İyi Seyirler Dileriz.
Dr Champ (2010)
Dr Champ
닥터 챔프
(Sept – Nov 2010)
who’s in it
Kim SoYeon (Prosecutor Princess)
Uhm TaeWoong (Queen SeonDuk)
Jung GyuWoon (Loving You a Thousand Times)
Cha YeRyun (Invincible Lee PyungKang)
Jung SukWon (Creating Destiny)
Shindong (Super Junior – member)
what’s it about
He says, “When there are two or more coincidences, it’s destiny.”
She says, “No, it’s still only coincidence.”
The he is played by Jung GyuWoon, a judo athlete aspiring for the international stage—and a medal. He’s made a deathbed promise with his older brother to hold gold and he means to keep it, at any cost. He’s got a cutie pie nephew who is his most devoted pint-sized cheering section (of one), but unfortunately his sister-in-law feels different. She can barely spare a kind thought for him. He’s athletic (martial arts lean) and good-natured (easy to smile, easy to offer aid to strangers), but he’s also pretty seriously focused on this one goal. Although not so completely single-minded as to ignore a pretty girl worth scoping.
That leads to the she in this equation. Kim SoYeon is an aspiring orthopedic surgeon (a promising one) who has been granted a coveted fellowship spot at the prestigious research hospital she’s currently interning. But when her sponsor and mentor does the unthinkable during an operation, the young doc is forced to choose between career and morality. She makes the more human choice and finds herself blacklisted. She’s bright, a bit stuffy, and a total workaholic cursed with the kdrama fate of having to support a troublemaking family while dodging power hungry superiors who want to keep her well positioned below their lowering heels.
Both he and she end up at Taereung National Village, he by design, she as a last resort. Taereung is a massive compound dedicated to the training of Korea’s top athletes. Once there, the oversight of Kim SoYeon’s career and Jung GyuWoon’s fitness is managed by newly appointed medical director played by Uhm TaeWoong. I tell you what, if I thought Lee SunGyun’s cranky chef in Pasta reeked of House-ness (FOX’s long-running hit about an irascible doc), Uhm TaeWoong was an even better twin candidate, right down to the bad leg and cane. His unconventional diagnosing methods only concreted the comparison. Forget Johns Hopkins, this guy must have studied at Princeton Plainsboro under Dr. Gregory House. I joke. Anyhow, Uhm TaeWoong seemed an interesting character despite the all too familiar setup.
Ah, you should know, he’s also a genius, apparently, because in the past he was charged with rehab programs for both of ROK’s premier sports darlings, footie player Park JiSung and baseballer Park ChanHo (which I find very amusing; let’s just pick two of the most famous Korean athletes and affiliate this doc to them, then he’ll have instant cred, or so I’m sure the writers were thinking). Side note: Ji has been in great form this past month. Just saying, as a devoted United fan…makes me as happy as a candy coated in caramel. It’s a bummer he’s leaving the team during a critical time in our title race, but good luck to him in the Asian Cup. Hey, the show brought up Park JiSung first.
Back to Champ:
This drama takes place in a very specific, very self-contained and passionate setting…and this interesting environment could make the characters more exciting than they initially come across with their stuffy career credentials (doctor, doctor, athlete, coach, athlete, etc). Also conspicuous, Champ is taking itself seriously and not making a joke of the story (me = relieved).
(initially posted Dec 22, 2010)
director
Park HyungKi
screenwriter(s)
No JiSeol
commitment
16 episodes
network
SBS
first impressions
So…the thought of dedicating the prime of my life to an insane state of inhuman super fitness gives me the major hives. It is so out of my comfort zone, so completely beyond my comprehension and well, so beyond the concept of what I consider a good time (sitting on my lazy butt and watching tv), that this drama utterly fascinates. Things that I don’t understand are way more interesting than things that I do. These people and the things they strive to accomplish are very interesting. I bring this up in effort to share my mindset going into this one.
Right off, this drama felt familiar. Was this another helping of Prosecutor Princess, Kim SoYeon’s most recent past project. I wondered and even feared, a bit. Being a passing reminder of PP is not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not exactly a great thing either. I wanted this show to stand apart. And more, I wanted it to be better. There was a point in the introductory episodes when it poked fun of itself and gave cameo to Prosecutor Ma, Kim’s former character in PP. I groaned out loud. Um, really, not a good time. It’s a little too early to be making those kind of jokes. 1) PP aired only earlier this year, and 2) I don’t think it’s ever a wise gambit to point out the uncanny same-sameness between [any] two dramas. Here, it only served to remind me of my inkling discomfort over the similarities between the character of beleaguered prosecutor and beleaguered doctor when I was just coming around to letting go of the former.
Kim SoYeon’s character bio in Champ was actually completely different than her PP character…but they felt similar. The overall natures of the characters were different, but the premise was still about a woman trying to tread water in a pressure cooker of a career. I couldn’t completely shake that hanging cloud...of her past performance.
Another similarity to PP? This show had the same high gloss coloring—a real slick magazine look about it. It wasn’t bad, but it was unnaturally sharp. I dunno, the lighting was almost too vibrant, dare I say, unrealistic.
But don’t let my whining above mislead you. Those are just some minor complaints about the paint job. As for the interior design, I have better things to say. In fact, I very much liked it. The story gave me some real anxiety moments in the early hours where I truly worried for the characters, which meant I must have cared for them despite the earliness in the game. The hints of trauma between the various relationships had the potential to be absorbing. I especially liked Kim SoYeon’s stoic woman who worked harder than everyone else despite the fact that she was already the smartest in the class. She played the kind of person who may not be the most approachable from a social point of view, but carried the kind of integrity one would want in a real doctor. Bad with peers, great with patients. She’s honorable when it mattered the most—when no one was watching. The kind of heroism that is unadulterated, and not conditional on personal gain. The main couple had that in common.
There was a surprising amount of detail to most everyone introduced, very richly textured, complicated, uneasy people. I was pleasantly won over. While I’m not completely on board with their choices regarding the superficial aspects of the drama, such as the lighting and even the music, to an extent, I do recognize what the production is attempting and understand why they are doing what they are doing. And you know, sports stories are a lot like war stories only without the hail of gunfire, all about the fight for honor, the reach for a conquering spirit, the endurance against pain, and finally, the ultimate victory. It’s arousing stuff, very easy to get caught up in the tears and the bloody drama of it all. As for the writing and the acting, it supports the heartfelt tale it is trying to convey to us, and so remains (most gratefully) outside the reach of my criticism (so far).
(first impressions initially posted Dec 22, 2010)
wildcard
It’s a drama about sports medicine that follows the daily trials of clinicians who treat athletes training for competition on the world’s stage. The actual story will be about as exciting as your own personal interest in, say, the Olympics, or the World Cup, etc, but the strength of this one isn’t in the groundwork, but lies in the goodness of the people, including the artless charm of our male lead, Jung GyuWoon. His goodness is the perfect casting to pull a viewer through 16 episodes of underdog sports tribulations. I mean, it’s one of those things: why do people watch a sport even if they don’t play the game themselves? Because they like to see good people attain their dreams...and it’s totally a vicarious thrill.
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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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Chuno (2010)
Chuno
추노 / Slave Hunters
(Jan – Mar 2010)
who’s in it
Jang Hyuk (Tazza, Bright Girl)
Oh JiHo (Super Rookie, Couple or Trouble)
Lee DaHae (My Girl, Hello Miss!)
Han JungSoo (Painter of the Wind)
Kim JiSuk
Kim HaEun (Single Dad in Love, Hometown Legends)
Danny Ahn (g.o.d - member, Dream Team 2 - member)
what’s it about
Jang Hyuk is a lean and mean fighting machine…an infamous hunter of runaway slaves and one that is frighteningly good at his job. His zeal for dragging the flown back to their coop is both ruthless and without an ounce of compassion (kinda of) but the root reason why he chases slaves with such single-minded obsession is not for belief in slavery or the politics behind the institution, or even money, but a personal vendetta and a fractured heart. You see, this man’s one purpose in life is to find his first love, the slave who is partially responsible for the death of his entire family…the woman who brought the end to his former life of comfort as a young nobleman.
Parallel to DaeGil the Slave Hunter’s story, or perhaps more accurately, perpendicular to it, a falsely disgraced general of the royal military, now branded as a runaway slave, makes his daring move after learning of intrigues hurrying forward in his country.
Lee DaHae is the woman that stands like a stalk of bending barley at the center of this burning hot field of almost-naked men.
All their lives are destined to converge—for better, or for worse.
commitment
A measly 24 episodes
network
KBS2
wildcard factor
Jang Hyuk – this actor was so flippin’ amazing in this role that I worship at his feet and even the dirty Chuno ground he ran across. That’s all I gots to say. Well, no, that’s a lie. I have a lot more to say on the matter:
I mean, aside from the fact that he’s one hot potato of a man, he brought slave hunter DaeGil to exploding fruition. His pain became my pain. I became hopelessly invested in his character. The nuances in his acting, the subtle ways he explored his character’s torments and motivations were so intriguing to watch. In the quiet scenes, it’s not Jang Hyuk thinking about DaeGil’s problems, but you really believe it’s DaeGil thinking about DaeGil’s problems. He’s not always pretty to watch (sometimes spittle and hemoglobin do violent chemical things in this show), but one thing’s for sure, it was never boring. Action adventures are so much the more thrilling when good acting is involved, don’t y’all think? I love it when we get the whole package entertainment—emotional investment as well as the instantly gratifying fun of fight scenes and flying high-kicks.
Kim HaEun – now right here was a true acting marvel! This little wench (that’s what she was oft referred to in Chuno) played a worldly ingénue in a charlatan dancing troupe. The contradiction in such a character and the manner in which Kim HaEun delivered her lines were both believable and poignant. After only a few scenes, she became my favorite character. I even wondered if Lee DaHae suffered the abundance of negative feedback for her portrayal as EunYeon because she was being compared to such a natural talent as Kim HaEun. She was definitely not just cast for her pretty face. She hijacked every scene she was in and had an amazing talent to convey multiple layers of emotions with one gaze or gesture. I think her character really helped us connect to the period, this era in Korean history when the role of women were little more than slaves as well. And when she sang, ah, it was both lovely and sad. There is something about characters that tell their story or their pain through song—the ability and power of music to instantly resonate. The ability to rip your heart out and tear it to little pieces.
Also, as pleasurable as it was to watch Jang Hyuk onscreen by himself, it was more delightful to watch the interplay between Jang Hyuk and Kim HaEun when they were together. Their characters were such polar opposites that their scenes practically sparked like two chips of flint being scraped together. MORE, please! Here’s a Jang Hyuk and Kim HaEun photospasm where she is cajoling a ride out of him:
Notable mentions: Kim JiSuk adorably played goofy and gangly playboy WangSon/왕손이 (also funny to note that his name sounded like the Korean word for monkey/원숭이) and Han JungSoo excellently embodied the stalwart General Choi. These two gentlemen ruffians were also wonderful as fellow slave hunters that worked beside leader Jang Hyuk. Can I overuse the word ‘wonderful’ much? Not in this review.
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! Just one more: wonderful!
The four I’ve mentioned here created the heart of this drama.
after the first episode
Sweeping. Lush. Sexy. Funny. Smart. Well endowed—very well endowed (oh the men!)—with a compelling story and complex characters. I was a bit disconcerted at first at how good it was, completely taken off guard. Naturally, I expected to see the buff men in scanty clothing running around and being all macho…I didn’t expect them to be able to act. I knew there would be beautiful scenery and grand fight scenes, I didn’t expect those fight scenes to be beautifully filmed as well as actually convey sentiment.
Overall, the biggest revelation for me would have to be Jang Hyuk. I didn’t expect him to command his role so completely, as I am not really familiar with any of his previous works. He was hardcore to the max as the nonchalant and insolent slave hunter. He hit all the right notes. He was thrilling to watch in his grand fighting scenes (probably because he’s a martial arts expert in real life as well) but subtle with his emotions so that the human center of his character didn’t get lost in the sneering and the posturing. I totally fell in love. Complex characters can be so engaging to watch as we learn more about them in bits and pieces, truly like a new relationship starting and unfolding. It’s a wonderful feeling to realize the character you thought you knew in episode 1 is not at all the character revealed in Episode 7, and then later in Episode 15, and so forth. The point is growth. The deeper we travelled with him, the more interesting he became, and it was in part the writing, of course, but also very much owing to the ability of Jang Hyuk to pull it off.
Despite the seriousness, it was surprising how very comedic Chuno was as well, but unlike others that have failed, Chuno was able to show its humor in a way that didn’t shame itself.
There was one glaring weakness: Lee DaHae. I just don’t know about her in this role. I hoped for the best but I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be satisfied by her performance.
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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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1st Shop of a Coffee Prince (2007)
1st Shop of a Coffee Prince
커피프린스 1호점
(Jul – Aug 2007)
who’s in it
Yoon EunHye (Goong, The Vineyard Man)
Gong Yoo (One Fine Day, Spy Girl – film)
Lee SunGyun (Triple, Pasta)
Chae JungAhn (Cain and Abel)
what’s it about
Yoon EunHye is a girl who has a family that is financially challenged and to meet that challenge, she finds herself in a truly truly absurd gender-bending situation. Good for us, awkward for her. Not only does she pretend to be a garçon at a coffee shop, but the short-haired pixie finds herself being roped into her boss Gong Yoo’s blind dates (set up by his grandmother) pretending to be his boyfriend. Gong Yoo wants to shock his potential gold-digging female suitors out of his life because he’s actually got the hots for his cousin’s ex-girlfriend, played by Chae JungAhn.
As if pretending to be a boy isn’t difficult enough, she starts to get butterfly-feelings for Gong Yoo, who only sees her as a gawky younger brother. For now.
Aside from the main four characters, there are three delicious boys who are employed in the coffee shop. Not a bad way to flavor your latte, that’s for damn sure. Can you imagine your local coffee hotspot with these guys? Oh yeah, I’d be there every java-loving day.
commitment
17 episodes
network
MBC
wildcard factor
Yoon EunHye was effortlessly engaging as EunChan. She does earnesty in the way that Han HyoJoo can only dream about (Spring Waltz, Shining Inheritance).
after the first episode
Tentatively excited. The premise laid the groundwork for a lot of interesting possibilities and the tone of the drama hinted at a lot of hilarity to come. While Yoon EunHye was believable as a boy, my hesitation stemmed from my concern at how the show intended to approach the obvious issue of homosexuality that would naturally be born out of such a plotline, which is not exactly a mainstream nor popular concept even in today’s modern society, and not just in Korea but the world as a whole. I was both hopeful and wary of the topic’s potential hot button and sensitive nature. I only hoped that it would be explored respectfully and in a positive manner, and if so, perhaps even spread a little tolerance. Anyhow, although it’s not the point of a romantic comedy to teach social compassion, there are just some subject matters that come laden with landmines and must be tread upon with care.
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Boys Over Flowers (2009)
Boys Over Flowers
꽃보다 남자 / Boys Before Flowers
(Jan – Mar 2009)
who’s in it
Lee MinHo (Nonstop 5, I Am Sam)
Goo HyeSun (King and I, Strongest Chil Woo)
Kim HyunJoong (member of SS501)
Kim Bum (High Kick Through The Roof, Dream)
Kim Joon (member of T-Max)
Kim SoEun (He Who Can't Get Married)
what’s it about
Follows a quad of over-priviledged prep school boys who call themselves “F4,” students who spend less time studying and more time harassing their schoolmates, kids they consider more peasants of their fiefdom than their peers. The leader of this tyrannical group is played by Lee MinHo; when he one day trips across an obstacle in the form of short-stuff Goo HyeSun and this charity case throws his life into chaos when she starts attending his school, challenging his authority and, last but not least, falls for his best friend, Kim HyunJoong. Boys is based on the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango which has enjoyed tremendous success in various formats including an anime series and Japanese drama as well; Boys doesn’t stray too far from the source material…and yet, at the same time, it gallops like a madman so very, very far away.
commitment
25 episodes
network
KBS2
wildcard factor
I don’t even know where to start for this one. There are so many reasons why you might fall head over heels crazy for this drama…and also so many reasons why you may hate it with a passion unparalleled. There seems to be no middle ground for this one, opinions are passionate and firm.
But here are four reasons why you may like it:
Lee MinHo – hotness
Kim HyunJoong – hotness
Kim Bum – hotness
Kim Joon – hotness
There you go, all the members of F4 in their hot volcanic glory. This drama launched all their careers in the way Park JiSung has launched Manchester United in Korea. Let’s face it, the dazzling beauty of a well-designed male form can blind a girl to anything, even the burning hole where a coherent plotline should have existed.
Also, I’d be neglect if I didn’t mention the great chemistry between Kim SoEun and Kim Bum.
Kim SoEun quite literally stole the entire show from right under Goo HyeSun’s pouty nose. Fans loved F4 and they loved the sidekick best friend Kim SoEun…the love for Goo HyeSun, however, was lukewarm bathwater at best.
after the first episode
I loved it. I really did. It was fun, funny and I believe I did mention all the hot men that catwalked around in the series.
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Shining Inheritance (2009)
Shining Inheritance
찬란한 유산 / Brilliant Legacy
(Apr – Jul 2009)
who’s in it
Lee SeungGi (1N2D, Strong Heart, singer)
Han HyoJoo (Spring Waltz, Iljimae)
Bae SuBin (Painter of the Wind)
Moon ChaeWon (Take Care Of The Young Lady)
what’s it about
Let’s meet the contenders in the ring, shall we? On the one side, we have Han HyoJoo, who we immediately learn is a dedicated and good-hearted soul, one that is looking for her autistic younger brother who disappeared shortly after her father’s death, where she also suffered financial betrayal by her stepmother and stepsister (step-villains strike again!). She’d once lived a comfortable life but now she’s just a regular schmette like the rest of us trying to get by in this toiling world (schmette: female version of schmoe). In the other corner, we have the lightweight champion and her rival, Lee SeungGi, yes, the chipmunk-cheeked cutie-patootie Lee SeungGi of variety and ballad-crooning fame, who is in fact not so pleasant a guy in this drama. Still good-looking, check, just not so much on the inside, which I hear some people still think is important. I don’t know those people either (I joke). These two fated-foes vie for some major inheritance cashola that Lee SeungGi thinks should rightfully be his, you know, like, cuz he was born. If you think this sounds vaguely too vague yet familiar, it’s because you’ve seen a million variations of it in every context, genre, and language imaginable, it’s called Cinderella. Always a winning formula, though. However, no singing mice in this version. Shoot.
commitment
A loooooong 28 episodes that the plot was not able to completely support
network
SBS
wildcard factor
SBS - they have the best dramas that have been airing lately, in my opinion. Even when the synopsis sounds rather hokey on paper, they manage to make it watchable. Possibly because the drama productions they choose don’t seem to be constantly chasing after a deadline already past.
after the first episode
I didn’t completely buy Lee SeungGi’s bad boy act in the beginning and, I don’t know, is it just me or does Han HyoJoo always play the same character? It’s baffling that its come to this, but I’ve seen A LOT of her work...and I’ve yet to become her fan. She works with a lot of handsome actors, this one. Lucky girl.
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He Who Can't Marry (2009)
He Who Can’t Marry
결혼 못하는 남자
(Jun – Aug 2009)
who’s in it
Ji JinHee (Dae Jang Geum)
Uhm JungHwa (singer)
Yoo AhIn (Strongest Chil Woo, Antique Bakery - film)
Kim SoEun (Boys Over Flowers)
what’s it about
An obsessive compulsive and neurotic, megalomaniac architect falls in love with a doctor who mourns the fact that she’s past her twenties and still single in a society that prefers couples (hey, it’s the plot of the drama, i’m not making social commentary here). Lucky for the really rude and socially deficient butthead architect, he happens to look a lot like Ji JinHee and fills out a pair of tight trousers rather nicely, and therefore stands a fighting chance with the hot doc with major insecurity issues.
commitment
16 (but feels more like 24)
network
KBS2
wildcard factor
Yoo AhIn and Kim SoEun’s major awesome cutenessafter the first episode
Really pretty pleased–there was so much potential! Shows that start the plot going by introducing unconventional leads are always attention grabbers for me. The main character was wonderfully obnoxious and different from the usual kdrama leading men archetypes, and attractive in a peculiar way, perhaps not unlike Gregory House’s prickly appeal in popular U.S. show House that featured a cranky pants doctor who was often socially obnoxious. Also, Uhm JungHwa didn’t make my stomach turn as the female lead and seemed an appropriate match for the crazy architect, so that was a plus.Read more »
Invincible Lee Pyung Kang (2009)
Invincible Lee Pyung Kang
천하무적 이평강 / Taming of the Heir
(Nov – Dec 2009)
who’s in it
Nam SangMi (Time Between Dog and Wolf, The Grand Chef),
Ji HyunWoo (Over The Rainbow, My Sweet Seoul),
Seo DoYoung (Spring Waltz, Friend Our Legend)
what’s it about
Six feet and a gangly ditz, the heir to a financially struggling golf resort comes back to Korea to find his sick father has shacked it up with his ambitious secretary and, as Beyonce advised, put a ring on it. Kicked to the poverty curb by his new step-bro and step-mum who think he’s a colossal loser, he finds himself bunking at a chicken-boilin’ hostel with the daughter of a golf course designer, his resort’s late golf course designer, that is. Naturally, he makes a nuissance of himself and gets all up in Lee Pyung Kang’s grill, which the title of the drama leads one to believe Lee Pyung Kang (played by Nam SangMi) may be a significant character.
commitment
Typical rom-com 16 episoder
network
KBS2
wildcard factor
Each episode started or ended with a “not-funny-I-don’t-know-what-the-point-of-these-are” sections depicting a sageuk spin on the main couple’s story, presumably this was their past lives…or whatever…who cared, I sure didn’t. I imagine the weird additions were done in an effort to clip some unique onto a show burdened with a somewhat generic premise, but it only highlighted the latent cheese factor present throughout the series.
after the first episode
Felt a little like newly cut bangs on your forehead…irritating but couldn’t help but sorta like being tickled by the way it fell, kinda fun and fluttery.
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