2012 kdrama half-time report

Since I’m in the middle of waiting for another round (or season?) of kdramas (broadcast delays in Korea because of Olympics pushed premieres), I thought this is a good time as any to finally write what I think about the kdramas I’ve watched for the first half of the year. So here are the kdramas I watched which started from January to June by order in which I watched them. Here we go!

(WARNING: Spoilers ahead)

Shut Up Flower Boy Band – this series has a unique appeal especially to the young demographic as it depicts the joys and pains of brotherhood (cue awesome bromance) among band members at the cusp of making it big in the industry. The characters are well-developed, even the fringe band members, and of course, the eye candy does not hurt. Tightly-written and well-paced, SUFBB had me downloading the songs and dreaming about an “alternative” lifestyle when it’s just you and your music (lol). The resolution at the end is very satisfying and speaks volumes on how to achieve your dreams, value your relationships with others, and finding your true self.

Sung Joon - Jaywalking

The cast is composed of up-and-comers and I was very impressed. Suffice to say, it had me google-ing stuff about INFINITE for a while (probably a week?) which I wouldn’t have imagined myself doing when I was confronted by these new crop of way too young for me boybands, hehe. The cinematography and locations were also well-chosen and had a real feel to it. The raw-ness of how everything was executed was a perfect fit to the essence of the drama.

Plus, it has a cameo by Lee Min Ki and Kim C, ‘nuff said. I almost got teary-eyed when Kim C suddenly appeared on the screen, since there was no news that he is in it (1n2d hangups, indulge me)

Verdict: Highly recommended, especially if you’re into coming-of-age stuff. Or into young rock bands, hehe

The Moon that Embraces the Sun – I don’t watch sageuks but I was peer-pressured by my officemates to watch this one. I relented since: 1.) it’s only 20 episodes, and 2.) you have Kim Soo Hyun AND Jung Il Woo. The plot is simpler than what I know of typical dramas of that genre. I think the appeal of the series lies more on the emotive and classy execution by the actors and how colourful the world itself is. Be prepared to cry buckets whenever the actors cry and you have Lyn’s awesome song in the background. While I liked it, I didn’t love it…don’t know, must be because of Han Ga In or her character, haha.

I think the largest (only?) gripe I have with the show is how they killed off Yang Myung. While I expect someone to die in a sageuk, this is one of the most senseless deaths I’ve seen. Why kill him off after the battle and by some wounded random archer that magically appeared at the door? What’s more annoying is that Yang Myung looks like he welcomed death at that point. Ugh. Might as well get killed during battle by one of those ministers or just ride off into the sunset since you can’t stay in a place where the love of your life is with your brother. *sigh*

Lyn - Back in Time

Verdict: Recommended. Make sure you have tissues near you.

Rooftop Prince – I wasn’t initially planning to pick this up since this is a time-travelling series (and I veer away from such themes since the endings are most of the time botched-up). But too much time on my hands during Holy Week gave me the opportunity to give the series a shot. So…hmmm…the first half of the series shows a lot of promise, too bad the latter half went nuts. Additional storylines which I seriously don’t care about were introduced and some of the things that I liked about it in the first place (i.e. the motley crew) faded. The mystery of the time travel only got resolved in the last episode (and the BuYong storyline was so sweet, such a waste to just show it at the end) and the love line resolution was half-baked for me (so, in the end, the guy was a reincarnation?).

Maybe if it the series was shorter (say, 16 episodes) and some of the storylines were dropped (I seriously don’t care about the additional mother and the siblings part, to makjang for my taste, and I got confused on what the truths and the lies are) it would be a better series. I like the lead pair though so that made me hang on until the end. This series definitely showed an improvement in Yoochun’s acting skills. It also has the trademark Baek Ji Young OST song, which is always a good thing in my book.

Baek Ji Young - After a Long Time

Verdict: Watch it if you have time and you like Yoochun. And if you want to revel on the uncanny resemblance between Han Ji Min and Kim Jung Eun.

King 2 Hearts – this is one of my highly-anticipated series (hello…Lee Seung Gi! Ha Ji Won!) and I prioritized this at first but delayed watching it when I started to pick up Rooftop Prince. This is probably one of the best cases to why I shouldn’t set my expectations too high since it might ruin my whole viewing experience. I was detached from this whole series since the tone and plot were more serious and layered than I thought. I guess I should’ve paid attention when they were marketing it as a melodrama (the Lee Seungi and Ha Ji Won character stereotypes were clouding my brain). When I also read that Won Bin was also offered the role, I was plain nuts thinking if this series will be more appealing to me IF Won Bin was cast (I can really see him in the role. But then again, it might make me MORE disappointed since there is not enough romance in the series to suit me).

Anyway, expectations aside, this was a solid drama and consistent. If you’re looking for a romantic fix (which was what I was hoping for), this is not the drama for you since the focus is more on the power struggle and the king’s journey to maturity. Watch this if you’re in for layered plots and some political intrigue.

Verdict: Watch if you’re looking for some serious, but not too serious, fare.

Queen In Hyun’s Man – WOW. Dare I say it? One of the best kdramas I’ve ever seen. To think that I wasn’t planning to watch this in the first place since it’s another time-travelling plot (got burned by Rooftop) and it’s in cable (which is hard to look for in cyberspace based on my experience with FBRS and SUFBB). I finally downloaded it when I saw the good initial reviews. Now, if you’re looking for a romantic fix, this is THE series to watch. Seriously, if the romance between the lead pair does not make you weak in the knees (or sweep you off your feet), you might have to swore off romance kdramas as a genre because this is one of the best dynamics I’ve seen from a lead pair. And to drive home the fact that the chemistry is so natural, the leads started dating afterwards. You can just imagine how neurotic I was that day when I got the news.

Watching this is a breeze and good for marathon sessions. The time-travelling element was expertly used and really drove the plot and not just a mere device that keeps the lead pair apart. This series got me hanging on the edge every single time – it will make you sublimely happy one moment, then make you fear for what will happen to them, then back again. It’s a whirlwind of emotions for the entire 16 episodes and you won’t be regretting it. Hell, even the sageuk parts were interesting, and in sufficient doses that a non-sageuk viewer like I can still appreciate. While some may have reservations in the last episode, I think the way it ended was still in keeping with how the series is.

Yoo In Na managed to make her potentially annoying character extremely loveable while Ji Hyun Woo shows how you can look hot even if your bloody and on the brink of death. And that song by Deok Hwan…*sigh*…one of the best OST songs ever used in a series. You’ll understand why when you watch it.

Deok Hwan - I'm Coming to See You

Verdict: if you only have room for one drama this year, this is it. If you just got out of a bad break-up, don’t watch this, it might make you go suicidal. I might be hyping this drama way too much, but, yeah, it’s awesome.

Big – I think this is one of the biggest disappointments in my kdrama watching history. Yep, this coming from someone who still stuck with Cinderella’s Sister until the end. K2H was a disappointment for me because of my expectations but is still arbitrarily a good drama. This on the other hand is a disappointment not only because of my expectations but because the plot itself for the most part makes me want to punch someone out of frustration. I don’t know what the Hong Sisters were drinking when they wrote this (can’t believe that this came in the wake of My GF is a Gumiho and Best Love). And I’m sad that this is Gong Yoo’s comeback drama from the army. Oh well, I don’t doubt that they’ll rebound with a better project next time.

The time-jumps were insane, especially at the end when you finally realize that you just wasted 16 hours of your life when you could’ve just watched 5-minute fanvids of Gong Yoo topless in youtube and get more gratification from it. How can the resolution of the conflict that’s the foundation of your entire plot happen off-screen?

Verdict: Avoid like the plague. Might as well watch other Gong Yoo and Hong Sisters projects

I do, I do – you can almost go no wrong with a Kim Sun Ah drama – at the very least, you would expect amazing acting chops from the whole experience. True enough, you got cute chemistry with this odd noona-dongsaeng relationship, with Lee Jang Woo holding his own in the series.

I haven't finished the series yet (I stopped halfway but I already downloaded the entire drama), but I already want to weigh in on what I thought  since I doubt it will change. The pace is a bit slow for my taste, especially for a premise that you pretty much know from the first episodes on how it will pan out. The steady and uneventful pace does not fuel much excitement out of me, hence the draggy  pace in which I also watch it. The only interesting portions are the ones with the lead pair, the rest are just ho-hum to me.

Verdict: Watch if you're a Kim Sun Ah and/or a Lee Jang Woo fan...and if you have a lot of time.