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