Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

King of High School: Review

Alternative Titles: High School King/ 고교처세왕 / Gogyocheosewang/ High School King of Savvy/ High Schooler King of Life


I admit to have been curious of the show due to Seo In Guk. Honestly, Seo In Guk is a celebrity that I didn't really expect to like. When I first dawned upon him in Reply 1997, I was wary that I wouldn't like him as much as other people raved about him. Fast forward to now, he now becomes a core reason as to why I watch shows. I really like him because not only does he look good, he acts well too. I also liked him in Masters Sun so when I found out that he's starring in another drama, I made it a point to watch it too.

I first saw a glimpse of it at the upper right hand corner of the last few episodes of Witch's Romance. When it was nearing the end, I saw this particular show being advertised and I was curious. This led me to search more about the show.

The plot is simple. It's all about a high school boy named Minsuk (Seo In Guk), who leads a double life. He is a student, a high schooler, but because of his older brother, he was asked to pretend to be a director of a big company where he meets the love of his life, Soo Young, a clumsy contractor from the same company.

To be honest, I thought there would be sort of a transformation for Soo Young's character. Soo Young is very passive and has a bad sense of fashion. She also doesn't fix her hair for the life of her. I thought that at some point, she would have a Princess Diaries moment where she would transform into a lovely lady that Lee Hana (the acress) really is. Unfortunately, there wasn't. At first, I was disappointed. But now that I think about it, I prefer that there wasn't anything like that in the show because then it makes things more relatable. Because in reality, not every single ugly duckling transforms into a swan. But that also doesn't mean that they don't get to meet their prince charming, right?

Although not as addictive as Emergency Couple, Cunning Single Lady and Witch's Romance, King of High School is still a good show to watch. It is definitely a show that I recommend my friends to try.

Oh, and Lee Tae Hwan (who plays Oh Tae Suk's character) of 5urprise (a group led by Seo Kang Jun whom you might have seen in Cunning Single Lady or Roommate) is also present in this drama as one of Lee Minsuk's friends.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

It's Okay, It's Love: First Impressions

Alternative Titles: It's Okay, That's Love/ 괜찮아, 사랑이야/  Gwaenchanha, Sarangiya

I'm saying this as early as the first paragraph. You should definitely give It's Okay, It's Love a try! After watching the pilot episode, I can say that it's definitely an interesting drama that would easily catch your attention.
 


The introduction was attention grabbing and the flow of the story is done very well. It also has a nice, unique concept. Basically, the story is about a psychiatrist who meets a novel writer through a debate shown in television. It stars Jo In Sung (That Winter, The Wind Blows) and Gong Hyo Jin (Masters Sun). Really now, with lead actors such as them, who wouldn't be tempted to watch the show? As if the lead actors aren't enough to draw me in, EXO's D.O (Kyungsoo), my bias wrecker, is also a part of the show!


Now as much as I would love to expound more on how much love I have for this drama, my mind is going haywire because it wants to watch the next episode ASAP! So instead of writing more, I'm cutting this short to give in to my desires. :p

Oh, and Lee Kwang Soo (Running Man) is also in the show. I know right! Talk about a star studded show! ;)

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

High School Love On (Ongoing): First Impressions

Alternative Titles: Hi! School- Love On/ 하이스쿨: 러브온


Hi guys! I'm back with another Korean drama first impressions post. This drama was recommended to me by a good friend of mine. She used to be my manager in my previous job and now we call each other "chingu" as we both share the same passion for all things Korean.

At first, I was very hesitant to try this drama out. For one, I didn't really find the teasers to be enticing. Two, it stars two Infinite members. Now dear Inspirits, I beg you to hold your horses. I don't have anything against Infinite. I definitely like Infinite, enough for me to actually support them in a concert (which I did in OGS Manila). But the thing is, I have no idea when it comes to their acting skills. This is the main reason why I was so hesitant to try the drama out.

If it was just one Infinite member, I would have immediately tried it out but seeing as two members are in one show made my dark side think that it was some sort of conspiracy between the producers and Woolim to get these good looking Infinite boys into the drama industry. Another point that made me hesitate.

But knowing that Woohyun is starring, I really couldn't help my fangirl self. Woohyun is easily my 3rd most favorite Infinite member, following Sungkyu, who follows L in my list. Sungyeol is also a likeable member so I really couldn't supress the fangirl in me and I gave in to the temptations, which I do not regret.

Granted that I wasn't really impressed with the first 10 minutes of the show, the other half of the first episode was interesting enough to get me hooked. In fact, it got me so hooked that I already finished all the subbed episodes online (4 episodes).

The story is very simple. Seul Bi, an angel or should I say angel of death, suddenly becomes a human being after trying to save Woohyun's life. Not knowing how to reverse the situation, she is forced to live with Woohyun's family as they are the only ones who 'know' of her.

For some reason, this drama reminds me of School 2013 as there are a lot of school related scenes but rest assured, the romance in this drama is definitely in a bigger proportion as compared to School 2013, which had little to no romance at all. After watching 4 episodes, I am confident enough to recommend this drama for those who don't mind waiting for two one episodes every week, as it is still ongoing, and just wants a light romantic, fantasy, comedy story revolving around high school.

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Witch's Romance: Review

 Alternative Titles: A Witch's Love/ 마녀의 연애 / Manyeoeui Yeonae
 
It seems as though I've left this blog to fend for itself for quite some time now. I'm not proud of it and I actually didn't want to but I've been busy with my other blog, youtube and review classes that I can't seem to squeeze in a time for this. Today, however, I would like to talk about a drama that I watched last June. I know this is a super late post but for me, it's always better late than never.
 



Witch's Romance is a show that I didn't actually have high expectations from. I was never an Uhm Jung Hwa fan so I didn't really care that she was the lead. To add onto this, I didn't know who Park Seo Joon was until I came across the drama. So when I thought I had nothing interesting to watch (anymore), I decided to go with this show after watching its teaser videos. I found them funny so I thought maybe the show would be funny too.
 
One screencap of their teaser photos. It's not all sexy, I promise! It's funny!
True to my expectations, the show was indeed funny! And despite the fact that there was a significant age difference between the two leads, I found the story to be quite entertaining and romantic at the same time. If you didn't know, my favorite drama genre would have to be romantic comedy so I was really happy when I found out that this particular show really matched well with my taste.
 

The plot is all about a love that is tested by a 14-year age gap and the horror of their past. One was left alone in the altar on her wedding day while the other was left in this world after his love passed away.
 
 
I highly recommend that you watch this drama. It's already completed so it's perfect for a good drama marathon. Oh, and I forgot to say that Park Seo Joon is an eye candy so I'm pretty sure most girls out there would be happy to watch the show just with his mere presence.
 
 This photo is included in this post to support my claim that this show is worth watching.

Let me know your thoughts once you're done with the show. I hope to write another good recommendation for you soon! ^^

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

2NE1: All or Nothing Manila

I'm a K-Pop concert addict. If anything, this is the only addiction I will admit to. Since I love K-Pop so much, I try to attend most K-Pop concerts held here in the Philippines. 2NE1's All or Nothing concert is definitely not an exception.





When I saw the tweets regarding AON Manila, my heart skipped a beat and I immediately told my 'chingu' (friend) about it. I was unemployed during that time so I was worried about not having money to buy a ticket. Well, of course, I still had money saved up but for the first time in two years, I won't be able to afford the seat that I long for. (Well, more like I'm not willing to shell out more money than what was necessary. I had to use my hard earned money well.) Instead of getting Lower Box seats, I got the cheapest ticket and got Upper Box. Not bad, since my aim was to listen to them perform anyway so the proximity isn't at all an issue.





But imagine my reaction when Sandara tweeted that Winner will be joining AON Manila. I went crazy! I was so excited! There were a lot of things to look forward to. For one, I miss Dara's krung krung-ness. I would love to watch her and her quirky personality once again. Also, I will be going to the concert, not only with my ever dearest K-Pop concert buddy, 'chingu' (friend), but also with some workmates and my chingu's siblings. In total we were 6 pax. It's my first time going to a concert with this number of people and just the fact that we were all going together made me even more excited.



So the day of the concert came. I tried my best to dress up a little bit better, because I knew from experience that there are a lot of fashionable K-Pop fans out there and I didn't want to look like just some passer by, not prepared fashionably. I also did my hair and makeup and I met up with my friends.

When I arrived at my seat, I noticed that my LED clappers were missing. I'm just assuming that people from the back stole mine. Haha, I know I shouldn't say anything without hard evidence but that's just really how I feel. I don't really see the logic as to how people at the back had LED clappers and people in front didn't have any. No worries though. Because we brought our own lightstick! Yay! Thank God! I didn't really expect to have a one-color ocean because we know that 2NE1's official color is hot pink (Please correct me if I'm wrong.) but their official light stick is white. Honestly, those two facts are confusing. If you ask me, white would have been the right choice if we want a monochromatic ocean. But since it was hard to provide white lights, we made do with multicolored lights. In the end, everything went well. It was fun to see the rainbow ocean we had all over the arena. Oh, and the place was full! I was happy to see almost all seats filled up. It was amazing.
The concert then started and everything just went by as a blur. I have videos to remind me of it, though. It was a long-yet-short concert. It ran for 2 1/2 hours but it felt like it only ran for 30 minutes. I wanted more but of course, as any other concert it had to end.

I loved all the songs 2NE1 sang. They also really performed well and I was really glad to hear their powerful voices and production. Another thing that I really liked was Winner's performance! They only sang two songs but it made me want to support them even more. They were amazing!


I will probably upload the videos I shot during the concert through my fancam youtube channel. I will also be embedding some of the videos I have already uploaded. Enjoy!

Note: If you will be taking any of the photos, don't forget to credit. That's all I ask.

Friday, May 2, 2014

Nisekoi (Ongoing)

Sorry for skipping a post the other day but I really just ran out of things to talk about that I just decided to skip. Also, it was my first day of reviewing for IELTS so I needed to take a break from a long tiring day.

Another anime that I've discovered through my brother after attending the Jump Festa is Nisekoi. Nisekoi is also known as "Fake Love". It is a romantic comedy that tackles one of the most overused, but NOT tiring plot of chilhood promises.


Raku Ichijou is an average high school student. He also happens to be the sole heir to the head of a Yakuza Family called the Shuei-gumi. Ten years ago, Raku made a promise... a secret promise with a girl he met. They promised one another that they will "get married when they reunite." Since then, Raku never let go of the pendant the girl gave him.
Then one day, a beautiful girl named Chitoge Kirisaki transfers into Raku's class. Their chemistry was more than off. There was not a moment where they were not fighting. But by a weird turn of events, Raku and Chitoge agree to become fake lovers. Although his heart is really interested in his classmate Kosaki Onodera, Raku must continue pretending to be Chitoge's boyfriend. -- MyAnimeList
Not exactly the type of anime that I would go gaga for but it's definitely a show that has made to my list of must-watch list just because it's entertaining as it is. The drawing isn't as impressive as other animes that I like but it has its own charm. In conclusion, although Nisekoi isn't exactly the type of anime that I would go for, I still like it and would definitely recommend it.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Haikyuu! (Ongoing)


One of the saddest things I've had to encounter recently is the end of Kuroko no Basket's season 2. I found out about Kuroko through last year's Jump Festa. I visited Japan last December and was fortunate to be able to join the event. During the event, it was evident that Kuroko no Basket is a very popular anime in Japan. I had no idea about the show before coming to Japan but since Kuroko stuff is all over Japan, I decided to give it a try and I loved it. A few weeks ago, the last episode of its season 2 aired and I was so sad because I wanted to watch more of Kuroko and the team. Good thing, however, that Shounen Jump decided to adapt another sports manga as an anime-- Haikyuu!

I had high hopes for this anime because #1. I loved the plot. and #2. It's from Shounen Jump. So last week, I started watching the show and I can't be any more pleased. Loved the plot, the drawing, the colors... And it's funny. Yay!

I watch the show with my mom, who, by the way, loved the show as much as she loved Kuroko. So if you guys are thinking about starting to watch an ongoing anime, then I suggest you try this show out. There is no down side, in my opinion. Unless you count that you have to wait every week for a new episode as a bad thing (because apparently you are more impatient than I am). Currently, there are four episodes and I can't wait to watch the next!

Here's the plot taken from MyAnimeList.net:
A chance event triggered Shouyou Hinata's love for volleyball. His club had no members, but somehow persevered and finally made it into its very first and final regular match of middle school, where it was steamrolled by Tobio Kageyama, a superstar player known as "King of the Court." Vowing revenge, Hinata applied to the Karasuno High School volleyball club... only to come face-to-face with his hated rival, Kageyama!
A tale of hot-blooded youth and volleyball from the pen of Haruichi Furudate!!

Have you heard of this anime before? Are you currently watching it? Or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts below!

Saturday, April 26, 2014

C.N.Blue- Truth: First Impression

There are only a few artists that I listen to over and over again. If you haven't noticed yet, I have a wide range of interest when it comes to music that's why it's hard for me to just stick with one artist, even for just a week. Also, I almost always don't listen to an artist's whole album. I just remember the songs I like and I play that over and over again. I have, however, a few that I listen to (the whole album) over and over again. Epik High is one of them, as well as EXO. Another one is Juniel and of course, C.N. Blue! C.N. Blue is such a talented group, I can't even point out any flaw. They're good looking too! ;)

They recently released this song called "Truth" and I want to share it with you.


The melody is catchy, as expected. I've never heard any C.N.Blue song that disappointed me. It's always been a song that has a certain sound that lingers. For some reason, even though this was sung in Japanese, I still liked listening to it (and I will probably have this on repeat). Yonghwa's voice is flawless as always. I have nothing but praise for this song. I love it! Do you?

Thursday, April 24, 2014

K-Pop Star 3 Finale: My Thoughts

If you've been following me for quite some time now, you would know that I'm addicted to this Korean audition program called K-Pop Star. Right now, I'm watching the third season. I loved the second season although I wasn't able to finish it (daebaksubs had to stop subbing because of copyright claims, etc. etc.). For this very reason, I had high expectations with the third. I expected to see fresh and new talents that I would root for.

 Top Ten

The overall search from regionals to top ten selection was really interesting for me to watch since there were a lot of aspiring youngsters who had so much talent in them. Although not everyone I cheered for made it to top ten, I was still happy they were given enough exposure during the selection. Among them is Peter Han, Heong Jeong Hee and Brody.

 Something


 Kwon Jin Ah



When top ten was chosen, I was particularly drawn to Kwon Jin Ah and Something. Something didn't make it to the live broadcast. It was really heartbreaking as I wanted to see more of the duo. I really hope they get casted in an agency and debut soon. Kwon Jin Ah, however, did pretty well! She reached until top three and was eliminated just before the grand finale. It was such a pity since I really had this feeling that Kwon Jin Ah had the qualities of a K-Pop Star. I'm crossing my fingers, though, that an agency casts her and make her debut possible. I really consider her as the winner. Watch her perform Sunmi's 24 Hours here:


I only have one episode to go and I can't wait to find out who the winner is! I will be saving this post and get back as soon as I finish the whole program and find out who the winner is. I'm so excited!

[UPDATED!!!]

I just finished the whole season and was shocked to find out that Bernard Park won! I really thought Sam would take over because he always had a lot of fans in the background. Nevertheless, I'm happy for Bernard Park. I really wish he achieves his dream through this and get to help his family.

Another thing I was happy about is that all the contestants I liked were there in the finale: Peter Han, Something and Kwon Jin Ah (the winner in my heart)!!! Yay! :)

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Full House Thai: Review

So it's been a while since I talked about a drama that I already finished. Recently, I came across the Thai version of the popular 2004 Korean drama Full House. Back then, it was my favorite Korean drama (and actually remains as one of the top dramas I enjoyed). I was curious to see how they delivered this drama in Thai setting. It's not my first time watching a Thai production show but I've never tried following a Thai drama. It's always been Thai movies for me.


After trying out one episode, I was sold. I was hooked! The plot is pretty much the same as the Korean version. It is all about an aspiring script writer named Aom-am, who was conned by her sister to go travel to Korea while she (her sister) tries to sell out her house. During her stay in Korea, she had problems with accommodations and received help from a Thai superstar, Mike. Luckily, he was in Korea for a deal with a Korean company. She then returns to Thailand only to find out that her house was already sold... To none other than Mike! She then gets entangled in a contract marriage with Mike in order to get her house back.





What I loved about the show is how well they depicted the romantic comedy in Thai setting. I also really liked the leads. They were both good looking. The lead actress was super pretty. They kept on stressing how short she was but she always looked cute to me. Mike, on the other hand, is really hot! He's so good looking! And the chemistry between the two was just amazing. A lot of times, I suppress my smile but I always fail. They were too good together! And just so you know, the leads were played by Mike Pirath Nitipaisankul and Aom Sucharat Manaying.




WARNING: Contains spoilers hereon.

I loved everything about the drama except maybe for one salient point in the latter part where Mike was torn in between his promise to Mintra and his love for Aom-am. Personally, I just found it weird. It could be because of cultural differences but I just found it really shallow and I felt like they exaggerated a bit on how that promise ultimately affected the whole marriage thing. It took him so long just to let Mintra know that he is now in love with Aom-am. Personally, I didn't think keeping the promise in a way that would be hurtful for everyone isn't healthy to begin with that's why it was a bit hard for me to fathom why such happenings were occurring. But then again, as I've said earlier, it could just be because of cultural differences. Other than that, I enjoyed every episode, every moment. This is one of the best dramas I've watched recently, Korean dramas included.

If you're just starting out with Thai dramas, like I was, and if romantic comedy is your genre, I would highly recommend this lakorn/drama.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Angel Eyes: My Thoughts


I have finally decided on a new Korean drama to follow, now that my previous favorite "Emergency Couple" has ended. Out of all the new and fairly new dramas out there, I chose to watch Angel Eyes. It is a drama starring Goo Hye Sun (Boys Over Flowers). I have high expectations on the drama because of Goo Hye Sun and because the plot is very interesting for me.




 I love their young love story. Sooo sweet!



 Oh, and VIPs??? BigBang's Seungri is a part of the cast! I saw the preview of the 3rd episode and I seriously cracked up when I saw Seungri during Basic Life Support training! I can't wait to watch episode 3!


It is all about finding each other's first love after 12 years. Yoon Soo Wan used to be a strong and lonely girl who, because of an accident, lost her sense of sight. She met Park Dong Joo, a boy who's always fancied her, even after finding out about her disability. They started a romantic relationship but eventually had to separate because of filial responsibilities. Twelve years later, they meet again. Only this time, Soo Wan has already received a donor for her eye operation and can now see.

Although this is not exactly the genre that I lean towards to, the plot seems interesting enough for me to be hooked. The story is very well paced and the characters were nicely built up. I also like the choices for actors and actresses. I'm currently on Episode 3 and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Are you also planning to follow this drama? If you do, let me know down below in the comment section.

For today's featured performance, I have Racoon Boys with Park Jae Hyung during their Dream Stage "Toxic" performance in K-Pop Star 2. I came across this performance because yesterday I shared 2000 won's new song "I Hate Seoul" and that reminded me of the Racoon Boys, who I hope debut together someday. I know the three has already separated ways but I still have this thread of hope within me.  They were so good together. Park Jae Hyung, however, has become a part of 5Live. I sincerely thought it would be great if these four people debuted together but seeing as Jae Hyung is already doing well with 5Live, I'm still glad.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Real Man (Korean Variety): My Thoughts


So recently, I've been into this Korean variety show called Real Man/ Real Men. I wasn't really sure what to expect from it except that the setting was in the military. The reason why I decided to watch it in the first place is because of Super Junior's Henry. Somehow, all the news I've read regarding the show is all centered in Henry. (Or it could be because I only read the news when I see Henry's name in its title.) It was interesting for me to read about some of his 'adventures' in the military especially when he was just starting and his friends tricked him into believing all the lies they said about the army (bring cash for weapons, red caps are the managers, knowing girl groups is a no-no, etc.) Recently, I've read about him calling SNSD's Tiffany to score some points from his superior and that's when I finally decided that I must watch the show once and for all. Good thing there are subbed versions for me to enjoy.

So excited, he doesn't even have any idea.

I was expecting it to be interesting but it did so much better than that! I find myself tearing up numerous of times because I've been laughing too much. I don't know why but Henry's character is so comical, sometimes I even wonder if all of it is real. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if it's scripted but fellow SJ members vouch for his innocence regarding army life that even though it's hard to believe how clueless he is, I still do! He does unbelievable things I've never imagined one could actually muster up to do inside the military but sometimes, his baby face just makes me believe he's completely innocent about the world.


Dad, I'm right behind you! :)


Another thing that I like is his relationship with his 'Appa (father)'. It's nice to see him getting support from other guys since I really think if he doesn't get any, he wouldn't survive. I like that Park Gun Hyung has always been taking care of Henry as if it was a part of his nature to do so. (If you think you've seen Park Gun Hyung before but can't seem to remember exactly where you've seen him, think "Innocent Steps" or "I Do, I Do". That might help.) He doesn't get mad at him, understands him and always tries to teach him 'the ways' in a way that Henry would understand- because Henry is such a baby. Don't get me wrong, though. I love Henry and I think he's cute and being a military baby doesn't make me like him any less. :)




Currently, this is my favorite reality show of the moment. I have a few more subbed episodes to watch and I just can't wait to finish them all and continue watching out for new releases. I'm more than ready to laugh some more. Bring it on, Henry! I'm ready.



Have any of you watched this show already? Or are you planning to? I wanna know your thoughts!

Thursday, April 10, 2014

5 Centimeters Per Second: Review

5 Centimeters Per Second is one of those movies that I had such high expectations for but didn't quite meet them. Don't get me wrong, though. I don't hate the movie. In fact, for reasons I cannot explain, I like the movie. I'm not a slice of life story fan. In fact, I find them boring and I usually think the pacing is too slow for my taste. If you didn't already know what I like, I'm into romantic comedy stories so slice of life stories don't really appeal to me that much.


To me, 5 Centimeters Per Second is a romantic slice of life kind of story. It is a chain of short stories revolving one guy from his teenage years up until he became a working man in modern times. It was divided into three chapters. The first chapter was all about Takaki's first love, Akari, how they got separated and their short but sweet love story. The second chapter was still all about Takaki Tono and his days when he moved to Tanegashima, his good friend Kanae, and her unrequited love. The third chapter focuses in the modern times when Takaki was already grown up and Akari is preparing for a marriage with another man. They pass by each other under a cherry blossom tree where they decided to watch the cherry blossoms thirteen years in the past.

At first, I gotta be honest, I found it boring. I didn't like the first chapter. I had too many unnecessary comments regarding each scenes and basically, I just didn't find it interesting. The second chapter, however, made me take interest. I particularly liked Kanae's character. I like how genuine her feelings for Takaki is, even at such a young age. I can't really talk about it so much since I would probably drop some spoilers if I do, since each chapters are too short to summarize.

All in all, I wouldn't include this movie in my must-see list but I would definitely recommend it if you're into romantic slice of life stories. Here's the trailer, for those who are interested.


My friend Jade is leaving for UK today so I just want to wish her good luck and a safe flight. I'm not sure if she will be reading this but either way, since she's an important person in my life, I want to make her a part of this blog post.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

L-DK (Ongoing Manga): Review



Okay so I'm back with another manga review. I've been busy with reading manga for quite some time now mainly because I only have two shows that I currently am following- Emergency Couple and Cunning Single Lady. Usually, I watch 3 along with my blogging and youtubing. But since I can't find a suitable show to add on my list, I just decided to dedicate my time on reading.




I found out about L-DK when I found out that a live action movie will be released soon. I reckon thinking, 'If this is going to be adapted on the big screen, then the story must be great'. And it is! Although the pacing of the story is a little fast for my taste, I feel that the core story line makes up for it.


It is a story about a regular girl living alone, who finds out that the school's "prince" is apparently her neighbor. You would think that this is an exciting discovery for any girl from their school. Yes, that's true. But not for Aoi. She thinks Shusei is full of himself and doesn't deserve a second look. That's how she thought until she meets the real Shusei through inevitable circumstances in her apartment, as her neighbor.


I'm currently in volume 9 and can I just say that this is a very cute romantic manga? It's not outright comedy, in my opinion, but there are definitely times when I just burst out laughing. I would definitely love to recommend this manga for all of you who are looking forward to reading a nice manga to kill time. Oh, and I particularly like the drawing. If you didn't already know, I am a firm believer that for a manga/anime to be truly beautiful, the drawing must first be beautiful. There several exceptions, of course. There are drawing styles that I am not particularly a fan of, but the story line is amazing. I'm just saying that most of the time, I look at the drawings first prior to the plot. Sorry, that sounded so shallow but it's the truth. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive my shallow self. I thank you, bow.

Friday, April 4, 2014

Ao Haru Ride (Manga): First Impression


Today, I've been itching to watch Cunning Single Lady's newest episode but I can't find subbed videos yet, and since I can't understand Korean, I had to venture out on other things that might be worthwhile to do. So at first I was very frustrated because I am originally an impatient person but as I was searching for something to watch, I came across a link that led me to find out about the upcoming live action movie of this particular manga. I wanted to watch it but since it's not yet available, I just decided to read the manga. Now I'm hooked!

I've only read Volume 1 but I can say that this story will keep me hooked! I love the characters, I love the artwork, how the characters are drawn and I just love how romantic this story is. Just to give you a jist, I will talk about the main plot of the manga.

Futaba is a pretty timid girl who's not fond of boys except for this one guy named Tanaka. Tanaka is a short, quiet guy Futaba has been crushing on. Series of events brought them together and just as when a good opportunity to actually get to know each other's feelings for one another, Tanaka had to move out of town and switch schools. Futaba was left in her old school with some friends. A school year later, guys eventually noticed that Futaba is quite the charmer and is indeed pretty. This sparked interest among the opposite sex but induced jealousy from her female classmates and friends. Eventually, Futaba was alienated and left alone. This led her to dramatically change how she acts once she stepped into high school. From the timid girl she used to be, she tried to be more outspoken and be unlady-like, just to change her image. She was then able to make friends and was living the life she thought she dreamed of until she met this boy, who looks extremely like Tanaka- only he's taller and with a different personality. He points out that her current friends are fake, which bothers her. To top things off, he's called "Mabuchi", not Tanaka, but she's sure he's the same guy. So far, the story revolves about her high school life, getting real friends and discovering love for the person she once liked.

I really really like the plot and I am definitely planning on reading some more after I type this post, which in translation is 'now'.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Cunning Single Lady (Ongoing): Review

Since my last drama post is all about a divorced couple who meets each other after six years (Emergency Couple), I might as well just make it a trend and talk about another drama that revolves around a divorced couple. Although it is possible for you to go, "Not another divorced couple drama!", I would still like to point out that the similarity of the two ends with the fact that both the leads are divorced. Other than that, the plot is very much different, so is the setting.


I hope I got your attention with my introduction paragraph and if I did, then I guess it's time for me to introduce you to "Cunning Single Lady". It is my number one favorite drama at the moment, just a tad bit higher than Emergency Couple. The reason behind this is because Lee Min Jung stars in this drama. If you're not aware, Lee Min Jung is one of my favorite Korean actresses of all times, alongside Moon Chae Young, Kim Tae Hee and Jeon Ji Hyun. Oh, and Song Hye Kyo too! So yeah, with her being in this drama, it instantly gets an automatic additional of 10 points for my like-ability meter. And mind you, my meter has 10.5 as its upper limit so it literally only needs a little push for me to over-like it.

Anyway, if everything still seems blurry to you because you're not aware who Lee Min Jung is, then I would like to slap you on the face! Just kidding! Of course I wouldn't do that to a lovely reader. (Virtual Hug- ON) Instead, I would be more than willing to try and help you get to know this great actress named Lee Min Jung by refreshing your memory on where you might have seen her. I first saw Lee Min Jung through Boys Over Flowers (Korean version, of course). She was the short (not super short) haired girl who was set up to be Goo Jun Pyo's wife. If you didn't watch that, then you might have seen her as the lead of Smile You (with Jung Kyung Ho- SNSD Sooyoung's boyfriend) or Big (with Gong Yoo- Coffee Prince). If you still haven't watched those two then you probably have never seen her before, except maybe if you've been to a boutique of a Korean cosmetics brand Skinfood, which she apparently models for. Anyway, I love this actress so much. She is one of the most beautiful person I've ever seen on screen (cause obviously, I haven't seen her in real life yet). I can only wish to be as pretty as her but I know that's really far from happening but anyway, her chemistry with Joo Sang Wook in this drama is just soooo good. I think the casting director made such a good job in getting both of them as leads.

 

Oh, and before I forget, I think it is only fair for me to mention a little something about the lead actor too since I kind of babbled away while talking about Lee Min Jung earlier. For me, Joo Sang Wook is a familiar face although I keep on forgetting his name. (Don't fret, I will have his name stored in my brain by the time this drama ends.) I saw him in a drama called Good Doctor (another great drama with Moon Chae Won and Joo Won). His role was the head of the pediatrics surgery department- Dr. Kim Do Han. And yes, this is where my little something about Joo Sang Wook story ends. I don't mean to be biased with Lee Min Jung but I have yet to get to know him some more for me to write a longer paragraph dedicated to him.



Now that you've found about the two main leads, let me talk to you about the plot of the drama. It talks about two divorcees. Immediately after having the divorce filed, the guy became a successful IT businessman. He became DonTalk (a company similar to Line)'s CEO while the girl remained struggling as a regular employee in a boutique. After a series of unfortunate events, Na Ae Ra decided to find her ex-husband, get into his company and work under the same environment.

This is indeed a romantic comedy and Lee Min Jung lived up to my expectations. She's actually good with roles like these. On the other hand, I was very surprised that Joo Sang Wook is actually also doing well. He was very serious in Good Doctor and it was just hard for me to imagine him doing comedy. And now that I've seen him do it, I actually feel like he fits comedy too!


Lastly, if you are an Infinite (K-Pop) fan, a reason for you to watch this is L!!! He stars as Cha Jung Woo's assistant.

As you can probably tell, I only have praises for this drama. You might have a different opinion, I'm okay with that. I just basically wanted to share this because I didn't want you to miss out on this drama, if you have the same drama taste as me.

Oh, this is off topic but tomorrow, I'm going for a job interview. Hopefully, everything goes well. Please pray for me,