Gye Baek Review

Title: Gye Baek

Genre: Period, Historical, Romance, Revenge, Melodrama

Episodes: 36

Broadcast period: 2011-Jul to 2011-Nov

Cast: Lee Seo Jin, Cho Jae Hyun, Oh Yeon Soo, Song Ji Hyo, Cha In Pyo, Hyo Min, Lee Hyun Woo and No Young Hak.

Due to the Queen being of Silla blood, an elite group of assassins try to kill her and the Crown Prince Ui Ja on a regular basis. This has prompted the King of Baekje to assign his most loyal and skilled swordsman Moo Jin (Cha In Pyo) to guard them.  But due to unforeseen events, the Queen dies to save her son, and Moo Jins wife dies while giving birth to a son, Gye Baek.

Several years later, Gye Baek (Lee Hyun Woo) now a youngster, works odd jobs, so he can take care of his drunk father. Here he meets merchant-in-training Eun Ko (Park Eun Bin), whom he immediately falls for. Moo Jin, who has lost his arm, has remarried, so the past is unknown, and Gye Baek believes his stepmother and stepbrother, are his real mother and brother. Though mourning, Moo Jin meets the Crown Prince Ui Ja (No Young Hak) again, now a regular Prince due to the new Queens (Oh Yeon Soo) son taking that title and sees right through his pretense, about not caring about the past.

While trying to uncover the truth, and helping Ui Ja, Moo Jin dies, while Gye Baek witnesses it. Filled with anger, Gye Baek blames Ui Ja for the murder of his father but ends up as a hostage of Silla. As years pass, Gye Baek (Lee Seo Jin) lives only for one sole purpose: to kill the man, who killed his father, unaware that there is more to the story than meets the eyes…

Yeah, I know this is very detailed, and yes, I did spoil a bit, but I tried to stay off the details, so if you decide to watch it, you will get several surprises and you will notice the details I left out.

Out of all the historical dramas out there, this one is the first one where I was in awe of the quality of the costumes - like the first 10 min seemed extremely well. I don’t now much about the uniforms of Baekje, but I know that the armor was iron, and it kind of looked like iron. In most dramas I can see that they are made of plastic (or whatever it is) but I didn’t in this one - at least not in the beginning. Also, it might be because I had the first episode in HD quality (I think 1080p), that might have something to do with it too. What I mean is, it was nice to see that there exist good costumes out there, like realistic ones anyways.

This is also one of my first dramas where the lead actors are over 30 years old, as they (directors, or whoever casts these actors) usually have young actors doing quality and popular dramas. And they were all ‘veteran’ actors, with skill, which was extremely nice to see. I have to admit, I was amazed by Song Ji Hyo. I never knew she could act mean or evil - she can officially do both. I liked her in this, and she is very good at acting. Though I noticed that she was tired (haha, blaming RM for that). The rest were good too.

The lacking thing in this one is both pace and extreme character development, which I couldn’t really comprehend. Though the fact that these developments are the reason the story end as it did.

But all in all, an alright drama that made me emotional, and confused at the same time.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Jumong Review

Title: Jumong
AKA: Prince of the Legend
Genre: Period, Historical, Romance, Melodrama
Episodes: 81
Broadcast period: 2006-May to 2008-Mar
Cast: Song Il Kook, Han Hye Jin, Kim Seung Soo, Jeon Kwang Leol, Oh Yeon Su and Song Ji Hyo.

This is the story about the creation of Kogoryeo, and the people who started it.
While trying to fight the corrupt noblemen, Hae Mo Soo (Heo Jun Ho) and the crown prince Kum Wa (Jeon Kwang Leol) get caught up in political turmoil. The king saves the crown prince, but Hae Mo Soo is caught and tortured. Yoo Hwa (Oh Yeon Su), the only survivor of her clan had always admired Hae Mo Soo, thus the two had become lovers, but after Hae Mo Soo gets caught, the crown prince saves Yoo Hwa, by making her his concubine, while carrying the child of Hae Mo Soo.
Several years later, the son of Hae Mo Soo and Yoo Hwa, Ju Mong (Song Il Gook), now all grown up, was raised as the concubine’s son. Earning the utter contempt from his two older brothers, who believe that the now king prefers Ju Mong, rather than the two older sons. Though a brat, and quite useless, Ju Mong tries his best to be seen at “a piece of trash” so that he won’t get attention, but the jealous brothers try to kill him numerous times. After being thrown out of the royal house, Ju Mong ends up on the streets and meets So Seo No (Han Hye Jin), daughter of a merchant, again, where the first time she had saved him, after his brothers had attempted to kill him.
He starts working for the So family and becomes familiar with the world. At the same time the two princes desperately want Ju Mong dead, though fate has other plans for him…

This drama has been one of those that I watched the beginning of, with interest, but accidently read about the evolvement of the story, so I had it put on hold. As time had passed, I’d forgotten about the evolvement, and I decided to watch it again, so when the “thing” I wasn’t interested in seeing appeared, I remembered it, but had an easier time sitting through it. After watching the entire thing, I had mixed emotions, mostly frustration due to the love story, but as many of the “older” dramas, the romance is usually the subplot, so it isn’t given the same amount of “care” as the main story. That said, I didn’t care for the romance aspect, as it made me annoyed, and I ended up going: whoever, just save the wife please.
The main story is very interesting, and one of the better Korean period pieces, as it is action packed most of the way through - though it has moments where I was bored. But it tries to keep you invested.
It was funny seeing Song Il Kook so young, but honestly, I didn’t see much of a difference. The rest was alright, though there is something annoying about the female lead, even if she was the most bad-ass female lead I’ve seen in a long while, but I can’t really put my finger on it.
To sum up: a great and interesting drama with a frustrating love-triangle, but still decent storyline.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Mystery Queen Review

Title: Mystery Queen 2

AKA: Queen of Mystery 2

Genre: Mystery, Comedy, Romance

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2018-Feb to 2018-Apr

Cast: Choi Kang Hee, Kwong Sang Woo, Lee Da Hee and Park Byung Eun.

This drama continues where the last left off.

Yoo Seol Ok (Choi Kang Hee) got divorced from her prosecutor husband, and now lives with her best friend Kim Kyung Min (Kim Hyun Sook). The two are both trying to get into the police academy, though Seol Ok still helps Ha Wan Seung (Kwong Sang Woo) with cases during her free time. Unfortunately, Seol Ok isn’t able to make the cut for the academy, even though Kyung Min does. And while trying to study and/or find places to do so, she gets involved in several cases - which she, with Wan Seung, tries t solve.

During a case they encounter Jung Hee Yeon (Lee Da Hee), who runs several cake shops around Seoul. Though her personality is nice and very likeable, there seems to be a deeper truth behind her interest in Wan Sung... 

After watching season one, I was intrigued to watch this season, since I felt the previous one had been lacking a lot of different things. I like that they tried to make the love story of these two with a sense of humor, unfortunately that became boring half way through, and I lost interest. Even the “jealousy” parts were boring, though I admit, I laughed at them. I like that we were introduced to the families of the characters, and I like that they added new characters that recurred. Though the main story was boring - the thing with Wan Seungs past - the small stories were alright. Truth be told, this drama isn’t memorable. It has funny moments, but fails, if you ask me, in the serious parts, and has a bad story line.

My verdict is the same as I mentioned in the first season: this drama is okay, with decent acting.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Triangle Review

Title: Triangle

Genre: Family, Romance, Action, Crime

Episodes: 26

Broadcast period: 2014-May to 2014-Jul

Cast: Kim Jae Joong, Lee Bum Soo, Im Si Wan, Baek Jin Hee and Oh Yeon Soo.

This drama follows three brothers, separated as children, spread to different walks of life, and reunited by fate.

Jang Dong Soo (Lee Bum Soo) is a cop with a horrible temperament. As a child, he was separated by his younger brothers, which he feels guilty about. After another failed arrest on mobster Go Bok Tae, questions about his mental health arise, and profiler/psychologist Hwang Shin Hye (Oh Yeon Soo) is asked to asses it. The two had known each other in the past, and he had lived with her family after loosing his siblings.

At the same time, Heo Young Dal (Kim Jae Joong) a jobless gambler, devotes most of his time spending money, he had blackmailed from older women, on gambling. After being busted by Dong Soo, he is reluctantly put to work as an informant, to smoke out Go Bok Tae.

One evening Young Dal meets and falls for Oh Jung Hee (Baek Jin Hee), who works a dealer. There the two also meet Yoon Yong Ha (Im Si Wan), the adopted son of a rich CEO. Soon Yong Ha starts to get interested in Jung Hee, and a dislike for Young Dal.

As their lives entwine, fate decides to play a cruel joke on them, and the three become enemies…

In the past I’ve been complaining about too coincidental situations and relationships, but this time around, I didn’t feel annoyed at the fact that the three brothers “happened” to meet each other like they did. And I think it is because you know it from the start, so you are just expecting it. You wait till they finally share screen together, and hope they’ll know who the other one is. This made the “coincidence” seem less like a coincidence, but more like actual fate. I like that the three had different, some more realistic than the other, reactions to the fact that they are related. The three male leads are alright, though the main focus is Jae Joong - everyone loves an underdog - and most of the screen time belongs to him. But you still get the other stories. I didn’t like how little the females were involved, basically just for the love story aspect (three-way love story) and a little bit of the memory part, else they were useless.

The amount of gambling in this drama just bores me. I guess some people find it interesting, but for the average viewer who has no interest in it, I almost fell asleep. And it just took way too much time.

So all in all, an alright drama that focuses too much on gambling, and too little on the females…

☆☆☆ / 3 stars out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Cinderella Man Review

Title: Cinderella Man

Genre: Romance, Chaebol, Melodrama

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2009-Apr to 2009-Jun

Cast: Kwon Sang Woo, Yoona, Song Chang Eui and Han Eun Jung.

Oh Dae San (Kwon Sang Woo) sells clothes at a market, and dreams of turning his little store in to a big clothing line. He is smart and talkative which helps him when he need to butter up to customers and other salespeople. When a fellow store keeper, from the same market, falls ill, the daughter Seo Yoo Jin (Yoona) of the store keeper returns from Paris, only to have him pass away shortly. Due to the financial issues, and partly to blame for the financial issues, Dae San decides to help Yoo Jin and her mother get on their feet again. This leads Yoo Jin and Dae San to become close.

At the same time Dae San meets Lee Joon Hee (Kwon Sang Woo), a rich chaebol of a fashion empire, who looks exactly alike him. Joon Hee asks Dae San to impersonate him for a week, so he can leave the business without having to worry about his competitor and cousin Lee Jae Min taking his place.

Due to his natural ability to do business, Dae San becomes a bother to Jae Min. And when Jae Min befriends Yoo Jin, the empire doesn’t become the only thing they each fight for…

This drama was one of those I downloaded ages ago, but never really got around to watch. Besides it being almost 10 years old, I gotta say it’s alright. Though I felt it was very cliché and had the unnecessary jealousy. I mean most of the dramas that are like this one, are so male dominant. The lead actress only serves as the love interest for the two male characters, and to be honest both are boring love stories.  And the fact that it was Yoona, didn’t make the character better. The casting was also mediocre, mainly because the characters were 2 dimensional - even the male lead who did try but failed.

Besides that, I kind of enjoyed the storyline, though it was very cliché. I do like a badass revenge plot, but it must be well crafted - and this one is alright.

So, all in all an alright drama, to watch because of the story and not romance.

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Pasta Review

Title: Pasta

Genre: Romance, Cooking, Comedy

Episodes: 20

Broadcast period: 2010-Jan to 2010-Mar

Cast: Gong Hyo Jin, Lee Sun Kyun, Lee Honey and Alex.

After spending three years as a kitchen assistant Seo Yoo Kyung (Gong Hyo Jin) is finally to be upgraded to junior cook, or assistant pasta cook, at the restaurant La Sfera. Unfortunately, the head chef runs off with the restaurant money and leaves La Sfera without money and head chef. The manager decides to hire Choi Hyun Wook (Lee Sun Kyun), whom Yoo Kyung had met before on the streets, and had confused him with being the new kitchen assistant. As Hyun Wook enters he ends up firing all the female cooks, which at first seems to be coincidental, but soon he announces that ‘women have no room in his kitchen’. He hires all male cooks for the positions the female cooks had, and soon enough even Yoo Kyung is fired as well. But being stubborn as she is, she refuses to leave, even if she has to continue being a kitchen assistant in order to stay.

At the same time Kim San (Alex) a regular customer, has an interest in Yoo Kyung, but hides the fact that he is the owner of La Sfera. Also, TV personality and cook Oh Se Young (Lee Honey), who happens to be close to Kim San, seems to have a past with Hyun Wook.

The four soon have their work entwined, and as fate has it, also their love life…

I stumbled upon this drama when I was checking out Gong Hyo Jins dramas, and decided to watch it, since I liked the drama “Thank You”. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as pleased as I was when I watched Thank You, but it has its moment. The drama is not bad, just has absolutely no point - I didn’t understand the dilemma, and I didn’t understand the supporting actors (Lee Hone and Alex), except for the unnecessary love triangle/whatever you call four people love drama. Also, I was annoyed at the amount of hostility from the other cooks, though I get the entire “he-fired-everyone- and-wants-to-boss- everyone-else”-vibe, but isn’t that what it means to be a chef… like don’t they do that all the time? And aren’t used to being bossed around…? Hence the “main chef”?

Anyways… Putting that aside, I kind of enjoyed the kitchen/restaurant environment. The main couple was also realistic, ignoring the “no-love-in-kitchen”-part. Their “meet”, and story was pretty decedent and funny.

So all in all nice drama, but to be honest, 20 episodes was a bit stretchy...

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Joseon Gunman Review

Title: Joseon Gunman

AKA: Gunman in Joseon / The Chosun Shooter / The Joseon Gunman / The Joseon Shooter

Genre: Period, Revenge, Melodrama, Action, Romance, Suspense

Episodes: 22

Broadcast period: 2014-Jun to 2014-Sep

Cast: Lee Joon Ki, Nam Sang Mi, Jun Hye Bin, Han Joo Wan and Yoo Oh Sung.

“Third year of Emperor Gojong's reign. The Liberals and Conservatives were in fierce opposition in Joseon. The Confucian Scholars who advocated for Emperor Gojong's enlightenment policies and their doubts for gunmen holding a new type of gun were being brought down one by one...” (intro of drama)

Park Yoon Kang (Lee Joon Ki) is the son of the magistrate, but much to his fathers' dismay, he is quite the party boy. His father had taught him swordsmanship, but due to Yoon Kangs carefree life, he spends most his time entertaining gisaengs. The two don't see eye to eye, as Yoon Kang doesn't have any interest in his future, and his father spends most time away from home. All this changes, as notable people get shot in the middle of the streets, and the magistrate is unable to apprehend the gunman. Soon enough their family becomes a target, and the family goes into hiding with the Jung family. While there the daughter of the Jungs, Jung Soo In (Nam Sang Mi) and Yoon Kang, recognize each other, due to an earlier altercation, but soon they become close. As the situation with the gunman escalates and the magistrate dies, becomes labeled a traitor, and the rest of the family as well. Yoon Kang’s sister is sent into slavery, and while trying to run away with the help of Soo In, he is shot in the chest and falls into water - presumed dead.

Three years later, a Japanese business man called Hasegawa Hanjo, looking exactly like Yoon Kang emerges on the shores of Hanyang. Even though he is refuting everyone’s claim that he is Yoon Kang, Hanjo in the matter of the fact Yoon Kang - but has decided to pretend to be Hanjo; in order to clear his father’s name, save his sister from slavery, and exact revenge on his father’s death. But that is easier said, than done…

I started this drama because of Lee Joon Ki, since it was his first after military release, but it took me quite a while to finish. This drama reminds me of the typical Korean dramas that are too new to be ‘classics’ and too old to be ‘revolutionary’ - they are those ‘inbetweeners’ that bores both new and old crowd. While watching I expected it to be a “typical”, but they decided they wanted to make it different, and kind of ruined most of it. I felt that it dragged on for a very long while, and the ‘main story’ had a dumb ending. The second half was just unnecessary, and it ended, for me at least, as if the main cast were unlikeable antagonistic. I get what they were trying to do, but they were just unlikeable at the end, and I didn’t like any part of it - meaning I ended up not feeling bad for anyone at the end. They tried to make it reasonable and failed.

I didn’t enjoy Lee Joon Ki in this, and I felt that he was stuck in his bad old routine - I hope he snaps out of it soon. The female cast I forgot as soon as they left the screen - so I had situations where I forgot who the main actress it.

All in all, a drama bored people might enjoy, but not a drama to watch for excitement.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Deserving of the Name Review

Title: Deserving of the Name

AKA: Live Up To Your Name

Genre: Medical, History, Romance, Time Travel, Comedy

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2017-Aug to 2017-Oct

Cast: Kim Nam Gil, Kim Ah Joong, Yun Ju Sang and Yoo Min Kyu.

Heo Im (Kim Nam Gil) is an oriental doctor in 1592s Haeminseo. Due to his low status he isn't allowed in the palace, but the people of Joseon know him as a nice and unworldly. Unfortunately, Heo Im is very ambitious, and spends his nights healing rich people, in exchange for payment. The positive reputation leads him to an invitation from the King to cure a migraine. Thrilled, Heo Im prepares a new set of needles he found, but while trying to heal the king, his hand starts to shake and he is accused of treason. He manages to escape, but is met with the royal army and is shot down with arrows, and wakes up in 2017 Seoul. Bewildered he walks through the city, and bumps into Choi Yeon Kyun (Kim Ah Joong) who thinks of him as a weirdo especially after he tries to save a man passing out, by using acupuncture.

After seeing the wonders of 2017 Seoul, Heo Im decides he wants to stay, as he sees possibilities in becoming richer and more powerful. Sadly, he doesn't have a license, so he tried to find a Haeminseo. Here he meets a man, who seems to know about him, and as fate has it, he is Yeon Kyungs grandfather...

I am sorry for the weird review, but I tried hard not to spoil the drama. And to be honest, this is one drama you need to watch. I loved every part of it. I mean this drama took such a turn suddenly making me fall in love even more. Kim Nam Gil is officially one of the great actors: first Pandora and now this one. Okay, he has some we won't mention, but the 2017 dramas/movies are awesome. Kim Ah Joong is an okay actress, wasn't that into some of the older one, but this one fits her like a glove – being beautiful and smart really suits her.

I like that the drama was close to actual history, and the chemistry between the leads, as well as the pace... you'll understand once you see.

So: all in all.... recommendable.

☆☆☆☆☆ / 5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of hearts

Queen of the Ring Review

Title: Queen of the Ring

AKA: Three Color fantasy – Queen of the Ring

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Episodes: 6

Broadcast Period: Mar-2017 to Mar-2017

Cast: Kim Seul Gi, Ahn Hyo Seop, Yoon So Hoon, Hwang Jung Min, Jeon No Min, Lee Tae Sun, Choi Tae Hwan,

Story about a girl Nan Hee (Kim Seul Gi) who does not believe in herself because she feels she does not look as pretty as others. One day she receives a ring which holds a family secret. Due to the magical ring, she gets Se Gun (Ahn Hyo Seop) who's a handsome guy but has a cold-blooded personality to see her as his ideal type.

It’s a very short cute love story. I don’t have much to say about it than if you have an evening where you are not doing anything, this would be a nice way to fill up your time. Kim Seul Gi never sieze to amaze us with her humoristic acting. And Ahn Hyo Seop is a newbie who I’m pretty sure everyone is looking forward to see more of him. All in all, I wouldn’t let this little gem go lost.

☆☆☆☆  / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts 

Hwarang: The Beginning Review

Title: Hwarang: The Beginning

AKA: Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth

Genre: Historical, Youth, romance, Comedy

Episodes: 20

Broadcast Period: Dec-2016 to Feb-2017

Cast: Park Seo Joon, Go Ah Ra, Park Hyung Shik, Choi Min  Ho, Do Ji Han, Kim Tae Hyung, Jo Yoon Woo, Kim Ji Soo,

Queen Jiso (Kim Ji Soo) has ruled the Kingdom of Silla as regent since King Beopheung passed away, keeping her young son Sammaekjong(Park Hyung Sik) hidden outside of the capital Seorabeol and safe from enemies and assassins. As Sammaekjong comes of age, nobles, citizens, officials and Sammaekjong himself have all grown impatient for the queen to cede power. However the powerful nobles that tried to usurp power in the Kingdom continue to eye the throne and Queen Jiso fears the consequences of her ceding it. In order to break the power of the nobles, who have grown accustomed to their privileges under the bone rank system, Queen Jiso plans to create a new elite, the Hwarang, that will cut across the existing power factions, and to bind them to Sammaekjong and the throne. As this new elite of male youths bond and grow they are unaware that within their number is their future king, Sammaekjong, and Kim Sun Woo (Park Seo Joon), a commoner with a secret even he is not aware of.

A really surprisingly good drama. I got hooked really fast and couldn’t let go. I can’t deny all the pretty actors didn’t have an effect but oh well. They knew how to get their fans hooked. The storyline progressed fast, however you figured out the ending pretty quickly. Which was a little turnoff, but nevertheless you continue for the sole purpose of just watching the pretty actors. Go Ah Ra is a good actress, but she’s not on a wow-level I think, or maybe this performance wasn’t her best. What I like the most is that Park Soo Joon managed to get over the fact that this is about pretty soldiers, after all it is called Hwarang; the flower knights. It was like he didn’t use that as his main goal, but more found depth in his character. Which is why I’ve started to like Park Seo Joon more as an actor, he managed to stand out without using his good looks to his advantage but rather excellence acting. I’m looking forward to more projects from him. All in all a good drama, that I do recommend to all period drama fans.

☆☆☆☆   / 4 out of 5 stars♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Traitor Hong Gil Dong Review

Title: Traitor Hong Gil Dong

AKA: Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People / Rebel: Thief of the People

Genre: Period, Melodrama, Romance

Episodes: 30

Broadcast period: 2017-Jan to 2017-May

Cast: Kim Sang Joong, Yoon Kyun Sang, Chae Soo Bin, Kim Ji Suk and Lee Ha Nui.

Ah Mo Gae (Kim Sang Joong) is a slave, living and working for a nobleman, with his wife and two sons. Their lives are a common slave life, and as life goes, Ah Mo Gae soon notices that being a slave not only halts his life, but limits any hope of a future besides being a slave for his two sons. Even though he is a slave, Ah Mo Gae has the mind of a business man which his owner uses for his advances, and every single time Ah Ma Gae is to be set free, the nobleman finds a way to postpone it. His sons start to realize themselves what it means to be slaves, as the oldest Gil Hyun isn't allowed to read and the youngest Gil Dong is forced to keep his opinions at bay. Soon Ah Mo Gae realizes that Gil Dong isn't just your regular child, as when he gets upset he becomes unnaturally strong. Even though Ah Mo Gae does everything he is able to, so that Gil Dong's powers aren't known to anyone, destiny has other plans and the family ends up having to run for their lives.
As a grown-up Gil Dong (Yoon Kyun Sang) has changed: he cares more about girls and how to earn easy money – much to his fathers' dismay. Ah Mo Gae on the other hand has become a leader of an outcast group of people outcasts like him, dealing with illegal trade.
Even though life seems harmonious, the tension between Gil Dong and his father has shifted, and unfortunately the noblemen have gotten an interest in the dealings and wealth of Ah Mo Gae. And soon enough their past comes to haunt them...

I was waiting for this drama the moment I had heard it was in consideration: at that time the leads weren't even chosen – but I was 100% sure I was going to watch it. This story is one of my favorite stories of Korean literature, due to its creativity, but also because of historical accuracy. Even though this isn't exactly like the original novel, it is very close to it – and the fantasy aspect is also great and fits the story perfectly. Yes, it might be different, but the moment you accept it, it becomes such a nice way to portray the strength of Hong Gil Dong. Another thing that was amazing was the lead couple: I don't remember watching a couple which fit better than these two – even though 'how' they got together might not be great, but the relationship that 'happens' is a delight to watch. The only reason it isn't a 5 stars, it because of the crying scenes of Kim Sang Joong – which you'll have to watch on your own to understand. But that is also it.
Honestly, I don't know how to not spoil anything, and how to explain how much I enjoyed it, without ruining it for you or make you over expectant, except saying: I recommend this drama.
To sum up: an awesome drama with great acting, and amazing story.

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts

KO One Re:member Review

Title: KO One: Remember

AKA: KO One 4

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Action, Romance

Episodes: 60

Broadcast period: 2016-Jun to 2016-Sept

Opening song: Boyz on Fire by SpeXial

Ending song: I'm not the one you love by Pets Tseng

Cast: Pets Tseng, Lou Hong Zheng, Huang Wei Jin, Sylvia Wang, Zhao Zhi Wei and Chen De Xiu.

After receiving news about K.O One class being in danger, Lei Ting (Pets Tseng) and Xiu (Chen De Xiu) return to the gold dimension, only to be separated. Xiu manages to return to the class and meets up with Gu Zhan (Lou Hong Zheng), Zhi Ge (Huang Wei Jin) and Qiu Qiu (Sylvia Wang), but unfortunately Ling Tei seems to have disappeared. They soon track her down to a house, where they meet a trio from another school led by Zhi (Zhao Zhi Wei), though the trio admits to finding her, but haven't done anything to her. Tension arise, Lei Ting appears, but she seems to have lost her memories.
While the K.O One class try to help Lei Ting retrieve her memories, there seems to be other forces going about the gold dimension, and soon enough even Lei Ting acts very different than usual...

Out of all K.O. One seasons, this one has the best quality when it comes to the fighting scenes/use of magic. Also, this is the first season without Wang Da Dong (Jiro Wang), which means the storyline follows the "newer" characters that weren't in the very first season. This also means the K.O. series has changed both leads and shifted the narrative. This isn't necessary bad, as it kind of needed some freshness to it, and these actors actually manage to keep it interesting. Unfortunately, the only thing that I really liked in this drama was the couple of Gu Zhan and Qiu Qiu: everything else was way too 'melodrama' and there was a huge lack of fighting. I know that K.O. One isn't only about the fighting, but considering the title "K.O. One", the drama should be about the K.O. ranking, which was only mentioned very few times. And they really saved a lot of fighting for some reason. Even though the acting and the dialogues were good, there were too many fillers to be honest. I was actually yearning for more lead couple moments because of it – which by the is one the reasons for my rating. Another one is because, even if this is on the frivolous side, the overall acting is quite great.
So in all, an okay fourth instalment of the drama :)

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Man to Man Review

Title: Man to Man

AKA: Man X Man

Genre: Action, Thriller, Romance, Comedy

Episodes: 16

Broadcast Period: Apr-2017 to Jun-2017

Cast: Park Hae Jin, Kim Min Jung, Park Sung Woong, Yun Jung Hoon, Chae Jung Ahn, Jung Man Shik,

A longtime celebrity Yeo Woon Gwang (Park Sung Woong) suddenly has a need for a bodyguard and hires Kim Seol Woo (Park Hae Jin), a man trained in special investigations and a mysterious man of many talents. In reality, Kim Seol Woo is a NIS black ghost agent who has his own agenda and the role of a bodyguard is only a cover to achieve his goals. The drama is about the twisty events they encounter and the budding bromance between the star and bodyguard. In addition, Kim Seol Woo gets romantically involved with Cha Do Ha (Kim Min Jung), the manager of Yeo Woon Gwang.

Yes! Park Hae Jin in a decent role that fits him so well, was so much more enjoyable than anything else in this drama. I was just really happy for him, that he got this opportunity, and I hope he will get better ones in the future. Storywise I liked, but I think it dwelled too much in the entertainment than the action and secrets society. I know that there should be two aspects to this, but personally I think they considered the one with the superstar actor and his people more than the ghost agent. And that is a little sad, since he should be the focus point. Nevertheless, I did enjoy this drama, and was looking forward to it every week. The romance part didn’t appeal to me, it felt forced somehow, maybe the focus wasn’t on the romance at all, definitely no chemistry. To sum it up, I really liked the drama and I do recommend it. You can find it on Netflix!

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3 ½ out of 5 hearts

My Only Love Song Review

Title: My Only Love Song

Genre: Fantasy, historical, Romance, Comedy

Episodes: 20

Broadcast Period: Jun-2017

Cast: Lee Jong Hyun, Gong Seung Yun, Lee Jae Jin, Kim Yun Seo, Ahn Bo Hyun, Park Joo Hyung, Lee Chul Min,

Soo Jung (Gong Seung Yeon) is a conceited pop star who believes that status and money can get you anywhere. She accidentally falls into a time-slip portal and travels to the past, specifically to 6th-century Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, while it is under the reign of King Pyeongwon. There she meets On Dal (Lee Jong Hyun), a man who loves money and will do anything to earn it. However, he has a soft spot for the weak and helpless, and gives to them with a generous heart.

A little gem Netflix decided to release back in June. I watched it a few days after it was released (yes, I’m so behind with this review), and literally I watched it in one night. It just grabbed me and didn’t let go, and for so many reasons it’s still vivid in my memory, like it was yesterday. I love web dramas, that are invested in. Because there are some of them that are just pure failure, but this one had a quality as if it was a full broadcast network drama. Why I liked it? The sassy actress/princess, I can’t emphasize how much I loved watching her. Some actresses fail in being feisty and lively because there are just so many characters like that, but Gong Seung Yun did a splendid job by making the character unique. Lee Jong Hyun was also good, he has definitely put his idol image aside and turned into a real actor. I liked the story, it wasn’t a new concept, but overall it’s enjoyable, however one thing that bugged me is that I just couldn't figure out the connection between the title and the storyline. Maybe if some of you understood, please let me know.
Like I said in the beginning, since the quality of the production shined through, there are no major things that would bother you. So definitely a weekend watch, and it’s so easy if you have Netflix ;)

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ (1/2) / 4 (1/2) out of 5 hearts