Scholar Who Walks The Night Review

Title: Scholar Who Walks The Night

AKA: Scholar of the Night

Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Romance

Episode: 20

Broadcast Period: Jul-2015 to Sep-2015

Cast: Lee Jun Ki, Lee Yoo Bi, Shim Chang Min, Lee Soo Hyuk, Kim So Eun, Jang Hee Jin, Lee Soon Jae, Son Jong Hak

Set in an alternate Joseon dynasty, Jo Yang Sun (Lee Yoo Bi) is the daughter of a nobleman whose family loses everything when her father were framed for treason. To make ends meet, Yang Sun begins cross-dressing as a male bookseller, and meets the handsome and mysterious scholar Kim Sung Yeol (Lee Joon Ki). Sung Yeol is a vampire, and he continues to be haunted by the long-ago death of his first love Lee Myung Hee (Kim So Eun) once he meets Myung Hee’s present-day doppelganger: Choi Hye Ryung (Kim So Eun), an aloof nobleman’s daughter. Meanwhile, the evil vampire Gwi (Lee Soo Hyuk) resides in the royal palace and uses his powers and political machinations to prevent the Crown Prince Lee Yun (Shim Chang Min) from ascending the throne.

What’s up with all the vampire stuff in dramaland lately?! Saeguk AND vampires jut the cup of tea I longed to watch… until I actually started watching it. The storyline was good, interesting. The idea about this evil despicable vampire living under the palace, playing with the king and his ministers like puppets were genius. Even the character were dreadful. However, the whole drama is about vampires, so why make them so weak?! I just couldn’t get excited about it at all! Then the nonsense about if they don’t drink blood at full moon, they will die… is this a vamp-werewolf fusion? I don’t like it, never, just stupid. Then Lee Jun Ki, why did you choose this drama, It totally made a black spot on your career, you need to pick a whole other project next time. I don’t want to give up on you yet. And now, Lee Yu Bi, she's a good actress but I just didn't like her character in this drama. No offence to her, but I hated her character so much I just wanted to skip all her scenes. Lee Soo Hyuk and Kim so Eun were brilliant together, I guess they were the most successful and magnificent choices made by the production. In conclusion, I was disappointed much, but I managed to finish it ;)

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Bunji's Verdict

Compared to the last Lee Jun Ki drama this one was a bit better, though I am getting tired of his period dramas. I don’t understand why it has to be period dramas all the time, and I am kind of missing the “Two Weeks” Lee Jun Ki now. Anyways, I said better, not necessary good. This drama is too coincidental and is too much “Manhwa” - this is why I dislike Manga/Manhwa adaptions, they never work!  It has too many ‘cartoonish’ elements and as I say, everything and everyone is too coincidental. Even though every actor fits their character perfectly: Jun Ki looks like a handsome undead, so does Soo Hyuk. And they couldn’t find anyone looking more like prince Yi San than Chang Min. Unfortunately, everything else about this drama is a mess. I have to disagree with Kamji - the background story is dumb, I mean it takes them so long to figure anything out.  The characters have no consistency and have bad growth. And I also disagree with Kamji on the second couple. - they were SO boring. Everyone was to be honest. I also felt that the lead actress was an idiot, SPOILER ALERT: Jun Ki’s character changes sooooo many times in front of her, and what she doesn’t notice? What the…

Anyways... My rating is based on the actors and their constant fight to “fix” this drama, unfortunately they fail, but watching them is quite worth the watch - and also I have to give their seriousness some credit.

All in all, not something I would recommend, but the acting is alright and worth a shot in this drama

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Paradise Ranch Review

Title: Paradise Ranch

AKA: Paradise Farm / Paradise Meadow

Genre: Romance, Drama, Comedy

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2011-Jan to 2011-Mar

Cast: Shim Chang Min, Lee Yeon Hee, Yoon Ha Na and Joo Sang Wook.

At the age of 18 Han Doo Jin (Shim Chang Min) and Lee Da Ji (Lee Yeon Hee) tried to elope duo their families’ objections to marriage. After being caught on the airport, their elders decide to let them get married, but they divorce half year after.

Six year pass and they lead separate and different lives: Da Ji is a clumsy veterinarian who passed school with flying colors, living with her father on “Paradise Ranch”. Doo Jin lives as the third generation heir of his grandfather’s company, with no care for business or work. Being put down by his father, he doesn’t believe in himself, and simply doesn’t do anything.

One day everything changes as his grandfather threatens him with taking his credit cards, if he doesn’t go to japan to get a racehorse he wants. Reluctantly he leaves, and bumps into Da Ji. She is there to buy the very same horse, and different from Doo Jin she is happy to see him. The two separate on a bad note, but as fate will have it, they meet again: on Paradise Ranch, where Doo Jin’s company had bought the land in which she lives in. Now their lives get entwined once again, what will they do?

Hmm, this is a bit tricky: First of all I a huge fan of the theme ‘divorce’ which is a taboo word almost in every society. Second of all I love themes which involve living as a farmer (like rich kids getting sent/put to live in the country). This drama has both, but it really is not good. To be honest it’s overrated and Shim Chang Min is a bad actor (I know there are different opinions here, be he really can’t act). The main female lead is bad also, but not as lost a case as Chang Min. The back stories of the couples (second leads) are horrible, like I just couldn’t see any realistic side of it. And the main chemistry - the two leads - was lacking too. The general storyline is kind of too simple-minded for such a story.  And omg those tacky clothes! :O

Okay that was the bad part. The good part is very short and mainly the reason for the drama to get the rating as it did: the divorce and the ending. The theme gets 2 stars on its own because one, it’s realistc and two, honest. And the ½ point is the ending. Because I actually saw the growth of the couple and the story - I’m not gonna tell what.

To sum up - I wouldn’t recommend it and it really isn’t 16 hours’ worth of your time.

☆☆½ / 2½ out of 5 stars

♥♥ / 2 out of 5 hearts

Kamjis Verdict

Okay, I watched this as soon as it came out in 2011, I remember it because the divorce theme were still kinda new, and I was still a huge TVXQ fan there (was, now it’s JYJ). So believe me when I say I got the biggest drama-disappointment ever! I don’t really have more to say about it than Bunji, so I’ll just have my ratings speak for itself. 

☆☆ / 2 out of 5 stars

♥♥ / 2 out of 5 hearts