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. +!

Goblin

Korean title : 쓸쓸하고 찬란하神-도깨비

Other title : Goblin: The Lonely and Great God / Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

16 episodes

Aired on tvN from 2016 Dec to 2017 Jan

Main cast :

• Gong Yoo as Kim Shin
• Kim Go Eun as Ji Eun Tak
• Lee Dong Wook as Wang Yeo
• Yoo In Na as Kim Sun / Sunny
• Yook Sung Jae as Yoo Duk Hwa
• Lee El as Samshin Granny
• Kim Sung Kyum as President Yoo Shin Woo
  
• Jo Woo Jin as Secretary Kim Soo Bok
  

 Production credits :

• Production company: Hwa and Dam Pictures
• Director: Lee Eung Bok; Yoon Jong Ho (ep 3-16)
• Screenwriter: Kim Eun Sook

Notes : 

• I mentioned that I would watch this drama in my review of Touch your heart, in which Yoo In Na and Lee Dong Wook were reunited as the romantic leads. Park Kyung Hye who is a ghost here would become one of their coworkers in Touch your heart.
• This drama was huge, from what I gathered, so I had high expectations.
  
• The screenwriter also wrote Secret garden (and A Millionaire's first love, which is a real blast from the past!). I don't see many similarities except for the fantasy aspects. She also wrote The Heirs!
  
• I have watched episode 8 weeks ago and I don't feel like picking it up so it's a DNF but I may resume watching at some point. It's the first time I felt that way. Usually when I DNF, it's definitive. OK, when I came back to this draft, I had tried to pick it up again and still didn't feel like going through it all so after episode 9, I jumped straight to the final episode. 

 

 Review : DNF 

Title : Straightforward. Maybe too much? I make fun of titles but I wish this drama had a more poetic name that would better reflect the feel of the drama. But it's ok and recognizable enough.

Boy : He's a goblin. I tried to look up what it means in Korean folkore but didn't find much. Anyway, here is what I got from the drama. He was once a mortal but was resurrected after his violent death as an immortal being with powers such as teleportation. When we met him, he's hundreds years-old and waiting for the one person who can put an end to his life. I actually don't remember much about him or his personality.

Girl : Spunky high schooler with a terrible homelife. Oh, and she sees ghosts. And she should have died. And she is the one who is supposed to end Boy's life. I like her, she acts cute and she is also really fierce, determined in adversity.

Other boy : He's a grim reaper. He's resigned but when there is a perspective of something more, he doesn't quite know what to do and how to act. There are hints of a backstory which could develop his character but I didn't get it in the episodes I've watched.

Other girl : She runs a coffee place. Of all 4 main characters, she's the one I understood the least. She is human with no supernatural powers... I think? But I think she acts weird? Again, there are hints of a backstory but when I stopped watching, it had not been explored.

Plot / relationships : Here is my main gripe with the drama. I didn't get the plot. It's at the same time simple and convoluted. There was not enough momentum for me. As for the relationships, the most interesting one was the "friendship" between Boy and Other Boy. As for the romance, there were many moments that were very romantic, and the actors sell it for the most part... but "destined love" is not my favourite trope.

Theme : death. I don't have a "theme" bullet point so I've added it just for this drama. I don't agree with how death is presented but it's an interesting theme to explore.

Clichés :  Hundreds years-old and teenager in love. Star-crossed lovers.

Funny? Surprisingly yes. I am impressed by how they managed to get the tone right and how successful they are at both the tragic/poignant and the funny/light-hearted.

Music : Do I really need to talk about the OST? I feel like it's iconic. Stay with me and Round and round are so so good and go so well with the atmosphere of the drama.

Bonus : Goblin has the best cinematography I've ever seen in a drama. The production value and the special effects are amazing.

Bottom line : I feel bad DNF-ing this drama because I'm a completist, because it has a lot of impressively well-done things going for it (tone, music, atmosphere), and because it is so well-liked. But as objectively good Goblin may be, it is not the drama for me. It also felt to me a bit too self-conscious, too enamoured of itself, like a collection of striking scenes that don't add up to a satisfying whole. Anyway, I applaud the ambition but it's a DNF.

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. + !

Touch your heart

 Korean title: 진심이 닿다

• 16 episodes
• 
  Aired on tvN
• From 2019 Feb to March

Main cast:

• Yoo In Na as Oh Jin Shim / Oh Yoon Seo
• Lee Dong Wook as Kwon Jung Rok
• Lee Sang Woo as Kim Se Won
• Son Sung Yoon as Yoo Yeo Reum
• Oh Jung Se as Yun Joon Kyu
• Shim Hyung Tak as Choi Yoon Hyuk
• Park Kyung Hye as Dan Moon Hee
• Park Ji Hwan as Lee Doo Sub
• Jang So Yun as Yang Eun Ji
• Kim Hee Jung as Kim Hae Young
• Lee Joon Hyuk as Yun Joon Suk
• Oh Ui Shik as Kong Hyuk Joon 

Production credits:

• Executive Producers: Lee Joon Ho, Han Suk Won ; Chief Producer: Jang Jung Do ; Producer: Jung Da Hyung
• Director: Park Joon Hwa
• Screenwriters: Lee Myung Sook, Choi Bo Rim

Notes:

• Based on a web novel by Yegeo (예거).
• Full disclosure: I started to watch this drama because of Shim Hyun Tak. I liked him a lot in Good Witch. Side note: why does his DramaWiki profile pic is this, on the left, when my screenshots of him looks like this? (sorry for the bad formatting, it hurts me too but Blogger is what it is.)
  

Anyway, this drama and my foray into K-pop made me realise that I tend to find men more attractive when their forehead is exposed. I'm sure you're happy to know this.

• I was well into the first episode when I realised that the lead actress was Girl's best friend from Secret garden. I was pleased since I liked her and she brings the same qualities to her character in this drama (while Shim Hyun Tak plays a character so different that I got whiplash. But it shows his versatility.)
• Yoo In Na and Lee Dong Wook were previously in the popular drama Goblin, which I intend to watch at some point.
  
• So, like with Dating agency: Cyrano, I stopped to rewatch an old favourite (this time, My lucky star, which I binged in a few days) and didn't really want to go back to this drama so...
  

 

Review : DNF after the 6th episode

 

Title: I'm not sure what the title refers to. Google translate tells me that the Korean title is "Be sincere" and it may be a play on words since Girl's birth name means "sincerely" and Boy is the only one who insists on calling her by that name. There are also some talks about people being able to see Girl's sincerity.

Girl: She's a famous actress who had her career ruined because of a scandal. In order to win a role, she takes a job as a secretary of a lawyer. She's nice, cute, bubbly and quite smart.

Boy: I didn't connect with him at all. As I said, stoic types are hard to make engaging and Boy comes off as blank. He's smart, clueless about feelings, not the worst person and that's about it.

Other girl and other boy: They're supposed to be the second leads but they have very little screen time and characterisation, at least to this point. They were friends with Boy. They are ambitious. They were in a relationship but broke up but are still in love though they don't admit it.

Relationship/plot: The plot is the progress of the relationship, with some legal cases thrown in the mix. Problem is, there is not enough drama. People are nice, Girl and Boy like each other but don't say anything for whatever reason. And the legal cases aren't interesting enough.

Funny? Side characters are comic reliefs. It's funny at first, but then, the same notes are played again and again and I gave up on actual fleshing up of these characters.

Music: Fine. It goes well with the light tone of the drama.

What ? I complained before about the inconsistency with famous characters who are sometimes recognised and sometimes not at all. At least, this drama is consistent about Girl's need to conceal herself.

Bottom line: This drama and its characters had potential. I really like the first episodes. But it didn't develop fast enough to keep me interesting. There are so many characters that could have been spotlighted and threads that could have been explored, but these 6 episodes didn't show me that they would do it. I could have been invested in the second main couple, in the coworkers and in Girl's scandal if only I'd been shown more. I seriously have no idea how they're going to fill 10 more episodes. It was too chill for me. Maybe it works better with a week-to-week watching experience instead of binge-watching. Anyway, finishing the 6th episode was a chore for me. DNF.

 

Interestingly, even someone who has enjoyed this drama recognises it. Belinda C, in her review of the final episodes, writes: "Now let’s be honest. While the writing does have its moments, there’s barely any real content. The cases in the earlier episodes were always wrapped too conveniently and within 20 minutes of their introduction. Characters like Yeo Reum and Gang Joon (the stalker) were obviously set up to be significant players, but lost steam before they even kicked into gear."

Link to her review and my thoughts on what she says happen in the last episodes after the jump, due to SPOILERS of the ending.

 

Good witch

•  Korean title :  착한마녀전
• Other title : Nice Witch
  
• 40 episodes (but same length overall as 20 episodes)
• 
  Aired on SBS
  
• From 2018 March to May

Main cast :

• Lee Da Hae as Cha Sun Hee / Cha Do Hee
• Ryu Soo Young as Song Woo Jin
• Ahn Woo Yeon as Oh Tae Yang
• Shin Hye Jung as Joo Ye Bin
• Bae Soo Bin as Bong Chun Da
• Ahn Sol Bin as Bong Chun Ji
• Yoon Se Ah as Oh Tae Ri
• Shim Hyung Tak as Chae Kang Min
• Lee Han Seo as Bong Cho Rong
• Lee Duk Hwa as Oh Pyung Pan
• Geum Bo Ra as Byun Ok Jong
• Yang Geum Suk as Lee Moon Sook 

Production credits :

• Director : Oh Se Kang
• Screenwriter : Yoon Young Mi

 

Review : -/+

Title : It's actually referenced several times in the drama. Sun Hee and Do Hee are twins with different personalities and lives. Do Hee has become a flight attendant and the face of the company, but she's known as the cold-blood witch. Sun Hee has to take her place and, as she can't help being kind, changes her image. She's now the good witch.

Girl : I thought she was interesting. She's the super kind girl character but the drama showed how being too nice can also be a flaw she has to overcome while still being true to herself.

Boy : He's good looking, smart, kind, courageous, honest, understanding, loyal, funny. I could go on and on. He basically has every quality there is and no discernable failing (apart from a quirk in the beginning which was his only original trait). The problem is that his character didn't change at all. Now that I think about it, he's like the one-dimensional love interest in action movies, except that he is a main character.

Relationship : I wasn't invested at all in Girl and Boy's relationship since Boy was such a non-entity.

Plot : So I kept watching because of the plot. I was curious to see where it was going and how everything would fall down. Also because of the antagonists. Basically, they were 50% of the reason why I didn't DNF this drama. I was really intrigued by their dynamic.

What the... ? There are some stuff that didn't make sense and instantly took me out of the drama. The first is the whole housemates situation. The second is Girl's daughter. There are precocious child character and then there is this perfect life coach confidente child character. It's like they didn't want to add another character and thought "why not give the role to the 5 year-old kid ?" (I have no idea of her age but the point is that she's way too young to be giving life advice to her mother, expecially about her relationship to her father... yikes).

Funny : Yes, some moments are funny but this drama goes to dark places. There are some heavy betrayals.

Music : Not memorable.

Cliché : See the premise of the drama in title.

Bottom line : If I don't care about the romance and the Boy in a romantic drama, I can't rate it more than a -/+. Besides, the mix of stupid and of well-done stuff was confusing. Still, it wasn't a minus because the plot and most of the characters were interesting. In the end, I don't think I can recommend it : -/+

 

2020 October 24th update : From commentary about Red Velvet Irene's scandal, I've just learnt about the "nut rage incident", which I think inspired this drama. More after the jump (spoilers, though it's about something that happens in the first episodes). 

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 !

The Heirs

Korean title: 왕관을 쓰려는자, 그무게를 견뎌라 - 상속자들
Other titles: The Inheritors or The One Trying to Wear the Crown, Withstands the Weight

20 episodes

Aired on SBS
From 2013 October to December

Main cast:

• Lee Min Ho as Kim Tan
• Park Shin Hye as Cha Eun Sang
• Kim Woo Bin as Choi Young Do 
• Kim Ji Won as Yoo Rachel/Yoo Ra He
• Krystal Jung as Lee Bo Na
• Kang Min Hyuk as Yoon Chan Young
• Choi Jin Hyuk as Kim Won
• Kim Sung Ryung as Han Ki Ae
• Jung Dong Hwan as Kim Nam Yoon 
• Kim Mi Kyung as Park Hee Nam 
• Choi Won Young as Yoon Jae Ho 
• Park Joon Geum as Jung Ji Sook 
• Yoon Son Ha as Lee Esther R
• Choi Jin Ho as Choi Dong Wook 
• Im Joo Eun as Jun Hyun Joo 
• Kang Ha Neul as Lee Hyo Shin 
• Park Hyung Shik as Jo Myung Soo 
• Jun Soo Jin as Kang Ye Sol 

Production credits:

• Chief Producer: Choi Moon Suk, Producers: Shin Bong Chul, Lee Sung Hoon, Yoon Ha Rim
• Director: Kang Shin Hyo, Boo Sung Chul, Assistant Director: Lee Kwang Young
• Screenwriter: Kim Eun Sook

Notes:

- I saw Kim Sung Ryung first in Miss Kim makes a million. I loved her in that drama and I love her in this one, in which she's a really different character.

- The screenwriter is also credited for Secret garden... I thinks she's less successful here.

- I started to write this review after watching the drama but I'm just finishing now, years after, from memory.

Review: -/+

Title: Generic. Except for Girl, every young character is heir of a powerful family. Though there is a central love story, other characters' relationships with their family, and especially their status as heirs, are explored.

Boy: He's a typical Lee Min Ho character, which is not a bad thing. He's passionate, protective, hot and cute.

Girl: Ouch. Here's the rub. Girl is the most reluctant Girl I have ever seen. It's like she just wants to be left alone, in a "I would very much like to be excluded from this narrative." way, but for real. I'll get back to it below. Besides that, she's a typical down-on-her-luck girl.

Other boy: He takes "arrogant jerk" straight into "scary jerk" territory.

Other girl: So this is years after, so I don't remember much. She's basically a "Mean girl", you know the popular pretty girl who has minions.

Plot / relationship: The problem with the main couple is that Boy does all the work and Girl is just... there, kinda. I sometimes wondered if she wanted that relationship, was she even in love with him? Luckily, Boy is a very strong character, with an interesting arc, and his feelings are clearly expressed, so you keep watching for him. His relationship with Other boy is also explored.

Other characters: Again, I don't remember much, sorry :(. I liked Girl's mother. I seem to remember that she was mute so they used sign language to talk to each other, which is a good thing to see portrayed in a drama. Boy's family was typical drama rich family but with a twist, which added to Boy's character arc. He also had a group of friends, they had a fun dynamic and as I said, their struggles with their status and the pressure of their family are explored. It can go quite dark.

What the...? I was confused by the characters' age. At first, I thought they were in uni so it was weird to see them in high school.

Also, the drama starts in the US. Its depiction of America was funny.

Clichés: Stalking. Love triangle.

Funny: No.

Music: I didn't like it which almost never happens.

Bottom line: So thinking again of this drama, its issues reminded me of Marrying a Millionaire. Like in this drama, I was really invested in Boy's character but didn't really care for Girl. When you don't actively root for the main couple in a romance drama, there is a lot to compensate, and though everything related to Boy was good, it was not enough for me to give this drama more than a -/+.

  

Bad guy

Korean title: 나쁜 남자
Other title: Bad boy

17 episodes
Aired on SBS
From 2010 May to August

Main cast:

Kim Nam Gil as Shim Gun Wook

Han Ga In as Moon Jae In

Kim Jae Wook as Hong Tae Sung

Oh Yun Soo as Hong Tae Ra

Jung So Min as Hong Mo Ne

Kim Hye Ok as Mrs. Shin

Jun Gook Hwan as President Hong

Shim Eun Kyung as Moon Won In

Kim Eung Soo

Notes:

- Hello Paper fan teacher from Nodame cantabile! It's funny because Shim Eun Kyung who plays Girl's sister in this drama is playing the Nodame role in the Korean adaptation.

- Hello cute little girl also seen in Rooftop Prince!

- Hey guy from Coffee Prince in a major role!

- Strong feelings about that one. I'm going to have a spoiler space about it. It could have been a Fav but nope. It's been a few days so I'm not mad anymore, just bitter.

- Finally, I decided to start putting the production credits from Drama Wiki because these people are even more responsible for the end product than the cast.

Production credits :

Producer: Goo Bon Geun

Director: Lee Hyung Min

Screenwriter: Kim Jae Eun

 

Review: +

Title: I get it but it's hard to be more generic. Just "Guy" maybe?

Boy: I don't think you can go more mysterious-loner-dude-y than that. This drama lives or dies on his Boy. And he is SO good. He can do the single tear, the goofy smile, the smirk, anything. I read that actor Kim Nam Gil stole the show in another drama and I'm not surprised since I found him very charismatic. He had to, since the drama relies a lot on his character being that way. To sum up, all the pluses in the world for him.

Girl: All the pluses for her too. She is a art consultant (I had to get past the fact that it's a rom-com job despite not being on that list) from a poor background. She wants to be a social climber. Like Boy, she has an agenda, she drives the narrative. She is smart and level-headed but not boring. She's someome you'd like as a friend and it's the first time I wrote that about a drama's character.

Boy: The black sheep of his family. I'm not in love with him but he is touching. I feel for him.

Girl: A young spoiled girl but not the annoying brat type. She is cute and lively, passionnate and open-hearted. 

Girl: She's an unsatisfied married woman who always puts her duty to her family first. She could have been a cliché but she's a strong character and her story was well-handled.

Plot/relationships: The plot was so good. It was hard to see where it was going. It's driven by the characters' motivations, it makes you care about the characters, the pacing is great, revelations are dished out progressively. Fab! Triple Fab... But, triple but, at one point, characters act in stupid ways just to allow a plot point that makes no sense. And the end is completely botched. I was so mad. I've never been so mad... it doesn't ruin everything, I'd still recommend it but no to the end.
I'm just going to paraphrase one of my favourite reviews ever: "For about nine-tenths of the drama, this is perfect. The drama is tense, there’s a palpable sense of mystery, of trying to figure out along with the characters what the next move is, what the next layer is, how the disparate pieces that don’t make sense fit into a cohesive picture.
And then the bottom falls out catastrophically.
The last two episodes in which we get "resolutions" are just so terribly written that I think the screenwriter should get an MRI, because I think he had a stroke on page 85 and then ignored the smell of burnt toast to keep typing."

Funny factor? Nope.

Bottom line: It should have been a Fav! I'm mad it's not a Fav because of [spoiler].

But watch it! Just don't watch *first degree spoiler* the last two episodes and imagine it's the end.

However, I still need to dish on what I hated, so full blown spoilers coming  after the jump. You should really watch the show before reading this because, for one thing, you won't understand what I'm talking about and second, it will colour your experience of the show and you don't want that. Anyway, you will probably binge-watch it in days like I did so you're coming back soon.

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.

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. (-)

Coffee Prince

Korean title:  커피프린스 1호점

Other title: The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince

Aired on MBC
From 2007 July to August
17 episodes

Main cast:

• Yoon Eun Hye as Go Eun Chan
• Gong Yoo as Choi Han Kyul
• Lee Sun Kyun as Choi Han Sung
• Chae Jung Ahn as Han Yoo Joo
• Kim Ja Ok as Han Kyul's mom
• Choi Il Hwa as Han Kyul's dad
• Kim Young Ok as Han Kyul's grandmother
• Park Won Sook as Eun Chan's mom
• Kim Chang Wan as Hong Gae Sik
• Kim Jae Wook as No Sun Ki
• Kim Dong Wook as Jin Ha Rim
• Lee Un as Hwang Min Yeop
• Yoon Young Ah as Go Eun Sae

Notes:
- This is the very first drama I watched back in 2007! I watched all of it in one day in one sitting after coming back from watching the sunrise, on the recommendation of Korean friends. It's the first time time I've rewatched it since, so it was funny to see what I remembered and what I had totally forgotten.
- It has Wikipedia pages in several languages!

 

Review: +

Title: Most of the drama revolves around reviving and working at "Coffee Prince" so it's appropriate.

Girl: She's boyish looking and acting so Boy thinks she's a boy. She's hard-working, strong-willed but also warm and she makes people feel at ease.

Boy: He's from a rich family but doesn't feel like marrying and working for the family business. He's a bit older than Girl but can behave quite like a child. He's affectionate and intense in his feelings.

Other boy: He's a composer and Boy's cousin. Unlike him, he knows from the start that Girl is... well a girl. He's more laid-back and friendly.

Other girl: She's a painter and she's in love with Other boy. Maybe flighty is too strong a word to describe her but she's a bit of that.

Plot/Relationship: Building the relationships and going through the hurdles. The plot is good but then gets less intense. I was less in a hurry to watch the next episode but I was caring for this couple so I would still watch it to the end. And when it was the end... i felt some withdrawal. The chemistry between Girl and Boy is strong and they feel perfect for each other. They are so cute together. Apart from finding each other, they also both find careers they like.

Families: I appreciate that his family wasn't the typical cold, affectionless rich family. And her sister was less annoying that I remembered!

Other characters: Mostly the guys who work at Coffee Prince. They each have their personality and their interactions are interesting and funny.

Main cliché: Girl pretending to be a boy.

Funny factor? Not really but cute bantering: yes.

Music: understated but nice.

What the...? One character is quite gross (like "please, I'm eating!") and I will never understand why Korean dramas insist on showing us people on toilets.

Bottom line: It's an excellent drama. I actually started watching  Cyrano Dating Agency and I thought of rewatching Coffee Prince. Result: I completely stopped Cyrano Dating Agency to watch all of Coffee Prince. It deserves the success it has had (+)

The Accidental couple

Korean title: 그저 바라보다가
Other title: That Fool

16 episodes
Aired on KBS2
From 2009 April to June

Main cast:

Hwang Jung Min: Goo Dong Baek

Kim Ah Joong: Han Ji Soo

Joo Sang Wook: Kim Kang Mo

Note:
- There are more important characters, I guess, but I only made it to the 2nd or 3rd episode, some time ago.
- Kim Ah Joong was the lead actress in the 2006 movie 200 Pounds Beauty.

Review: DNF

Title: Appropriate. That Fool is even more appropriate

Girl: She is a famous actress.

Boy: He's... I have no words to describe it. I labelled the review "Nice guy" because I don't want a "Stupid guy" label.

Other guy: He's a rich heir type.

Plot/relationship: I stopped so early that I have no idea what is supposed to happen, except obviously something between Boy and Girl. I remember some politician stuff going on with Other guy.

Other characters: his co-workers

Funny factor and music: not good enough to keep me watching.

Bottom line: I think it is interesting to have a drama that switched roles and features a clumsy and naïve Boy. Unfortunately, he was too much like a puppy or a child and his flaws were more annoying than cute. I have no idea if he turns into a viable love interest at some point in the drama but I know I don't need to stay for the ride.

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.

Big

Korean Title: 빅

Aired on KBS2 - June/July 2012

16 episodes

Main cast:

Gong Yoo as Seo Yoon Jae/ Kang Kyun Joon

Lee Min Jung as Kil Da Ran

Shin Won Ho as Kang Kyun Joon

Suzy as Jang Ma Ri

Yoon Hae Young as Lee Jung Hye

Jang Hee Jin as Lee Se Young

Ahn Suk Hwan as Kil Min Kyu

Baek Sung Hyun as Kil Choong Shik

 

 

Review: -

Title: Big. Because the mind of a 18 years-old gets into the body of a 30 years-old man, I guess. But the drama is not about what it is to be "big" (an adult). Apart from the aging aspect, no relation to the Tom Hanks movie.

Girl: She's a high school teacher. She's normal. She's fine. Boy is too. The characters were better than the drama. The actors are good (I even like her father played by someone I complained about in a previous review) and Special mention to Gong Yoo! They were not the problem, the...

Relationship/Plot was. I wanted to DNF this drama but since I am writing this blog, I finished it to review it properly. So I kept watching but I kept comparing it to Zettai Kareshi and Rooftop Prince, and I kept wanting to rewrite the drama, instead of being drawn into it.

Big tries to sell us a controversial couple: a teacher and the 18 years-old boy who found himself in the body of her serious boyfriend. Yep. I think that if you decide to do something controversial, you have to be confident to own it and pull it off. But the drama is inconsistent in the way it deals with this premise. Sometimes ignoring it, sometimes flaunting it (He always calls her "Teacher", Kang Kyun Joon really looks like his age in his real body), sometimes trying awkwardly to say "it's okay". Anyway, I wasn't sold, I didn't want Da Ran and Kyun Joon together.

That's not even the only problem. Others include a mystery that takes way too long and too many fakeouts to be discovered and is not totally resolved, two characters who are transparent plot devices  (I felt really bad for one for how he was (not) treated), and a cop-out of an ending.

Other characters: Their family. Nothing particular but I want to mention some characters I really like: her brother and Ma Ri ("double double crazy"!).

Funny factor? D-stories involving C-list characters. Kind of funny but pointless. Funny moments at the beginning then none (as it's often the case).

Music: Okay.

Bottom line: There were cute bonding ideas, decent characters that were sadly wasted because it was too hard to enjoy when I was cringing at the couple and at the plot.

After the jump, discussion of the plot and of the ending. What I want to change... For those who watched it... and if you haven't, you can still read on since you won't watch it anyway, right? ;)

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!