This drama was recommended to me previously and I watched it because of Nam Joo-hyuk. However, it was not that much of a hit for me. Will explain later on.
Shown in November 2016 - January 2017, it starred Lee Sung-kyung and Nam Joo-hyuk. The show is loosely based on the life of one of Korea's gold-medal weightlifting athletes, Jang Mi-ran. Though it did not rate much in Korea, apparently, it gained a cult following here in the Philippines which lead to the recommendation.
I first saw NJH as the 13th prince in the much lambasted Scarlet Heart series. It was a treat seeing him again here. It was sad that his recent visit here was marred with reports of him being "maltreated" by fans. Unfortunately, it's a common thing across all fandoms. In my previous fangirling life, we would be incensed when our LT would be pinched, prodded and poked by over-eager fans. Though I would want to understand where they are coming from (they claim "nanggigigil lang sila" or they just can't control their excitement), there is such a thing a personal space. I remember the first time I saw my idols, I just stood there and cried. I had to ask permission if I could hug and kiss them which they gladly obliged.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT Moral of the Story
In a society that's obsessed with physical looks, this drama exerted effort to break the stereotype.
In the story, Kim Bok-joo (Lee Sung-kyung) fell in love with a doctor, Jung Jae-yi (Lee Jae-yoon). Being a weightlifter, she didn't care much about her looks and scoffed upon those who were always on a diet. Thus, they were always at "war" with the ballerinas. However, she suddenly felt self-conscious about her looks. She discovered that the doctor was actually an obesity doctor and wanting to be closer to him, lied about who she was and even enrolled in the clinic where the doctor works.
Jung Jae-yi turned out to be the older brother of Jung Joon-hyung (Nam Joo-hyuk), a swimmer in the same sports university where Bok-joo studies. The two athletes became close when they found out that they went to the same kindergarten together. It is there that Bok-joo first "saved" Joon-hyung when the latter fell off the second floor and the former caught him in her arms. Back then, she had shown innate physical strength which lead her to take up weightlifting.
For the longest time, Bok-joo pretended to be a simple student and not a athlete. All hell broke loose when Bok-joo's roommate tattled on her and "reported" her to her coaches. Her team thought that she was trying to lose weight so she can be thin and thus be considered attractive to other men. They could not accept that she's just a teenager who fell in love. She could not tell the doctor who she was because she was ashamed of her calluses and the big figures that seemed to define weightlifters.
Throughout her confusion, Joon-hyung was there to save her from the embarrassment and even offered a shoulder to cry on. During one of their talks, he said this to Bok-joo, "Who will love you when you're that ashamed of yourself?"
There is so much truth in that simple one line. Though it is important to love other people, you can never do this until you learn to love yourself. It's so apt that this series has teenagers/students as lead characters as this is the age where they are impressionable and finding their way in the world. Even if this drama did not do well commercially, the lessons imparted are very much appropriate for the age demographic.
WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT I Could Not Relate
I realized that I like dramas that has character leads who are already working or at least out of school. I can relate to them more compared to this where the characters are still in university. At my age, I tend to gravitate more to mature themes thus it took time for me to really get through this series. I do however, appreciate the theme and the story. If I have a teenage daughter, I will definitely watch this with her.
RATING
Giving this three tissue boxes. It's not that bad but at the same time, nothing that I would rave about.
Here I am again, deviating from my usual order of posting to write my review of this drama while my brain is still buzzing from the high after binge-watching this for 3 days.
This series is relatively old. Not the "oldest" Korean drama that I've watched (that honor goes to Moon Embracing the Sun), but this was shown on October to December 2013. It starred Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye, and Kim Woo-bin and written by Kim Eun-sook (yep, same writer of Goblin and Descendants of the Sun).
The story follows a group of rich, privileged kids who are trained to take over the businesses of their parents (thus, the title) and their daily struggles to become what their parents want to be and what at the same time, be what they want to be.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT
Lee Min-ho
He was 26 years old when this series was shot and he played an 18-year old. If there's one thing I can say about the Korean race (actually, even the Chinese and Japanese people), they truly have good skin.
His character, Kim Tan, was exiled to the US (I laughed when I realized this as apparently, it's a shared "best practice" among dramas. The shows here in the Philippines send their erring children to the US too. Hehe) by his brother, Kim Won. It took time for me to figure out why but Won wanted to avoid fighting with his brother over the ownership of the family company.
Tan struggled while he was in California as he missed his family and friends. It was refreshing for him to meet Eun-sang and he fell in love with her (and this was when he already has a fiancee *eye-roll*). I liked how he pursued Eun-sang even when she pushed him away because of the disparity of their respective backgrounds. Never did his love waver even when they broke up.
Let's not forget the kissing scene!
This is his second drama that I've watched and I have yet to tackle Boys Over Flowers where he really became well-known. But I prefer a mature LMH so it might take time before I will watch that.
He is indeed so charming. He even sang a song which was included in the drama's OST. Here's a video of him singing the song during one of his fan meets in Beijing. And looks like he sang it live. Heart! Heart! Heart!
Kim Woo-bin
Kim Woo-bin (Pic from DramaFever)
I've heard of friends rave over him and watching this, I now understand why. He really grows on you. It's sad though that he's currently on hiatus due to his illness. Last I heard, he's currently on the mend so I hope he does recuperate soon.
I like his bad boy look in The Heirs before he took down his bangs to make it look that he changed. I still can't get the hang out of the bangs hairstyle that is favored among oppas. What is wrong with your foreheads?
But truthfully, I liked how his character developed and changed throughout the series. He started off as a bad boy but there was still goodness in him as evidenced by him falling in love with Eun-sang. I even found their first meeting touching. Eun-sang left the house where they were staying and was still half-sleep. She sleep-walked her way to the nearby convenience store when she drank something and went out to sit outside and sleep. Young-do sat with her and watched over her as she slept. A couple of rowdy boys passed by and he even scolded them as Eun-sang was sleeping.
I'm actually shipping him more with Park Shin-hye. They look better more together. Check out the BTS below that I found in Youtube.
The Story--sort off
As noted above, the series was written by Kim Eun-sook and she's known to have written quality and good dramas. So far, this is the third drama of hers that I've watched. One thing I noticed about her work is that she likes writing settings outside of Korea. Goblin started off in Canada. Descendants of the Sun, most of the story was set in a fictional town of Uruk--which was actually filmed in Greece (somewhere in the Middle East). As for this one, the series started off in California with a very tanned Lee Min-ho.
Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho) and Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye) played star-crossed lovers where the former is a chaebol heir while the latter is the daughter of a housemaid. With the hierarchical system in Korean society, calling their relationship "stormy" is an understatement to the nth degree.
Eun-sang went to California to visit her sister who was supposed to get married to her American boyfriend. However, when she got there, she discovered that her sister has been lying to them all along. After getting her passport confiscated due to a misunderstanding, she was left in the mercies of Tan who has been living in the Orange State for the past 3 years in exile.
Long story short, Tan and Eun-sang met again in Korea wherein Eun-sang's mother happened to be a maid of the Kim family. The father of Tan discovered the relationship of the two teenagers and wanting to put the girl in her place, sponsored her scholarship to their exclusive family-owned school to make her realize the hopelessness of their relationship.
Eun-sang met Choi Young-do (Kim Woo-bin) in school (but he actually saw her previously without her knowing) and he bullied her because of her relationship with Kim Tan, his long-time enemy. In the long run, he found himself falling in love with her as well.
As it's a non-tragic drama, Eun-sang ended up with Kim Tan with all loose ends tied up.
Though I'm not comfortable with the concept of young passionate love (please see my note on what I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT below), I appreciated the underlying theme of the drama. In the second episode, one of Tan's professors said this line:
The British council conducted a survey of 102 non-english speaking countries about what was the the most beautiful English word in the world. The word that took first place was MOTHER.
I wondered why Eun-sook included that line in the drama and I figured out later on why.
Kim Tan had the (mis)fortune of having two mothers--his biological mother, Han Ki-ae (beautifully played by Kim Sung-ryung) who was the mistress of his father; and his mother-on-paper, Jung Ji-suk (Park Joon-geum) the second (legal) wife. He was registered as the "son" of the current wife of the chairman to make Tan a "legal" heir.
Kim Sung-ryung (Pic from aminoapps)
Han Ki-ae was vain, self-centered and beautiful but her love for her son was unquestioned. She sacrificed her pride and freedom so that her child can have a good life. As she's the mistress, she was given "permission" by Jung Ji-suk to live in the family house. After all, the latter was, by all means and purposes, actually separated already from her husband but chose to remain married for business reasons.
Park Joon-geum (Pic from dramabeans)
Jung Ji-suk, on the other hand, had no children of her own and agreed to have Kim Tan registered as her son and was known throughout society as his real mother. She's the headmistress of the school where Tan and Eun-sang goes to. She's rather cold and I haven't seen her express any other expression except for disdain and anger. The exact opposite of Tan's biological mother.
Kim Mi-kyung (Pic from MyDramaList)
Then there's the mother of Eun-sang, Park Hee-nam (Kim Mi-kyung). As the housemaid of the Tan family, she's trusted by Ki-ae as she literally cannot speak thus being unable to tell any secrets of the family. Her love for her daughters was indisputable based on the sacrifices that she made. She used the deposit of their house to send the money to her eldest daughter in the US who needed it. And she agreed to have her youngest daughter go to the high-end school so she'll have a better future with the diploma that she'll earn.
Choi Ji-na (Pic from Soompi)
Another mother was Yoo Kyung-ran (Choi Ji-na), the eomma of Young-do. Though it was not clear why she left her family (I assume it was due to divorce and her husband's infidelity), but Young-do missed his chance to have a last meal with her before she disappeared from his life. When the time came for him to be reunited with her, he was immediately unable to face her and when managed to pull himself together, it was quite a tearful reunion.
My take on this is that there are different mothers in this world. We may all rear our children differently but we do so because of love. Moreover, sacrifice is something common for all mothers--giving something up to ensure that our children will have better lives.
This struck a chord in me being the mom of two boys. Ever since I got pregnant with them, it has been one sacrifice after the other and I never did regret my choices. My fervent hope is that they'll grow up to be god-fearing and contributing members of society and be the best version of themselves.
The Supporting Cast
Most of the supporting cast I've already watched in previous shows. It's interesting to see how they were before in the recent dramas.
Park Hyung-sik
Park Hyung-sik was just so lovable here. His character, Jo Myung-soo, was playful and quick-witted, which was like his character in Strong Woman. He would usually act as mediator between Young-do and Tan whenever they would get in fights.
Kang Ha-nuel (Grabbed from pinterest)
Kang Ha-nuel played Lee Hyo-shin, a senior who got caught in the unwanted dreams of his parents. He suffered from depression which made him almost end his life before if not for the intervention of Tan. His last scene with Tan was so touching when the latter bade him goodbye before he left for the military.
Kim Ji-won (Pic from Aminoapps)
Kim Ji-woo was Rachel Yoo, the school's "Paris Hilton" and fiancee of Kim Tan. They were engaged by their respective parents which doubled as a business partnership. As the daughter of a fashion giant, she certainly lived and played the part to the hilt. She was sexy and haughty and was bitchy as she can get. This is her third drama that I've watched and I prefer her in Descendants of the Sun more (even if she was second lead).
Choi Won-young (Pic from Dramabeans)
And Choi Won-young is consistent with his roles. This is also his third drama where he played a "good" supporting cast. I first saw him in Kill Me Heal Me as a secretary of the Chairman. In Hwarang, he played the surrogate father of Park Seo-joon's character. And now, he's a secretary once again.
WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT Youthful Passionate Love
I'm a mother before a fan and I was uncomfortable with the concept of two teenagers fighting for their young passionate love. They were so in love with each other that they were really going against all odds despite of what other people say. Though I admire Tan's guts for sticking to his resolve and loving the girl up to the point of going against his father, they were just too young! When I was 18, all I wanted was to graduate from College!
Oh and when Tan and Eun-sang separated, he was so devastated that he was on a path of self-destruction. A part of me really wanted to beat him up so that he'll wake up and get his life in order. He was only 18! He still has a long life ahead of him and he's sulking over a girl. Ugh!
RATING
I give this four tissue boxes. I binge-watched this so it was really riveting. It was just when I reflected about it afterwards that I realized that I didn't like some of the lessons that the drama was imparting.
When I started watching K-Dramas, the first few ones that I watched made me cry which me run through my tissue stash quickly--thus the basis of my rating system.
However, it has been a long time ever since I ugly-cried over a drama. The last one was Scarlet Heart (for obvious reasons). But the crying I did over this drama was so worth it. The story called for it and was truly justified.
I again went out of my chronological drama review to write this immediately as it was just so good. I need to write everything down while my memory and the feelings invoked are still fresh. I actually started watching this August 11 but was distracted with Healer.
This series, which is relatively new, aired last December 2017 to January 2018 and starred Yoo Seung-ho, Chae Soo-bin and Um Ki-joon. It introduced me to a new oppa which I'll definitely add to my list.
The story is about a girl, Jo Ji-a (Chae Soo-bin) who pretended to be a robot as a favor to her ex-boyfriend (Um Ki-joon) so she can meet the new investor of the robot project which happened to be Kim Min-kyu (Yoo Seung-ho). Min-kyu then fell in love with robot not knowing that she was human. That's the gist of it but I'll go through the story more later on in my review.
Considering how well made this drama was, I can't help but wonder why it had a low viewership rating in Korea when this was shown. Probably it went against other good dramas but this one is really well-written and the actors were superb!
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT The OST
I put this on the top because I believe that having a good soundtrack will enhance the emotions of a viewer while watching a drama. Having the right song playing during a pivotal moment will invoke the appropriate reaction whether that would involve lots of tears or the opposite.
During my ugly-cry in one poignant scene, Words of my Heart by Kim Yeon-ji was playing in the background. Whoever sound-edited this drama deserves an award! Refer to the video below as Exhibit 1.
The instrumental version of the song was playing throughout the confession but when Kim Min-kyu started to take off his necklace at 1:20, the vocals was edited in and the crying spree begins! Knowing the meaning behind that action added to the drama.
Here's the whole version of the song:
The rest of the songs featured in the drama were also excellent but the one above is the best ear-worm of all. The Script
Very well written! Refer again to Exhibit 1. The lines were well-delivered, significant and said at the right note.
What Aji3 said before she was rebooted, I swear, that was when I really sobbed as if my own heart was also breaking.
"Every single moment I spent with you made me happy."
It may feel like a simple line but it was said at the appropriate time which made me forget about it. The point that it made Min-kyu sob like crazy (and me as well), drove home the point how meaningful it was. Nevertheless, the scriptwriters, Kim Sun-mi and Lee Seok-joon really wrote heartbreak beautifully.
Another scene was when Jo Ji-a wanted to ask for forgiveness. Min-kyu dropped some painful, albeit, truthful lines which really stabbed to the core. I could understand the girl's reaction when she just stood there and took it in.
One concept that I liked in the story is the human allergy of Min-kyu. It started after his parents died and he was betrayed by the person who he thought was his friend. The pain of the deception manifested itself through allergic reactions that it became impossible for him to have human contact. It's interesting that the series started with Min-kyu not being able to enter the military because of his ailment and it ended with him being discharged after rendering mandatory service as he was able to overcome his allergies. It's like tying a big red bow over a package. So satisfying and pretty.
The character development in the script was also rich that you could see how the characters changed throughout the series and how well the actors portrayed those changes, especially the Santa Maria team--and Min-kyu, of course.
That Kiss!
Refer to Exhibit 2 below. 'Nuff said.
Yoo Seung-ho
Because of Exhibit 2, and of course his stupendous acting, I'm now a fan of this Oppa. He acts with a passion and I love his baritone voice. I was surprised that it was that low. I'm now lining up his other dramas and movies.
And after watching dramas with lead actors kissing their leading ladies, the kiss that Seung-ho gave Soo-bin in Exhibit 2 is one of the best. It was ardent and romantic at the same time. Though I have yet to watch his other dramas but he surely has good chemistry with his partners.
Here's his "come at me" look which made me all kilig.
The Chemistry
Ok, I'm really shipping them as a couple. Check out the BTS of their kiss below. The shy smiles after the kiss and hesitant glances and touches...eeeeeeeehhhh! Wonder if they have another drama or movie together. I'll definitely watch that.
WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT Kang Ki-young's character
I love Kang Ki-young as he's almost in every good drama that I've watched. However, I realized that he doesn't play "meek" well. He kept on throwing stuff which supposedly showed his "anger". Though usually plays supporting roles, he's always good but this one is an exception. His character was just too one-dimensional. I didn't see depth or any development. It's somehow disappointing as he's the bestfriend and supposed to be the one who caused the "allergy" of Min-kyu. As such, his role should be more climatic.
RATING
I give this five tissue boxes! I still can't determine why it did not rate well in Korea. It's really well made and the story took me by surprise. I really thought it's a sci-fi drama as I didn't read any reviews beforehand and had no expectations whatsoever. It's great to discover a new oppa and the soundtrack in this series was just outstanding. Really great watch!
After watching Healer, I'm now a fan of Ji Chang-wook and his cuteness. This one is his most recent drama before he entered the military for mandatory enlistment. It aired from May to July 2017. I initially panicked when I saw that it had 40 episodes but fortunately, only 30 minutes each (so technically, 20 regular episodes).
Noh Ji-wook (Ji Chang-wook) played a prosecutor who had the (mis)fortune to cross paths with lawyer, Eun Bong-hee (Nam Ji-hyun). He was then forced to make a choice that greatly impacted his life and career.
Personally, I like his pairing with Min-young more than Ji-hyun. WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT Legal Learnings
Though I've watched Suits, this series gave me a better insight on how the justice system of Korea works. I found it interesting that the Prosecutors were left with the task to prove the guilt of the defendant. Moreover, their roles were clearly differentiated even in the court room, wherein the prosecutors also wear robes, although with more color compared to the judge.
The Lip Bite
This one I really noticed more. JCW bit his lip. A lot.
The lawyers in JCW's firm were so funny especially Mr. Byun and Mr. Bang. I found it especially entertaining when their meetings usually ended up with nothing vital being discussed much to Ji-wook's frustration as Mr. Byun would go on with his rants.
WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT Everything
I finished this for the love of JCW. I don't know if it was because of the number of episodes or I was just biased for PMY but it took me 7 days to finish this series. That's already too much as I'm usually done in 3-4 days.
Come to think of it, I really don't know why I struggled so much to complete the drama. Though it did give me time to catch up with my blog.
Story-wise, maybe because I felt that it was stretched too much. Eun Bong-hee was falsely accused of a crime that she did not commit and Noh Ji-wook withdrew the case when the evidence that were found was tampered with. The whole series centered on Bong-hee finding the real culprit and clearing her name. Granted that there were suspenseful moments, I was still not crazy over it nor could give an objective or more lengthy review.
The second leads did a good job though. It did not take long for me to pick-up why Ji-wook despised Ji Eun-hyuk (Choi Tae-joon) so much. Apparently, Eun-hyuk stole Ji-wook's girlfriend, Cha Yoo-jung (Kwon Nara) from the former. However, I don't know if there was something lost in translation but such was not the case--or if it did happen, they wanted to seek forgiveness? I got confused for awhile. But they do they have good chemistry, not enough to save the drama for me.
RATING
I give this one tissue box. If you're going to watch it, watch it because of JCW.
I started watching this because I got curious when my friends refused to ship Park Min-young with Park Seo-joon. They said that they prefer her with Ji Chang-wook. I asked for recommendations and I was referred to this drama.
Ji Chang-wook played a "courier" or night messenger with the code name of "Healer" that get things done for a price (short of killing someone). Park Min-young was a reporter from a tabloid news website while Yoo Ji-tae was also a reporter but more well-known. An event from several decades back brought them together and they had to deal with the truths that came out from that fateful day.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT The JCW-PMY Ship
I didn't believe it at first but the Behind-the-Scenes (BTS) told it all. In contrast to the BTS of What's Wrong With Secretary Kim wherein Seo-joon and Min-young would immediately jump apart after an intimate scene, Chang-wook and Min-young can't seem to keep their hands off each other after a take. No wonder so many people are shipping them!
And they look oh so good together!
Ji Chang-wook
Now I know why Jinkee Pacquiao went crazy over him. He's really cute especially when he appeared all formal when he and Min-young crashed the press conference of the mayor.
There was just something off about it. The scoring felt clunky--instead of making the scene more emotional, it did the opposite.
And I have nothing against Michael Learns to Rock but I have no idea what they made Eternal Love as the show's theme song. Whenever they played it, it doesn't seem to fit.
Like in the clip above, the couple marched out of the salon with Eternal Love playing in the background. It really didn't feel right. The Ending
I felt that it lacked resolution. Whatever happened to the parents of Chae Young-shin (Min-young's character)? And the evil assistant? It lacked closure! I want to know what happened to them.
RATING
I'm giving this two tissue boxes because of the JCW-PMY ship. Their chemistry is so palpable that you look forward seeing them in a scene together. And that airport scene. PMY was just so lovely and JCW was so smooth!
