The Virus Review

Title: The Virus

Genre:  Mystery, Thriller

Episodes: 10

Broadcast period: 2013-Mar to 2013-May

Cast: Uhm Ki Joon, Lee So Jung, Lee Ki Woo, Ahn Suk Hwan, Hyun Woo and Jo Hee Bong.

When a fire breaks out at a Medical Center, and the survivor from Center dies due to illness, the people involved in the saving suddenly become infected with the same disease. In matter of three days about 34 people die and the CDC (Contagious Disease Crisis) Team are put to the task to figure out the source. When they realize that every person infected will die in short as 2-3 days’ time, the team asks to announce it as an epidemic, but due to the low death rate, and the fact that only the people who have been near the Medical Center, the higher-ups leave decide to keep it hidden. Frustrated by this Squad Leader of the CDC Lee Myung Hyun (Uhm Ki Joon) who lost his daughter due to an unknown disease tries his best finding the reason.

Trying to trace the illness they notice that a young man happens to be connected to the spread of it and seems to be immune of it. Now they have to find him and how to cure the disease, before the number of sick becomes too large…

The drama caught my interests after I entered the “Yeongasi” hype, but it didn’t really manage to reach that level. I felt that it tried too hard to become like IRIS or dramas like that, but could have become great if it didn’t try to do so. Casting wise, pretty brilliant, recognized some of them, but I didn’t feel like this drama had much acting focus, except for the lead actor.

I really spent almost 2 weeks watching this 10 episode drama, not because its bad, just not that intriguing I guess. Action/conspiracy/police/outbreak drama lovers, will absolutely adore this. I just wasn’t into it.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

A Love To Kill Review

Title: A Love To Kill

AKA: This love I want to kill / The love of death / Knock out by love

Genre: Romance, Melodrama

Episodes:  16

Broadcast period: 2005-Oct to 2005-Dec

Cast: Rain, Shin Min Ah, Kim Sa Rang and Lee Ki Woo.

Cha Eun Seok (Shin Min Ah) is a rising superstar with a sad past and dominant family. She had fallen in love with Kang Min Goo (Kim Young Jae) a poor mechanic, who one day suddenly disappeared. After she gets drunk one night and son of a chairman Kim Joon Sung (Lee Ki Woo) tries to help her, a misunderstanding occurs and the two are filmed and gone viral. In order to save her image and his reputation, Joon Sung announces that they are getting engaged, even though Eun Seok refuses, her family pressures her to.

Kang Bok Goo (Rain) a poor kick-boxer, and also Min Goo’s younger brother, lives together with his trainer and his mother in a small house. Also livening there is Han Da Jung (Kim Sa Rang) his “girlfriend” who once before in order to save Bok Goo threw herself in front of a burning log - leaving her scarred with burns. Feeling guilty and responsible, he has sworn to take care of her. After not seeing his brother for 10 years because of a fall out, they finally meet again, only for Bok Goo to see his brother jump from a building, and end in an vegetable state.

Looking through Min Goo’s things, Bok Goo realizes that Min Goo and Eun Seok had a past together, which infuriates him thinking his brother would try killing himself for a ‘bitch’. Seeing that she is living as if nothing is wrong, he decides to take revenge on her - if she can’t be with her brother, she is going to be like him - so he becomes her bodyguard. The two spend time together, and the two slowly fall in love with each other…

The beginning was good, but somehow it just became bad and long, not to mention the bad ending. I have to admit that I liked Rain and Shin Min Ah, but the drama is just too heavy for my taste. Too many things at once, too much crying, too much sworn vengeance... Too much of everything, just not enough love. It’s funny because I like the writer (Sorry I Love You, Thank You, Nice Guy), but then again, heavy dramas with shitty ends. Okay… I don’t know whether or not I recommend it, but it has Rain in it, one of his good dramas (not a fan of Fugitive honestly), but still heavy.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Sad Movie Movie Review

Title: Sad Movie
Genre: Romance, Melodrama
Origin: Korea
Release date: October 20, 2005
Cast: Jung Woo Sung, Im Soo Jung, Cha Tae Hyun, Yeom Jeong Ah, Shin Min Ah, Son Tae Young, Lee Ki Woo and Yeo Jin Goo

Lee Jin Woo (Jung Woo Sung) is a firefighter that works extra hard on his job. Wanting to pop the question for his girlfriend Ahn Soo Jung (Im Soo Jung) a news caster who is waiting for it, he is waiting for just the right moment, only to screw it up by losing the ring. Soo Jungs sister, Ahn Soo Eun (Shin Min Ah) is deaf and works in an amusement park, as a costume character. She falls for an artist Sang Gyu (Lee Ki Woo) in the park, but is afraid to take of her mask due to a scar on her face. Choi Seok Hyun (Son Tae Young) works as a part-timer in a convenience store, and breaks up with her boyfriend Jung Ha Suk (Cha Tae Hyun) for not having a job for the last 3 years. That makes Ha Suk finds a job, where he helps other couples split. Yeom Ju Young (Yeom Ju Young) is a working mother who has a bad relationship with her son Park Hee Chan (Yeo Jin Goo) due to her working all the time, but when illness hits her and she is hospitalized, things change..

Hmm, good storyline, star packed and greatly acted, so why don’t I love it? Firstly, too obvious because of the name (I knew that someone was going to die), second, the name, who calls a movie “Sad Movie”?! At first I thought the translation was off, but really it is “sadu mubi2 or something like that... silly.. Okay... thirdly, most of the script was little tacky, I couldn’t really deal with that, so it became long, just a bit too long. I was just expecting some things to happen, and I get bored if they take too long to happen. All in all, a good k-movie, but not my type… 

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out 5 hearts

Flower Boy Ramyun Shop Review

Title: Flower Boy Ramen Shop

Genre: Romance, comedy

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2011-Oct to 2011-Dec

Cast: Jung Il Woo, Lee Chung Ah and Lee Ki Woo

Yang Eun Bi (Lee Chung Ah) is basically a failure at everything. She failed her teachers test a couple of times, and she busted her first love and boyfriend cheating on her after waiting for him 2 years, to get out of the military. On that same day she meets Cha Chi Soo (Jung Il Woo), a rich fella, who not only has loads of money, but only has the looks. Eun Bi falls for him, and decides to confess to him. On the day she is to start her teaching practice she meets him on the way up to the high school, where she embarrassingly confesses to him, only to find out that he is her student. Not only her student to the founder and funder of the school’s only son…

Let me sum up this drama: a rich brat falling for the person who doesn’t care for his wealth, the teacher not noticing it, and an idiotic third wheel. Or something like that. It’s confusing, because these Koreans are so obsessive, to the point of madness, seriously. This drama somehow ended up as an Japanese Shouju manga live action, maan.. But Jung Il Woo is cute, like my suga pie :P The main reason for me to watch, and its funny, like ridiculous funny, but not all the time though. I would not really recommend it, even though the screenplay was good sometime, but it just becomes too looooooong, like yeah 16 episodes, but that’s it. Like 16 episodes of push and pull (or 14 episodes of that the two last ones are the typical, ‘Can’t be with you/I want you so bad’).

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts