Drama Updates

Veoh is now legalised in our country again. Hurray! Haha. For those who don't know, veoh is where you can download series, movies. It actually works like youtube. Only downloadable youtube. And its banned in most countries now, so the tv producers or anything can't claim the rights so wheee! Haha.

These are the dramas I'm watching lately. Most are still airing, so I haven't watched the full thing. The latest that I've watched and I feel is the best:

Cinderella's Sister.

I guess in correct grammar it should be Cinderella's Stepsister. But in korean, i don't think they use stepsister.. Do they? And the title is Cinderella Unni. Direct translation would be as the above. Anyway, instead of the usual Cinderella story, this story is about Cinderella's Stepsister( I know is obvious in the title). Somehow, I like the idea. The show is about.. Good ppl may not be good and vice versa. The summary in wiki:

Eun-Ju (Moon Geun-Young), who lost her father many years ago, finally moves gets a new family home when her mother remarries. Although things seem to have turn the better for the cynical Eun-Ju, she immediately faces problems when she meets her new step-sister Hyo-Seon (Seo Woo). Hyo-Seon with her bright character is the apple in her father's eyes and the clear favorite in the house. Furthermore, Eun-Ju's mother also seems to have fallen for the charismatic personality of Hyo-Seon.

Making matters worse for Eun-Ju, Hyo-Seon seems to like Eun-Ju's prince Ki-Hoon (Cheon Jeong-Myeong). Eun-Ju decides then and there to take matters in her own hands and exact revenge on her Cinderella like stepsister ...

Hmm. I'm not really satisfied with the summary. Its more like (I'll use the character's name instead of the korean names here so you won't get confused) Cinderella's mom is truly fantastic in lying. The cliche Cinderella story is that Evil Stepmom tortures poor Cinderella and asks her to do chores. In this story, evil stepmom cares more about Cinderella and ignores her own daughter. I guess there's no other way to make the stepsister shine if ppl are pitying Cinderella(who's not the main character here). Anyway, in comes Prince Charming who's not really a prince here. He's the bastard son of the president of some wine making company who gets beaten up when he was young. So Prince Charming and Stepsister has something in common. Cinderella is the usual doe-eyed, overly manja-ed daughter who loves everyone and the stepsister is the bitter one. But its quite understandable for the stepsister cause before her mother married the dad, her mom has been.. depending(is that the word?) on other guys and they end up running away from them. So stepsister been through a harsh life. I thought the drama was pretty realistic (Partly because I told Meepo that ALL dramas are unrealistic). Anyway. I was thinking it was realistic up until the moment the stepsister and prince were in a BUBBLE and was floating up to the MOON. I was like ??!@#!!@ . Hahaha. Turns out thats how happy the stepsister felt or something. Pretty irrelevant scene to me. Anyways, its not even aired yet in Malaysia And I've only seen till episode 4. AND I WANT TO SEE episode 5. Episode 5 is about 8 years later. They ended with a cliff hanger. It was 8 years later and Cinderella told stepsister that prince charming was dating her. End. GRRR.

Anyways.. I recommend this. Go watch, go watch!

Oh. And first impression for dramabeans.

CINDERELLA’S SISTER (KBS)

In my latest Oh My Lady recap, I mentioned the issue of a drama making an emotional connection with the viewer, and how Oh My Lady has been slow to build that rapport. In contrast, Cinderella’s Sister is very good about establishing that connection right away, and I felt myself drawn from the start.

Tonally, the first episode wasn’t angsty or tragic, and was surprisingly light. Not light in a fluffy way, but in a way that is humorous and heartfelt. (I suspect that the drama will grow heavier later, but am thankful it starts briskly.) I feel confident saying that of the three Wednesday premieres, this was the strongest first episode and while none of them sucked, it was a pretty obvious first-place. The pacing is assured, the scenery beautiful. The acting is outstanding, not just from the leads but everyone. (That would be Moon Geun-young, Seo Woo, Chun Jung-myung, Lee Mi-sook, and Kim Gab-soo. Taecyeon is not in this episode.)

Without giving away too many plot points, the gist of the story is this: Eun-jo (Moon Geun-young), somewhere in her mid-teens, is the daughter to a woman who keeps shacking up with horrible men — drinkers, beaters, lowlifes. Mom Kang-sook (Lee Mi-sook) goes from one man to another, and Eun-jo bears this stoically although she’s sick of living like this. Hyo-sun (Seo Woo) is a bright, lovable girl whose father owns a makgulli (rice wine) company. Meeting Kang-sook stirs her longing for a mother figure, and Hyo-sun does her best to push Kang-sook toward her father. Ki-hoon (Chun Jung-myung) is a good-natured employee of the makgulli company and a caring, mature older brother figure to Hyo-sun, who adores him. Though his interaction with Eun-jo is brief, he’s the only person who’s able to get through Eun-jo’s tough outer shell.

Moon Geun-young as Eun-jo is the main draw by far, and she does her cynical, hurt, defensive role well. She makes Eun-jo relatable and unique, and acts with convincing intensity. I love Chun Jung-myung so I’m thrilled merely to see him back onscreen again, but I’ll admit he doesn’t have much to do in this episode. However, his gentle, smiling presence in itself gives his character a warm aura. I am keen to see how their relationship unfolds, and by keen I mean VERY. I’m invested already.

That said, I think Seo Woo is almost as strong as Moon Geun-young. Yes, she most certainly overacts as the young schoolgirl. I suspect some viewers will find it annoying. As in Tamra the Island, I find Seo Woo’s girlish exaggerations cute rather than contrived, because they seem genuine to the actress herself, and not put-upon to force cutesiness. I am also being a little lenient because she’s playing a young teen, and will revise my opinion if she doesn’t grow out of it later. All that said, it’s the crying scene where she really stands out, and she makes Hyo-sun’s tears not only sympathetic but entirely believable. I was impressed.

Kim Gab-soo is excellent as the quiet, withdrawn father. You won’t find a trace of his creepy villain (Hon, Partner, Tazza) in this character, who is alternately gruff and vulnerable. Lee Mi-sook is the perfect stepmother to Cinderella, and she plays Kang-sook with layers of complexity. In fact, everyone plays their characters with layers, which is why I have a good feeling about this drama. It’s not simply reversing the Cinderella fairy tale, it’s subverting all the relationships and creating something new with them. I find that really compelling.

Next is Oh! My Lady.

Ok. I admit the main reason I watched this was to see Choi Si Won's acting. Haha. Apparently, he is the real life Gu Jun Pyo(from Boys before flowers), minus the attitude. His father owns one of the top 3 biggest supermarket in Korea, and he has the looks, 6 packs, and has all the good qualities and yada yada yada. haha. Mind that I'm actually talking bout Si Won here. Not the drama yet. For those who don't know, he's in Super Junior. Haha. Kyu should star in a dramaaa! I'd definitely watch, no matter how boring it is! haha. Anyways...

Review by dramabeans which I agree whole heartedly..

Cute show. Challenging, no. But amusing, generally yes. It pretty much delivered what I expected: some conventional setups and kdrama cliches, with a cute lead boy (Choi Siwon may have the body of a man but he’s firmly in boy-man territory for me) and a lovable leading lady. (I am SO glad to see Chae Rimback on television.)

Oh My Lady feels like a remix of several familiar stories and dramas, so it’s not wildly original. Its charm is in the characters and the relationships, and if things continue the way they’ve started, I think it’ll be a fun, light watch.

Oh! My Lady is the combined drama of Full House and ok.. I can't remember the titles now. Gah. But throw in a couple of kids. Leading lady(LL) has a kid which she dumps at ex husbands place in order to work for movie star aka Siwon the leading man(LM). LM has a kid who was dumped at his place. LM can't let the public know about the kid, big scandal and what nots. Haha. LM hires LL to take care of kid and keep the secret. Somehow, LL has no where to stay so she stays with LL's big house. Cliche. And I just found out from this drama that Si Won can actually sing. Lol. Cause he usually gets the song parts that are.. Not really challenging, I didn't see his ability? Anyways. Haha. This drama is ok. But.. Doesn't get me that hooked.

Next up is... Personal taste.

I wasn't interested in this drama in the first place. Have no idea why I downloaded it. I didn't really like Lee Min Ho(Gu Jun Pyo from boys over flowers). Now that I've watched it, I still don't think its good. Slow storyline. I was practically fast forwarding the whole video. haha.

Anyways, long summary from dramabeans.

PERSONAL TASTE (MBC)

I said that Cinderella’s Sister had the best first episode, in that it’s the best-produced and most cohesive package. But Personal Taste is my pick for the most fun and laughs — it’s cute, well-cast, and has a freshness to its humor. The jokes aren’t wildly original, but they’re presented well and feel new for a kdrama. (I mean, a gay-blowjob joke on Korean television? Ha!) Also, every deviation that the drama has made from the novel has been for the better (so far).

If you’ve been following the novel posts, you’ll get the gist. If you haven’t, here’s the deal: Kae-in (Sohn Ye-jin) is an upbeat and good-hearted furniture designer, if naive and rather dense. She is badly hurt by her boyfriend, whom she believes is going to propose to her when he is in fact marrying her friend the next day.

In a series of chance encounters, she gets off on the wrong foot with Jin-ho (Lee Min-ho), an architect who works at a rival firm to her ex. She thinks he’s a pervert at first, but then gets the impression that he’s gay. Jin-ho, who considers her a clueless blunderer, doesn’t bother correcting her. In the next episode (we aren’t there yet), Kae-in agrees to let Jin-ho move in, fed up with straight guys and liking the idea of having a gay roommate. Little does she know that Jin-ho has an ulterior motive: he badly needs to win a building project, and needs to study her house in order to do so, as she is the daughter to the famed architect who built it.

Spot-on casting, for sure. Sohn Ye-jin is perfect as Kae-in, showing the character’s positive personality even as she bumbles through various encounters. She also lets a naivete and vulnerability shine through, making it easy to root for her. Everyone, from the main cast to the supporting members, has that extra spark that draws you to them and their roles. I have a feeling the sidekicks are going to be a hoot. I even like Kim Ji-suk’s take on his character, who is nowhere near as awful as the book character; you can see he’s conflicted and remorseful. He’s just also a wuss.

Lee Min-ho may be young (he’s even younger than Im Seulong despite playing his hyung), but he wears Jin-ho’s airs perfectly. I’ll be the first to sing Lee’s praises, but I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to emerge from the Boys Before Flowers shadow — which is considerable — or live up to expectations, particularly since he’s taken over a year to choose his next project. I think he does quite nicely.

You might say that of course I like Personal Taste because I expected to like it — but I think liking the idea actually makes it harder to live up to the hype. Episode 1 is a little unstable at times and the pacing is uneven in the first half, but in the second half it starts to gel and really work. At the end of the hour, this is the drama whose second episode I wanted to see the most.

Authors note: I wanted to see Cinderella's Sister most. Followed by Oh! My Lady. Then this. =D

Birth of the Rich

The drama follows the story of a man, Choi Suk Bong, who believes that he is actually the son of a rich father and heir to a chaebol group. He meets Lee Shin Mi, who is actually a chaebol heir but acts nothing like one, with her scrimping and frugal ways. Although they get off to a rocky start, with her help, he struggles towards his goal of attaining wealth.

One thing REALLY irritating about this drama is it ALWAYS ends with cliffhangers. Making me lose my sleep. LOL. This drama is ok, but kinda kiddish plots. The drama revolves around which rich dude is actually his father. From DNA confirmed tests to the wrong DNA used and stuff, so his predicted dad is always changing. I feel obstacles were thrown in this show to continue the storyline. But it is entertaining and pretty funny. =D Ohh. One other thing. I actually like the spoilt brat in this show. The other girl. hahaha. She's funny. And pretty. Her and her cake obssesion. Not bad.

Chuno aka The Slave Hunter

Has finally ended. Haha. I didn't really like this show and didn't understand why it had such high ratings. Or maybe its cause I'm not interested in historical korean dramas? Hmm. But I liked Hong Gil Dong, Chang Jin, etc. It was pretty boring to me with irritating plots. Nice scenery was all it had. Seriously. The leading lady was irritating me. Half of the episodes revolved around her and her love triangle . At the beginning to the middle, it ALWAYS ended with the slave hunter NEARLY finding her and stuff. Gish. Won't recommend this. I didn't understand the director. Maybe theres some hidden depth in the show that I was too shallow to understand. Lol.

Scandal In Old Seoul

This drama is set in the 1930's when Korea was under the rule of Japan. Na Yeo Kyeong was the owner of a book store and she was also a freedom fighter. Seon Woo Wan was the playboy son of a rich family and he became involved in the independence movement through a bet with his co-workers to win Na Yeo Kyeong's heart. His father paid for the education of his worker's son, Lee Soo Hyeon, and was disappointed to find him working for the Security Branch of the Japanese government. Cha Song Joo was a famous gisaeng who ran a high class brothel.

Getting lazy to type, so, its ok. Not bad. Few boring parts, but moving. Quite entertaining. Better than chuno.