Can We Love Review

Title: Can we love?

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Family, Society

Episodes: 20

Broadcast period:  2014-Jan to 2014-Mar

Cast: Eugene, Uhm Tae Woong, Kim Yoo Mi, Choi Jung Yoon, Kim Sung Su and Park Min Woo.

This drama is about three women in their 40s: a divorcee, a housemother and a single woman.

Yoon Jung Wan (Eugene) is a single mother who divorced her husband after a life of hardship. After spending several years trying to get hired as a scenarist, she is finally hired by award-winning Producer/Director Oh Kyung Soo (Uhm Tae Woong), who seems to enjoy teasing her.

Kim Sun Mi (Kim Yoo Mi) is a single woman who prioritized her career rather than getting married, but now is at her late 30s and still single. Though dating loads of possible ‘husband material’, the only guy still sticking around is her 20-something employee Choi Yoon Suk (Park Min Woo), who is head over heels in love with her.

Kwon Ji Hyun (Choi Jung Yoon) is a married ‘all-around-housewife’, who is good at doing her housework and taking care of her husband, but due to her insanely dominant mother-in-law she doesn’t feel happy. Out of the three she is considered the most ‘lucky’ and ‘stable’ one, however bears a scar from her first love, Ahn Do Young (Kim Sung Soo) whom she wanted to marry, but due to issues was left heartbroken.

The three are best friends and have been for the last 20 years, but due to differences and jealousy they bicker and fight. They usually make up, but as fate will have it, their love lives and work intervene with each other. Will they be able to be with the ones they love?

Since I liked the first ‘type’ - I’m calling it type, since they only have the name in common - of drama (Can we get married) and I am a fan of Uhm Tae Woong, I wanted to watch this pretty much at the moment it came out. But since I felt I had to watch the first one, I kind of let this one wait. To be honest my expectations were just too high, and I made a mistake comparing the two. This drama is not a ‘bad’ drama, it just is too melodramatic, and most of the situations are just not complicated - rather a case of letting go or putting your foot down - which is almost normal in Korean dramas I guess. While watching it felt it became a case of ‘wanna-be classic drama’, yet they tried to break some of the Korean society taboos, for example: married woman dating a bachelor, older woman dating a younger man, or housewife wanting a divorce. And instead of making me thing that finally someone is taking these things seriously, they make a melodrama about the most ridiculous situations - though some were okay. Acting wise it was mediocre, noting amazing tbh, but I did feel some of the characters were well written.

All in all it is an okay drama with too many melodramatic moments.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts 

Ojakgyo Family Review

Title: Ojakyo Family
AKA: Ojakyo Brothers / Ojakkyo Brothers / Brothers of the Ojakgyo / Golden Pond
Genre: family, romance
Episodes: 58
Broadcast period:  2011-Aug-06 to 2012-Feb-19
Cast: Uee, Joo Won, Ryu Soo Young, Choi Jung Yoon, Kim Yong Rim, Baek Il Sub, Kim Ja Ok, Jung Woong In, Yun Woo Jin, Park Hee Gun, Lee Young Ha, Jo mi Ryung, Kim Yong Gun, Park Joon Geum, Song Sun Mi, Jun Mi Sun, Yoo Joo Hee, Jung Suk Won, Kim Hae In . . .

Baek Ja Eun (Uee) a university girl, daugther of a rich business man, has pretty much anything you could ask for, except for a mother. Her mother passed away at a young age and her father has been married several times. Ja Eun really wishes for a nice mother-daughter relationship, but it doesn't go that well as all the women who got married to her father, married him out of money rather than love. Ja Eun's world is turned upside down when her father disappears in an accident on the ocean. She is then left with her stepmother and a whole bunch of dept since her father's business fails. The stepmother runs away while Ja Eun has nowhere to go. By accident she then finds a letter, in which she finds out that her father has a farm, which he lent to his friend Hwang Chang Shik (Baek Il Sub). Chang Sik has been living at the farm with his wife, mother and four sons Tae Shik (Jung Woong In), Tae Bum (Ryu Soo Young), Tae Hee (Joo Won) and Tae Pil (Yun Woo Jin) for 10 years and have no plans of moving out suddenly.

This drama is quite ejoyable, though it did take a while to finish, it wasn't boring, and we follow several love stories. I don't really think I have anything to complain about, nice family romance drama. It's one of those relaxed dramas, not too much heartbreak and too much drama but just right for the length. Reminds me of the drama smile, you which had the same feeling. It's a good drama to have on the side when you need a break from other dramas. The acting was alright, it was not extrodinary or amazing, but just alright. But somehow I can not rate it as a favorite, it didn't feel like a favorite, but it was not bad either. so..

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3.5 out of 5 hearts

Attic Cat Review

Title: Attic Cat
AKA: Cat in a Rooftop Room / Cats on the Roof / Rooftop Room Cat / Rooftop Romance
Genre: Comedy, romance
Episodes: 16
Broadcast period: 2003-Jun to 2003-Jul
Cast: Kim Rae Won, Choi Jung Yoon and Jung Da Bin

Lee Kyung Min (Kim Rae Won) is a law student, who has a crush on Hye Ryun (Choi Jung Yoon), a rich girl who happens to be the friend of Nam Jun Eun (Jung Da Bin), a girl he had embarrassed and fought with. He himself is somewhat a brat living alone, but raised by his spoiling grandparents, so money had never been a problem for him. In order to get on Hye Ryun’s good side, he decides to befriend Jun Eun, even lends her money so she can buy an apartment which was something she had wished for, so she can get away from her family, who want to move away from Seoul. But due to complications the two end up living in the same apartment, which is the start of an interesting relationship…

I usually sum up everything I watch in one word, but this one I had a bit hard time doing so. I mean I started with ‘typical’, but it really wasn’t a typical Korean drama. Then I thought it was ‘cliché’, but realized that it wasn’t. Lastly and the one I’m still thinking is ‘classic’: a classic Korean drama with a lot of typical clichés, but manages to be a bit different at the same time. I have to admit, I didn’t fancy it, since it reminded me a bit too much of Full House, which I btw didn’t like - and no surprise: same writer. There were scenes that caught me off guard with amazing acting abilities - like you could seriously see it on the face of the actor that he was heartbroken, that is damn rare! On the other hand I wouldn’t recommend it unless you like the typical “admit-you-love-one-another/jealousy-with-or-without-reason/refusing-to-be-together-due-to-ridiculus-fights-or-misunderstandings”…

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥½ / 2½ out of 5 hearts

Manny Review

Title: Manny
Genre: Romance, comedy
Episodes: 16
Broadcast period: 2011-Apr to 2011-Jun
Cast: Suh Ji Suk, Choi Jung Yoon and Byun Jung Soo.

Manny is the male word for nanny: Man + nanny = Manny.
Kim Yi Han (Suh Ji Suk) is a highly educated male nanny, who just by being with a child for a couple of hours, can figure out what the child needs. As he one day arrives in Korea (he lives in America) for a book signing, his ’manager’ steals his bag and runs away. Trying to pursue after him, Yi Han stops a car, where a woman, Seo Do Young (Choi Jung Yoon), is driving. She is his fan and very naïve, so she decides to help him.
When the manager runs away, Yi Han finds out that he can’t leave due to some complicated legal stuff, and in order to have somewhere to stay (and get cash, which he lost), he is hired by Do Young, to take care of her two children, who are known as small devils by the nannies in Korea.

Expressed in one word: sweet.. I think.. Lol, I really have mixed feelings about this one.. It’s my first Korean drama that had me feeling okay after watching it. And surprisingly the age difference I didn’t mind, but that may be because they really don’t look like that far apart.. Only thing that reminds you of it is that he calls her Ajumma, which I still don’t really get :/
But it’s good, educating actually, like how to deal with children, or whatever.. If you want them I mean : P and the acting ain’t bad either---
All in all, okay watch..

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Smile, You Review

Title: Smile, You
AKA: Smile, Smile Honey
Genre: Comedy, Family, Romance
Episodes: 45
Broadcast periode: 2009-Sep to 2010-Mar
Cast: Jung Kyung Ho, Lee Min Jung, Lee Chun Hee, Choi Jung Yoon, Kang Suk Woo,Heo Yoon Jung, Choi Bool Am, Chun Ho Jin and Song Ok Sook.

Being the youngest daughter of the Seo family, Jung In (Lee Min Jung) had been spoilt to the extreme. Her father, Seo Jung Gil (Kang Suk Woo), is a wealthy CEO, had inherited everything he owns from his father. After going bankrupt, Jung In’s groom leaves her due to her situation, leaving her completely humiliated. Raged, she leaves for her chauffeurs, Kang Man Bok (Choi Bool Am), house. Feeling indebted bye Jung In’s grandfather, the one that had hired Kang, he helps her, even though his daughter-in-law opposes. As her son, Kang Hyun Soo (Jung Kyung Ho), returns from America, he tries to connect with his very first crush, Seo Jung Kyung (Choi Jung Yoon), a doctor and fellow school mate, whom he had loved for over 8 years. Seo Jung Kyung on the other hand has a relationship with her director, so she has no interests in Hyun Soo, happens to be the sister of Jung In. Jung In and Hyun Soo meet several times, unfortunately none of them are good, so they end up having a feud.
Much happens and the Seo family ends up having to live with the chauffeur and his family, which consists of the son, Kang Sang Hoon (Chun Ho Jin), the daughter-in-law Baek Geum Ja (Song Ok Sook), and the son Kang Hyun Soo. Matters complicate as the son, Seo Jung Soon (Lee Chun Hee) of the Seo family returns, and crushes the hope of the snobby and wealthy family as he says that he had used all of his assets, gambling. After losing all hope, the Seo family becomes part of the Kang household, and the war between the Seo and Kang family begins..

As I was watching Shining Inheritance I found myself wanting to watch more Korean drama, and I wanted to watch a long one as well (completely different from someone – Jenji). So I searched and found Smile, You. I read the intro of it, and didn’t really like it, but I decided to give it a go – which happened to be a smart move. I loved Smile, You. Most Korean-comedy’s are funny at the beginning, but end up being sad, and loooong. The thing about Smile, You is that when you begin, you can’t stop, and the as you think its cant go funnier than this, it exceeds your expectations and make you fall down your chair! The love story isn’t bad either. I have very few dramas that make my stomach go “wrrruuuh”. When that happens, I become hyper and fall in love myself. The family fued and the moral/living difference are amazingly done, and I tend to go, “are there REALLY so snobby people in the world?” and “are they really OKAY with living sooo poorly?”. BUT! All in all, a great watch!

☆☆☆☆½ / 4,5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Jenji's verdict
I never ever thought I would watch a long drama, and yes I know there are longer dramas, but this is seriously very long for me. But it was surprisingly really good! I had never expected it would be this way. When it comes to these genres it might even be better than the "short" ones. Because its a comedy its more relaxing when there are many episodes and you dont have to "try to figure out what is gonna happen in this and this episode" because it is so long! Just sit back and enjoy! It is actually really sweet and I loved how it, like Bunji said, kept those moments. It didnt fade out, even when things got serious. Actually, near the end, I was thinking I might not like the drama if it ends the way it looked like it would, but they also managed to close it up pretty nicely. I'm thinking it must be hard to end a long drama, what is a satisfying ending? It's a drama for those who want to watch a drama for fun and entertainment without having to worry about anything, just to watch.


☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts