Angry Mom (2015)

Photo source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angry_Mom

After finishing The Moon that Embraces the Sun I felt like watching a drama with a strong female lead. One who doesn't need a guy to protect her. I looked up a few lists of dramas with the strongest female protagonists and decided on Angry Mom. When I first heard about this drama a few years back I wasn't really that interested in seeing it. But now, as a Ji Soo and Kim Yoo Jung fan, plus the incredible reviews and ratings, I gave it a go.

Jo Kang Ja was known as the toughest, most feared high schooler in her city. Forward 17 years and she is still a strong willed, foul mouthed woman but with a weakness. Her teenage daughter Oh Ah Ran (Kim). Ah Ran is very distant towards her mother and is ashamed of the way she acts. When Kang Ja finds out her daughter is being physically abused at school, she goes undercover as a transfer student to find the culprit and teach them a lesson. But she finds herself stumbling on much darker issues within the school.

I would recommend this show more towards an older audience. Especially parents or above. The main character is a mother and a lot of the story revolved around parents protecting their children so I couldn't really relate to that. I did enjoy the show though and it was really interesting to see all the dark twists and turns of the story line, but this show is definitely more of a dark and political drama than the comedy they seem to advertise it as. If you want to watch something really heavy that will make you ball your eyes out, but something that showcases a look into real world problems, then you'll enjoy this show. If you're big on justice and righteous morals you will also enjoy this show.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW!!!

So going in, I assumed this show was going to be mostly a comedy with some sinister plot thrown in. NOPE so wrong. It was dark and serious with a bit of comedy thrown in. In the first episode you get exposed to themes of bullying, corruption, bribery and rape. I think that was all in the first episode...it was definitely covered in the first 2 at least. Over the course of this drama you see so much character development which really makes you connect with the show more. Even some of the bad characters you end up pitying or hoping they'll find some solace or happiness in their life. One thing I liked about this show is it wasn't full of cliches. I mean yes it was dramatic and had a lot of melodrama but actual acting and scenarios were never cliched. There were many frustrating plot points but those were to prolong the life of the drama (let's be honest) so you know...those can't be helped. 

Kang Ja is a very devoted mother and it was really cool to see her starting fights with the school kids. Ah Ran was also a very strong character and protected those she cared about no matter the consequences. No Ah was very naive and innocent to the ways of the world but always cared for and protected his students. Once he was exposed to the corruption he became even stronger and played a major role in seeking justice for the students. 

Han Gong Joo and her goons are the funniest characters in the show. You can't help but laugh in all of their scenes. They also create a very warm family atmosphere despite being thugs. Bok Dong is always bullying Ah Ran and Yi Kyung at the start but we all know it's something he is forced to do so you just pity him. Then when he starts to open up and pull away from Dong Chil's clutches you start cheering for him.

Dong Chil is SUCH an asshole pretty much the whole drama until he finds out about Ah Ran and starts to turn. I wasn't expecting to have any good opinions of him and just thought he would meet a brutal end. But he redeems himself by the final episode and you know he's going to come out of prison a changed man who will...probably not change careers but at least have compassion. Ae Yeon was constantly a backstabbing bitch but you also just felt pity for her most of the show. Also when Do Jung Woo says he actually loved Ae Yeon or whatever I was like...mate you were like totally up for some fooling around with Kang Ja when she was in your apartment! You liar! Yep. I felt no remorse for his character in any way on any of his story line plots. 

Kang Ja's mother in law and her husband annoyed me for most of the drama and I actually thought Kang Ja would leave her husband or something and potentially find love with No Ah. Now this was in the earlier stages of the show. Anyway it didn't and i'm glad they chose the story they did. Her husband turns out to be a really good guy that does love her despite anything his mother says. It was really sad he died in the building collapse after only getting to be a good character for maybe an episode but oh well. 

I guess there's not much to really rant about. Everything in this drama other than the white shoe assassin and the fate of the ledger was concluded neatly. I wasn't left wanting and we can assume that Bok Dong will continue his crush on Kang Ja. Ah Ran and Sang Tae will have a cute romance that lasts into college and beyond. Everyone else will continue with life as it used to be. All the bad characters went to jail. Yeah everything was taken care of.

In conclusion, this is a gripping drama where you want to keep watching to see what will happen next and how things will turn out. Most of the drama is rather heavy so it's good to have the little inserts of comedic scenes here and there for a refresh. The acting is pretty good. Some actors stand out more than others but the character development in the show gets you attached to most characters anyway. 

7 out of 10 stars. 

What did you think?

Until next time my drama queens and kings,

Sarah

Hwarang (2016)

Photo source: http://www.ibtimes.co.in/hwarang-episode-20-finale-recap-season-2-begin-moo-myung-ah-ro-wedding-717042

I was scrolling through kdrama's and the cover for Hwarang caught my eye. I bookmarked it without really knowing what the plot was. All I knew was that this was set in Silla and it was a romance. While I was watching some other dramas (maybe Scarlet Heart: Ryeo) a lot of people were mentioning Hwarang. So I came back to it. I was left in a...dynasty day? mood after Scarlet Heart, and Page Turner obviously didn't satisfy that. So Hwarang is was!

The Kingdom of Silla has been run by the Queen Dowager for years. She keeps her son hidden, safe from enemies and assassins. He has now come of age and the Queen fears what will happen to him once she passes on the throne. The palace nobles and officials have all grown accustom to privileges under the bone rank system. Some officials have been plotting to usurp power therefore the Queen creates a new group of elite, the Hwarang. 

I recommend this drama for anyone who likes to see a bevy of beautiful men interacting with each other. All the Hwarang are attractive. Other than this there is a lot of comedic moments in the drama as well as a good focus on romance. The politics are in there but it doesn't take over the story. I enjoyed this drama as some fast paced fun entertainment (finished it in 2 days). 

SPOILER ALERT BELOW!!

Honestly I thought Dog Bird (Park Seo-Joon) was kinda ugly at the start and was like...oh no...I hope this isn't the main guy. Anyway moving on, Ji-Dwi (yes I'm sticking to the easiest names to remember because these main guys have like 50 personas), he was instantly captivated by Ah Ro just from her storytelling? I suppose stranger reasons have been written. From my understanding he just hears her story this one time, falls asleep from it (which is a good thing?) and is like, "I love her."

I was a bit skeptical of the main storyline being some forbidden romance between a brother and sister. I have a brother and that's gross. I know they weren't actually brother and sister but when Ah Ro wasn't sure if he was or not I was like....girl you do not even go there with a 50-foot-pole even if he isn't your brother in the end! But when she finds out he isn't...the brother sister cover worked well in their favour to disguise their relationship. I was okay with it then BECAUSE THEY KNEW THEY WERE NOT RELATED AT ALL!

Now, on to the actual formation of Hwarang. You know how I thought Dog Bird was ugly before? Well oh ma lawd I was eating those words for breakfast lunch and dinner after his Hwarang transformation. That long luscious straight hair and his headband oh maaaaaaaaaan and their robes were nice too. Good one costume department. All those beautiful men with long hair oh man OH MAN it was a vision. I know that Kim Yeo-Wool is meant to be the most beautiful person of the land, capable of turning straight men to his bed. But I thought Suk Han-Sung was prettier tbh. I suppose he has a really cute innocent charm that suited the character he played rather than a beautiful seductress so eh yeah.

I've seen Choi Min-Ho in a few things over the years but nothing that really grabbed my attention. But his acting as Kim Soo-Ho was really good! He was always entertaining and he is definitely a good looking guy. He was the character who had me laughing the most. As for his enemy Ban-Ryu, oh man that guy's asshole face was so nice to look at. Then later on when he would get embarrassed around Soo-Yeon I would die he was just so adorable. Also I suppose the fact that he's ice cold to everyone but kind to her just makes me melt. Then again in modern times he'd be the chaebol so *sigh* why do the chaebol's always win!?

For the actual romance between Dog Bird and Ah Ro it was so good! The kisses were passionate. They hugged frequently. He would always protect her and she would always care for his wounds. They would often speak loving words to each other. It was so nice! A really refreshing romance. I mean I know there was a lot of drama around it but overall, compared to a lot of other dramas this one had a pretty smooth run.

I didn't get second lead syndrome HOORAY which is always the trap I fall into. Ji-Dwi was lovely and definitely wonderful towards Ah Ro but yeah they just didn't have any chemistry. Also that kiss? Terrible. It just looked unpleasant (sorry Park Hyung-Sik).

The majority of this drama is just scenes between the Hwarang characters and Ah Ro. A lot of easy watching with not too much heavy conflict. The fight scenes were good I enjoyed the acrobatics of Dog Bird. As for the politics I usually just skipped through these scenes but they were always "gotta take down this person" talks so yeah whatever we'll see it unfold later on anyway.

Now for the ending, I liked it. I was worried Dog Bird was going to become the king and the story would end up like Scarlet Heart: Ryeo but it didn't! They played all the advisers! Played them like fiddles! It would have been nice to know if Ji-Dwi did have to marry his sister (poor guy) but at least we get to see Dog Bird and Ah Ro get engaged. Also good to see final clips of all the other main Hwarang cast.

So in conclusion this drama is full of action and romance and never slows down. It's really easy to watch and not too heavy with politics or drama. I loved seeing the Hwarang interact with each other and Dog Bird and Ah Ro together. Not much else to say really.

8 stars out of 10.

Did your jaw drop when you saw the Hwarang?

Until next time my drama queens and kings,
Sarah

Perseverance Goo Hae Ra (2015)

Photo source: http://kissasian.com/Drama/Perseverance-Goo-Hae-Ra

I'm a big fan of musicals and musical related shows. I saw some random photo of Min Hyo-Rin in a sexy outfit and after some investigating found Perseverance Goo Hae Ra. I had no idea she trained as a singer previously. I was a fan of hers since Sunny and thought she was sooooo beautiful. Anyway that paired with singing was enough to entice me to start this drama.

Perseverance Goo Hae Ra follows Hae-Ra (Min) who dreams of becoming a famous singer to let people know about her late fathers musical compositions. She takes part in TV contest Superstar K with her two childhood friends Se-Jong (Kwak Si-Yang) and Se-Chan (Jin Young). After passing the first round of auditions they are grouped with fellow contestants Henry, Woo-Ri and Jang Goon. Due to an unexpected incident they lose and return to daily life. Several years later a shocking incident causes the team to reunite and aim for a debut.

I really enjoyed this drama. There are many colourful characters and the performances are enjoyable. I would say this drama focuses more on the characters than performing but that's okay. Every character has a really special personality. There are a lot of frustrating moments but also a lot of really hilarious ones. Overall this drama will have you smiling most of the time and put you in a good mood.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW!!

This review won't be too long. First of all I always had an issue with Se-Chan/Se-Chan version 2 because he always got between Hae-Ra and Se-Jong. You can see from the first time they saw each other and then the whole time they were growing up they had feelings for each other. But Se-Chan got in the way and well I suppose the other two never confessed. I'm annoyed that Se-Jong just stood back every freaking time to protect Se-Chan and make sure he was happy. Like I get he's your brother but I mean he's a BROTHER! Not your son. You should find happiness too. You can be a bit greedy when it comes to siblings I think. 

Obviously I hated Scarlet and that asshole boy band Se-Jong had to join. But they were the scripted villains so eh. 

Now for everything else! (Because everything else was wonderful!) Henry and Woo-Ri were great side characters. I felt a bit bad for Woo-Ri because she's a much stronger singer than Hae-Ra but she's not the main because she's 'chubby.' I actually thought Hae-Ra was the weakest singer out of the entire group, but I still liked her singing. Anyway I enjoyed the team work and also the background story we get of the other characters. Henry was really funny although I didn't understand all the jokes since they were puns in Korean. 

I loved seeing the relationship between Henry and Woo-Ri because they were such cute characters together. I was also really moved when Jang Goon's dad accepted his career path. I was content that Se-Chan version 2 left peacefully. I know a lot of viewers shipped him with Hae-Ra but duuuuuuuuuude Hae-Ra and Se-Jong were like made for each other. Both brothers were super hot though. Super duper good looking! 

The other 3 characters I loved were the two mothers with Tae Poong. Those scenes were the freaking best! Especially that kimchi scene omg you guys should just google that! Tae Poong was such a good character! Definitely the funniest of them all. 

The mothers were great characters because they were really supportive of their children. Also I was excited when they decided to live together. Can you imagine moving in with your crush? Hohohohohohohohoho 

I know that Se-Jong was a moody bastard for most of the drama. He had his reasons. Wow he really put Hae-Ra through a lot but he was always actually a good guy. Although I think I'm biased because I found Se-Jong so good looking haha not even sorry. 

Now for the kiss! That kiss that finally FINALLY happens between Se-Jong and Hae-Ra was so satisfying! Se-Jong just got allllll up in there. I could just imagine Tae-Yang being a little annoyed at that kiss. 

In conclusion, This was a really enjoyable drama. A mix of upbeat, lighthearted and optimistic. While also having a few typical drama story lines. That's all I have to say really. A good mix of characters that keep you entertained and each episode enjoyable.

7 out of 10 Stars.

Have you seen it?

Until next time my drama queens and kings,

Sarah

Page Turner (2016)

Photo source: https://www.dramafever.com/drama/4899/Page_Turner/

Page Turner was a drama in my bookmarked list but I can't remember how it got there in the first place. I came across it again after looking at Kim Ji-Soo's discography. I saw it starred that new girl who seems to be pumping out dramas like crazy. It's only a 3 episode drama and I had an evening free so I decided to watch it. Page Turner revolves around the 2 top pianists at an elite performance school. These two have been rivals since childhood and passionately despise each other. When Yoon Yoo-Seul (Kim So-Hyun) gets into an accident, her rival Seo Jin-Mok (Shin Jae-Ha) changes his attitude towards her. At the same time, fate brings injured pole vaulter Jung Cha-Sik (Kim Ji-Soo) into their lives. This drama has pretty heavy themes on parents expectations and how intense it is to become a recognized pianist. The story and characters are written with great depth so even only 3 episodes long, you really feel what each character is going through and you understand them. If you enjoy classical music or a well written and serious story line that follows character progression then you'll probably appreciate this drama.

SPOILERS BELOW!!

The drama was tagged as a "romance" and I thought it was going to be a love triangle. But it isn't. The characters seem to be driven by their own motives to help each other. Between Cha-Sik and the Yoo-Seul it's definitely friendship. It may hint at something more but nothing we see really develop. With Cha-Sik and Yoo-Seul I thought it was guilt at first because he felt responsible for her accident. But later thought it's probably because he admires her. Between Cha-Sik and Jin-Mok I think they see the value each other has in Yoo-Seul's life so they work together for her sake. I'm glad Yoo-Seul's mother became aware of what she was doing and decided to support her daughter rather than push her into her own desires. I like Cha-Sik's mother because she was so supportive the whole way. When we find out she lied to him about his father, you could understand that she is a human and her sons well being is above anything else in her life. For Jin-Mok, his dad was a bit of an ass but definitely like a lot of our parents if we strayed off the typical career path. Mostly it was good to see him finally feel the passion for piano that he always seemed to be missing. My favourite character was Cha-Sik because he took all the criticisms and just tried to better himself. He worked so hard and was so motivated despite being torn down all the time. Also he was hilarious. Jin-Mok was always serious and the Yoo-Seul was kind of a bitch but it's because she was stressed out by her mother and really serious about piano.
The ending...I was a bit sad since it looked like Cha-Sik played the part perfectly, but he gave his spot to Jin-Mok because he wasn't confident. Also Yoo-Seul would have been so pissed off once she found out she played with Jin-Mok and her mother was there. She would have yelled at Cha-Sik so much for that. I like that we saw a little snippet of the aftermath of the show but I wished we saw signs of their future. I suppose all in all they were meant to be satisfying endings of the events that took place during the show. Yoo-Seul finally smiling from piano, Jin-Mok finally receiving first place, and Cha-Sik finding a new passion. Oh well it was only 3 episodes. Short and sweet and effective. Overall definitely an intense drama but one you can get absorbed in thanks to the character depth and actors performances. It was very well written and the writers didn't try to stuff in more plot points than necessary. Not exactly a fast paced and exciting story though, and some piano performances lasted a very long time. But still I have to emphasize how well this drama was made and acted out. 7 out of 10.

Have you seen this one? What did you think?

Until next time my drama queens and kings,
Sarah

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)

Photo source: https://www.dramafever.com/news/first-trailer-released-for-upcoming-drama-scarlet-heart-ryeo/

I first caught wind about this drama from an instagram post by IU. I'm pretty sure she was posing with Lee Joon-Gi and after looking through comments I saw they were going to be in a drama together. (Or maybe it was Joon-Gi with IU...anyway). I was excited because Joon-Gi was putting out another drama! I was pretty hooked on The Scholar who Walks the Night and have seen other previous works of the 2 mains. When I looked up the story I was overflowing with excitement! Cute IU with a cast of gorgeous men oh ma lawd! Goon-Ji being a main one! Set in the the Goryeo Dynasty! Yesssssssssss

21st Century woman Go Ha-Jin (IU) is transported back to the Goryeo Dynasty during a solar eclipse. When she wakes up, she is Hae Soo, beloved cousin of the 8th Prince's wife and currently residing with them. Go Ha-Jin only knows of her past life but decides to become Hae Soo in order to survive. Her modern day personality catches the attention of the princes, thus beginning friendships, romances and a lot of political drama. 

I finished this drama in 4 days. If I didn't have work...it probably would have been done in 2 or 3 days. I had this drama on my to watch list since that instagram post but many things came up so I only just got around to watching it now. I was hooked from the first episode! Oh my goodness! The costumes and hairstyle, the plot, the MEN! You know I love Splash Splash Love which has many similar themes so I knew I would like this drama too. I haven't watched a cliche drama in a while so I think maybe my tolerance was built up against that. There are definitely cliche things and so so many typical kdrama tropes in there but I didn't mind. This drama was beautiful and entertaining. The politics were a bit meh but they didn't take up too much time. I definitely recommend seeing this one if you like period dramas or if you like seeing romances based on a deep longing. Be warned that this drama is definitely a tragic one and if you have a soul you will cry. Just listen to the OST and you get a good feeling for what the episodes will be like. 

SPOILERS BELOW!!

First episode they basically jump right into Hae Soo (yep i'm using her Goryeo name the whole time) being transported to Goryeo. When she comes to, she is in the palace bathhouse and has just seen all the princes mid-bath sesh. All topless! All of them! Muscles on display! Wow 20 minutes into the drama I knew this was a good sign. Her main/closest friend Chae-Ryung takes her back home (the 8th Prince - Wook's house). Where she finds out who's body she seems to have taken over. From here we see Hae Soo adjust to the Goryeo lifestyle. At the same time we see her and Prince Wook develop feelings for each other, despite him being married to Hae Soo's beloved cousin. This goes on for about half the drama, and in the meantime Hae Soo also becomes close with a few of the other princes. 

In the later half of the drama Hae Soo begins a relationship with Prince So (Joon-Gi), who has been after her heart for a long time. I don't want to put too much plot in here...if you've seen it you'll understand what i'm talking about in the review.

So first of all, I loved seeing all the princes together. Each had their own personality and characteristics that made the scenes really entertaining. The Crown Prince: Mu was really kind and full of love for his brothers. The 3rd Prince: Yo was an angry asshole but I found his asshole face very pleasing to the eye. Hell I even liked the endless collection of chunky earrings he wore. The 4th Prince: So who was always scary and moody but soft towards Hae Soo and Baek Ah. 8th Prince: Wook who is very kind hearted and would do anything for Hae Soo (well almost) and his family. 9th Prince: Won who always just followed Yo. He didn't really have much personality other than being a slimy weasel :/ pretty forgettable character. 10th Prince: Eun who was like the child of the bunch. Always joking around and bringing a smile to Hae Soo's face. 13th Prince: Baek Ah (Nam Joo-Hyuk of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo) he was the artsy one and also very understanding towards people's emotions and actions. He was also so freaking beautiful to look at. Then 14th Prince: Jung who was the idiot of the bunch but he had a heart of gold. I've spent 20 hours with these men I feel so close to them haha I need a life. 

Hae Soo's character I really really REALLY loved in the first half of the drama. She always showed her emotions and would do what she wanted when she wanted. It was great to see a confident female protagonist who created strong friendships and would always do what she could to help a friend in need. I didn't much care for her opening her eyes as wide as she could in basically every scene but I assume that's what she was directed to do. In the second half of the drama...after the first time skip when she's the head of the Damiwon she is still a good person, the same as before, but she is always tame and acts as she should. I suppose a few years in the Palace did that to her but it wasn't as entertaining. Still I cried like a little bitch when she died. Not so much because of her death but because of her letter to So. 

Prince So I guess I had a bias towards his character because he was played by Joon-Gi. I hated that mask he wore in the first few episodes. That made him look way uglier than just the scar. And seriously even with that scar he was still 1000000 times hotter than the villagers (sorry). When they saw him and threw mud they were probably like "I hate this guy cuz he has a scar but he is damn fine." If I didn't have a bias for the actor I don't think I would have cared for Prince So that much. He was moody and that was fine, the typical asshole who gets the girl. But I suppose between him and Prince Wook I was on Wook's side. Prince So went from threatening to kill Hae Soo all the time to "you are my person, you belong to me." Even though he was totally just a friend and Hae Soo was in love with Wook at the time. I get that he saves her life and stands up for her and stuff which I suppose is the reason she fell in love with him...but I don't know I guess a lot of romance happened in that 2 year time skip and I just didn't see the love between them like I did with her and Wook. 

Wook was great, I really liked his relationship with Hae Soo and just felt so bad for this guy. He just got screwed over. He was so close to having a happy ending and then his bitch sister comes and ruins everything. It was unfortunate he didn't cherish his first wife, but i'm glad that his first wife saw the love between Wook and Hae Soo and wanted them to be happy together. I know that Wook didn't come through when he needed to while Hae Soo was being tortured (and even when she was about to marry the King but he attempted to stop that at least). But it was either save Hae Soo or see his family get slaughtered for attempting to kill the Crown Prince. So he was in a tough position. It was just really heartbreaking to see him in that situation when you know he was such a good guy. I'm glad he met a wife and had a daughter later on.

Now for the tragic parts. It was sad when Eun and his wife were killed but at least Prince So did it as a mercy killing. Also I wish Eun cherished his wife...or showed it in the few years they were married rather than treat her with disdain ALL THE TIME. I thought he was cute and playful but every time I saw him with Hae Soo I felt bad for him since it was a one sided love.

When Woo-Hee (Seohyun) killed herself I felt so bad for Baek Ah. Even though he had the title of a playboy he only had 2 great loves in his life and they both died. Baek Ah was also such a good guy and he deserved happiness. 

I was a bit sad when the Crown Prince died because he was actually a good guy and not corrupt in any way. If the other princes (So and Wook) didn't go after the crown they could have lived a good life with Hae Soo. She probably wouldn't have developed those awful heart palpitations and they could live a long life peacefully. Wook and So wanted the power of the crown so they could protect Hae Soo but ultimately that just pushed her away from each of them. Even when she asks So just to live with her peacefully but he says he wants the crown to protect his brothers...*massive sigh*

When Hae Soo died and Jung says "remember me in your next life," and she says "I will forget everything." I was like wtf. Jung has been nothing but loving toward you even though he knows you only had eyes for So the whole freaking time, and then you say that shit to him? You're about to die can't you say something nice? This is literally the only time you were a bitch in the drama and you were such a bitch in that scene. Wow could not believe that.

Oh maaaaaan when Jung and So have that whole miscommunication on Hae Soo's letters oh man that was so tragic. I wish So wasn't such a stubborn ass and he would just read those letters I mean....he didn't throw them away. And I didn't get why having Hae Soo's handwriting so close to So's was a bad thing? What would have happened? Also I don't think I cared so much about Hae Soo leaving So in the first place because after he became King he just like...exiled his brothers, had her bestie brutally murdered and was just a dick a lot of the time. I am happy that he treated his Queen like crap (Prince Wook's sister) because she screwed over Wook and Hae Soo multiple times so it was good to see her unloved (haha i'm terrible).

Im glad we see Hae Soo return to her original life, even though she is super depressed after remembering her Goryeo life. I believe she meets a reincarnated So in this lifetime that she can be happy with. That's how I can make peace with the ending and move on happily. So there were tragic moments but I wasn't as heartbroken as I had been expecting when I started the drama. 

So yes to conclude. I loved the story line. I loved the actors and their characters (well mostly). The drama was definitely a tragic one in the main scheme of things with how everyone lived through massive heartache but there were plenty of good and light moments as well. The costumes and settings were lovely to look at. I will probably re-watch those first episodes just because they were so good (and not tragic yet). 

8 out of 10 stars.

What did you think?

Until next time my drama queens and kings,
Sarah

Goblin (2016)

Photo source: http://www.allkpop.com/article/2016/11/new-drama-goblin-drops-posters-filled-with-bromance-and-romantic-chemistry

Goblin. Saw the hype but didn't feel any real interest to watch it. I have loved Gong Yoo since Coffee Prince and have found him to be one of the best actors I've seen (based off a few of his other works as well). I've also seen Kim Go-Eun in Chinatown and thought she was amazing in that. I think my main deterrent was the age gap between the leads. The fact that she plays a high schooler while Gong Yoo is (I think in his 40's as his character age). Anyway of course a bunch of friends recommended this one to me so I gave it a go after much convincing.

Kim Shin (Gong) was a human cursed to be an immortal goblin until he found his bride. In the present day he lives with an amnesiac grim reaper (Lee Dong-Wook). One day Kim Shin meets Ji Eun-Tak (Kim), who has the ability to see ghosts and is destined to be his bride that will end his immortality.  

So, the first episode I was confused. The next few episodes I was annoyed...and then after that I started to enjoy it. It's hard to give this show a rating or an overall opinion. It was a good show and really well made but I think I found it a little boring. It does have normally excellent reviews so up to you if you want to see it.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW!!

Alright down to business. So basically the first episode I was just like WTF IS HAPPENING AND WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!? Was that lady in white his lover? Why did everyone get slaughtered? Why was he banished to be a goblin? Okay guys, I am going to rant so much and tear this show apart. Even though I overall didn't mind the show...I think.

Okay so first of all he walks up to the King, watches everybody he cares about get slaughtered and THEN stops and is like "okay you can kill me now" wtf Kim Shin wtf? I think the reason you were cursed to be an immortal goblin is because you're an IDIOT! So the first episode is basically all in the Goryeo period and everything was confusing. All the women looked the same so I couldn't keep up with who was the Eun-Tak's mother. Also! Why did they put massive old lady make-up on Samshin (Lee El) I mean couldn't they have hired an actual old lady to play her during the old lady bits? She looked freakier than the evil ghosts that turned up.

Now on to our female protagonist. Okay I know she had a hard life...super sucky but omg she was soooooooooooo annoying in the first few episodes. Every time she was with family or at school she was all hateful and angsty (which was fine, that made sense). But as soon as she met the goblin, and all the times after she would not SHUT UP. It was like she needed to fill literally every second with dialogue when she was with Kim Shin. Also, he turned up when she blew out the candle. Has she not blown out a flame in that entire 10 years or something since her mother died? Also, was she not the goblin's bride since birth therefore during her 9th birthday when she blew out candles shouldn't the goblin have turned up?

Finally hope came to me in the form of the grim reaper and Sunny. I loved all the scenes with these two and found the grim reaper so incredibly cute. He was just so awful at dating but so pure! It was around these times where I would skip to their scenes because I could not stand Eun-Tak.

Eventually Eun-Tak becomes bearable and I started watching the episodes in their entirety. I found the relationship between the goblin and Eun-Tak a bit bland. I didn't really see any romantic chemisty between them. I felt more chemistry between the few scenes Eun-Tak had with her childhood friend. I still don't understand how their feelings developed. Kim Shin went from trying to avoid Eun-Tak to falling in love with her? Why? How? I still don't know! Can someone PLEASE explain to me how they fell in love? Gong Yoo just kept putting on constipated faces when he was her then cracked a baby smile when she wasn't looking at him.

Also, I get that Kim Shin was cursed with immortality so he could see everyone he loves die. But why did he have goblin powers? Didn't those powers just make his life way more awesome? It doesn't really seem like a punishment.

I don't get why Sunny and the grim reaper couldn't be together when they remembered their Goryeo past. I mean you guys loved each other back then so why can't you just get together now anyway? And why the hell did Sunny not age a day when she died at like...age 60 or something?

I don't think this is a very good review. Mostly just a rant. The last 4 episodes I thoroughly enjoyed because shit finally started happening. Also I had to re-watch that passionate kiss scene between Eun-Tak and Kim Shin oh ma lord that man can kiss! I also think I liked these later episodes because Eun-Tak was 29 so it didn't seem creepy anymore. (Yes I know the actress is in her 20's irl but that's not the point).

I don't get why when the sword was pulled out Kim Shin just got banished to a snowy field for 10 years. Wasn't he meant to die forever? Didn't Eun-Tak blow out any flames in those 10 years? Did you see how many freaking candles she had? THAT IS A PLOT HOLE. Also Kim Shin comes back and is still immortal. Soooooo Eun-Tak will die again and reincarnate another 2 times. Spend all those with Kim Shin and he's just going to wait around for all that...live through her death 4 times and then he's just going to chill single and alone for the rest of eternity? Wasn't his curse lifted once the sword was pulled out? Wut?

Also when Kim Shin comes back and he's like "as long as you are well I am happy." Mate, did you not hear her when she said she has severe mood swings? Did you not see her wolfing down pills to control her emotions? She isn't well.

The way the show ended was good through, wrapping up the relationships and showing happy endings for everyone. But still there are many questions left unanswered and many plot holes made for the sake of the drama achieving what they wanted. I'm not going to let those slide. Also, I feel that the episodes would not have been 1.5 hrs long if they didn't have so many god damn slow mo's and camera angles. Every time something "full of tension" happened we got it in slow mo AND in 50 different angles. Did anyone else notice that? I get they want to build tension but seriously it was so overdone and they did it every episode! Multiple times! If I got a dollar every time that happened I would probably have $50 or something.

So yes, in conclusion, it was a visually stunning drama haha I know I didn't mention that but yeah it really was. I wish they travelled somewhere other than Canada though. "Oh look I have a magic portal to anywhere....hmm let's go to Canada 4 times for steak." Pretty sure Australia is known for the best beef right? Unless you get some legit Japanese wagyu. I have never heard anyone rave about Canadian beef. Okay back to the conclusion. I wouldn't watch this drama again, and the only memories I'll have of it are the illogical plot points and my annoyance toward the female lead. The only good memories will be the visual locations and that 10/10 kiss in episode...12? maybe 14. Anyway that was marvelous.

I give it...6 out of 10 stars. It's not as bad as I make it sound but it did take me a long time to get through it because I wasn't very enthusiastic. I gave it a good chance when I started episode 1 and they tore me down. You shouldn't have to make a comeback halfway through the drama to make it good.

Let me know your thoughts! (I'll probably be torn apart haha)

Until next time my drama queens and kings,
Sarah

Oh My Ghost (2015)

Photo source: http://asianwiki.com/Oh_My_Ghost

I found this drama after looking up Kwak Si-Yang, whom I fell in love with in Perseverance Goo Hae Ra. The plot looked promising and I was a fan of the two female leads from past dramas. When I went to look up some info about this drama before starting it I found out it was written by the same people who made Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo! You know how much I love that drama. Oh My Ghost also stars Kang Ki-Young, Bok Joo's uncle in the show. 

Oh My Ghost is about timid Na Bong-Sun (Park Bo-Young). She works in the kitchen of arrogant star-chef Kang Sun-Woo (Cho Jung-Seok), who constantly reprimands Bong-Sun for making mistakes in the kitchen. Bong-Sun has the ability to see ghosts, passed down to her form her shaman grandmother. She is possessed by lustful virgin ghost Shin Soon-Ae (Kim Seul-Gi). Soon-Ae believes she needs to lose her virginity to "resolve her grudge" and move on to the afterlife. When Bong-Sun suddenly becomes a confident and charismatic woman Sun-Woo starts to notice her. 

This was a good drama. Every character including the supporting ones have depth. Park did an amazing job acting out both timid and charismatic versions of Bong-Sun. Sun-Woo was lovable even if he was arrogant. The way he would word compliments about himself just cracked me up. Soon-Ae was a really lively character and many times over the top so you can see the extreme difference between her personality and Bong-Sun. The four kitchen staff at Sun restaurant (the main setting for the drama) are hilarious and have a wonderful group dynamic. 

The first few episodes I'll admit I found Soon-Ae rather annoying. She was incredibly rude and over the top with things. She didn't give a damn about who she had possessed and just caused trouble. Towards the middle the Soon-Ae and Bong-Sun started to become closer in personality. Bong-Sun became more confident and it was really good to see. Sun-Woo was such a good guy taking care of his erratic employee and accepting her "personality disorder." 

Oh My Ghost isn't all about comedy and romance though. It was unexpected but there's actually a very sinister plot throughout the episodes as well. So I would say definitely give this drama a shot, even if you find timid Bong-Sun or eccentric Shin-Ae annoying at the start you'll start loving them pretty soon. 

SPOILER ALERT BELOW!!

Alright let's get to business. While watching Oh My Ghost I felt so bad for Bong-Sun because she was possessed and Soon-Ae stayed inside for about two weeks. While possessed Bong-Sun has no idea what's been happening. I wasn't sure how the series would play out. Obviously Bong-Sun (either normal or possessed) would end up with Sun-Woo but Shin-Ae wouldn't be able to stay forever and Bong-Sun has had a crush on Sun-Woo since before she started working for him. Also, I was rooting for the real Bong-Sun. I was really happy to see her become more confident.

When we started seeing the police brother-in-law being sinister I was like OOOOOOO shit is going doooooown. But I wasn't too sure what was going to happen. I knew that he must have something to do with his own wife's hit and run accident that made her unable to walk again. For the first half of the series I thought that maybe Shin-Ae was in a coma and kept secretly somewhere by the brother-in-law. Then at the end of the series they would find her, her spirit return to her body and Bong-Sun tell Sun-Woo that he was actually in love with Shin-Ae. But then she had been "dead" for 2 years already and that's a long time to keep someone around. So I faced the truth that she probably was dead. 

I'm glad that Shin-Ae stopped possessing Bong-Sun around episode 9 so that gave ample time for Sun-Woo to actually know he was in love with the real Bong-Sun. It was pretty sad to see Sun-Woo bringing up memories that he spent with possessed Bong-Sun and her just sitting there like "okay the guy I like actually likes a ghost. Cool." So I'm glad she came clean about it all to Sun-Woo and he was able to see that he had in fact had feelings for the real Bong-Sun, even though it took possessed Bong-Sun for him to realise. 

I found Heo Min-Soo (Kang) really annoying. He was so full of shit and forced his company and ideas on the other kitchen staff. But, in saying that there are times when he was hilarious and overall you're glad he was included in the show. It wouldn't have been nearly as hilarious without him. My favourite scene is when he drunkenly plays a stalk. 

Seo Joon (Kwak) was such a sweetie. I loved how he didn't take Min-Soo's crap and how he would say the perfect thing at the perfect times. I think at the start of the show he was probably going to become a love rival to Sun-Woo but maybe the writers changed their minds later on. It was probably for the best. There was enough drama without that plot happening.

For the sinister part. I liked it, it made the show interesting. Also I liked how sinister they made the bad guy. Possessed by an evil spirit and had no hesitations about brutally killing people. It was great. The actor was really good with his expressions from being this lovely sweet man and instantly turning to a killer face. 

The way this show wrapped up all loose ends and had everything explained was perfect. In the last episode I didn't feel sad for anybody. I feel that everyone was given a good ending.

I'm going to give a shout out to Shin-Ae's brother who beat Sun-Woo to his senses and then quietly says "be happy" as Sun-Woo runs to reconcile with Bong-Sun. Man that made me laugh! 

8 out of 10 stars. 

I found a few characters annoying but other than that everything in the show was really well done and really fun to watch. 

Let me know your thoughts!

Until next time my drama queens and kings,

Sarah

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (2016)

Photo source: https://www.viki.com/tv/32634c-weightlifting-fairy-kim-bok-joo

Growing up I've always had a soft spot for sport themes. I had just finished watching season 3 of Haikyuu (a volleyball anime) which had me crying like a little bitch during most of the episodes. I find stories that revolve around sport to be very moving and motivating. You get to see the struggle of the players and understand how much success means to them. I stumbled upon Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (WFKBJ) while searching for sport tagged dramas/movies. I remember I was tossing up between this drama and a volleyball one at the time. I can't remember my motivation for choosing this one though, I think it was due to the comments.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo centers around Bok Joo (Lee Sung-Kyoung), a girl who has dreamed of becoming a professional weightlifter since her elementary school days. Now she attends a sports university and specializes in weightlifting. Here she has a few bad run-ins with the very handsome swimming star Jung Joon-Hyung (Nam Joo-Hyuk). These bad run-ins become the start of a very beautiful friendship. 

I'm going to put my rating here before the spoilers so that people who have not seen this show can go and see it. I give this drama 10 out of 10 stars. Hands down my favourite drama I have ever watched. I don't really think I could come up with any flaws. I loved the show, it is so heartwarming and every episode leaves you with a smile.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW!!

I don't know where to begin pouring out my love for this show. Do I start with the themes? Do I start with the acting? The characters? Please please PLEASE watch this show! I don't know if you've noticed it but I am all for non-cliche story lines. WFKBJ might have maybe one or two thrown in there but I suppose without it it couldn't be classified a 'drama.'

At the start we have Bok Joo who is a woman that knows what she wants and works hard to achieve it. She's great as a person because she is so caring toward her friends and can act like a complete idiot and not give a damn about what people think (well actually she kinda does but more in a "how dare you insult me" way rather than a "you're words have hurt my insecurities" way). Bok Joo acts like a real goof, she stuffs her face all the time and she walks like a hobbling man. I also love how she didn't need to undergo some 'beauty' makeover to get the guy/felt that she needed a makeover in the first place. I find this so realistic. In life if you like someone then you will probably change things up like wear cute accessories or something but nothing to the extremes that you see in other shows. (I do love a good makeover scene though). 

Joon Hyung is such an amazing guy. He's like the perfect man. It's great to see how much he supports Bok Joo and how he never acts in the typical chaebol mean fashion. Oh my god a guy who's nice actually finds love in a kdrama? WHAT! Anyway he's such a sweetheart. The first half of the show is just about Bok Joo and Joon Hyung's friendship and it's lovely because they honestly only view each other as friends. No hidden agendas or anything. They are so comfortable around each other. 

Later when Joon Hyung realises he actually likes Bok Joo it was such a good scene. Then he has to try and woo Bok Joo! I like how she didn't just say yes to him straight away because of his looks or anything. The feelings have to be there first. Once these two get togther they are the most adorable couple. Wow I honestly got cavities watching them and I loved every scene! I re-watched every scene! I told my friends about the scenes! 

The supporting characters are all amazing as well. Hell even the antagonist ex-girlfriend I liked. You pity her for the first half and then you're like, yeah she's cool I'd chill with her. Bok Joo's 2 besites are so cute. When the 3 of them go out to eat or hang out in the dorm and how they say 'swag' as their catchphrase is so cute. 

The communication between the lead characters was fantastic. They had a few misunderstandings here and there but it was nothing that spanned over a few episodes. If Bok Joo was pissed she would tell Joon Hyung. When Joon Hyung liked Bok Joo he told her quickly. When Bok Joo liked Joon Hyung she just came out and said it. Joon Hyung openly cries in front of Bok Joo and nobody is uncomfortable or embarrassed. Bok Joo cries multiple times in front of Joon Hyung even when they're just friends and he just supports her. 

The kisses! Yes thank you! These two kissed convincingly. They gave each other cute pecks on the cheek or lips here and there. When they went to smooch they SMOOCHED! It was so realistic! The kisses were fulfilling. I hope all dramas start doing this now. Oh my goodness it was so wonderful to NOT see any crying kisses, dramatic open eye kisses, 1 person is asleep kisses. Wow so nice.  

As a sports drama to be honest this was nothing like what I had expected. It was definitely a rom/com in a sports university setting but you didn't really see them struggle towards their sports goals the way you would in Attack No.1 (Japanese drama) or something. 

I'll just give a mention to this, I know that Joon Hyung being abandoned by his mother was the reason he couldn't swim well in competitions and I suppose they tried to make that a big theme...but when she came back he forgave her instantly without kicking up a fuss. When he found out why she came back he was angry for 2 days maybe? Which meant about 20minutes in drama episode time. Then he just sends her off at the airport and is fine again. Also Bok Joo understanding his mother's feelings. Hell no! She abandoned him in Korea to get remarried. Then only comes back like 10 years later to ask the family for money to save her new child. Like...lady... Okay that was more than a mention haha but I'm happy it only went on for 20 minutes. That was the biggest drama that happened in the show and it was messing with the good vibes! 

Sung-Kyoung plays her part perfectly. She always puts on amazing expressions and does so well at making you laugh! Or feel her pain. Joo-Hyuk is also an amazing actor and his little facial expressions or hand gestures made Joo Hyung the person he was. It's the small things that create a complete character and really gets you to connect with them. Also the two leads are so good together. So natural and comfortable. 

Okay so in conclusion watch this show. It is amazing. Seeing the leads together as friends first is wonderful and then seeing them develop into a couple just makes you feel complete. These two characters belong together and are perfect for each other. They never try to change each other because they are completely in love. I think I particularly loved this show because there were so many relatable parts and made me remember past crushes and relationships.

10 out of 10 stars! Have you watched it yet? Talk to me about it in the comments!

Until next time my drama queens and kings,

Sarah

(How can I watch another drama now? Will anything compare to my love for Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo? I've been tainted!)

Descendants of the Sun (2016)

Photo source: http://www.rolalaloves.com/2016/03/10-reasons-i-love-descendants-of-sun.html

I heard a lot about this drama. Mostly just how it was really popular and really good, not anything about the story. That being said I never had any real interest in watching it UNTIL I watched the movie Warewolf Boy, which stars the lead actor Song Joong-Ki. I found him incredibly adorable in Warewolf Boy and couldn't believe how freaking young this guy looks in the film when he was 27 in real life! If anyone has watched this movie then you can understand...I needed closure. Closure? I'm not sure if that's the right word. Basically I needed to see him getting some satisfying loving and lots of it. Alas, Descendants of the Sun, supposedly full of romance. So the next day, I started this drama.

Going in with next to no idea what the drama was about I just thought it was about an army soldier and an army medic who get stationed together. Hilarity and romance ensues.

This is what it's actually about. Captain Yoo Si-Jin (Joong-Ki) is the team leader of an elite special forces unit in South Korea. During a day off circumstances bring him to Haesung Hospital where he meets and is instantly attracted to cardio thoracic specialist Dr Kang Mo-Yeon (Song Hye-Kyo). The two try a few dates but are always interrupted midway by Captain Yoo's work, which he keeps secret from Dr Kang. Ultimately they break up. 8 months later, Dr Kang refuses the sexual advances of the hospital director and as punishment, is assigned to establish a medical facility in war torn Urk with a team of medical volunteers. There, she is reunited with Captain Yoo.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW!!

Okay sooooooooooooo i'm going to dissect this show by themes. Overall, I found this show a bit ridiculous and skipped through a vast majority of it. Now, in the shows defense, I was mostly just interested in the romance and didn't care about Urk or the North Korean spy or that evil American guy that used to work with Captain Yoo but joined the dark side later.

Bromance - This show has a lot of that and I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes between Captain Yoo and his team. Especially with his bestie Seo Dae-Young. It was great to see these two men, who are 100% focused and serious when it comes to their work, just act as goofballs during their off duty times.

Girl power - There are two lead women in the show. Dr Kang and Yoon Myeong-Ju. Both these characters portray very strong women who get down to business and aren't completely useless when faced with difficulties. Basically all the women in this show were great. Nobody was crying excessively or over useless things. Yes there were no irritating women in this show so that's a thumbs up from me. Oh wait! Except that bitch who works at the hospital but she wasn't given many scenes.

Relationships - So yeah it took a lot of back and forth for the main couples to get together BUT it all happened wayyyyyyyyy before the final episode of the show (oh my god that never happens). I liked how the relationships were adult and just seemed like normal relationships. At least as normal as they can be considering their setting.

Cliche story lines - Oh man bye cancer. Bye asshole main character that gets the girl. Bye second lead syndrome. Bye long lost siblings. Bye disapproving rich mother. This show ditched most of the cliche story lines that come with Korean dramas and it was so refreshing. I wonder if that's why the show was so popular? Because it strayed from the norm and people loved it! Maybe they just don't realise what a pain in the ass the typical cliche's are to watch! (I say that...but I still continue to watch those anyway).

Displays of affection - Alright so the main couple. Yes. They kiss like a real couple thank GOD. The second lead couple...much is to be desired. I suppose in the final episode we get a bit of satisfaction but i'll complain about it more later. Actually that's all I have to say on it. Next!

RANT PARAGRAPH !!
Alright, so now I will talk about all the things that urked me (get it? Urk? heh heh heeeeeh). First of all...according to the English subtitles I had, Captain Yoo lead a specialist task force for the UN. Can somebody tell me WHY South Korea has trained up a secret team of elite soldiers and sent them to a foreign country to fight in the name of the UN? I JUST COULDN'T GET OVER HOW STUPID THIS WAS. Apparently something like this actually exists though so... (I didn't google to verify). Next was how Dr Kang took so damn long to accept she liked Captain Yoo and wanted to get with him. I know that he could die any day but honey you have feelings for him and he might die either way so you may as well love him while you can! Next was I know this show is probably a PG or M rating or something but...damn I feel like in real life you don't go to a beautiful deserted island or on a camping trip with your boyfriend and all you do is kiss. Can't they allude to something more at least? Am I just some sex crazed maniac? At least they kissed with passion. The second lead couple though. Come on! On and off for like 4 years and all you do is kiss each other on the bloody forehead? I've kissed my own mother with more affection! I wish they could have kissed like the main couple, that just would have made more sense. Myeong-Ju would not have been chasing Dae-Young for 4 years for a forehead kiss.

Okay, so to summarise, the show was enjoyable. Haha can I say that after the rant paragraph? It was great to see the interaction among the task force and the medical team. There were many hilarious scenes and it gave some nice light moments considering they were in a very dangerous area. The romantic relationships were refreshing to watch because they had great chemistry and the leads definitely got together in a much more natural and believable way. The scenery or Urk (which I believe was actually Greece?) was really beautiful and you could see the show was given a high production value. I think they could have ditched the whole North Korean spy bit at the end which dragged the show on for about 3 or so episodes but ah well.

6 out of 10 stars. It was enjoyable but I just didn't care about the other story lines.

I'd also like to give a shout out to the person who wrote in the topless soldiers running scenes. They were by far my favourite scenes in the show.

What did you think?

Until next time my drama queens and kings,
Sarah

Reply 1988 (2015)

Photo source: https://www.soompi.com/2016/01/05/which-reply-1988-character-is-your-soulmate/

I've got a bookmark folder on my laptop for dramas I want to watch. I took a break from drama after getting halfway through Love in the Moonlight and when I started itching for a new one I went through that folder and read synopsis for the next contenders. I decided upon Reply 1988 because it seemed like it would be an easy watching kdrama. Nothing too dramatic, unlike basically every other kdrama in existence. Also 4 boys and 1 girl. Mate. Reverse harem. Also it stars Park Bo-gum and Go Kyung-pyo who I have seen in dramas/movies previously and liked their acting. 

So essentially, Reply 1988 is about 5 families who are neighbours. Each family has at least 1 child all born in the same year and these 5 kids make up the main group the drama focuses on. Although honestly, that's not true. The 5 kids definitely make one main group, but then the fathers/husbands and the mothers/wives also make separate groups. And then each married couple makes their own group and the individual families make their own group and the siblings of the families make another group. Basically you see how each character interacts in all different groups and you get a really good insight in to each characters personality and mind-set. 

So my initial thoughts was that there would be some massive love triangle action going on in this drama and in a way there was but not in any scandelous way. Nobody was playing dirty tricks and there was no antagonist characters. There were literally no characters I didn't like in this drama. There actually wasn't a focus on romance at all until later on in the series. Normally I am allllll about romance from the get-go but I really enjoyed just seeing these characters live their day-to-day lives. There are so many hilarious moments and SO many relatable moments in this drama. It was such a joy to watch. I don't know what else to say. This drama was just so good all the time. There were also many moving or sad scenes and you couldn't help but cry with the characters!

SPOILER ALERT BELOW

Okay so now let's delve deep. Really i'm just going to comment about the romance in the drama because that held most of my interest. Sun-woo and Duk-seon totally seemed 100% couple material at the start, which I suppose is exactly what the writers wanted. But of course when you see Duk-seon in the future with her husband you know it's not Sun-woo based on him not getting a valentine's from her that year. When I found out Sun-woo actually liked her sister Bo-ra I was like WHAAAT but it was great. I was reading through comments during those first few episodes and everyone hated Bo-ra so much but I didn't mind her...I mean she's just the bitchy older sister but she's not like those psycho gonna blow up your car and bankrupt your family villains you see in the other dramas. So I was cool with her. Also after the first couple episodes she tones way down and does become a very likable character. 

When Duk-seon's attention moved to Jung-hwan I was so sure they would get together because it was obvious that he was in love with her! But then he just never got around to confessing! NEVER! And Duk-seon was just waiting for so long. But man I love Jung-hwan omg I thought he was pretty ugly when the drama started but my god I love that man now. He was such a sweetheart to Duk-seon, wow he would actually make such a great husband. 

Time skip to 6 years later and there's a thing going on with Taek, well honestly I had come across the spoiler for this drama a long time before I watched so I knew what I was coming for. When Taek first says he likes Duk-seon 6 years prior in his room to the other 3 guys (main reason why Jung-hwan doesn't confess then) I just thought...he's such a cutie but Duk-seon needs someone more like Jung-hwan for her personality. 

Sun-woo and Bo-ra's relationship was nice to watch. Sun-woo generally was very mature but when he had problems Bo-ra really gave him perfect advice. Also I think it would take someone as laid back as Sun-woo to date Bo-ra since she's so dominating. They fit each other well. She was also really cute how she would wear skirts on their dates and sneak smiles at him in the street. 

Jung-bong and Mi-ok was a nice little side story romance. These two definitely had the most cliche story haha...cliche? Maybe typical drama style romance in the way he was running from gangsters and hid under her umbrella, love at first sight. It's odd because Jung-bong was really not cool at all but Mi-ok thought of him like superman. 

Sun-young and Moo-sung was a couple I foresaw in the first episode. 2 single parents as main characters? Yep probably going to get together, it's just the question of how. I really liked Moo-sung he is such a cool cat father. But actually a real softie on the inside towards his son Taek. He was my favourite father in the series. There wasn't really a romance between them I guess, just a deep appreciation for each other that lead to a very tame love. 

Kisses - Yes this get's it own section.

The kisses in this drama were so fulfilling. Wow. I wish every drama would include kisses like this. The first kiss is between Bo-ra and Sun-woo and when he asks her, "can I kiss you?" I just expected a long peck on the lips but no that boy went to TOWN. It was great. It was like "oh man my sexy girlfriend that I've liked for 2 years and is older than me is letting me kiss her for the first time. I'm going all out." It was an amazing kiss scene that went for like a whole minute. Full on pash. 

Next was the cute kiss that Taek gives Duk-seon after just waking up. Taking a bit of inspiration from Spider man and being upside down was cute. I also just expected a peck on the lips but they actually did some nice cute normal smooching! So cute. 

Next was the reunion kiss between Bo-ra and Sun-woo. He's agreed to them getting back together, takes her around the corner and then passionately kisses her against the wall oh ma gawd I was screaming so much. It was good because Sun-woo is a man at this stage and it's like...this is real life. If you're dating someone you love you give them a proper passionate kiss!

Finally the crescendo kiss between Duk-seon and Taek! Wow this whole scene was great I re-watched it. I also love how just before they replay their first kiss from 6 years ago which Taek thought was just a dream. I also love how he's shocked and distraught when he first finds out it actually was real life and Duk-seon lied. But then he collects himself and asks, "how about now?" Oh man this guy is not wasting another moment hiding his feelings from Duk-seon! He's waited too long already. We've all waited too long! She confesses their relationship would probably still be awkward, "but..." BUT I WANT YOUR SEXY ASS ANYWAY BECAUSE I LOVE YOU and he goes for the snog! Grips the chair, veins popping out of his hands. She's getting pushed back into the chair. He starts holding her face omg it was so good! Best comment I read on that was "Choi Taek skills 1. Baduk 2. Kissing."

Final comments. Alright this ended up being a long long post because I was so invested in this drama and there were so many things to comment on. 

I felt really sad towards Jung-hwan because he kept his feelings secret for so long. But I personally feel at peace because of the car scene when he owns up for his mistakes saying he always hesitated and how Taek wanted Duk-seon more than he did. I was also really happy that he did actually get to confess his feelings to Duk-seon. That scene and that whole confession was amazing. It was one of those moments where as a viewer you've screamed all these things at the tv so Duk-seon can somehow hear you, and now she's actually finding it all out and it just feels like sweet justice. I wish we did get to see how he ended up in the end though. He did that, gave Taek his blessing to confess to Duk-seon and then pretty much disappeared. I wish that Duk-seon actually did have a romance with him and then could have gone to Taek later. Even if she did stay with Jung-hwan that would be fine. I did hear 2 theories that Taek was so popular with viewers they decided to make him the husband instead. The other theory being Jung-hwan was meant to date Duk-seon and then die (the reason he had so many nose bleeds in the earlier episodes, and his brother had that heart condition). So I guess I would have liked that initial story line to happen. Jung-hwan die and then Taek date her 6 years later. As sad as that would have been to actually happen in the drama. 

Although I liked Bo-ra and Sun-woo's relationship I didn't watch the entire series to see THEM getting married. I mean I was very happy to see them get married but we didn't see Taek and Duk-seon come out as a couple publicly or get married. Why? I want them to film another episode wrapping up those loose ends. And yes just those points would be enough to fill another 2 hour episode.

The last thing I would like to say is my favourite character is Dong-ryong. He is hilarious and I wish he wasn't brushed aside (pretty sure Jung-bong received more story and character development) since he was one of the main 5. He has family issues that were never really addressed. 

8 out of 10 stars (yeah as much as I loved it I did skip through a lot of the scenes between parents so I could get to the romance scenes faster).

Have you seen this drama? Let me know your thoughts.

Until next time my drama queens and kings,
Sarah.

Love in the Moonlight (2016)

Photo source: http://asianwiki.com/Love_in_the_Moonlight

Okay so I've known about Yoo-Jung Kim since she was a child actor. I also highly recommend you all to watch her film Thread of Lies. I can't remember how I came across this drama in the first place...probably just saw some photo online. Saw Joseon themes and recognised Kim dressed as a BOY which is immediate yes bells for me. I think by now you can tell i'm going through a gender bender stage.

Hong Ra-On (Kim) pretends to be a boy in daily life. She makes money by helping men with their women troubles. These skills, mixed with some bad luck, lands her a position as a eunuch in the palace and serving Crown Prince Lee Yeong (Bo-Gum Park). 

Okay so firstly I just want to say that i'm only half way through this drama. Yes, I do plan to finish it, or at least skim to all the good parts in the final episodes. So obviously this is a romance. Online descriptions, much like my own, are rather vague but I think you give away too much otherwise. Or would need a reaaaaalllllyyy long paragraph to just cover all the characters. First of all hot DAYUM Bo-Gum park is like such a cutie, Jinyoung is beautiful and Dong-Yeon Kwak is that mysterious tortured soul that you can't help but be drawn to. Triple kill every episode oh it's lovely. Although Dong-Yeon is atm 19 in real life so like....cannot go there. 

SPOILER ALERT BELOW 

Anyway the first half of the series is so cute and there are so many hilarious and lovable scenes between the characters. What else could I say? I just kept watching for the interaction and progression of the romantic relationship between the leads. As the episodes went on, focus on the political side of the story became more prominent and the relationship just came to a "okay we got here...annnnd we'll stay here." There doesn't seem to be any further progression romantically between the two leads, instead they just introduce some new chick to be a melodramatic pain in the arse (although I actually do like her personality). So this is the main reason I've only gotten half way. I don't care for the politics I just want to see romance and PASSION! They kissed like...one time I think? To be fair the lead actors are like 23 and 17 sooooo well I wouldn't want to be getting it on with a 17 year old. But something more than cute smiles and shielding each other from the sun would be nice. How about some intense hugs? Can I get that much at least? 

It's come to a point where I've just theorized what will happen in the remaining episodes and that is: The Crown Prince steps up and becomes King. He can't marry Ra-On because she's a peasant girl, not to mention the soul heir of a notorious rebel leader. She might be allowed as a concubine but that's like gg she put in the hard yards just to bear some kiddies. The minister's daughter (the one who's meant to come between the leads) gets sent packing and has no chance of becoming Queen, possibly get with Jinyoung but usually in kdrama's the second leads just live on with their broken nice guy hearts. That old guy who's being a sneaky snake (look guys I'm actually terrible with Korean names) get's his just desserts and is banished from the palace. Dong-Yeon sadly stares into his shitty sleeping quarters while somehow lands the "sexiest man of Joseon" title and ninjas his way into my arms...in like a few years when he's older and it's not weird between us. 

So sometime soon I promise to actually finish the series because it is definitely a good series. The main story I want to see unfold is between the princess and Ra-On's chubby friend who's in love with the princess.

Also, even though I haven't mentioned him at all my favourite character in the whole show is Eunuch Jang. That guy is hilarious, especially when he starts using hiccups as a secret signal. 

Have you guys seen the series? Should I continue? 

Until next time my drama queens and kings,

Sarah