Kdrama Review: God's Quiz Season 1 (2010)

God’s Quiz
신의 퀴즈
7/10 ♥ 

Oh dear. It’s another episodic crime scene investigation story – my least favorite genre ever, thank you American TV over-saturation for my dislike of the genre. Why on earth did I start this one then? Because I’m a glutton for punishment. Also, I like to branch out a bit and pretend that I don’t just watch mushy rom-coms. Also, after dropping Faith by episode 4 I was genuinely intrigued by the one actor that didn’t seem to annoy me. Oh well, this was only 10 episodes long.

Synopsis:

Ryu Deok Hwan plays brilliant doctor Han Jin Woo, who for some reason has consented to take a post as a medical examiner at the ‘National Scientific Criminal and Investigation Laboratory’ established in a regional Forensic Scientist office in Hanguk University. This is a fancy way of saying he works in what amounts to a morgue, doing autopsies on bodies that (in this case) almost always had bizarre or extremely rare diseases. The team is joined by detective Kang Kyung Hee, played by Yoon Joo Hee, who for the sake of viewers serves as the outside perspective, to whom all medical terms need to be explained.

Without using spoilers, I’m going to do this review a little differently, because I think we can look at God’s Review in two separate lights: generally, and by individual episodes. My verdict is that some episodes, particularly the early ones are not very good. But like all episodic shows, it takes a little time for viewers to get attached to the general cast. The dynamics of an investigation team are always the heart of this genre, and looking past the formula of disease/death-of-the-week episodes, God’s Quiz’s overarching plot and its characters are especially well done. 

A decent medical investigation drama? I guess I can deal with that...

TwDrama Review: Summer's Desire (2010)

Summer’s Desire
泡沫之夏
7/10 ♥ 

Summer’s Desire is pure crack. A guilty pleasure like no other – a shameless soap opera chock full of birth secrets, back stories, long flashbacks, hideous characters, dangerously dramatic scenes, and a whole lot of romance mixed with revenge, and revenge mixed with romance.

It’s a classic love triangle. What else? Boy loves girl, girl likes guy, new guy likes girl, girl loves new guy? Uhm, it’s kind of confusing, but for sure I know one thing. Both male leads are and always have been head over heels for Yin Xia Mo, played by the gorgeous Barbie Tsu. Peter Ho plays the rich young master Ou Chen, heir to a fortune, and hopelessly jealous and possessive of the girl he met and loved as a child. Huang Xiao Ming is Luo Xi, a briefly adopted son in Xia Mo’s family, now a top movie star and heartthrob to a generation.

More than that, however, viewers cannot be sure of. Summer’s Desire is captivating in its buildup, and sizzling in its prime. Why did Luo Xi leave Taiwan all those years ago before he became famous, and why is Ou Chen already suffering from amnesia – no secret as of the first episode. What’s more, he can’t even remember the girl he loved and lost (?) all those years ago, or why. Will he recover his memories first to recover his most prized possession, and will it be in time, before Luo Xi’s own feelings reawaken? Hey, it’s a Taiwanese drama. That’s anyone’s guess!

Hang on there.  I'm not sure whether I like you or love you anymore...
Just let me think about this for a few more episodes. 

Read more for the rest of my mostly Non-Spoilery review!

Un-reviewable Dramas 1: Joseon X Files and Flower Boy Next Door

"What do you mean, I'm un-reviewable? Eh??"

I find myself in a bit of a personal dilemma. I started this blog to occasionally take part in discussing my views of the K-Entertainment community, but mostly to keep a chronicle of all the dramas I watch (mainly for myself and just in case anybody wants to tag along). Usually this means I write a review of everything I’ve recently watched or re-watched, and in the meantime I update the sidebar accordingly. Currently watching, recently finished, and the unfortunate list of recently dropped dramas. 

It makes me angsty when I think I’m watching too many dramas. Any more than 5 at a time, and I almost feel like I’m stretching myself too thin. It also makes me angsty that I finish dramas more frequently than I review them. And then, I almost refuse to review something I’ve just finished – because of course I should deal with the pile that’s already sitting there… just waiting to be pulled apart in great (or not so great) analytic detail. 

What to do… when the list of completed dramas grows? And I don’t even want to bother. A great show, needs a great review. A horrible show needs an appropriately snarky review. But for those dramas that aren’t either or? Bleggh. Welcome, to the first of what’ll probably be many: this is my throw-up review list. Just to get them out of the way, because they’re just not worth giving a whole post in dedication of such mediocrity (in my humble opinion of course). 

This week is a Kim Ji Hoon edition, as I look at K-Dramas Joseon X-Files (2010) and Flower Boy Next Door (2013) 

Kdrama Review: Pasta (2010)



Pasta

파스타
9/10 ♥♥♥

I’ve been re-watching Pasta this week, because there’s nothing like a post-turkey hangover to make a family sit down to watch Koreans making pasta, throwing pasta, and eating pasta.  I wonder what this show’s food budget was.  I wonder how much these actors had to diet after filming…. Oh yes, food aside, more fantastical things happened this week.  My mother started watching her first genuine K-Drama.  I was concerned, but she’s a Food Network junkie so really, there’s no better drama to begin with! I’m also seeing it for the second time.  My husband is also watching it for his second time.  We’re all still sitting on the couch laughing our heads off.  Something seems strange about this, but I’m not going to argue.  I’ve got more than myself watching dramas now, and I couldn’t be happier.

My first run with Pasta came after a long line of mediocre dramas. (Take Care of the Lady, Can You Hear My Heart?)  I remember feeling the despair, almost sure that I’d reached to the end of my K-Drama mania.  What Pasta did for me (besides crave Italian food) was bring me back into the light.  It’s fun, it’s zany; it has a wacky cast of side-character that I’d need a third hand to even count.  And best of all, it features an almost sickeningly cute kitchen romance between leads Gong Hyo Jin and Lee Sun Gyun. 

These two really do make one of the best pairings I’ve ever seen.  They may not have that mythical chemistry we’re always looking for in Dramaland, but each play such a unique character that they really don’t need it.  Gong Hyo Jin as kitchen assistant/cook Seo Yoo Kyung plays the adorable without resorting to the dreaded aegyo.  Lee Sun Gyun (aka The Voice) plays Head Chef Choi Hyun Wook with all the pizzazz of the overbearing, rude, misogynistic male, yet never comes across as obnoxious.  His strut and posturing at the chef’s table may have something to do that (“Table number 6 – Vongole – HANA!)

Just a normal day in the life of an OTP

I think the real success of Pasta is that it doesn’t try to take itself too seriously.  Abysmal plot-devices are at an all-time low.  Mischievous side-characters are more for comedy than for angst, and rarely take up too much screen time as to become unbearable.  At 20 episodes I can almost believe that Pasta, while not being too heavy on the plot to begin with, has almost no wasted scenes.  It’s compact, humor-laden, and seamlessly weaves its enormous cast into kitchen fiascos, competitions, and epic almost-battles (Frying Pan vs. Lighter, Round 1!) Best of all, we don’t have to wait until episode 20 for our romance to finally kick in. 

Even the intrusion fo this brooding guy (Clazziquai's Alex) can't make our lovers budge.

Something else to look forward to: If not for eye-candy, then at least for hilarity, these guys put the show over the top. 

Meet the Korean Team:

Featuring Lee Hyung Cheol (far left) awww… from City Hall.

 And the Italian Team:

Including No Min Wook (2nd from right), currently starring in Full House 2. 

Even here he had some strange hair…

Female character: "Is that a man...or is that a man?"
My mother: "I don't know. Is that even a man?"

Point is: Watch or Rewatch Pasta, unless you hate cuteness, or food.

"Yae shep!"