Our Times (2015)

Photo Source: http://boyz86-simplicity.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/our-timesmovie-review.html

When I saw the trailer for Our Times I couldn't wait until it hit the cinemas. All the themes pointed to a story that wouldn't disappoint and it had already received rave reviews.

Lin Cheng-Hsin (Vivian Sung) is our protagonist. She's a 15 year old with a huge crush on golden boy Ouyang Fei-Fan (Dino Lee). She receives a chain letter stating she will be doomed if she does not pass the letter along. Foolishly, she sends it to Hsu Tai-Yu (Darren Wang), the head of the school delinquents. Tai-Yu gets in to a car accident after reading the letter and seeks out the sender. He finds Cheng-Hsin and forces her to be his "friend" otherwise he'll hurt Fei-Fan, thus she becomes his errand girl.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW

The movie is instantly gripping as each character is brought to life. Fei-Fan and Tai-Yu are polar opposites and you can't decide who you want Cheng-Hsin to end up with. Actually that's not true. You'll definitely be rooting for Tai-Yu. It's wonderful to see how Cheng-Hsin and Tai-Yu interact with each other and slowly fall in love. It's also wonderful to see the story from both Cheng-Hsin and Tai-Yu's perspectives. The film really packed in a lot of scenarios and you feel like you're watching a 4 hour drama rather than a 2.5 hour movie (which is actually a good thing). You tend to find there is no real villain in this movie but rather misunderstandings get the characters in to conflict. 18 years of conflict am I right?

Cheng-Hsin and Tai-Yu go from being master and errand girl, to friends, to wanting to be more than friends and it's so beautiful to watch. Cheng-Hsin has such a strong character for an unpopular girl who normally gets dealt a bad hand. Whereas Tai-Yu is really motivated by Cheng-Hsin to succeed and does a complete 180 in his life.

The only negative I can say about this film is I wish the Cheng-Hsin and Tai-Yu characters 18 years in the future were played by their teenage cast. Considering the teenage cast are actually in their 20's maybe just some makeup could have done the trick. Or using actors that looked more similar to Sung and Wang. Also the ending was a bit cliché. It was a real bummer that it took them 18 years to reconnect. But still, I'm glad they did. 

Our Times is such a cheerful and fulfilling watch. It's set back in the 80's and the attention to detail from the set and costume designers are spot on. If you want a feel good movie that makes you yearn for youth and innocents with bucket loads of funny moments then this one is for you. I cannot stress just how amazing this movie is.

9 out of 10 stars.

If you've seen this movie what did you think?

Until next time my drama queens and kings,
Sarah

Splash Splash Love (2015)

Photo source: https://www.viki.com/tv/29455c-splash-splash-love

Be still my heart. Yoon Doo-Joon is a drama lead? Beast has been my favouite Kpop group since I first heard Bad Girl. Kim Seul-Gie I first came across as the wacky publisher in Flower Boys Next Door so I was really interested to see how these two leads would work together. Oh and hello gender-bender tag. We meet again.

Jang Dan-Bi (Kim) is a high school senior running away from her CSAT's. She jumps into a puddle which somehow transports her back in time to the Joseon Dynasty. Her high school level maths and science surpasses any other in the kingdom and she becomes a confidante of Yi-Do/Sejong the Great (Yoon). Slowly, she finds herself falling in love with him.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW

Oh my goodness the acting from both the leads was amazing. They had so much chemistry. I laughed so hard so many times while watching this. I suppose Seul-Gie was on SNL Korea so that should be expected. It was amazing to see how a high school girl could have so much knowledge compared to the elders of the kingdom. It was also great to see Yi-Do falling in love with Dan-Bi as well despite her pretending to be a man. Seeing him respond to her items from the future like cup noodles and chocolate was hilarious and makes you think back to your childhood where they were your favourite foods to eat!

Now I am going to dedicate this entire paragraph to the kisses. Hallelujah! They were incredible! They were soul satisfying! They were everything you have wanted in a drama kiss but have been depraved of! Hell, they were everything you would want in a real life kiss! This drama is only 2 episodes long and stuffed more kisses in here than you would find in a regular 21 episode kdrama (at least the ones I usually watch).

This story progressed so quickly but you just get wrapped up in the performances. In saying that, you really believe the feelings Dan-Bi and Yi-Do have for each other. This drama made me feel so good and whole inside. If there's ever a rainy day where you just want to kick back and watch a satisfying romantic comedy then watch Splash Splash Love. I know the name is a bit bizarre, and any friend I have recommended it to just gives me this "what is she in to?" look, but it will be 2 hours well spent.

10 out of 10 stars. It was perfect. I only wish it could have lasted longer!

If you've seen this drama then what are your thoughts?

Until next time my drama queens and kings,
Sarah

Dream High (2011)

Photo source: http://aik-pianoscores.blogspot.com.au/

Dream High ohhhhhhhhhhh ma goodness. I was so excited to watch this show! A romantic kdrama full of singing? Sign me up! All the main cast, coming from successful kpop careers (except Kim Soo-Hyun, who should have totally picked up singing irl) guaranteed amazing performances each episode.

Go Hye-Mi (Suzy) aspires to become an opera singer, and she shows great promise. Unfortunately, her father has racked up debts with a gangster, thus forcing Hye-Mi to take up mainstream kpop to pay him back. The show revolves around Hye-Mi and her friends who all aspire to become successful kpop stars in the future.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW

Alright, now I'm gonna get real. It took me a while to actually warm up to Hye-Mi. I know she's the main but she was my least favourite character for the first few episodes. The way she thought she was better than everyone and how she treated her classmates, especially her "best friend" Yoon Baek-Hee (Eunjung) had me yelling profanities at my computer more often than not. Enter Jin-Guk (Taecyeon), hotter than the sun, he was so kind to her when she just treated him terribly. Enter Kim Pil-Sook (IU), the chubby girl with the voice of an angel. She has such an adorable personality, you would become besties with her in an instant. Enter Song Sam-Dong (Kim Soo-Hyun), drop dead gorgeous (thank god for the makeover), with an incredible voice and so much innocence you just wanted to protect him from the evils in the world (namely Hye-Mi's bitchiness). These characters were the ones who helped me through those first few episodes before I grew to like Hye-Mi and focused my hate on Baek-Hee.

This show was really amazing with the character development. Every character went through major personality alterations during the show. You would find yourself rooting for one person and then completely changing your mind later on. Did I mention the singing was amazing? It was amazing. I wish they recorded their rendition of SNSD's Genie so I could listen to it on repeat.

There were many cute romantic stoy lines during the drama, but of course they all progressed very slowly. I'm still torn on who I wanted Hye-Mi to end up with. I suppose in the end she eneded up alone but when she was getting with Jin-Guk, and Sam-Dong just looked on all sad oh I cried for that man to find happiness. Then when Hye-Mi was obviously in love with Sam-Dong, I felt so sad for Jin-Guk. He really was given the short end of the straw. Okay, Hye-Mi can pick one and I'll take the other. Deal.

Pil-Sook's storyline with Jason (Wooyoung) was so incredibly cute. Those two were just made for each other. I love that he liked her from the start, while all the teachers frowned upon her weight. Even though he was just flirtatious most of the time he really did only have her in his heart. When their kissing scene came up I was literally standing on my bed, clutching my face ready to squeal when their lips made contact. Sadly we didn't get to see that impact (damn backpack!) but luckily imagination can fill in those blanks.

I would recommend this show for anyone who loves musicals. Or kpop. Or any fans of these idols. It's got a really nice blend of romance and drama while not being unbearably over the top with the latter. I will say that the first few episodes might be tough because of Hye-Mi's personality, but if you stick to it you will definitely come to love her and the rest of the cast.

7 stars out of 10.

If you've checked out this drama let me know your thoughts!

Until next time my drama queens and kings,
Sarah

Hanazakai no Kimitachi e (Hana-Kimi) (2007)

Photo source: http://mydramalist.com/article/2013/02/03/remake-hana-kimi

Hana-Kimi. Who hasn't heard of this jdrama? Or if not this one, perhaps the Taiwanese version. Or Korean version. Or the recent Japanese re-make. That's right, a show with 4 different versions has got to be a good one. I watched this back in high school. I remember bingeing this over a weekend and just feeling lost after the final episode. What was I meant to do with life now? I scrawled one of the shows quotes onto my mirror and kept it there for years. "Rather than wasting time regretting the past, enjoy the present to its fullest. Flowers in full bloom do not last forever." Still gets me.

Okay so as usual I am going to mention the themes of the show that convinced me to watch it in the first place. It's Japanese and I was ALL about Japan back in high school. It's a gender bender hell yes! It's a reverse harem. Not just like a hand full of guys, but literally a whole school full of guys. 3 dorms worth of guys! JACKPOT!

Hana-Kimi revolves around Ashiya Mizuki (Maki Horikita). One evening she goes to see her idol, Sano Izumi, a Japanese high jumper currently visiting the US. He gets injured while helping her escape from some gangsters, thus putting a halt to his high jump career. Riddled with guilt she chops off her hair, then packs up and leaves the US to pose as a male student at Izumi's school in Japan. Her goal is to get him jumping again.

That's basically the story line summed up. But this show is so much more than the main story line. If you want to see 12 episodes (and 1 Special) jam packed with your favourite Japanese actors from the early 00's, just having an all round outrageous time, then this show is for you. There is so much life given from each character that just makes you wish this was a real school you could attend. What I love about Hana-Kimi is you don't really get hit with drama, you just get hit with good times. You also get hit with the biggest does of second-lead syndrome.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW

Oh my goodness NAKATSU! I love this man. My heart just bled for him towards the end. He never stood a chance but I still rooted for him the whole show hoping Mizuki would realise that Izumi is actually a dick most of the time and that Nakatsu is her true love. After Hana-Kimi I watched dramas starring Toma Ikuta (Nakatsu) just to make sure he found love, even if he was a completely different character.

I would also like to give a shout-out to Kayashima Taiki (Yusuke Yamamoto) and Sekime Kyogo (Masaki Okada). Kayashima is such an adorable character. The school psychic. He gave me some of my favourite moments in the drama. While Sekime had to endure the running gag of everyone mispronouncing his name. This poor man was so pitiful in aspects of his life but I rooted for him to get a happy ending. Actually I don't think he did get that...that's the problem with being a minor character.

Now the dorms. The 3 dormitories of the school and their heads really make the show what it is. The competitive nature between these dorms create all the conflict you need in a show to make it amazing. Dorm 1, headed by Tennoji Megumi, focuses on martial arts and being manly. It was great to see them topless doing "manly" things. Dorm 2, headed by playboy Nanba Minami, is made up of the sporty guys, but in saying that, generally they are the normal guys in the school. Dorm 3, headed by Himejima Masao, are all performing art nuts. They always succeed at exaggerating the situation and acting completely insane.

Each episode generally revolves around a competition between the three dorms. Hilarity ensues. The prize at the end is always a let down. I suppose in a way if you're a fan of Running Man then you would probably enjoy this. It's not quite the same, and the competition definitely is not as intense but you just love to see how each dorm goes about winning in their own unique way.

Overall I wouldn't recommend this drama as one for romance, but one for comedy. I could probably write an entire book on how much I loved this drama and comment on each scene. Just remembering this show while writing this post has got me wanting to re-watch my favourite scenes.

8 stars out of 10. What? With that glowing review only 8? It would be 10 if there was a more believable romance and a fulfilling kiss at the end.

What did you think of the drama?

Until next time my drama queens and kings,
Sarah

Sukina Hito ga Iru Koto (A Girl and Three Sweethearts) (2016)

Photo source: http://blog.onehallyu.com/thoughts-far-suki-na-hito-ga-iru-koto-episode-1-2/

Sukina Hito ga Iru Koto is a Jdrama I've just started (in the last week of uni, give me a break!). Boy oh boy do I love reverse harems. I mean I love a lot of things, as you can probably tell from my other posts, but reverse harem has got to be my ALL TIME FAVOURITE tag. 

So I am three episodes in and loving it so far. I have been a fan of the lead Mirei Kiritani since My Boss My Hero and have seen her in various dramas and films since that time. This drama revolves around Misaki Sakurai (Kiritani), a pastry chef who has just been fired. She gets locked in the toilet cubicle of a fancy Tokyo restaurant when she if finally rescued by none other that her first love Chiaki Shibasaki (Shohei Miura). The two get talking and he offers her a job at his restaurant in the beach town he grew up. He also offers her to live in his home during her employment. 

Misaki hasn't been kissed in 4 years, so with desperate prompting from her friend, she accepts the position. When she first gets off the train she runs to the beach and meets a really rude, but attractive guy. She finds her way to her new home to be hugged from behind by none other than...Toma Shibasaki (Shohei Miura). Who????? Toma is the younger brother of Chiaki, who mistook her for his girlfriend. He invites her in, she goes to the restroom where she stumbles upon...who???? That rude guy from the beach. Kanata Shibasaki (Kento Yamazaki). Kanata is also a younger brother of Chiaki. The three of them live together so you already know there's going to be a lot of great moments in this drama. 

The show has a great blend of cooking scenes (somebody get me an omelette burger!) and story progression. It's really interesting to see the differences and similarities between the three brothers. It's also interesting to see how Misaki interacts with each of them differently. You get to see three sides of her which really helps you connect with the character. It's kind of like being in real life, not knowing what the guy is thinking but trying to analyse all his actions. It's also nice to have a big mix in personality from the brothers. Chiaki, acting just like an old friend. Really cool, cheers Misaki up when she's feeling troubled, values his brothers happiness above all else. Kanata, always serious and broody. Just wants to cook delicious meals but reveals a soft side now and then when he gives Misaki life advice. And then Toma. Always goofing off from his studies. A flirtatious guy going after any cute girl he sees but always maintaining an innocent boyish charm.  

SPOILER ALERT BELOW

From the first episode you can tell straight away there's going to be a love traingle. Then BAM second episode and Chiaki's beautiful ex turns up. LOVE SQUARE. I really love how real the characters feel in this drama. In a lot of jdramas you see these shallow characters just thrown in there to be character stereotypes. But in Sukina Hito ga Iru Koto the actors really bring their characters to life. I'm so SO happy that Misaki worked up the courage to tell the ex that, no, you can't just fly back from America and expect to have Chiaki all to yourself. That's gonna be my man. 

Kanata might still be a brooder for 90% of the episodes but I think as the drama progresses he'll open up more. This one is a hard one to call. As the drama is currently going you would think Misaki and Chiaki will end up together, but we know how dramas usually go and the broody guy gets the girl. So my votes are for Kanata. To be honest, as lovely as Chiaki is, Kanata just seems to suit Misaki so much better and she really acts her true self around him. 

Anyhow we have 7 episodes left to find out! I love short dramas because I don't need to wait a whole year for another season. Also I find the stories progress so much faster and they cut out all that filler drama. 

Let me know your thoughts on the show! (But please, no spoilers for episode 4 on wards I'm not there yet!)

Until next time my drama queens and kings,

Sarah.

Bromance (2015)

Photo source: https://www.viki.com/tv/29259c-bromance

When I first saw the title of this drama I was like...really? Is this legit? Then I read the synopsis and I was sold. Everyone has a list of favourite themes or actors when it comes to scoping out a new drama. Gender-bender is one of my faves. That, paired with the fabulous actress Megan Lai, was enough to induce a mid-semester drama binge.

I first laid eyes on Megan Lai as a macho lesbian character in the Taiwanese film Cafe. Waiting. Love. and had one of those "I would turn for this woman" moments. So 18 episodes of her dressed up as a guy sounded like a good weekend to me.

Bromance centers around two main characters Pi Ya Nuo (Lai) and Du Zi Feng (Baron Chen). When Ya Nuo was born, a fortune teller predicted great misfortune for the baby girl unless she was raised as a boy until her 26th birthday. Fast-forward 25 years and Ya Nuo is a skilled martial artist, running a hot dog stand with her bestie Liao Guang Chao. She notices an ambush nearby and goes to aid the victim. The victim turns out to be triad boss Du Zi Feng, who rewards her by becoming "sworn brothers." Ya Nuo finds herself slowly falling in love with Zi Feng, but she needs to maintain her male identity if she wants to live past her 26th birthday.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW

This drama had me hooked from the first episode. The story line progressed quickly and you really get a feel for the characters personalities. I particularly loved Zi Feng. It was so nice to have a male lead that wasn't one of those brooding assholes who secretly cares for the leading lady. Zi Feng was such a genuine guy who could act silly but still be the coolest guy in the room. Then later on when he starts having feelings for Ya Nuo, despite him being a guy too, you just can't help but believe in the power of true love, making you root for his happiness all the more. Ya Nuo was charming as the girl pretending to be a guy while falling in love with another guy. While she was macho out in public she turned to a pile of adorable when she was having heart-to-heart girl chats with her cousin (one of the only people to know her true identity). I could totally recognise those fluttery feelings at the start of a new crush.

There are so many moments in this show that had me seal clapping like an idiot in front of the computer thinking, "man these writers are genius." Even the sub-plots for the other characters had a real charm to them. A show like this reminded me of the masterpiece Coffee Prince. Not a dull scene in the show, each episode creating a convincing relationship between the characters and a story you could really get in to.

If you were a big fan of Coffee Prince, gender-benders, amazing comedy writing or romantic scenes that have you squealing, then I highly recommend this drama to you.

7 stars out of 10.

If you've checked out this drama let me know your thoughts!

Until next time my drama queens and kings,
Sarah

Ps. You can find a lot of behind the scenes footage on Youtube and it's amazing.