Entertainer Review

Title: Entertainer
AKA: Ddanddara
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Episodes: 18
Broadcast Period: Apr-2016 to Jun-2016
Cast: Ji Sung, Hye Ri, Chae Jung Ahn, Kang Min Hyuk, Jun Noh Min, Heo Joon Suk, Ahn Nae Sang, Jung Man Shik

Shin Suk Ho (Ji Sung) is a successful manager turned director who works for KTOP entertainment, one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea. After deciding to become independent and trying to develop his own company, Mango Entertainment, he suddenly faces many hardships and loses everything he has and goes to prison. After release, while he is trying to find a way back to life, he finds a talented high school student, Jo Ha Neul (Kang Min Hyuk) and decides to turn him into a famous singer. But he realizes that Ha Neul is an ex-convict and was accused for sexual abuse by his friend, Lee Ji Young (Yoon Seo).

The plot of this drama is very normal and ordinary. Me being a big fan of Ji Sung and have watched every single one of his dramas, would not miss this one. So of course I had high hopes for this drama, but the only thing I could think while watching: “What were the writers and director doing with such a predictable and cliché story, and they chose such a huge and awesomely talented star like Ji Sung as the lead?! Why”. I’m not sure I have a single orderly opinion about it. I enjoyed it at points. I found it frustrating the rest of the time. If you are looking for alternate reason to ignore this one, then let me give you several. Besides the unnecessary attempt at a love triangle dead on arrival, the writing is shit. I mean, completely shit. And that two episode extension didn’t help anything. The premise was thin enough without trying to spread it out over two more hours. Some moments and some performances were solid, but overall I felt I might have wasted my time on this one. Since I have nothing better to say, I'll stop here.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥ / 2 out of 5 hearts

Bunji's Verdict

This drama… I went in and expected it to be “shit” (quote from Kamji), and ended up enjoying it. This drama is what you call a “modern” Korean drama, which has ALL the charms of a Korean drama, except it unfortunately falls into the category “another Korean drama”. There are quite a few these days, because the audience has become picky and judgmental. The competition for Korean dramas has also risen, which means now the dramas must be EXTRA creative to be liked or watched. This drama is one that has unfortunately fallen in that category, but it is actually like all the dramas we all liked just 2-3 years ago.

I enjoyed the screenplay, characters and most defiantly the story, but I must say, Hyeri was useless. Her character, her acting and her overall existence in the drama was unnecessary and quite frankly a pain. I understand what Kamji says about the love triangle - UTTERLY DUMB AND UNNESESSARY. I needed up playing on my phone every time she was on the screen – I really don’t understand WHY, she was needed.

Ji Sung was made for this role, and honestly, he made this character alive. Everyone else was good (except for Hyeri), and I think that if they didn’t have the love story forced on the storyline (and down our throats), this would have been great drama. Also, I agree that 18 episodes was too much – why they needed 2 episodes more to show that annoying love triangle beats me.

But to sum up: a good Korean drama that I think I could recommend to new watchers or Ji Sung lovers.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Hyde, Jekyll and I Review

Title: Hyde, Jekyll and I
AKA: Jekyll and Me
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 20
Broadcast period: Jan-2015 to Mar-2015
Cast: Hyun Bin, Han Ji Min, Sung Joon, Hye Ri, Lee Seung Joon, Han Sang Jin, Shin Eun Jung, Lee Duk Hwa, Kim Do Yun

Gu Seo Jin (Hyun Bin) is a third-generation chaebol who runs the theme park Wonder Land. He seemingly has everything: looks, brains and fortune. He is also in line to become the next CEO of Wonder Group, the conglomerate his family owns, though his cousin Ryu Seung Yeon (Han Sang Jin) who oversees Wonder Hotel is his rival for the position, but Goo Seo Jin has dissociative identity disorder, DID. Whenever his heart rate exceeds 150, another personality emerges, and unlike Goo Seo Jin's usual cold, cynical and ruthless self, Robin is kind, gentle and has a savior complex. Jang Ha Na (Han Ji Min) has just returned to Korea after spending several years in the United States with Cirque du Soleil. Like her grandfather and father before her, she is set to take over as circus master of the circus show at Wonder Land, which had once been the park's primary attraction. Jang Ha-na vows to save the failing circus and dreams of revamping it back to its former glory, but she finds herself butting heads with Goo Seo Jin, who wants to get rid of it due to low-ticket sales and high overhead costs. With every antagonistic encounter with Jang Ha Na, Goo Seo Jin notes the alarming spike on his heart monitor, and the two become further entangled with each other.

First of all watching this right after Kill Me Heal Me is not a clever move, because no matter what I would be comparing those 2 and that wouldn’t be fair for Hyde, Jekyll and I. However I will do my best to be as objective as possible. While watching this I had too many opinions about it, on one hand: Hyun Bin, on the other hand: bad writing. I can say that it was good in the first few episodes, but after episode 8 it became too boring they are just dragging and dragging, I don't think that anything new happened after that. My guess is that the writers suddenly quit and the production team had to film something for every week until episode 20. Meaningless plot lines were dragged out, hypnosis was treated like some sort of super power, and I don't know but I'm pretty sure this writer didn't do much research on DID (I'm not saying I know more about DID than she does, but I'm pretty sure DID doesn't work like that!). The plot idea was good and had potential, but the final drama didn't live up to the expectations I had before watching it. I was missing the feeling of a deep, well-elaborated story, it failed to really grip me. It had lovely moments, was overall okay to watch, but it's definitely not the best drama out there. I feel bad for Hyun Bin, this was supposed to be his grand comeback to dramaworld, don’t worry Hyun Bin I’ll wait for your next success ;)
Han Ji Min's character and acting was not up to scratch. Although I have only seen a couple of her previous works, I know she is an amazing actress, but she did not fit at all with her character. Jang Ha Na should be a strong character who is independent when not concerned with her love from Robin/Seo Jin, but Ji Min made her a weak and pathetic character. Chemistry you ask? Nope, nothing. They were cute together; they just never had the kind of love that got you in the gut, or made you think that you’d go move the mountains yourself if it meant that they could be together. They were a sweet, but take-it-or-leave-it kind of couple. Don’t get me wrong, I'm not hating against the drama, the writers or Han Ji Min, I just feel the drama would have been better if it was written differently and executed differently, after all it had the potential.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Bunjis Verdict

Okay, that was an emotional rollercoaster. I don’t remember being this upset about/because of a drama, since Boys Before Flowers, and even then, it didn’t last as long as this. I agree with Kamji that the writes either died, changed, or had so many people, because after episode 8, it just went downhill. I felt that the writer, was like several people, instead of one (DID?). It was uncoercive, messy and quite frankly enraging. I have in my life never experienced so many mixed signals in a drama and end up with something stupid as this. I say stupid because DID is not at all like this version of crap. I am no psychologist, but NO ONE has this kind of second personality. They actually created a main character, so freaking unlikeable, and the second personality, who by the way still is the main character, more likeable and “heroic”. Just to make it clear, THEY ARE STILL THE SAME PERSON. If that doesn’t annoy you, there is the crap about co-existing, and living with both… but he is not real! Urgh… I am both furious and upset, and I very annoyed that Sung Joon’s character doesn’t fit in my brain - like he portrayed his character very well. But I can’t even like him, because everything else about this is so upsetting. Han Ji Min is as Kamji said, just dumb (that is my use of word, not hers). I don’t get any of it.

Thank God, I watched this in one go. I don’t think I would’ve been able to watch it otherwise… And yes, I think I am hating on this drama… sorry Hyun Bin, Han Ji Min and Sung Joon… even of you did a decent job…

All in all, a typical Korean drama, but one I wouldn’t watch ever again… nor recommend.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥ / 2 out of 5 hearts