After School: Lucky or Not

5 out of 5 - Awesomesauce!

Instead of summarizing this drama, I have found a video clip posted by DramaFever. It is a great introduction to After School: Lucky or Not. This series consists of 12 - 15 minute episodes.

 

For all of the full episodes - go here.

Rating: 5 out of 5 

Recommendation: This is a must watch for me. It's fun and doesn't require a huge investment of time. When it is over, you've been part of a touching story and feel really good.

 

After School: Lucky or Not is an unexpected journey. It starts out silly with humor that largely consists of bathroom jokes and sexual innuendo - not a big surprise for a high school drama. Below the bathroom humor, though, there is a cleverness to the way each episode is constructed and how everything comes together. Without even realizing it, the audience becomes invested in these characters and the background story of the club's origins. I laughed. I cried. I smiled. I felt really good going into the closing scene of the final episode. It had a very satisfying ending, which is where most k-dramas tend to fall short. This is why I have awarded it my first ever 5 out of 5 soju bottles!

Another highlight of the series were Seo Kang Joon and Gong Myung. They were the glue that really kept this show together and I think they turned in the most well rounded performances among the cast. It wouldn't surprise me at all if we see both of these young actors taking on bigger and more challenging roles in the future.

Who is your favorite member of the club?

Pretty Man

3 out of 5 - I coulda' been a contenda'.

Pretty Man is a drama that follows the journey of Dok Go Ma Te (Jang Geun Suk) as he works to solve the mystery of his birth and claim his place as the son of a wealthy businessman. Dok Go Ma Te is established as a gold digger at the beginning of the drama. He uses his good looks to attract wealthy women, who then foot the bill for his lifestyle. He has a trusted sidekick in the form of Kim Bo Tong (IU). She has been in love with him since high school. With the help of Hong Yoo Ra (Han Chae Young), Ma Te sets out to "conquer" powerful woman and learn their secrets to success in order to prepare for his eventual reunion with his father - ultimately growing as a person and casting off his playboy ways.

Rating: 3 out  5
Recommendation:  It's not perfect but it is entertaining even as it fails to deliver a satisfying end. It's worth a watch.

I believe that this was a good and interesting concept for a drama but the execution left a little something to be desired - especially toward the end when the conclusion felt rushed. The relationship between Ma Te and Bo Tong also never felt quite genuine and it needed to in order for the characters to evolve. I chalk it up to poor chemistry between the actors. Their kiss in the last scene was as exciting as my train ride to work. Want to know what I do on the train? I sleep.

But it wasn't all bad! Jang Geun Suk held his own as Ma Te and added some complexity to a character that could have easily been a caricature. He took the role just seriously enough to make it interesting without losing the fun. Lee Jang Woo also stood out as the quirky and troubled Choi David. This is the second drama that I've seen with Lee Jang Woo and I continue to be impressed with him. Altogether, the drama was solid up until the last 3-4 episodes.

Most importantly, I want to applaud a silent star of this drama for putting in a strong performance week after week........Wait for it........ Jang Geun Suk's hair!! I have put together a photo montage of the hair in action. There's long and wavy, short and wavy, combed back, combed forward, swept to the side, and tousled. This is the hardest working hair on television. Do you have a favorite?

Shown in order of appearance....

K-Pop Tangent

Today, I'm going to go off on a tangent and talk about music. The whole k-pop thing hasn't really caught my attention or interested me much but I stumbled upon some musicians recently and I'm totally obsessed with them! 

#1 Obsession

Jung Yup

The other day I was randomly searching through the Viki app looking at some of the television shows they are offering. I stumbled upon one called Live Session, which is very similar to the old MTV Unplugged series. Korean musicians are invited to come to a small stage and perform with a band. Unlike Unplugged, though, there is no audience and the musician does some Q&A between songs.

I skimmed through a few episodes until I came across the one with Jung Yup. He's well known for being a member of the R&B band Brown Eyed Soul and does a lot of composing on the side for other artists & dramas. If you seen 49 Days, you have heard some of his work. 

So, I'm watching this episode and the man obviously has talent. His voice conveys so much emotion and his vocal range is tremendous. Instead of skimming, I watched the full performance. Then, he does this AMAZING cover of Lionel Richie's "Hello." Hello?! He had me at, "I've been alone with you inside my mind...."

It took a bit of research and some internet searches for variations on the spelling of his name but eventually I found one of his albums (Think'in back on me) on iTunes (search: jungyup). I don't know how to speak more than a few words of Korean but the songs are still great and there are a few tracks entirely in English. My favorites are "You are My Lady" and "To Shy to Say." More please!

#2 Obsession

Rose Motel

Courtesy of Infinity Challenge, I was introduced to this band. They caught my attention when they sat down and had an impromptu jam session with one of the show’s hosts.  It was a really phenomenal display of their talent from the musicianship to the vocals. Consequently, I sought out their album on iTunes and I am really enjoying every track. The band is labeled as both pop and folk, which isn’t surprising as they are largely made up of acoustic guitars and drums. If you want a taste, check out the tracks “I Like You” , "Bonsugi", and “If You Spend Too Long Time Single” (not sure on this last title but that is how it is written on the track list). Rose Motel is still pretty new to the spotlight but I expect we'll be seeing more of them in the near future.

Just to be clear, this isn't your typical k-pop boy group. These guys look more like a garage band made up of your brother's best friends. What they may lack in appearance, they make up for with talent, creativity, and originality. If I ever found myself in South Korea, these are guys I'd want to hang with. 

#3 Obsession

Brown Eyed Soul

Last, but not least, Brown Eyed Soul is my #3 obsession. After I exhausted my listening options for Jeong Yeop’s solo work (iTunes has a very limited selection and Amazon has none), I decided to check out the band. I wasn’t disappointed at all.  The best way to describe this band is chameleon like. They are officially dubbed an R&B group but their sound is eclectic. One track, they are crooning out an 80s styled ballad and the next one is a very modern and funky number. Then, they layer really rich harmonies on it and come out with something that feels both classic and new. The tracks that have caught my attention are “Can’t Stop Loving You”, “Your Song”, and “Love Ballad.” 

Her Legend

3 out 5 ain't half bad

This review was started a few months back and has been sitting in edit mode. It looked lonely with the "draft" tag next to it so I thought, "I have time to kill. Why don't I finish it?"

My final rating is 3 soju bottles and that might be a bit generous for this drama. I had issues with the pace, development of the story, the lead actors, and some other minor things not worth mentioning. For more information on the plot and actors check out this link.

The one thing that I'd like to focus on regarding this drama is SDGS because I've seen it in several other dramas and it always irritates me. Her Legend is a glaring example of it.

What is SDGS?

Smart Dumb Girl Syndrome

It is best defined as the inability of a heroine in a Korean drama to perceive that she is being lied to, cheated, robbed, extorted, and/or abused - generally by the people closest to her. She will continuously tolerate behavior that in any other circumstance is not acceptable. This heroine is generally well educated, talented, and worldly, which makes it all the more baffling.

The below illustration is an excerpt from Her Legend depicting SDGS:

Needless to say, the cousin was hiding something as were several other supporting characters. And, yet, it is a shocking revelation at the end of the series. For me, it wasn't so shocking and I saw what was coming at least 5 episodes into the series, maybe earlier. Sadly, the most exciting thing about this drama were the handbags.

For another classic example of SDGS check out Shining Inheritance.

Before I close out the topic of Her Legend, I'm going to throw out one final observation. Does anyone else see a resemblance between Choi Jung-won and (a young) Shannen Doherty?

Goodbye, 2013

I hate to admit it. But I watched so many k-dramas last year that I'm not sure I can recall them all and I certainly can't even recall the names of the actors in them. So, I am resolving to do a better job of keeping track and posting updates here. I'll also try to do something more creative and fun with it this year.


I still have plenty to say about last years round of shows, however, I don't feel like writing it up. Instead, I'll categorize them as good, bad, and ugly.

The good...

• The Master's Sun
• Jung-Yi: Goddess of Fire
• Flower Boy Next Door
• Heirs
• I Summon You, Gold
• Your the Best, Lee Soon Shin
• Secret
• Wonderful Mama
• Good Doctor

The bad...

•  Her Legend

The ugly...

• Nail Shop Paris (couldn't get through the whole series)

There are a few more that I have not finished watching yet for one reason or the other and, thus, I haven't categorized them any which way. This includes The Suspicious Housekeeper, Who are You, I Can Hear Your Voice, Gu Family Book, Marry Him if You Dare, and Golden Rainbow. 

Part of me is tempted to stick I Can Hear Your Voice in the bad category just because it looks like Lee Bo Young's character is going to reject Yoon Sang Hyun's character (part of the reason I stopped watching). In what world, fictional or otherwise, is that right?! It's Oska! Oska!

That all said, I am happy with the start to 2014. Let's Eat, Miss Korea, The Prime Minister & I (aka The Prime Minister is Dating) and My Love From Another Star are all worthy of viewing for anyone looking to satisfy their need for good romantic comedies/dramas.

All of them can be accessed either through services like Hulu and Dramafever on the internet. Viki also has a nice iPhone app that makes catching up on the shows with minimal commercials nice. But the translations are not always complete or timed properly.

I Summon You, Gold

Summary: I Summon You, Gold! is a 2013 k-drama produced for the television network MBC. It follows the interaction of the Jung and Park families as their different lifestyles and values come into conflict through both work and marriage. The main characters are Jung Mong Hee (Han Ji Hye) and Park Hyun Soo (Yeon Jeong Hun), who unexpectedly cross paths and realize that Jung Mong Hee looks exactly like Park Hyun Soo's estranged wife. Hoping to keep his impending divorce a secret, he strikes up a deal for her to impersonate his wife until she either returns or he can break the news to his family.

Recommendation:  This is a 50 episode k-drama that requires some serious commitment to watch from wing-to-wing. It starts off strong and I was drawn into the lives of these two families. But, like with most of the 50 episode series, I was bored 1/2 of the way through it. Then, the drama took a strange turn and I was left completely confused as to the direction of the show. One of the saving graces of this k-drama is the narrative around the arranged marriage between Jung Mong Hun (Baek Jin Hee) and Park Hyun Tae (Park Seo Joon). Despite an overall terrible ending, I think there's enough content along the way to make the experience worthwhile.

Other Thoughts (And Possible Spoilers):  I've never had a glass of soju but I imagine that three bottles of it would be enough to make me feel really good before I wake up the next morning with a killer headache. That's how I feel about I Summon You, Gold! It had a great start but left me somewhat disappointed with the outcome.

Typically, from the many k-dramas that I've watched, the leading lady and leading man meet and they eventually fall in love. I Summon You, Gold! did not stray from this convention and we, the audience, came to believe that Jung Mong  Hee and Park Hyun Soo were destined to fall in love. In fact, this was the overriding storyline for the first 30 or so episodes (I might be overestimating a little) and it seemed like that was settled. Park Hyun Soo just had to divorce his estranged wife, who hadn't been seen since the second or third episode of the show.

But it never happens...

There are reasons for it and I get what the writer was trying to accomplish. But that doesn't mean I agree with it or that I like it. Plus, I don't know that the producers wanted to promote the idea of divorcing one's wife to marry her twin sister. My views on divorce are probably somewhat liberal and even I think that premise is a bit strange.

You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin

Rating: 4 out of 5

A few weeks ago, I finished watching the k-drama series "You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin" starring IU and Cho Jung-Seok The cast is rounded out by a talented group of actors and actresses that bring life and familiarity to the story being told and play a huge role in the success of this drama.

The plot of this particular drama was not necessarily something new or exciting. A seemingly happy family struggling with everyday issues is struck by tragedy when the patriarch dies in a hit and run accident. This triggers a series of events and revelations that the Lee family must deal with and rise above in order to survive and find peace. At the same time, each member of the family is dealing with his or her personal issues - finding love, losing love, chasing after a dream, career vs. marriage, familial duty vs. happiness, etc...

Given the 50 episode run, the writer(s) had plenty of opportunity to really develop each character, evolve the relationships, and establish clear justifications for the choices each would make from start to finish. The following are character resolutions that made me giddy with joy:

• Lee Soon Shin doesn't give up acting!
• Lee Soon Shin and Shin Joon Ho end up together and he's going to propose!
• Lee Hye Shin realizes that she likes Seo Jin Wook!
• Kim Jung Ae learns that her husband wasn't a philandering fool!
• Lee Yoon Shin and Park Chan Woo are having a baby!
• The police catch the guy who hit Mr. Lee with his car and then ran away!

I'm sure there are more but those are the highlights.

So, why 4 out of 5 soju bottles? The pace of the show needed some tweaking. There were a string of episodes where I kept asking myself, "Is there anything else that could possibly go wrong? Where are the happy moments? The comic relief? Why is everyone so sad?!"

I took a break in the middle of the series and then had a marathon viewing session to catch up - forcing myself to get through it. I'm glad that I did because it paid off in the end.

P.S - I completely missed the fact that the actress playing Soon Shin is also the same actress from "Dream High" (the first one) that played the chubby (read: fat suit) vocalist. No wonder Soon Shin suddenly developed the ability to sing for her first major audition!