Suzuki Sensei Review

Title: Suzuki Sensei

Genre: School, Drama, Human

Episodes: 10

Broadcast period: 2011-Apr to 2011-Jun

Cast: Hasegawa Hiroki, Usuda Asami, Tsuchiya Tao and a lot of other child actors, and adults…

This drama revolves around a teacher who tries different types of theories and unorthodox practices, in order solve the issues and problems occurring in this class of middle schoolers.

Suzuki Akira (Hasegwana Hiroki), also known as Suzuki-sensei, is the homeroom teacher of 2-A. While dividing the student into classes, Suzuki-sensei had a goal of making “the most harmonious class”, which is ones of his believes, by compiling pupils that would engage and interact in such a manner that they would be able to comprehend, accept, discuss and solve issues that would arise. But also give the class and school a platform for dialogues, that would be deemed as unethical or morally wrong, such as sex and pregnancy.

At the same time Suzuki-sensei meets Hata Asami (Usuda Asami), and starts sharing his practice and theories with her, and even discusses possible outcomes and dilemmas in each situation presented in school…

This drama is one of the old dramas I downloaded years ago, while being new to the Asian drama world. I remember starting out and loved the school/teacher genre, so I decides to download it, but later read the summary about it being a serious drama, so I completely forgot about it.

After watching it I have to say I agree about the ‘serious’-talk. It really is a serious drama, with quite some shocking element, I didn’t expect. The thought that sex would be so common for 6^th/7^th graders is not something I even realized. Of course, you can blame it on the Asian drama would trying to portray their society as ‘innocent’, but tbh, when I heard those words coming out of their mouth, phew…

I am not sure about the ages of the young actors, but they seem quite good I their portrayal. To be able to do such complex characters is refreshing, and the fact that thing are said out loud, makes it an interesting watch. This drama isn’t a ‘feel-good’ drama; it has some disturbing elements too, but I kind of felt like they were necessary - as they are never shown in regular dramas.

To sum up: an interesting drama with a different take on ‘reality’, compared to your regular JP school drama.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

House of Bluebird Review

Title: House of Bluebird

AKA: The Bluebird’s House

Genre: Family, Human, Romance, Comedy

Episodes: 50

Broadcast Period: Feb-2015 to Aug-2015

Cast: Lee Joon Hyuk, Chae Soo Bin, Lee Sang Yeob, Kyung Soo Jin, Choi Myung Gil, Jung Jae Soon, Chun Ho Jin,

The story of a formerly wealthy traditional land-owning family, Kim Ji Wan (Lee Joon Hyuk) grew up an orphan raised by his step-mother and grandmother when his father died and his family lost its fortune. To provide for his family Kim Ji Wan swallows his pride and uses connections to join Nuga Global, a multi-national medical appliances company. Kim Ji Wan is initially grateful when Jang Tae Soo (Chun Ho Jin), Nuga's CEO and a friend of his late father, takes him under his wing. As the lives of Kim Ji Wan's family and that of Jang Tae Soo cross again long hidden secrets begin to unravel. Desperate to protect the business and reputation he has built Jang Tae Soo uses a secret that Kim Ji Wan's stepmother has kept from Kim Ji Wan and his grandmother.

After watching Naked Fireman I got really interested in the actor Lee Joon Hyuk, so of course I checked out his previous work, and it turned out he starred in a family weekly drama, which I’m really into lately. Unfortunately, I got disappointed by his acting in this one. It’s like the director or writer had no clue of his potential and just depicted him as an emotionless guy. I have NO idea whatsoever, why they chose this character as the main lead, since the second lead couple stole the show. They had more going on (and to be honest) exploding with character development than any other character in the drama. 

Came for Lee Joon Hyuk, stayed for Lee Sang Yeob and Kyung Soo Jin. They were so passionate in their acting, and the characters where so much more interesting than everything else in this drama, they really impressed me. They kind of saved this drama for me. Plotwise it was okay, nothing out of the ordinary, so I can’t say that this one is different from all the others. Even the editing and camerawork didn’t live up to my standards.

☆☆½ / 2½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

The Flu Movie Review

Title: The Flu
Genre: Human, Action
Origin: South Korea
Release Date: August 14, 2013
Cast: Soo Ae, Jang Hyuk, Park Min Ha, Yoo Hae Jin, Ma Dong Seok, Lee Hee Joon, Cha In Pyo, Lang Sang Yeob

A group of illegal immigrants are smuggled from China to South Korea inside a shipping container, but when it's opened in the affluent Seoul suburb of Bundang by traffickers, it's discovered that all of the immigrants are dead, except for one man, a carrier of a deadly strain of H5N1 (avian influenza, or bird flu). As the man escapes, he quickly spreads the virus to nearby residents. Mir (Park Min-ha), daughter of a single mother Kim In-hae (Soo Ae), meets the man, named Mossai, and gives him some food and tells him to wait as she calls rescue worker and paramedic Kang Ji-goo (Jang Hyuk). However as he arrives, Mossai is nowhere to be found.

I was able to watch this movie while travelling, and only because it was the only movie I had in my tablet. However, oh boy I wished I watched it sooner, it was better than I expected. It totally gave me the chills. Somehow, it kept your attention to the very end and had a good story line. When you’re finished with the movie, it still stays with you on your mind, and you start looking at people coughing and wonder if... Just kidding! The acting was top-notch especially Park Min Ha. She may be a child actress but she brought her character to life, I’m seriously amazed by all the child actors in Korea, some of them are better than the adults. One scene with Park Min Ha crying made me cry so hard (watch the movie to find out) that I had to look away from the screen & took a break for a moment to recompose myself.  If you like medical, disaster and action type movies then you'll probably like this one.

☆☆☆☆☆ / 5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts

Bunji Verdict

This is another movie I had to watch, because of the references made by Korean tv. Though I never really paid much attention to it, I felt it had been out there and around me for quite a long time, but I didn’t want to watch it, as I am not the biggest fan of overhyped movies. That said, I loved this! I was afraid it would be a wannabe Hollywood epidemic movie, but I LOVED that they kept it (for the most part) Korean. I really have no flaw to mention in this movie, except the fact that the last 8 minutes made me cry so much, I was all swollen, but that is because I was unable to look away from Min Ha’s acting… seriously amazing!

I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just end like this: 100% recommendable.

☆☆☆☆☆ / 5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts

Angry Mom Review

Title: Angry Mom
Genre: Family, Drama, Human, School
Episodes: 16
Broadcast period: Mar-2015 to May-2015
Cast: Kim Hee Sun, Ji Hyun Woo, Kim Yoo Jung, Im Hyung Joon, Go Soo Hee, Kim Ji Young, Jun Gook Hwan, Kang Moon Young

Jo Gang Ja (Kim Hee Sun) is a young mother with a daughter in high school. She lives with her husband and mother in law and works all day in a restaurant. Her relationship with her daughter is not really smooth since the daughter; Oh Ah Ran (Kim Yoo Jung) shuts her mom out. Life goes on until Kang Ja finds out that her daughter is going through a hell of physical and emotional bullying at school. The daughter denies being bullied and refuses to say anything to her mom for some valid reasons from her perspective. Kang Ja loses her cool and tries all ways to solve the issue. She meets Ah Ran’s homeroom teacher, reports to the police and even tries to bring a suit. When she realises her efforts are all fruitless; she resorts to the last measure she could think of; enrolling in her daughter’s school. Once she’s in as Bang Wol, she takes ending violence in school and finding the perpetrators in her daughter’s case on as a life mission.

Recently I have been craving school dramas, I don’t know why or maybe it’s because of the upcoming exams, but it had led me to this recently completed drama Angry Mom. Wow, this is not an ordinary school drama, it takes up issues and problems that many people decide to look at with a blind eye. It addresses real issues in the Korean school system and in my opinion school in general. I find the main lead to have a well-rounded character that keeps me interested as she struggles to protect her daughter but also isn’t so strong against the corruption that surrounds them. It hits the feels spot to watch her struggle with the realities that most mothers in the real world most likely face daily without the determination our protagonist has. The other characters are also fun to watch and fall in love with as you find them crawling into your heart slowly as their stories get fleshed out, for example the delinquent that our Angry Mom first set out to deal with – Go Bok Dong. I definitely recommend this drama to anyone looking for a school life drama with a bit of meaning and plot mixed into it.
The reason I didn't give it a full heart is because the drama surrounds alot about politics rather than the school life behind the walls. Still interesting, but not what i'd look for in this drama.

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Pride & Prejudice Review

Title: Pride and Prejudice
AKA: Lawless World
Genre: Drama, Human, Legal, Romance
Episodes: 21
Broadcast period: Oct-2014 to Jan-2015
Cast: Baek Jin Hee, Choi Jin Hyuk, Choi Min Soo, Son Chang Min, Lee Tae Hwan, Choi Woo Shik, Jang Hang Sun

Young prosecutors form a legal team. They are passionate and obsessive about solving cases and fight injustice, even If they have to go against the higher authorities. They all have different personalities and come from different backgrounds, they are forced to learn how to cooperate and adjust with each other. Han Yul Moo (Baek Jin Hee) comes from a poor family, she thrives to become a prosecutor to solve the case about her murdered brother that led her family to desperation, after meeting the handsome prosecutor Goo Dong Chi (Choi Jin Hyuk) she finds new clues that leads him being a suspect. Now she has to work together with him to prove that he is the one that killed her brother. Goo Dong Chi is an intelligent and righteous prosecutor, and does what he can to help the weak and poor people, how would he react when he finds out that one of his colleagues is trying to gather evidence against a crime he has been involved in 15 years ago?

Where do I start with this one… I fell in love with it in the beginning. I think this has been a great year for Choi Jin Hyuk. The intertwined stories of 3 very different prosecutors and a detective keep you on your toes as they unravel the secrets of each other’s pasts. The passionate performances from the powerhouses like Choi Min Soo and Son Chang Min… whew talk about some great drama actors!
 Even though this show falls into the legal category it doesn’t feel overly legal-ish, and probably most people who like typical Korean romantic dramas would have a good time watching it. Overall I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice far more than I expected, so I would definitely recommend it.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½out of 5 hearts

One Well-Raised Daughter Review

Title: One Well-raised Daghter
AKA: Well Brought up Daughter Ha Na
Genre: Romance, Human, Family, Revenge
Episodes: 122
Broadcast Period: 2013-Dec to 2014-May
Cast: Park Han Byul, Lee Tae Gon, Jung Eun Woo, Yoon Se In, Jo Min Ah, Yoon Yoo Sun, Ha Jae Suk, Kim Min Young,

Joo Hyo Sun (Yoon Yoo Sun) has 3 girls, but she is pressured from her father in law to get a son, so he can inherit the 400 year Soy-Sauce business, that has been in that family since Joseon times. Due to a miscarriage, she can’t have any more children, so the husband decides to have a child outside the marriage. Jang Pan Ro (Park In Hwan) ends up having a son and therefore has secured them an heir. The husband dies soon after and leaves his household in a war, now Joo Hyo Sun gets kicked out, and her father-in-law takes in Jang Pan Ro and her family alongside her newborn son. Furious as she is, Joo Hyo Sun miraculously was pregnant before her husband dies. She takes the risk and give a birth to a healthy baby girl. She raise the girl as a boy, and returns to her old household after 10 years. The father in law takes in the ‘boy’ to let his 2 grandsons to battle it out for successor position. Will Jang Ha Na (Park Han Byul) be able to inherit the business as a boy, and revenge her mother and sisters for being kicked out wrongfully?

So the idea about having a one night stand and BAM the outsider woman gets a son, and BAM the original and rightfully Madame of the house has to leave, was too damn ridiculous for me. It made the whole 400-years business concept too stupid. Are their traditions so damn stupid and weak? I don’t think so, I think the writers had to start the whole story too quickly so they made the beginning too rushly. I applaud the writer's ability to write some infuriating plot that made me curse them the whole time but they still managed to make me continue, bravo.
There were a few things I didn’t like about this drama, first thing: Not knowing who the male lead is?! Seriously, nothing frustrate me as much as this, although I liked the Lee Tae Gon's character so much, I was stringed along for 122 episodes. Two: Almost ALL of the side characters are annoying. Three: The villains are just hateful and annoying without really much depth.  Last but not least: Can I just highlight again how much I detest not knowing who the male lead is? And this show almost dragged that question to the bitter end. To make it fair for the drama there were one thing I love in the drama, (drumbeat) Lee Tae Gon's character.  Why did they make such a wonderful character and let him cool his heel at the sidelines for most of the show???  I am sure it was all a conspiracy to make me watch 122 episodes just to catch a glimpse of him. Here's a man who can fight like a pro, who makes the 2nd lead look like a little boy every time they stand together and who is brave enough to confess his feelings but considerate enough to love the heroine from afar.  Oh, did I mention he also has a tragic background so he looks like a lost puppy at times?  Would I recommend this drama? Sort of.  I would recommend the show so you can see how awesome Lee Tae Gon's character is, but a finger on the first forward button is a must.

☆☆/ 2 out of 5 stars
                                                 
♥♥ / 2 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

A New Leaf Review

Title: A New Leaf

AKA: Repentance / Reformation

Genre: Drama, Human, Legal

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2014-Apr to 2014-Jul

Cast: Kim Myung Min, Park Min Young, Kim Sang Joong, Chae Jung Ah and Jin Yi Han

Kim Seok Joo (Kim Myung Min) is a cold, ruthless and cruel lawyer that is merely concerned with cases as long as they give him any kind of profit. If the evidence is against his client he’ll buy the witness’ out or he’ll make new solid evidence. At his law firm, every single lawyer thinks and acts the same: the more ruthless the better, except for the new intern, Lee Ji Yoon (Park Min Young), who Seok Joo had met some time before and ended up having a one-night stand with. She is filled with ambition, talent and justice, but is a blabbermouth. The two butt heads, and when Seok Joo gets into and accident and loses his memory; Lee Ji Yoon tries to help him. However the amnesiac seem different somehow by going up against his law firm and he happens to have an effect on the people around him…

I don’t really know what I was expecting of this drama, since I only knew Park Min Young, so I kind of still am in a drowse after it. The drama is a good one, but the financial terms and discussions lefts me confused and dazed, since I had zero knowledge about what on earth they were talking about. As a general you could understand most of it, but I have no idea what the climax was about, let alone the ending.

The main actor Kim Myung Min is fairly new to me, I think he was popular in Korea from before. And OMG, his voice: eargasms. 80% of the time he was talking I didn’t look at the subtitles, and made me go back because I missed it. Min Young was as she always is, not a favorite of mine. The drama is kind of a realistic every-day, with a twist of amnesia in the middle.

To sum up: okay drama, for the serious ones.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Kamjis Verdict
Finally finished! A 16 episodes drama have never felt as long as this one. On the other side, I think I can easily become a lawyer in Korea now, the drama was bombed with all those facts and laws and stuff, so those 16 hours were satisfactory used.

The drama itself were okay, not bad as I had a hard time watching it, but not as good as I was looking forward to next episode. Nevertheless, I managed to finish it, and that was a success for me since I had many other dramas I wanted to watch more. I can’t really say more about it without spoiling anything, but one thing I can assure you of, the writers did a good job with all the cases and trials. There were really intimidating and believable, so good job with that. 

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Good Doctor Review

Title: Good Doctor

AKA: Green Scalpel

Genre: Medical, romance, human, melodrama, family

Episodes: 20

Broadcast period: 2013-Aug to 2013-Oct

Cast: Joo Won, Moon Chae Won, Joo Sang Wook and Kim Min Seo.

This drama is about the pediatric department and its doctors.

Park Shi Ohn (Joo Won) is recovering autistic patient, which he has had ever since he was a kid. But with the help of doctor whom he sees as his father, he was thought how to speak, converse and act. Due to his illness he has been bullied, teased and seen as a handicapped person, all that giving him low self-esteem and inferiority complex. Living with the trauma of the death of his brother and his father’s abusing him; he has built a wall in his memories and forgotten his parents completely.

When the doctor who helped him all his life happens to be the director of Sung Won University Hospital, he gets the chance to become a resident of the pediatric department, which of course doesn’t go well with most of the board of directors since he medically is seen as a handicapped individual. But when he by sheer coincident saves a child’s life, and it gets media attention, the board decides to give him a shot, of course if he makes mistakes or does anything to ruin the hospitals reputation both he and the director would leave the hospital..

First of the review is a bit dull, since I tried not to give much away, so it ended up being shitty, sorry. Second, this drama is so good it is not okay. I have watched a lot of dramas with pathetic or/and pitiful, but this guy seriously broke my heart. His story and everything about his life is so sad, I was rooting for him all the time. And I do admit, I kind of though Moon Chae Won was ok.. I don’t fully like her yet, but she is better than she was in Nice Guy.. Better acting and most defiantly a better character.. I love that the love story wasn’t the main focus, and that the patients’ stories were much more centered. It is heartbreaking and sad, yet it melts your heart. I never dream of dramas, I dreamt of this. For me that says a lot.

All in all very good!

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Haikei, Chichiue-sama Review

Title: Haikei Chichiue-sama

AKA: Dear Father

Genre: Family, Human

Episodes: 11

Broadcast period: 2007-Jan to 2007-Mar

Theme song: Papier by Moriyama Ryoko

Cast: Ninomiya Kazunari, Takashima Reiko, Yokoyama Yu and Kuroki Meisa.

This drama revolves around the 23-year old Tawara Ippei (Ninomiya Kazunari) who works as a junior chef in an old Japanese styled restaurant called the Sakashita. Ippei grew up with a single mother that used to be a geisha, now owning her own bar. He has never met or seen his father, nor does his mother want to tell Ippei about him. Working at the Sakashita, he dreams of learning from the chief chef whom he is secretly hoping to be his father. The owner of the restaurant, also called Okami by the folks around, is the mistress of a well-known politician, who also helped Okami with the financials of the restaurant when it started. As he passes, the Sakashita starts to get problems with loans, and falls into debt.

As a domino effect, Ippei’s life starts to change, when he is tested in every aspect; dreams, future, family and love…

I started to watch this because of Nino, because I really love his drama and his acting. Though I had no idea what it was about in the beginning, it got me intrigued. I have to admit, I still am no 100% sure what it was all about, I do find it good. Maybe more of the serious kinds reminding me a bit of movies like “Yellow Tears /Kiroi Namids” but it was fine. Nino did a fine job, not really anything different than what he is used to, and the rest were okay as well. I did watch it in one go, might be my mistake but it still felt ok.

I wouldn’t really recommend this honestly, mainly because it really isn’t that interesting. On the other hand, I love Arashi :)

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts