2012 year-end kdrama report

Well wouldn’t you know it, it’s already the end of the year! This serves as my review of the kdramas I’ve seen for the latter half of the year (read Part 1), wherein I kind of stretched my picks from what the time and space continuum can provide. Just like before, I’m presenting this by broadcast date. Here we go!

WARNING: Spoilers ahead.

A Gentleman’s Dignity – The fact that this is Jang Dong Gun’s TV series after a loooonnnggg time is a guaranteed hit. And it was – throw in three more ajusshis still in what they consider as the height of their lives and you got an enjoyable, almost like a Sex and the City but a guy version and more sanitized (this IS a Korean weekend series after all).

While the drama is pretty to look at, I mostly watched it more in a detached manner than I was expecting. Hmmm, maybe because I didn’t think the conflicts are too big enough, or at least to merit 20 episodes of it. Though the situations were interesting, I don’t find the characters particularly moving enough for me to rally behind their decisions. Oh and there’s something about Yoon Seung Ah that I don’t care for even with her previous projects, so her loveline with Kim Suro is literally a dud for me. While I’m neutral about Kim Ha Neul’s acting, there’s also something about her that stops me from feeling what she does. Oh well, at least she and Jang Dong Gun look beautiful onscreen.

Nonetheless, this is a beautifully-shot series, with plenty of eye candy to last you for months. Oh and it made Kim Min Jong rank high in my ajusshi crush list.

Verdict: Watch it if you’re a big Jang Dong Gun fan (like SOMEONE I know), or maybe if you’re in need of a hot ajusshi fix.

Reply 1997 – wow, TVN is definitely on a roll. Right on the heels of Queen In Hyun's Man, Reply 1997 became an unexpected hit. This series really makes one nostalgic about the good ol’ days, and while I wasn’t a notorious fangirl during my teens (I know, late bloomer, heh), all of the circumstances by the fantastic ensemble cast are so real and relatable.

The writing was superb, and it feels authentic that you immediately know that the writing team has gone through it in the 90’s. The fact that these are former 1N2D writers just about seals the deal for me. The realizations at the end of each episode are on target every time and we revel at the journey of each character as each go through high school and the years after.

While the lead pair (breakout performance by Seo In Guk and Eun Ji) definitely served their purpose well as the driving force behind the relationships intertwined in the drama, I think it’s the fact that Eun Ji Won and the countless meta references to him being the Sechs Kies leader just about got me hooked. And how cute is his character’s (Hak Chan) love line with Yoo Jung. GAH, I blame my 1N2D bias on this but yeah, all of their scenes are just adorable. AND we got a cameo from Writer Daeju (the maknae writer from 1N2D), how awesome is that? The series was chockfull of cameos from Gag Concert and the Happy Sunday lineup, mainly because of the KBS team who worked behind the series. My favourite cameo was definitely Shin Bong Sun as the H.O.T. fanclub – Busan chapter president hehehe.

Seo In Guk and Eun Ji - All for You

The music used was loads of fun, mostly hits of the '90s, and this series made me into a crazed Sechs Kies fangirl for weeks (yeah, can’t remember how many times I watched the YT videos of them in the late 90s, thank God someone recorded them hehe). What about seals the deal (in terms of the music choices) is when they used Deli Spice’s Go Baek (Confessions). Daym, the first time they used this, all images of The Classic (one of my favourite Korean movies) just about flooded my mind. This just about captures the uncertainties of when you’re in your teens – experiencing everything the first time and trying to figure it what it means given your own reality at each point.

Deli Spice - Go Baek

1TYM - Without You

Verdict: WATCH IT. Now. Really. Watch it.

Faith – Sigh. Too bad this series wasn’t what I hoped it would be except for countless scenes of Lee Min Ho and his mane of glory fan service (not complaining on that part). The world revolving the series is implied to be much larger than what is shown on screen, and it’s disappointing that both the directing and the writing fell short starting around four episodes into it. Because, hello, if you have characters with special powers ala Mortal Kombat characters, how in hell didn’t we get to see an epic showdown of all the powers? And how come only some of them do have powers while the others do not? Listening to javabeans’ and girlfriday’s take on the series in their podcast just about made sense as to why all of this happened.

The directing and editing were pretty much choppy that even my untrained eyes took notice. My biggest gripe: must ALL the romantic parts be in slow motion? I just about rolled my eyes every time that happens (it happens with every hand hold or meaningful side glance). And it happens A LOT. It’s like a cue from the director saying, “Hey, this is a romantic moment! It’s your time to feel it.” Well yeah, sorry, I didn’t feel much of it. Not that Lee Min Ho and Kim Hee Sun was a bad pairing, I just find it a shame that their story doesn’t hold much ground for me. Yes, even the life or death stakes didn’t move me *sigh*.

I’m not sure what should be done to make the series more interesting. It’s just that the series was obviously set up to be grander than what we actually saw. And there are a lot of fillers and uninteresting scenes (or maybe I’m just not really into sageuk, although I doubt that my sageuk-loving friends would tell me that this is a good member of that genre). And how come Philip Lee’s character didn’t become the proverbial second-lead to spark the lead pair more? Anyway, it’s an odd series, I’ll give it that.

Ali - Carry On

Verdict: Watch for some major Lee Min Ho eye-staring. Other than that, just watch something else.

Ma Boy – what a cute mini-series (just three episodes)! This is mostly fluff, like a Disney tv movie – no high stakes, just minor conflicts enough to get the narrative going. We have a boy pretending to be a girl at this case, which is a refreshing take on the gender-bending series in the past. The characters are mostly out of this world and so fun to watch. I like the kids starring in this – Sun Woong and Kim Soo Hyun – and while we don’t get an actual kissing scene (I guess it would be awkward given the real age gap), the heartwarming moments are on point.

Verdict: Watch it if you need a quick feel-good fix.

Ohlala Couple – oh boy, how I wished this series was an all-out romantic comedy. The latter half was too much of a downer compared to the first half which was helluva funny with the gender swap scenes. Maybe it’s because Shin Hyung Joon really embodied all the female sensibilities during scenes (as opposed to Hyun Bin in Secret Garden where you can see a man acting like a girl vs to a guy who is actually a girl) which made it enjoyable. At first I thought that finally we have a decent romantic comedy for this year.

Unfortunately, the latter half became too serious for my taste and headed into the typical mainstream, almost makjang, category. Maybe because SHJ’s character was painted as a huge asshole at the start that I find it hard to believe that he had his rude awakening and ended up with him still getting the girl. Not to mention, the story line with Kim Jung Eun’s first love was so cute especially at the start (played by Han Jae Suk, who spurred a whole bunch of memories whenever I see him due to All About Eve, and how awesome is it that JDG, another AAE alum also appeared this year) that I still can’t comprehend as to why she didn’t end up with him.

Verdict: Nah, just watch other romcoms in the previous years.

I Miss You – This series is already past half its run so I’m including it in the 2012 line-up. Well what can I say, if you have actors who can cry convincingly and prettily, you almost covered half of the requisite for a melodrama. Most of the time I steer away from this genre but the pull of Yoochun and Yoon Eun Hye headlining it is too strong to resist, not to mention Yoo Seung Ho’s holy-crap-you’re-not-a-kid-anymore transformation.

This is one of those series that you should watch in doses or else it will give you a headache with all the angst and oh god, the tears that you’ll see and might wring out for you. The plot points are trademark melodrama, I think there’s nothing new in terms of what is happening yet (the series will be finished in two weeks, we got some foreshadowing in episode 1 but I’m hoping to be blindsided). But what I guess what I Miss You makes it appealing to most (including me, someone who doesn’t like melos) is its amazing cinematography and acting. All the scenes are wonderful to look at, with good lighting I might add, that I’m strangely addicted to this series than what I was expecting. Not to mention that I cry easily, so yeah, I can’t begin to say how much tears I shed for the 15 hours I spent on this.

The scenes with the young counterparts at the first four episodes were amazing. I swear, Yeo Jin Goo (you're officially my Korean jailbait crush) and Kim Soo Hyun have bright careers ahead of them. They were both so into it that it was heartwrenching as to how the 15y/o arc ended. And how impressive is Yoochun’s acting! We can still get a glimpse of the boy he once was especially in his joking moments and yet see pained man underneath. And seriously, how genius was his scene eating the rice, talking and crying at the same time? I cried too much at that scene!

And of course with every melo you have an equally tear-inducing song, in this case it’s Tears are Falling (yeah, that's right, how literal can you get) by Wax.

Wax - Tears are Falling

Verdict: Watch it if you need to cry (or need a bout of pain) once in a while (that sounds sadistic, heh). Or if you’re a fan of PYC, YEH, or YSH, this is a must-watch for you. If you have a heart problem, best steer away from it.

***

So that’s it for the 2012 kdrama lineup! I think this was a good year for TVN in particular and cable dramas in general, who have been churning out better-produced dramas compared to before. For this year’s best series, I would have to say it’s Queen In Hyun’s Man because of the authentic characters, gripping storyline, and because of all the LOVE that you feel in that series. I’m sure there are better series (on a technical standpoint) this year than QIHM but that series just gave me a lasting impression.

On a side note, here’s a rundown of other dramas for 2012 in my radar:

· The dramas I dropped midway: What’s Up (just because the subs took too long that I didn’t manage to continue it), To the Beautiful You (why, oh god, why! I tolerated the Taiwanese and the Japanese version, but I can’t stomach it), and Nice Guy (I bet it was an interesting watch, but I can’t stand Soong Joong Ki NOT being a nice guy after all, hehe).

· The 2012 dramas I might watch: Arang and the Magistrate (because of the reviews), King of Dramas (because of the premise)

· The dramas I’m currently watching which started late 2012 so it would be in the 2013 post: Alice in Cheongdamdong (cute in a superficial level), School 2013 (which is kind of like Dangerous Minds Korean style, love it)

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.