My Lucky Star

Taiwanese title: 放羊的星星

Aired on TTV / SETTV
From 2007 March to July
20 episodes

Main cast:

Jimmy Lin: Zhong Tian Qi 仲天騏

Yoo Ha Na: Xia Zhi Xing 夏之星

Jennifer Hong: Ou Ya Ruo 歐雅若

Leon Jay Williams: Zhong Tian Jun 仲天駿

Lee Wei: Han Zhi Yin 韓志胤

Wang Dao: Zhong Wei 仲威

Dong Zhi Cheng: Guang Ming 光明

Liang Xiu Zhi: Board director Zheng 鄭董事

Notes:
- Hello Lawyer from Autumn's concerto!
- This is my second time watching after years and it's a Fav again!

- 2020 October 16th update: Third time watching and I still agree with myself. Fav!

Review: Fav!

Title: Meaningful. Girl's symbol is a star and she's Boy's lucky star.

 

Girl: She has a talent for designing jewellery but she uses her skills to counterfeit and is convicted for fraud. She's amazing, being strong to support others and also standing for herself when she's treated unfairly. (+)

Sidenote: The actress is obviously dubbed, something I find dumb, seriously, there wasn't any Taiwanese actress who could have played the role? However, though it's jarring at the beginning, I got used to it and Yoo Ha Na is perfect. She's very expressive and hits all the notes.

 

Boy: He's the second master (i.e. second son of the president) of a jewellery company but he doesn't want any part of it and goes to become a car racer. He's cocky and passionnate, willing to do anything to protect those he loves, but also willful and impulsive. And he's played by Jimmy Lin who is on this list. (+)

 

Other girl: She's a designer at the jewellery company who has worked hard to overcome her secret past. She's also a villain but one with motivations and you can almost find her pitiful. (+)

 

Relationship: Yeah! So much chemistry beween Boy and Girl. Their relationship is epic but at the most basic, they complement each other and challenge each other to become better persons. Moreover, though their social status are really different, their relationship is well-balanced. (+)

 

Plot: The pacing is really good, the obstacles and stakes aren't repetitive. I never got bored and it never stopped being addictive. Also, no weird last act. (+) Despite my enthusiasm, I have to note that the drama relies a lot on convenient accidental overhearing of key conversations, sometimes combined with unnatural speech. If I had to drink each time it happens, I wouldn't be able to write this review.

Funny factor? YES! YES! then less... then NOO!!!

Music: I wouldn't buy the OST but i like the songs and they compliment the drama.

What the...? I kind of feel bad for the Taiwanese villagers for how they are depicted.

Bottom line: Fav are subjective but while this drama uses cheap tricks, it controls them very well, avoids some clichés and benefits from great actors (I didn't say great acting). It also deals with almost deep issues. To conclude, be prepared to be invested in these characters' stories and to embark on a rollercoaster of emotions! Fav!!

Sungkyunkwan Scandal

Korean title: 성균관 스캔들

Aired on SBS2
From 2010 August to November
20 episodes

Main cast:

Micky Yoochun: Lee Sun Joon

Park Min Young: Kim Yoon Hee

Song Joong Ki: Goo Yong Ha

Yoo Ah In: Moon Jae Shin

Jun Tae Soo: Ha In Soo

Seo Hyo Rim: Ha Hyo Eun

Kim Min Seo: Cho Sun

Jo Sung Ha: King Jeongjo

Ahn Nae Sang: Jung Yak Yong

Lee Jae Yong: Ha Woo Kyu

Note:

I watched it just after Coffee Prince and I had seen Micky Yoochun as a nobleman previously in Rooftop Prince.

At the beginning, I expected this drama to be a Fav! Alas...

 

Review: +/-

Title: Not sure about the scandal (it makes me think of the superior drama Capital scandal) but it takes place around 1791 at Sungkyunkwan, a school that trains future members of government/public servants.

Girl: She has to make a living for her mother and sick younger brother. Since she's educated, as girls are not supposed to, she pretends to be a boy and writes letters, homeworks for students etc. She's warm, responsible and likes to study. The only negative is that I find that she is passive on several occasions and that Boy makes decisions for her.(+)

Boy: He's a strict, law-abiding, moral, big-on-principles nobleman. I like that type though he was a bit too stoic for my tastes. (+)

Other Boy: Hot-headed rebel. He's on my very short list of guys who look good with long hair. (+)

Other girl: She's a spoiled young girl but her love is pure and sincere. She's funny too. (+)

Relationship: I like how it developed but watching the character confused and tortured over his sexual orientation for nothing was frustrating. Moreover, since not much was happening on the "plot" side, it dragged. Meanwhile, you're just waiting for him to find out so the drama will get some momentum again.

Plot: The overarching arc is about the King wanting to build a better society by getting rid of the noble families' influence. For that purpose, he needs the McGuffingest McGuffing I've ever seen. I liked the depiction of a good King and of families' rivalries but this is never really developped. It's just talks in the background about how the McGuffin would fix everything. Yeah, sure.

Then, there are shorter arcs with more urgent stakes for the characters, the villain being the President Student. At first, these were interesting enough and yielded character developments. But at one point, I realised that the good guys were always doing the good things and the bad guys bad things and SPOILER ALERT failing. So in the end, there is no suspense and the stakes lose their power.

Other characters: There is a character who has an interesting trajectory. Side characters are also pretty good. The villain, however, is a terrible character. He's one-dimensional and has two expressions throughout the drama: expressionless - so is it actually just one? - and frowning menacingly.

Bonus factors: Period! Hats! Politics of that time!

Funny factor? Not much.

Music: OK. There was one song I liked.

Most egregious clichés: Girl pretending to be a boy. McGuffin.

What the... ? I will go with opening a very secret and big box in plain view. And hugging instead of running. Wait, I almost forgot... Other boy gets hiccups when he's with a girl. I have no idea why and what was the purpose of giving him that trait... Also, (trying hard not to spoil here) one character learns something important but never discusses it with anyone.

Bottom line: There are a lot of things to like in this drama (some characters, some developments about their relation to their family, the 18th century setting, the promising beginning) but then my interest withered away.

Oops! I forgot about one important character. It's telling that I forgot about her even though she's featured in several storylines. I think she's interesting but a bit "random". She's likable but in the end feels like a composite of several traits that don't totally add up.