Drama Pick of the Week: Secret Garden

#2 Secret Garden

Title:Sikeurit Gadeun/ 시크릿 가든

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Supernatural (a bit), Gender-bender

Number of episodes: 20

Year of airing: 2010

Promotional Poster

OTP: Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won....need I say anymore?

A kiss that became iconic in K-dramaland

I watched this drama when I was not at all familiar with either of them; I had just dipped my toes into the waters of K-dramaland with Boys Over Flowers, Playful Kiss, Faith, City Hunter, Coffee Prince, Shining Inheritance, My Girl and You're Beautiful. Truth is, I kept putting off this drama for a long time for some unknown reason. But when I began watching it, I just couldn't stop. 

It's witty (typical Kim Eun-Sook), hilarious and the chemistry is sizzling hot...it oozes with sexual tension. Boy, I was fanning myself when they were at each other's thoughts. Somehow, even when they were furious with each other, they had this amazing sizzling and electric sexual tension, as if they would tear each other's clothes at any moment. Of course, the leads are brilliant. Anyone who knows about K-dramas WILL know that Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won are two of the most brilliant actors. 

DO YOU SEE THAT CHEMISTRY!!!?

WAZZ IT 'BOUT?

The typical plot- rich guy, poor girl, evil mom. The only twist is that the rich guy is eccentric, absolutely and purely eccentric, which makes this drama such great fun to watch! Your sides will ache with laughter as you watch this man-child (child-man) that Hyun Bin portrays with flair. He develops interests for the poor stuntwoman he meets accidentally but he cannot imagine what the strange feelings he is experiencing are. Hence, he decides to follow her around until he understands what exactly these feelings are. Of course, the plot is predictable except that...wait for it....THEY SWITCH THEIR BODIES! Which of course, procures hilarious results. xD

There's also a side story involving, the lead's cousing who is a Hallyu star, his girlfriend from the past and an amateur singer whom he decides to train. Guess who that newbie is....

YEP! LEE FREAKING ADORABLE JONG SUK!!! 

Secret Garden is one of those dramas that became landmarks in Kdramaland. It gives you all the cliches in a Kdrama- the rich guy, the poor girl, gender bending, evil mama, hilarity, tears and even amnesia (CURSES ON YOU, AMNESIA!!); it's a quintessential Kdrama that will have you rolling on the floor laughing, especially Hyun Bin's antics. However, do not try to dig below the surface; I tried to and ended up being disappointed because there are no layers to this drama. It's superficial and a fun drama to be watched for pure entertainment. 

IF YOU STILL HAVEN'T WATCHED IT, GO WATCH IT, MY FELLOW KDRAMA FRIENDS!

Recommended New Drama: Pretty Man

#2 PRETTY MAN/ BEAUTIFUL MAN/ BEL AMI

Title [Hangul and Romanization]:
Genre: Romance, comedy
Number of episodes: 16
Currently aired: 14
Cast: Jang Geun Suk as Dogo Ma Te
         IU as Kim Bo Tong
         Lee Jang Woo as David Choi
         Han Chae-Young as Hong Yoo-Ra
         Kim Bo-Yeon as Na Hong-Ran
     

WAZZ IT 'BOUT!??

A ridiculously beautiful man- Dokgo Ma Te (Jang Geun Suk)- at the sight of whom girls melt and swoon, lives his life by feeding off from rich women. No difficult task given the fact that he makes the utmost use of his beautiful appearance. 

Having a crush on him ever since she saw him when she was in high school (or was it middle school?) is Kim Bo Tong, an average and your next-door girl. Her only ambition in life is to be Ma Te's wife (which is so ridiculous that I almost stopped watching the drama at that point).

However, Dokgo Ma Te's mother dies, living the identitly of his father unknown and the only way to reach his father is a password, which is in the hands of the beautiful Hong Yoo-Ra, the ex-daughter-in-law of a chaebol. Desperate to reach his father, Ma Te agrees to Yoo-Ra's plan (who decides to help him for her own agenda), which includes him to seduce ten different ladies, who have succeeded in different fields. The aim is for Ma Te to learn their special abilities and bring down the chaebol. 

Ma Te ropes in Kim Bo Tong to help him and in the process, David Choi as well (who is in love with Bo Tong) and ensues is a hilarious drama as they fumble and stumble while trying to achieve Ma Te's aim.

MY FIRST IMPRESSION:

My first impression about this drama was that it is HILARIOUS. And when I say hilarious, I mean the non-sensical kind of hilarious; something akin to the hilarity in the dramas of the Hong sisters. It is not surprising, given the fact that Pretty Man is a manhwa adaptation and hence, I had sort of expected the outrageous comic effect, yet I can't stop myself from laughing.

The first episode itself got me hooked to it, chiefly due to the comedy (As I have already mentioned) and the suspense element that was introduced at the onset- Who exactly is Hong Yoo-Ra? What is the password?

Jang Geun Suk's expressions are amazing as always. He does a fabulous job as the young man who has not quite experienced or understood the ways of the world, and yet prides himself for being able to seduce and fool some of the most beautiful and powerful women for his own material gain. Jang Geun Suk successfully plays him with aspects of humour, while at the same time giving him enough depth. Ma Te's angst at [SPOILER ALERT] at his mother's death is heart-wrenching and evoked a few tears from me. [That porcelain skin of his! SIGH!]

IU, adorable as she is, is perfect for the role of the love-struck and obsessed Kim Bo Tong. Her character reminds me of Oh Ha-Ni from Playful Kiss, except that I found Oh Ha-Ni's obsession with Baek Seung-Jo extremely irritating. However, IU's portrayal of Kim Bo Tong has the required effect- she is funny without being irritating. Normally, I despise female characters who follow their lovers like puppies, yet astonishingly, I love Kim Bo Tong. Fighting, Kim Bo Tong!

The premise set for the drama is strong enough although I did not fall in love with it. Honestly, I wasn't expecting a mystery/suspense, and hence, the ending of the first episode was a pleasant surprise. Nope. I'm not complaining at it at all because otherwise, the plot would have been too simplistic, too cliched. The part that I'm enjoying the most is the reversal of the whole 'women as objects' issue. Here, the man, not women, is the object that is played around with. While I'm all for equality, the devil within me is having a laugh at this reversal of stereotypes.

If you want a fluffy, fun romance with an element of mystery in it, go check this drama out!! It is quite promising!

Raves and Rants: In the honour of 'The Heirs'

Soooo. 2013 is almost over and what a year it was for K-dramaland! Some of the best dramas premiered this year. However, I shall dedicate this post to the most anticipated and starry drama of the year- 'He Who Wishes to Wear the Crown, Endure Its Weight- The Heirs'.  

After almost a year of great publicity and extreme anticipation among fans (I confess, I was one of them), 'The Heirs' had its finale on December 12, 2013. My excitement at the prospect of watching Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye cannot be described in words; I was SO EXCITED because I had been shipping them ever since I saw them. The concept also contributed to aggravating my excitement. Yep, I am a total sucker for rich guy-poor girl love stories!

My feelings at the beginning of Episode 1-

You could hear my scream all the way to the beaches of California where Lee Min Ho was surfing. The picturesque beaches of California, the symbolic dreamcatcher (my! that dreamcatcher elicited an obsession for dreamcatchers within me), Lee Min Ho and Park Shin He together..........can I ask for more? Oh yes, apparently I could have. Let me see- Kim Woo Bin, Choi Jin Hyuk, Krystal and Kang Min Hyuk as a couple. Admittedly, the pace irked me a bit because it seemed soooo slow that a tortoise could have raced by it but then I was prepared to forgive ANY flaw in this drama. 

Boy, was I wrong! 

By the end of Episode 20, my expression was a cross between-

and

Practically, NOTHING HAPPENS for 10 episodes. And the drama picks up pace in the 11th episode, only to lose its steam again after 4 episodes or so. Add a clumsily tied up finale to it and you have the perfect overrated drama.  

Such a great premise was set for this drama: the lonely teenager who has been exiled to the USA and must bear the weight of the crown on his return to South Korea, a paranoid half-brother brother who is determined to keep him away from the CEO's chair at Jeguk Empire at all costs, a bitter and scarred friend-turned enemy, a mother who is forced to live beneath the roof of the Kim mansion and denied her privilege. Power struggle, broken relationships, broken hearts. SUCH GREAT POTENTIALITY. However, none of these things happen until episode 12 (or was it 13?). A greater half of the drama was wasted on showing the bitter and hatred-filled relationship between Kim Tan (Lee Min Ho) and Choi Young-do (Kim Woo Bin) with Cha Eun Sang (Park Shin Hye) in the middle. I admit, it was chiefly a love story and I was not disappointed with that aspect at all! It was the quintessential K-drama love story. However, I would have loved it if Kim Eun Sook (the writer) would have initiated the power struggle within Jeguk Empire earlier, which would have allowed for a greater and better build-up of the central conflict, that is, will Kim Tan sacrifice everything for love or vice versa. 

However, disappointed I was with the plot, I LOVED THE WRITING! The dialogues were witty and crisp, especially Choi Yong-do's (It did help that Kim Woo Bin did an AMAZING job of playing the character; in several ways, he was the true star of the drama). I loved the chemistry between Hee Nam (Cha Eun Sang's mother) and Ki Ae (Kim Tan'a mother), Kim Tan and Kim Won (KT's broter played by Choi Jin Hyuk. Mmmm. His voice! His looks! His eyes!).  

SOME MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM 'The Heirs':

                     #1 Lee Min Ho and shower scene? SIGN ME UP!

#2 Shirtless Kim Woo Bin. I swooned.

#3 When Kim Tan was embarrassed after he caught Cha Eun Sang changing her clothes

Such innocence is refreshing!

#4 When Kim Tan falls in love with Cha Eun Sang

The way Lee Min Ho gazes at Park Shin Hye....sssiiiigghhh!

#5 The partial confession

"Perhaps, do I like you?"

#6 Kim Woo Bin. Kim Woo Bin. Kim Woo Bin.

#7 When Cha Eun Sang tamed the big, rich, spoilt, babies

This scene totally cracked me up! And Kim Tan and Choi Young-do were 

SO ADORABLE! 

#8 The bromance- I began shipping them halfway through! 

#9 Kim Tan kisses Cha Eun Sang publicly

Although there was no snow falling; this is an edited picture

#10 The closet kiss

I'm proud of you, Park Shin Hye. At least, you kissed back. Lee Min Ho, PLEASE KISS ME!

#11 When Kim Tan breaks down after realizing that he has, possibly, lost has Eun Sang forever

This scene broke my heart. Completely. Utterly. 

Lee Min Ho, I fell in love with you. Deeper than ever.

#12 The endless laughs that we got from Kim Tan's results. ^^

#13 The last kiss and the last walk

#14 THIS AMAZINGLY CUTE COUPLE. HOOK UP IN REAL LIFE TOO. PLEASE.

OMO. There were just way too many memorable moments in this drama, accentuated by the unforgettable dialogues. I shall keep updating this section as and when I remember those moments!

CONCLUSION: However, you might have hated this drama for its almost non-existent plot, yet you can't help but remember it. I, for one, shared a love-hate relationship with this drama, as is quite evident from this blogpost. This drama was perfect: a stellar cast, great acting, awesome dialogues, beautiful and dreamy visuals, an amazing premise BUT THE PLOT KILLED IT. Scratch 'killed'. It DESTROYED the drama. Sigh. Can we please remake the drama with a proper plot and no hastily tied up loose ends? But heck, people loved it, they cried over it, they yelled at their screens out of frustration. Many fell in love with it. I would've too had I not been over-analytical. >.<

For those, who haven't watched it yet, go and watch it at least once! Here's the link if you can't find a site to watch it! 

The Heirs is one of those dramas, much like 'Boys Over Flowers', which will go down in history as one of the most popular K-dramas. Heck! It even managed to earn the second spot in the 'Trending Worldwide' on Twitter and was almost consistently above 20% when it came to the ratings. GO, STAR POWER! 

LOVE IS THE MOMENT! ~~

Signing off!

Aja! Aja! Fighting!

P.S. I wish Won had his happy ending. Wae, drama? Wae?

Drama Pick Of The Week: Arang and the Magistrate

#1 Arang the Magistrate

Title: 아랑사또전 / Arangsaddojeon
Genre: romance, comedy, action, thriller, drama
Number of Episodes: 21

~Drama Poster~

Now I am perfectly aware that not a lot of people are huge fans of Historical Drama's. But believe me peeps, this drama Is totally worth it.

OTP: (if its your first time, you should check out our earlier post for popular Kdrama Acronyms : http://allthingsasiancrp.blogspot.com/2013/12/acronyms-in-k-dramaland.html 

* The Sizzling Heartthrob Bastard Lead: ~Lee Jun Ki ~  

I think I need those smelling salts (*O*)

 

as for the Female lead .... this ones for you boys or girls 

 * The Gorgeous: ~ Shin Min a ~

 

 WAZZ IT 'BOUT- 

Arang (shin min a....lets call her 'shima'...let it go peeps, okay?..... okayyy so I'm lazy its the 21st century thing people, lets move onnn..) is a ghost who is curious about her death, I think this desire was fuelled by her lost memory of her past life... (#Iamagenius) Eun oh (Lee jun ki, AKA Satho) is the son of the ex-prime minister of feudal Korea during the Chosun Dynasty, but he has a secret, he can see ghosts. Through the rather knotty ropes of fate and destiny Arang and Satho embark on a journey to find Arang's murderer.

okayyy. stop. stop. shhhhhhhhhh. hold it right there my friend.

YES, its a little bit queer, a ghost and a human.. and since it is a romcom, we may as well assume that the two get together or fall for each other at some point in time. And a relationship with a ghost...is just not your cup of tea right?
well, it wasn't mine either, in fact this drama was on my 'to watch list' for around a year and a half!
Now; I like romcoms purely for the fact that I picture a future quite similar to the mushy humour laced projections of a typical flick (no judging people a girl can DREAM). And I certainly don't see my self in the very near or distant future having an intimate relationship with a ghost. That shit just weird.

HOWEVER! The OTP IS :

 The chemistry between the OTP IS:

 This drama will have you on your toes, crying like a fool, dreaming like a unicorn #UNICORNswag, and loving like a love sick monster.

It is a perfect blend of those melting moments where the stuck up, arrogant guy moulds into the equally stuck up, headstrong personality of the girl, and they become the most imperfectly perfect couple there could possibly be; and those action scenes of Satho that make you go

Now be freeeeee my little Kdrama Addicts, fly to Gooddrama and watch this beautifully captivating show.

~THE END~

XX

~J

 P.S: don't let the 'head gear' let you down, it is a historical after all, and after the second episode you come to terms with the fact that only Lee jun ki could look hot dayummmm in that weird stretched black Hawaiian'ish top hat with beads on it.

#funkyhatswag

PPS: ^ that's like saying HASHTAG with a fistful of MnM's in your mouth! (*O*)