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 

VENT AND SPOILERS! Sukina Hito ga Iru Koto (A Girl and Three Sweethearts)

Photo source:http://www.d-addicts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=162497

Okay so here we are at the end of the series. When I last wrote about Sukina Hito ga Iru Koto it was after I had seen the 3rd episode. Many things have happened and I have a lot to chat about here. I tried looking for some good forums to see what other people's opinions were but all I found were other reviews like what I write (by "tried looking" i mean google searched and checked links on the first page).

After reading my previous review many of my opinions have changed. I still liked the show overall but I found once all the drama started to unfold the characters didn't develop more at all. I also found Kanata had even fewer lines and would literally spend the episode just saying "yeah" and glaring. Now to analyse the main points of conflict within the show and this means in depth spoilers. You have been warned.

So Misaki was all "i'm going to try get with Chiaki" and she eventually worked up the courage to ask him to go to the fireworks festival with her. All during this episode other characters were teasing Kanata about probably having feelings for Misaki. I know I predicted that sort of outcome, but honestly I just couldn't see the development from despising her in the first episode, to having feelings for her now. At the end of the episode when Misaki was working up the courage to confess to Chiaki, she ends up finding out about Chiaki's ex's circumstances and tells him to go to her instead. She stays back to cry and watch fireworks while he sprints to his ex and apologises for not helping her. While Misaki is crying, Kanata walks over to her, puts his arm around her and says "i'm still here." I had to replay that scene and squeal. So now you would think, okay Misaki and Kanata will have a development in their relationship while Chiaki and his ex get back together.

Nup.

In the next episode Kanata clearly tells Misaki that he likes her. She asks him why and he says "I don't like seeing you cry because of Chiaki. That means I like you right?" Umm NO that means you pity her. If any of my friends are sad over their crushes I'm not all like "omg I hate seeing you sad, I am in love with you now." I don't know if that was actually ACTUALLY what he said or if that was just the best way to translate the subs but that does not seem to be correct reasoning to like somebody. Now then, in this episode we also see that useless yakuza guy turn up yet again to make more threats and try to obtain ownership of Sea Son's. He threatens Chiaki that he will expose the family's secret if he doesn't get Sea Son's. So obviously this would have something to do with the mysterious girl in white who keeps turning up looking for her brother Takumi. We find out later that Kanata is in fact adopted and his biological mother is gravely ill. He shares a very rare blood type with his mother and therefore is the only one who can help her with a blood transfusion. Rare blood ay? Rarer than the usual? I know O- is the rarest, while being the only type accepted by every other...but seriously in all the Tokyo region he's the only one? Well after he donates blood to the mother he buggers off and we never even see his mother or his half sister again. I'm not really sure why that was a plot point to begin with. That was just useless. It didn't do anything other than create some mystery in the first few episodes and a bit of conflict with the brothers for less than an episode.

Next episode Touma tells Chiaki that Misaki had a crush on him. Chiaki is all like "she whaaaaaat" and despite being back with his ex, can't get Misaki off his mind. Too bad because she has already moved on to Kanata. Even though she liked you so much for so long, she shifted brothers. To be honest I didn't really mind but what I DID mind was Chiaki was over his ex, then finds out she had to work in a sleezy club to pay off her brothers gambling debts, then feels sorry for her and gets back with her? But once he finds out Misaki had feelings for him he's all "actually I also like Misaki." When Misaki is baking a cake to take to her dinner date with Kanata, Chiaki runs over to her at the restaurant and hugs her (causing her to drop the cake). All the while Kanata is waiting for her. Later when he finds out she was late because she was with Chiaki he gets SO pissed off. Like he actually is pissed unlike when he found out he was ADOPTED!!!!! WHAT! That whole thing was just swept under the rug and then the actual main conflict of the series was Misaki and Chiaki hanging for like...2 minutes when he hugged her, while Kanata was waiting for her with a home cooked meal.

So anyway all this aside, a big cooking event comes up where Misaki is told her baking skills aren't good enough for the event. She ends up working really hard to improve the dessert and is accepted. Afterwards she confesses to Kanata and damn this scene was actually so good and perfect and fulfilling. Until Kanata blows her off saying he doesn't like her anymore. So we find out she's being offered a job or something in New York because her baking was so good? So first she was too shit, and then now she's amazing? What about Kanata? He's been a superb chef the whole series and he gets nada. So obviously he is cold to her to force her to accept the New York job, which sounds like an amazing opportunity. She decides to go and just at the last minute he rushes to the airport to confess to her and say they will always be together even if they are not together.

Overall I was really happy with this ending. I didn't want it to be that "give up your dreams and just stay with me" Kanata is a good guy for letting her go to New York and Misaki is a smart girl for following her dreams. Even though this series seemed to have really absurd plots with half arsed resolutions, well it was still enjoyable. I just wish Kanata could have had more personality in the later episodes. No joke he literally would not say much at all when he was with Misaki.

7 out of 10 stars.

If you have watched this series then let me know your thoughts below! I need to debrief!

Until next time my drama queens and kings,
Sarah.

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