Today's TV Review

Full House

Synopsis:
Han Ji Eun, is an aspiring scriptwriter who lives alone, until she gets swindled by her best friends into thinking she's won an all-exclusive trip to China. Once she's gone, they sell off her house for their own personal gain. On the plane, she meets Lee Young Jae, a hot-shot actor in Korea. Once she realizes she is stuck in China with no friends or money, she is forced to go to Lee Young Jae for help getting a ticket back home, though when she finally gets back to Korea she finds that she has no home to return to. In a bizarre twist of fate, it turns out her old house in now in the hands of the man she met on the plane, and he's on the brink of proposing marriage to his best friend, Kang Hye Won, but a media frenzy cause Young Jae to pretend he is with Ji Eun. 



Now Ji Eun can get her home back-if she promises to marry Young Jae for a year! Their professional relationship starts becoming personal when young Jae finds himself caring more and more for the charming girl-who always stays cheerful despite her many hardships.




My thoughts:
Despite the poorly developed characterization and the somewhat predictable scenarios, "Full House" isn't so bad. The pacing, was fairly good, the characters were so so and somewhat believable.
I think I was somewhat bothered by the characters irrational behavior and cynicism, especially Young Jae and Ji Eun. The story line inane and asinine. Oddly enough, I thought for the most part to be quite funny, just enough to keep me entertained and invested.

You're Beautiful

Synopsis:

When a nun-in-training masquerades as a boy and enters the (almost) all-male world of a pop idol band, love, fireworks and much confusion follows. The innocent, young Go Mi Nam has never interacted with the "real world"; after she grows up in a convent. Today, she is training to become a nun.

After her brother successfully auditions to become the newest member of pop group A.N. JELL, all that changes, when her brother suddenly disappears to the U.S. to reverse a botched plastic surgery, his manager desperately decides to enlist Mi Nam to play the part of her brother until he recovers. 

Mi Nam, unwillingly to give up her dreams of one of them becoming famous and finding their mother, reluctantly agrees. The innocent almost nun has no idea what she's in for, particularly when it comes to Hwang Tae Kyung, the neurotic, prickly band leader who opposes her joining the band.

When the other members, kind Shin Woo and the lovable Jeremy, fall under the spell of their newest member, things start to get complicated. And when Mi Nam starts to feel strange sensations toward reserved, perfectionist Tae Kyung, who has his own set of parental issues, chaos ensues.

My thoughts:

"You're Beautiful", is a hilariously funny and addictive drama with a solid grounding romance and emotional heart. The leading man--Hwang Tae Kyung--is cool and aloof and the leading lady--Go Mi Nam/Nyu--is sweet and naive. I can forgive her for being naive, since she spent most of her life raised in a orphanage and lived in a convent until the start of the series.

The story itself is refreshing and honest. When a situation gets serious, the feelings of the characters were handled with responsibility and care.

The Characters were well thought out. They were interesting and charmingly unique. The music is integral to the drama as it centers around a boy band.

"You're Beautiful" is a MUST watch. It has everything you want in a rom-com, with a nice blend of humor, tear-jerking moments, mystery, misunderstandings, love triangles / love hate relationships, and of course...



...a lot of good looking flower boys!!!

Today's TV Review

Crazy Love

Synopsis:

It's a hard knock life for Yoon Mi So. A destitute young Mi So was brought up in an orphanage, yet eventually found good fortune in the form of Lee Min Jae, a rich heir. But what appeared to be a storybrook ending with her prince turns into tragedy when Min Jae leaves her high and dry as a young divorcee. Cast away like a used toy, Mi So hits her all-time low:after a life of abandonment and betrayal.

My thoughts:

"Crazy Love" started off somewhat good, and the story line sounded promising, but then at some point in the story, it started dragging, creating a slew of problematic messes. There was absolutely no character development with the two main characters. How they were in episode 1 is much the same in the final episodes.

I got to the point, where I was skipping a good chunk of episodes because it was so upsetting watching Mi So go through innumerable amounts of bad things and none of which helped her to grow or change.

Not one character is likable. To be more accurate, they were insufferable and asinine, is one way of putting it. You couldn't cheer for Mi So because she is too dumb, pathetic and way too forgiving. On top of that, the villain kept getting away with murder...

...literally. 

In my opinion, everything that has occurred up until this point is absurd! Speaking from the heart, Na Young, Hye Ryung and Tae San should have been punished befitted to their crimes.

So, to actually sum up this drama, I'll leave it for you to decide, but if you're someone who, like me, who believes in right and wrong and justice, don't watch this, because you will not be satisfied with the end results. : (

Romantic Princess

Synopsis:

Based on a mango "Romansu Godankatsuyou" by Kazuko Fujita, "Romantic Princess," is about Xiao Mai, a girl adopted by middle class parents, who always had a dream to become an heiress. Who knew that one day this dream would come true? Xiao Mai's biological grandfather, head of a prestigious aristocratic family, finally finds his long-lost granddaughter after years of searching. As she starts her life as an heiress, everyday is exciting, but everything seems a bit different from what she imagined.

My thoughts:

At first it was entertaining for a while, but then I'd soon find myself losing interest as it got confusing and complicated. However, the story was not all that bad. There were some interesting points in the story, and a few funny moments here and there, but for the most part, not the best in my opinion, but not that bad either.

 

Synopsis:

Kazuya is a normal teenager who just discovered that his former love is going to marry his older brother. Deciding the situation is too agonizing, he takes up residence at Ryokuto Academy's dormitory, Greenwood. Little does he know, his new home is actually a haven for the college's misfits. Now, he must figure out which is worse: living at home with his brother and ex-flame or staying at the dorm with the riff-raff.

My thoughts:

"Here is Greenwood," story line, for me, started out very interesting with average visuals (given the time period it was created) However, I found almost the entire story disappointing. The animation part was to be expected but the story was less than stellar. In fact, it bordered on being really sad. Basically the characters were all undeveloped and the story line being choppy with the exception of one or two episodes that seemed to mesh quite nicely. So, it was passingly enjoyable. Overall, I can't say I totally regret watching the series, but there are so many other anime out there far better than this one.

Rooftop Prince

Synopsis:

A prince from the Joseon era travels to present day Seoul with a special team he put together, in order to solve the mysterious death of the woman he loved. To his surprise,when he arrives, he meets a woman that looks exactly like her. However, its not only the princess who has a modern-day doppelganger --- everyone seems to have one, including the prince himself.

My thoughts:

No matter how many times I've watched "Rooftop Prince" I never seem to get tired of it. Though the historical time-traveling stories always seem to be the saddest when love is tide into the mix.

Though, there is A LOT of idiocy here and frustrating sequences, they're still great characters you will still grow to like and others you will really come to hate and despise.

Overall, this is a really good drama, with an interesting story line, great characterizations with fairly good pacing, even though the ending was a bit confusing, you will still want to make sure to have a box of tissues handy.

"Rooftop Prince", the way I see it, is a really sad, unfortunate tale about revenge, lost loves, conspiracies, jealousy and a WHOLE LOTTA misunderstandings.

With that said, I think this is one of those dramas that deserves attention to and hopefully, maybe a sequel?

Today's TV Review

Creating Destiny

Synopsis:

At the spur of the moment, young Hang Sang Eun is uprooted from her home in Korea. for a new life with her father in Australia years later, having frown up in Australia and completed her law studies in the U.S., she plans to marry her American boyfriend, fellow attorney Alex. But fate--A.K.A father--has other plans in mind for her involving a match he's made for her in Korea. 

Before she knows it, she has struck a bargain with him and is off to spend a year in the country of her birth. Sang Eun intends to stay just a few weeks to placate her father in order to get his permission to marry Alex.  

However, the two families, based on a promised made in childhood, have always planned on their children marrying, and Sang Eun soon finds herself in over her head. Kim Yeo Joon, a prickly, stubborn doctor, is equally uninterested in her, but when the two finds themselves in the same boat, they reluctantly join forces to outwit their families plans.

My thoughts:

Very good drama. I enjoyed for the most part of it. It was entertaining and comical. On the other hand, it was irritating and idiotic. Another way to put it--"constant" and "problematic". I say that because they seem to develop more problems than they can handle regardless of the current situations. However, the story itself is very interesting with a few twists and turns and a love/hate relationship between Sang Eun and Yeo Joon and Hyo Eun and "cappuccino boy". Pacing was fairly good, though the ending seemed to be a bit rushed there. 

Overall, this drama is entertainingly good full of surprises, romance, love triangles, comedy and of course....

....lots of drama I'm sure you will like.

Today's TV Review

Shining Inheritance

Synopsis:

Go Eun Sung leads a charmed life. Her wealthy, adoring father allows her to live her dreams of studying abroad, and the only difficulty in her life is her young brother's struggle with autism. Despite all this good fortune, everything changes for Eun Sung when her loving father dies of mysterious circumstances. After the family discovers that Eun Sung's father left behind a tremendous amount of debt, her stepmother promptly throws her and her brother out of the house. Homeless and penniless, Eun Sung takes a job as a waitress at a nightclub to support herself and her brother. Eun Sung hits rock bottom when her brother disappears. Her fortunes turn, however when her kindness lands her a new lucrative job and a new family of sorts, which leads to new fortune, but also new obstacles.

My thoughts:

This was an excellent drama, however predictable. It's a story that teaches you something about life, hard work and determination. I have to admit it was a bit confusing in the beginning, but the more you got into it, it became clear as to what was going on in the story. Our lead is a spoiled grandson who, in true k-drama fashion comes to hate her for her untimely intrusion, but can't help but fall in love with her. Enter a few side characters, an evil step mother, a misguided stepsister, and our second male lead and you have a recipe for success. The strength of this drama is essentially a Cinderella tale of sorts, with the remarkable and extremely relate able characters (with the exception of a few truly evil characters you will love to hate),for me, I was quite fond of the grandma and Eun Sung's little brother, Eun Woo. As for the rest of the characters, it was hard to get past their rotten, scheming, selfishness and stupid personalities.

Overall, "Shining Inheritance" is an interesting story, that teaches you about overcoming life's obstacles with help from friends when faced with unexpected twists and turns in modern day society.

Monday Movie Review

Dark Water

Synopsis:

Yoshimi is fighting for custody of her daughter, but more menacing problems have begun to plague her in her dreary apartment. An inexplicable odd pattern appears on her ceiling, and when she has a recurrent visions of a strange girl and of a red bag she used to own when she was a child, Yoshimi fears for her sanity.

My thoughts:

"Dark Water" is a simple and decent flick, but it immediately gives off a sense of dread that you can't shake-off and ignore. The slow storytelling pays off immensely because you can't help but anticipate what's going to happen next or when the next scare is going to happen. If you aren't into gory slasher flicks, then the slow-paced and creepy atmosphere of "Dark Water" will surely interest you. However, it doesn't pack the same punch like in "Ringu," but the "climatic scare points" give off a large amount of terror that isn't often seen. They're fraught with tension and the characters don't seem to be scared as much as the viewer. Oddly enough, the dark spot on the ceiling is almost a character in its self. Though, its obvious appearance is nothing more than a spot on the ceiling, Yoshimi sense of unease and the evil aura surrounding that area is easy to understand.

It remains quietly sympathetic throughout, because you can easily tell her relationship with her daughter is completely loving but her sometimes hysterical outbursts take away any chance she has with her daughter. Actress  Hitomi Kuroki characterizes Yoshimi perfectly, with an obvious understanding. "Dark Water" which is often overlooked in comparison to "Ringu", is just as good as the latter.

Apartment 1303

Synopsis:

While celebrating her new apartment with her friends, a young woman suddenly and inexplicably leaps from the balcony, killing herself. Unconvinced that it was a suicide, the victim's sister searches for the sinister truth behind the tragedy. Her investigation into the apartment reveals a dark mystery and the existence of an unspeakable powerful evil.

My thoughts:

There's something about Japanese horror movies that always seem to keep me entertained and wanting more. At first, I wasn't sure I'd like this one, but surprisingly, I really enjoyed this one. I admit there were some cliche moments. Most of the movie was suspenseful and scary.  Although it is not one of those jump out of your seat type of horror, it does have a certain creepiness about it that is sure to get your attention. Most of all, it was all-around disturbing and certain situations were complete asinine. The story itself is good but it seems to come and go. Just when it starts to makes sense, it withdraws and becomes senseless again. The plot allowed time for character development, which gave the actors to show off their skill.The characters, the story line and settings were all very interesting, I just couldn't help but notice certain similarities this movie had with the The Grudge, Ringu and Ghost Train.

Overall, not a bad ghost movie. If you're a fan of Ju-on, Ringu or a TRUE fan of Asian horror, you just might enjoy this one.