The Man Living in our House Review

Title: The Man Living in our House 

AKA: Sweet Stranger and Me

Genre: Family, Comedy, Romance

Episodes: 16

Broadcast Period: Oct-2016 to Dec-2016

Cast: Soo Ae, Kim Young Kwang, Lee Soo Hyuk, Jo Bo Ah, Kim Ji Hoon, Kim Mi Sook, KimHa Kyun, Ji Yoon Ho,

Hong Na Ri (Soo Ae) is a middle-aged flight attendant who suddenly comes home to find her deceased mother's husband, Go Nan Gil (Kim Young Kwang), has decided to live in her house. The problem is her mothers husband is three years younger than Hong Na Ri. Go Nan Gil runs a dumpling shop inherited from his late wife, where the shop and Na Ris house are located on a hotly disputed land.

During this drama I had so much to say about it. I should have kept notes, because now that I have to write the review nothing comes to mind.
One thing for sure is that they really wanted it to be a suspense drama, but failed miserably. The first 10 episdodes they kept hinting at a dark secret that would throw our lead actress into some real distress. However the last 6 episodes instead of a big revelation of the past (which they make you really curious about), they just dodge the whole thing and trying to put an end to the story. For one thing it made me disappointed and another: what a huuuuge waste of time. While watching the drama it’s enjoyable, and you like seeing the lead actress tumbling through life and trying to figure out how to get out of her midlife crisis. The lead actor also did a splendid job as the step-father despite his young age. However, it’s only when you finish it, you feel incomplete and with so many unanswered questions. 

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Scholar Who Walks The Night Review

Title: Scholar Who Walks The Night

AKA: Scholar of the Night

Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Romance

Episode: 20

Broadcast Period: Jul-2015 to Sep-2015

Cast: Lee Jun Ki, Lee Yoo Bi, Shim Chang Min, Lee Soo Hyuk, Kim So Eun, Jang Hee Jin, Lee Soon Jae, Son Jong Hak

Set in an alternate Joseon dynasty, Jo Yang Sun (Lee Yoo Bi) is the daughter of a nobleman whose family loses everything when her father were framed for treason. To make ends meet, Yang Sun begins cross-dressing as a male bookseller, and meets the handsome and mysterious scholar Kim Sung Yeol (Lee Joon Ki). Sung Yeol is a vampire, and he continues to be haunted by the long-ago death of his first love Lee Myung Hee (Kim So Eun) once he meets Myung Hee’s present-day doppelganger: Choi Hye Ryung (Kim So Eun), an aloof nobleman’s daughter. Meanwhile, the evil vampire Gwi (Lee Soo Hyuk) resides in the royal palace and uses his powers and political machinations to prevent the Crown Prince Lee Yun (Shim Chang Min) from ascending the throne.

What’s up with all the vampire stuff in dramaland lately?! Saeguk AND vampires jut the cup of tea I longed to watch… until I actually started watching it. The storyline was good, interesting. The idea about this evil despicable vampire living under the palace, playing with the king and his ministers like puppets were genius. Even the character were dreadful. However, the whole drama is about vampires, so why make them so weak?! I just couldn’t get excited about it at all! Then the nonsense about if they don’t drink blood at full moon, they will die… is this a vamp-werewolf fusion? I don’t like it, never, just stupid. Then Lee Jun Ki, why did you choose this drama, It totally made a black spot on your career, you need to pick a whole other project next time. I don’t want to give up on you yet. And now, Lee Yu Bi, she's a good actress but I just didn't like her character in this drama. No offence to her, but I hated her character so much I just wanted to skip all her scenes. Lee Soo Hyuk and Kim so Eun were brilliant together, I guess they were the most successful and magnificent choices made by the production. In conclusion, I was disappointed much, but I managed to finish it ;)

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Bunji's Verdict

Compared to the last Lee Jun Ki drama this one was a bit better, though I am getting tired of his period dramas. I don’t understand why it has to be period dramas all the time, and I am kind of missing the “Two Weeks” Lee Jun Ki now. Anyways, I said better, not necessary good. This drama is too coincidental and is too much “Manhwa” - this is why I dislike Manga/Manhwa adaptions, they never work!  It has too many ‘cartoonish’ elements and as I say, everything and everyone is too coincidental. Even though every actor fits their character perfectly: Jun Ki looks like a handsome undead, so does Soo Hyuk. And they couldn’t find anyone looking more like prince Yi San than Chang Min. Unfortunately, everything else about this drama is a mess. I have to disagree with Kamji - the background story is dumb, I mean it takes them so long to figure anything out.  The characters have no consistency and have bad growth. And I also disagree with Kamji on the second couple. - they were SO boring. Everyone was to be honest. I also felt that the lead actress was an idiot, SPOILER ALERT: Jun Ki’s character changes sooooo many times in front of her, and what she doesn’t notice? What the…

Anyways... My rating is based on the actors and their constant fight to “fix” this drama, unfortunately they fail, but watching them is quite worth the watch - and also I have to give their seriousness some credit.

All in all, not something I would recommend, but the acting is alright and worth a shot in this drama

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

King of High School Life Review

Title: High Schooler King of Life
AKA: High School King of Savvy
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 17
Broadcast periode: 2014-Jun to 2014-Aug
Cast: Seo In Guk, Lee Ha Na, Lee Yul Eum, Lee Soo Hyuk, Oh Kwang Rok, Kwon Sung Duk, Han Jin Hee, Song Young Kyu, Jo Han Chul, Kim Won Hae.

Lee Min-seok (Seo In Guk), is a popular high school student and varsity ice hockey player. He and his older brother Hyung-Seok (Seo In Guk) look very much alike, despite their nine-year age gap. One day he gets a mysterious phone call from Hyung-Seok telling him to impersonate his brother as the new director at an IT conglomerate. Now he has to live a double life while unaware with the rules there is within the Korean workplace. With only the help from his two best friend, he has to graduate high school, while keeping up with ice hockey and be a successful and intelligent director, until his brother comes back.

I am a big fan of Seo in guk since before Reply 1997, so I really looked forward to this drama, and he didn’t disappoint me! He is slowly rising to be a top actor, and I can’t wait for his next project. But the drama as a whole was interesting although I didn’t end up enjoying it. I liked the plot a lot, but the way it turned out to be, sucked a little bit for me, I guess I am too tired of noona-relationships, and this one was a little stupid. Like c’mon, he is a high school student.. It’s just not right. If you can look through that, you get a hilarious drama, with a lot of charisma (Lee Soo Hyuk) kekeke, so all in all an okay watch.

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

White Christmas Review

Title: White Christmas
AKA: Monster
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Psychological
Episodes: 8
Broadcast period: 2011-Jan to 2011-Mar
Cast: Kim Sang Kyung, Baek Sung Hyun, Kim Young Kwang, Lee Soo Hyuk, Kwak Jung Wook, Hong Jong Hyun, Esom, Kim Woo Bin, Sung Joon and Jung Suk Won.

This drama special is about 7 students and one teacher of Susin High School, an independent private school with the 1% of all Korean top students. Anything except studying is forbidden, and they are rating by points they get while attending school.
On a 8 day vacation - from the 24th Dec, 7 students: Park Moo Yul (Baek Sung Hyun) the schools ‘goody’ known for good behavior and has never broken a rule, Yoon Eun Sung (Esom) known as the prettiest girl in the school and liked by everyone, Yoon Su (Lee Soo Hyuk) known as ‘Angel’, because his father donated loads of money to the school and like that managed to occupy a spot, Choi Chi Hoon (Sung Joon) the schools smartest kid never leaving the number one spot at school ranking and the one Moo Yul is struggling to beat in any test, Jo Young Jae (Kim Young Kwang) hated by all students for his patronizing personality and ‘bully’ attitude, Yang Kang Mo (Kwak Jung Wook) who films everything and everyone, but has a handicap, he has and earplug, and lastly Lee Jae Kyu (Hong Jong Hyun) the only one that doesn’t seem to fit in the bunch since no one knows him. The teacher Yoon Jong Il (Jung Suk Won) got the task to take care of the students during the break, but is shortly joined by a psychologist Kim Yo Han (Kang Sang Kyung)who was involved in a car accident close by, and seeks refuge at the school, with a slight head injury.
None of the students like each other and try to stay out of each other’s ways, they at one point find out that they all got a mysterious black letter, written exactly the same way. At first most of them are treating it as a joke, but as time passes by, Moo Yul gets interested in it, and is surprised that all 7 are involved. While trying to figure out the letter, another school mate happens to be at the school, Kang Mi Reu (Kim Woo Bin), the schools dare-devil, who is suspended and wants to make Young Jae, whom he believes is responsible for it, pay for it. All that is put aside, when someone is murdered, and the telephone lines aren’t working.
Now they are stranded in the middle of nowhere, and with a murderer amongst them…

I’m sorry, I was really trying to cut it down, and it somehow became too reveling, then I wrote a lot, and yeah, less revealing: P Any ways, this drama is brilliant, with a brilliant cast (no idols) and amazing storyline. Though I have to admit, I have no idea how on earth it managed to escalate that fast without me rolling on the floor crying. Seriously, like every episode made my stomach turn, not being nauseous, but scared (in a good way) because I really would never know what I’d do in their position. I didn’t like the actress, though she grew on me, and some of the other actor did annoy me in the beginning, but as you watch them you simply wish for their well-being. I really recommend this, sincerely. It is very psychological, but it uses 8 episodes too the very fullest, and the tension does not let you down in any way. The only reason it’s not completely full rated is that there are times when I just knew what was going to happen, like 80% of the time that is.

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Kamjis Verdict
Hmm, I really don’t know about this. Would you be surprised if I say I didn’t quite like it… First of all the show is anything but a traditional kdrama.  It isn't romantic.  It isn't funny.  It isn't melodramatic, either.  It's bleak, terrifying, heartbreaking, and disturbing all at once. The one thing that made this series work so well was the cast.  This drama possibly had the best cast I have seen on any kdrama--ever.  I don't say that lightly.  It was a cast of mostly teenagers, but each and every character (okay, with one exception) was layered and complex.  Even the villain of the series had interesting moments of depth that steered clear of caricature.  While I didn't like all of the characters, I grew to understand them.  The cast members were phenomenal at portraying characters who were so human that you hurt for them.
I think maybe what ruined the show for me was that everyone kept saying how dark and terrifying it is… but it wasn’t. I mean everything was perfect, the cast, the plot (I liked), how it was directed, most of the things was good. I just can’t put my finger on one negative thing, so why did it leave me with an unpleasant feeling that it wasn’t that great? I guess I’ll just ponder over that for now.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts