The Producers

The Producers was my first IU/Lee Ji-Eun drama, my second (?) for Kim Soo-Hyun. Oh, it's also my first for Cha Tae-Hyun and Gong Hyu-Jin. I find it a laid back, lazy weekend type of drama.

This blog entry is actually long over-due, like almost 3 years. Can't exactly remember why I started watching this 2015 K-Drama but I know Cha Tae-Hyun had at least something to do with it. Who would forget him in My Sassy Girl?

This drama gives a glimpse of the drama in entertainment industry, though I kind of wondered if producers in S. Korea were really like a little "soft" in the presence of talents. Ra Jun-Mo (Cha), a veteran PD, encounters "ice princess" idol Cindy (Lee) through fellow PD Tak Ye-Jin (Gong), and  rookie PD Baek Seung-Chan (Kim).

As I watched The Producers back in 2016/2017, I had to check some info and found out that this drama was actually aired for weekend slot, Friday-Saturday to be exact.

I may remember some scenes and details in this drama but I know not how to write about them here so let me just it this way.

Now Playing: Susie Suh - Lucille

What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? initiated

What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? is the series that broke my no-K-Drama since Crash Landing on You back in February. I only decided to watch this rom-com because of its trailer on Netflix. The trip to the flower shop and back was just hilarious I thought I should watch it to satisfy my curiosity.

The flower shop scene was on the pilot episode, which was enough to keep me and continue to second episode. However, I couldn't continue watching it after a few episodes. I can't actually remember which episode I last watched.

I've been enjoying plenty of Chinese dramas recently and I somehow felt a sudden halt of interest in Korean dramas. Add to that that I am not a fan of K-Drama's typical format of dramas, especially if there's romance involved. Truth be told, I could hardly stand them.

Besides, my preferred genre nowadays are adventure, or those with such and battle scenes. I had to mention the latter because I remember watching romantic C-Dramas but I had the tolerance so long as there's adventure or battle scenes in the story.

As for What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?, it's still on hold until I no longer mind the cheesy scenes. I don't know though when that would be.

Now Playing: Madilyn Bailey - Perfect

Yoo In-Na

I recently finished watching Secret Garden, which I kept watching primarily and mostly because of Ha Ji-Won. I thought Ah Young looked familiar and I've been wondering where I saw her. Until I checked My Drama List account and looked for those I've completed watching. So of course I bumped into Secret Garden and found that Ah Young was played by Yoo In-Na.

Tada! It was the lady-whom-I-thought-was-a-teenager in My Love from the Star.

Interesting. The characters Yoo In-Na portrayed in Secret Garden and My Love from the Star had opposite characters, which was no surprise as actors usually take such roles. I was just amazed that I failed to recognize her all throughout those 20 episodes.

I think I'd consider watching Yoo In-Na's other projects.

Pasta

I watched Pasta after having watched Chef: Three Star School Lunch. I'm glad I did because it was fun and it showed a restaurant's kitchen in action and not just with glimpses or as an accessory or venue of dialogues. I loved it. Made me hungry most of the time.

It's nice to watch another Gong Hyo-Jin project, who played the lead Seo Yoo-Kyung, the daughter of a Chinese restaurant and showed positive persistence and optimism.

Chef Choi Hyun-Wook (Lee Sun-Kyu) reminded me of someone particular who has the same approach of showing his care. Made me appreciate that someone particular. It's tough love but it brings results.

I like how the other or supporting characters - Oh Sae-Young (Lee Ha-Nui) and Kim San (Alex Chu) - in this drama were not the "hostile" or antagonist type. It brings a sense of feel-good while watching this drama.

It's also nice that there were three good looking pasta cooks.

The Innocent Man (2012)

The Innocent Man is the second project of Song Joong-ki, who's playing the lead role Kang Ma-Ru, that I've watched. I immediately thought that his character here is my favourite role that he played, so far. Just because there had been a whole lot of emotions and situations that Kang Ma-Ru went through. I've also watched another SJK project after this but this remains my favourite project, objectively speaking.

This 2012 drama is not something that gives a heart-warming feel the way a tea does but it's thought provoking that I love it. The Innocent Man shows how human nature is not one-sided. People can be and have more than one character or face yet it's the same person. I saw this in more than one characters here.

I personally feel bad for Han Jae-Hee (Park Si-Yeon). She genuinely cares for her partner's daughter Seo Eun-Gi (Moon Chae-Won) but every time and no matter how she shows concerns, it's mistaken for hypocrisy by the Eun-Gi. Such reaction from a stepdaughter is of course understandable, especially as Jae-Hee came into the picture when Eun-Gi was already an adult.

Seo Eun-Gi's character is also a complex one but not necessarily difficult to understand. I like how her history provides a solid background and platform leading to her personality. It's sad at the same time because we found out after the vehicular accident how gentle she could be. Her life experiences even at a young age hardened her heart. Her character is the second most thought provoking that I found.

The first or most thought provoking character for me is Kang Ma-Ru. What he did that led to his imprisonment was illogical but something one could dismiss because he's got reasons we'll just have to respect. He also claimed to have similarities with Eun-Gi. Such didn't appear at the same time though but it's there. Perhaps I should check their MBTIs.

It's because of these complex characters that Kang Ma-Ru, Seo Eun-Gi, and Han Jae-Hee have that made me like The Innocent Man. These three were real humans through and through.

I like how The Innocent Man ended. I find justification in everything that happened. I also like how things turned out well. It's possible. It's realistic.

Now Playing: Do As Infinity - Desire

Reminded of "My Love from the Star"

We spent the New Year's Eve at Midas Hotel where I saw this miniature village in winter. Definitely reminds me of My Love from the Star. Do Min-Joon, Cheon Song-Yi.

Just saying. Just sharing.

2 Days and 1 Night

I watched an episode of 2 Days and 1 Night earlier from our hotel room. It was aired after The Return of Superman. Both were very interesting. And I like the episodes I've watched.

I posted this earlier with the caption: Enjoying this episode of #2DaysAnd1Night ft. #PrettyBoys (?). I don’t know these lads but I know #ChaTaeHyun (My Sassy Girl). They’re doing the #FrogLeap game. #KBS #KBSWorld

My Love From The Star

As mentioned on my Kim Soo-hyun entry, I watched My Love From The Star because of Jun Ji-hyun, who played the female lead in this drama. Again, it's because I couldn't get enough of her from Legend of the Blue Sea.

It was pretty hilarious in a sense of being both pretty and hilarious. I like how Cheon Song-yi (Jun Ji-hyun) grew in character. First perceived as stupid but only because she's not aware of some things people thought to be a common knowledge, though they have a point. There's some complexity in her character, which is nothing new to an INTP like me. It's given that people are not the same with everyone. I also like how they showed her family's story so it gave a solid background on how she came to be.

Cheon Song-yi in one word is crazy, I dare say. But I love her craziness though it could be dangerous when she's drunk. There's one thing I could hardly stand though, which is not isolated to her character. It's the "cutesy girlfriend" thing. I think it was only funny because Jun Ji-hyun played the character.

There's also one thing that changed the way I see people desperate to win someone else's love. I think I like how Cheon Song-yi did it. She fought for her love but to clarify things. I think that was one reasonable move.

Do Min-joon, played by Kim Soo-hyun, was also a character I found to be complex and yet have grown like Cheon Song-yi did over the course of their story. I understand his confusion but something seemed amiss. But hey, perhaps there really are people like that though he's an alien. I think Do Min-joon also got me curious about Kim Soo-hyun. Yeah, because it's the first KSH project I've watched.

Like a typical Korean drama, there's always that usual common scene among them. Wrist grabbing, pulling, and the unannounced kiss. Speaking of kiss, it's interesting how they made this a particular "issue" to someone.

I also like that My Love from the Star showed a relevant side story that held a lot of events in the lives of both protagonists, Cheon Song-yi and Do Min-joon. The other characters were not very outstanding except for the brows of Lee Hwi-kyung (Park Hae-jin), at least for me.

Well, when I saw Yoo Se-mi (Yoo In-na) get off her van, I thought she was a teenager. Good heavens, she's older than me! Anyway, I think her character had a solid foundation but I wouldn't want to have a "friend" like her. I will always prefer someone like Cheon Song-yi because she's honest.

By the way, there's one thing that has been bothering me though. The balcony. Putting the building's structure and interior, I could hardly figure out how Cheon Song-yi's balcony comes before Do Min-joon's when seen on the right side. If you reached their floor, Do Min-joon's unit comes before Cheon Song-yi's, unless their balconies were positioned behind the lift but if you enter their respective units, the balconies should be positioned differently.

Kim Soo-Hyun

I guess it's nearly impossible to miss Kim Soo-Hyun's talent. I first saw him on My Love from the Star, which I watched because I couldn't quite get enough of Jun Ji-hyun, who is one of my favourite Korean actors. 

For the record, I've been watching Korean films since high school and Korean dramas since college. I wasn't just particularly on the loop during the past half decade or so.

Anyway, curiosity got me so I watched both actors' first collaboration, which is the film The Thieves. Interesting.

Still curious of Kim's acting, I thought I'd watch a few episodes of Moon Embracing the Sun. I chose this among Kim's works also because of Han Ga-In. Anyway, this MBC drama had a very interesting plot and they had amazing young actors, I dare say, so I kind of got hooked. Obviously. 

As I intended to check Kim's acting in MEtS, I had to wait until the sixth episode to see him. It was not really troublesome because as I said, MEtS had a very interesting plot. Needless to say, I finished the 20-episode drama in quite a short period of time.

Verdict? Kim Soo-Hyun was awesome in Moon Embracing the Sun. As he was very interesting in My Love from Another Star. Hopefully I'd be able to write about each drama.

I guess Kim is really interesting because I got to write an entry of him albeit having only seen three of his projects. Wishing this man well and good success.

You are My Pet (너는 펫)

I’ve read good comments/reviews about You are My Pet (너는 펫), the Korean adaptation of the Japanese Manga/J-Drama Kimi wa Petto. Given such, I thought I’d like to watch it too because I’ve been missing Momo since I finished the Japanese drama. Like what I’ve said in my Kimi wa Petto entry, massive thanks to Matsumoto Jun for creating a very adorable Momo.

Changes and differences from style and presentation will always be inevitable so I’ve prepared myself of how the Korean adaptation might not be the same with the Japanese version. I was trying to loosen up this time.

First, let’s talk about the good points.

Music. I love how the background music and songs were catchy and lively. It suits the liveliness of Momo and the funny scenes. I believe Korea excels when it comes to musical preference for their dramas and movies.

Eye-candies. Definitely not something to miss. Look at the casts and their clothes/styles. Impressive, as expected of Korean entertainment industry.

I also love the performance of In Ho when he sang Mandy while playing guitar. It was an awesome In Ho moment.

Hmm… Let me think of another.

Can’t think of another, yet. So let’s have the bad points. Yeah.

Casting. Kim Ha-Neul as Ji Eun-Yi, Iwaya Sumire in Japanese, was aesthetically perfect until paired with her opposite Jang Keun-Suk as In Ho/Momo, Goda Takeshi in Japanese. The characters are supposed to be obviously older and younger than one another, respectively. Kim Ha Neul may be older than Jang Keun-Suk in real life, but it is equally important that it’s translated into the screen.

I think one of the few characters of hers that stayed true to what the manga showed was how vocal she becomes when stressed, thus deciding to shampoo Momo’s hair.

I also find Ji Eun-Yi pretty different than the real character, either in the manga or the J-Drama. It was like she’s portraying to be nice when at work while all mean at home. Iwaya Sumire was not like that. She’s supposed to be the opposite: ice-cold at work but gentle at home and open to people whom she trusts.

The way she gets vexed didn’t convince me. I don’t know if that’s just how Koreans express dissatisfaction. I think I’m no longer used to them. When I watched You are My Pet, I’ve always had the image of the lead female character as an icy Alpha Female but I didn’t see that. It seems like the “Alpha” nature of Eun-Yi was somewhere off the sea. She also seemed to be under the spell or control of Momo at some times.

Jang Keun Suk as In Ho/Momo. Sure he’s cute and handsome, but those were not fully translated in the film when he was portraying Momo. Where was the adorable and bubbly Momo? Not enough cuteness.

And most of the time, I would notice how he’d “sulk” for not being noticed, for not being given the attention he expected. If I were to choose someone to portray Momo, without hesitation, I’d pick Yoon Shi Yoon right away.

It is given that Jang Geun Suk is a good-looking guy, but Momo had to come out as Momo. Leave that “sparkling” image when he’s being In Ho. And one more thing that I noticed, it seemed like In Ho was someone who was more of a dark and selfish character. Goda Takeshi was someone who was protective of Iwaya Sumire, but In Ho was more of like being possessive. I don’t get it. Something’s amiss.

This is not part of the bad things about the film, but I’d like to note that I admire how convincing Jeong Yu-Mi was as Lee Young-Eun. She even looks like her Japanese counterpart, too bad I can’t remember the name.

Plot. This one put my brain cells on haywire. Had I not watched the J-Drama, I think I wouldn’t be able to properly understand the story. It may be because I’ve watched the Japanese drama, which obviously had more time to showcase character and story development, but as I thought of it again and again, I realized that bits of moments and stories were placed here and there without careful consideration to the sequence.

I was actually cynical because I may be just being biased again, but whenever I try to remember the film, I would feel like screaming for what they have done.

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Because of these observations (unless indicated that it was from the Manga), I decided to prove myself wrong. How? I decided to read the Manga. Well, I’ve proved myself to be correct. Somehow. So yeah, my comments are valid.

Rating? I’d say 5 or 6.

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Originally posted on: 24 May 2013 
Reposted on: 3 August 2013

Flower Boy Next Door

이웃집 꽃미남 (Yiootjib Kkotminam)

Flower Boy Next Door is the third K-Drama that I’ve watched this year. I got interested with it because I used to see it from my source of K-Dramas, so I thought of giving it a try. Perhaps what convinced me more to watch this drama was the description on the lead character as a “Rapunzel.”

I enjoyed watching FBND because I find it light and amusing, especially the characters and most especially Geum Enrique (Yoon Shi Yoon). I actually kept wondering if there’s a man like him. He’s funny and comical but not in an annoying way. I liked it. It also reminded me of Nana’s Hachi.

Enrique was so funny and nice that he wasn’t even appalled with the thought of having a Madridista friend. Btw, what endeared him more to me was his being a Cule. Visca Barca!

Having a lot of Barcelona mentions in FBND made it more fun to watch. Btw, it was because of Oh Jin Rak / Oh Jae Won (Kim Ji Hoon) being a Madridista that I couldn’t root for him. And as I’ve said, Enrique was like Nana’s Hachi. He was a such a sunshine, which I really liked.

He’s obviously a sanguine person. Yes, I’m talking Psychology here.

But of course, Enrique was not just a sanguine character. He also had insights, which really helped me know and understand myself better. Kudos to the writers of Flower Boy Next Door. It was like studying and experiencing Psychology.

The other characters too have some words of advice. It reminded me so much of J-Dramas. There were some from Oh Jin Rak / Oh Jae Won, Yoo Dong Hoon (Go Kyung Po), the Webtoon Manager (Kim Seul Gi), and Go Dok Mi (Park Shin Hye). Can’t really help but remember and miss J-Dramas.

I think I’m becoming used and better able to identify
but not name a particular character in a K-Drama. Go Dok Mi was definitely special, in a sense that I was able to relate with her especially her doubts and responses to Enrique. If I were her, I’d do the same. However, as for the latter episodes, I’d ask for Enrique’s help. But I think if I were still in college, I’d do what she did minus the harsh words.

There were serious scenes but they weren’t heavy in a burdensome manner. More importantly, there were also funny scenes and not just ones involving Enrique. The others are funny too, which reminded me of Yoo Dong Hoon’s poses when Enrique “bought” them a suit.

I thought, how on earth did he pose that way? Only girls would do that. Was he reading Vogue magazines. It was just too funny, especially the “shoulder” pose.

There was a scene/episode when Park Se-Young had a cameo appearance. I of course recognized her as Princess No Gook / Queen In Deok of Faith (신의). I was actually happy when I saw her. It was a proof that Flower Boy Next Door was such a fun K-Drama.

I’m definitely going to miss the mood of FBND, of the characters especially Go Dok Mi who was a Melancholic and Geum Enrique who was a certified Sanguine. I’d be tremendously happy if the next K-Drama I’m going to watch will be as satisfying as Flower Boy Next Door.

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Originally posted on: 13 March 2013
Reposted on: 2 August 2013

Faith

신의

I first reckoned watching Faith or Shin-eui because of its title. *ehem* But the number of episodes kept me from doing so soon. Well, watching K-Dramas again all started with my boiling prejudice because I’ve watched too much J-Dramas then, so I posted this: J-Drama vs K-Drama. I asked a friend for a recommendation and she gave me Personal Taste/Personal Preference. I haven’t written anything about it yet, but I did enjoy it. Nonetheless, Personal Taste had fueled my desire to watch Faith, because I was impressed with Lee Min-Ho. You could say that he was Matsumoto Jun‘s counterpart in Japanese actors.

Lee Min-Ho as Woodalchi General Choi Young

As Choi Young, regardless of position, I think I could somehow relate to him, especially his excessive sleeping.  I think I’ve known why he could sleep for days, though it may be an exaggeration especially for someone with his post. And that characteristic of him being protective, I know someone like that who fears for others more that fearing for one’s sake even if it can be justified.

Speaking of something technical, I noticed that his latter episode coat was pretty much more modern than tradtional in cut and design. Perhaps I am wrong. It was just something that I couldn’t miss while watching Faith. Another, I think the Aspirin tablets in the bottle were too big compared to a normal one. Aspirins are typically small in size because they have anti-coagulant property. It’s definitely a no-no to someone who has bleeding.

Though the only Lee Min-Ho drama I’ve watched prior to Faith was Personal Taste, I can’t tell if Lee MH had improved or what. I do think though that he was better able to show what he can do. There were too many events and emotions in this K-Drama. Also, like what Matsumoto Jun did in Bambino!, my prejudice towards Lee MH was gone. He’s someone to reckon. The script writer of his next drama or film better be aware of what suits him best.

Personally, I find Faith eye-pleasing. Even if there was no Lee Min-Ho, the casts were just beautiful.  There was the uncle of the king, Prince Duk Heung (Park Yoon Jae).
Truth be told, the moment I saw the trailer for the episode Park would first appear, I was like, “Ang gwapo!” And I haven’t stopped. Yeah, I would always think and say such whenever he had an appearance, with the exclamation mark. Reckon Royal Doctor Jang Bin (Lee Philip) and the Woo Dal Chi.

I know I’ve implied that there are a lot of good looking guys in this drama, but I haven’t forgotten the ladies. However, I might not be writing much about them. So who do we have?

I love the reactions of Yoo Eun-Soo (Kim Hee-Sun) when talking about food. My favourite was when Choi Young took and ate her porridge. Eun-Soo was holding the wooden spoon close to her mouth, hesitant to make a move or not. She said nothing when the General did what he did, but Kim did well for that part. I like those small details. It shows and justifies the personality of the character.

I’ve also read that Kim Hee-Sun spent time with doctors, especially surgeons, to know the profession better. That’s nice.

What to say about the King Gong Min (Ryu Duk-Hwan)? I am not familiar with Korea’s dynasties so I can’t really tell if the king was justified. As far as I know though, Ryu showed me how King Gong-Min would possible react yet having hesitancy that would be seen in his eyes.

My favourite scene for Princess No Gook / Queen In Deok (Park Se-Young) was during the parliament meeting, when she interrupted the undecided statesmen. Such royalty knowing that she’s someone gentle and caring, I admired it. I was surprised though when I found out that Park Se-Young is younger than me.

Gi Chul (Yoo Oh-Sung) reminded me of T-Bag (Prison Break) and Takayama  Hisanobu (Kiritani Kenta) of Ryuusei no Kizuna. He’s effectively annoying. He’s a villain with a soul, just wicked soul of course. He’s just amusing.

As for the Musician Chun Eum Ja (Sung Hoon) and the Fire Lady Hwa Soo-In (Shin Eun-Jung), I prefer Shin. She was scary even when smiling. Talk about femme fatale.

I hope I haven’t missed any of my thought concerning 신의. There were apprehensions in some episodes, especially the explanation regarding the relics and more so on when the “door” opened again. I’m thankful for the explanations, but I hate what happened with someone.

I believe Faith is the longest running one-season drama I’ve watched. I’m glad I enjoyed it. Btw, I’m still having an LSS on its OSTs, especially Ali’s Carry On. I love that song though I only understood very few.

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Originally posted on: 12 March 2013
Reposted on: 2 August 2013