İyi Seyirler Dileriz.
Be Strong, Geum Soon! (2005)
Be Strong, GeumSoon!
굳세어라 금순아
(Feb – Sept 2005)
who’s in it
Han HyeJin (Jumong, Terroir)
Kang JiHwan (Hong Gil Dong, Rough Cut – film)
Lee MinKi (Dal Ja’s Spring, Really, Really Like You)
Kim SuhHyung (Temptation of Wife)
what’s it about
Han HyeJin plays GeumSoon, a simple but warm-hearted country orphan who was raised by her grandmother. She falls for a boy, gets knocked up young in life and is forced into a shotgun marriage, to the chagrin of her boyfriend’s parents who see her as nothing more than a poor and conniving hussy who seduced their youngest son with sex and has now become the sinking anchor that will prevent him from succeeding in life. Whoa, mouthful! Anyway, when the young husband dies unexpectedly in a car accident soon after they are married, Han HyeJin is left behind with an infant son to raise on her own and in-laws who blame her for their son/younger brother’s death. Because she is the mother of their grandson/nephew, they very grudgingly let her continue to live with them until her financial situation improves. Through hard work and perseverance, she studies to become a hair stylist at a boutique salon in Seoul and also manages to snare the romantic interest of the owner’s handsome son, a surgeon internist played by Kang JiHwan. This is a classic story of lemons being sweetened into lemonade.
commitment
A truly frightening nightmare for those afraid of long term relationships at an intense length of 163 episodes. Seriously long sucker.
network
MBC
wildcard factor
This drama was so L-L-L-L-LONG it took the better part of a year to end its run. Soooo long it could have had its own zipcode. I’ll be honest, probably (felt like) one of the longest miniseries I’ve ever watched in my entire life (although A&E’s Pride and Prejudice felt close). It took me a long time and multiple breaks to finish this one. By the end, I felt like I’d gone through every excruciating trial with Han HyeJin and her drama-ridden families! The good news was obvious, there was going to be lots of quality character development and its long length indicative of the success it enjoyed. The bad news was equally obvious, this kind of length implied a lots of side characters and multiple plot arcs, some more snooze-worthy than others, although in relation to other daily dramas, not too excessive an amount of banchan characters. For a daily one, aside from the obvious tell in the 30-minute episodes and the 163-episode run, it had the snappy and modern feel that MBC was so good at capturing and didn’t scrimp on the quality of the production.
first impressions
I liked it. At the very start, looking ahead, I did feel somewhat daunted by its extraordinary length, as if in the middle of trekking up a 12-mile mountain hike then getting overwhelmed after only passing the 4-mile mark, realizing that I was far too deep into the climb to turn back, yet faced with so many more miles to go! Suddenly there’s this feeling of extreme dehydration and not even the little bag of almonds and beef jerky and granola bars can perk the energy level back up…okay, right, don’t worry, I’m snapping out of my reverie now.
Anyway, Han HyeJin was so completely lovable and pitiful at the same time, there was a desperate need to continue, if only to see her finally overcome all the obstacles tossed in her way before happiness could finally stick. Talk about someone who was constantly whacked by the unfair stick.
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Hana Yori Dango (2005, 2007, 2008)
Hana Yori Dango
花より男子
Season One 2005;
Season Two 2007;
Final Movie 2008
who’s in it
Inoue Mao as Makino Tsukushi (Goo HyeSun – JanDi)
Matsumoto Jun as Domyoji Tsukasa (Lee MinHo – JunPyo)
Oguri Shun as Hanazawa Rui (Kim HyunJoong – JiHoo)
Matsuda Shota as Nishikado Soujiro (Kim Bum – YiJung)
Abe Tsuyoshi as Mimasaka Akira (Kim Joon – WooBin)
Nishihara Aki as Matsuoka Yuki (Kim SoEun – GaEul)
(Equivalent Korean version Boys Over Flowers)
what’s it about
Real quick, I want to preface this review by saying that while I did watch Hana Yori Dango before Boys Over Flowers, the latter is still fresh in my mind and so I don’t think I will be able to resist making constant comparisons between the two…besides, this is a blog about Korean dramas so I thought it appropriate.
Here we go:
Makino Tsukushi (played by Inoue Mao) is a counter girl at a rice cake shop. She’s a simple girl but clear-eyed and undaunted by the hardships that come her way. She’s also a wrong-side-of-the-tracks poor girl attending an ultra privileged prep school by the title Eitoku High School. Things go awry for her when she butts heads with Tsukasa, the leader of F4, a quad of young men (yes, also students) who ‘discipline’ their peers under a “red notice” system. Simply put, piss Almighty Tsukasa off and you may get a red notice, and like a red card in futbol, this is not a good sending off. Basically, a crimson card dangling at the head of your locker means that the entire school will make your life at school a level in Dante’s hell, including beating the sh*t out of you. It’s quite frightening really. This school, for all its polish and shine, is quite lawless. Case and point, Makino almost gets raped by some overly-enthusiastic bullies…thankfully, violin-playing emoting hottie Hanazawa Rui prevents the worst from happening. Ah, did I mention he’s also a F4 member? But unlike their leader Tsukasa, this F4 guy isn’t that much into the intimidating and oppressing of people, especially women. Makino develops a crush on her pretty boy white knight. All the while, Tsukasa can’t seem to resist Makino’s unique oppositional charms. Apparently, a girl that hits him is a girl that keeps him.
commitment
Season 1: 9 Episodes
Season 2: 11 episodes
Hana Yori Dango Final: Movie
network
Tokyo Broadcasting System
wildcard factor
Inoue Mao, who played Makino, was terrific. Truthfully, I liked her take on this character far more than Goo HyeSun’s portrayal. She had a believable strength about her even when she kept finding herself in ridiculous scenarios. Believable is the key word in that sentence, by the way.
Nishihara Aki’s portrayal of Matsuoka Yuki (Makino’s best friend) was also very good. I loved the character Yuki as much as I loved her equivalent in Boys Over Flowers, GaEul.
after the first episode
I’d seen some of the anime beforehand so I was prepared for the flowerly fluff nature of the storyline…while I did not finish the animated interpretation, I thought that I could finish this drama. The lead girl was cute and it seemed like the show was going to be a real fangirl stage show. Four cute boys and a strong girl? What’s not to like?
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Jumong (2005/2006)
Jumong Prince of Legend
삼한지-주몽 편
(May 2005 – Mar 2006)
who’s in it
Song IlGook (Lobbyist, Kingdom of the Wind)
Han HyeJin (Be Strong, Geum Soon!, Terroir)
Won KiJoon (The Grand Chef)
what’s it about
Song IlGook wonderfully portrays Prince Jumong, the lazy and carefree son of King Geumwa’s Royal Concubine, Lady Yuhwa; he is the youngest out of three princes in line for the throne. Despite his boozing and whoring, Jumong is King Geumwa’s favorite son, in part because Jumong is an affable prince, but also because the king has loved Jumong’s mother the way he has never loved his queen. When Jumong learns of his true heritage (which had been kept hidden from him), he also wakes to the political hatred simmering under the veneer of civility in palace life, and realizes he has spent all of his youth in ignorance. With the burden of his past heavy upon his shoulders, he embarks on a new path. This is an embellishment of legend (loosely based in fact) of the young prince destined to unite the scattered city-states of present day Koreans under one banner, a race of people estranged from one another and oppressed by Han tyranny (loosely China). It would be impossible to go further into detail, not only because of the sheer depth of characters and story (as it spans generations!) but also because the twists and turns of the journey is precisely what makes Jumong so involving to watch.
commitment
A substantial 81 episodes
network
MBC
wildcard factor
Historical pieces can be difficult. True historicals tend to be favored by the older generation of drama watchers because they demand a lot of patience and time and are usually steeped in an overwhelming package of traditional theme and speak. They are the choice entrée for my parents, for example. Now, unlike the fusion sageuks that have recently come into popularity, ones that blend historical settings with contemporary panache, true historical dramas rarely care to be fast-paced or comedic in delivery. Jumong is that sort of heavily political historical drama that is both serious and steeped in war, and tests you through lots and lots of dialogue. How Jumong separates itself from the pack, however, is by having a very capable leading man that was both the everyman and heroic. Song IlGook was able to keep Jumong grounded and easy to connect with despite the pomp and fuss of being a historical character of “grave importance.” Jumong also had a fairly brisk storytelling pace that kept itself accessible. Action-packed and, yes, at times very romantic—his female lead was the headstrong Han HyeJin, a competent merchant’s daughter who takes notice of Jumong after an unfavorable chance encounter.
after the first episode
W-O-W. I’ll be truthful, I don’t always care for historical dramas, they requiring more committment than I usually am able to give. I also rarely like the fusion saeguks. I will acknowledge they usually tell a good, well-developed tale but I lack the patience for them. But this one…I was instantly hooked. Not only did I immediately take a shine to Song IlGook as Prince Jumong, but I didn’t find the “historicalness” of Jumong overwhelming and headache-inducing. It felt suprisingly modern in the telling and well, surpise me, exciting. It had a feeling of grandness and a pinch of magic. I really liked it; somehow it felt new to me.
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Super Rookie (2005)
Super Rookie
신입사원
(Mar – May 2005)
who’s in it
Eric (Que Sera Sera, member of Shinhwa)
Han GaIn (Witch Yoo Hee)
Oh JiHo (Couple or Trouble, Queen of Housewives)
Lee SoYeon (Spring Waltz)
what’s it about
Eric is a floppy-haired, comic book readin,’ lovable loser who gets hired at a top tier suit and tie type of company that normally only hires the best talents in business…but how does he manage that, you ask? Well, gets his chance in a twist of fate, or more accurately, a technological glitch. In due course, he falls for Han GaIn, a mousy coworker who was recently taken to the relationship dumpster by ruthlessly hot, but also ruthlessly ambitious Oh JiHo. The drama follows Eric’s efforts to succeed at work using his affable personality and street cred despite the fact that he’s clearly in way over his unqualified head.
commitment
20 episodes
network
MBC
wildcard factor
Eric – floppy and dorky but totally watchable, suprisingly. There was something utterly charming about Eric’s useless everyman. I suppose there is a little bumble and stumble in all of us which makes his character an easy relate. If you like watching stuff about underdogs winning at the end of every hour, this one’s totally for you.
after the first episode
There’s a scene early on where Eric was moping on a bridge, mourning his failures…when out of nowhere he bursted out into song and started flapping around in singing abandon. I choked/laughed out loud. I thought, Oh, I can definitely watch Eric for 20 hours if it’s gonna be like this the whole time! And by that, I mean I hoped for lots more impulsively humorous scenes. The rest of the drama did not measure up to the expectations set by that scene…but it got me hooked enough to watch the whole thing.
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My Lovely Samsoon (2005)
My Lovely Samsoon
내 이름은 김삼순
(Jun – Jul 2005)
who’s in it
Kim SunAh (City Hall, She’s On Duty - film)
Hyun Bin (World Within, Friend Our Legend)
Jung RyuWon (Ja Myung Go)
Daniel Henney (Spring Waltz, Seducing Mr. Robin – film)
what’s it about
Kim SunAh is a chubby (by tv standards), unemployed patisserie chef who gets dumped by her cheating dog of a boyfriend. After this crushing setback, she goes on a mission to land a better job and a better man, a better life. A better name, too. She believes that her cursed name has tainted her entire existence and all will be straightened out once she changes it from “SamSoon” to “HeeJin.” She lands a gig at a fancy-schmancy restaurant owned by the arrogant but handsome Hyun Bin, a man who has some ex-issues of his own. Although Hyun Bin’s new pastry chef makes some pretty awesome desserts…she is everything that he doesn’t find attractive in a woman: loud, opinionated and unsophisticated. But when the two start a fake relationship in order to thwart Hyun Bin’s mother from her matchmaking schemes (Kim SunAh borrows money from him in exchange), the couple’s real feelings start to get in the way of their contract. Yep, I said contract. It’s a contract romance one!
commitment
16 episodes
network
MBC
wildcard factor
Kim SunAh’s acting feels tremendously raw and honest in this role. She played a real human being that had flaws, yes, including a complex about her weight. It shouldn’t be considered ‘brave’ to play a normal woman, but let’s face it, this is the entertainment industry and her role as an “overweight” spinster was pretty courageous as she exists in a celebrity land of stick-skinny anorexics, including her co-star Jung RyuWon, who was so skinny in the drama that she could have made a spaghetti strand ashamed of its weight.
Kim SunAh was awkward, uncomfortable and completely charming as the brassy Kim SamSoon.
Hyun Bin became huge after this aired. What else is there to say? He’s a handsome guy who looked good in a nicely cut suit and perfectly coifed hair. Oh yeah, and as a nice side benefit, he could act.
after the first episode
There was something about this one that didn’t feel the same as the other kdramas [I had seen prior to it]. It was intelligent. It felt classy. It was heartwarming. The female lead was instantly recognizable as one of our own, a normal person and not just a kdrama cliché. Her flaws, her worries, and her fears felt real. As for Hyun Bin, my initial thought on his character was that he was interesting and complicated…you definitely felt there were onion skins to his character that would be peeled layer by layer as the show progressed.
And all this plus the show was FUNNY!
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