The Greatest Love

Rating: *****


Genre: Comedy, Romance
Episodes: 16
Cast:  Cha Seung Won, Choi Sung Min, Gong Hyo Jin, Yoon Kye Sang, Yoo In Na


SYNOPSIS:
Ae Jung is a female band member who is already over the hill.  She ends up getting entangled in a long triangle with the top star Jin and her ex-bandmate Kang Se Ri.  In order to make money, Ae Jung joins a dating variety show and meets Yoon Pil Joon, a doctor of oriental medicine who has no interest in the entertainment industry.



REVIEW:
This drama didn't disappoint me in the least.  I found no errors, and every episode was funny and enjoyable.  I guess I'm a bit biased, though, as I am a fan of the writers of this drama.  The Hong Sisters (Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran) have never written a drama that I did not thoroughly enjoy.  Their previous works include:

Delightful Girl Chun-hyang, KBS 2005
My Girl, SBS 2005-2006
Fantasy Couple, MBC 2006
Hong Gil Dong, KBS 2008
You’re Beautiful, SBS 2009

I know that this review probably isn't of much help as I haven't said much about the drama, but I really have nothing to say except for praises.  I'm a really biased source when it comes to the Hong Sisters.

tubeobsessed.blogspot.com

Manny

Rating: Not Rated

Genre: Comedy, Romance
Episodes: 16
Cast:Byun Jung Soo, Choi Jung Yoon, Suh Ji Suk, Jung Da Bin, Goo Seung Hyun

"Tall, with a perfect figure and his qualifications as an Ivy League graduate, Kim Yi Han is Seoul's top male nanny. He is employed by Seo Do Young as a live-in nanny to look after her two young children, Eun Bi and Jung Min."

 I watched thirteen episodes, and I really wanted to enjoy it as the plotline had such a good appeal, but I just couldn't finish the last few episodes.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll finish it and write more to this review, but I just couldn't go through with it.  Truthfully, after the first ten episodes, it became kind of annoying.  I didn't like any of the characters (except for the children), and it kind of forgot about the comedy completely after a while.  Although it's supposed to be a romantic comedy about a Manny, it slowly became a show about Janice's workplace.  I mean, it is good to have rounded characters and all, but there is a limit to how much you can show about a character the viewer doesn't even like.

IRIS

Rating: Not Rated

Genre: Romance, Mystery, Action, Thriller
Episodes: 20
Cast: Jung Joon Ho, Kim So Yun, Kim Tae Hee, Lee Byun Hun, T.O.P.


"Two elite National Security System (NSS) agents, Hyeong-Jun (Lee Byung-Hun) and Sa-Woo (Jeong Jun-Ho), who were sworn blood brothers, both fall for fellow agent Seung-Hee (Kim Tae-Hee). Sa-Woo attempts to suppress his feelings for Seung-Hee and wishes the couple the best. Hyeon-Jun is then sent off on a solo mission to Hungary. In Hungary, Hyeon-jun accomplishes his mission and while in escape mode becomes wounded. Shortly later, Hyeon-jun finds out that he was betrayed by fellow agent Sa-woo. Seung-Hee attempts to help Hyeon-Jun escape, but a car explosion separates the two and both are misled to believe that the other person are dead. Hyeon-Jun is then saved by an unknown voice and learns of the secret society "IRIS". One year later, Hyeon-Jun returns to Korea to seek revenge. During this time, the two Koreas are set to reunify, while the group "IRIS" are intent on stopping the reunification."

I really wanted to watch this drama, but I just couldn't handle finishing it.  I always hear glowing praises for IRIS, so I really wanted to see what it was about, but this drama just isn't my style.  There's nothing really wrong with the drama, I just have a specific style of drama that I enjoy.  Personally, I cannot stomach an action or romance film without any sort of comedic relief. If there isn't proper comedic relief, the viewer becomes stressed while watching the drama (or, in some case, loose interest).  Although it is not realistic to have comedy in the midst of a shootout, all dramas should have nice little moments in between battles so as to lessen the severity of the action sequences that can cause stress.  After all, real people cannot function well without some time of peace.

I Am Legend

Rating: ****.5

Genre: Music, Romance, Law
Episodes: 20
Cast: Kim Seung Soo, Jang Young Nam, Kim Jung Eun, Lee Joon Hyuk, Jang Shin Young

"Jun Seol starts a band to get her life back on track. She recently divorced her husband after realizing that she deserved to be treated better by her husband's family. Her band mates are also 'ahjummas' who also have personal problems of their own."

I personally found this show very addicting, but I heard many people say that there were things in the show that were disappointing. Although many viewers didn't like the ending, I felt that the ending was realistic.  Truthfully, I kind of always knew it would end the way it did, so it doesn't surprise me.  The only problem with a realistic ending, though, is that viewers don't usually enjoy reality.  Most viewers disregard realistic stories in favor of a fairy tale, as fairy tales tend to end beautifully.  Sometimes, however, it is refreshing to watch something that is not sugarcoated.

The next thing that a potential viewer might want to know before hand is that there are a lot of episodes that deal with law since her ex-husband is a lawyer.  Don't be surprised if an episode minimizes the music aspect in order to show more of her personal life and what she is going through at the time.

49 Days

Rating: *****

Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Episodes: 20
Cast: Jo Hyun Jae, Jung Il Woo, Lee Yo Won, Nam Gyu Ri, Bae Soo Bin

"A young woman named Ji Hyun was enjoying absolute bliss as she was about to be married with her fiancé, but her perfect life is shattered in a car accident that left her in a coma. She is given a second chance at life by a reaper, but it comes with a condition: she has to find three people outside of her family who would cry genuine tears for her. In order to do this, she borrows the body of Yi Kyung, a part-time employee at a convenience store."



Wow!  All I can say is "Wow!"  If you have been following my drama blog here on blogspot, you would know that I'm not much for sad dramas. 

However, in spite of my lack of interest in melodramatic nonsense, I was interested in the plotline of this drama from the start.  I waited for the drama to finish airing to start watching it, but I couldn't stop watching.  I was completely addicted even though there were times that it made me cry like a baby.

If you like this kind of genre, I think that this drama would be perfect for you.  Even if you don't usually enjoy this type of drama, though, 49 days might very well make you want more.

Is it just me, or would anyone else welcome a spin off drama (a comedy) of life with the scheduler?  This character just makes me smile.

That Fool

Rating: *****

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Cast: Hwang Jung Min, Joo Sang Wook, Kim Ah Joong, Lee Chung Ah, Lee Soo Young

"A story about a postman, Goo Dong Baek (Hwang Jung Min) and a top actress, Han Ji Soo (Kim Ah Joong) where their relationship begins because of a marriage contract for 6 months"

There are many different types of dramas; there are dramas that start off hilarious and end in misery, there are the dramas that never really get off the ground, and then there are the dramas that are the whole way through.  However, the one kind of drama I like the most is the kind that is amusing even in the worst possible situations without ruining the realistic side of the story.  That is the kind of drama "That Fool" is.

When I first tried to watch this drama, I couldn't get through the first episode.  I think that the first episode was the drama's only real kryptonite.  After all, dramas without a good beginning tend to be unnoticed.  However, when I went back to watching it after almost a year of putting it on the back burner, I found myself strangely addicted to this cliche drama.

Let's be honest here and just say that this kind of drama is not a new idea.  In fact, contract marriages or relationships are one of the most common romantic comedy dramas that I've seen.  However, this particular drama did a wonderful job.  There's no hidden meaning behind the script that tries to tell the audience what to believe.  It's just simple and enjoyable.

The only thing I have to really pick on, though, is the secondary male character.  The male rival was not a round character.  Much like the "good vs. evil" mentality, the writer didn't think to include anything that would suggest that he had real feelings.  He had no struggle whatsoever.  Although the writing was good enough to make me want to hate the character, I found it bothersome that they didn't really develop the secondary characters.

Happy 1 Year Anniversary!

This blog has officially been up and running for 1 full year!

I've been wondering a lot about what I want for this blog.  I've seen a lot of bloggers who review dramas, but I don't want to be like that.  I could dish out funny anecdotes that have nothing to do with the topic, or trash the characters, but that's not the main point of the blog.  The majority of television viewers don't read reviews in order to find out whether a certain character is annoying in your opinion.  Readers simply want to know the answer to the question, "Is it worth watching?"

That is the whole point of my blog.  This blog isn't to entertain viewers, it is simply a tool to help viewers find dramas that are worth watching.  If you want to read a whole page that never gets to the simple question of "Is it worth watching?", then fine.  There are plenty of blogs that will do that.  In fact, I can name a few names that do exactly that if you are interested.

I know that this is a bit random of me, but I really must express that this is not an entertainment blog.  I'm not here to keep you interested.  I'm here to give a short paragraph or two that sums up the pros and cons of a certain drama (along with a rating and some information about the drama in question) so that you can quickly find something you might like.

When I first started this blog, it was simply because I wanted to record what dramas I watched.  I would frequently start watching a show only to find that I had watched it before. 

You may have noticed that my posts have been more regular as of late.  This is because I have been scheduling ahead of time.  New posts will be automatically added every Monday at 12:00 AM EST so I'm sure that you'll always have a happy Monday.  That is, if you follow my blog. ;)

You may have also noticed that there are English grammar mistakes in my work.  You are right!  Good going there, buddy!  Yes, I do not edit my blog posts for grammar issues.  I probably should, as it probably looks bad, but this blog is my "happy place."   The moment I start editing my own blogs is the moment that this blog becomes a job.  In all honesty, I'm not going to put that much effort into something I'm not getting paid for.



Thank you, dear viewers, for sticking with me through this year.  I am very happy to have met the friends and fans that I have.  I hope that we have another great year of obsessing over television shows and films.

With much love,
Tube Obsessed   AKA  Maroon

She is Nineteen

Rating: ***.5

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Episodes: 16
Cast: Jung Da Bin, Kim Jae Won, Kim Min Hee, Seo Ji Hye, Yoo Kye Sang

"This series is about a 19 year old girl, Yoo Min who was being abandoned after the death of her mother. She lives alone with her adopted brother, Kang-Pyo. She accidentally meets Seung-Jae, the younger brother of Min-Jae. By chance, Yoo Min actually had a crush with Min-Jae, a doctor who treats her brother illness for a long time. To fight off his mother demand, Min Jae gets in an engagement contract with Yoo Min and they all end up living at Min-Jae's house. Unexpectedly, Yoo Min and Seung-Jae are going to the same high school. From there, Seung-Jae secretly loves Yoo Min. On the other hand, Yoo Min's father who got amnesia from a car accident is looking for her again after 15 years old she had been abandoned by her neighbors. The conflict comes when the people who living in Min Jae's house are actually related to Yoo Min's abandonment. They are the neighbors who stole the inheritance and abandoned her when she was four year old."

 This drama is one of those dramas that you watch when you're bored.  I mean, it's not bad, but it's not a drama that you'd watch over and over again.  The genre states that it's comedy, but I have to disagree.  Although it has a few cute moments, it is definitely a drama.  You might be asking why I look down on this drama.  Well, the fact is simple.  A television series is a marathon, not a sprint.  Writers that choose to use all their tricks in the first few episodes end up losing half of their viewership in the middle of the drama because it starts to lag.  When a drama starts out hilarious, viewers tend to think that the pattern will continue.  However, in this drama, the hilarity eventually disappears altogether and never comes back.  It's a fine drama for when you have nothing else to do, but it gets really slow toward the end.

The first thing I have to pick on is the music.  What in the world is up with the background music?  Can't they find anything else?  They'll show an extremely sad scene, yet they'll have upbeat classical music to it.  The classical music is that one song that dramas add to scenes were something just happened or something is in the works.  It's fine to use the music for most of the drama, but sometimes it just didn't work.  Also, they really only had two musical selections.  It got kind of annoying by the end of the series.

Although there's nothing wrong with the series itself, I have to pick on an actor.  It has nothing to do with the drama, but Kim Jae Won has the hugest smile I've ever seen.  It almost reminds me of Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece lol.  Whenever he smiles, his mouth takes up like a quarter of his face XD

Good Morning Shanghai

Rating: ****.5

Genre: Romance
Episodes: 24
Cast: Shawn Yue, Jang Na Ra, Yan Kuan, Yang Xue

"You Hao Yun is a Korean who lives in Shanghai with her family. Her biggest dream is to become a famous pianist. Wanting to move away from her family Hao Yun and her friend Xiao Mei rents an apartment, but later she finds out that there is no empty apartment and that the estate agent had run away with their money. Not having time to take care of his son, Wang Zhi Hao offers Hao Yun a job as a nanny and a place to stay. So Hao Yun who is too afraid to tell her parents about the incident agrees to take the job as a nanny. So they sign a 3-month-contract... This is also a story about following your dreams and confronting your fears."

I think this is one of my favorite romance dramas ever.  Normally I don't like romances unless they are funny, but this one was really enjoyable.  Unlike some cliche dramas where the guy doesn't believe the girl until he finds out he was wrong, this drama highlights the importance of trust in a relationship.  Although there will be misunderstandings in a relationship, sometimes you just have to trust that your friends or the person you love wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt you.  We live in a world in which we are guilty until proven innocent in the eyes of our most trusted friends.  Even though we should be giving the people we love the benefit of the doubt, we tend to think the worst in people.

Although this kind of plot has been used before, I find the story and characters quite unique.  The characters are round and the story is entertaining.  There are some things that aren't really realistic, but I can let it go since it's just a drama.

I do find it funny, though, that her family is supposed to be Korean yet none of the family members look Korean.  I don't know about other countries, but usually families speak their native language in their homes or a combination of their native language and the language of the country they are in.  I find it kind of odd that the family never really puts any Korean words or phrases into their every day language.  Even if families move to another country, they rarely let go of their native language completely in their own homes.  There was only two Korean phrases in the whole drama even though half of the characters were supposed to be Korean.

Demi God Semi Devil

Rating: ***.5

Genre: Wuxia, Fantasy, Adventure
Episodes: 40
Cast: Liu Yi Fei, Gao Hu, Hu Jun, Jimmy Lin, Liu Tao

"Tian Long Ba Bu is an adaption of a Jin Yong novel of the same name. The epic centers around the Beggar Leader Qiao Feng, the Dali Prince Duan Yu and the Shaolin Monk Xu Zhu. Each of their stories are interweaved throughout the show and finally clash and join at the climax of the story. Qiao Feng's story is his quest to find his real identity and the mystery surrounding an event that occured 30 years prior that left him as an orphan. Duan Yu's story covers his meetings with many of his half sisters that he did not know he had (thanks to his adventurous dad during his young days) and the battle with Duan Yuan Qing as the rightful ruler of Dali. Xu Zhu is a lowly Shaolin Monk who gets caught in the middle of an internal struggle of the Care Free Sect, one of the most powerful and secretative sects around. Their stories take place during the Northern Song Dynasty and across warring kingdoms of Song, Liao, Dali, and Western Xia."

I liked this drama, I really did.  However, I did not enjoy the beginning and end very much.  I have to agree that the beginning and end were a bit rushed.  Then again, I guess it's because in the original novel the story is also rushed.  In all honesty, I didn't really like Qiao Feng's story at all.  I loved Duan Yu and Xu Zhu's stories as they were funny and enjoyable, but Qiao Feng's story was just kind of annoying.  If it weren't for the two other main characters, I wouldn't have even watched it.

I kind of like the fact that they just switch actors when the characters are supposed to be in disguise.  It made it kind of funny and I bet it was a lot easier for the make up artists then to have to create a disguise for the actors.  As far as the acting goes, I didn't pay too much attention to it.  I'm kind of a sucker for Jimmy Lin just because he makes me laugh.  There are certain actors that can make people laugh just by their expressions, and Jimmy is one of them.

Funny Note: Guy gets hit in the face with a twig on Episode 11 around 12:23