Tunnel Review

Title: Tunnel

Genre: Crime, Thriller, Detective, Time Travel

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2017-Mar to 2017-May

Cast: Choi Jin Hyuk, Yoon Hyun Min, Lee Yoo Young, Jo Hee Bong and Kim Min Sang.

In 1986 Park Gwang Ho (Choi Jin Hyuk), working as an experienced detective, is faced with a serial of killings. Back in the days the term ‘serial killer’ isn’t a popular used word, but Gwang Ho is one of few that notices a pattern. One evening while almost catching the serial killer, he is runs through a tunnel and is hit on the head. While regaining feet he walks back to his station, but is met with an empty station and an unfamiliar face, Kim Sun Jae (Yoon Hyun Min) at his desk. In the confusion he handcuffs Sun Jae, but soon notices that there is something wrong. He slowly realizes, with the help of his junior now team leader, that he isn’t in his own time. He has traveled 30 years into the future, and is unable to get back.

While trying to figure out how any of it is possible and how to get back, he notices that the serial killer from 30 years ago still is at large. But as older case files have been burned in a fire in the past, he is the only one remembering the case. So, he decides that in order to get back, he must solve the case. Unfortunately, there seems to be something else going on, when a person with the same name as Gwang Ho is supposed to show up at the very station, but has disappeared…

Sorry for the lacking summary, it’s hard not to spoil much of this great drama.

I really enjoyed watching this drama, even though for the first time ever I disliked both supporting actors. Their characters were unlikeable! I mean for the first 4 episodes I wasn’t interested in their screen time, but as time went by I guess they grew on me. Choi Jin Hyuk was great all the way through – I could totally see him as a man from 1986, by language and how he carried himself. The Yeon Suk and Gwang Ho coupling was so cute, made me not care about any other couples. Story and screenplay is great as well.

Unfortunately, I guessed 85% of the drama before the end of, so I was just expecting things to happen by the end of it. But that doesn’t mean everyone will feel that way! So, I would recommend this drama to anyone.

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Kamji’s Verdict

What a marathon! I Personally have a liking to all OCN’s crime/mstery themed dramas. Therefor of course Tunnel was a drama I looked very much forward to. It didn’t disappoint me. The acting was on point, the storyline and the cinematography between the 80’ and present day was really believable. The storyline throughout the drama was very predictable, but I gotta admit the particular cases and crimes throughout was not, at least for me. I liked the suspense a lot, and definitely the teamwork at that police department. Also I agree with Bunji, that Choi Jin Hyuk, was the perfect one for that role. Everything about him screamed the 80’. So to conclude I would say yet again, good job to OCN.  

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Pride & Prejudice Review

Title: Pride and Prejudice
AKA: Lawless World
Genre: Drama, Human, Legal, Romance
Episodes: 21
Broadcast period: Oct-2014 to Jan-2015
Cast: Baek Jin Hee, Choi Jin Hyuk, Choi Min Soo, Son Chang Min, Lee Tae Hwan, Choi Woo Shik, Jang Hang Sun

Young prosecutors form a legal team. They are passionate and obsessive about solving cases and fight injustice, even If they have to go against the higher authorities. They all have different personalities and come from different backgrounds, they are forced to learn how to cooperate and adjust with each other. Han Yul Moo (Baek Jin Hee) comes from a poor family, she thrives to become a prosecutor to solve the case about her murdered brother that led her family to desperation, after meeting the handsome prosecutor Goo Dong Chi (Choi Jin Hyuk) she finds new clues that leads him being a suspect. Now she has to work together with him to prove that he is the one that killed her brother. Goo Dong Chi is an intelligent and righteous prosecutor, and does what he can to help the weak and poor people, how would he react when he finds out that one of his colleagues is trying to gather evidence against a crime he has been involved in 15 years ago?

Where do I start with this one… I fell in love with it in the beginning. I think this has been a great year for Choi Jin Hyuk. The intertwined stories of 3 very different prosecutors and a detective keep you on your toes as they unravel the secrets of each other’s pasts. The passionate performances from the powerhouses like Choi Min Soo and Son Chang Min… whew talk about some great drama actors!
 Even though this show falls into the legal category it doesn’t feel overly legal-ish, and probably most people who like typical Korean romantic dramas would have a good time watching it. Overall I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice far more than I expected, so I would definitely recommend it.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½out of 5 hearts

Flower Grandpa Investigative Team Review

Title: Flower Granpa Investigative Team
AKA: Flower Granpa Lab, Flower Granpa Investigative Unit
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery, Crime
Episodes: 12
Broadcast Period: 2014-May to 2014-Jul
Cast: Lee Soon Jae, Shin Dong Woo, Byun Hee Bong, Choi Jin Hyuk, Park Min Woo, Jang Kwang, Kim Hee Chul

The lives of four detectives in their twenties are changed forever when an experiment gone awry, three of them rapidly age overnight and find themselves in the bodies of old men in their 80's. Only one of them stayed young, Park Jung Woo (Kim Hee Chul). As his suddenly much older colleagues struggle to deal with their new and unusual mess, Jung-woo shares in their hardships, joining them in their mission to find a way to reclaim their lost youth. Meanwhile, the team also continues to solve crimes, while the "grandpas" work at a delivery service as their cover.

This is a very quirky drama, it was perfect for the summer,(yup, it took me the whole summer to watch), it was a fun drama that doesn’t put really much stress on it, but it still has enough drama to keep you interested. My first impression of the plot was… unexpected. When dramaland introduced Granpas I assumed that Choi Jin-Hyuk and the gang, would gradually mature into Lee Soon Jae and his halbae pals (Granpa). Not a dive in the tank, and BAM, 80-year olds detectives. Although premature aging as a concept is kinda freakishly scary, the show’s choice of halbaes who replace their younger counterparts is hilarious. To end this on a nice note, it was an okay drama, I don’t regret watching it.

☆☆☆/ 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Bunji's Verdict
Okay, I liked it a bit more than I was expecting I would, especially the ending. As I was watching I laughed a lot, had some interesting stories to watch (CSI fan here), and I found the four actors (the grandpas and Heechul) to have a great team chemistry, which made it more enjoyable. Though I was a bit sad that they ‘youthful’ became old like 30min in the first episode, I kind of liked the old versions, and I kinds of felt that they did a great job acting as the young minded versions of their characters.
Another thing that annoyed me was that the main lead’s story was just too much of a focus, and yes I get that it is a focus, but it was really boring especially when we have this love story hanging about.. And it is a threesome. Like the female is in love with the lead, and the supporting is in love with her… And yeah the lead falls eventually for her, but it kind of is a silly way. I don’t know. I don’t mind old people, particularly when they are so great at their jobs, but the drama had much less of a seriousness, which it should have had.
Anyways, a funny drama with great actors, but somehow I wasn’t that satisfied…

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Emergency Couple Review

Title: Emergency Couple
AKA: Emergency Man and Woman / 911 Couple
Genre: romance, comedy, family, medical
Episodes: 21
Broadcast period: 2014-Jan-24 to 2014-April-05
Cast: Song Ji Hyo, Choi Jin Hyuk, Lee Pil Mo, Choi Yeo Jin, Clara, Yoon Jong Hoon, Im Hyun Sung, Chun Min Hee, Choi Bum Ho, Park Sung Geun, Lee Mi Young, Jun Soo Jin, Park Doo Shik

Oh Jin Hee (Song Ji Hyo) and Oh Chang Min (Choi Jin Hyuk) are a young couple who meet at college and fall in love. They decide to get married despite Oh Chang Min's family opposing, since his family is a doctor's family and Jin Hee is a dietist, and doesn't even come from a wealthy family. The two of them get married and have their stuggles living as a young newly married couple, trying to afford a living. Chang Min goes around hospitals trying to sell medicine and often comes home late drunk. Jin Hee stays at home developing depression. They end up fighting more and more often and in the end decide to seperate ways. 6 years later somehow destiny brings them together at a wedding and things only get more interesting when they meet as interns at the same hospital.

I absolutely loved this drama because of it's romance and comedy. It was hilarious all way through and kept me going. The only downside was the last two episodes which didn't really have thaaat much going on again. It was a very stable ending or just a plane ride through. However that is just a minor thing if you enjoy this kind of drama. The couple did great and the acting was just great. I liked that the second lead couple didn't "interrupt" the lead couple's story too much but just enough to keep me staying haha. I recommend this drama it's exciting, fun and romantic.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of hearts

Bunji's Verdict

Besides this being a great drama, I think I was a bit too expecting of this one, since everyone was praising it. And yes, the beginning is brilliant, and even so the love story - like really my type of love story with the same kind of effects and emotions. But somehow I found it to be both draggy and kind rolling around in its own little world, wanting me to shake them up. I found that the second (and third) love story was dull, and completely unnecessary, even though the actors are brilliant. And somehow along the way they lost the entire ‘medical’ drama, along the way, and made it just a bit too melodramatic. Though I gotta say the medical part is daebak, also the situations are reasonable, meaning not those crazy ass procedures with heart surgery: I mean how would interns/residents be able to even do that?! But they keep it reak in this drama, and the growth is reasonable.

THAT was the negative about it: the good part is it is a very good Korean drama, which I can’t say for many. It has good social issues and kind of gives you a vibe of society as it is - which is bad LOL. And yet it is a romantic comedy with seriously the funniest scenes I have seen in a long time… And creative to.

To sum up, and great drama.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Panda & Hedgehog Review

Title: Panda and Hedgehog

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2012-Aug to 2012-Oct

Cast: Lee Dong Hae, Yoon Seung Ah, Choi Jin Hyuk and Yoo So Young.

Go Seung Ji (Lee Dong Hae) with the nickname ‘Hedgehog’ is a talented patisserie working for a man he calls ‘Grandpa’ though they are not related. While searching for a con artist who had cheated him he bumps into a girl wearing a panda costume, making him sure that she is his accomplice. The girl in the costume is Pan Da Yang (Yoon Seung Ah) also called ‘Panda’ is the owner of the small cake shop called Café Panda, but is on the verge of bankruptcy mainly due to her incompetent patisserie. In the need she turns to her sister who works for the Saint-Honoré bakery franchise, so that she will keep the café open, and keep the memory of her parents. When Da Yang puts up posters of job recruitments for her café, Seung Ji spots it, and decides to go and work there so he can get the money back, but also to stop being a nuisance to Grandpa.

The two end up joining forces to compete against the Saint-Honoré…

I have had this drama on my computer for a very long time (over a year), and I have not been able to watch it more than 10 min, mainly because I have a problem with most SM Entertainments idol actors. No offence but they all overact and are all basically pretty faces that got a role. That said, the star in this drama is Dong Hae. I mean all the other actors are so not worth your time, and Seung Ah just has one thing that fits in this drama… her face. She LOOKS like a panda, and that is all that is worth mentioning here. Jin Hyuk tries to do something, but I kind of get annoyed with his face, as if even when smiling I get confused - but weirdly enough he has one gorgeous smile. Besides the cast not living up to my expectations, I loved that Dong Hae exceeded them. I actually watched it to the end because of him, and I liked the drama very much to be honest. Though it really is easy to figure out, and you inevitably roll your eyes when they announce the ‘twists’.

So is it worth your time? Yeah, it is really good :)

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts