once forgotten history.Through the wisdom and courage of Korea’s first queen So Seo-no..."


REVIEW:
Completely addicting.  I mean, wow!  What could I possibly say about this drama?  Action, adventure, comedy, history, and myth are all fused into one amazing story.  Now, I cannot say (without a doubt) that there were no mistakes.  As I've said many times before, a long drama is like a marathon.  However, this drama won in the end.

I think the only problem with this drama is that there is a monopoly on it.  I couldn't find many episodes on any site other than crunchyroll.  Also, whoever did the subtitles (I think it was WITH S2) did not do a great job in QCing them.  There were times when you couldn't read the subtitles because they disappeared too fast, and Mr. Unavoidable continued to show up.  I think you will understand what I mean if you watch it, but don't worry if you have no idea what I'm talking about. 

As far as the storyline is concerned, my favorite couple was the slash couple.  Everytime I saw Bae Su-bin I started cracking up.  Bae Su-bin, saranghae~!  Daisuki~!  Wo ai ni~!  I've seen the actor before, and I'm still a big fan.  He definitely made Sa Yong my favorite character in the whole series.  Sorry, Song Il Gook.  Jumong may be the main character, but I still like Sa Yong better for some reason.

What did you think of this drama? Comment below!


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Yi San

Rating:*****


Genre: Historical, Period Drama
Episodes: 77
Cast: Han Ji Min, Lee Jong Soo, Lee Seo Jin, Park Eun Hye, Sung Hyun Ah


SYNOPSIS:
"This drama is about the life of King Jeong-Jo, Joseon’s 22nd Monarch, who is remembered in Korean history as one of Korea’s greatest Kings who loved the people and reigned for the commoner."




REVIEW:
Wonderful! :)

Let me just say, before I continue in my review, that I really did not want to watch this drama.  Truthfully, the magnitude of the episodes pretty much freaked me out.  I mean, seventy-seven one hour long episodes is a very long drama.  I hate committing to things, so committing to such a long drama kind of freaked me out.  However, I have to say that it was worth it.  The story, characters, and the way it was shown was wonderful.  I also feel that it followed the history pretty well, even though many of the elements are most likely fictional.  The male lead, Lee Seo Jin, is wonderful.  Then again, I'm probably biased because I love his dimpled smile.  Kawaii~!

*CoughCough*  Anyway....  -.-"  Back to the review.

There were a few things that I didn't really think were that great, though.  The whole eunuch situation in the beginning kind of grossed me out a bit.  I know that they were trying to show the way someone becomes a eunuch, as well as Park Dae's background, but I found it a little....  Well...  I found it to be a little excessive.  I think there were a lot of scenes that didn't need to be that realistic, if you know what I'm saying.  There were also a few mistakes, such as lighting errors.  However, this wasn't a huge deal, so I won't make too much of it.  (By the way, I guess the Dae Su's uncle, the eunich, must have been related to the musical director in the drama Dong Yi lol.  They are played by the same person!)
 
P.S. Did anyone else mistake the dragon on the Crown Princes' headband to be the number 25?  At first glance, on episode five at 2:57, I thought that was a 25 on his headband.  I kept wondering why they would have numbers in a period drama before I realized it was supposed to be a dragon.

What did you think of this drama? Comment below!


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Painter of the Wind

Rating:****


Genre: Period Drama
Episodes: 20
Cast: Im Ji Eun, Moon Geun Young, Park Geun Young, Park Shin Yang, Bae Soo Bin, Moon Chae Won


SYNOPSIS:
"Shin Yoon Bok is a talented painter who disguises herself as a boy to search for her father’s murderer and meets a master painter who guides her into being a great painter. Kim Hong Do is the man who teaches Yoon Bok how to paint, and they develop a strong friendship of mentor and disciple."


REVIEW:
In all honesty, this drama just wasn't my style.  Although I enjoyed it because I enjoy painting, I didn't really like it as much as I could have if it had a bit of comedy in it.  The romance in it was...  Well...  The romance was a little uncomfortable to watch, to say the least.  The way she spoke and looked at women when she was dressed as a man was creepy.  I mean, I really didn't know how to react about that.  She really looked like a pretty boy that was in love with a woman.  What's just as uncomfortable is the romantic like relationship between the two main characters.  The characters are supposed to be like 13 years apart, but it looks more like 20.  It seems like they could be in another drama together as a father and daughter and no one would bat an eye.

I hope I'm not scaring you away from this drama, though.  Even though there were things I didn't enjoy, I think this is (overall) a good drama.  If you like painting or period dramas, you'll most likely enjoy this.

What did you think of this drama?  Comment below!
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Queen Seon Deok

Rating: *****


Genre: Historical, Period Drama
Episodes: 62
Cast: Ho Hyun Jung, Kim Nam Gil, Lee Yo Won, Park Ye Jin, Uhm Tae Woong


SYNOPSIS:
"Dukman (lee yo won) was born a twin but was abandoned as a baby and sent to a place far away by her father, King Jinpyeong (park ye jin) in order to protect her from being killed by an influenced royal court lady, Mishil (ko hyeong jeong) who tries to snatch away the throne from the royal successor. Dukman was later brought back to the Silla palace, where she joined forces with her twin sister Princess Cheonmyong to oppose Mishil. However, Mishil devised sinister plans to have the two Silla princesses exiled from the kingdom, and in a secretive battle, Princess Cheonmyong was accidentally killed. But Princess Dukman shrewdly enlisted the help of General Kim Yusin (uhm tae woong) and eliminated her archenemy Mishil. She then became Queen Seon Duk, the first female ruler of the Silla kingdom. This drama is about a story of a beautiful queen, who has to give up her love to save the people and thus, leaving behind many brilliant achievements..."


REVIEW:
As you may already know, I've never been quite interested in long non-fiction based dramas.  Usually dramas that are based on actual history tend to be boring, but I found Queen Seon Deok very addicting.  Despite it being sixty two episodes, I was never bored throughout the sixty-two hours that I spent watching it.  It's quite surprising that I was able to sit through such a long drama without getting bored.  As far as the actual film goes, there were a few inconsistencies and errors.  However, considering how long this drama is, it would be a miracle if it didn't have errors.  After all, a long drama is a marathon and it takes a lot of time to make it to the finish line.  I think my favorite character in the whole drama was Bidam.  Kim Nam Gil never disappoints, and the character is not only funny, but grows into a character that the viewer loves even though he isn't a great person.  I also loved Ho Hyun Jung in her role as Mi Shil.  She has that aura that really takes over the screen.

P.S. Did anyone notice that straw hat that looked like it was taped over with duct tape?  Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't think they invented duct tape before that time period.

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Tempted Again / Tamna the Island

Rating: *****

Genre: Period Drama
Episodes: 16
Cast: Seo woo (Jang Beo Jin), Im Joo Hwan (Park Kyu), Pierre Deporte (William Spencer), Lee Sun Ho (Yan Kawamura)


"The drama is based on a manhwa with the same title. Tamna the Island is set in 17th-century Joseon times as a young English castaway, William, comes to the island and meets Jang Beo Jin, Park Kyu, and Yan. The name "Tamna" refers to what is now called Jeju."

I've glanced over this drama many times and was never really interested in it. To be completely honest it has just about the most boring synopsis in the world. However, I really enjoyed it. I was surprised how much I loved it. Now normally I would take off points if it had cultural references that weren't around back then. Considering it was very consistent, though, I'll let them off. The script was very fun and the plot wasn't stressful like some dramas are.

On another note, I found the names pretty funny. William mistakes "Beo Jin" for "virgin" and "Park Kyu" for "f*** you" in the beginning, and every time after that I kept hearing his versions of their names. It was pretty amusing. In any case, this is definitely a drama to check out. It may have a boring synopsis, but it's a really wonderful story.

Strongest Chil Woo

Rating: ****

Genre: Period Drama
Episodes: 20
Cast: Eric, Lee Eun, Jun Noh Min, Koo Hye Sun, Yoo Ah In

"Kang Chil Woo is a lowly officer during the Joseon era. Chil Woo is not a very smart and one of his life long goals is to become a midlevel officer. However when night falls, he is no longer that low level officer but instead a top assassin in an assassination organization. He gives out punishment to criminals and gives justice where needed. So Yoon and Chil Woo have a tragic love story. Yeon Doo is the daughter of a fallen yangban who owns a textile shop. She falls in love with Chil Woo after he rescues her from thugs who were harassing her. "


Strongest Chil Woo is a lot like spray can cheese. It's fun and cheesy with just about no nutrition in it. The drama is a very light take on more serious situations. You'd think that the characters in this drama (who've all gone through many trials and tribulations) would be a bit more serious. However, I kind of found the silliness quite fun. Even though there were "transformation sequences" like in power rangers (lmao), and the fighting scenes were a bit unrealistic it still was interesting enough to keep me hooked.

P.S. I never knew how gorgeous Yoo Ah In could be before this drama. I swear, when he has his long wig on he looks so pretty. I'm jealous. I wish I could look as good as him hehe XD

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...

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.

Iljimae

Rating: ****

Genre: Action, Adventure, Historical, Period Drama
Episodes: 20
Cast: Han Hyo Joo, Kim Chang Wan, Lee Jun Ki, Lee Young Ah, Park Shi Hoo

"Set during the Joseon Dynasty, Yong acted as a hooligan in the marketplace by day but at night he was a thief who robbed corrupted government officials to give to the poor. After each robbery he left behind a painting depicting a plum tree branch to make his mark and was thus named Iljimae. His main purpose was not so much to rob but to search for the owner of a specially designed sword which he saw as a child was used to kill his father, a loyal subject of the emperor. Eun Chae is a government official's daughter who despite her upbringing has a lot of empathy towards the poor. She met Iljimae by chance and couldn't help admiring him for what he stood for even though she had never seen his face."

For the most part, I usually just stick to the heartfelt comedies. However, I somehow found myself watching this show and got hooked. Although the first episode isn't the most interesting thing in the world, the story really sucks you in. Lee Jun Ki did a wonderful job of playing the smexy Iljimae. Although I'm not completely sure about the ending, I completely and utterly loved this series and would gladly watch it again.