Un-reviewable Dramas 5: Heirs and Two Weeks

One I live-watched, the other I pseudo-marathoned. The first 5 episodes at least, and then I got overwhelmed and simultaneously bored. Is that even possible? Turns out it is. I watched Heirs and Two Weeks purely because I knew everybody else was. Oh, and maybe for their casts. All of Heirs was going to be a golden mixture, even if the drama turned out ill, and Two Weeks - well, as an occasional Lee Jun Ki fangirl, I try to at least sample every project he's done, even if I never finish *coughs*Arang*coughs*.

Moah? It's the second drama of mine Rosie hasn't liked..
I'll have to try harder next time.

Sadly, neither grabbed my attention so much- and now that they're over and done with, it's kind of annoying me that they're sitting in my 'Recently Watched' box all happy and content, surrounded by other more well-deserving dramas. Stricly my opinion of course. And since I haven't been in a frame of mind to write up brilliant and stunning reviews for Flames of Desire and Que Sera Sera, I'm going to start by knocking a few little things off my tally of things-to-discuss. This is what I call productivity. Oh yes, Rosie's being so productive right now. 

Read on for the lamest reviews ever of Heirs (2013) and Two Weeks (2013).

TwDrama Review: Devil Beside You (2005)

Devil Beside You
惡魔在身邊
3/10

Another "classic" lets me down. Lured on the promise of extra lovey-doveyness and that always sought after 'chemistry' between leads, I got to cracking on this 20 episode monster.

Verdict: It's 18 episodes too long.

Now, before I'm murdered in my blogger-sleep, I could try to explain some of my reasoning. It might even be as simple as, I was never in the mood for what this story was trying to tell. Or, the old drama bad quality meant nothing ever looked good on screen. However, after dropping it several times, and then redetermining to finish, nearly 4 months passed between when I started and when I stopped. And I was never in the mood for it. 

Here's the Story in a Nutshell

Qi Yue (Rainie Yang) loves Yuan Yi. He kind of likes her back. But devil boy Jiang Meng (Mike He) takes an interest in her as well. They fall in love. However, their parents have already fallen in love. They're about to become step-siblings. Kissing happens.

ewwwwww!

Before I start in on spoilers, and my disgust of the leads' romance, let me disect a few other plot points. I realize that Devil Beside You has a wide cast that is supposed to leave viewers loving all the connections and friendships/frenemies/family trials/etc. but to me side plots were nauseatingly boring, mostly for their lack of subtlety. Our show here is adapted from a manga, and I've already discussed some reasons why these plots usually don't entice me. Creepy clingy girls and totally stalkerish perverts (most of whom are completely redeemed by the end) do not make for a good story of human emotion. They're plot devices, through and through. So they make the leads grow and learn. Good for them.

Drama, if you want to get my attention - you need something better than caricatures. I'll take the devil concept any day. It's hot, and it usually works in a lead drama male. I don't even mind him teasing the girl in devilish fashion. I also have a relatively high tolerance to whiny spineless females. Bbbut...

Read on if you dare. I look at what's wrong with the lead couple, why I usually love this kind of concept, and confess at least one thing I thought was good. After all, I did finish it..

Kdrama Review: Damo (2003)

Damo
조선 여형사 다모
6/10

You know when you start watching some epic drama, and it's taking too long to get to all the good parts, and you just want something vaguely similar, with more action and romance? That's me while watching Shin Don, and that's why I decided to Damo. The first is all political and totally without ornamentation (aka, no fluff). The second is all fluff and more love. And action sequences: the, scaling-rooftops, flying-through-trees, blades-all-a-blur-and-quite-bloody type of action scenes. Yeah, it was just what I was craving. I refuse to say it was a great drama, but at 14 episodes it was more than right for a spur of the moment marathon, and quite enjoyable.

The Plot

Our story is quite modern, despite it's sageuk feel - In fact, Damo is hailed as one of the first fusion sageuks out there. Ha Ji Won is Chae Ok, a slave girl attached to a Joseon era police department. Her social position is as a damo, literally "tea servant," but whose job is more indicative of a female detective. Thanks to a cruel past - born to a noble family until her father was accused of treason - she's since followed around a brother/lover type figure from the family she was sold to. Commander Yoon (Lee Seo Jin) is her employer, friend, family, and reason for living now. Until the police uncover a crippling conspiracy, and moral ethics demand they investigate. But what lies underneath the relatively innocuous counterfeiting ring comes a whole new dragon, in the form of rebel leader Jang Sung Baek (Kim Min Joon). And then some...

No bromance, unfortunately -- Just a lot of testosterone. 

Uhm, what else should I say? It's a sageuk detective drama. It's also very much a Kdrama, and the story is built with almost exactly similar tropes: love triangle, secrets, suspense, a love triangle, conspiracies, evil old sageuk dudes, noble heroes fighting for some very vague cause.. did I mention there's something weird about that love triangle...? *ahem*

Read on for my short non-spoilery account of  the Highs and Lows of Damo. 

TwDrama Review: Easy Fortune Happy Life (2009)

Easy Fortune Happy Life
福氣又安康
4/10

Three quarters into this drama, I complained and got scolded by a Chinese-speaking friend, for watching a Taiwanese drama I’d never heard of, that wasn’t directly recommended to me. She’s right. I started this on a whim, and it sucked so badly, so I think I’ve learned my lesson.

Country bumpkin and herbal medicine specialist Xie Fu An (Joe Chen) meets the cold and ruthless Yan Da Feng (Lan Blue), presumed heir to a billion dollar corporation that sells eastern medication. It’s not exactly love at first sight because he’s looking to buy protected herbs off the black market, and our spunky lead girl just won’t stand for such things. However that’s nothing a quick plunge into quicksand won’t fix. While our leads are stuck in an awkward position plagued by caterpillars, Xie Fu An’s grandmother’s home is being burned down by black marketers. The OST switches between love-inducing happy sounds to dramatic chords as grandma tries to run to safety. Should I be amused by our future happy couple, or concerned by grandma dying? And this was only the first time I thought to myself, “wtf.” 

And why am I still sitting here watching this crap?

Easy Fortune Happy Life is a basic love story with your basic characters: good second leads, conniving bitches, remorseful grandpas, caricatured aunts and uncles, evil hapless ‘financial advisors’, a curly haired kid, a dog and a sugar glider. Take out the sugar glider and it’s like every other rom-com out there, except that I haven’t seen a drama with such bad acting, atrocious production, or asinine plot devices since… ever.

Yes, those are fighting kiwis.

No, this wasn’t some kind of side plot. This was a legitimate knife fight and one of these kiwis ended up hospitalized. I wish I was making this up. For all the lameness I decided to go ahead and marathon the rest in ultra-fast forward mode. I even found a few things to like about it, and a ton more to hate. Because sometimes a bad drama is just as much fun to talk about as an awesome one.

Vague spoilers ahead, but seriously – it’s not like no one knows how a drama like this is going to end.

Un-reviewable Dramas 3: Last Cinderella and Otomen

Oh please save me from these boring dramas... 

Just so I can say I’m done with these, I bring you two more “un-reviewable” dramas. Translation #1 – I didn’t like them, and I briefly want you to know why. Translation #2 – I need a soap box for a moment, and an audience to rant to. Translation #3 – I don’t actually need to rant, because neither of the dramas really got to me emotionally, but still, here I am. 

On the chopping block this week: Last Cinderella (2013) and Otomen (2009)

Jdrama Review: Zenkai Girl (2011)

Zenkai Girl
全開ガール 
5/10 

Hardworking, ambitious lawyer-to-be Ayukawa Wakaba (Aragaki Yui), meet stay-at-home daddy Yamada Sota (Nishikido Ryo). Add some kids. Watch the sparks fly. Then fizzle. Then die away. Add more cute kid scenes, and you’ve got a Jdrama. Oh, Zenkai Girl, how I wanted to like you so much. You were sharp, fast-faced and totally fun for the first few episodes. You had a completely adorable nice guy who’s destined to get the girl. Why we gotta get so boring and episodic? Why must our lead girl be so silly and anti-love for sooo long? 

I jumped ships. 

Hey, take my hand and let's go make our own show!

Maybe this is just where Jdramas fail me. If there’s a hint of romance, it’s usually not enough – but when the genre is primarily rom-com, they always spoil it being lame and adding so many “plot twists” and backwards character development that I can’t stand it. Now I admit that this isn’t a fault found exclusively in Jdramas. But when it’s coupled with the standard set-back of the episode type storytelling, some occasional overacting, and wait until the very end love stories, I’m guaranteed to check out emotionally well before the end. 

Just what does Zenkai Girl have going for it though? 

Jdrama Review: Kami no Shizuku (2009)

Kami no Shizuku
神の雫
6/10

Kami no Shizuku, or Drops of God, stars Kamenashi Kazuya as Kanzaki Shizuku, the son and presumed heir to a fortune – to a world famous wine collection left by his late father, a renowned wine critic. However his estranged relationship to his father left Kanzaki with a distaste for wine in any form. When a rival heir appears to take over the wine collection, Kanzaki is spurred on to take the challenge set by his father to win the inheritance. Along with spunky new girl buddy Shinohara Miyabi (played by Naka Riisa) sets off to discover the “Seven Apostles.” His only weapons are the written descriptions of each vintage, his own memories, and an inborn taste for wine.

Sound awesome? If you have a thirst to see KAT-TUN’s Kame and/or you want to learn something about wine (and the eloquent prose of wine critics), then this is the drama for you. If you’re also in the mood for a slow, sentimental story with a ‘feel good about family and friends premise’, then this drama is for you. If you get slightly bored by mostly plot-less dramas, overly characterized side characters, and a subdued main lead, I recommend a skip. 

Kami no Shizuku plods along at a pace that is just unhurried by anyone, and seems almost to take itself too seriously. I love reading a good wine description, but it’s mostly for the humor value. Hence, I got a lot of comedy out of what’s not exactly a comedy. The story is honestly not that intriguing, but it’s only 9 episodes! And I was in it for the wine. 

Kdrama Review: That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013)

That Winter, the Wind Blows
그 겨울, 바람이 분다
6/10

I suppose I should address it, because after all this drama did capture the attention of most drama watchers I know – for better or for worse. In my case, it’s definitely the latter scenario. Perhaps I’m just not feeling the melo these days. Innocent Man captured my heart, and then I was done. By the time I Miss You came around, it was an automatic skip. I actually thought skipping one Kdrama ‘season’ would be enough, and was ready for a new dramatic show – ready to be swept away by the atmospheric wintery landscape and stunningly gorgeous leads. Jo In Sung wasn’t someone I’d seen before, but Song Hye Kyo still gives me fond memories from her performance in the tragic makjang of 2000 Autumn in My Heart. On top of that, she’s so beautiful it almost makes my eyes hurt. (He is too, for that matter.) What’s not to love?

The Plot, oh – Lord the plot. In a reverse rich girl poor man situation, add a blind girl, and… not much else. And what do you get? Loan sharks and mobsters more dangerous than most, mistaken identity and enough fauxcest to get your feels all in a tangle (until you start feeling the ick factor). Jo In Sung as Oh Soo wheedles his way into tricking Song Hye Kyo’s Oh Young that he is actually her long lost brother. His aim? To cheat her out of money, of course. In a nicely done drama set-up though, Oh Soo isn’t just a bad guy with aims of making it rich. He’s desperate and his life is literally on the line if he doesn’t pay back a serious debt that an ex-girlfriend (that b****) managed to invent. 

Heads up - I'm going to make some weird decisions in the drama.
그래요? I'll count myself as warned. 

Seems legit, right? It’s actually a plotline that I bought for a while. However I think I was just mistaken by the beauty of the scenery and leads into thinking the writing would hold up to the end. What started out as a nice, romantic melodrama ended up annoying me to no end. I guess it’s just a case of the drama wanting to take itself so seriously, for too long. 16 episodes of does-she-know/doesn’t-she-know and I just want everything to be revealed and have them kiss for real! Get on with it already! – says me with a not so enthusiastic tone. 

Spoilers Ahead! 

Note: This isn’t really a great review. It’s just me showing some appreciation for the good stuff, and ranting about the rest. /End Note

Un-reviewable Dramas 2: Mr. Brain and Maou

What’s this?? Rosie doesn’t love me anymore!?

After last month’s introduction to my unreviewable dramas (aka, the dramas I just don’t care to write much about, but don’t want to forget about entirely), this time I half discuss two J-dramas that… just didn’t do the trick for me: crime scene investigation drama with the brainy KimuTaku and creepy murder revenge supernatural(?) detective story with Ikuta Toma. 

That’s right, Mr. Brain (2009) and Maou (2008) are the next to join my list of totally meh dramas. 

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) 

Rosie's Cuts: Full House Take 2 (2012)

 "Of Singers, Designers, Hair, and Fur: Cat Fur"

Full House Take 2
풀하우스 TAKE2
5/10

Let me start you off with a little story.  One night a few weeks ago, I was incredibly bored… that, or I’d just drunk a full glass of sake… take whichever story you like. But I began incredibly to watch a drama that for months I swore I’d never do. Full House. Take. 2. Let me clarify. I watched the original Full House nearly a year ago, and for completely different reasons I gave each of these a 5 out of 10 rating. The first because it was slow as molasses, and despite my love of the two leads (and surprisingly, their roles in the drama); the second because of hair, hair, and skinny pants. Why did I finish? I don’t even know, except to say that the last 10 hours of drama time I probably watched in 4 hours.

So Why Bother Reviewing This?  Simple. The Story.  Completely brilliant and inspired, with drama tropes never used before! Nope, not once. Ever. Because no drama lord has ever written a love triangle quite like this! Oh no, they haven't. ;)



Read more for my first ever Drama Recap, like you've never seen before!

Kdrama Review: Seoul's Sad Song (2007)



Seoul’s Sad Song/Conspiracy in the Court

한성별곡
5/10

I must say, I was really looking forward to this drama.  Hearing it win great acclaim amongst a cultish following (despite the low ratings when it was on air), and I was rearing to go.  Plus, it was short! Only 8 episodes long.  Seemed like a quick boost for my dwindling drama-watching habits.  For a quick recap, I’ve only managed to complete some extremely light K-drama entertainment of late (Flower Boy Ramyun Shop and Full House Take 2), and the endlessly long Flames of Desire is fantastic, but highly un-marathonable.  

This is where fusion-sageuk-thriller Seoul’s Sad Song was supposed to come in and save the day.  Only, it didn’t.  What on earth happened!?

First I was lost in the history of the era.  I’m a history graduate though, so that’s never really stopped me before.  Quick Wikipedia checklist of the drama’s main overarching political period? Check.  Okay, then they lost me with the economics of era.  Mercantile affairs, and the political ramifications of possibly re-locating the capital?  I guess I can sort of see how that could affect things.  The problem with the drama’s plot-line however, is that all these threads (politics, and history and economics  are interwoven with great, gaping thread lines around the show’s main “conspiracy” plot, and haphazardly intermingled with the love triangle/square.  I mean, I know Seoul in historical times was small, and everyone who’s anyone probably knows everyone worth knowing, but me, the viewer, had no idea who anybody was, or which side they were on.  For an 8 episode drama, there was so much going on that I basically couldn’t keep up with my list of who’s who. 

At least I figured out who these guys were... by the end of episode 1.

I think Seoul’s Sad Song was hinting at some loftier aspirations:  namely, that not every sageuk drama out there is just about the king and his ministers.  The welfare of the Joseon people, the advancement of well-deserving baseborn officials, and the dreams of these types of people also matter and can make a difference.  Unfortunately, all this was lost on me.  For a conspiracy driven thriller, this whodunit story was chock full of inspirational back stories (that should have warmed me to the characters), chilling twists (that moved me to boredom), and enough metaphorical court language that literally drove me to tears. The following example comes right as a BIG revelation surrounding the king’s secret will has just been unveiled: 

A : “When the wintry gales swelter us, he said that brushes would be swayed by the wind.”

B: “So… did you find any unyielding brushes?”

A: “In the palace, there was not a single one left.”

C: “You insolent slattern! How dare you mutter such insidious drivel!?”

You insolent writers, how dare you not write more clearly!?!

Maybe I’m lazy, or just plain incompetent, but everything in this drama seemed wasted on me. Though, if there’s anything I’ve learned from watching this sageuk (and others for that matter), it’s that women in the palace are more to be feared than the men.  Also, by the state of the practically non-existent but completely soundproof-less walls on traditional Korean homes (of rich and poor alike), it’s amazing that any secrets are ever kept. 

Did I say I hated everything about this drama? Well, it wasn’t all bad. The scenery was nice, I sincerely liked parts of the OST, and this dude below was fun to watch as well.  Oh, he’s no big character; just a henchman who followed around after his master, brandishing his sword at each enemy to cross his path.  Maybe I liked him, because unlike everyone else, he rarely spoke more than two words, so he never had anything to confuse me about.  

Glare at me all you want, just please, don't speak and ruin all of my fantasies.