Six Flying Dragons Review

Title: Six Flying Dragons
AKA: Roots of the throne
Genre: History, Politics
Episodes: 50
Broadcast Period: Oct-2015 to Mar-2016
Cast: Yoo Ah In, Kim Myung Min, Shin Se Kyung, Byun Yo Han, Yoon Kyun Sang, Chun Ho Jin, Jung Yoo Mi, Park Hae Soo, Ahn Suk Hwan

Set in the fading days of the Goryeo Dynasty, this drama depicts the lives and aspirations of six characters in establishing a new country called Joseon, with Lee Bang Won (Yoo Ah In) as the central figure. A fusion of saeguk and fiction, the story follows the conflicts of those 'six flying dragons' with the deep-rooted powers set against them, as they attempt to realize the dream they all share of a new nation founded on Confucian principles, which would eventually last for 500 years.

It’s been one hell of a journey, and Six Flying Dragons delivers a solid finale for an altogether solid, engaging show that I’m still not ready to let go of just yet. I have been following this drama from the very beginning when they announced Yoo Ah In were casted to this drama. I even mentioned it in my Secret Door Review (A great drama too). Words can’t describe the roller coaster feelings I have been through because of this drama! It’s really hard to break down a 50-episode drama, I need to make a full 50 pages analyze to make sure you get every little detail in why you should watch this drama. Believe me, there has been no 10 boring minutes throughout the whole drama. No time to breathe or get used to the awesomely-written script or the out-of-earth acting. There’s that heart throbbing feel about the whole drama it’s insane. How can I not like Lee Bang Won when it’s Yoo Ah In acting him? The ultimate Yoo Ah In! His gloomy eyes hide varieties of emotions, and that’s what makes Yoo Ah In who he is. You swim in those eyes but you lose yourself instead of finding answers. Well, I do. I can’t really find the words to sum up this review, because I haven’t even started yet. If you haven’t watched the drama yet… What are you doing then?

☆☆☆☆☆ / 5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts

Ex-Girlfriends Club Review

Title: Ex-Girlfriends Club

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Episodes: 12

Broadcast period: 2015-May to 2015-Jun

Cast: Song Ji Hyo, Byun Yo Hyo, Lee Yoon Ji, Jang Ji Eun and Hwa Young.

Kim Soo Jin (Song Ji Hyo) is a movie producer at a small film company, while dreaming of becoming noticed for her hard work. This dream is shattered when her CEO of the company makes the company go bankrupt and runs with all the money. The only way she'll be able to get the company back is to work with the last movie deal she had put in motion: a movie based on a webtoon called Girlfriend Buffalo/Buffalo Girlfriend - a story about the authors three ex-girlfriends. She soon finds out that the writer is called Bang Myung Soo - which is her first love and ex-boyfriend.

The two agree on making the movie, and in a drunken frenzy decide to call the three girlfriends: Na Ji Ah (Jang Ji Eun) is an elegant divorcee owning a restaurant, Jang Hwa Young (Lee Yoon Ji) a bossy and demanding manager at a famous movie company, and Go Ra Ra (Hwa Jung) an actress known for her looks and her aloof personality. As the four meet for the first time and the three ex's refuse to allow this movie to get going, as they want create their own characters - so Hwa Young buys the movie rights.

Things become even more confusing as Hwa Young's current boyfriend is the CEO of the famous company, but unaware of Hwa Youngs past - so the 5 have to pretend to be friends...

Hmm, I found this funny, cute and extremely over-the-top ridiculous, which made it really fun. The leads are good at playing opposite each other, but the supporting actors, the ex-girlfriends, are really good at keeping up with the leads. There are actually several thing I could point out here which were annoying, but the most annoying one was the lead actress, Song Ji Hyo. I like her and she was the main reason for watching this type of drama, but she seriously let me down. I am not sure whether it is because of the bad character, or Ji Hyo's bad acting that made the female protagonist so dull and boring that I really didn't feel like watching her. Maybe it is because the other three actresses where strong characters that the character drowned.

Okay not to ruin it for you, and you might not agree with me, so as whether you are to watch it or not, I would say, give it a try - it really is good for the laughing muscles.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Kamji's Verdict:

I loved it. So interesting and hilarious, and the actors were all awesome! Song Ji Hyo daeebak! Where do I start explaining this feeling. It’s not one of those dramas that just have all the feels and tension and excitement, no. But it’s easy to follow, the story unfolds gradually, there is no secret or backstabbing what so ever (maybe a liiiitle in the beginning, nothing serious though), the chemistry between the leads is amazing. PLUS the chemistry between all the exgirlfriends are so speciel I loved it, yeah it sounds weird, but the writers did a god job with the story so you can’t really do anything than love them. Last time I watched Byun Yo Hyo was in Misaeng, and I gotta say he got them charms :b Ehm-ehm.. I mean the talent for acting. 

All in all a really nice drama, soooo damn sad TvN decided to cut it down. Just because the ratings in Korea are bad, doesn’t mean us overseas fans won’t like it. They should stop doing that seriously. 

☆☆☆☆ ½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ ½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Misaeng Review

Title: Misaeng
AKA: Incomplete Life, Not Yet Alive
Genre: Drama
Episodes: 20
Broadcast Period: Oct-2014 to Dec-2014
Cast: Im Si Wan, Kang So Ra, Kang Ha Neul, Byun Yo Han, Yoon Jong Hoon, Yeo Eui Joo, Lee Sung Min, Shin Eung Jung

Jang Geu Rae (Im Siwan) is a lonely, quiet young man. He’s been working parttime jobs to support his mum. When his dad passed away, he had to stop achieving his dream of becoming the best Baduk player, now he is 26 and has no meaning in life. Somehow, he gets a job as an intern at a company One International, there he faces new struggles which he has never imagined. He starts a week after the other interns, and that’s why they all jumped to conclusions that he got the job via connections, therefor he is stamped by everyone as a loser. Even the manager treats him badly, now he has to start from scratch for his mums sake to stay at the company. Ahn Young Yi (Kang So Ra) is an intelligent young women, she speaks multiple languages and is an eagle when it comes to her job. Unfortunately there is a lot of discrimination around her. This drama will show the hardships and different difficulties there is in an office at a company.

I really wasn’t planning on watching this drama, but somehow here I am. This drama really had a serious real-life problem to deal with, so who am I to judge this drama. I can only say that it wasn’t horrific, but I one way or another got scared of it. I don’t know how to interpertate it in a good way, but if that’s how real work environment in South Korea is, I don’t wanna work there. Everytime  the characters went through hardships I kept thinking “now he is commiting suicide”, even though they’re not, but in my head that was the only conclusion to that misery. That was my first impression in the first few episodes, it got better towards the end. For the drama, it does a wonderful job of bringing everything full circle, and sucking you in so that you forget all about that circle until they smack you in the face with it again. There were no villains or angels, just regular people hurting and healing each other in different ways, for different reasons. I also enjoyed the fact that every episode, regardless of how sad it was included some humour. That touch was very true-to-life for me; people laugh and act ridiculous in almost any situation, no matter how miserable. As I was filling out the ratings, I thought I was being a tad ridiculous, but my heart and soul wouldn’t let me put anything lower.

☆☆☆☆☆ / 5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts