Friday, June 10, 2011 / 8:00 AM
I have only started watching dramas
continuously since 2009, when I realized that not all stories revolve around the cliched rich-guy-poor-girl plot, and so my list is still relatively limited. Can't help it anyway. This post includes dramas (and some movies) that I have watched from start to end -- Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, Thai, whatever. I also decided to rate a drama according to how I enjoyed or loved it, instead of how good, objectively, I think it is. Recently watched dramas go last.
DRAMAS I WATCHED:
Meteor Garden I & II (2001).
Super hype, good chemistry, but draggy-paced especially in the second season. 5/10
Hana Yori Dango (2005).
Gorgeous shots, great acting and super chemistry! Alas, jdoramas are really short. 9/10
Hana Yori Dango Returns (2007).
I. Love. This. 10/10
Gokusen (2002).
Really enjoyable, but not amazing. The cast really looks like the anime characters! 6/10
Kimi Wa Petto (2003).
I think it ended too quickly with several unresolved issues. Koyuki and Matsujun stood out here. 7/10
Boys Over Flowers (2009).
One hell of a trainwreck. One moment it's good, the next it's utterly unwatchable. Goo Hye-sun is horrible, and this drama did little justice to Lee Min-ho's acting prowess. Enjoyed the massive hype, though. 7/10
You're Beautiful (2009).
Chock-full of laughs and crazy antics from the Hong sisters. A definite must-watch! 9/10
My Girl (2005).
Super chemistry, adorable leads, and --omg-- snow, snow, snow! Lol. Despite my indifference to Park Si-yeon and Lee Jun-ki's characters, this remains as my most favorite Hong sisters drama ever. 10/10
The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (2007).
What more can I say? It's wonderful. 10/10
Shining Inheritance/Brilliant Legacy (2009).
Such a painful, painful pace. I'm never gonna watch Lee Seung-gi in a drama again unless he's paired with somebody I desperately admire. 7/10
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (2009).
Poor writing and poor directing, and messy intro. Disappointed. 3/10
Devil Beside You (2005).
Funny, at times roll-my-eyes cheesy. 7/10
1 Litre of Tears (2005).
You'll cry a liter of tears yourself. 10/10
Personal Taste (2009).
Had it been properly directed and written, this drama could've been a big hit. Sadly it wasted Lee Min-ho and Sohn Ye-jin's talents. 7/10
Goong/Princess Hours/Palace (2006).
Puzzling ending, slow-paced, lovely costumes, and rather wooden performance from Joo Ji-hoon. 7/10
Delightful Girl Choon-hyang (2005).
Jae Hee, Jae Hee, Jae Hee. Y u so handsome? I advise you to watch this BEFORE watching
My Girl. 10/10
The World That They Live In (2008).
Rather than calling it dull, I'd describe it as realistic and calm. Not your typical, formulaic kdrama. The characters' biggest hindrance to their relationship is not a fuming ex-girlfriend or a scheming grandma but their own pride and attitude. My favorite kdrama, hands down. 10/10
Secret Garden (2010).
This is the only drama that drove me incredibly nuts, right at the eve of my exams. It stands out with its witty dialogue, fantastic cinematography, wonderful characters, and just plain great performances from the cast. Hyun Bin kills this drama. 10/10
Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs/9 Ends 2 Outs (2007).
As
girlfriday had put it, "Two lifelong best friends turn 30 and take steps toward becoming adults…by shacking up together and denying their growing attraction. Yeah, good luck with that." 9/10
49 Days (2010).
The story is pretty much unique in kdrama standards and although the ending was initially hard for me to accept, I love this drama. Such a beautiful message and storyline. Fell in love with Jung Il-woo. 10/10
DRAMAS I DROPPED COMPLETELY:
Mary Stayed Out All Night (2010). A classic example where not even the remarkable cast can save the terrible script. Skip this and watch
You're Beautiful or
Antique Bakery instead.
Playful Kiss (2010). Nope. Not watching anything that has Kim Hyun-joong etched on it ever again. So much for my anticipation.
DRAMAS I WILL WATCH:
Best Love/The Greatest Love (2011)
. Hey, it's the Hong Sisters! I'm not missing out on this one yet.
Return of Iljimae (2009)
. I only read the recaps and I'm already drawn in. Jung Il-woo makes a far better Iljimae, appearance and performance-wise, than Lee Jun-ki did. And that's just looking at the screencaps.
My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox (2010)
. I couldn't get over how Lee Seung-gi still looks like his
Brilliant Legacy character that it distracted me so much. Heard good comments on the drama though so I'll pick up on this one soon.
Devil/Mawang (2008)
. Uhm Tae-woong, Shin Min-ah, and Joo Ji-hoon in one detective drama. I HAVE to watch this or I'll never forgive myself. Lol, drama.
MOVIES I WATCHED:
Hana Yori Dango Final (2008). Crooked plot, but the cast makes up for everything else. Inoue Mao is still gorgeous. I'd rather you skip it and watch the series again instead, though. 6/10
I Love My Younger Sister (2007). INCEST! It bored me to tears more than the anime version did. 4/10
Doremifasolatido (2008). This movie was going all right, until that big twist in the ending and then poof, it all gets tied with a pretty pink bow and glitter. My first glimpse of baby-faced Jang Geun-suk. 5/10
200 Pounds of Beauty (2006). Well-executed and I enjoyed everything, but some viewers may take the message a bit too seriously. 7/10
Baby and Me (2008). Despite the cute and the fluff -- yawn. 5/10
A Millionaire's First Love (2006). Been-there-done-that, but still tear-jerking and endearing. 8/10
Antique Bakery (2008). Kim Jae-wook. Joo Ji-hoon. Bromance. Cakes. Yum. 8/10
Paju (2009). A young girl harbors feelings for her deceased older sister's husband. Dark, emotional, a bit of sexual content. Fell in love with Lee Seon-kyun and Seo Woo. 8/10
3-Iron/Empty House (2004). A little creepy, but fantastic. Proves that silence can be indeed beautiful, especially when coupled with good music and good cast, and that love may not always need words. 10/10
A Crazy Little Thing Called Love (2010). High school fluff, relate-able, and cute. BUT, I can't buy their love story, or even the movie being dubbed as "Everyone's love story". How can two people who have barely even talked much beneath the surface level still cling on to the love more than, what, 5 years later? And confess their love on a TV show? I don't even.... 7/10
Hello Stranger (2010). Two Thai young adults meet in South Korea, and never even knew each other's names. If I were you, skip Crazy Little Thing and watch this. Sure, the guy's no Mario Maurer, but let's remind ourselves that actors have to act; they don't just look pretty for the camera. Fun, cute, and tugs you in the right moments. 10/10
Labels: Drama bucket
Friday, June 10, 2011 / 8:00 AM
I have only started watching dramas
continuously since 2009, when I realized that not all stories revolve around the cliched rich-guy-poor-girl plot, and so my list is still relatively limited. Can't help it anyway. This post includes dramas (and some movies) that I have watched from start to end -- Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, Thai, whatever. I also decided to rate a drama according to how I enjoyed or loved it, instead of how good, objectively, I think it is. Recently watched dramas go last.
DRAMAS I WATCHED:
Meteor Garden I & II (2001).
Super hype, good chemistry, but draggy-paced especially in the second season. 5/10
Hana Yori Dango (2005).
Gorgeous shots, great acting and super chemistry! Alas, jdoramas are really short. 9/10
Hana Yori Dango Returns (2007).
I. Love. This. 10/10
Gokusen (2002).
Really enjoyable, but not amazing. The cast really looks like the anime characters! 6/10
Kimi Wa Petto (2003).
I think it ended too quickly with several unresolved issues. Koyuki and Matsujun stood out here. 7/10
Boys Over Flowers (2009).
One hell of a trainwreck. One moment it's good, the next it's utterly unwatchable. Goo Hye-sun is horrible, and this drama did little justice to Lee Min-ho's acting prowess. Enjoyed the massive hype, though. 7/10
You're Beautiful (2009).
Chock-full of laughs and crazy antics from the Hong sisters. A definite must-watch! 9/10
My Girl (2005).
Super chemistry, adorable leads, and --omg-- snow, snow, snow! Lol. Despite my indifference to Park Si-yeon and Lee Jun-ki's characters, this remains as my most favorite Hong sisters drama ever. 10/10
The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (2007).
What more can I say? It's wonderful. 10/10
Shining Inheritance/Brilliant Legacy (2009).
Such a painful, painful pace. I'm never gonna watch Lee Seung-gi in a drama again unless he's paired with somebody I desperately admire. 7/10
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (2009).
Poor writing and poor directing, and messy intro. Disappointed. 3/10
Devil Beside You (2005).
Funny, at times roll-my-eyes cheesy. 7/10
1 Litre of Tears (2005).
You'll cry a liter of tears yourself. 10/10
Personal Taste (2009).
Had it been properly directed and written, this drama could've been a big hit. Sadly it wasted Lee Min-ho and Sohn Ye-jin's talents. 7/10
Goong/Princess Hours/Palace (2006).
Puzzling ending, slow-paced, lovely costumes, and rather wooden performance from Joo Ji-hoon. 7/10
Delightful Girl Choon-hyang (2005).
Jae Hee, Jae Hee, Jae Hee. Y u so handsome? I advise you to watch this BEFORE watching
My Girl. 10/10
The World That They Live In (2008).
Rather than calling it dull, I'd describe it as realistic and calm. Not your typical, formulaic kdrama. The characters' biggest hindrance to their relationship is not a fuming ex-girlfriend or a scheming grandma but their own pride and attitude. My favorite kdrama, hands down. 10/10
Secret Garden (2010).
This is the only drama that drove me incredibly nuts, right at the eve of my exams. It stands out with its witty dialogue, fantastic cinematography, wonderful characters, and just plain great performances from the cast. Hyun Bin kills this drama. 10/10
Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs/9 Ends 2 Outs (2007).
As
girlfriday had put it, "Two lifelong best friends turn 30 and take steps toward becoming adults…by shacking up together and denying their growing attraction. Yeah, good luck with that." 9/10
49 Days (2010).
The story is pretty much unique in kdrama standards and although the ending was initially hard for me to accept, I love this drama. Such a beautiful message and storyline. Fell in love with Jung Il-woo. 10/10
DRAMAS I DROPPED COMPLETELY:
Mary Stayed Out All Night (2010). A classic example where not even the remarkable cast can save the terrible script. Skip this and watch
You're Beautiful or
Antique Bakery instead.
Playful Kiss (2010). Nope. Not watching anything that has Kim Hyun-joong etched on it ever again. So much for my anticipation.
DRAMAS I WILL WATCH:
Best Love/The Greatest Love (2011)
. Hey, it's the Hong Sisters! I'm not missing out on this one yet.
Return of Iljimae (2009)
. I only read the recaps and I'm already drawn in. Jung Il-woo makes a far better Iljimae, appearance and performance-wise, than Lee Jun-ki did. And that's just looking at the screencaps.
My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox (2010)
. I couldn't get over how Lee Seung-gi still looks like his
Brilliant Legacy character that it distracted me so much. Heard good comments on the drama though so I'll pick up on this one soon.
Devil/Mawang (2008)
. Uhm Tae-woong, Shin Min-ah, and Joo Ji-hoon in one detective drama. I HAVE to watch this or I'll never forgive myself. Lol, drama.
MOVIES I WATCHED:
Hana Yori Dango Final (2008). Crooked plot, but the cast makes up for everything else. Inoue Mao is still gorgeous. I'd rather you skip it and watch the series again instead, though. 6/10
I Love My Younger Sister (2007). INCEST! It bored me to tears more than the anime version did. 4/10
Doremifasolatido (2008). This movie was going all right, until that big twist in the ending and then poof, it all gets tied with a pretty pink bow and glitter. My first glimpse of baby-faced Jang Geun-suk. 5/10
200 Pounds of Beauty (2006). Well-executed and I enjoyed everything, but some viewers may take the message a bit too seriously. 7/10
Baby and Me (2008). Despite the cute and the fluff -- yawn. 5/10
A Millionaire's First Love (2006). Been-there-done-that, but still tear-jerking and endearing. 8/10
Antique Bakery (2008). Kim Jae-wook. Joo Ji-hoon. Bromance. Cakes. Yum. 8/10
Paju (2009). A young girl harbors feelings for her deceased older sister's husband. Dark, emotional, a bit of sexual content. Fell in love with Lee Seon-kyun and Seo Woo. 8/10
3-Iron/Empty House (2004). A little creepy, but fantastic. Proves that silence can be indeed beautiful, especially when coupled with good music and good cast, and that love may not always need words. 10/10
A Crazy Little Thing Called Love (2010). High school fluff, relate-able, and cute. BUT, I can't buy their love story, or even the movie being dubbed as "Everyone's love story". How can two people who have barely even talked much beneath the surface level still cling on to the love more than, what, 5 years later? And confess their love on a TV show? I don't even.... 7/10
Hello Stranger (2010). Two Thai young adults meet in South Korea, and never even knew each other's names. If I were you, skip Crazy Little Thing and watch this. Sure, the guy's no Mario Maurer, but let's remind ourselves that actors have to act; they don't just look pretty for the camera. Fun, cute, and tugs you in the right moments. 10/10
Labels: Drama bucket
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