What's wrong with Secretary Kim ?

 Korean title: 김비서가 왜 그럴까

16 episodes

Aired on tvN from 2018 June to July

Main cast:

• Park Min Young as Kim Mi So
  
• Park Seo Joon as Lee Young Joo
• Lee Tae Hwan as Lee Sung Yun
• Kang Ki Young as Park Yoo Shik
• Pyo Ye Jin as Kim Ji Ah
  
• Hwang Chan Sung as Ko Kwi Nam
• Lee Yoo Joon as Jung Chi In
• Hwang Bo Ra as Bong Se Ra
• Kang Hong Suk as Yang Chul
• Kim Ye Won as Sul Ma Eum
• Baek Eun Hye as Kim Pil Nam
• Heo Soon Mi as Kim Mal Hee
• Kim Byung Ok as Chairman Lee
• Kim Hye Ok as Mrs. Choi

 Production credits:

• Production companies: Studio Dragon, Bon Factory
  
• Director: Park Joon Hwa
• Screenwriter: Jung Eun Young (ep 1-4), Baek Sun Woo, Choi Bo Rim
• Based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Jung Kyung Yoon  

Notes: 

• I don't know why but I'm less motivated to write reviews for dramas I actually like! It's easier to rant. Hence why this review is belated. And from memory.
  
•  Hwang Chan Sung is a member of 2PM, a K-pop group.
• This drama was my introduction to all these actors, including Park Seo Joon and Park Min Young. I get the hype now! (edit: after putting the labels, I realised I already had a Park Min Young one because she was Girl in Sungkyunkwan Scandal! Oops. and Kim Hye Ok was in Bad Guy too. Her character is really different here).
  

 

Review: +

Title: A good title! A bit long but catchy and intriguing. And for once, it's really satisfying to hear it in the dialogue.

Girl: She's a great protagonist. Though she's an insanely competent secretary, she's relatable.

Boy: A chaebol heir! How original! His narcissisim is actually funny and when we get to know him more and the layers of his character are revealed, we appreciate him even more. I feel bad saddling this review with the "arrogant jerk" because he's not really a jerk but he's definitely arrogant so yeah.

Other boy: Yeah no. I have some degree of sympathy for him because I'm not a monster but the character was really one note and annoying. Also, it's a bit random but he's supposed to be the older brother and the actor is 6 years younger than the actor for Boy who is playing his age. His behaviour tends to feel more immature too, so there was some disconnect every time we are reminded that he's supposed to be older.

Other girl: Look, there isn't one !

Plot: There is vaguely a mystery about something that happened in the past but the twist is quite obvious so I was just waiting for it to be revealed. However, the gradual revelation of what happened was quite well-done.

Relationships: There wasn't any B-couple but two C-couples among their coworkers. I'm not complaining as there were both very different but still cute and funny.

Other characters: his parents, her sisters, his best friend and their coworkers. 

Funny? Yes. It's a big part of why I like it. Special mention to his best friend (and his disaster of a secretary) and to Bong Se Ra.

Clichés: Office romance. Childhood connection.

Music: I don't remember it so it must have been fine.

Bottom line: I'm surprised that I remember so little of this drama, besides liking it. The mystery is hit or miss and the brother character is annoying but there are some genuinely funny moments and characters, Girl and Boy are strong characters and their relationship is believable. +!

Trot lovers

 Korean title : 트로트의 연인

Other titles : Trot Romance / Lovers Of Trot / Lovers of Music

16 episodes

Aired on KBS2

From 2014 June to August

Main cast :

• Ji Hyun Woo as Jang Joon Hyun
• Jung Eun Ji as Choi Choon Hee
• Shin Sung Rok as Jo Geun Woo
• Lee Se Young as Park Soo In
• Yoo Eun Mi as Choi Byul
• Kim Hye Ri as Yang Joo Hee
  
• Yoon Joo Sang as Jo Hee Moon
• Kang Nam Gil as Choi Myung Shik
• Son Ho Joon as Sul Tae Song
• Kim Yeo Jin as Bang Ji Sook
  
• Shin Bo Ra as Na Pil Nyeo
• Jang Won Young as Lee Chul Man
• Yoon Bong Gil as Lee Yoo Shik
• Park Hyuk Kwon as Managing Director Wang
•  Ji Soo Won as Hwa Soon 

Production credits :

• Production Company : JS Pictures ; Chief Producer: Kim Sung Geun ; Producer: Yoon Sung Sik
• Directors : Lee Jae Sang, Lee Eun Jin
• Screenwriters : Oh Sun Hyung, Kang Yoon Kyung

Notes :

• Hello Father AND Newspaper boss from Capital Scandal ! 
• I've never heard trot songs before (though I knew it was Korean traditional popular songs) and I really like the songs in this drama.
• You might know Jung Eun Ji from K-pop girl group Apink. Since I started to get into K-pop, I pay more attention to idols, and it's funny to realise that Choi Si Won, Micky Yoochun are/were idols. Also f(x) Krystal in the Heirs and AOA Shin Hye Jung in Good witch.
  
• So before this drama, I thought that maybe I was over Korean dramas, after my disappointment with Good witch and it felt like ages since I last watched a drama I really liked. But I really liked this one !!
• This review is from (recent) memory because weirdly I wasn't really inspired to write it. I'm not sure this review will be interesting enough to do this drama justice but I want to share that it was good and introduced me to trot.
  

 

Review : +

Title : Kinda embarassing. Litteral but not totally accurate since only Girl is a lover of trot while Boy doesn't care for it.

Girl : She's confident, headstrong and resilient. She loves singing trot because of how it makes her feel and how it makes other feel. Her energy is communicative.

Boy : He used to be a big star and has been disgraced. He's vain and arrogant but in the funny way, not in the annoying one. He's also talented and has a real passion for music.

Other girl : She's also a singer. She works hard to succeed but it's hard to know what she really wants since her mother (a former singer) is so overbearing. What they do with her character is really compelling.

Other boy : He's the heir of an entertainement company. He's... odd. He does things his way, not caring how he's perceived.

Plot : There is a plot, which is what it is. It's a bit meandering at the beginning and I have to say I skipped some parts, basically all the scenes that heaped misery on misery on Girl. It's handled better, with a lighter touch, later on. Not everything makes sense but at least it shows the struggle to succeed and not everything goes right. I also like how the romance develops and root for these two character's love so that's what I expect from a romance drama.

Other characters : Girl's little sister who is very cute, put-upon assistant, over-the-top mean girl, excentric CEO, nice mentor... most of them are well done.

What the... ? There are "nice gangsters" characters ? They're involved in a very weird scene that's quite dramatic then turns funny but I'm not sure it's successful. I like these characters as comic reliefs but it's not consistent with how they're introduced.

Cliché : The whole premise of you-have-to-help-out-X-in-doing-Y-to-get-Z. And then a "plot" cliché that I can't tell without spoiling that I personally think is way overdone (though I actually like the angst it brings). I groaned when I realised they were going there.

Funny : Yes.

Music : As I already said, music is one of the draw of the drama. Unless you don't like trot. Warning, the same song is used so much at the beginning that I feared they would only use one song throughout the whole drama. Fortunately, it was not the case.

Bottom line : The plot wasn't the best but it was good enough to not distract from the great characters, their compelling relationships, the comedy and the music. + !

Nodame Cantabile and Nae Il's Cantabile

I'm doing a joint review of these two dramas, not because I'm lazy (though I am) but because as good adaptations of the manga Nodame cantabile by Ninomiya Tomoko, or remake of one another, I would have repeated myself.

I've watched Nodame Cantabile twice but it's been some years and I've just watched Nae Il's Cantabile for the first time. I had actually read part of the manga, for once, and from what I remembered, the Japanese drama was quite faithful.

Japanese title : のだめカンタービレ

11 episodes

Aired on Fuji TV

From 2006 October to December

+ 1 special (2 ep, 2008) + 2 movies (2009 and 2010)

Main cast :

• Ueno Juri as Noda Megumi
• Tamaki Hiroshi as Chiaki Shinichi
• Eita as Mine Ryutaro
• Koide Keisuke as Okuyama Masumi
• Mizukawa Asami as Miki Kiyora
• Saeko as Saku Sakura
• Uehara Misa as Tagaya Saiko
• Takenaka Naoto as Franz Stresemann
• Fukushi Seiji as Kuroki Yasunori
• Mukai Osamu as Kikuchi Toru
• Toyohara Kosuke as Eto Kozo
• Nishimura Masahiko as Tanioka Hajime
• Ibu Masato as Mine Tatsumi

Production credits :

• Screenwriter : Etou Rin
• Producers : Wakamatsu Hiroki, Shimizu Kazuyuki
• Directors : Takeuchi Hideki, Kawamura Taisuke, Tanimura Masaki

Korean title : 내일도 칸타빌레

Other title : Tomorrow Cantabile

16 episodes

Aired on KBS2

From 2014 October to December

Main cast :

• Shim Eun Kyung as Sul Nae Il (Noda Megumi)
• Joo Won as Cha Yoo Jin  (Chiaki Shinichi)
• Go Kyung Pyo as Yoo Il Rak (Mine Ryutaro)
• Park Bo Gum as Lee Yoon Hoo
• Jang Se Hyun as Ma Soo Min (Okuyama Masumi)
• Min Do Hee as Choi Min Hee (Saku Sakura)
• Bae Min Jung as Jung Shi Won (Miki Kiyora)
• Baek Yoon Shik as Franz Streseman
• Kim Yoo Mi as Chae Do Kyung (Tagaya Saiko)
• Lee Byung Joon as Do Kang Jae (Eto Kozo)
• Nam Goong Yun as Ahn Gun Sung (Tanioka Hajime)
• Ye Ji Won as Song Mi Na
• Ahn Kil Kang as Yoo Won Sang (Mine Tatsumi)

Production credits :

• Chief Producer : Hwang Eui Kyung ; producers : Kim Jin Won, Park Woo Ram
• Directors : Han Sang Woo, Lee Jung Mi
• Screenwriters: Park Pil Joo, Shin Jae Won

 

Notes : Funny how I've just rewatched Secret Garden in which Lee Byung Joon and Kim Ji Sook also appear, in very different roles.

Review : Fav !

Title : Makes sense since these dramas revolve around students in a music school, and especially around the impact that the character Noda Megumi or Nodame / Nae Il has.

Girl : She's a tricky character to play because she's eccentric and childish, which can easily be annoying and ridiculous, but I think that both actresses nailed it. She's a piano genius but she doesn't want to make it her career. She's obstinate, honest, warm, lovable and doesn't care how she is perceived by people. (+)

Boy : He's also a genius in so many things. He's confident, hard-working and perfectionnist. Also closed-off emotionnally and struggles to express his feelings. (+)

Relationship : This shouldn't work. But it does. These two characters, also surrounded by their friends, help each other to grow and to overcome what is keeping them from achieving their true potentials. They also have the same passion for classical music and admire their respective talent.

Plot : The plot deals mostly with the growth of the characters, through the challenges they face individually and in relation to each other.

The Korean adaptation adds some power struggles at the head of the school, which was not that interesting but also not bad enough to ruin the drama.

Other characters : Characters are interesting and likable. The Korean adaptation has a new character, but, as with the other changes they've made, it fits well.

What the... ? Nodame/Nae Il is a quirky character, maybe she would be too much for some people ? Another tricky character is Stresemann and I'm actually glad they toned down his "pervert" side in the Korean adaptation.

Funny : Yes.

Music : Most diegetic and non diegetic music in these dramas are classical pieces. Classical music is at the heart of the story. You don't need to know anything about it (I don't) to like it and maybe these dramas will make you appreciate how beautiful and emotional classical music is.

Bonus : A glimpse of Salzburg !

Bottom line : I love the characters, in every iteration, their relationships and to watch them learn and grow. It's not realistic at all but it's very satisfying, funny, with sublime music. Fav !

Worst couples in dramas I've watched

The best and worst couples were supposed to be the same post since I wanted to balance the negative by the positive but thinking about what I wanted to write, I realised that they would be two very different posts.

This post will actually be me ranting to the world (or more correctly, to the few people who wandered here... hi few people !) about two dramas in particular.

This is because there are some couples I didn't buy (Kil Da Ran & Kang Kyun Joon from Big, Iwase Ken & Yoshida Rei from Proposal Daisakusen...), but they're not in the same league as the very worst which are the ones I want to highlight here: Lee Young Jae & Han Ji Eun from 2004 Korean drama Full House and Chen Xin Yi & Ji Cun Xi from 2008 Taiwanese drama Fated to love you.

These two dramas have been crazy popular. Full House starred Rain, one of the biggest idols ever and Fated to love you was remade in 2014 by MBC under the same title. [I just learnt that there is also a 2020 Japanese remake... What !! I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!... I wished I had never known that. 😩] I haven't watched the Korean remake. I don't think I have it in me to check if it breaks me as much as its predecessor .

This is why I actively dislike those two dramas, and it all comes from how much I disliked the main couples. There are three elements, that taken separately, would not be as awful, but in conjunction? Oh boy.

1- An Arrogant jerk taken too far or better said, an abusive bully

I actually like the Arrogant jerk trope in romance (Braime, Zutara maybe?) but you have to dose it well, add some wittiness, redeeming qualities and you know, not just relentlessly have him treat his romantic prospect as dirt. There is a reason why in most dramas, this kind of character is quickly toned down.

2- A meek woman who's in love with him even though he treats her horribly

Again, it's okay for someone to be meek, but paired with someone who takes advantage of it, it's a catastrophe. The Arrogant jerk works in romance when their love interest challenges them. If they are just a doormat, it's not interesting, it's painful.

To be fair to Fated to love you, the fact that Chen Xin Yi is someone who never stands for herself is acknowledged and is the basis for her character development, from "Sticky Note Girl" to a confident woman. But, if I remember well, that whole character development happens offscreen. Oops.

I also thought about other male characters who treats their love interest terribly in dramas but which I don't hate. The closest example I could remember was from Hana Yori Dango/Boys over flowers. Tsukasa/Joon Pyo is a bully to Makino/Jan Di, he treats her horribly. But, at that time, she despises him. She only falls in love with him after he starts treating her well and stops bullying others. Imagine if Makino/Jan Di was in love with Tsukasa/Joon Pyo while he was insulting and tormenting her. Yeah... that was my experience watching Full House and Fated to love you.

3- Who are trapped with each other.

So you have these two characters who have no business being together, and what do you do? Well, you make it so they (and especially both women Han Ji Eun and Chen Xin Yi) can't leave the "relationship". Why, do you ask if you haven't seen these two dramas ? Because they have been forced to marry and are now forced to live and stay together. I actually forgot that they also had to get married in Full House, I only remembered that they had to live in the same house for some reason.

Again, I actually like the "arranged marriage" trope, done well. And this was not done well.

So now, if you still don't believe me that these two couples are the worst, let's read the synopsis for Fated to love you (and it's for real the premise of the drama) with some of my interjections since I can't hold them :

A really unfashionable working class girl Chen Xin Yi has the desire to tie down her handsome boyfriend to be with her [just ugh! No, no, no. I know it happens in real life, but she is our main character, not the villain]. Due to certain reasons, her boyfriend gets her to go on a love cruise and she started to ponder on how to lose her virginity and tie down her boyfriend. Xin Yi ended up taking cold medicine which made her drowsy and went into Ji Cun Xi's room. Cun Xi is the sole male heir to his family's company and has been in love with his girlfriend, Anna, for a long time. He planned to propose to Anna on the boat but she didn't turn up on the cruise. An island owner added drugs into Cun Xi's drink and Cun Xi became disorientated and returned to his own room. Xin Yi and Cun Xi end up having a one night stand. [So, the first time they have sex, they are both intoxicated and both in a relationship with someone else, and she thought he was her boyfriend. Mmm okay.] So, Xin Yi later finds out that she's pregnant and Cun Xi's grandmother forces them to get married. Will a couple forced to marry for the sake of their unborn child find love with each other? [Spoiler : they will at the end, but for a long time, Cun Xi actually resents her and as previously said, treats her horribly.]

The synopsis for Full House is slightly less terrifying but still you have the premise of Young Jae exploiting the situation of Ji Eun, and again, to get to the happy end, you have to endure Ji Eun being mistreated.

Han Ji Eun is an innocent woman who gets swindled by her best friends in need of money. After a few unfortunate encounters with top actor Lee Young Jae, Ji Eun finds out that her house was bought by said actor. Young Jae has been in love with his best friend, Kang Hye Won for more than a decade but she has her eyes on Yoo Min Hyuk, their senior. After growing tired of waiting for her to come around, Young Jae proposes a contract marriage to Ji Eun in order to spark some jealousy and get the media off his back. In an attempt to earn back her house, Ji Eun agrees to be his wife for a year. But as they live together, they start to learn what it means to live a married life, genuinely care for one another and have each other's back when they're up against the world.

So, this is why these two are the worst couples I've ever seen and also why I really really don't like these two dramas.

And why I don't understand how they could be so popular (or at least, they were at that time) so this is me taking this off my chest. I don't really feel better. Actually I feel worse, after being reminded that they got married in Full House and finding out about the Japanese remake *facepalm*).

Bye, few readers! I'm going back to the "Best couples" post.

Down with love

Taiwanese title: 就想賴著妳 (就想赖着妳)

16 episodes
Aired on CTV
From 2010 January to May

Main cast:

Jerry Yan: Xiang Yu Ping 項羽平

Ella Chen: Yang Guo 楊果

Kelly Huang: Yang Duo 楊朵

Michael Zhang: Qi Ke Zhong 齊可中

Chen Zi Han: Ding Hui Fan 丁卉凡

Amanda Chou: Xu Yan Ling 徐雁玲

Gu Bao Ming: Yang Bo Tong 楊伯通

Yan Yi En: Liang Zhi Hao 梁志豪

Notes:
Many familiar faces: Hello Vicky Chen and Amanda Chou who I had seen in The legend of Brown sugar chivalries! Hey Renzo Liu who is always playing lawyers and the cutest little boy ever Xiao Xiao Bin... both of them were in Autumn's concerto.

Review: +

Title: Generic. Shared with a movie starring Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger. No relation, storywise.

Girl: You know the drift. Plain, not particularly smart or educated but nice and energetic. She's passive -but that can be explained by her always having been bossed around by her sister (passive!)- and insecure -but not in an annoying way.

Boy: I won't put Jerry Yan on that list but he would top a list of actors with the best facial expressions. Actually, he would BE this list. I could go to tumblr and find some gifs to illustrate my point but I'm afraid I'd fall into a rabbit's hole and come out tomorrow morning...

Ok, I just went and I'm already back because... there's nothing! How is it possible? Internet, you have failed me.

Um, let's go back to his character. I labelled him "Arrogant jerk" because that's what he's supposed to be but real quick, it's obvious that he's a marshmallow. He's a lawyer, if you care about his occupation.

Other boy: He's an interior designer. He's so charming and how can he be so perfect?

 

Other girl: Narcissistic actress. I didn't like her, in case you were wondering. It was intentional, I think, but why does he like her?

 

Other girl: The aforementioned Girl's older sister. At first, she was a caricature but in the end, I liked her the best. Though she's throughout a very funny character, her personality is straightforward and really strong. She would be terrifying in real life. As a non villain, she's an unusual character.

 

Plot/ Relationships: I was watching the 14th episode and thinking: "How can they be two more episodes?" I have no idea how they managed to make 16 episodes out of this story without ever boring me. So that's a good point. Another one is that the drama doesn't commit the two cardinal sins I've been complaining about recently: out of place parallel story and overstuffed finale. However, I wish the drama hadn't rush that much at the beginning, taking a very cliché narrative shortcut and dropping in a cavalier fashion what I thought was a promising premise.

Romantic, friendly, family connections are mostly well done. The characters don't evolve but they reveal more shades.

 

Other characters: They are everything: Girl's best friend, Other Girl's manager, coworkers, the kids... even one who grated on me at first turned out to be a good addition.

 

Music: WANT.

 

Funny factor? Yes. That may be a reason why this is a Plus. This drama is funny till the end, thanks to its characters.

 

Most egregious cliché: Kids scaring away nannies.

 

What the... ? People coming in and out at during work hours. Super busy lawyer not working at all.

Bottom line: I hesitated between a + or a +/-. In the end, it's a + because I didn't hate anything too much. The good weighted more that the bad. Faint praise, I know. I guess I'm tired of +/-.

Alice in Wonder City

Taiwanese title: 給愛麗絲的奇蹟 (给爱丽丝的奇迹)
Other title: Give Alice a miracle

15 episodes
Aired on CTS
From 2012 May to September

Main cast:

Aaron Yan: He Ting Yu 賀霆宇

Xiu Jie Kai: Chen Hai Jie 陳海傑

Lara Veronin: Lan Die Fei 藍蝶菲

Tracy Chou: Alice

Yang Gui Mei: Jin Li Sha 金莉莎

Lin Li Yang: Tang Jin Cang 唐晉滄

Cherry Hsia: Lan Yu Shu 藍語書

Review: -

Title: A character is named Alice but she is no more prominent than the other three main characters so I don't know why she gets to be in the title. There are references to Alice in Wonderland but it doesn't amount to much.

Boy: He's kind of a manic dream guy.

Boy: He's a famous violonist who has been groomed by his overbearing mother to be the best. I think he was the character I was the most interested in.

Girl: She's the most ordinary. Later, there is something about her that comes from nowhere but I wish it could have given her some agency.

Girl: The aforementioned Alice. She's an interesting character trapped in a storyline that doesn't deserve her. See below.

Plot: I'm going to cover plot before relationships because here lies the explanation for the minus review. For once, the problem is easy to pinpoint: half of this drama is a terribad Lifetime movie in which nothing substantial happens but that still manages to take up so much screentime. Moreover, the gist of it is basic (McGuffin! Suspicious men in black!) but one part (Alice's identity) is needlessly confusing. Moreover (yes, that's the second one, I'm piling on it), the two "halves" don't feel organically or tonally or thematically related. It's like watching two dramas smashed together. By the way, the better half is about music, having talent and succeeding in the industry.

Also, some subplots just end abrubtly (no mention of Boy's sister's drama and barely any mention of Siren) and the ending drag.

Relationships: This is the drama's strongest suit. Friendship between three characters, family relationships, romance... I like how they were handled, people reacted like normal people. There are also some unusual reversals. If only the drama had kept focusing on these!

Funny factor: Not really.

Music: I love the theme songs by Lara Veronin. But I disagree with stripping this song from its powerful message. Finally, though I was not enamoured by the classical music pièces performed, I still appreciate hearing something different.

What the...: I could mention a lot of things but, to avoid spoilers, I'll just say that the timeline makes no sense, in a way that is distracting.

Most egregious cliché: Japanese baddies

Bottom line: Excising the storyline that sidelines Alice and thus making the drama more consistent, the drama could have taken advantage of the potential of its setting, of his characters and their relationships. Alas, it was not to be. (-)

Dating Agency Cyrano

Korean title: 연애조작단; 시라노

Aired on tvN and OnStyle
From 2013 May to June
16 episodes

Main cast:

Lee Jong Hyuk: Seo Byung Hoon

Choi Soo Young: Gong Min Young

Hong Jong Hyun: Moo Jin

Jo Yoon Woo: Ah Rang

Lee Chun Hee: Cha Seung Pyo

Bae Sung Woo: Min Shik

Kim Min Kyo: Young Dal

Ha Yun Joo: Hye Ri

Kim Jung Hwa: Yoon Yi Sul

Lee Min Woo: Go Do Il

Notes:

- I stopped watching at episode 12.

- I said somewhere that I stopped watching to re-watch Coffee Prince and that's because Gong Yoo has a cameo in one episode. Then I resumed this drama and then I stopped again to watch Sungkyunkwan Scandal... so yeah DNF!

Review: DNF

Title: The drama is based at the Dating agency Cyrano which orchestrates elaborate scenarios to make people fall in love with their clients.

Girl: I hated her look. I bet she would look 100% better with another hairstyle. Apart from that, she's okay. She's nice. But she has zero backstory. She's bland.

Boy: I'm not a fan of him as well. He's a director who returns to Korea to take care of the theatre Cyrano. Since he's a director, he's good at creating romantic scenarios. He's arrogant. And that's it.

Other boy: I didn't get him. He's a chef at a restaurant but he has a secret that just muddles his characterisation. And he knew Boy's best friend. Technically, it's a spoiler because it's revealed in a latter episode but it's so obvious.

Other girl: I almost forgot her. She was Boy's best friend's girlfriend. She pops up from time to time and we know next to nothing about her.

Relationships: Girl has more chemistry with a random guy from the first episode that we never see again than with Boy. Seriously, I thought she would end up with this guy (for five minutes until I realised we would never see him again). It's a bit better with Other boy but his character is terrible and hers is boring and there was no conflict so... wash. (-)

Plot: First, there are the stories of their clients that take around two or three episodes. At first, it was quite enjoyable and there was something interesting in the idea of realising the scenarios. But the drama fails in several ways:

- it clumsily clears the issue of lying to these people in the first arc. In a later arc, Girl befriends the target of their client and they become quite close. Then, when they succeed in making her fall for their client, she offscreen tells her she's out of her life. "Bye Bye, I have no moral qualms about manipulating you all this time." That's just bad.

- the scenario takes turns and ends up making no sense.

- one arc directly and emotionally involves a member of the agency but once it has ended, it has no bearings anymore on this character. (-)

Second, there is a kind of ongoing plot about Boy's past, his friend, and Other boy. But it's dished out so slowly, being completely dropped from several episodes, probably because there is not much to it, that I lost interest in that story. (-)

Other characters: Now that I think about it, the clients and their targets are more interesting than the core characters. But we never see them after the agency is done with them. When I stopped watching, the arc was okay but it was starting to drag.

Of course, there are the other two members of the agency. They suffer from the same case of underdevelopment than Boy and Girl. At least, one of them is slightly more interesting and gets to be in a cute relationship. He's also the only one who gets to evolve over the course of the drama.

Most egregious cliche: mouth-to-mouth resuscitation

Funny factor? It has its moments but on the whole, not really.

Music: OK.

Bottom line: The review ended up being more vitriolic than I expected when I quit watching. I thought it would just be: this drama just doesn't retain my attention. But when I analyse a bit more, I find out why it hasn't retained my attention. Boring characters and bad pacing of the ongoing plot first, then failure to properly execute the shorter arcs. (-)

Autumn's Concerto

Taiwanese title: 下一站，幸福
Other title: Next Stop, Happiness

21 episodes
Aired on TTV/SETTV
From 2009 October to 2010 February

Main cast:

Ady An: Liang Mu Cheng 梁慕橙

Van Ness Wu: Ren Guang Xi 任光晞

Chris Wu: Hua Tuo Ye 花拓也

Tiffany Hsu: He Yi Qian 何以茜

Zheng You Jie: Xu Fang Guo 許方國

Linda Liu: Fang De Rong 方德容

Renzo Liu: Lawyer Lin 林律師

Tao Chuan Zheng: He Zhen Tang 何振堂

Xiao Xiao Bin: Liang Xiao Le 梁曉樂

Lin Mei Xiu: Hua Tian Xi Shi 花田喜氏

Amanda Chu: Hua Ci Xin 花癡心

Note: I want to issue a trigger warning: sexual harassment and violence on woman. My memories of this drama were so grim that it's only my second viewing though I was remembering quite liking it.

Review: +

Title: That's what I'm talking about! This title sounds good but makes no sense. I have no idea if this drama takes place in autumn and yes, a piece of music plays a role but I don't think it's a concerto (Wiki tells me it's the second movement in an orchestral suite).

 

Boy: See the label "Arrogant jerk". However, Girl comes to love his sense of right and his passion. He's straightforward, brave and smart (though it's more tell than show, at least we see him at work). (+)

 

Girl: At first, she's kind of perfect and you understand why guys like her. She's kind-hearted, smart hardworking and she never complains. She goes through so much that you just admire her. Moreover, she's not naïve nor dripping with optimism. She is a caring person who has a sense of self. (+)

 

Other boy: Typical I-pine-for-years-for-my-girl-friend-even-though-she's-clearly-shown-me-that-she's-not-interested guy. I didn't like this character because he's too good to have been "friend-zoned" so early, he feels a bit too much like a plot device and that much devotion makes me uncomfortable.

 

Other girl: Her love is not as built as Girl's love but she's so nice and her feelings are so sincere that you feel for her.

 

Plot/Relationship: The plot consists in obstacles thrown the way of the main characters. But it's okay since their relationship is believable and compelling. Unfortunately, there is a mob subplot which is intertwined with the main story but which is too violent for my taste. Also, the ending was totally rushed for no apparent reason. It seemed like they realised at the last minute that they only had one episode left. But good chemistry and building so (+).

 

Other characters: Terrible mother and stepmother, wise aviser, over-the-top villagers, over-ambitious rival...

 

Funny factor? Not really (except Boy's assistant, I <3 you), the Melo factor is high.

 

Music: Yes!

 

Bottom line: This is a very good drama with a convincing couple, generally successful characterisations. The pace is excellent (except towards the end and the mob stuff). (+)

 

P.S.: I advise you not to give up if you're annoyed by the flashbacks in the first episodes. It stops later. But seriously, note to whoever is responsible: flashbacks to an entire scene that happened in the same episode IS NOT necessary (and is not a good way to pad an episode if that was the intent).

Coffee House

Korean title: 커피하우스

Aired on SBS
From 2010 May to July
18 episodes

Main cast:

Kang Ji Hwan: Lee Jin Soo

Park Si Yeon: Seo Eun Young

Ham Eun Jung: Kang Seung Yeon

Jung Woong In: Han Ji Won

Park Jae Jung: Kim Dong Wook

Jung Soo Young: Oh Hyun Joo

Ahn Kil Kang: Kang Jin Man

Kim Ji Young: Hong Bong Nyeo

Kim Min Sang : Kang Seung Chul

Hello Grandmother from Full House!

Review: Maybe a +? a +/- ?AND SPOILERS

Title: Coffee house. There is a coffee library owned by Girl and they talk about coffee. That's still random because it's not a plot point and they don't spend that much time in coffee houses. At least similarly titled Coffee Prince made sense.

Boy: He's a famous writer with odd habits. He hates promoting, doesn't own a mobile phone and just disappears when he feels like it.

Girl: She is Boy's publisher but also his friend of 10 years. She's likable. She has her own mind, she's vulnerable but not weak.

Girl: She is Boy's assistant. She is 25 years old at the beginning but she moves and behaves more like a child or a puppy. She's likable because you can't hate puppies. Boy is kind of abusive to her in their work relationships in that he berates her. I guess it is not as disturbing as it should be because Girl actually takes his words as advice to progress. In real life, her self-esteem would be crushed but hey! it's a drama.

Other boy: also known as Jackass Stalker. Girl's former boyfriend who had an affair. Yes, he is a cheater too. She dumped him and doesn't want to see his face but Jackass Stalker is persistent. And annoying. To the characters and to me. He gets humanised and bearable but it takes many épisodes. It's never really clear why he considers himself a friend of Boy who clearly doesn't like him. I guess he's delusional too.

Relationships: I have to say, I wasn't invested in the relationships but I was still looking forward to the next episode so something was right.
I wasn't invested because the drama takes several episode to hint at romance, some motivations are unclear or don't really make sense. I also wished for more flashbacks to have the full picture of what happened between some characters. Finally, there's another reason but I'll discuss it after the jump.

Other characters: Other other boy is interesting though saddled with an unnecessary development in the last part of the drama. Typical drama family for Girl but not annoying like it is in other dramas. Also, Girl's employees at her publishing company and at the coffee library.

Funny factor? Yes! Actually, the first episodes are more comedy than romance and I loved a 1st ep scene involving an outline and a glass of champagne. Comedy comes from various sources but mostly via embarrassing situations and Boy playing Girl who can be quite dense.

Music: As usual in Korean dramas, it's good.

What the? (it's a new category: random things that makes no sense) Boy studied medecine? Why? It's so random and it increases the mystery of how Boy and Other Boy got to know each other since Other boy definitely didn't study medecine (probably business or stalking).

Bottom line: It's the first time I'm not sure of a grade at the end of a drama. I know it should be a + because the comedy is quite good, compared to other dramas, and you want to know what's next, characters are interesting and evolve (though making it happen off screen is easy) and it plays on our expectations. But in the end, it plays too much on our expectations and it wasn't satisfying so I want to +/-.

To discuss it, let's head to the spoiler space after the jump.

Normally, I would say "do not proceed" but I was myself actually happy that I had been slightly spoiled before watching it. Had I not been, I would have felt stronger discontent. Anyway, you read this review, you might have noticed there is something different, that's because the drama tries something different. Now you can watch the drama with adjusted expectations.

OK, now, seriously, do not proceed if you haven't watch it. When you do, come back to vent or to defend the drama choices. I want to do both.

Gaksital

Other title: Bridal Mask
Korean title: 각시탈

Aired on KBS2
2012 May 30 to Sept 06
28 episodes

Main cast:

• Joo Won: Lee Kang To
• Jin Se Yun: Oh Mok Dan
• Park Ki Woong: Kimura Shunji
• Han Chae Ah: Ueno Rie
• Chun Ho Jin: Kimura Taro
• Kim Eung Soo: Konno Goji
• Jun Noh Min: Dam Sa Ri
• Ahn Hyung Joon: Jun Katsuyama
• Song Min Hyung: Governor Wada Ryo
• Son Byung Ho: Jo Dong Joo

Note: Apparently it's based on a famous manhwa.

Review: + (from memory)

Title: Appropriate since it's about a hero who fights injustice and protects the Korean people during the Japanese occupation, wearing a traditional mask representing the bride. I don't remember why he chose this mask.

Boy: Ha! You're handsome, smart and passionate. You also have lots of resentment in you and it makes you cruel on occasions. In real life, you would be way too intense but you are interesting. Unfortunately you become a little bland in scenes when you act sweet.

Other boy: I don't know how to treat him. The fact that it's really hard for me to describe his personality here is, I think, a problem. I can just say that he's loyal, obstinate and passionate too.

Girl: so. So. SO brave. And kind. If I were to be cynical, I would say that she is too perfect. Anyway, I just have to admire her.

Other girl: She acts like a psychopath. She disgusted me at some points. But other times, I felt for her because she sold her soul and she's paying the price for that.

Plot: It was good, the stakes were high and you didn't know what was going to happen. But maybe fewer episodes would have been better because it was dark and heavy and I need some "light" from times to times in my series. But the bigger problem was...

the Relationships. Fortunately, the plot didn't need the characters to be dumb but it sometimes relied on the relationships in a way that isn't very credible. My other issue is that most romantic relationships started in the past which makes them pretty static. I can understand that developing the romantic relationships is not the most important in a drama in which life-threatening situations happen at every turn but these relationships are accomodated to serve the plot so they are not as powerful as they should be. They feel like plot devices which undermines the characters.

Other characters: There are mAAAny characters. The big bads are really interesting and chilling which makes up for one or two annoying cartoonish villains. I'll also say that while it's pretty much good against bad, there are more nuanced characterizations.

Funny factor: Nope.

Music: I don't remember it.

Other points: Period! Action! Elaborate fights!

Bottom line: It's a plus because: Good plots. Interesting characters. Heroism. Extreme backdrop. It's not a Fab because of other boy and the love relationships (both issues are linked).

A discussion of what happens after the jump so stop here if you haven't watched it yet.

Rooftop Prince

Korean title:  옥탑방 왕세자

Aired on SBS
March/May 2012
20 episodes

Main cast:

Micky Yoochun as Yong Tae Yong/ Lee Gak

Han Ji Min as Park Ha / Bu Yong

Lee Tae Sung as Yong Tae Moo

Jung Yoo Mi as Hong Se Na / Hwa Yong

Choi Woo Shik as Do Chi San

Jung Suk Won as Woo Yong Sul

Lee Min Ho (not the BoF one) as Song Man Bo

Ban Hyo Jung as President Yeo

Ahn Suk Hwan as Yong Dong Man

Lee Moon Shik as Pyo Taek Soo

Song Ok Sook as Gong Man Ok

Na Young Hee as President Jang

Note:
I watched this drama week-to-week (starting from around the 5th ep), something I rarely do. I usually wait till all the episodes are out. I hate waiting ;) and the experience is more intense. But it also makes inconsistencies more glaring. I hope I would have liked Rooftop Prince as much if I had watched it in less sittings.

Review: Fav!

Title: I shouldn't have made fun of dramas titles because again this one is appropriate. I like it.

Girl: OK. Han Ji Min is in two of my favourite dramas and I don't especially like her. But let's talk about her character. She's a very generic drama girl lead. She's kind. She cares about her family. She's hardworking. She's brash at first but that is toned down quite quickly. More problematic: she does the DUMBEST action in the drama which stalls the plot. Plus she's a bit of a damsel-in-distress at some point.
However, she's brave. Like, a lot. In many ways. She faces whatever is going on.

Boy: Asian dramas are really good with male lead characters. They pretty much have to if the romance is a big part of the story. Here, Boy is just the right kind of arrogant and cute. But what I liked the most is that he's really smart. In a lot of dramas, Boy runs a big company usually thanks to his family and it is implied or mentioned that he is clever. But here, since it's a plot driven drama, we can see Boy using his brain to try to understand what is going on and what he should do. And he has good ideas. (+)

Other boy and girl: They have a lot of screentime so they deserve to be singled out. They are the "enemies" and I liked them. I think they are developed beyond the "they are just evil" theme (though it wouldn't have hurt to pad their motivations- I did that in my head) and their path is really interesting. (+) I can't say more without spoiling and I really don't want to spoil you on this drama because...

the Plot is the Number one reason this drama is a Fav. The threads were generic, especially the 'I want to take over a company" but :
I was seriously impressed by how many balls the drama throw in the air and how it managed to catch all of them. I like how everyone act mostly rationally (except for the DUMBEST action in the drama and it made it stick out even more). I like how expertly the plot and the characters interconnected. I like how it progressed steadily, almost never stalling (except after, you know, the DUMBEST action ever). I like how at any given point, the drama could go on many different directions and I had no idea which one it would take and it would end up one I hadn't even thought about. I didn't even like the end for many reasons but that couldn't spoil the enjoyment of everything that happened before.

Relationship: It worked well with the plot (though it could have been even more integrated). I like how it was built, the obstacles were natural. However, I don't know if it's because I'm lukewarm about Girl or... OK, I know. I think their characters don't match, for whatever reasons. (I would develop more but I'd need to heavily spoil what happens). Still, I'm willing to buy it because I love this drama!

Other characters: You see from the "main cast" that there are a lot of them. I like all the older ones except for the father of Other boy. The actor also played Geum Jan Di's father in Boys over flowers and he overacts. It was annoying. Other important characters are Boy's companions. They each have a distinctive strength and they are a treat. The way they react, the way they evolve... They are adjacent to the plot but at the same time, they are totally necessary.

Funny factor: A little. As many dramas, especially at the beginning since the premise of the drama is a huge opportunity for comedy.

Music: Plays its role. I grew to like it but it was sometimes distracting instead of enhancing what is happening.

Other points: There are historical parts and fantastic elements. Both are a Plus for me.

On another note, I have to mention the shameless product placements. At this point, the cars are a given (though I have no idea which brand they were using since I had never seen that logo before) but now, it's the phones. If you watch the Vampire Diaries, you know the scene where Klaus writes with a stylus "I will" instead of typing it. This (not exactly for the same app) happens twice and it's so obvious. Product placements are sometimes necessary but in these cases, they are litteral ads and become distracting. End of rant.

Bottom line: This is the first Fav I featured so I want to reiterate that this does not mean that the drama has no faults. I mentioned some of them in this review but in the end, the good was great enough to make me overlook its failings. Maybe on a second viewing, it will be different but for now:
- The storylines are strong. There are high stakes.
- The relationships between the characters are compelling.
- Events unfold naturally and logically. Actions have consequences. Nothing sticks out as totally unnecessary.
- It has heart.
FAV!


Developments after the jump: BIG SPOILERS ALERT! And I think that the surprises are important here...

Secret Garden

Korean title: 시크릿 가든

Aired on SBS - Winter 2010/11 - 20 episodes

Main cast:

Hyun Bin as Kim Joo Won

Ha Ji Won as Gil Ra Im

Yoon Sang Hyun as Choi Woo Young/Oska

Kim Sa Rang as Yoon Seul

Lee Philip as Im Jong Soo

Lee Jong Suk as Han Tae Ssun

Yoo In Na as Im Ah Young

Kim Ji Sook as Moon Yeon Hong

Park Joon Geum as Moon Boon Hong

Kim Sung Oh as Kim Sung Woo

In supporting parts:
Hello "Bad guy" from Capital Scandal!
Hello "Director's friend" from Heartstrings! :)

[2020 July 18th edit : I just did a rewatch, and I have thoughts. I'll just add them in italics. My perspective have changed in 8 (!) years and I'm less enthused.]

Review: +

Title: I think it refers to the name of a place in a drama but I don't think it matches the drama.

Girl: Kick-a. Like, literally. She's a stuntwoman and it's glorious to watch the action scenes. She also has a cute side and the actress does a great job. I used to not get "girl crush" but now I do :). (+)

Other girl: I like her but I don't really know what to think of her. Is she supposed to be nice or mean? Is she doing everything out of resentment? (-) [Bizarrely, I actually like her more now and I understand her motivations. It's not her fault that she is trapped in a bad storyline.]

Boy: Arrogant and cute. He has his weaknesses and quirks which is sometimes funny and also gives him some personality. (+) [As someone who is now in the workplace and who know people who got severely depressed after being harassed at work, I was uncomfortable with how badly Boy treats his employees. Moreover, he's never really called out on it and never apologise for it or shown to have changed his ways.]

Other boy: As I said in another review, I don't know what is my problem with the actor Yoon Sang Hyun. He's a good actor and everything but... there's just something off. Anyway, back to more objective remarks: his character is interesting. He's funny (like saying cheesy things and being self-aware about it) and non-confident while being a huge star. Also, I really like his relationship with Boy. [I like him less now. I feel that he only has two modes: screaming and moping. It's too bad because his character of an aging Hallyu star, like Girl's, is not common in dramas.]

Relationships: The main couple has an insanely hot chemistry. Just for them, it was almost a Fav. (I think I remember from Sam-Soon that Hyun Bin is good with chemistry.) Anyway, it makes possible to overlook some of the stalkerish and borderline offensive stuff happening because it's obvious that she is sensitive to his courting. Their dynamic is at the same time cute and hot. (+) [This is the biggest change after my rewatch, I felt less chemistry and was more sensitive to the lack of respect for physical boundaries and the possessiveness. I kept thinking: "what if someone behaved that way with me, I would hate it." It only works if you watch it as fairytale like.]

Alas, there is another relationship happening at the same time... and I don't know what to make of this one. It's too melodramatic, it's simultaneously clear and not clear why they broke up and it's devoid of chemistry. I didn't care about them. Also a lot of their story is showed in flash-backs, not in chronological order, so it doesn't help to understand their relationship. (-) [This hasn't changed. This relationship is still a disaster. I forwarded almost all their scenes. I also realised that there is no progress, no evolution whatsoever between them for a good part of the runtime.]

Plot: The plot with the main couple is great. I love it, I love almost everything that happens. I can't really develop because I don't want to spoil and it's a drama for which spoilers should be avoided. (+)
But I didn't like the storyline with the mother. Not only it is a cliché (something I can be OK with if done properly) but it was annoyingly repetitive. (-) [This bothered me less now.]
The storyline with Other boy was okay. But I didn't find it as engaging as the main storyline.

Other characters: Family: I didn't have any interest in his family. As I said, it is one weakness of this drama. Friends: Very good. All of them were funny and nice. Bad guy: There isn't any bad guy per se, but I like the character that is the closest to being one.

Funny factor: Pretty good. Characters and situations and recurring jokes.

Music: It was ok. [On rewatch, I noticed the musical theme associated to the other main relationship and disliked it.]

Bottom line: I so wanted this drama to become one of my Fav! Because I loved the main couple and their story. Unfortunately, a not-so-great B-storyline/couple and an annoying, repetitive plot device with the mother makes it only a Plus. (Which is also good). I would recommend watching it and fast-forward some scenes. ;)
[I still really like this drama !! Its strengths: it's funny, there are strong characters (though some are kinda wasted), there are surprises (I won't reveal any of them though one is spoiled in every synopsis) and the end is satisfying.]


After the jump, a more complete review with spoilers!