Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul Ho Review

Title: Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul Ho

AKA: My Lawyer Mr. Jo / Neighborhoor Lawyer Mr. Jo

Genre: Law, Legal, Family

Episodes: 20

Broadcast period: 2016-Mar to 2016-May

Cast: Park Shin Yang, Kang So Ra, Ryu Soo Young, Park Sol Mi, Kang Shin Il and Kim Dong Joon.

Jo Deul Ho (Park Shin Yang) lives as a beggar ever since he was betrayed by his chief. He lost his wife, home and position as a well-known prosecutor at the high court. He has no ambition left nor any wish for revenge, as his only reason to stay alive is so he can see his daughter get married when the time comes.

Everything changes when he runs into Lee Eun Jo (Kang So Ra) who is chasing a pickpocket. When finally catching the pickpocket he is surprised to find out that the pickpocket is his fellow orphan Kang Il Goo (Choi Jaw Hwan) from the same orphanage. At first Il Goo refuses to see Deul Ho, but soon warms up to him, only to pass away shortly after. Il Goo’s death leaves Deul Ho enraged and he decides to get to the bottom of the murder, which leads him back to schemes and corruption he had faced before, and had lost. This time he is determined to have justice prevail…

This drama I watched as it aired due to the quite interesting screen play and intriguing story. Though I found 20 episodes to be pretty long I have to say that the overall drama is really good. I remember Park Shin Yang from SIGN and I loved him there, so this I had to watch. I was quite annoyed at Kang So Ra’s character, I found her to be over acting. I haven’t really watched much of her dramas, but this is not something I would pin her as a good actress for. Generally, the female cast was just so typical and fairly dull, except for Hwang Suk Jung – the one that acted as Mr. Jo’s assistant – she was quite fun.

The drama is pretty typical as a Korean law/romance drama goes, but other than that I liked following all the legal stuff. I wasn’t really interested in the coupling or other things like that. So I enjoyed it.

To sum up, a typical Korean drama with a little bit of 2010s.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Two Weeks Review

Title: Two Weeks

Genre: Melodrama, mystery, crime, action, thriller, romance, family

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2013-Aug to 2013-Sept

Cast: Lee Jun Ki, Park Ha Sun, Kim Jae Kyung and Ryu Soo Young.

Living as low paid gangster Jang Tae San (Lee Jun Ki) had given up on life, considering himself as “trash”. Having gone to prison two times for his boss, Tae San was allowed to do whatever he wants to do - and that is basically living from one day to another. One day his ex-girlfriend Seo In Hye (Park Ha Sun) shows up in front of him asking him to be a donor to her daughter. At first Tae San is shocked she would ask him, but then she tell him that the daughter was born 8 years ago, when the two were dating. Now Tae San has a daughter, and she wants him to help her. At first he doesn’t like the idea of him being a father, until he meets her, and falls for her.

At the very moment while finding out that he is a match for the bone marrow transplant; a girl gives Tae San a camera, which Tae San by accident just puts in his pocket. He then leaves to find out that the date is set two weeks from that day on, so he cannot get any blood infection as it might hurt the possibility to transplant. But when his boss murders the girl that had given Tae San the camera, he decides to frame  Tae San for it, and letting him take the fall like he used to.

When Tae San is found at the crime scene with his fingerprints on the murder weapon, he is arrested and almost killed behind bars. So Tae San decides to become a fugitive in order to stay alive till his daughter’s surgery and at the same time clear his name…

After reading the summary I thought it was like the Japanese drama Runaway, so I was not very keen on watching it. But the drama is quite good, and I really like Lee Jun Ki, especially having him as a dad, and the female actress Park Ha Sun was amazing, incredible acting.

The story is very action packed and makes sense throughout the storyline. Even if it becomes a bit draggy in the long run, it is better than most dramas of the same genre and type - pretty great. I really don’t understand why it wasn’t more popular, but also I didn’t like the ending - the annoying idea of a happy ending, but I guess that’s what Koreans see as a happy ending. 

Okay, so do I recommend it? Yes, it is fitting everyone.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Kamji's Verdict
I started watching this drama, when half of it already aired, I really wasn’t expecting anything from it so I thought why not just start it. To understand this you have to know that I would rather not start an ongoing drama than not watching it at all, haha that sounded complicated. Nevertheless, I started this, and phew what a roller coaster of emotion I got there… I really loved this drama, everything about it was great, somehow I got blinded by it so I wouldn’t see any fault in it, therefor I have nothing bad to say, only that this is a recommendable drama, and it would be really stupid to leave this out of your to-watch list (if you haven’t already watched it). Honestly, I loved this drama because it showed exceptional character development that I have never seen in any other drama. Action packed from start to finish!! And the love story, so real, so awkward, so painful, but for me the real love story was between the father and the daughter, and that worked out just fine for me. Kurigu.. Can I say how happy I was to see Song Jae Rim as an assassin? I was very pleased ;)

☆☆☆☆☆ / 5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts

Successful Story of a Bright Girl Review

Title: Successful Story of a Bright Girl

AKA: Cheerful Girl’s Success Story / A Bright Girl’s Success Story

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Episodes: 16

Broadcast date: 2002-Mar to 2002-May

Cast: Jang Na Ra, Jang Hyuk, Han Eun Jung and Ryu Soo Young.

Cha Yang Soon (Jang Na Ra) is a happy and rather naïve high school student living on the countryside. Because of her parents’ swindling tendencies, everyone who has been swindled goes looking for Yang Soon demanding their money back. So she decides to accept a job in Seoul as a housekeeper in order to pay back.

Han Gi Tae (Jang Hyuk) is a newly appointed CEO of his late fathers’ cosmetic company. Arrogant and cocky has made his cousin Oh Joon Tae (Ryu Soo Young) jealous of the success and believes he is entitled to the company. But he is keeping it to himself, dreaming of overthrowing Gi Tae.

One day while parachuting, Gi Tae falls into the bathtub of Yang Soon, and the two bicker, which eventually leads to remarks and hostility. What both don’t know is that they meet again as the housekeeping job Yang Soon landed is no other than Gi Tae’s house.

When Gi Tae suddenly and cruelly is betrayed by the people he trust the most, he is surprised to find help from no other than his house maid Yang Soon…

This is one of the most recommended love stories and Korean dramas on the drama addict web, and I really don’t know why. I’m usually open to all kinds of dramas, and I tend not to let my emotions get in the way, but this was one loooong drama. I never knew 16 episodes could feel like this. Maybe I was expecting too much because I like both actors (Jang Hyuk and Jang Na Ra), but it really didn’t work at all. It made me remember why I don’t like old Korean dramas. There are way too many clichés, way too much unnecessarily jealous fighting and just too much pretending not to like each other. Also too little actual genuine ‘love’, like I didn’t feel it at all. The only thing I did like was what happened at the beginning, but that was also the grandma who was center, and you gotta admit, if a grandma steals the limelight you really need to step up the game.

LOL, all in all, probably a classic and if I had watched it 12 years ago I would have loved it, but now that I have watched so many dramas, this just was not unique enough…

☆☆☆ / 3 out 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Ojakgyo Family Review

Title: Ojakyo Family
AKA: Ojakyo Brothers / Ojakkyo Brothers / Brothers of the Ojakgyo / Golden Pond
Genre: family, romance
Episodes: 58
Broadcast period:  2011-Aug-06 to 2012-Feb-19
Cast: Uee, Joo Won, Ryu Soo Young, Choi Jung Yoon, Kim Yong Rim, Baek Il Sub, Kim Ja Ok, Jung Woong In, Yun Woo Jin, Park Hee Gun, Lee Young Ha, Jo mi Ryung, Kim Yong Gun, Park Joon Geum, Song Sun Mi, Jun Mi Sun, Yoo Joo Hee, Jung Suk Won, Kim Hae In . . .

Baek Ja Eun (Uee) a university girl, daugther of a rich business man, has pretty much anything you could ask for, except for a mother. Her mother passed away at a young age and her father has been married several times. Ja Eun really wishes for a nice mother-daughter relationship, but it doesn't go that well as all the women who got married to her father, married him out of money rather than love. Ja Eun's world is turned upside down when her father disappears in an accident on the ocean. She is then left with her stepmother and a whole bunch of dept since her father's business fails. The stepmother runs away while Ja Eun has nowhere to go. By accident she then finds a letter, in which she finds out that her father has a farm, which he lent to his friend Hwang Chang Shik (Baek Il Sub). Chang Sik has been living at the farm with his wife, mother and four sons Tae Shik (Jung Woong In), Tae Bum (Ryu Soo Young), Tae Hee (Joo Won) and Tae Pil (Yun Woo Jin) for 10 years and have no plans of moving out suddenly.

This drama is quite ejoyable, though it did take a while to finish, it wasn't boring, and we follow several love stories. I don't really think I have anything to complain about, nice family romance drama. It's one of those relaxed dramas, not too much heartbreak and too much drama but just right for the length. Reminds me of the drama smile, you which had the same feeling. It's a good drama to have on the side when you need a break from other dramas. The acting was alright, it was not extrodinary or amazing, but just alright. But somehow I can not rate it as a favorite, it didn't feel like a favorite, but it was not bad either. so..

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3.5 out of 5 hearts

Save the Last Dance for Me Review

Title: Save The Last Dance For Me
AKA: The Last Dance Is With Me
Genre: Romance
Episodes: 20
Broadcast period: 2004-Oct to 2005-Jan
Cast: Eugene, Ji Sung, Lee Bo Young and Ryu Soo Young

Kang Hyun Woo (Ji Sung) is the only son of the Kang family, and the only heir of the billion dollar business, but he only dreams of becoming a photographer. He arrives home, after being away for a long time, only to end up in a huge feud with his father, and leaving home in rage. As he rests on a parking lot, he picks up a man, who turns out to cheat him; he stabs him and ’throws’ him off a cliff. Hyun Woo then wakes up at a hospital with memory loss, there he meets Ji Eun Soo (Eugene) and her father who take him in. Back in Seoul, Hyun Woo’s parents think he’s dead, whereas his long time girlfriend Yoon Soo Jin (Lee Bo Young) refuses to think of him as dead.
A year passes, and Hyun Woo is now Baek Chang Ho; he hasn’t regained his memory, but he has started to live with the Ji’s. He and Eun Soo fall in love, and are to get married, but when the current heir Jung Tae Min (Ryu Soo Young) finds out about Hyun Woo’s presents, he tries to kill him by sending gangsters after him, only to make him regain his memory. But on the other hand, he has forgotten the year he had spent with Eun Soo…

This was a drama me and Jenji were to watch together, but it sort of ended with us only watching 8 episodes together -_-. This drama is not something I would watch, very unlike what I usually watch, but it was recommended so..
Anyhow, I think 20 episodes is way too long, especially this drama, and the last episode is just a bit too much. It’s as if the leads hadn’t suffered enough, so they chose to give them extra hard time.. Tsk! But the acting was good, considering it’s the year it’s from. I wont recommend it, but it’s not bad. Just not my preference :P

☆☆☆½ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

My Princess Review

Title: My Princess
Genre: Romance
Episodes: 16
Broadcast period: 2011-Jan to 2011-Feb
Cast:Song Seung Hun, Kim Tae Hee, Park Ye Jin and Ryu Soo Young.

Lee Seol (Kim Tae Hee) is a pretty normal girl: her grades are so-so, she always fights with her older sister, and is desperate after money. She has a good relationship with her mother, even though she’s adopted. Her memories of her father are wage, but one things she is sure of, one day he’s going to come back to her. Because she has a crush on her professor Nam Jung Woo (Ryu Soo Young), she works a lot of jobs so she can buy a ticket to Egypt, where her Professor is to travel to.
One day, as she is off from work, she bumps into Park Hae Young (Song Seung Hun), who asks to work overtime. At first they argue, but after a pay is settled, she agrees. As he is leaving, he doesn’t have cash, so he asks her to send him her account number, and they part. They meet again at a museum, were Lee Seol follows Park Ye Jin (oh Yoon Joo), a woman rumoured to be Jung Woos first love, and in Lee Seol’s eyes, her worst rival. Little does she know, Ye Jin is Hae Young’s future-wife, which inn Lee Seol’s eyes is a VERY positive thing.
Hae Young grandfather is an old man, with a lot of power. He has one wish, and that is for the Imperial Family to be re-instated. When he finds the last heir to the thrown he sends his grandson Hae Young to find her, who happens to be Lee Seol.

This drama is not my style. Yes, it’s funny, like really funny, but not enough to make it good. I felt annoyed most of the time, and was confused aswell; I mean, so weird can a human being NOT be.. Right? I compared it to a lot of dramas, and finally ended up at two: Goong and Full House. It circulates a lot, the same things actually over and over and over again, and the lead actress should be beaten up. It’s one of those where the lead actor would throw himself in front of a train for a girl and the girl would only soob and soob, and oh yeah, look for the supporting actor. I don’t know, really not my cup of tea. And I felt more chemistry between the supporting actor and lead actress than the other way around. All in all, not something I would recommed unless you really have nothing else to do.

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts