KDrama Review 8 [Personal Taste]

This might be my last review for a while since i'm starting school again, however the show i'm about to review is one that I believe will hold you over until I can write a new one. So here's my review of Personal Taste.

BE WARNED THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

SYNOPSIS: Jeon Jin Ho is a man who loves cleanliness, organization, and order. Though he seldom shows his own emotions he has a talent for figuring out the feelings of women. So when Park Kae In decides to rent out a room in her house after her ex-friend In Hee moves out after betraying her by almost marring her now ex-boyfriend Chang Ryul. Kae In comes to a misunderstandings and believes that Jin Ho is gay. Therefore she has no problem renting him a room in her house since he would be no threat to her. The two soon come find out more about each other and end up forming feelings for each other.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

Son Ye Jin as Park Kae In [She is the daughter of a famous architect who often finds herself taken advantage of because of her naive and forgiving nature. She designs furniture just like her mother once did, however she has had little success.]

Lee Min Ho as Jeon Jin Ho [He is an architect whose whole life has been dedicated to becoming a successful architect who can restore his family name.]

Kim Ji Suk as Han Chang Ryul [He is the son of a highly reguarded architect who often beats Jin Ho in design compations by underhanded means. He was dating Kae In out of pitty and ended dumping her only to try and marry In Hee.]

Wang Ji Hye as Kim In Hee [After her parents died she moved in with Kae In and lived with her for ten years. She has always hated that Kae In has always had everything handed to her so she set out to seal every boyfriend Kae In has ever had.]

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:

Ryu Seung Ryong as Choi Do Bin [The director of the Art museum he is a man that often keeps to his self.]

Jo Eun Ji as Lee Young Sun [Kae In's best friend, she is a women who hates to see her friend taken advantage of. She is often the voice of reason and wisdom for Kae In.]

Jung Sung Hwa as No Sang Joon [Jin Ho's right hand man at his design firm and fake lover.]

Choi Eun Seo as Na Hye Mi [She is very close with Jin Ho's family and in love with him even though he clearly has no romantic feelings for her.]

Im Seul Ong as Kim Tae Hoon [An office worker at Jin Ho's firm he's in love with Hye Mi and often causes problems for Jin Ho.]

Ahn Suk Hwan as Han Yoon Sub [Chang Ryul's father.]

ACTING: The acting was ok, at first I found Kae In so bland that her character left really no impression whatsoever which is a first for me. She did improve over time though and her acting near the end was great. I swear Lee Min Ho is starting to become one of my favorite male actors. Jin Ho's character was so well portrayed his lack of concern of what others think of him and the way he slowly show his feelings for Kae In was so well done. Chang Ryul was an impressive character to me, because you go from hating him to really pitting him. In Hee I felt was always a borderline villain though everything she did was evil it was never loath and hate her pass the point of return evil. My favorite actor in this whole show was Jung Sung Hwa who played Sang Joon. He was so funny yet caring, and his fake gay act was hilarious. I also enjoyed Young Sun her character was a welcome presences. One last shout out must go to Ryu Seung Ryong, he made director Choi's character interesting and complex it was amazing to see him act shy and unsure. Honestly the cast was pretty well rounded probably one of my favorite casts in a drama or at least one of my top five favorite casts.

PLOT OVERVIEW: As much as I love this show I have to admit that the plot was a bit of a mess. I was very confused as to why Hye Mi would be allowed to live with Jin Ho and his mother. From what I understand is that she left her family and friends to be with him and so it seems like she forced her way into their home. Maybe I just had bad subtitle translations but that's what I understood from the show. The whole story of what happened to Jin Ho's father I felt was also not very well explained, the story made it feel like Yoon Sub was personally responsible for killing him, as in with his own hands, however that turned out not to be the cause. Which brings me to why he had that scar on his face they never explain it. Also though I was really impressed with Kim Ji Suk's English speaking skills I felt like Julien Kang's cameo was unnecessary. Though I complain about it I still find the plot to be something new and fresh. The one thing I will say, and it's not really fair for me to complain about this because almost all k-dramas have it, and that is too much drama. I feel like often in shows I am just waiting for  that point in the show where everything goes terribly wrong or the main characters break up. Of course they are called Drama's for a reason and I know they do it to make it interesting, however it would be great to find a show that leaves the audience guessing. I began to like the show ten times more after they began to act as a couple. I also liked that the main couple, who live under the same roof actually act on their affections for each other unlike another show *coughFull Housecough*. This show really does have some of the cutest couple scenes ever. 

ENDING: Just like the main plot the ending was a bit of a mess. I felt they never really explained what happened to Jin Ho's father. Also after everything Chang Ryul did to Jin Ho I felt he got off a little to easy and In Hee definitely got off to easy for all the trouble she caused. Another thing that did not add up is how did Kae In survive the accident and her mother die it really makes no sense. As for all the couples, Hye Mi throughout the whole show refused to give up Jin Ho yet suddenly she is show all lovey dovey with Tae Hoon at the end. Also was I the only one who was sort of hoping that Sang Joon and Young Sun would end up together somehow. The break up was odd and their really there was no reason for it or behind it. I felt like the writers handled the final judging of the contest poorly because it was this big build up through out the whole show that everything depends on this result. Yet it was over in like five-seconds, there was no suspense it just seemed to fall flat. However I was happy with how the main couple ended up and I was happy with the very last scenes of the show.

SOUNDTRACK: The soundtrack was not bad it had some good songs but it was nothing amazing and only on occasion helped set the mood for the show.

RATING: Ok so on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the worst show I have ever seen and 10 being a show I could watch ever day I give it an 8. I so badly want to give this show a 9 or even a 10. However there were to many things left unexplained and some of the things they explained made no sense. I will say however that the acting was great and I really loved the couple and how they interacted with each other. Also the plot was something new and I really did over all like this show.


As always I encourage everyone to form their own opinion about a show or movie, these are simply my   views and reflections of what I felt about this drama.  

KDrama Review 7 [Full House]

Hello everyone, today I'm reviewing an old school K-Drama, one which features Rain. Have you guessed it yet, todays review will be over Full House.

BE WARNED THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

SYNOPSIS:  The story revolves around Han Ji Eun who is a struggling writer. She lives in a large house named Full House which was designed by her late father. Han Ji Eun is a bit naive and very trusting, so when her two friends tell her they are giving her an all expense paid trip China she takes it. While she is gone her friend sale her house and take the money. On her trip Ji Eun runs into a famous actor Lee Young Jae. The two have a less then charming first meeting, however when Ji Eun finds herself stranded in China with no money to get home. She goes to Young Jae and lies that she is a friend of his friend's. Young Jae gives her the money she needs so she can return home to Korea. Ji Eun soon discovers that her troubles have only doubled as she discovers that her house has been sold to none other then Young Jae. Thus crazy events follow and the two end up not only living together but married.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

Rain as Lee Young Jae [A famous actor who is a tad bit OCD when it comes to house work and not very good at showing his feelings. He is in love with Hye Won, however he finds himself slowing falling for Ji Eunl.]

Song Hye Kyo as Han Ji Eun [A struggling writer, who is naive and too trusting of others. She at first hates Young Jae and his odd ways, and believes she holds feelings for Min Hyuk. However she can't help that her heart can't seem to forget Young Jae even when loving him hurts her.]

Han Eun Jung as Kang Hye Won [A designer who has been friends with Min Hyuk and Young Jae since they were nine. She has always had feelings for Min Hyuk, however he has not respond to her feelings and says he only viewers her as a younger sister. She then decides she will try and steal the attention of Young Jae as he is more then willing to give her his attention since he has been in love with her for a long time.]

Kim Sung Soo as Yoo Min Hyuk [He is a business man who has been friends with Young Jae and Hye Won for a long time. He is known as the man that all women want but never get, including Hye Won. So when he comes across Ji Eun he finds her innocent and naive nature refreshing and decides to pursue her even though she is married to Young Jae.]

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:

Jang Yong as Dr. Lee [Young Jae's father]

Kim Ji Young as [Young Jae's grandmother]

Kang Do Han as Dong Wook [Ji Eun's male best friend]

Lee Young Eun as Hee Jin [Ji Eun's female best friend]

ACTING: The acting was ok, nothing amazing, some characters were lacking and others were down right confusing. To me the most noticeable would be Young Jae who is first introduced as this player who jumps from bed to bed. He also has this great love and longing for Hye Won. However as the show goes on he seems a bit bipolar because one moment he is cool then he is childish, then he is angry the next he is caring. I guess it speaks to Rain's amazing acting skills, however I find the character to be a bit all over the place. I mean at the very end his character is shy, which kind of makes no sense to me since he had no problems sleeping around. Also Min Hyuk is a character who seems mislabeled from the start. He really seemed to give off this player type vide a true heartbreaker, however he never really shows anything to that effect in his personality. In truth if he really was that big of a creep he would tell Hye Won to continue liking him just to get the attention. However he tells her frankly and flat out that he see her as nothing more then a friend. On top of that he take very good care of Ji Eun and is patient with her. So even though they claim him to be a player I really never seem to see any evidence of that. Also don't get me wrong he hot as all hell and really can act but Kim Sung Soo's acting can seem a bit flat at times. I did like that Ji Eun's character was straight forward most of the time and said what was on her mind, most of the time lead female characters won't yell at the lead male or stand up for themselves but she had no problem putting her foot down.

PLOT OVERVIEW: The plot at first was nice, however as the show went on it really felt like they were simply re-hashing the same plot over and over again. First Young Jae would go spend time with Hye Won and leave Ji Eun to wait for him, she would get depressed and he would end up having to make it up to her. Or Ji Eun would meet with Min Hyuk and Young Jae would get mad and she would have to make it up to him. I was also really disappointed with the lack of romance between the two main characters. I mean even though they clearly were resisting each other for their own reasons, would it really hurt for them to have an accidental kiss or a hug every now and then. Also the whole thing with why Young Jae left school and his family really isn't well explained nor is his whole hang up with his little sisters death I mean it somewhat makes because it shows that he replaces taking care of his sister with Hy Won, however it just feels thrown in there. And another thing, what is with never showing Hee Jin progress in her pregnancy. Also I had a problem with was the supposed time-lapse that happens after they divorce, just because you straighten a characters hair does not mean it shows the passage of time lol. Lastly I want to address the major elephant in the room and that is the lack of sexual tension. Now I understand that this was shot in 2004 so I know that back in the day they use to be really strict on what could be shown on tv, but I mean come on. These are two characters who are clearly attracted to each other and live in the SAME house and are married, yet their seems to be no notice of each other. Now i'm not some kind of perv, just as a human-being I know that when you like someone you would to physically interact with them (not always meaning in a sexual way, just touching someones hand or a hug can be enough).

ENDING: Where to start, first off let me say I really didn't like the last episode. It made no sense for Ji Eun to suddenly have this drastic change in personality where she is no longer forgiving and a lot more cold. I understand that the writers were trying to make it seem as thought Ji Eun and Young Jae had switched places from when the series began, however I simply found it annoying to suddenly make her less likable. I really felt it was unnecessary to show a flashback of the whole series at the end. However I will say that I did like the scenes where they were finally acting like a couple, though it did make me sad that I had to wait until the very last episode to see it. Also the fact that Min Hyuk was so supportive of Young Jae after he not only hurt the girl he like but stole her away from him really confused me.

SOUNDTRACK: Once again I have a case of the music in the show and the soundtrack not matching up. I actually liked the OST, however in the show they would often play these random and quite annoying English songs in the background which seems so out of place.

RATING: Ok time to rate this show, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the worst show i've ever seen and 10 being a show I could watch ever day for the rest of my life I give it a 7. The plot after a while became to repetitive, the vast change in the characters at the end was a little annoying and the utter lack of romance between the two lead characters is what made me rate this a 7. It not a bad show by any means, it simply not my type of show since I like more romance over the span of many episodes, not all the romance crammed into one episode.


As always I encourage everyone to form their own opinion about a show or movie, these are simply my   views and reflections of what I felt about this drama.

KDrama Review 6 [Queen In Hyun's Man]

And i'm back again. So after I watched Rooftop Prince, many people in the comments were comparing Rooftop Prince and a show called Queen In Hyun's Man. The two have similar plot lines, since a male character comes from the past and ends up falling in love with a women in the future. However honestly, that's about all they have in common so it's not really fair to compare them. Allow me to tell you a little more about Queen In Hyun's Man and hopefully you will see what i'm talking about.

BE WARNED THAT THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

SYNOPSIS: The story revolves around Kim Boong Do, a scholar from the Joseon Dynasty who is working to help reinstate Queen In Hyun. Since his job is so dangerous, Yoon Wol a gisaeng gives him a talisman that she says will protect him. Later Kim Boong Do finds himself fighting for his life when an assassin aims his sword at Kim Boong Do's heart. Just as the sword is about to pierce his heart Kim Boong Do suddenly disappears and is transported to present time South Korea. There he meets a struggling actress Choi Hee Jin. As Kim Boong Do learns more about the future from Hee Jin, he starts to look at the records in at a library to learn about how things will play out in the past. Using the talisman Kim Boong Do jumps back and forth through time. Both to help the Queen reclaim her title in the past and to see Hee Jin who he has begin to fall in love with.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

Ji Hyun Woo as Kim Boong Do [He is a smart scholar and one with a great sense of justice. He is able to stay calm when presented with a problem and able to adapt quickly when in the future.]

Yoon In Na as Choi Hee Jin [She is a lovable yet sometimes foolish women who tends to give her heart too easily to others. Though she goofs around a lot in life, she is serious about her acting.]

Kim Jin Woo as Han Dong Min [He is an actor and ex-boyfriend of Hee Jin, whom he cheated on and then left. The two end up working together on a new TV show and Dong Min decides he wants to give it another try with Hee Jin. He is often childish and full of himself, however there are times when he does show genuine care for Hee Jin and wants to help her with her career.]

SUPPORTING CAST:

Ga Deuk Hi as Jo Soo Kyung [She is Hee Jin's roommate and manager. She is often the voice of reason for Hee Jin and constantly threatens to quite because of how random Hee Jin tends to act and her sometimes lack of care for her career. She is very cautious of Kim Boong Do because she does not want Hee Jin to suffer another heartbreak.]

Jin Ye Sol as Yoon Wol [Is a gisaeng (Gisaengs are performers and sometimes prostitutes) who holds a deep affection for Kim Boong Do. She has been with his household since she was little and cares greatly for him though she knows they could never be together due to their difference in status.]


ACTING: I have to say this is probably the most well rounded acting from a whole cast I have ever seen. From the extras, to the minor characters, to the main characters I was really blown away. The villains are really so conniving and evil, King Sukjong just seems so hot headed and really makes you worry about his rash decisions. Ga Deuk Hi did a great good as Hee Jin's manager. A lot of people were saying she was mean or annoying however I never once though that about her. Anything and everything she did was in the best interest of Hee Jin. As for the the main characters, Yoo In Na's acting was really great, she made the character feel like a real person. Her cute bubblyness made her endearing and the scenes where she cried I swear I shed a tear as well because you could really feel her characters sense of lose. Ji Hyun Woo's acting at first wasn't really anything impressive to me, because he was playing a character that I had seen many times before. Which is the noblemen from the Joseon period with a sense of justice and pride. However it was his interaction with Yoo In Na's character that really made him shine. To see him act oblivious and curious about things around him in the future. To see his character pick up phrases and actions like a smirk were just great. I would have to say that my favor performance of his was the last episode. There were just so many emotions for his character and he displayed them so well. Lastly there is my favorite character from the show and that is Han Dong Min who was played by Kim Jin Woo. Wow was all I could say when I first saw his character. It was refreshing to see an ex-boyfriend/arrogant actor who had some depth. Though Dong Min's character is a player and cheated on Hee Jin in the past, he really does come across someone who secretly wants to see her succeed and perhaps has seen the error of his ways with how badly he treated her. I love that he is childish and at times in his own little world since he really does seem to believe that the whole world revolves around him.

PLOT OVERVIEW: For the most part I don't really have that many complaints about the plot. When I first finished the show I felt somewhat underwhelmed by the whole thing. However it only took me a few seconds to realize that the reason I felt that way was because the plot was so simple. The writers didn't feel the need to create unnecessary drama for the characters by adding in a long lost relative or beating us over the head with a love triangle. They presented us with the problem of the two main character being in love, however they are from different times. Kim Boong Do also has to deal with the problem of taking care of things in the past and deciding if he can leave it all behind to be with Hee Jin in the future. Also a major and big plus for me, was they were quick to get to the romance. The only big issue I have is with the very first few minutes of the first episode when they showed the two of them meeting. I let it go hoping that they would explain it in future episodes or wrap it up in the end how they never addressed it again and frankly would have been better just leaving it out. Also another small complaint would the way they shot the first couple of episodes. They shot it like an action movie with slow-mo and whatnot and it just didn't seem to fit. They also shot it from really odd angles and had a number of split screen that really did not add to the show. In my opinion the worst thing you can do is remind your viewer that they are watching a show through fancy camera work. The best k-drama's I have ever seen are ones that draw me into their world and make me forget i'm watching a show.

ENDING: The ending I have almost no complaints about except one. What they did with Yoon Wol's character I felt was unnecessary and kind of thrown in there. However I loved the way they solved the final problem and found the ending very satisfying.

SOUNDTRACK: What a lovely soundtrack. I'm a sucker for instrumentals that use old school Korean instruments. Also the singers all had lovely voices and they complemented the storyline.

OST Part 1

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artists	Length
1.	"그대가 왔죠" (You've Come)	정호규, Pabaki, Mr.Sync	정호규, Pabaki, Mr.Sync	김소정 (Kim So-jung)	03:10
2.	"지금 만나러 갑니다" (I'm Coming To See You)	노는 어린이	노는 어린이	덕환 (Duk Hwan)	03:18
3.	"그대가 왔죠(Inst.)" (You've Come(Inst.))		정호규, Pabaki, Mr.Sync		03:10
4.	"지금 만나러 갑니다(Inst.)" (I'm Coming To See You(Inst.))		노는 어린이		03:18

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artists	Length
1.	"꼭 한번" (Just Once)	영재, 민연재	영재, 배기필	영재 (Young Jae of 4Men)	03:35
2.	"꼭 한번(Inst.)" (Just Once(Inst.))		영재, 배기필		03:35

OST Part

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artists	Length
1.	"같은 하늘 다른 시간에" (Same Sky, Different Time)	조현주	김도형	주희 (Joo Hee of 8Eight)	03:40
2.	"같은 하늘 다른 시간에(Inst.)" (Same Sky, Different Time(Inst.))		김도형		03:40

RATING:  Ok as for the rating. On a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being the worst drama I have ever seen and 10 being a show I could watch every day of my life I give it a 9. I simply cannot really come up with a complaint about this show. I love the characters, I really liked the plot, it really is a board-line 10, however it just did not give me that 10 feeling that Secret Garden gave me. However I would like to state that Queen In Hyun's Man has one of the hottest kiss scenes I have ever seen in a k-drama and I believe it also have the first scene in a k-drama (that i've seen) where the characters shot the middle finger and it was freaking hilarious.

EXTRA: Ok I felt like giving my opinion on the whole Rooftop Prince vs Queen In Hyun's Man thing. Honestly I feel like you can't even compare them. Rooftop Prince is a murder mystery with a lot of action and suspense with twist and turns at every corner. Queen In Hyun's Man is a love story, that is complicated by the troubles in Kim Boong Do's past. So which one would I suggest watching, my answer is both. They are both really amazing with great acting, good plot-lines. Though Rooftop Prince had a lot of serious themes and you often worry if things will turn out all right for the main couple. It still has a lot of comedic relief and sweet couple moments, it just takes a while to get to the romance. With Queen In Hyun's Man it really does not take that long for the main couple to realize their feelings for each other and act on them. However I really don't find the plot that suspenseful, honestly the whole show just has this feeling that everything will turn out all right, which there is nothing wrong with, it's just things began to feel expected.


As always I encourage everyone to form their own opinion about a show or movie, these are simply my   views and reflections of what I felt about this drama.