Reply 1994

                                                           Reply 1994

           I had no inclination to get sucked into the Reply series. I originally didn't know who any of the actors were and since I'm not Korean, 90's Korea held very little appeal. I thought that there would be references that would completely go over my head and I wouldn't be warped into the nostalgia that I thought was the purpose of the show. Then a very handsome man appeared on Three Meals a Day named Son Ho-Jun, and I was a bit smitten. So of course I was compelled to google stalk him and I found a YouTube clip of him speaking. It was in Korean and there were no English subtitles. So I had to continue google stalking him until I found a show called Boys Over Flowers. Two other ridiculously handsome men named Baro and Yoo Yeon-Seok were in the show as well as cast members of Reply 1994. So I tried watching the first episode, and I couldn't get through the first five minutes. I felt disappointed but I quickly put it out of my head. A few months later Reply 1988 is all over the place and I literally had nothing to watch so I binge watched the first 10 episodes and I fell in love. So I decided to give Reply 1994 another try and I have to say, I'm ecstatic that I did. This show was incredible.
           Reply 1994 follows the stories of a group of college kids who attend college in Seoul, Korea. They are country bumpkins who are adjusting to their new lives in a new place. The story is primarily narrated by Sung Na-Jung played by Go Ara. The purpose of the show is for the audience to figure out who she marries. Maybe she marries the guy who has very little common sense but excels in academics and is in school to be a doctor, but just so happens to be a close family friend, affectionately nicked named "Trash" played by Jung Woo. Maybe she ends up marrying Chil-Bong, who is destined to be the next great star in baseball, played by Yoo Yeon-Seok. Both are great catches, and the audience is quickly divided into Team Trash and Team Chil Bong. No matter who is chosen in the end the journey to getting there is incredible. It took me three days to binge watch because the episodes are basically an hour and a half. I laughed, I cried, and I got mad. This shows is a wonderful display of  what true camaraderie is. The friends fight, physically and verbally. They make up, they develop romantic feelings with each other. It's awesome. Pretty much everything you want in a drama, this show offers it. I have not watched Reply 1997, and when I was reading comments there were a lot of references that 1997 was better, all I have to say is Reply 1994 is a great, solid story on its own. I would def recommend starting it from the second episode and then binge watching it over the weekend.  

She Was Pretty

She Was Pretty

Review

This drama was a foreseen pleasure. If any one watched the epic "Kill Me Heal Me" drama, you might have had a case of second lead syndrome between Park Seo Joon and Hwang Jung Eum. These two have impeccable chemistry and ability to play with the odd ball characteristics developed in their characters. I was so excited for this drama to come out. It seemed as if it would be hilarious from the trailers and it was. Though I knew I'd enjoy it, I appreciate how much effort and time they put into character, and story development. Over all every aspect was satisfying.

The Story revolves around Kim Hye Jin played Hwang Jung Eum, and Ji Sung- Joon played by Park Seo Joon. Developing a friendship during their child hood years, these two are thrust back into each others lives when Ji Sung-Joon returns to South Korea to be "The-Most" magazines deputy editor. While Kim Hye Jin remembers her portly  childhood friend, Ji Sung-Joon has become an incredibly handsome, successful man who is nothing like the introvert boy she knew. Seeing him from a far, Kim Hye Jin becomes nervous and decides that she doesn't actually want to meet her old friend because she is nothing like the girl he used to know. A beautiful, poised, calm rich girl. Now she is a wild haired, rosacea cheeked, manic, nervous, broke woman who hasn't reached any level of success yet. Instead, Kim Hye Jin chooses to send her best friend Min Ha Ri, played by Go Joon-Hee perpetrate as herself. Unfortunately for both Kim Hye Jin and Min Ha Ri, KHJ's new position is working for under Ji Sung-Joon, who is an absolute tyrant in the work place. This scenario launches us into a whirlwind of lies, self-discovery, drunkenness, and overall good drama fun.

The characters of Min Ha Ri, and Kim Shin-Hyuk played by Choi Siwon are fabulous second leads. Min Ha Ri is a rich girl who has never been in love before, dealing with the scars of her broken home due to her mom leaving her. While she is her fathers daughter, there is a step-mother who has become a wedge between an idyllic family life. Kim Shin-Hyuk is a talented reporter, who is often goofy and plays tricks on his co-workers. He develops a close friendship with Kim Hye Jin, affectionately nicknaming her Jackson. The relationship between Kim Shin-Hyuk and Kim Hye Jin will make you develop a case of second lead syndrome. 

Over all this show had outrageous characters that said the most precocious things. The show is filled with friendship goals, and relationship goals. It's a multifaceted love story which address, love of a significant other, love between friends, and love of self. 

What I enjoyed most about this show was that even though Kim Hye Jin's character was manic and over the top, making me annoyed and uncomfortable often, the writers always made her stay true to herself. Her character never stops being goofy, never stops having manic reactions to life concern or worries. This show does an excellent job of portraying that for one to really find true love in this world, one needs to be exactly who they are. Over all I give this show 4.5 out of 5 stars. I loved it!

Secret Love Affair Review

I have a confession. I am a person who judges everything by it's cover. I judge books, movies, foods etc, all by their covers. I am sure that I have missed out on more than one enjoyable experience due to this horrible habit of mine. Case in point "Secret Love Affair." Apart of  me is glad that I didn't discover this drama until I was hard up for something to watch, but I have to say I freaking loved this drama! It was incredible! I laughed, I mostly bawled, I enjoyed classical music, I learned that there was such a thing as piano porn. Over all it was an amazing experience I missed out on having sooner because I didn't like the poster of the drama. Silly, I know. 

First we have to talk about these phenomenal characters written by Jung Sung-Joo. Who just so happened to write another drama I judged by the cover "Heard It Through the Grapevine". The story is about Oh Hye-Won played by Kim Hee-Ae. She is an all round gofer for her abusive in-laws. She is married to a less than competent musical professor who is in search of a prodigy to compete with a rival professor. Oh Hye-Won has an amazing ear for piano and she is was probably a prodigy in her own right. She sold her self out in order to become someone "successful" in the musical world. She didn't have the means or the resources to accomplish studying abroad without borrowing money from her boyfriends family and she has been an indentured servant ever since. Oh Hye-Won is what I would call one classy broad. Her hair is always perfect, her clothes are to die for, and she has this flawless grace and elegance even in the most chaotic times. Such as when her mother in law is trying to flush her step-daughters head in the toilet. (That is in the first episode by the way) She speaks softly, she's direct and she gets everyone's dirty business done! That is until she has amazing piano sex with Lee Sun Jae portrayed by the gorgeous Yoo Ah-In.

Yoo Ah-In is a young man from the other side of the tracks. Fortunately for him he had a piano in his house and he developed his incredible talent on his own. Working as a delivery courier, he finds his way in a university where he finds a beautiful piano that he can't seem to fight the impulse of playing. His playing puts everyone in a disarray because he could've inadvertently sabotaged the schools prodigy's performance. As the episodes progress we learn that Lee Sun Jae is an impeccable human being. Minus the the whole, stealing someone else's (contract) spouse. Sun Jae is sweet and naive, but in away that upholds his integrity. He is an example of someone who is completely open to loving someone for who they are. He doesn't really have a filter, and everything he says is truthful. The power of Yoo Ah-In's acting is that he is able to portray a range of emotions of his face that leaves his audience breathless. The visceral pain that you feel when looking at his face as his character experiences loss is incredible. Every emotion whether happiness, anger, hurt, sadness, or longing, is portrayed to an extent that it leaves the squishy sentimental part of you gasping for air. In the other words, you'll be slaaaaaaaayed!

The combination of the these incredible actors playing these magnificent characters left me wishing that I could find someone that I had an incredible connection with. Their performance woke a sense of longing in me that I had never allowed to breathe. The longing of being loved, but  more than that, 

the longing of understanding someone through a mutual passion. The piano plays cupid and counselor in this drama. 

About Me

My journey into the kdrama world began in the spring of 2014. I remembered a conversation I had in my french class with a friend who suggested that I start watching Korean Drama's. I smiled and nodded but thought to myself, why does she think I speak Korean? 7 lucky years later, I was on Hulu looking for a new show to get into and I recalled the conversation. My eyes strayed to "Playful Kiss" and I pressed the play button and from that moment on, I was on a fast and slippery road to becoming a fool or "babo" for Kdrama's.

I tend to like my drama's (Korean, or Western) to have a heavy emphasis on love. I adore swooning at my computer screen wondering what kind of shenanigans my leads are going to get into. Most importantly I love a happily ever after story; blame years of devouring Disney and Romcoms. (I acknowledge my current state of singleness could be due to unrealistic expectations, Darn it!) Lucky for me there were plenty of Kdrama's that were more than willing to serve me a heady dose of love in the story line. I am also more than willing to watch drama's that don't have a romantic focus, but 9 times out of 10, if I'm gushing about a story line, it's centralized theme is romance.

The purpose of this blog is to rant and rave to my hearts content about episodes of shows that I am currently invested in. I think I've tired out my friends & family, who only dipped a toe into the darkside and quickly decided that they couldn't let T.V rule their lives. However, as a novelist, there is nothing that I love better than a great story, and if I have to sacrifice 16-20 hours of my week to achieve this, I call it a success.

Join the discussion about the craziness that is happening in Kdrama land.

Sincerely, the Kdrama babo Ellie.