The Year in Review, Part 4: The Rest of 2007
by javabeans
Yes, my last post was “The Best of 2007,” but rather than put up a Worst list, I’m lumping them all together with The Rest. Not all the dramas I’m mentioning here are bad; they’re just dramas I watched that didn’t belong in the Best list.
SONG OF THE DAY
War of Money OST – “알 수 없는 일” (unknowable thing) by Sweet Sorrow [ Download ]
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BAD COUPLE
I could go into a whole deep analysis of what went wrong with Bad Couple, and I’ll try to explain in more detail in just a moment, but honestly? I think I can sum it up with very few words:
In short?
Bad Couple went from THIS:
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to THIS:
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(That’s “달콤한 당신” (Sweet you) [ Download ]
and “불안의 세조각” (three fragments of worry) [ Download ])
I started watching Bad Couple on a whim, not really knowing what it was about, and quickly found myself enjoying the silly, outrageous antics of Shin Eun Kyung‘s Dang Ja character as she paraded around trying to seduce the indifferent Gi Chan, played by Ryu Su Young. Now in her thirties and biological clock ticking, she wants to be a cool single mom because childhood scars prevent her from believing marriage is a sustainable institution; so, she plans to get knocked up by a prime DNA candidate, then never deal with him again. Of course, the tables quickly turn and her plan backfires when Mr. Perfect DNA — with a much more sheltered and conservative outlook than her worldly one — falls for her, and determines to win her over.
Cute, right? Bad Couple is laugh-out-loud funny, sweet, and outrageous for its first six episodes. Ryu Su Young is adorably smitten, and the relationship between a cavalier, independent female versus an old-fashioned, socially conservative male (she’s had a truckload of exes; he’s a virgin) is different from the kdrama norm.
But episode 7 marked a drastic shift, and all of a sudden we were in a different drama. The two lead actors do their valiant best to continue on — they’re skilled veterans for a reason — even though the story suddenly jumps ship. What had been so light-hearted and fizzy is all of a sudden mired in doom and gloom and cancer. It’s so depressing and tragic. I felt totally suckered — complete bait and switch! Still, I was curious to see how the Happy Ever After would come about, and stuck around. Unfortunately, I think the writers didn’t — by episode 12 or 13, the story was limping along as though everyone involved had thrown in the towel and were too disheartened to continue. The ending fizzled and all the lovable pep and vitality of the early episodes had long been siphoned away.
If you’re a lover of trendy romantic comedies who doesn’t care about finishing a series, I’d actually suggest watching the first six episodes — they’re pretty amusing and very watchable. After that, feel free to abandon ship.
WITCH AMUSEMENT
Witch Amusement OST – “If” by Jeon Hye Bin [ Download ]
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Witch Amusement taught me to be wary of anticipating a series purely from its scant pre-release information. I was so sure this series was going to be a fun, rollicking good romp. Perhaps I was too enamored of Jae Hee, He of the Many Hilarious Facial Expressions. Perhaps I had too much faith in the director Jeon Ki Sang after loving his prior two series, Delightful Girl Chun Hyang and My Girl. Perhaps I didn’t realize how much a good director can be hampered by bad writers. The series looks great — colorful, bright, glossy — and the PD makes full use of visual gimmicks to their full comic effect. Such as:
But the writing! The writer(s) had five good episodes in them (I really thought I was gonna like the series through episode 5), and frittered the eleven remaining ones away in absurd contrivances and just plain wackiness. All this was not helped by the fact that the cast, while very pretty to look at, ranges from mildly wooden to downright incompetent. And Han Ga In isn’t even the worst of them — she’s not the best actress in the biz, but she’s extremely pretty and her character’s not that challenging, so I had faith she could scrape by. The others, though… shudder. Jae Hee is the only truly decent actor in the main cast (the actor playing his father in a minor supporting role is perhaps the only other talented actor in the entire drama). Were producers hoping good looks would carry the series more than strong acting? Someone should tell the PD to think with his head and not his… other head.
And yet, for all of Witch Amusement‘s flaws — there are so many — I can’t hate it. Because oddly enough, no matter how aggressively stupid the story got, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I rolled my eyes at the ridiculous antics, but they were good-natured eye-rolls (as opposed to the aggravated variety provoked by series like Air City, which made my eyeballs physically hurt inside my head from the force of the upward movements). Plus, while some dramas are bad in that they are annoying or obnoxious, and may make you want to stick forks in eyes or hands or other body parts (theirs, not your own, of course), Witch Amusement is merely bad in that it’s stupid. You can hate someone for being offensive or obnoxious, but you can’t really resent someone for stupid.
I’ve never found a drama so bad that I enjoyed so much. Honestly, the Witch Amusement recaps were among the most fun I’ve written, and if I could decide to watch the series again based on what I know now, I’d still watch it. Maybe it’s that the series grew so unhinged and insane that it crashed into campy territory — only it didn’t know it. And who can hate camp? After all, it gave us THIS:
HELLO! MISS
Hello Miss OST – “Round ‘n Around” [ Download ]
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Lee Da Hae, what were you thinking? Actually, to be fair, lots of people in this drama were too good for its silliness. I’m not sure whom to blame for Hello Miss‘s descent into near-self-parody. The director, for having a loose rein on the goofiness? The original novel upon which the series is based? The scriptwriters for adapting poorly? The actors? The series substituted plot contrivances for drama, sudden character transformations for development, and daffiness for humor.
Well, one thing you CAN call Hello Miss is good-natured. It didn’t mean to be bad. But a frustrating thing is that it doesn’t seem to have tried very hard to be good, either. (Obviously I’m projecting onto the series; who’s to say they didn’t try hard? I just mean they didn’t try hard enough.) A lot of times you can almost see a drama straining to be good, to be better than itself, kind of like Kim Tae Hee goggling her eyes furiously in a misguided attempt to go for “fierce” or “intense.” And in those cases, you say, “It didn’t make it, but at least they tried.” Like with Bad Love, which is pretty awful — but you can see how they’re GOING for it, trying to be intense and sexy and aggressive. Hello Miss? Not so much. It’s like all they ever wanted to be was mediocre. (And they didn’t really even make it that far.)
As with Witch Amusement, it feels rather mean-spirited to slag on a drama that’s so benign, so haplessly bland, that the worst you can say is, “Ah, well. They’ll do better next time.” I hope that’s true.
AIR CITY
Air City OST – “Preguntas” by Kang Ta. I’m fairly certain that this song is supposed to be in Spanish, just as I’m fairly sure that he’s mangling the language shamefully. But his voice does have a nice mellow flow to it. [ Download ]
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Aie, Air City. Readers of my Air City recaps may already be cringing in anticipation. Well, I’ll try to be nice.
When I watched Air City, I was wrapping up a string of disappointing dramas watched almost back-to-back — Witch Amusement, Hello Miss, Bad Couple — which may have contributed to the reason I’m so wary of committing to a potential stinker these days. A drama can start off with a bang, then drop in quality so precipitously that you might find yourself reluctantly stuck watching a rapidly sinking series, futilely hoping it’ll improve. With so many GOOD dramas around these days, it just seems silly to stick with a hopeless case when you could be enjoying yourself with something else, right? And yet, there’s always the niggling thought, But what if it gets better? I’ve already spent hours invested in this. I might as well just finish it off… I believe I used this analogy previously in regards to Air City, but it’s like finishing off a huge plate of food after you’re already full, just because you paid for it, never mind the fact that you don’t even enjoy the eating anymore.
I never thought Air City would be a fantastic drama, but its first four episodes delivered what they promised — action, a little bit of intrigue, a hint of romance, and mindless fun. And then that fell apart and stuff just became ridiculous. The pacing was all over the place, going from super-action-packed fight scenes rife with guns and gangs, then seaside frolicking, then smugglers, then BIRDS. All interspersed with random interludes in the airport and a romance that went nowhere. Actually, the entire love triangle went nowhere, so technically that’s two potential dead-end romances. (Or three, if we’re playing that game.) Oh, plus there’s a cancer-stricken woe-is-me female who’s too virtuous to disclose her illness to her ex-lover because she wants him to be happy with his new lady-love. Blech. Not even my long-abiding love for Lee Jung Jae, whose intense, charismatic acting held up the series at its low points, could make me like this series. I’ve never had great admiration for Choi Ji Woo‘s acting, although she IS beautiful and elegant — but those qualities are nowhere near enough to buoy Air City‘s muddled plotlines.
GOONG S
Goong S OST – “구름같은 세상” (Cloud-like world) by Second Moon
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Thinking about it now, Goong S is an even bigger travesty than I first judged it. Had I not been determined to stick with the series because I was working on the subs, I would have dropped it early on. The series picked up in its last quarter, but oh man, those middle episodes were painfully boring.
But the thing is, Goong S should have been so much better. I was never a great fanatic over the original Goong, but I did enjoy most of it until the last stretch of episodes, and by that point I had enough lingering interest to wade through the ending. Goong S (spinoff, not sequel) was produced by the same people, with the same attention devoted to costuming and set design, and a soundtrack that was a pleasing mix of classical-style “royal” sounds and the modern. I wasn’t a Se7en fan (or Choi Dong Wook per his acting alias, although he may not be doing any more acting after this) — but the guy’s a big star, and his fans were expected to flock to the series in droves.
What gets my goat about Goong S is that it had all the makings of being a success — not just in terms of popular appeal but in its storytelling and production. There was so much potential here, it’s sickening to see it not only wasted, but ground into the dirt and stomped on by the very ones charged with preserving it. People like kdramas for lots of different reasons, but for me, story is king. And you know what? Goong S has all the makings of a GREAT trendy drama story. I like Goong S‘s story and premise so much better than the original Goong, which was riddled with plot holes a mile wide but was sustained on the charm of its cast and the novelty of the setup: a young couple’s arranged marriage set within the backdrop of a modern-day monarchy.
Goong S isn’t an original story — reverse Cinderella — but I remember being excited about all the wondrous, complex dynamics that could be woven with its premise. First of all, Se7en’s Prince Hoo is completely not hero material when we first meet him as a commoner. (He’s rowdy, enthusiastic, coarse, totally vain in a harmless way.) His rival for the throne and for the girl is much more the typically romantic-hero character. While we’ve seen the poor-girl’s rags-to-riches story depicted tons of times before, it’s much rarer to explore the male version. You may notice many times in kdramas that although females can grow and develop and learn, the only changing a male lead usually undergoes is restricted to the fiesty heroine warming his cold, cold heart. He doesn’t actually get a chance to develop as a character. But Prince Hoo would.
It’s not just the gender reversal that fascinated me — it’s how that reversal works with the romantic pairing(s). Poor girl and rich guy, we know how that ends. Poor guy and rich girl, that’s a little less common but it’s not something totally out of the ordinary. But in Goong S, we start with two people on the same level — Hoo first falls for a commoner, Soon-yi. He’s actually known her since they were children, and they were each other’s childhood crushes. Thus they find comfort with each other as both are brought to palace life (he as a newly discovered royal, she as a servant) where both feel like outsiders. They’re cut from the same cloth. Then, Prince Hoo grows into his own and cultivates his inner gentility, developing from an impetuous adolescent into a thoughtful young man — and his romance is tested as he rises in outward status and she does not. But despite the growing chasm between their social ranks, she’s still the one who knows him best — and considering how important Hoo’s mother is to him, and the story, it’s significant that she’s the only person who knew Hoo’s mother as he did (the rest of the world knows the version of her that was slandered in the press).
Speaking of which, the political intrigues also worked better for me in Goong S than the original Goong. The evil masterminds in both series aspire to hijacking the throne, but in Goong S, it’s more understandable as the rival Prince’s father is fighting to reclaim his son’s line in the succession, which was secure until just recently. The politics are blurrier — should the throne go to the one with the closest blood tie and the birthright, despite the fact that the person is ill-equipped and unfamiliar with the duties of the position? Or should it go to the person who’s been groomed his entire life to take the position, one who’s demonstrated many times over that he’s capable and competent, but who’s discovered to be just one step further away in the bloodline? This dynamic was touched upon between Princes Shin and Yul in Goong, but barely. Here, the two princes are painted in much more disparate terms.
So why didn’t it work?
Quite clearly, acting was the main problem. It’s kind of shameful to think that the acting was SO poor that so many other positive attributes couldn’t make up for it. I don’t believe the fault lies entirely with Se7en (he did improve the most, while the other leads seemed to steadily worsen), but as the most high-profile cast member, it was his burden to bear. And while he was cute with Heo Yi Jae as Soon-yi, good LORD if the girl couldn’t get out a single sentence without gasping. I thought she was bound to swallow her tonsils by accident, the way she hyperventilated her way through the show. Kang Doo as gentle Prince Joon was horribly miscast, and that’s not even accounting for that fact that he looked a decade older than everyone else. Park Shin Hye came into the series with a positive reputation but seemed completely out of place; she was like a little girl in mommy’s makeup and heels, trying to be older, manipulative, sexy. I cringed whenever she tried to seem “mature” and came off silly instead. Myung Se Bin was one of the only decent actors as the reigning monarch, but the series couldn’t even let THAT alone and had to pair her opposite the charisma-killer, Professor Alex van der whatsher Esterhoosy or whatever. The man could not ACT, nor could he speak English. You wanted to stop him in the middle of “acting” and tell him, “Come on, this is embarrassing for us both.”
The sheer amount of wasted potential with Goong S is just… sad. Deservedly so, it performed dismally in the ratings, ending somewhere in the 4% vicinity. For a (quality) mania drama like Mixed-up Investigative Agency, you could brush aside poor numbers and say the drama was underappreciated; for a star vehicle and high-budget, highly anticipated trendy drama like Goong S, it was disaster.
And yet, perversely enough, despite really only enjoying the last four episodes, I have an inexplicable soft spot for Goong S. Maybe it’s all those dreams of what could have — SHOULD HAVE — been.
IN A NUTSHELL… (Yes, my nutshells are fairly big)
Capital Scandal: I keep meaning to continue watching this series, but haven’t yet gotten around to a marathon. Kang Ji Hwan is one actor I’ve kept my eye on, although I won’t necessarily follow something just because he’s in it (for instance, nothing will induce me to watch 90 Days’ Time to Love even though from what I’ve seen — a few scattered episodes — he’s very good in it). Capital Scandal is penned by Coffee Prince novelist and scriptwriter Lee Seon Mi, which is another plus in its favor. And the chemistry between Kang Ji Hwan and Han Ji Min‘s characters is purported to be cute and enjoyable. But the thing holding me back from jumping into the series whole-heartedly is that from the first couple of eps, it feels so slapstick. I prefer my humor sly and subversive, not so overtly jokey. The comparison that always springs to mind when considering the combination of Capital Scandal‘s period setting and its brassy humor is Dick Tracy. Still, I will probably get around to it one of these days.
Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs: I admit I wrote off this series based on the first episode, which wasn’t bad but felt overwhelmingly ordinary. But judging from the cries of protest at having left the series off as a selection for “best series” in my informal poll a month ago, I figured I’d go back and give it a shot. I did take someone’s suggestion and skipped a bunch of episodes, after [SPOILER] Nan Hee breaks up with her younger boyfriend and things develop in earnest with her long-time best friend, played by Lee Jung Jin. I didn’t care about the younger kid, and it seems the friend-to-lover arc was where the series gets most interesting, anyway. [END SPOILER] The initial relationship setup of Su Ae‘s 30-year-old “old maid” Nan Hee and her younger, puppyish boyfriend felt like a retread of territory mined in far better dramas, so I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. The baseball analogy, however, while clever on one level, was so heavy-handed. It’s like they were afraid you wouldn’t get it despite pounding the metaphor in from all sides, and just Kept. Hammering. It. In. Dude, we get it. I wish the production team had a little more faith in its audience to pick up on themes and nuances for ourselves. The series, which I haven’t finished yet, is better than I first supposed, although I’m not really hooked. I think the drama is hampered by ordinariness in all aspects of its execution — directing, music (standard blah stuff), the atmosphere of the series — which is one strike against it (ha, pun), but those should be tolerable if the story rises above those pedestrian elements.
Get Karl Oh Soo Jung: Waste of an interesting setup. A good-natured loser (Oh Ji Ho) is dumped by his pretty, materialistic fiancee (Uhm Jung Hwa); years later, he returns as a sought-after, rich hottie, while his still-single ex is wearing out her shelf life, no longer the hot young thang she used to be. There’s an inherent sense of schadenfreude, a gleeful joy we experience at seeing our formerly lofty foes brought down to our level (or below), so that was an interesting dynamic to explore. Or it should have been. I blame Karl‘s blahness on its director, who managed to make potentially funny scenes draggy and ruined the sense of pacing in what should’ve been a lively, sparkling screwball comedy. It was touted as the male version of 200 Pound Beauty, and whatever you may think of the film, it was hugely popular, so had the setup for this series been handled well, there was an open market available right at its feet. I don’t know anyone who finished Karl so there was nobody to urge me to continue, and perhaps that’s no big loss.
War of Money: This drama was one of the biggest ratings hits this year, leaping into the 30% range early in its run and staying there throughout. I, on the other hand, not only disliked the first two episodes but was so thoroughly annoyed and aggravated that I made an active decision NOT to follow this drama to preserve my blood pressure. I’m perfectly willing to allow that War of Money might be a good drama, but I have no interest in watching it. Part of why I think it was so successful is because the topic is of universal concern, and the issue of loan sharks and unscrupulous private lenders is a very serious problem for many Koreans these days. (Another reason: ajummas love Park Shin Yang.) It hit a nerve with audiences and they followed in droves. However, the ending was a little iffy — so much so that the producers whipped up a four-episode “Bonus Round” to appease potentially irate viewers. (My suggestion: How about you maybe not piss them off intentionally in the first place, and forget the half-baked bonus-round alternate ending altogether?) [SPOILERY] I understand the reasoning behind the dramatic ending — killing off the main character on his wedding day — because apparently the writers wanted to highlight that the “war” of money is truly a war. Harsh, cold, unforgiving. Theoretically, the idea has merit. Realistically speaking, it pissed off fans, and the weird Bonus Round — which features the same main character but a different, unrelated storyline — just confused them further.[END]
Auction House: Valiant effort to try something new, but hasn’t quite mastered the form it’s attempting. Auction House was an effort to model Korean dramas after American series that follow the episodic template — shows like CSI and House that feature one “case” per episode and are able to stand on their own, and are self-contained enough that they can be watched out of order. A second season is already being planned, centering around plastic surgeons — in which case it’s not really a second season so much as it’s a second attempt at the same concept by the same production team. In any case, I didn’t dislike Auction House, and I never made a conscious decision to stop watching it. I just forgot to keep watching. It seems the stories are mostly taken from true cases, and when the series actually gets into the details of the artwork itself or art history, it’s pretty interesting. Jung Chan impressed me with his self-assured, strong acting in Lovers last year, and he’s the best part of the cast here; too bad I could never feel anything for the main lead, Yoon Soyi. If you’re watching this, is it worth finishing?
Legend: For a brief time a couple months ago after Coffee Prince ended, I had nothing to watch, nothing to recap, and my real-life workload was light. So I picked up Legend and gave it a shot. I wasn’t blown away, but it was sufficiently different from my preconceived notions of what sageuks (historical dramas) were like. Like Dahee mentioned in her write-up, I grew up with sageuk dramas always playing in the background at home, with badly costumed actors affecting their most severe facial expressions and intoning “Ma-maaaaa” and “Jeon-haaaa” in grave, humorless ancient Korean syntax. Bo-ring. But the sageuk has evolved, and while it’s always been known as the turf for serious, quality acting, they started to become — gasp! — entertaining as well. Allegedly. And I could see why Legend caught people’s attentions. It was flashy, it was showy — and it was so damn proud of itself for its grandiose scale and expense! When life got busy again, Legend dropped off my radar, and reading about its finale gives me no desire to revisit. From what I’ve seen, it’s got its strengths, but they’re not consistent; it’s rather uneven given the high level of talent both behind and in front of its cameras.
And there you have it. The past year in dramas.
(I know! She’s finally shutting up!)
Many, many thanks to my guest bloggers Thunderbolt and Dahee Fanel for participating in this wrap-up! May 2008 be filled with lots and lots of kdrama entertainment.
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Tags: 1 show to rule them all, Air City, Auction House, Bad Couple, Capital Scandal, Goong S, Hello! Miss, Legend, Oh Su Jung, War of Money, Witch Amusement, year in review, year in review 2007
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1 Philippa
December 29, 2007 at 5:32 PM
Thanks a lot! Does anybody know where I can watch Legend? I really want to watch it because BYJ is in it.. lol.
I loveddddd Bad Couple, you're right they did drag a little bit, it made me cry a little bit too.
I watched Goong S because of... forgot her name, from Tree of Heaven. I knew it wasn't going to be as good as the first one (Goong). Duh, almost all sequels are awful, about 99.9% of all the movies and dramas...! You can't disagree with me, because it's true.
And one of the .1% include National Treasure: Book of Secrets! I watched it on Christmas and I LOVED IT! hahaha.. you can disagree with me, but I think it was AWESOME! haha.
Back to the dramas, yeah I thought With Yoo Hee was going to be better, but they dragged it too much. That is soooo typical of Korean dramas. It's going to start off good and then in the middle they're going to drag it and then either they'll give you a crappy ending or an okay ending or a good ending that will give you butterflies! haha...
I also liked Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs, I thought is was pretty good.
I just finished watching All About Eve, it's like an old drama (Chae Rim is in it), I admit that I watched it, because she was in it. SPOILER, It just makes you soooo MAD, I skipped a lot of episodes and fast forwards it half the time. lol. I only liked the last episode. In the end, the guy she liked dies, the bitchy girl loses her memory, and they end up together.... Very typical, eh?
Thanks a lot!
Advace Happy New Year!
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2 hellaakon
December 29, 2007 at 5:46 PM
I always like reading your writing. Whether I agree or not. I still like it. haha.
Just thought you might like to know.
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3 gailt
December 29, 2007 at 5:49 PM
i love your honesty. well-written. i realize i've started on so many of dramas you mentioned above, eventually got bored, and did not finish. yeah, i hope 2008 brings more worthy kdrama entertainment. :D
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4 Paula
December 29, 2007 at 5:53 PM
Good recaps! You've covered so many different dramas, and thanks too for not only including the "best" in your previous post, but also these others as well. The only one here that I've seen is Legend, and that ending was confusing and disappointing. I was kind of hoping too that someone would have said something about Golden Bride (someone? anyone?) whether nay or boo..... :) but that's OK ^^
Can't wait to continue reading your recaps in 2008! :)
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5 Pickles
December 29, 2007 at 6:09 PM
Hello! I was very disappointed with Witch Yoo Hee, Hello Miss and Goong S too. But at least I managed to finish off the entire thing. :) Thank you so much for all your reviews. Have a great year ahead! :)
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6 Mel
December 29, 2007 at 6:12 PM
Hey Guys :D
"Air City OST - “Preguntas” by Kang Ta I’m fairly certain that this song is supposed to be in Spanish, just as I’m fairly sure that he’s mangling the language shamefully. But his voice does have a nice mellow flow to it".
The song is in Portuguese: Perguntas-Questions :) but sometimes it almost sounds like he is singing in Spanish (and not very understandable) :) but you are right javabeans he sounds really good.
take care!
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7 jaime
December 29, 2007 at 8:24 PM
hey javabeans.
after coffee prince, i have been hybernating from dramas. i have never been able to want to watch another drama again. they all dont seem to have the same effect as coffee prince. i feel soo dead inside. because we have the same taste in dramas, ill watch what you will watch next ok? ive been soo bored. thats why. i believe in you to rekindle my love for kdramas. hehehehehe. ^^
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8 rach
December 29, 2007 at 8:43 PM
loved your recap on Witch Amusement.
It made me laugh more than the actual show.
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9 ...
December 29, 2007 at 8:46 PM
thnx for recapping!
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10 deeta
December 29, 2007 at 9:26 PM
Haha, you softened up on Hello Miss and Witch Yoo Hee! I endured WYH mostly because of the reviews you wrote, hilarious and downright sarcastic. It was probably the only 'fun' element of WYH. As for Hello Miss, I must admit that putting all things aside, it did manage to be funny ridiculous, in a good and bad way. And Goong S, I actually think it was better than Goong. Like you said, its plot and premises were much more interesting, but the casts were definitely the problem. Se7en acting all cute for several episodes was half annoying in my book. HYJ should definitely stop acting like she wants to go to the bathroom. Even so, they are SOO cute together, and I just cannot hate them. Last, Air City, no, I didn't even make it past episode 8. Man, I didn't know action drama could be THAT lame.
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11 thunderbolt
December 29, 2007 at 9:26 PM
I've only watched a couple of episodes of Auction House but I'm with you about not feeling anything for Yoon Soyi. Which is queer because I did like her in Goodbye Solo. I don't know... but she just seems so, what's the word, "brainless" here? It's like she has a permanently clueless or quizzical air about her that's more exasperating than endearing. I like Jung Chan (my first time seeing him) but he's not getting a lot of air time which is a bummer. The drama itself is quite educational and I'm learning stuff about art (famous artists, etc.) and heirlooms and curses. Fun! I like its episodic nature where a crisis gets resolved in one episode, kinda like a collection of short stories. That makes it very fast-paced which is a welcome change.
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12 My Top 10 songs of 2007
December 29, 2007 at 9:35 PM
LOL no one's shutting you up so please do keep on writing :)
I love your recaps on Witch Amusement as well, at least it kept me from dropping it altogether, and I love the 'accident scene' screencaps you posted in this review as well...totally hilarious!
Well, I watched War of Money till episode 8, then switched to Coffee Prince, and never had the time to pick it up again. Now that i know the ending through the spoilers, I think i will still watch it because of the griping storyline, but thanks for the heads up!
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13 breezy
December 29, 2007 at 9:45 PM
"as opposed to the aggravated variety provoked by series like Air City, which made my eyeballs physically hurt inside my head from the force of the upward movements"
looooooool!! i loved, loved your recap... you said it all and more...
Can I expand on something?
(SPOILER ALERT!)
you mentionned Bad Love and i can't let an opportunity to critize it, go to waste ( he he, disappointement speaking here...)...I started watching it because the cast seemed to have a great dynamic and the previews seemed interesting, and ...big, huge, supercalifragilisticespialidocious mistake!! The only consistent thing about this drama are its flaws. And God there are many..The story, the characters,the soundtrack all painfully flawed and unbearable... They are trying tooo hard and it shows...The first big "couple scene", was also the single most depressing thing i've seen in my life... I think you mentioned this in one of your previous post, about the soundtrack being "an emotional manipulator" or something along those lines... Well i definetly felt like they were trying to manipulate me, but I wasn't buying it... Even though by the 45ish min of the first episode, I felt like throwing my keyboard at the computer screen, I also hoped for a change like an idiot... Then episode 2 started and someone please prescribe me some prozac cuz this is the most depressing story i've ever, ever seen... i consider myself very patient, but when i get such ridiculous plots like this on the FIRST episode!!! God help the kind souls that are subbing this *scuse my french* cr@p!!!... so much potential wasted like this... sad, sad, sad..
I could go on for days and days, but 2008 is almost here, and cross my fingers for an interesting year....
oh yeah , Happy New Years guys!!!
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14 bethany
December 29, 2007 at 9:45 PM
thank you! i realized (as many of your readers might agree) that your writing is .... enjoyable. like, icing on top of the kdrama cake. i apologize for the lame jokes.
regardless, thank you for thoroughly recapping and writing... so much! have you ever thought about writing... for... something else? i guess that's the beauty of blogs- they allow non-professionals to write and showcase their talent, perhaps even attracting fans and an audience of their own.
cheers!
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15 vrosemarie
December 29, 2007 at 9:59 PM
I dropped off the bandwagon of Hello Miss at the 13th or so episode... I don't even know why I stayed on so long... Maybe it's my soft spot for Lee Da Hae... Goong S and Witch Amusement were kind of disappointing... I liked the way you summed up Bad couple with those two songs! The story seemed to halt its merry way at one point, shake its head and go down a different road, one lined with sickness and tears and finish up with a miracle! This review is funny in a nice and not demeaning any of the dramas kind of way... I love your reviews!
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16 djeedjes
December 29, 2007 at 10:08 PM
Is it the last post? I hope not..:D
I agree that Witch Yoo Hee and Hello!Miss were disappointments of the year..and total waste of the casts.
I haven't see War of Money and Air City yet, but I still plan to watch them one day..
And...I like Bad Couple! I know it was draggy from the middle, but I love the couple so bad, I wanted to see the Happy Ending ( I was so worried they would have the sad one ) and I love the little girl ( forgot her name ).
Ehm, so you've seen some of the rest episodes of 9 ends 2 out? YEAH, you should skipped those episodes, OH I HATE that younger boyfriend..I want to "stick forks in his eyes or hands or other body parts"~like you've said! :D
After that, things are getting better, the chemistry between Soo Ae and Lee Jung Jin are good ( I won't say it was great tho ).
Thanks Javabeans, for the excitement you gave through 2007! Looking forward what K-dramas will give to us the addict in 2008!
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17 Lena S.
December 29, 2007 at 10:40 PM
I totally agree with you about Bad Couple, Witch Amusement and Hello Miss! it was so frustrating especially Bad Couple that it turn out so bad with all the drama...
and yes “Perguntas” by Kang Ta is in portuguese (my language^^), is not that bad, he really tried hard...
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18 moodyhap
December 30, 2007 at 12:37 AM
I have to agree with you on WYH, can't even comment on it since you've said it all for me. And HM, I was looking forward to watching it but was somewhat disapointed.
Can't say I hated them, but if I had to watch either one again I would choose to watch WYH.
About Goong S, I'm soooo glad I didn't put in the effort into watching it. To be honest I couldn't even finish the first episode. I'm not usually like that, actually I'm never like that. If I encounter a drama that's just not doing it for me I tend to give it the benefit of the doubt and stick to watching, you never know it might pick up... if it does I won't regret it.
But to drop one on the first episode, that's a first for me and I just couldn't help it, more like couldn't stand it :)
moving on, I have read all four posts of 'the year in review' and I must thank the three of you for making me laugh. You guys are great and I truly enjoyed reading your reviews.
I hope you and all your readers had a pleasant and happy Christmas or whichever holiday you celebrate.
I wish you all a prosperous new year as well as happy kdrama watching :)
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19 Candenzo
December 30, 2007 at 12:38 AM
Bad Couple was so funny and I caught myself laughing like crazy...only inthe begining until it got serious ..boohoo..what a waste! why do the writers have to put FUNNY and CANCER together in a series?
As for Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs---I really do like it. It was a fun series to watch. It has good a Friendship theme.
Thanks for the reviews! See you in 2008
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20 ezra
December 30, 2007 at 12:53 AM
Haha. Poor Goong S. XD I also had high hopes for it, sadly, didn't work out. :P I still love Goong. :))
[[Goodie! Coffee Prince will be aired in the Philippines! XD (HAHA. It's good I've already watched it. I'm going to watch it again --- TAGALIZED. ooo. goodie joy!) btw, here, it is dubbed as 2007 No. 1 Trendy drama in Korea. haha. :D]]
God bless Javabeans! :) Advance happy new year!
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21 lillie
December 30, 2007 at 1:57 AM
I'll like to thank you for putting up summaries and recaps, i enjoyed reading them and have watched most of the kdramas based on your recommendations. Thank you very much as time is precious and i don't waste time watching rubbish!
Have a good and safe New year and don't forget to bring us more for 2008!
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22 tunafish
December 30, 2007 at 3:29 AM
could you please put up the song black glasses by eru if you have it. thanks
and I've seen get Karl. It was a bit laggy but I started to really like uhm jung hwa after watching it. Her character becomes very likeable afterwards. I almost cried at the end of ep.9 and 10. almost. Besides the fat suit part, it was nothing like 200 pounds.
My favortite from your list is HM. Only reason I watched it was for the two leads, then I stuck around cos the colours were so pretty. I still have no idea was the story was about.
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23 cat
December 30, 2007 at 4:46 AM
Hey,
I am watching Dal Ja Spring
So... can you write the missing summaries??
If you are not too busy?
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24 jolee
December 30, 2007 at 4:59 AM
After reading your review and honest opinion about each drama I realized just now the number of dramas I HAVEN'T finished this year are almost greater than the number of dramas I actually finished. After watching many years of dramas I have to say I finished every single one of them even if it drove me insane with annoyance just so I can know the ending. Perhaps dramas have become so predictable (or so terrible) that I don't even bother with the ending anymore. Not even a peek of the last episode, just to know what happened.
Some of the dramas listed above are sadly on my incomplete list include Witch Yoo Hee, Air City, Bad Couple, and Coffee Prince. Near incomplete dramas included Hello Miss, which I thought was gonna pick up a bit near the end where it looked like Lee Ji Hoon was going to finally take charge but didn't happened and remained a pushover. And also Thank You was a close incomplete. If it wasn't for Bom and her dear 'ol grandpa (who I think should haven't gotten an award for the role, (I mean seriously, his entire dialogue consisted basically of only saying "chocopie" every now and then) and somehow I cared about him more than any other character on the show). If they weren't in the show, I would have died trying to watch Jang Hyuk pretending as if he cares.
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25 marzy
December 30, 2007 at 6:41 AM
first of thanks sarahbeans for a wonderful year of recaps, summaries and just plain trivia and whatnot. its been interesting and enjoyable. i agree with most of the rest wrap up you made.
WYH, really as silly as it became and how twisted everything went. For the sake of Mr Jae Hee I finished it. Though i wont say hate is the word, it was more of disappointment and regret that it turned out that way. Cause they did start of well and the story was funny too. But not totally a waste cause I got a good laugh from their antics and reading ur write ups at the time. Hehhehe It did brighten up my day.
Well.. HM.. i liked LDH, LJH and HJS but ahh.. well its really not that wow factor and nice though i like romatic comedy types too. they could do better. hehhehe
WOM pissed me off at the end for sure for that exact same reason. But me i looked forward to KJH and SDW there more. hehehe i liked the inital story.
AC... I totally really agree. And no matter how much i liked the LJJ and LJW i couldnt make myself finish watching. it was just painfully silly.
Goong S, well i like Se7en the singer.. maybe not the actor. though he was cute and stuff initially. the whole monarchy stuff heavy to digest at first but it became better. they managed to salvage the end i think. but i wasnt that crazy for this spin off.
BC was ehhhh.. i cant really say where it fell apart.. but i did like it in the start.
Get Karl is just so.. oh.. i cant find the words. but i was bored to tears.
Ok, but for me.. i really liked CS. ENjoyed it a lot.
9in2outs was something nice, a change slow but nice.
let's look forward to new dramas to watch ^^
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26 ripgal
December 30, 2007 at 7:20 AM
Aiks..I really forgot about Air City! TOTALLY!
Gah..it's even worst to even admit that I was once into the AC craze..now I know, it's not even a drama that I'd remember watching.. kekekeke..
Anywayz, Capital Scandal does seem a bit slapstick and overly funny...but again, I think not everybody will like it. Cos that's the main reason why I loved it... a bit of slapstickish scenes here and there, make me smile and laugh...hehehe.. I guess it's just me..hehehe..
9 end 2 outs..ah you shouldn't have skipped Beans. I think it's very important to grasp the development of NH and HT's relationship..and every single episode evinces a further development.
Anywayz, thanx a lot for your wonderfully written reviews..
And have a HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! ^_____^
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27 teokong
December 30, 2007 at 7:20 AM
Thank you very much Javabeans for your recap of 2007 Kdramas. I enjoyed reading your writing. My thanks also to Dahee Fanel and Thunderbolt for their insight of 2007 Kdramas. Ladies, wishing all of you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
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28 dae
December 30, 2007 at 10:23 AM
Thanks JBeans for your reviews. Happy New Year! I look forward to reading more of your reviews this coming new year.
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29 Anna
December 30, 2007 at 12:27 PM
Thank you for the reviews! ^_______^ Goong S didn't live up to it's potential, but it was superficially enjoyable (even though, yeah it did drag) and I felt it was much better than the first one (because it had Se7en, who was a pretty not good actor, but you have to admit you cannot hate the power of a cute couple Hoo and Soon-yi and it did have a better storyline). The first one annoyed me - I actually hated it and didn't understand all the hype xPP - the characters and the story were all blahhhh and you're right PLOT HOLES DUNDUNDUN. xD; I haven't watched any of these middle-y dramas, which is probably a good thing~~~
ps. your blog = major love and sugar...(and moondust!)
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30 maggie
December 30, 2007 at 2:29 PM
thanks for your reviews, javabeans! too bad you don't really like Bad Couple and Capital Scandal... they're my favorites..
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31 F
December 30, 2007 at 2:48 PM
LOL, I enjoyed this post even more than the "Best of 2007" you wrote. The only drama up there I've seen is Witch Amusement. I've read all your recaps and they're quite funny. I had such high hopes for that drama (Jae Hee!), so I literally stalked the d-addicts fansubbing thread for the first few episodes. Now I know to wait until AFTER the series ends and all the reviews come out to decide whether to watch a drama or not. Man, that show pissed me off.
Once again, javabeans, you have made my day. :)
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32 Stawr
December 30, 2007 at 3:55 PM
I don't know if anyone has asked this earlier or not, but I was just curious if Thunderbolt and Dahee Fanel have their own blog sites where we could read their blogs and whatnot... I tried looking for a link, but maybe I'm blind...? Haha.
As for Capital Scandal, I guess now that I think back on it, it was more of a series that's very....tickling. Not much of a mind-blowing plot, awesome and fantastic music/set/costumes...it's just, it was something of a guilty pleasure (?). I remember raving about it on and on a couple of months ago when I first saw it, but really...it was *good* but it's not something that you should have high, high expectations off. Kang Ji Hwan and Han Ji Min both did a fabulous job as leads, but...don't be *too* disappointed when you see the series. I mean, I loved the drama, but I guess I'm cautioning not to set the bar too high... Ahhh, I don't mean to sound so negative. ^^;;
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33 Cheryl
December 30, 2007 at 4:39 PM
"Myung Se Bin..........but the series couldn’t even let THAT alone and had to pair her opposite the charisma-killer, Professor Alex van der whatsher Esterhoosy or whatever. The man could not ACT, nor could he speak English. You wanted to stop him in the middle of “acting” and tell him, “Come on, this is embarrassing for us both.” "
HAHA I was reading this in the office and I burst out laughing loudly, and my fellow intern gave me a WTF look. LOL!
Ahhh yes I didn't bother following Oh Soo Jung after episode 2 although the storyline sounded awesome. Uhm Jung-hwa just looked way too botox-ed and plastified for my eyes to handle......... And I agree with you, STORY IS KING. Scriptwriters are so important! *thinks of the US writers strike*
psst I thought you would have mentioned Golden Bride since it was in your picture... aww that drama was so boring! It was so painful to see the main character ridiculously lovesick, made him look pathetic.
Have a happy new year beans! Lookin' forward to Hong Gildong and Yuri!!!
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34 Jovana
December 30, 2007 at 5:58 PM
“Preguntas” by Kang Ta, is in portuguese... I'm a spanish speaker, and I do not know portuguese but I heard "corazound" and thast heart in protuguese so it is not spanish
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35 angie
December 30, 2007 at 6:44 PM
i suppose your list above is my "4 episode then drop" drama
i only manage to finish bad couple (which i really really love the handsome quirky botanical professor, but really really hate the stupid scripwriter),
and war of money (very exciting until the blue angel buying plot, which is easy and pretty stupid, not to mention the final episode which leaves me depressed)
i think all korean drama have great concept, its just that they don't know where to go after introducing the character and main plot. maybe they should make it shorter, like 10 eps
this is why i love japanese drama (before 2007 era) , they're interesting, exciting, and short
(the criteria above does not include japan's 'hanakimi', and all those 30minutes stupid mini drama)
gosh, i never use so much "stupid" in one post
i'm sorry for my awful structure
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36 kiwee
December 30, 2007 at 7:42 PM
my blahs: flowers for my life, and most of the above, although i enjoyed bottom of the 9th and bad couple was decent.
overall, what i actually waited for week after week, day after day: highkick (though i agree in terms of quality it went up and down) and coffee prince. a sadly short list.
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37 Sakari
December 30, 2007 at 11:25 PM
I'm surprised that PERFECT NEIGHBOR is so rarely mentioned. Granted, it starts a bit slowly as the characters are assembled, but once they are, what follows is very enjoyable. Instead of the usual single story, there are 5 or 6 of them, each interesting in itself. And fun - many scenes have had me laughing out loud.
I don't think GOLDEN BRIDE is bad, either. Kyeon Miri is in it, for one thing.
The year's biggest disappointment (for me) was surely AIR CITY. Why, oh why, can they not find a worthy drama for Choi Ji-woo?
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38 ginnie
December 31, 2007 at 10:10 AM
Thanks for Sweet Sorrow song again. I just love how this song gives me the HAPPIE VIBESSSS...LOL. Bad Couple was sweet until some bad cells came along.
I completely forgot about watching Air City too.
I love your dramas-collage. I realized you made a thumbnail of each drama and piece them together. Awesome visuals to summarize the year.
Happy New Year Javabeans. It has been a wonderful time spent here at your lovely home, javabeans. Thank you very much for being honest and articulate in your posts. May the new year bring you much health, safety and happiness.
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39 thunderbolt
December 31, 2007 at 6:42 PM
#32 Stawr, here are the links you requested.^^
Dahee's blog:
http://daheefanel.blogspot.com/
Thunderbolt's blog (registration required):
http://www.jisubaddicts.com/forum/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=1&
Both Dahee and Thunder are permanently parked in the following place (link below) where they and others rant and rave almost daily about kdramas and kmovies. Lots of meaty discussions on lots of dramas; anyone is free to jump in and just yak about current or old dramas that they are watching. It's all very forthright (we don't mince our words) and in good fun (we criticize but it's not malicious). Backtrack the pages to find really long discussions of Coffee Prince, Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs (including posts by soonjap; regulars at the soompi Thank You thread should know her), TODAW, Devil, Soulmate, MIA, Thank You, Capital Scandal, King and I, Que Sera Sera, Insoon is Pretty (just to name a few of the dozens of dramas we've discussed in the last two years).
"What are you watching now?" (thread at non-Jisub General Discussion subforum; registration required):
http://www.jisubaddicts.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=35&st=2660&start=2660
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40 maltesers
December 31, 2007 at 7:17 PM
I totally find BAD COUPLE a great drama! love the chemistry of the two leads...and the professor is really hot!
Coffee Prince is totally overrated...i only managed to watch until ep4...sorry!
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41 tealeaf
January 2, 2008 at 12:11 AM
Thanks javabeans. It is difficult to have all the right parts come together to produce a good drama. Bad shows make us more appreciative of the well produced ones. K-drama viewers have become more sophisticated and selective in their choices (just read the above comments). Hopefully future shows will be responsive to the viewers' changing taste. We can only hope, yeah?
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42 Shazou
January 2, 2008 at 9:59 AM
I also found 9 end 2 outs ordinary.. actually i haven't finished watching it but i get bored every time i begin.. I don't understand the all crying depressing issue of Nan hee for her younger boyfriend... it sounds kind of ridiculous to me... too exagerated....
Wonderful review and blog by the way ! First time here and very happy me ! ^_^
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43 coco
January 2, 2008 at 7:00 PM
GoongS
I prefer GoongS more than Goong as I don't really like the storyline of Goong cause too many talking I fall asleep sometime when I watching it.As for Seven acting,I will say for his first time acting he good that I expected from him as I can at least feel what he trying to show and tell me.
Witch Amusement
I read from somewhere that this drama was bad after I watching which recently showing on my local TV. I find it ok which it stop me from watching it but at first I thought it because I wanted to watch Kim Jeong Hoon and also see the pretty Han Ga In but after I watch it I like the story as I also find Jae Hee funny. I also read that Kim Jeong Hoon was name Drama Killer for this drama. This point I strongly disagree and it not because I like Kim Jeong Hoon and trying to cover for him. But I really find his acting is getting better from the way he acted in Goong. Even my hubby find his acting ok and he like to watch this drama as he never really fancy Kdrama.
Hello Miss
I watch this and finish this drama because I want to watch Lee Ji Hoon and Lee Da Hae . Both of them from start fight to the end and only at the last ep then feel for each other... As to watch them on that my neck had already become like giraffa.
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44 adeothers
January 3, 2008 at 2:22 PM
Thank you Javabeans for your posts, they are a sure way to bright my day! Happy 2008!
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45 jooo
January 5, 2008 at 11:59 PM
I pretty much enjoyed Auction House in its earlier episodes since it was a different genre with a totally different concept and appeal.
The initial episodes were good, i found myself wanting to watch more while waiting for the chinese subbed episodes to be released. However, when i got to episode 7/8, i found my interest waning in this series. I'm not sure why the interest went downhill, maybe it was the same case scenario being repeated over and over and over again.. eg. how an artpiece is missing/stolen and the lengths they go to recover it. It becomes pretty blend over some time. Though admittedly, you have to give due credit to the writer for trying to spread the attention beyond the main couple, giving the other main cast their own individual stories and episode for personal character development.
Auction House had a great start, but towards the end, my interest in it fizzled, it just didn't quite hold me till the end.
--------------------
With Amusement and Hello Miss were two dramas that i was anticipating a lot this year. Witch amusement started out pretty good, the transformation and all that jazz but the story went downhill after her transformation. It got too confusing and drama-mama for my liking. A lead actress surrounded by 3 suitors? It got a bit tiring and painful to watch -_- The story really just didn't work out.
Hello Miss had an interesting concept. LDH portrayed as a country "bumpkin" of some-sorts. (It amazes me that despite her bumpkin-ness, she still manages to look absolutely fabulous in her high waist jeans, tucked in shirts. Amazing. Haha). I watched the entire series of Hello Miss, though it got really draggy in between, i fast forwarded a lot and the appeal just wasn't there. I was quite disappointed though i must say, i'm thoroughly enjoying her new drama with Jang Hyuk now. Robbers seem to have much potential and i hope it works out for her!
The next drama i have to grimace about would be Air City -_____- MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT. Sorry, it really annoys me till no ends. It has been a long time since i've seen jiwoo on the telly.. and i was really really looking forward to air city and all the intense thriller drama it had to it. But really, it was a flop, considering how much they spent on the entire production. Like you said, the first few episodes were good, then it slowly spiraled into some soapy melodrama with love triangles and a dying doctor with cancer -_- it got really painful to watch because the storyline was utterly trashy. >__>
And thats about all i've to say :x i'm sorry if its an overly long comment. hahaha :]
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46 ling
January 16, 2008 at 8:12 AM
i really enjoy reading ur entries (:
yu really should continue with capital scandal! i loved it for the plot ((:
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47 hachiko
March 29, 2008 at 6:47 AM
To bad you didn't like War Of Money. This is my favorite drama in 2007.
And I know that Hong Gil Dong is my favorite drama for 2008 ^_^
My reason!
The chemistry between two leading role was awesome!!!!
I am a simple girl, just show me the chemistry and I forget all the lackness in the drama ^^
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48 AwesomeAshley.
May 25, 2008 at 11:23 PM
I like the honesty in your reviews (:
I think Bad Couple was pretty hilarious, but they just had to ruin the last few episodes with a common disease that people get in dramas.
Air City was a train wreck. I mean, I loved the male roles in it, but what was Tear Princess Choi Ji Woo doing in a show about terrorists trying to blow up a frickin' airport and someone's gotta save the day?
Witch Amusement was entertaining, but it was good enough to kill time.
I've got one word for Goong S; MEDIOCRE. And I hated Park Shin Hye's manipulative acting and the second male role. Kang Doo DOES look a decade older than everybody else.
I actually LOVED 9 Ends and 2 Outs, mainly because there's incredible chemistry between Soo Ae and Lee Jung Jin, and the storyline was fresh and relatable.
Get Karl Oh Soo Jung was your typical gold digger, unattractive to handsome, trying to win his or her heart back drama.
Money War was F-U-N-N-Y, but slaughtering each other over money? Whatev.
You didn't put Golden Bride on the list, but I thought it was a great family drama, with wonderful comedy relief, but it was like DRAMA 101.
Coffee Prince was AMAZING, I loved Yoon Eun Hye's performance and its unique approach on a different storyline, instead of the usual somebody-died-so-I'm-gonna-cry-my-heart-out or the Cinderella rags-to-riches.
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49 Gangura
June 25, 2008 at 7:38 PM
Can anyone tell me, what is with the Korean dramas and women throwing up? Is there a fetish in S Korea with women throwing up and fainting?
I was just wondering, because I've watched many dramas and there's always some young thing throwing up or fainting.
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50 Sparrow
December 27, 2008 at 3:18 AM
First of all I must say I'm a huge fan of this blog, to the extent that it sometimes reshapes my ideas on certain dramas. I love the analysis of what works and what doesn't, especially when it crystalises things that are hard to pin point.
I look for romance and escapism in my Kdrama, and the series who delivered for me this year where : Coffee Prince, Dal Ja Spring, and Likable or Not.
But I also rather enjoyed some series like Surgeon Bong Dal Hee, Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs, Golden Bride and Thank You.
Surgeon Bong Dal Hee appeal was due to it's lead Lee Beom Soo, who somehow made a cold unsympathetic man, who shouts all the time, seem lovable.
Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs, was slow to develop but worked for me because of the cosiness of the relationship of the two leads, the scenes that stood out were their bickering over everyday mundane stuff while sharing an apartment. Lee Jung Jin never worked for me before but here he almost shines. My main complaint with the drama was the pacing,in my opnion too, the younger boyfriend storyline hindered the plot.
Golden Bride was pure fun, but a rather guilty pleasure, and though I started watching for Song Chung Hui I ended up admiring the other male leads so much more, I also had a similar thing happen to me in Thank You where Shin Sung Rok stole the limelight with a heartfelt performance (his is the only character to under go a change in the series).
I also wachted Bad Couple and Get Karl, and while I agree that Bad Couple started off great and refreshing and then took a strange turn towrds melodrama. It certainly streched the main leads' acting chops (luckily the cast was very capable,so I was able to finish watching the series despite my grumbling).
I thing Get Karl was a little underrated. It took me awhile to get into this series, because both leads seemed too off putting at first, but gradully the script reveals that Uhm Jung Hwa's character really isn't so bad and calculating but rather worm hearted, while the other girl who seemed so innocent at first was really a manipulative scheemer, and that there is more to Oh Ji Oh's relationship with her then meets the eye. We start off with the male lead's point of view who searches for answers, and get those answers as the series progresses.
By no means perfect, this series still had it's moments especially the goofy comedy.
Other dramas like Air City, War of Money, Goong S and Witch Amusement I dropped half way through, they seemed so promising at first so my disappointment was more acute. While other dramas such as Hello Miss and Perfect Neighbour worked better with a finger on the fast forward button at least half the time, because some parts were just so slow or downright embarassing.
I am looking forward to trying the rest of the dramas on this years rocommendation list.:-)
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