Can We Love Review

Title: Can we love?

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Family, Society

Episodes: 20

Broadcast period:  2014-Jan to 2014-Mar

Cast: Eugene, Uhm Tae Woong, Kim Yoo Mi, Choi Jung Yoon, Kim Sung Su and Park Min Woo.

This drama is about three women in their 40s: a divorcee, a housemother and a single woman.

Yoon Jung Wan (Eugene) is a single mother who divorced her husband after a life of hardship. After spending several years trying to get hired as a scenarist, she is finally hired by award-winning Producer/Director Oh Kyung Soo (Uhm Tae Woong), who seems to enjoy teasing her.

Kim Sun Mi (Kim Yoo Mi) is a single woman who prioritized her career rather than getting married, but now is at her late 30s and still single. Though dating loads of possible ‘husband material’, the only guy still sticking around is her 20-something employee Choi Yoon Suk (Park Min Woo), who is head over heels in love with her.

Kwon Ji Hyun (Choi Jung Yoon) is a married ‘all-around-housewife’, who is good at doing her housework and taking care of her husband, but due to her insanely dominant mother-in-law she doesn’t feel happy. Out of the three she is considered the most ‘lucky’ and ‘stable’ one, however bears a scar from her first love, Ahn Do Young (Kim Sung Soo) whom she wanted to marry, but due to issues was left heartbroken.

The three are best friends and have been for the last 20 years, but due to differences and jealousy they bicker and fight. They usually make up, but as fate will have it, their love lives and work intervene with each other. Will they be able to be with the ones they love?

Since I liked the first ‘type’ - I’m calling it type, since they only have the name in common - of drama (Can we get married) and I am a fan of Uhm Tae Woong, I wanted to watch this pretty much at the moment it came out. But since I felt I had to watch the first one, I kind of let this one wait. To be honest my expectations were just too high, and I made a mistake comparing the two. This drama is not a ‘bad’ drama, it just is too melodramatic, and most of the situations are just not complicated - rather a case of letting go or putting your foot down - which is almost normal in Korean dramas I guess. While watching it felt it became a case of ‘wanna-be classic drama’, yet they tried to break some of the Korean society taboos, for example: married woman dating a bachelor, older woman dating a younger man, or housewife wanting a divorce. And instead of making me thing that finally someone is taking these things seriously, they make a melodrama about the most ridiculous situations - though some were okay. Acting wise it was mediocre, noting amazing tbh, but I did feel some of the characters were well written.

All in all it is an okay drama with too many melodramatic moments.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts 

Modern Farmer Review

Title: Modern Farmer
AKA: Modeon Pameo
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Human, Family
Episodes: 20
Broadcast period: Oct-2014 to Dec-2014
Cast: Lee Hong Ki, Park Min Woo, Lee Shi Un, Kwak Dong Yun, Lee Ha Nui, Jo Sang Gun, Lee Han Wie, Kim Boo Sun, Lee Il Hwa

Lee Min Ki (Lee Hong Ki) is the leader of a rockband called ExSo, short for Excellent Soul. It consists of 3 other members Kang Hyuk (Park Min Woo), now an intern at his father’s hospital, Yoo Han Chul (Lee Shi Un) who has been diagnosed with cancer, while Han Ki Joon (Kwak Dong Yun) is preparing for the national exam for the 5th time although he lost hope In ever passing it. Lee Min Ki himself is drowning in debt, nevertheless he hasn’t given up on his dream of becoming a rockstar, he then inherit a piece of land outside the city. He can’t put it for sale, so he decides to start a cabbage business where he grows his own cabbage. For that he needs the help from his band members, and therefore he ought’s to gather his friends once again, and promise them to release an album very soon.

Lee Hong Ki! My one and only reason for watching this drama, and wow I wasn’t let down by his acting. This is the most suitable role for him, and he did his job exceptionally good. I have not come across any quality comedy like this one, in my entire drama-life. Really hilarious, sometimes it was beyond absurd, but you would still laugh it out. I remember I couldn’t wait for the storyline to develop, it was full of surprises, can't really predict what's next. Lee Hong Ki's acting and expressions are great! Lee Si Eon is good too - he got some explosive funny scenes in the drama. Park Min Woo is cute with his beautiful dimpled smile.
I liked all the couples, they each shared the spotline EXCEPT for the main couple, they got no ‘connection’ time at all! Well, I didn’t hate it, but it’s so different from all the other Korean dramas. The main couple would at least show some chemistry, but this drama ended in a note that left you wondering if they ever were together. But that’s great for me anyway, didn’t like the main actress anyway. Honey Lee, I can’t really remember her other works, but she definitely didn’t stood out in this, so it made me wonder why she’s so popular in Korea. Enough of her, the drama itself were excessively good, and I’m satisfied, so now I’m only looking forward to Lee Hong Ki’s next drama :D

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

Flower Grandpa Investigative Team Review

Title: Flower Granpa Investigative Team
AKA: Flower Granpa Lab, Flower Granpa Investigative Unit
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery, Crime
Episodes: 12
Broadcast Period: 2014-May to 2014-Jul
Cast: Lee Soon Jae, Shin Dong Woo, Byun Hee Bong, Choi Jin Hyuk, Park Min Woo, Jang Kwang, Kim Hee Chul

The lives of four detectives in their twenties are changed forever when an experiment gone awry, three of them rapidly age overnight and find themselves in the bodies of old men in their 80's. Only one of them stayed young, Park Jung Woo (Kim Hee Chul). As his suddenly much older colleagues struggle to deal with their new and unusual mess, Jung-woo shares in their hardships, joining them in their mission to find a way to reclaim their lost youth. Meanwhile, the team also continues to solve crimes, while the "grandpas" work at a delivery service as their cover.

This is a very quirky drama, it was perfect for the summer,(yup, it took me the whole summer to watch), it was a fun drama that doesn’t put really much stress on it, but it still has enough drama to keep you interested. My first impression of the plot was… unexpected. When dramaland introduced Granpas I assumed that Choi Jin-Hyuk and the gang, would gradually mature into Lee Soon Jae and his halbae pals (Granpa). Not a dive in the tank, and BAM, 80-year olds detectives. Although premature aging as a concept is kinda freakishly scary, the show’s choice of halbaes who replace their younger counterparts is hilarious. To end this on a nice note, it was an okay drama, I don’t regret watching it.

☆☆☆/ 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Bunji's Verdict
Okay, I liked it a bit more than I was expecting I would, especially the ending. As I was watching I laughed a lot, had some interesting stories to watch (CSI fan here), and I found the four actors (the grandpas and Heechul) to have a great team chemistry, which made it more enjoyable. Though I was a bit sad that they ‘youthful’ became old like 30min in the first episode, I kind of liked the old versions, and I kinds of felt that they did a great job acting as the young minded versions of their characters.
Another thing that annoyed me was that the main lead’s story was just too much of a focus, and yes I get that it is a focus, but it was really boring especially when we have this love story hanging about.. And it is a threesome. Like the female is in love with the lead, and the supporting is in love with her… And yeah the lead falls eventually for her, but it kind of is a silly way. I don’t know. I don’t mind old people, particularly when they are so great at their jobs, but the drama had much less of a seriousness, which it should have had.
Anyways, a funny drama with great actors, but somehow I wasn’t that satisfied…

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts