Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo Review

Title: Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Genre: Romance, Sports, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Broadcast Period: Nov-2016 to Jan-2017
Cast: Lee Sung Kyung, Nam Joo Hyuk, Kyung Soo Jin, Lee Jae Yoon, Jo Hye Jung,Choi Moo Sung, Jang Young Nam

Kim Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung) is a student in Haneol College of Physical Education. She has shown strength like no other since she was a child and was influenced by her former weightlifter father. She looks thoughtless at a first glance, but inside she’s as fragile as glass and has deep recognition.
Jung Joon Hyeong (Nam Joo Hyuk) is Kim Bok Joo’s best friend. He is a born swimmer but ever since he was disqualified from his first international event, he suffers from ‘start trauma’. Along with Kim Bok Joo, he overcomes his troubles and finds his dream and love.
Song Shi Ho (Kyung Soo Jin) is a rhythm gymnast who also attends Haneol College of Physical Education. She started gymnastics since she was 5 and won the Asian Games at the age of 18. She’s always been the best since then but mental pressure caused her to break up with Jung Joon Hyung and regret it.
This drama is inspired by the life of South Korean Olympic weightlifter gold-medalist Jang Mi Ran.

Sometime after I finished this drama, the dating news of Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk got out, and I just couldn’t believe how surreal it was. They had by far the BEST chemistry I’ve ever seen in a drama. Okay, I admit I might overreact to this, but I can’t remember a drama were I enjoyed the relationshippy part of a drama so much as this one. Everything else is good too, but you kind of only remember those 2. Lee Sung Kyung has definitely become one of my favorite actress’, she’s so real and talented.
A really nice drama about the hardships one may face on the road to success, especially while being in college. Storywise there could have been more in it, but I guess it’s one of those ‘no-major-plot-just-enjoy’ kind of dramas. One of those youth dramas I kind of dig lately. So, I'll definitely recommend this to anyone, despite what your preferences are, I'm sure you'll enjoy it and it will bring you joy.
Kim Bok Joo is SWAG! :)

☆☆☆☆/ 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Perseverance Goo Hae Ra Review

Title: Perseverance Goo Hae Ra
AKA: Sing Again Goo Hae Ra
Genre: Musical, Romance
Episode: 12
Broadcast Period: Jan-2015 to Mar-2015
Cast: Min Hyo Rin, Jin Young, Kwak shi Yang, Henry, Park Kwang Sun, Yoo Seung Eun, Shim Hyung Tak, Jang Young Nam

The female main character, Go Hae Ra (Min Hyo Rin), who is always unlucky with whatever she does decides to be a songwriter like her dad to make her deceased father known to the world. Her father died of a heartattack on her birthday, and that leaves her mum and her alone. Because of some financial trouble, her mum decides to seek out her old best friend, who is also a single mother with two boys. Kang Se Jong (Kwak Shi Yang), who is a genius student at KAIST, and his fraternal twin, Kang Se Chan (Jin Young), these three kids grow up to be best friends. They experience failure and breakdown after they participated in an audition as a team, which they finally overcome. The drama unfolds a complex but romantic love story amongst the three characters.

After watching the first two episodes you get the feeling that you just found the perfect drama. The story unfolds and you get excited about what is going to happen. But oh boy! What a huge disappointment this drama is, the next ten episodes it’s just going down and down. This is a typical teenage musical about young people trying to succeed on the big stage. Every character has their own problem to overcome and despite the differences, friendship grows. Its been a long time since I last completed a drama that I found so dreadful in terms of writing/acting. I think the short episode count is probably to blame. I thought it’s only 12 episodes and kept on hoping it would get better, but on the 11th episodes it just didn't. Total waste of time. Throughout the drama you get the feeling that it was a low budget drama, and the actors were all B-rated, of course they had their charms but it was just not a convincing character. Especially Min Hyo Rin, I was disappointed in her the most, she had such a poor acting ability she pissed me off 90% of the time. Anyway, I won’t end it with just criticism, so I’m just going to say that the “music videos” in the drama was excellently done, and they made me want to rewatch some of them again after the drama.

☆☆ / 2 out of 5 stars

♥♥ / 2 out of 5 hearts

Friend 2 Movie Review

Title: Friend 2

AKA: Friend the Legacy / Chingoo 2

Genre: Crime, Gangster, Drama

Origin: Korea

Release date: 14 November 2013

Cast: Yu Oh Seong, Kim Woo Bin, Joo Jin Mo and Jang Young Nam.

After spending 17 years in prison for a murder he didn’t order Lee Joon Suk (Yu Oh Seong) is weeks away from his release. Few days before the actual release, a high school friend of Joon Suks visits him in jail asking him to watch out for her son, who had an incident with Joon Suks gang. The son, Choi Seung Hoon (Kim Woo Bin), is a hot blooded and short tempered twenty-something year-old, who learned that life on the streets is not fixed with words, and is in prison for assault. After spending some time together, Joon Suk starts to like him, and even tell him that when he leaves the joint, he’ll help him.

Although Joon Suk is released, he is surprised to see that the Vice-president Eun Gi (Jung Ho Bi) has risen in power and tries to overtake the gang. So Joon Suk decides with Seung Hoons help, to take back Busans streets, and pay back for the betrayal. But due to secrets hidden, a rift between Seung Hoon and Joon Suk occurs, and that effects more than just the gang…

This movie is the sequel to the first movie - which was incredibly popular. So yeah is very hard to compare, but I think it is very good as a sequel. Though it is much more bloody, violent and grotesque, I kind of found it a bit more realistic than the first one. The first movie is just sad, and the ending shocked me so much that I got chills. This one though, I laughed because of the absurdity, not because it’s ridiculous, but seriously absurd. Like crazy violent people, like freakish violent - and nonstop. It was much criticized, but it was okay if you ask me. Still has the depressing feeling, only the difference that it isn’t two best friends - but something else.

Kim Woo Bin is amazing in this, so much that I was completely at a loss for words when I saw him: he really seemed like a full on actor.

Okay, so do I recommend it? Well it kind of reminds me of Friend and it still has great actors. So yeah: good.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts