Something About 1% Rewiev

Title: Something About 1%

AKA: 1% of Anything

Genre: Comedy, Romance, 

Episodes: 16 

Broadcast Period: Oct-2016 to Nov-2016

Cast: Ha Seok Jin, Jeon So Min, Joo Jin Mo, Lee Kan Hee, Lee Hae In, Kim Hyung Min, Kim Sun Hyuk,

Lee Jae In (Ha Seok Jin), a ruthless son from a wealthy family starts seeing an elementary school teacher, Kim Da Hyun (Jeon So Min) whom he has never seen before, on a  6 month contract engagement, so that he could inherit the asset as written on his grandfathers will. Thinking that Kim Da Hyun somehow tricked his grandfather so she could be a part of the inheritance, he’s determined to make her life miserable in those 6 months. 

One of my first kdramas in 2008 was the classic hit drama 1% of Anything. Therefor I of course had to watch this 2016 remake. I don’t remember the first one exactly, but they didn’t change much about the story, and for that I’m not going to compare them. First time in a while I managed to watch this drama in less than 2 days, a classic drama-marathon, and for a good reason. I just couldn’t take my eyes off of it, it was so well-done, amazing cast, beautiful cinematography and a lovely lead couple. What I liked most about it, was how down to earth the drama felt, and how it appealed to the audiences’ emotions. I just loved it for the simplicity of the drama. 

☆☆☆☆☆ / 5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

My Love, Eun Dong Review

Title: My Love, Eun Dong
AKA: Beloved Eun Dong
Genre: Romance
Episodes: 16
Broadcast Period: May-2015 to Jul-2015
Cast: Joo Jin Mo, Kim Sa Rang, Lee Ja In, Jr, Baek Sung Hyun, Yoon So Hee, Kim Tae Hoon, Kim Yoo Ri

This drama is about a man who has it all, yet is unable to possess the love of a woman he is unable to forget, whom he has been loving for the past 20 years. In 1995, Park Hyun Soo (Junior) is an energetic 17-year-old boy when he meets 13-year-old Ji Eun Dong (Lee Ja In), an orphan who still has a positive outlook on life. Hyun Soo’s heart is awakened by Eun Dong but she suddenly disappears before he could really get to know her. In 2005, Hyun Soo now goes by the stage name Ji Eun Ho (Baek Sung Hyun) and aspires to become an actor. When he bumps into Eun Dong (Yoon So Hee) again after 10 years, the two fall deeply in love. But again without warning, Eun Dong disappears without a trace. In 2015, Eun Ho (Joo Jin Mo) is now a top actor who has the fame and wealth he has always wanted. But what he doesn’t have is the love of his life to share his success with. So Eun Ho decides to write an autobiography that details his love for Eun Dong over the past 20 years in the hopes of locating her. He hires a ghostwriter, Seo Jung Eun (Kim Sa Rang), to help him write the book. After he dictates his stories of Eun Dong, he sends them to Jung Eun to transcribe and incorporate into his book. But why do these stories sound vaguely familiar to Jung Eun?

I fell for this drama from the first episode, the story was different and backstory was well thought out. The way the whole drama was executed, was beautiful. I feel like every single detail was carefully thought through and put in the correct sequence. Of course while you watch it, you get impatient and want to know how all this would end for the couple, but now that I’m done with the drama I somehow understand that the whole process was for me (and you) to understand that deep feeling and desperation to accept the ending. It was hard for me to accept the ending, but I actually used a day to think it through and my conclusion is that it was realistic and faithful for the whole drama.
 Ah, one more thing I want to highlight, in lots of drama when the future is linked with the past, you get an enormously amount of flashbacks, and this one is no exception. However the flashbacks are always a new scene or from another perspective so you never get the feeling of a repeated scene all over the drama. So… Perfect I want to cry. The cast were all so emotional and were the perfect fit for the characters, they really made a storm of feelings. While we are at it, I can’t get Kim Sarangs elegance out of my head, she really is naturally beautiful, and as a girl I do feel slightly jealous :b
Overall this drama definitely is one of the best of 2015, it wasn’t even on my list to watch but I ended up marathon it for 2 days.

☆☆☆☆☆ / 5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 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

Empress Ki Review

Title: Empress Ki
AKA: Qi Empress
Genre: Romance, historical, action, melodrama
Episode: 51
Broadcast period: 2013-Oct-28 to 2014-Apr-29
Cast: Ha Ji Won, Joo Jin Mo, Ji Chang Wook, Baek Jin Hee, JinYi Han, Kim Young Ho

Goryeo, the former korea, was politacillay and economically governed by the Yuan. A big and powerful kingdom, which was ruled by an emperor. For over decades the Yuan have been kidnapping girls from Goryeo to be concubines in their palaces, in one of these quests Ki Seung-Nyang (Ha Ji Won), a goryeo girl, was captured alongside her mother. While the goryeo king tried to save her, her mother was killed by the yuan soldiers, leaving her with hatred towards them.  Years later she started to work for the Goreo King, and so they gave her a mission to protect Yuans Crown Prince. Despite her hatred towards Yuan, her loyalty for Goryeo was stronger, so she carried out the mission with all she got, protecting him was not easy.
Unfortunately the Yuan deceived her and brought her back to their palace as a concubine, she started out as a palace maid, and worked her way through until she married the Emperor (The crown prince she once protected) to become an Empress, this is a story about her loves and political ambitions as she is torn between the two nations.

At first I really didn’t wanna watch this drama, because of the number of episodes. I ususally do watch dramas with 50+ episodes, but those are family, easy-to-watch dramas. This was a historical drama, and there weren’t a good summery of it, so I really didn’t know what I was expecting. The only reason I started was.. dum dum badum tss… JI CHANG WOOK. Yup, I’m obsessed by his acting, and he was my driving force until the ending. He amused me, made me cry, at some point I even got scary of him, all this just proves his acting abilities.
Back to the drama, I think because I wasn’t expecting anything I fell easily in love with it. The story was good, and it was really realistic, the drama sucked you into its own universe and spit you out again leaving you as an emotionally wreck.
Another thing I really loved about this drama, was all the colors, I know it sounds weird, but if you’re used to the normal joseon, or mid 1900 historical dramas, you get used to boring colors (brown, grey, black), but this was packed with so many colors it literally bombed your mind, all the Yuan dresses and their decorations… woah.
All in all, you should give this drama a chance !

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Jeon Woo Chi Movie Review

Title: Jeon Woo Chi

AKA: The Taoist Wizard

Genre: Fantasy, Action, Period, Comedy, Romance

Origin: Korea

Release date: 23 December 2009

Cast: Kang Dong Won, Baek Yoon Sik, Kim Yoon Seok, Im Soo Jung, Yoo Hae Jin, Kim Sang Ho, Joo Jin Mo and Song Young Chang

Being a cocky yet talented magician, Jeon Woo Chi (Kang Dong Won) tries with all means to become the most famous person in the Joseon Dynasty. Though he can’t really use magic without his talismans, his Master (Baek Yoon Sik) believes he has some potential. When the flute, that summons goblins and shows humans their true faces, happens to fall into Woo Chi’s hands, the great Hwadam (Kim Yoon Seok) hears about it, and together with the three gods, finds the hiding place. As the wizard master and Hwadam try to decide who shall keep the flute, it breaks into two, and both leave their separate ways.

Later that same evening Hwadam returns and kills the Master, blaming it on Woo Chi, and with the help of the three gods, sealing him in a painting.

500 years later, in modern days Seoul, goblins have been trying to find out what has happened to the flute, even holding a god and subduing him, but when the two other find out, they aid to rescue, only to be attacked by them. Unable to fight back, they re-summon Woo Chi, in order to have him destroy the goblins, which he does, but he has his own agenda: finding the great bronze sword that has been said to have amazing powers.

This is nice movie for fantasy lovers, even though it is ‘Asian’ fantasy, but till pretty good. It has some period elements, without being confusing. I love and have always loved Kang Dong Won, here he doesn’t disappoint me and does a neat job, really entertaining. Im So Jung is one of my favorite actresses, has been since Sorry I Love You, and still is. I am not sure whether I recommend it, unless you like this Wuxia stuff, I usually don’t but here it’s okay.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts