A Gentleman's Dignity Review

Title: A Gentleman's Dignity

AKA: Gentlemen's Class / Grace of Gentleman

Genre: Romance, comedy

Episodes: 20

Broadcast period: 2012-May to 2012-Aug

Cast: Jang Dong Gun, Kim Ha Neul, Kim Soo Ro, Kim Min Jong, Lee Jong Hyuk, Yoon Se Ah, Kim Jung Nam, Yoon Jin Yi and Lee Jong Hyun

This drama revolves around four successful best friends in their 40’s, and how they deal with life, family and love. Kim Do Jin (Jang Dong Gun) is a director of architectural firm and is the ultimate bachelor out of the four, until he meets Seo Yi Soo (Kim Ha Neul), an ethics teacher at an all-boys school. The two have an embarrassing meeting, and that leaves an impression on the playboy. But little does he know that Yi Soo happens to be in love with Im Tae San (Kim Soo Ro), one of Do Jin’s friends and his firm partner, and the boyfriend of Hong Se Ra (Yoon Se Ah) Yi Soo’s roommate and best friend. Tae San’s little sister Im Mae Ri (Yoon Jin Yi) is in love with Choi Yoon (Kim Min Jong), another of the four friends who lost his wife a couple of years ago, so he became the one in the group that they all took extra care of during that time. He is a lawyer, and no matter the situation he would help his friends in need, also the reason for him being the lawyer of Do Jin and Tae San’s firm. The last one of four is Lee Jung Rok (Lee Jong Hyuk): he is the younger housebound of the billionaire Park Min Sook (Kim Jung Nan) who married him for his looks. The two have constant fits, due to Jung Roks infidelity and Min Sook’s jealousy, and it usually is the three friends that make alibies for him, because she owns their businesses.

Their lives suddenly get twisted after a young man named Colin (Lee Jong Hyun) arrives…

It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a nicely written screenplay, makes me all teary. The dialogues, the storyline, and the acting was pretty amazing, and somehow they turned out to be much more than the usual Korean drama (or any drama at all). While watching, I was reminded of the drama ‘Secret Garden’, extremely enjoyable, and to my surprise it was the same writer. The difference is the acting ability: if secret garden is a 10, “A gentleman’s dignity” is a 15. Good acting + good screenplay = enjoyable tv-time :P

Even though it’s different, funny, cute and romantic, it ended up, like in Secret Garden, being just a bit too long; with the extra episodes of ‘should we be together’, but still good evolvement and very interesting. Recommendable!

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Jenji's Verdict
This drama is actually quite different from many of those I've watched. So it was a "mature" drama, since the male leads were in the 40's which was really fun to watch, also because it's about these four guys who have been friends since high school and seeing their relations and so. Really funny and I actually liked pretty much all couples, all of them funny and special. My favorite was Yoon and Mae Ah Ri, I was supporting them all way through hahah, and I liked how they all evolved, and changed. I just didn't like Kim Do Jin, not sure if it is because of the character or the actor. I think the actor maybe. I just reeeeally didn't like him. But I survived. I actually only feel like it was a bit too much with Kim Do Jin and Seo Yi Soo, the others were pretty fine. So really not many complaints. Very different from what I am used to and I liked it. Recommend it really!

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Smile Again Review

Title: Smile Again
AKA: Smile, Honey
Genre: Romance, Sports
Episodes: 16
Broadcast period: 2006-May to 2006-Jul
Cast: Lee Dong Gun, Kim Hee Sun, Lee Jin Wook and Yoon Se Ah.

Ban Ha Jin (Lee Dong Gul) lost his parents when he was a little boy, and managed to live his life alone all that while. Despite having a sad life, Ha Jin is intelligent and is good at school, and has a dog nose, meaning he has an insane sense of smell. He has dreams of going to college, but does not have the money.
Oh Dan Hee (Kim Hee Sun) is not that good a student, but she is brilliant when it comes to baseball. His first meeting with Ha Jin is during a baseball game, where by coincidence her idol Yoon Jae Myung (Lee Jin Wook), a baseball talent and son of a millionaire, ‘saves’ her, but the real saviour is Ha Jin. Dan Hee’s worst ‘enemy’, ever since childhood wants to bring Dan Hee down, so he tells Ha Jin that is he’s going to pay the college money for him, if he helps making a fool of Dan Hee. Being a good liar and as smart as Ha Jin is, seducing Dan Hee isn’t a problem for him, but he happens to fall for her as well.
On the night, where the “big embarrassment” is to happen, Ha Jin has second thoughts, but as his childhood friend Choi Yoo Kang (Yoon Se Ah) is being beaten by her abusing father, Ha Jin comes in the middle, and Yoo Kang ends up hitting her father in the head. Back in school. as Ha Jin enters, Dan Hee has been humiliated, so she runs out crying and heartbroken. Ha Jin runs after her, but is stopped by Yoo Kang, who tells him that they killed her father. The two of them run away, so nobody knows about it.
Four years later, the all-time baseball star Yoon Jae Myung is hurt and goes to Switzerland, to get away from people who tell him to leave baseball, where Yoo Kang happens to study, and Ha Jin visits her. Ha Jin notices that Jae Myung is on the verge of mental breakdown, so he decides to take advantage of him and befriends him.
At the same time, Dan Hee comes to Switzerland to support her friend and find out that her baseball hero is devastated, so she tries to help him. She then happens to meet Ha Jin again after four years, whom she swore never to talk to again. Ha Jin on the other hand knows that Dan Hee is his one and only true love.

Waaah, I finished it. At the beginning I had a hard time getting through the first episodes, but it’s one of those drama which you have to watch in one go. What surprised me was that I actually ended up liking it. I seriously couldn’t wait to know what would happen, and I felt several times that the story was picking up pretty neatly, which is unusual for a Korean drama. If you watch one, you’ll notice they have one mayor problem and then creating small right next to it, which ends up making you feel drained all the way through. Yes, it does have the ‘drainy’ feeling to it, but with class. It’s more of 5 big problems needing fixed, making it easy to follow, and not getting annoyed.
It has all ‘korean-drama’ elements, except for the lead actor being amazingly bad, like really bad, even made me chill a couple of times. But of course it’s about how the lead actress makes the bad boy good, typical. Anyhows, I’ve become a fan - Lee Dong Gul’s – the lead actor, and honestly I'm gonna watch some of his dramas now.. Hihi..

☆☆☆½/ 3½ out of 5 stars

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts