Hwarang: The Beginning Review

Title: Hwarang: The Beginning

AKA: Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth

Genre: Historical, Youth, romance, Comedy

Episodes: 20

Broadcast Period: Dec-2016 to Feb-2017

Cast: Park Seo Joon, Go Ah Ra, Park Hyung Shik, Choi Min  Ho, Do Ji Han, Kim Tae Hyung, Jo Yoon Woo, Kim Ji Soo,

Queen Jiso (Kim Ji Soo) has ruled the Kingdom of Silla as regent since King Beopheung passed away, keeping her young son Sammaekjong(Park Hyung Sik) hidden outside of the capital Seorabeol and safe from enemies and assassins. As Sammaekjong comes of age, nobles, citizens, officials and Sammaekjong himself have all grown impatient for the queen to cede power. However the powerful nobles that tried to usurp power in the Kingdom continue to eye the throne and Queen Jiso fears the consequences of her ceding it. In order to break the power of the nobles, who have grown accustomed to their privileges under the bone rank system, Queen Jiso plans to create a new elite, the Hwarang, that will cut across the existing power factions, and to bind them to Sammaekjong and the throne. As this new elite of male youths bond and grow they are unaware that within their number is their future king, Sammaekjong, and Kim Sun Woo (Park Seo Joon), a commoner with a secret even he is not aware of.

A really surprisingly good drama. I got hooked really fast and couldn’t let go. I can’t deny all the pretty actors didn’t have an effect but oh well. They knew how to get their fans hooked. The storyline progressed fast, however you figured out the ending pretty quickly. Which was a little turnoff, but nevertheless you continue for the sole purpose of just watching the pretty actors. Go Ah Ra is a good actress, but she’s not on a wow-level I think, or maybe this performance wasn’t her best. What I like the most is that Park Soo Joon managed to get over the fact that this is about pretty soldiers, after all it is called Hwarang; the flower knights. It was like he didn’t use that as his main goal, but more found depth in his character. Which is why I’ve started to like Park Seo Joon more as an actor, he managed to stand out without using his good looks to his advantage but rather excellence acting. I’m looking forward to more projects from him. All in all a good drama, that I do recommend to all period drama fans.

☆☆☆☆   / 4 out of 5 stars♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Because It's The First Time Review

Title: Because it’s the first time
AKA: My First Time, Friends 2015
Genre: Youth, Comedy. Romance
Episodes: 22/8
Broadcast Period: Oct-2015 to Nov-2015
Cast: Choi Min Ho, Park So Dam, Kim Min Jae, Lee Yi Kyung, Jo Hye Jung, Jung Yoo Jin

“If I am 20 years old, this is my youth, right? What kind of youth is this? What’s going to happen to my life from now on? You must have had a plan if you brought me into this world. You have nothing to say, right?”
With a freewheeling personality, Yoon Tae Oh (Choi Min Ho) is a 20-years-old freshman in college. He has been friends with Han Song Yi (Park So Dam) since they were little. Now, he begins to have feelings for the girl who has a bright and positive personality. Meanwhile, Tae Oh has a friend, Seo Ji Ahn (Kim Min Jae), who is well-behaved and exemplary. A love triangle brews between these three people.

A short webdrama, with a nice story, and adorable actors. Very easy to love all the actors/characters, because the storyline was so enjoyable. A slice of youth at it’s prime! I really had 0 expectations and really thought one episode and I would be out. But I found myself fully involved in the story, enjoying the performances, the writing, the entire look and feel of this drama. There is a good balance of light and heavy in this without going too far either way. I’m fully engaged with the story behind these young people and looked forward in these few short episodes to see how they would work through the difficulties life was throwing at them. I loved the cameos!

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

High School, Love On Review

Title: High School Love On

AKA: Hi! School, Love on

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, School, Youth

Episodes: 20

Broadcast Period: Jul-2014 to Dec-2014

Cast: Nam Woo Hyun, Kim Sae Ron, Lee Sung Yeol, Choi Soo Rin, Jung Jae Soon, Jo Yun Woo, Shin Hyun Tak, Kim Young Jae, Lee Shi Hoo

Lee Seul Bi (Kim Sae Ron) is an angel with an honest and pure wish to become a human. One day when she was on duty, with no other choice she saved a human male student in danger. That is one thing an angel can’t do, which is meddling in the life of humans. The consequences of the accident is that she turned into a fallen angel on earth, not a human nor an angel. The only one she can seek help from is that human student she saved, Shin Woo Hyun (Nam Woo Hyun). Because she saved his life he had no other choice but to bring her with him home to his grandmother, and there she starts living as if she was a human being. However, there is too many obstacles on the road to become a real human being, and a lot more danger to it.

Okay, so this show has been going on since summer until December, there were a lot of cancelations and moving the timeslots every week, so you never knew when a new episode would come. Was this KBS2’ idea of promoting? More than anything, it just ridiculed the show in that sense that it would give others a negative thought of it before they even started it. I think it deserves better recognition than it got, the drama was interesting and distinctive and a little weird (in a good way). I started it with no expectations whatsoever, and got out with an enjoyably surprise. On the side note it made me feel old too :/ I felt like going back to those teenage/high school years, lol. On top of a quirky supernatural premise, it had endearing characters and a seriously beautiful camerawork with a skillful directorial touch that lingers on lovely little moments. Plot-wise this concept is well known in dramaland, the passion to be human, but somehow they fused many stories to get this new and fresh plot together. The main couple I actually fell too hard for them, they were actually not romantic or mushy… they were mostly practical and fuss-free. All the actors were okay, but throughout the drama you could feel the idols inexperience in the acting field. It bugged me A LOT in the beginning, but somehow they grew on me, I can see a future for them :b
Kim sae Ron, for gods sake she’s only 14! I don’t know what to think of her to be honest, she did an okay job, but failed at impressing me. Anyhow this show was really cute, I thought I wouldn’t like it, but I did and more. If you are looking for something not heavy with a nice story, this could be it.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts 

Holyland Review

Title: Holyland

Genre: Action, Youth

Episodes: 4

Broadcast period: Apr-2012 to May-2012

Cast: Dong Ho, Seong Woong, Hoon and Joo Da Young.

Kang Yoo (Dong Ho) is socially awkward and shy high school student, who roams around the streets at night in order to feel anything, which he misses in his everyday life. One day he is provoked and picked by a street thug, and ends up punching him K.O., and the next evening he helps to girls from a man harassing them, by doing the same. Soon the streets are full of rumors about this ‘Hunter’ who beats up high ranked gangsters, but for no one can understand what his goal is. When the leader of one of the two the rival gangs feels targeted, he announces that this ‘Hunter’ has to be found, Kang Yoo doesn’t believe they are after him. At the same time, former boxer ‘Charisma’ aka Sang Ho (Sung Woong) has found an interest in this Hunter, as he reminds him of himself. Now everyone is looking for Kang Yoo who thinks nothing of himself…

I didn’t really expect anything from this drama, firstly because it is so short, secondly due to the lead actors being pretty new. But it sort of just went it’s course while watching, especially since it reminded me of the Japanese delinquent dramas that have B rated actors and loads of fighting in it. By that I mean I actually did enjoy it, though it was just a tiny bit too detailed and deep for a drama about people fighting thugs and each other. I also didn’t quite get the storyline, even though they kept repeating it, it really didn’t make sense - might be that the storyline doesn’t try to make you relate to it, like Japanese dramas are. On the other hand the amount of time used on the explaining was quite decent, meaning they didn’t spend all of the time introducing millions of characters and explaining how scary and undefeatable they are.

All in all, if you prefer this kind of ‘boys-fighting-to-see-who-is-strongest’, this is a pick.

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Answer Me, 1997 Review

Title: Answer Me 1997

AKA: Answer to 1997 / Reply 1997 / Answer 1997

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Youth, School,

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2012-Jul to 2012-Sep

Cast: Jung Eun Ji, Seo In Guk, Shin So Yool, Hoya, Eun Ji Won and Lee Shi Un.

Sung Shi Won (Jung Eun Ji) is the ultimate H.O.T fangirl, to the point of her sleeping outside her idols house. She doesn’t care about school, or about being the second worst on her class. All her money, time and thoughts go the either H.O.T concerts or her swooning over Tony An. Her next door neighbor Yoo Yoon Jae (Seo In Guk) is quite the opposite, being number one in school, and actually being the best at everything. They two grew up together, and after Yoon Jae’s parents die in an accident, he and his brother Tae Woong (Song Jong Ho) tend to almost live with the Sungs. The two share a special bond, fighting and bickering all the time. Their friends, Kang Joon Hee (Hoya) number two in school and with a secret, Moo Yoo Jung (Shin So Yul) a ’loose’ girl loving falling in love, Bang Sung Jae (Lee Shi Eun) a pervert and Do Hak Chan (Eun Ji Won) the new kid from Seoul, wonder how on earth they manage to stay friends, but when Yoon Jaes brother one day tell Yoon Jae something, everything changes…

Wow. All that I can say is wow. I really didn’t expect it to be so good. I have heard a lot about it, but I never thought it to be as good as people said it was. Honestly, from the beginning all the way till episode 13, I didn’t feel bored at all, completely entertained. The actors were brilliant, the screen play, the dialogues and hell, even the nonstop jumping back and forward in time was genius! Like it made me really interested in the relations, and the script was written so good, that it kept you intrigued all the time. I totally understood every emotion, and reaction, though the brother-brother relation was a bit annoying, yet livable. Thumps up!

The reason it wasn’t 5 hearts is just the little dragging from episode 13 till 16, annoying me a bit, but if yo ignore that, it’s almost perfect.

☆☆☆☆☆/ 5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Shut up flower boy band Review

Title: Shut Up Flower Boy Band
AKA: Flower Boy Band: Eye Candy & Dakchigo Kkotminam Band
Genre: Youth, romance, drama
Episodes: 16
Broadcast period: 2012-Jan-30 to 2012-Mar-20
Cast: Sung Joon, L, Lee Hyun Jae, Kim Min Suk, Yoo Min Kyu, Lee Min Ki, Jung Ui Chl, Jo Bo Ah, Kim Ye Rim, Kim Jung Min . . .

The 6 friends and member of a boy band group, Eye Candy, have to transfer into the prestigious Jungsang High School, which they arent exactly happy for. In their school they are known as the group nobody should mess with because they wont hesitate kicking your ass. When Byung Hee, the leader of the group, finds out his muse, a girl he has fallen for, goes to the school he decides that they should transfer anyway. However it doesnt go as easy as they might have thought. At the school they meet their rival, another band called Strawberry Fields. Now it all starts, the fight for their friendship and passion for playing music.

Writing review for this drama is so extremely hard because I really dont want to ruin anything for you guys!.
This drama is my kind of drama. Period. Lol.. It's got it all I love, the delinquents, the fights, the friendship and all !At first I really didnt know whether to love or hate this drama. I seriously cried after the first two episodes and didnt want to watch anymore. But I couldnt not watch it. The characters are great, the story is great, I even loved the ending! I really couldnt figure out a happy ending because it was all so sad but I loved it. One weird thing is that it somehow felt like a low-budget drama(technically). I dont know why, it just seemed that way, maybe its just me, lets see what Bunji thinks. It wasnt too long either, it reminded me of japanese drama a bit, maybe because the episodes were same length. Anyway I cant write more without spoiling. I extremely major recommend this one if you like delinquent dramas :D

☆☆☆☆½ / 4.5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4.5 out of 5 hearts

Bunji's Verdict
This could have been an amazing drama, but of course they had to add a stuffy romance in it. I’m seriously annoyed with these love stories, like since when do kids think so deeply about stuff, omg… Maybe that’s why they chose such that way, but really I’m sick of these stupid “have to” separations. Even though I get WHY they split, I don’t get WHY had to announce it… Eish, and continuously those 2 boys loving one girl, stuffy!

Anyways, this is heartbreaking, heck GROUNDBREAKING actually, except for that typical romance part. I honestly believe it could have been more amazing if it wasn’t such a big part of the drama, just added a bit more, relations either with family or the guys, anything could have beaten it. Of course they should be romance, I’m not saying otherwise, but too much man, just too much…

Still my rating is focused on the overall drama, and that cool ending, any other ending would’ve just been too… Hollywood…

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts