Yongpal Review

Title: Yongpal

AKA: The Gang Doctor

Genre: Medical, Drama, Romance

Episodes: 18

Broadcast Period: Aug-2015 to Oct-2015

Cast: Joo Won, Kim Tae Hee, Jo Hyun Jae, Chae Jung Ahn, Jung Woong In, Bae HAe Sun, Stephanie Lee, Jo Bok Rae

Kim Tae Hyun (Joo Won) who’s an unerring surgeon by day and at night he turns into the healing redeemer of everyone willing to pay as soon as it remains between them, far away from hospitals and the law. He’s better known as Yong Pal. It’s not like he woke up one day and thought of making money, he’s got his own reasons and his family is above everyone, even himself. Instead of being chased by loan sharks, he tries to pay his debt by working as Yong Pal in order to be able to keep helping his sister’s kidney dialysis. On the other side of the fence, Han Yeo Jin (Kim Tae Hee) has more money than one could ever imagine and that was the reason why she and her boyfriend found themselves in a car chase with him passing away. What is the outcome of two different people from two different worlds crossing path be?

Okay, I must be honest with you guys. I was forced to watch this drama in the beginning, not that I wasn’t going to watch it, but I would rather have waited until it was complete. Although I only had to watch the first episode and I fell too hard for it. Like unrealistically too much, I would check for new episodes everyday, even though I knew when it was scheduled till. That excitement didn’t last for long, after a while I kind of forgot about it, I only watched the last two episodes because I felt obligated to do it. Despite the high ratings and the huge success it was in the beginning, the production team kept cutting episodes and put more, first it was scheduled to 24 episodes, then cut down to 16 (freaking 8 episodes!!). But that seemed too short for them, so they prolonged to 20, and then lastly cut to 18! So the storyline after episode 10 gets so messy. Its so sad that such a great drama with a huge potential would get destroyed like that. All the actors were A-list actors, amazing. You really get sucked into their world. If not for the formidable performance and chemistry between them all I would have probably dropped it. However I will recommend this drama, despite the messy ending, because of the great first half of the drama filled with action, excitement and mystery. The love-line was okay, it was no big deal, no drama between, just… them. I want to end this review with a big applause *clap-clap* to Joo Won! Astonishing act by him! He almost got the whole show going by himself, he delivers the feelings on spot.

☆☆☆☆/ 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Lovestory in Harvard Review

Title: Love Story in Harvard
Genre: Drama, Romance
Episodes: 16
Broadcast period: 2004-Nov to 2005-Jan
Cast:  Kim Rae Won and Kim Tae Hee

The story revolves around Korean students studying in Harvard. Kim Hyun Woo (Kim Rae Won) came to Harvard to study law with high hopes, but found himself having a hard time keeping up with his classes. He finds out that not only he, but most of his fellow dorm mates have it the same way, actually to the point of stress.

One night, by accident, he stumbles upon a girl Lee Soo In (Kim Tae Hee) who he starts to get interested outside his hotel hanging around with an old man. When he meets his idol also a teacher the school, he sees them together, and gets the impression of her being a prostitute.  When Hyun Woo needs help for a medical case, he asks for a tutor, and surprisingly Soo In arrives. After the misunderstanding clears up the two get closer, and somehow love starts to blossom, but with a rival just around the corner things get surprising turns…

This drama was recommended to me by fellow drama viewers, telling me it’s probably one of the best dramas ever. I think that the reason I’m not all into this is that I have watched so many of the new ones that remind me of “Lovestory in Harvard” that I didn’t really feel like watching it. It’s not bad, it’s just too typical, a lot of clichés and way to predictable. I guess if I had watched it before when it came out I might have liked it, but with all the other dramas in my pocket, this is just ‘another Korean drama’.

The acting is great, got to expect that from Kim Tae Hee, but the rest were good too. The chemistry of the lead is pretty good, kind of sweet.

☆☆☆/ 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥/ 3 out of 5 hearts

My Princess Review

Title: My Princess
Genre: Romance
Episodes: 16
Broadcast period: 2011-Jan to 2011-Feb
Cast:Song Seung Hun, Kim Tae Hee, Park Ye Jin and Ryu Soo Young.

Lee Seol (Kim Tae Hee) is a pretty normal girl: her grades are so-so, she always fights with her older sister, and is desperate after money. She has a good relationship with her mother, even though she’s adopted. Her memories of her father are wage, but one things she is sure of, one day he’s going to come back to her. Because she has a crush on her professor Nam Jung Woo (Ryu Soo Young), she works a lot of jobs so she can buy a ticket to Egypt, where her Professor is to travel to.
One day, as she is off from work, she bumps into Park Hae Young (Song Seung Hun), who asks to work overtime. At first they argue, but after a pay is settled, she agrees. As he is leaving, he doesn’t have cash, so he asks her to send him her account number, and they part. They meet again at a museum, were Lee Seol follows Park Ye Jin (oh Yoon Joo), a woman rumoured to be Jung Woos first love, and in Lee Seol’s eyes, her worst rival. Little does she know, Ye Jin is Hae Young’s future-wife, which inn Lee Seol’s eyes is a VERY positive thing.
Hae Young grandfather is an old man, with a lot of power. He has one wish, and that is for the Imperial Family to be re-instated. When he finds the last heir to the thrown he sends his grandson Hae Young to find her, who happens to be Lee Seol.

This drama is not my style. Yes, it’s funny, like really funny, but not enough to make it good. I felt annoyed most of the time, and was confused aswell; I mean, so weird can a human being NOT be.. Right? I compared it to a lot of dramas, and finally ended up at two: Goong and Full House. It circulates a lot, the same things actually over and over and over again, and the lead actress should be beaten up. It’s one of those where the lead actor would throw himself in front of a train for a girl and the girl would only soob and soob, and oh yeah, look for the supporting actor. I don’t know, really not my cup of tea. And I felt more chemistry between the supporting actor and lead actress than the other way around. All in all, not something I would recommed unless you really have nothing else to do.

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts