Wednesday, August 11, 2010

My Girl (Jdrama)


It was still broadcasting in Japan when I started to have interest with this Jdrama. I started downloading it, but didn't start watching it until last month. Poor me. I should have seen how lovely this drama is early on!

This is the first time I watched a Jdrama of another Arashi member. Yes, someone aside from Matsujun. Well Aiba was actually my 2nd most fave member of Arashi...so it wasn't hard not to try it.

I was interested in the plot of a young man who suddenly realizes that he has a daughter with his former love only after she passes away.

Masaki Aiba portrayed Kazama Masamune, 24 years-old and who is just starting to realize his dreams as a photographer. He doesn't move forward on pursuing his dream until he met his daughter Koharu. Life suddenly made a goal for him. He had to realign his duties as a man and a father.

Koharu isn't your ordinary 5 year-old girl. She is so mature that she understands the complex feelings of adults, especially her father. She doesn't and never wanted to get in the way of his father's usual life. It was so easy to love her character. Is there a child out there like her nowadays? If there is, her parents are so lucky! Or it must mirror how her mother raised her. Her mother didn't even bother to tell her father that they had a child so as to not to get in the way of his life. Awwwww...

I cried so many times in this drama. It is sooo touching. I can also relate to it even though I don't have a child. I can relate with the dreams of Masamune. I also want to realize what I want to do in my life in the future. I want to reach my dreams. I want to do something I love and that could benefit others as well. How am I supposed to do that? *cries*

I love every aspect of this drama. It is certainly a fave of mine and made me like Aiba so much that I made him my number 1 fave in Arashi...for now. I don't what will happen after I see Matsujun's new Jdrama. Hihi!

The theme song by Arashi for this drama now makes me shed a tear every time I hear it. Now I know the significance of this song to the drama. *cries*

Why can't dramas in my country be like this? Short but sweet and clear. Our dramas here are so long and keep branching out stories that makes our mind puzzled. Oh well, I won't dwell on that anymore. I have to finish Sunao ni Narenakute now. Haha! I watched it first than My Girl but I had to stop because of this. Hihi!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

The Birth of the Rich / Becoming a Billionaire (Kdrama)



I thought it was another of those cliche stories about a rich girl clashing with a poor guy. I was wrong. The plot was waaaaaaayyyyy better than that.

Given that kind of reaction, you would assume that I loved this drama. I did. SO MUCH!

I actually checked out this drama because of Ji Hyun Woo, the actor that I loved from another KBS drama THE TAMING OF THE HEIR/THE INVICIBLE LEE PYUNG KANG. And I loved him again in this drama. So this time he's a poor guy but with a rich background unlike in his previous drama wherein he's a rich guy. BUt the thing that didn't change was his haughtiness. Oh well, it suits him anyway.

So it basically revolves around Ji Hyun Woo's character Choi Seokbong to search for his billionaire father. Yes, his father is a billionaire. He just didn't know who he was yet. Thanks for a very strange one-night stand encounter of his mother with this billionaire. The only proof he had with him was the one-of-a-kind necklace his father gave his mother before they parted ways. They were supposed to contact eachother, but some circumstances prevented them to do so. That's life in a drama.

Along the way of finding his father, he clashes with corporate heiress Lee Shinmi. The most unlikely rich woman you'll ever meet. She's got the smarts and all, but she's the thriftiest rich woman you'll ever meet. She and Choi Seokbong makes their life miserable for each other. But in the end they end up for each other. That's another typical plot in this story. But that's okay. They made me giggle anyway. Loved them as a couple!

Other colorful characters in this drama who I learned to love also were Bu Taehui and Chu Wunseok. Bu Taehui is a typical rich spoiled brat girl. She has nothing on her head than money. She is actually an airhead. LOL. She actually acknowledges that. But her character develops on the latter part of the story. She is actually a woman with a lot of heart too. It isn't that obvious at first. Hihi. Chu Wunseok is the apple of Taehui's eye. He is the perfect bachelor with looks and all. But he is your typical guy who would do anything just to achieve greatness in the corporate world. In the end he learns a lesson. He learns to love truthfully. That made me like him in the end too.

The twist and turns in this story made me hang on my seat. That's why I love Kdramas so much. They turn a typical story to something more interesting than that. I hope dramas in my country develops into something like this (or better) in the future. I'm starting to see some good ones nowadays. I'm hoping for the best for our local industry.

What made me happy also about this drama is that I was able to go to one location where they shot a fun scene between the four main characters. LOTTE WORLD! My first visit was not good at all with the rain and scnow. My second visit there was better. I go to see where they shot the scenes I saw in the drama. I was also amused to see a video showing those scenes being played repeatedly on all waiting areas for all the rides. NICE!

I also love the songs! They have all kinds of songs for this drama and there's also some trot songs. I recommend the soundtrack of this drama! (^_^)

I'm rambling again. One thig is for sure. I love this drama! Thanks again to KBS!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Master of Study (Kdrama)


It ended its run on KBSWorld last Apr. 6 and I was fortunate to see it. I actually started watching this drama from ep. 6 but I quickly understood the pace of the story.

When I first heard of it and saw a preview of it I was interested already, I wasn't just able to watchit from start because I thought it didn't start yet on cable. LOL

So it is about 5 students who are at the bottom of the class who were were taught separately through a special class that would help them make it to Cheonha, Korea's no. 1 university. They were trained hard, given special techniques for study and undergone numerous study camps to hone their skills.

In the end 2 of them got to Cheonha to the amazement of its teachers. The other three pursued their own dream, bringing along with them everything they learned from the special class.

This is a must-watch for students and teachers. Wish I was still a students when they made this drama. But I still appreciated it. The tips may help me in the future just in case I decide to study again. teachers would want to imitate the teachers in this drama too. They are creative in their way of teaching and have genuine love for their students. It really shows that a great bond exists between the teachers and its students.


I actually adored all the characters especially Yu Seungho as Hwang Baekhyeon. He has truly gone a long way from his acting debut as a spoiled brat kid in the movie THE WAY HOME. That movie brought me to tears. It was a story about a city boy who is forced to stay with his grandma in the province. Coincidentally in this kdrama, he also lives with his grandma, but not as a spoiled brat teen. Gosh, his moments with his grandma made me cry again. Huhu! I miss my mama too.

This series just shows us that everybody has skills to reach their goal, you just need to hone it. Nobody is really born dumb, we only have different strengths and need different ways to hone the skill.

I also love the OST especially the song by T-Max and Luna fr f(x). Loved the whole OST!

I'm gonna miss those kids...Baekhyeon, Pulip, Changdu, Hyeonjeong and Bonggu.

I think I need to rethink this path I'm heading on. (^_^)

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Silence (Cdrama)


Late review again, I thought I posted this already. This review hibernated first in my USB.

For people who have somebody to love, why should their lives be short while others who don't have anybody have longer lives. A pity it is for this story I'm about to share. fate did cheat on our main protagonists. (I'm getting goosebumps right now!) But as others would say, that's life!

It was this drama that made me fall in love again with Vic Zhou aka Zaizai. he still portrayed a quiet and somewhat cold character just like his famous role as Hua Ze Lei in Meteor Garden. His character here named as Qi Wei Yi, transforms to warmth from coldness when he meets Zhao Shen Shen (park). The thing is, they already have a history together when they were still children. They already experienced love for eachother even for only a week their long separation. They met at a hospital after Shen Shen became mute because of an accident, while Wei Yi was confined there because of a broken leg.

They actually made a promise to meet again on Christmas 2006 but fate made them meet earlier than that and it was really a funny meeting at first. The first few episodes were really hilarious because Shen Shen had some arguments w/ Qi Wei Yi without knowing that they knew eachother before.

It took until the middle of the whole season before both knew their identity. But the nice thing about this was even though they did not know their true identity (for being friends before), fate really drew them to each other. They really felt something...like a connection perhaps. The wonders of first love. Right. ^_^

But what hurts with this relationship is that both of them were loved by someone else for many years already. How could several years equal up with a 1 week first love? It's not worth it, for those who don't believe with the magic of true love. Even though it took such a long time before they saw eachother again, they were really meant to be together.

But fate was also harsh in a way. Just when Qi Wei Yi realized that Shen Shen was the girl he loved back then, he then discovers that he has liver cancer. He wanted to hold back his feelings so that it won't cause tears for her. But the more he tried to do that, the more he wanted to oppose it as well. Sigh. But at least for the last 3 months that Qi Wei Yi had to live, he experienced life...a truly better life than the one he had before. It was a life full of love and purpose. It wasn't a waste. In the end he left Shen Shen, but it was not all in vain. It was him that made Shen Shen talk again. But to put it in a humorous way (sorry to break the mood) the words she uttered for the while season was "Qi Wei Yi", "I Like You" and "I Love You". LOL. Add up the "Ah" word too. Hihi! But that'sthe point, she was able to speak again because of Wei Yi.

I really loved it over all. The first thing that caught me was Vic Zhou's hotness in this series! he was still the quiet type but he showed a fun and loving side too. So gone are the days when he was serious all throughout (remember Meteor Garden)...he really showed different sides here. I truly fell in love with him again! I also love seeing him wear business suits. It looks so good on him! I also admire Park Eun Hye! I'm not jealous of her...yey! She's so pretty! Would you believe she is 3 years older than Vic Zhou? (That sounds familiar...hmmm. ^_^) Or that she was born on 1978? She looks so young! I evenm thought she was younger than me! Actually they both remind me of Sandara Park and Hero Angeles. LOLzzz!!! Enough, enough! But truly I hate sad stories, especially sad love stories. But this story is an excemption. The plot may have been used several times already, but the series had a very fresh take on it. I just blame it for making me cry so much! I started to cry when Qi Wei Yi's father finally realized that his son is dying soon. Then my tears flowed like a river when Shen Shen met Qi Wei Yi again in Qingdao, after the swimming pool competition. When she started to talk, I cried so hard! Sigh! The more I cried when Qi Wei Yi fell into the pool because of his weakening body. Huhuhu! Hate this series for making me cry, but I love it! Hehe!

Terms of Endearment (Kdrama)


Another late review of mine. It was sleeping for so long in my USB. I thought I posted this already!

I'm trying to recall this encore drama that I got to watch every Sunday morning in KBS World. It starred Han Ga-in (Witch Yoo Hee) and Song Il-guk (Jumong). It had many familiar faces that I've seen in other dramas too.

Main story evolves around Han Ga-in's character. She elopes, gets pregnant and gets dumped before marriage. I forgot what happened to the baby. I think she suffered a miscarriage. But anywho that's how her miserable life started. She losther former true love. She even had to stay away from her parents. Her only confidante was her sister. Her sister seemed to have a better life at first, but it changed when she had a divorce.

Basically it shows the most common problems of women today. But it showed thattheir life can still be improved after such hardships.

The flow of the story was mostly drama. It was your usual family drama.

My fave part was when Song Il-guk came into the picture. He's the best guy anybody would want. He healed the emotional wounds of Han Ga-in. Eventhough they had problems when Ga-in's past was revealed, it still had a happy ending.

There was not really striking about this like other Kdramas but the realism it implied made it a good watch for women all over.

All About Eve (Kdrama)


One of my reviews that I did before...and has been living (and forgotten) in my USB for such a long time already!

This is one of the few dramas I have watched in its Philippine-dubbed form. I really paid attention to this every night at our local channel even though they just showed bits of it each day. Gah. Blame it on commercials.

Anyway, it did resemble the usual formula I got to see from our local dramas. The fighting of 2 women over their career and love is a usual scene already. What made this different maybe was the world they were in. It is the media world rarely seen in dramas. I just can't belive I got hooked.

The scene I'll never forget was the ending. It was tragic in a way for the female antagonist but it seemed the right ending for her so that she could start a clean new life. Sigh.

I haven't tried watching the Philippine version because the teasers did not make me happy about it. I don't know if they have done justice to the story. I bet they added more elements that we viewers in the Philippines are tired of already. Sigh. I hope not!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Taming of the Heir (Kdrama)



It is also known as THE INVINCIBLE LEE PYEONG-KYANG. It ended its run on KBSWorld while I was in the land of Kdramas. So I wasn't able to watch the last two episodes. Sigh. I haven't seen anything online yet. Maybe I'll try in the coming days.

I still have lots to say about this drama so better blurt it out now than forget it later on.

First of all is about Wu Ondal aka Ji Hyunwoo. Kyaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!! He looks just like Rain-oppa!!!! So after having this first thought that he didn't look good (like how it was with oppa), he became hot afte a while!!!!! Must be the eyes. Oppa had it, so he also has it. LOL And I didn't know he was a member of THE NUTS who sang "Kissing in the Sea" that was played in my fave variety show "2 Days and 1 Night". I still don't know if he is the vocalist or what. Whatever. So he looked like oppa...he even acted cute like oppa! So he's acting was good for me! Hihi!

About Lee Pyeongkang or Pyeonggang (in the English subs) aka Nam Sangmi...I really like her! I liked her in BAD FAMILY (where she acted with Heechul-oppa) or WANTED: PERFECT FAMILY (as dubbed by GMA 7 here in the Philippines). She also appeared in a video with another love of mine...Lee Seunggi! But I still don't hate her!!!! Haha!!! She really is good on acting, especially comedy! So she is also a thumbs-up for me.

The Wu Ondal-Lee Pyeonggang love team made me giggle. It brought back the "kilig" feeling in me. It was like I was watching FULL HOUSE. Yeah aside from the fact that Ondal looked like Rain-oppa, the love story line was sort of similar. I think if I see another Kdrama with the same format...I'm gonna hate it already. But this time around it was still fun to watch. There was also this love-square thingy. That love-hate relationship still made me enjoyed it.

Aside from that I loved how the story took place in a golf resort. I didn't have any idea about golf before. I didn't even understand why other people like golf. I like sports like Basketball better coz golf is so quiet. But now I came to appreciate the sport, just like how my idol Chris Tiu loved it. But my only concern is...does the caddy really turn the table for a certain player? So if it is like that (just like what happened to Ondal and Pyeonggang), how could golf players stand with their own skill if they rely on a caddy? That's what I haven't figured out yet. That will be another story.

I also can relate regarding the outsourcing issue. It is very personal...and it is so significant to my situation right now. But there was a difference with the Kdrama and in real life. That will be another story too.

I would also like to note that it was fun to watch Ms. Je (Ondal's step mom) be a villain, and the same time be a loving wife to Ondal's father. I thoiught her character was gonna be a plain villain. It was fun to see her be purely in love and the subject of normal villagers pranks. Haha!

Je Yeongryu's eyes are so fierce. It is kinda scary to see him smile. I wonder if he had a nice role guy before this drama! Haha!

I want to comment also about Seo Doyeong's character. I loved him before in Unstoppable Marriage, a comedy sitcom that ran on KBS World every afternoon. Him as Edward Scwartz was mysterious at first then he became the good-to-be-true guy for Pyeonggang. But just like any other Kdrama I saw especially like Full House...it is the nasty guy that wins the main protagonists heart. So we feel sorry for this kind of character...again.

Well, I dunno what happened in the end. So I'll just leave that in the air. At least I voiced out my previous feelings about this drama. I can really say that I LOVED IT!

I miss it already! I have so many other dramas to watch! They're all piled up again! Kyaaaaaaahhh!!!