Jeong Do Jeon Review

Title: Jeong Do Jeon

Genre: Historical, Political, Drama

Episodes: 50

Broadcast period: 2014-Jan to 2014-Jun

Cast: Cho Jae Hyun, Yoo Dong Geun, Park Young Gyu and Lim Ho.

This story is about the man who changed the corrupt Goryeo by making laws to help the low class and poor, and helped establish Joseon, by installing a new king on the throne.

Jeong Do Jeon (Cho Jae Hyun) is a low-class noble working for the government as a scholar in Sungkyunkwan. When the king, who was betrayed by his most loyal servants repeatedly, trials Do Jeon, the two come to an agreement, and decide to work together to fix the crumbling Goryeo. Unfortunately, the king is assassinated, by his guards, and the prime minister, together with his allies, put a young prince on the throne, to manipulate him behind the curtain. In opposition of this, Do Jeon becomes labeled as a traitor, and is forced in exile.

Loosing all hope and desire for the future, he meets the peasants of Goryeo, the ill treatment they suffer, and decides to once again help the government, but soon notices how bad the political situation in Goryeo is, so he decides to do the unthinkable: if the problem is the government, we change the government…

As a history buff this idea made me all excited, since it’s one of “those” stories/highlights of Korean history. Even if this has a lot of storytelling and a lot of moments, I kind of don’t understand the necessity of 50 episodes - which was one of the things that made my brown frown, when I started it. But as I went along with episodes, I noticed the “change” in history, which made me annoyed. Even if it didn’t change the overall history part it kind of made it “sentimental” or “emotional” without it being it. Also, simply historically incorrect. I don’t want to spoil, so I’m just going to say, trying to make a man seem like he is “feeling” bad for the poor people when he doesn’t care for his own family in the same sense is plain weird. Though I must give the production credit for portraying Jeong Do Jeon as he is portrayed in history books, and not some hero, is what made me continue this drama (even though the above mentioned annoyed me A LOT). Plus: Cho Jae Hyun is perfect casting. The rest seem okay, but the acting just seems like how any actor would act in the given roles - I mean like it doesn’t give anything extra. Besides that, this drama can seem boring - there is sooo much political TALK. They keep talking and talking, and unless you can see the history part, you’ll be bored. So they didn’t really think about that while making this drama.

OKAY, summing up: a fine drama with mostly accurate storyline, but has some flaws that just aren’t acceptable as a history buff, and can be quite boring for those who aren’t.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

The K2 Review

Title: The K2

Genre: Melodrama, Political, Action

Episodes: 16

Broadcast Period: Sep-2016 to Nov-2016

Cast: Ji Chang Wook, Song Yoon Ah, Im Yoon Ah, Jo Sung Ha, Jun Bae Soo, Kim Kap Soo, Lee Soon Won, Uhm Hye Ran, 

Kim Je Ha (Ji Chang Wook) is a former mercenary soldier for the PMC Blackstone. While in Iraq, he gets framed for the murder of his lover, a civilian. As a result, he runs away and becomes a fugitive. He returns to South Korea and by chance, gets offered to work as a bodyguard by Choi Yoo Jin (Song Yoon Ah), the owner of JSS Security Company and wife of the presidential candidate, Jang Se Joon (Jo Sung Ha). He accepts the job in exchange for resources that he needs in order to get his revenge on another presidential candidate, Park Kwan Soo (Kim Kap Soo), who previously ordered the killing of his lover. In the meantime, Kim Je Ha gets assigned to guard Go Anna (Im Yoon Ah), the hidden daughter of Jang Se Joon, whose life is always threatened because of Choi Yoo Jin, her stepmother. 

Yes, ladies and gentleman, Ji Chang Wook is back, with nothing less than quality acting with a sprinkle load of hotness. I’ll guide you through why you should watch this. First of all if you have watched Healer (another Ji Chang Wook Gem) you’ll know that his action scenes are professional, and apparently he stepped up his game in this drama, so expect some moves :b. Secondly: do I really need to say more? Yes, as you can read I am too biased on the actor to actually write a helpful review. At first I really didn’t want Ji Chang Wook, to team up with an idol-turned-actress, it’s not that’s she’s bad but she’s not good either. However, the villain in this story, Choi Yoo Jin, portrayed by Song Yoon Ah, really took the audience by storm. Her acting was crazy, at one time I literally got chilled put by her. She was really impressive, she even took the spotlight from JCW when in the same scene (yes, that’s how crazy good she was). The storyline was okay, it became a little dull at times, and the romance was a little too much at times, but the suspense and political game kept it up. To conclude: JCW Fighting ♥

☆☆☆☆☆ / 5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts

The Good Wife Review

Title: The Good Wife

AKA: His Scandal, Her Life

Genre: Legal, Political

Episodes: 16

Broadcast Period: Jul-2016 to Aug-2016

Cast: Jun Do Yun, Yoo Ji Tae, Yoon Kye Sang, Kim Seo Hyung, Nana, Lee Won Geun, Cha Soon Bae, 

The drama about a woman, Kim Hye Kyung (Jun Do Yun), who assumes responsibility for her family after her husband, Lee Tae Joon (Yoo Ji Tae), is thrown into prison after a very public scandal. Lee Tae Joon was a prosecutor with the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office who gets sent to prison and whose wife is then propelled to return to her former career as a lawyer to support her family.

An excellent drama. I haven’t watched the American version, so I’m not going to compare it to the original. For me this was a good drama. The legal aspect were not that hard to understand, and it was a nice mix between the cases and the wife’s problem. I had one problem though. The lead actress’ acting were a little stiff in my opinion. Maybe the problem is Jeon Do Yeon's eyes, she didn't change her expression from start to finish of this drama, her eyes showed sadness, even when she's happy. Talking about acting, Yoo Ji Tae! Wow, if eyes could kill, even though he was a villain in this drama, I couldn't help but be on his side. Another actor that took me by surprise: Nana! I loved them all but those two were my favorites!
All in all very satisfied with it. 

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ (1/2) / 3 (1/2) out of 5 hearts

D-day Review

Title: D-day

Genre: Medical, Political, Disaster

Episodes: 20

Broadcast period: 2015-Sep to 2015-Nov

Cast: Kim Young Kwang, Jung So Min, Ha Suk Jin and Yoon Joo Hee.

This drama is about a natural disaster striking Seoul, and we follow a group of doctors and firefighters as they are trying to help and save the citizens, but also about the social and political consequences arising due to the situation.

Lee Hae Sung (Kim Young Kwang) is an empathetic doctor doing his best for all his patients, but also a very competent one. After he loses his father in a car accident and his mother got into a coma, he accepts the ill treatment from his chief so his mother can stay inside the hospital where he works. The chief of the hospital, Mirae University Hospital, is only concerned about the reputation and economic of the hospital, which is where the two opinions collide.

Jung Ddol Mi (Jung So Min) is 3rd year resident at a university hospital in Busan, but when there was talk about moving a patient to Seoul she offered to go, on her own: wanting to meet her idol Han Woo Jin (Ha Suk Jin), who happens to be a college friend of Hae Sungs, but also someone who agrees with the chief of the hospital.

After saving a patient’s life, ignoring authority Lee Hae Sung is transferred to a smaller hospital, and at the same time, the earth starts to shake. Suddenly a crane falls into a sinkhole, and all hell breaks loose…

Hmm, I am not sure I am doing this drama justice with that type of summary, but it is incredibly hard not to spoil anything.

I personally am a huge fan of disaster stories; both movies and TV shows. Therefore, I was very excited about this when I found out about it. I also like the idea of it being about doctors and firefighters, as we usually don’t have that view – or at least I haven’t seen any with it – that shows us about their struggles and situations.

Kim Young Kwang is a very talented and handsome actor, whom I liked for quite a while now, ever since White Christmas I think, so seeing him in this character was amazing. I was afraid they would make him like this perfect guy/hero who saves the day, so I was more than happy when they showed his human side every so often. Jung So Min is one of those actresses that I can’t stand, not because she’s annoying or ugly, but because I didn’t understand why she would be acting as she is horrible at it. Made me confused about the casting. However, to be fair, the dramas she had acted in where quite bad: that said this actually shows a bit of improvement. Not that she is a favorite actress now, but she is decent and tolerable here.

The only thing that I didn’t enjoy in this drama was amount of politics involved and the feud between the two male actors, and the chief. Then again, it started with a bang; they can’t continue all the way like that.

So do I recommend this drama? Hell yes!

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Kamji’s Verdict 

I am not sure where to start with this drama as this is an amazing drama. Probably one of the best dramas of 2015 if not the best. I could talk about how great this drama is for a long period of time, but I will try to make this review as short as I can. I really enjoyed watching this drama i'm shocked it's not popular, everything about it was fun, exciting and damn it could keep you glued to your laptop. There are some things this show has done very well, and that has largely been in the cinematography and the cast. I really appreciated the way everyone made their roles as believable as possible, and I especially loved the chemistry that came from the different characters. I really loved the relationship between the two main leads, but I wish we had seen more romance between them. In addition, like everyone else who watched this drama, I agree with the overdone enmity between the director and our reckless and skillful doctor. They could have turned it down a bit, I mean it goes on for 20 episodes! Everything else was good. Double recommended!

☆☆☆☆☆ / 5 out of 5 stars


♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Secret Door Review

Title: Secret Door
AKA: Uigwe Murder Case
Genre: History, Mystery, Political, Action
Episodes: 24
Broadcast period: 2014-Sep to 2014-Dec
Cast: Han Suk Kyu, Lee Je Hoon, Kim Yoo Jung, Park Eun Bin, Kim Min Jong, Kim Chang Wan, Lee Won Jong,

This drama is the historical remake of the conflict that occurred between the Joseon King Yeongjo (Han Suk Kyu) and his son the Crown Prince Sado (Lee Je Hoon). They had two very different ways of how to rule the country. King Yeongjo wanted to pursues the strong royal authority, and to strengthen his political power. While Crown Prince Sado insisted on the more ideal thought of equality for everyone. It was known that King Yeongjo, even after 30 years on the throne felt threatened by his son, and therefor he sentenced him to death. Nevertheless, mystery surrounds Crown Prince Sado’s death, even 100 years after. This drama will explore the truth behind one of Joseons greatest struggle for power.

This show takes Korean dramas to a whole other level. I have to start with saying I’m a geek when it comes to history, it’s one of my passions, so I really enjoyed this drama. Especially when I know that, it’s based on a real event.  Yes, this is a very powerful drama with an awesome cast line; if you are a saeguk fan (like me), this is a definite watch. This story has been tackled so many times in dramaland, that it makes it no easy job to bring an exciting and thrilling atmosphere to it. Just in 2014 there is already two works about king Sado, (Bonus info: Yoo Ah In plays King Sado in the movie!!!)
After watching the first episodes, I realized that this was a little different from the others; somehow, I was so confused I couldn’t continue, so I decided to research the background for this mysterious king. In addition, it definitely helped me get through it, and it opened up so many questions about him. Now I know why every historian thinks he is interesting.
I was surprised they casted Le Je Hoon as king Sado, and that’s because I’ve only seen him in Fashion King (2012), and he really didn’t make an impression on me, plus he really doesn’t have other projects, so he is kinda unknown. After watching him play this role, I see why they said he is the perfect fit. He really pulled out an amazing and interesting character I think only he can do, and the fact that he is kinda unknown in dramaland makes him perfect for this role. You’ll see why in the drama :b
All in all a very interesting drama, that I’m happy I decided to watch, the reason it doesn't get the perfect score is because of the lack of romance, in real life King Sado was known as the ladies man :b

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Three Days Review

Title: Three Days

AKA: 3 Days

Genre:  Action, Thriller, Political, Crime, Mystery, Melodrama, Romance

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2014-Mar to 2014-May

Cast: Park Yoo Chun (Mickey), Son Hyun Joo, Park Ha Sun, So Yi Hyun, Yoon Je Moon, Choi Won Jung and Jang Hyun Sung.

After being suspended for loosing focus while protecting the President (Son Hyun Joo), Han Tae Kyung (Park Yoo Chun) holds a funeral service for his father who had passed on that very day, which was also the reason for his loss of focus.  There he meets Yoon Bo Won (Park Ha Sun) a country police woman, who showed up to ask some follow –up questions on his father’s death. At first the questions seem normal, but as she continues, Tae Kyung notices that the ‘accident’ that resulted in his father’s death wasn’t as accidental as he thought.

As the evening continues he is involved in several weird situations which lead him to finding out about the most shocking fact: an attempt of assassination on the president. Hurrying to convey this news to his chief (Jang Hyun Sung.), he is caught up in a situation with the president missing and is accused of being responsible for it.

Now, on the run, he has to find the president before the end of the 72 hours since he went missing in order to not cause havoc amongst the public of South Korea, but also save him from the assassinator after him…

Sorry about the review being confusing, but you’ll have to watch it in order to understand it. And to be honest the story is much more than what I have written.

To start with I get why it’s called 3 days, but the story expands to much more than that. The general story is about the three days in which the assassination is planned – or in the three days where they are looking for the president – but it really is much more. I guess that is why I like it so much. It reminds me of the period dramas where the king is to be assassinated and he is confused at who to trust, except of course it is much harder to actually kill him (not just run into his room and kill him). And I love that the question that everyone else wonders is answered (this one: If you are the president, why are you so weak).

Besides that I like Yoo Chun and his acting – though I am not used to this kind of Yoo Chun. And I am in love with Park Ha Sun, which is tough work for a female actress to do (I really really really like her).

The storyline is also confusing and keeps you on your toes – kind of is nice to watch something that you are unsure how it’ll end.

To sum up: good drama with a good storyline.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Kamji’s Verdict: 
Okay, lots of action, just too bad it was badly executed. I guess the budget were a little tight, because somehow I were mostly annoyed by those scenes than excited. it continues throughout the drama, I just keep noticing the errors. There were too many of those errors, for example, you see a person walking on a carpet, and another person inside a room in the other end of the corridor can hear his footsteps, which sound like he is walking on marble. On the one hand, it delivered what I needed it to and wrapped everything up with a happy ending without feeling unrealistic, so it definitely wasn’t unsuccessful.

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

The Great Seer Review

Title: The Great Seer

Genre: Historical, Period, Politics, Action, Romance

Episodes: 35

Broadcast period: 2012-Oct to 2013-Feb

Cast: Ji Sung, Song Chang Ui, Ji Jin Hee and Yoon Ji.

When the head priestess of the royal court sees the eternal land Ja Mi Won, the prophet with the holy eyes Mok Dong Yoon (Choi Jae Woong) is sent out to find it. When he finds it though, the prophecy says that the true heir of the land, the future king, is the only one that’ll be able to have it.. in 50 years’ time. Pressured by rebels and the Ming Dynasty, the king orders the prophet to be tortured for the location, and that goes on in 10 years, but all in vain. With a chance to flee Dong Yoon does so, but is followed by the princess and the love of his life Young Ji (Lee Sung Yun) follows him and demands the map of the land so her brother can get the power he is entitled. As the two spend time together and the enemies are closing in, the princess buys Dong Yoon time by following the guards back, but as it turns out she is pregnant with the prophet’s child. In order to save herself and the child she marries the man Lee In Im (Jo Min Ki) who has wanted her almost all his life, but has had an affair with the priestess underling. She also becomes pregnant, and as time pass the two give birth to sons, but In Im is determined to kill the son of the man his wife loves, though is a split second Dong Yoon manages to survive, and the princess takes the priestess son in as her own.

11 years pass and the king believing he has the eternal land has announced independence from the Ming Dynasty, and as time passes he becomes more and more paranoid with his underlings. When the priestess murders the head priestess in order to become it herself, she and Lee In Im decide to plot a coup d’état against the king, and when they hear that Dong Yoon is in the town they try to find him and his son in order to kill them both. At the same time a general Lee Sung Gye (Ji Jin Hee) famous for his military abilities surfaces and enters the palace, leaving much havoc wherever he goes. Will 50 years manage to pass in order for the Ja Mi Won to surface? And what are the roles of the two children born in the strife of their parents in this?

Sorry about the major summary, but you know with these period dramas, they really start at the episode 10 marks. Okay, so this is one heck of a drama, besides it being made extremely well, the storyline and the characters are very well written. Though I really didn’t like the choice for many of the actors (hint: lead actress) the general story is not only interesting, but it’s very close to the historical part - which I did not expect since the ‘good’ guys aren’t as good in real life. But they did add the bad part, which makes the story amazing but the character less likable.

Another thing that made me intrigued is that the secrets that usually take forever to be revealed are revealed in matter of episodes, and some are never told. So it depends on who watches it to distinguish what you would think of it. I liked it, because it made it more real.

All in all a fine drama might be one of the only period dramas I actually genuinely like.

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Fugitive of Joseon Review

Title: The Fugitive of Joseon

AKA: Heaven’s Order / Mandate of Heaven / Heaven’s Will

Genre: Historical, Thriller, Medical, Political, Period

Episodes: 20

Broadcast period: 2013-Apr to 2013-Jun

Cast: Lee Dong Wook, Kim Yoo Bin, Song Ji Hyo, Im Seul Ong and Park Ji Young.

When the ill king decides to abdicate from his position, the crown prince (Im Seul Ong) is left in a dilemma: if he takes the throne he’ll be seen as a bad son by not waiting for his actual time to reign, and if he denies he’ll be seen at a traitor for not accepting the king’s order. All his life the crown prince had been fighting every minister, and ill-fated people who were trying to kill him, leaving only a handful of people he can trust. One of the people he trusts is Choi Won (Lee Dong Wook), the grandson of the crown princes’ doctor who was executed after making a mistake. This has left Choi Won with resentment and disappointment in the crown prince, also not being able to forgive him for not helping him then. Working as a doctor in the royal clinic, Choi Won has been known to be a ‘quack’ for not wanting to do his job, as he is too busy taking care of his sick daughter at home.

When the king passes out, the royal clinic sends out their best acupuncturist, but the crown prince refuses him, asking for Choi Won, whom he knows is a talented doctor. But knowing the consequences if he makes a mistake, Choi Won declines, leaving a bad impression on everyone, especially Hong Dain (Song Ji Hyo) a royal nurse who is more talented than many of the male doctors in the palace. She became a nurse due to her being saved by a doctor she doesn’t remember well, but dreams of meeting.

After the crown princes’ royal doctor is murdered, evidence are starting to pile up against Choi Won, and for some reason he is not able to prove his innocence, in order to save his daughter he makes a the decision of becoming a fugitive…

Besides the fact of having an amazing cast, this drama is an incredible piece of work. I have to say I was sad that it finished, made me feel a bit empty at the end. The characters and the storyline grow on you, and you cannot take your eyes of the amazing screenplay. I know I’ve said this before, but I really am not a fan of historical dramas, because honestly I don’t understand any of it, especially everything about the king and his royal court. But I think I didn't mind this because it was very clear, also most of the story was outside the court (though the things happening inside I really didn’t understand, I didn’t really care). On the other hand, it really ends up being all political and confusing in the end, making the rating drop - they REALLY drag it out at the end.

All in all, a recommended drama.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts