For You in Full Blossom – R

On September 26th, 2007 at 1:30am, I finished watching Hana Kimi. This show gained a huge following upon its immediate debut in Japan and it’s really a no-brainer. The show is based on a popular manga of the same name. As stated before in this blog, there is a Taiwanese version already out of the same show staring Wu Zun and Ella as the leads. Thus, the Japanese version of Hana Kimi strives to inherit the essence of the manga while also being new and creative to differentiate itself from the Taiwan version. The creation, in my opinion, is great. The show is great mixture of emotional drama and awesome comedy.

Based on the manga Hanazakari no Kimitachi e by Hisaya Nakajo
Broadcasted in 2007
12 episodes
Overall rating: A+

It’s Past the 9th Inning and 2 are Outs!

I am quite busy this week with many projects and tests conjoining on the same day.  However, a day without any drama show is too depressing to think about.  This week, my main focus was on 9 Ends 2 Outs.

The show grabbed my attention with its odd name.  I later fount out its true meaning: after the 9th inning, 2 outs.  I am not much of a sport fan let alone baseball.  Thus I’ve been brooding about how the show doesn’t show any baseball references at all, but maybe they have and I’ve just been too ignorant to notice?  Anyhow, the first 5 episodes or so were incredibly funny concentrating on the odd friendship between Bae Tae Ha and Nan Hee – a man and a woman in their 30.  Imediately one questions if such a friendship can exist.  The tension created by this thought attracted me to watch further to find out the answer.

Unfortunately, after episode 5, the show suddenly changed direction and began focusing on Nan Hee’s love for her 8-years-younger-than-her boyfriend.  He’s somewhat of a crybaby but is attractive enough to worry Nan Hee; which is what the majority of the episodes are later about.  Truthfully, I thought about abandoning this show because this drag was a bit too long for me to handle.  Thankfully, the show finally reached its climax at around episode 9.

By episode 9, Nan Hee realized that she has feelings for both Bae Tae Ha and Jung Joo (the younger boyfriend).  Who should she go after:  the one who loves her more than anything or the one she loves secretly since the day she met him?  By the title, I was expecting something horrible to happen by episode 9 as each episode is called an “inning.”  But nothing really happen.  The following episodes leading up to 11, the newest one out, is about Jung Joo’s departure for America and the sudden distance between Nan Hee and Tae Ha.  In a sense, I suppose that does reference to the two important person in her life suddenly…”out.”

As of right now.  Tae Ha’s old flame suddenly reappears and will surely sours Nan Hee’s relationship with Tae Ha even more.  To be noted, as Jung Joo is heading for America – the cliche place where all Korean character go and return home incredibly successful.  If this cliche holds true, there will definitely be some awesome twists to the story.  So…I guess I’ll stay with this drama to the end.  I just hope it won’t disappoint me.

Coffee Prince – R

It’s the weekend and thus I now have the time to do what I love most – watching my favorite drama show! Of course the first thing on my list is Coffee Prince as I am one episode away from the ending and the Special. With Coffee Prince coming to an end, the mysterious feeling of wanting a drama to continue onward forever (because of it was so great) isn’t there. Instead, I feel content and happy for such an excellent story to end on such a positive note and leaving nothing unanswered. I feel at peace to leave behind Go Eun Chan, Han Gyul, and the rest of the Princes because the drama reveals that all of them will have a happy place to go to at the end of the day. Additionally, I feel it’s important to give such an impressive show a proper wrap-up. However, instead of gushing over the characters, I would like to share my view about the storyline as a whole.

Based on a novel by Lee Sun Mi
Broadcasted in 2007
17 episodes
Overall rating: A+

Coffee Prince, like most drama shows, concentrate on an ever-changing love “insert shape here” which happens to be a rectangle. I’d like to introduce the this love rectangle through a method in which the character Eun Chan uses it. Miss X likes Mr. A (at first), but Mr. A is still in love with Miss B. Meanwhile, Miss X has a Boss Y in which they have a very “special” relationship…but not of romantic one (yeah right lol). To add to the confusion, Boss Y thinks Miss X is a boy and treats her as such. In the evolution of their “special” relationship, Boss Y finds himself in love with Miss X as a boy and questions his sexuality. Miss X, through a series of unfortunate events, gives up on Mr. A as he finds his way back into Miss B’s heart. However, Miss X too falls in love with Boss Y. But what to do about this gender mishap? Coffee Prince thus concentrates on these relationships and their various complexities.

Thank You, Sarah!

There is a Korean, online radio station in which I like to listen to. One of the program is a song requesting show hosted by the kind DJ Sarah. About two weeks ago, or whenever I finished watching WS, I sent in my first song request EVER for the song Baramirado Joa by Youme. The song is one of the main theme song of the movie and is very dramatic. Great song. If you would like to take a listen to the song or hear my letter, here is the link .  My request is on the week of 9-9-2007; the show only broadcast once a week on Wednesday.  This is actually very exciting for me because I’ve never interacted with a radio DJ before.  I guess there really is a first for everything.

Drama…What’s Not to Love? Part II

Firstly, thank you everyone for visiting my blog. The stats are getting higher already and…I hope it’ll keep up. ^_^V To get a little off-topic, my day has been filled with drama today. I had to turn in my 3D art project today at 8am, then take a Japanese translation quiz soon after, then run to Art History to take the first exam in 10 minutes, and then find a printer at school to print out my Graphic Design project. Thankfully, all of that has been completed and here I am relaxing until my next class start. Anyhow, I left out a very important drama that I’m watching right now from my previous post so here’s the addition.

4. 9 Ends 2 Out(s) / (At the) 9th Innings, 2 Outs
This is a relatively new kdrama starring Lee Jung Jin as Bae Tae Ha and Soo Ae as Hong Nan Hee. The supposedly combine baseball and love at 30 together, hence the baseball uniform in all of the promotional poster, but I’m not finding the baseball innuendos very evident. The story is Soo Ae turns 30 and has yet to experience real love. She, however, is dating a baseball player 8 years younger than her. To experience some personal freedom from her parents, whom she’s still rooming with, she decides to move in with her best male friend’s, Bae Tae Ha, apartment. The two have been friend since birth; thus, for 30 years. The question arises from this set-up is will Bae Tae Ha and Hong Nan Hee fall in love with each other with the constant presence of each other instead of the few hours each day? This drama focuses on the issue of friendship and love.  Where does one draw the line between a friend and a lover?  Both people care for you, comfort you, and think about you…but are the thoughts from both…the same?  This question is very interesting to me as some friends of mine eventually find themselves liking each other and that always perplexes me.  Doesn’t it feels like loving your brother/sister?  The drama is this mix of question and a dash of humor.  The actor and actress are very natural toward one another making every scene very believable.  I can’t wait to see the answer to my questions above.

Drama…What’s Not to Love?

To be truthful, I watch a lot of kdrama more than kmovie or just movies period. Although this addiction of mine is a bit hard to keep up with right now because I am being bombarded with homeworks and upcoming tests. Thus in the meantime, I will present the drama shows that I am watching or is keeping up with DESPITE the looming tests of doom.

1. Coffee Prince / The First Shop of Coffee
I am one episode away from the ending which is episode 16. I was captivated by the drama by the title alone because I love coffee. Before even reading any review about the drama or even watching it for that matter, I pictured the show to be about the life of people involve with a coffee shop. What did I get instead? A mixture of humor and the thought-provoking question of “what is love and what will one do to grasp it when it’s right infront of you?” I am somewhat sad to watch the last episode, but I know I will surely watch it.

2. Thank You
Again, I am in a Jang Hyuk mode right now. Jang plays an arrogant doctor in this drama (are you seeing the range of character this guy can play? amazing…) name Min Ki Seo who meets a family of two consist of Lee Young Shim (a poor, widow, and country girl) and her daughter Lee Bom - wait for it - who has AIDS. To be frank, I am finding the casts a bit on the annoying side except for Jang Hyuk. The mother is this really nice woman who lets EVERYONE takes advantage of her. The village people are annoying and doesn’t know what the word “polite” means. And again, the mother character is super annoying because she cries too much. I am on episode 11 already and I still can’t imagine how any love can start developing between the mother and the doctor. I’m actually just watching to see how the adorable AIDS girl will die and maybe (please be so) Jang Hyuk will save her.

3. Hana Kimi (Japanese Version)
The show is about a girl name Ashiya Miyaki (I think that’s right) who transfers to an all boy school to be close to her idol, a pole jumper (?), name Sano. Everyone thinks she’s a boy despite her perfect skin, no adam’s apple, and her not going into the boys bathroom. But who’s complaining? It’s a hilarious show and everyone in the cast is doing a superb job. I laugh on each episode thanks to its hilarity. To be noted, another Hana Kimi alreay exist and was made in Taiwan. As it was released first, many fans are comparing the two show but I find them very different. The Taiwan version seems to follow the manga version very closely while this new version has its own twists and character development. Both are a great watch though so check them out.

And so these drams are what I’m wasting my time on instead of studying. If anyone has the time and less homework, do check them out.

Jang Hyuk in Please Teach Me English – R

After watching WS, I was suddenly and strangely taken by actor Jang Hyuk so I checked out what else he had worked on. To my surprise, a lot! There is a brief hiatus because he apparantly had gone to the army for the mandatory two years, but he came back this year and is already working. Wow. Well, his most recent drama series is called Thank You but I won’t really talk about that yet. Instead, let me introduce everyone to a hilarious movie called Please Teach Me English starring Jang Hyuk and Lee Na-Young.

Directed by Kim Seong-soo
Released in 2003
Overall rating: A-

Windstruck & My Sassy Girl – R

Firstly, I would like to introduce the point of this blog and that is to talk about Asian drama, music, and culture. This blog will serves as a review board of sort as I reveal my thoughts on different aspect of Asian cinema. Addittionally, I am Vietnamese myself so I am sometime able to grasp a deeper meaning to certain aspect in an Asian drama because of my background. However, that’s not to say I know everything or that I will remain objective. The main thing that I want to convey through this blog is my love for Asian cinema and to further help those who want to learn more about it. Also, I find blog a great place to converse with those who share similiar interest as mine (hence you’re reading my blog, right?). And so, let it commence.

Directed by Kwak Jae-yong
Released in 2004
Overall rating: A