I’m writing this post right after having finished the one for Defendant, but might schedule it to publish tomorrow or something instead. I don’t really know why, it just doesn’t feel right to post twice in one day.
So I started Encounter before Defendant, and was actually really quite enjoying it, until I ran out of episodes. Then I watched Defendant and pretty much finished that series in the time it took two new episodes of this to come out, and I don’t know if I just lost the flow, or what, but I just didn’t enjoy this series so much from then on. I think it had a really strong start, and I particularly liked the Cuba scenes, but it just fizzled for me to the point where I just wasn’t really invested at all at the end, and couldn’t really have cared less if they stayed together or not. I’m not sure if it was just me, but the last episodes sound mix was shocking, which if it is how it was aired, just proves that they lost their way a bit at the end. Also, my Korean is good enough to realise that the Korean title for this drama is Namjachingu (남자친구), which means Boyfriend. Can we all agree that Encounter is a significantly less lame title?! I mean, sure, it sums up the plot well but still, lame.
Soo Hyun is the divorced daughter in law of a chaebol family who still lives under their thumb due to her fathers debt, but runs a successful hotel chain. One day, while on a trip to open a new hotel in Cuba, she has her bag stolen and falls asleep on top of a wall, nearly plunging to her death until luckily, the only other Korean there, Jin Hyeok, catches her. After a little nap, they walk back to the town together and she makes him spend literally all his money on dinner, wine, shoes, and salsa clubs. None the less, it’s very sweet and they definitely have a spark, but as chance would have it, they don’t see each other again .... until .... Jin Hyeok randomly gets a job at her hotel, realises she is the CEO and they start their love story.
I mean, it sound ridiculous now I’ve written it down, but it was a really sweet start.
For the most part, it was well done. You could really see the character development in Song Hye Kyo’s Soo Hyun, in that she started very sad and serious, and slowly, as she fell for Jin Hyeok, started to smile and laugh more. I mean, who wouldn’t, Park Bo Gum was absolutely adorable. I have to say though, that I did much prefer Song Hye Kyo in Descendants of the Sun, and thought her chemistry with now real life husband Song Joong Ki was much more ... chemistryish. The only thing that really bothered me about this series, other than it’s predictability, was how they didn’t do more with Woo Seok, Soo Hyun’s ex husband who literally faked an affair so she could divorce him because he loved her so much. You all know (ha, ‘all’, like I’m talking to anyone other than myself, let’s be honest here) that I love me a second male lead, and they just made him totally pointless and pathetic. It was such a shame, because he was really pretty and had real potential to properly shake up the story.
TLDR
It was ok.
New kdrama fans will probably like it, or those who like the samey romance style as 90% of korean drama.
I probably won’t watch it again.
I was probably going to watch My Strange Hero next, another currently airing series, but I’ve decided to rewatch Game of Thrones, so that will take me a while. I have also found myself with access to a Netflix account, which means I have subsequently found myself with access to shows such as It’s Okay That’s Love, Hwayugi, and My ID is Gangnam Beauty, as well as many other series not available on Viki, so that might complicate things somewhat.
Tuesday 29 January 2019
Saturday 26 January 2019
Defendant
You know, there is a very good chance that all of my posts in January are going to be about korean dramas.
After finishing Reply late 1980’s - 1990’s, I started watching Encounter. However, being a show that I started while it was currently airing, based on my high hopes due to the Song Hye Kyo and Park Bo Gum combo, I soon found myself caught up and with days before the next episode. So naturally, I started on a new show to watch as a filler, and ended up much preferring. This show was Defendant, another high ranker and one that I had avoided for looking a little too serious. I remember it coming out, and thinking that while I love Ji Sung, the idea of a drama set in a prison just didn’t appeal.
I don’t know why I don’t learn that the high rated non-romance dramas are almost always absolutely amazing.
Park Jeong Woo is a successful prosecutor with a perfect life - he runs around catching the bad guys and then goes home to his loving wife and adorable daughter. He is just starting to crack the case on a suspicious CEO who he thinks is actually his criminal twin brother who apparently committed suicide, when he wakes up in a prison cell. Somehow, it’s four months later, and he discovers that he is on trail for having murdered his wife and daughter, has admitted to it, and has absolutely no memory of any of it. Slowly, he starts to regain his memory and figure out who has framed him and to plan his revenge.
Firstly, I love Ji Sung. He is the lead in of my favourite films, My PS Partner, and played the main role in the slightly forgettable Protect the Boss and in Kill Me Heal Me, which was amazing. He was great in this too, able go from stony seriousness to goofiness to heartbreakingly sad. The guy who played Cha Seon Ho was really good too, in that he made me hate him for being such a despicable person, although Seok his dirty work assistant person also did horrible things and I kind of just crushed on him, so take that as you please. Kim Min Seok from DotS and Because This is My First Life was also in it as Seong Gyu, and he bloody well broke my heart and didn’t deserve anything but a happy ending where he was adopted by Jeong Woo as a younger brother and Ha Yeon’s uncle and they all lived happily ever after.
It was interesting actually to learn a bit about the prison system in South Korea. I found out that people are still sentenced to death, although these sentences haven’t been carried out in decades. People on trial wear beige, those who have been sentenced wear blue and those on death row have their identity numbers in red. They aren’t referred to by name in prison, but instead by number, and live in small rooms with six other inmates, unless they are rich, in which they get a private room which looks more like what we associate prison accommodation to look like.
It was a really good series. It kept you guessing, and while you kind of know it’ll all end up ok in the end, the constant twists and turns and cleverness of the plot does make you doubt it occasssionally. There was zero romance subplot, which is rare, but you really don’t miss it, and I think anything of the sort would have totally ruined the key aspect of Jeong Woo’s character. I enjoyed the comic relief of the cell mates, and that they all got their happily ever afters - apart from Seong Gyu who I actually think I had a bit of second male lead syndrome about, in that while he was only a supporting role, I did root for him hard.
I just can’t fault it, really.
Tldr
It made me cry - like a fair amount. That means it’s good.
You should watch it, but maybe only if you’re a non squeamish adult.
I’d totally watch it again, but would wait a while to forget it first.
Having said all that, I don’t think it will knock any of my Top 5 off the list. It is probably safe in my Top 25 though.
Luckily, I finished this and only had to wait a day until the finale of Encounter came out and was subbed, so expect that review shortly.
After finishing Reply late 1980’s - 1990’s, I started watching Encounter. However, being a show that I started while it was currently airing, based on my high hopes due to the Song Hye Kyo and Park Bo Gum combo, I soon found myself caught up and with days before the next episode. So naturally, I started on a new show to watch as a filler, and ended up much preferring. This show was Defendant, another high ranker and one that I had avoided for looking a little too serious. I remember it coming out, and thinking that while I love Ji Sung, the idea of a drama set in a prison just didn’t appeal.
I don’t know why I don’t learn that the high rated non-romance dramas are almost always absolutely amazing.
Park Jeong Woo is a successful prosecutor with a perfect life - he runs around catching the bad guys and then goes home to his loving wife and adorable daughter. He is just starting to crack the case on a suspicious CEO who he thinks is actually his criminal twin brother who apparently committed suicide, when he wakes up in a prison cell. Somehow, it’s four months later, and he discovers that he is on trail for having murdered his wife and daughter, has admitted to it, and has absolutely no memory of any of it. Slowly, he starts to regain his memory and figure out who has framed him and to plan his revenge.
Firstly, I love Ji Sung. He is the lead in of my favourite films, My PS Partner, and played the main role in the slightly forgettable Protect the Boss and in Kill Me Heal Me, which was amazing. He was great in this too, able go from stony seriousness to goofiness to heartbreakingly sad. The guy who played Cha Seon Ho was really good too, in that he made me hate him for being such a despicable person, although Seok his dirty work assistant person also did horrible things and I kind of just crushed on him, so take that as you please. Kim Min Seok from DotS and Because This is My First Life was also in it as Seong Gyu, and he bloody well broke my heart and didn’t deserve anything but a happy ending where he was adopted by Jeong Woo as a younger brother and Ha Yeon’s uncle and they all lived happily ever after.
It was interesting actually to learn a bit about the prison system in South Korea. I found out that people are still sentenced to death, although these sentences haven’t been carried out in decades. People on trial wear beige, those who have been sentenced wear blue and those on death row have their identity numbers in red. They aren’t referred to by name in prison, but instead by number, and live in small rooms with six other inmates, unless they are rich, in which they get a private room which looks more like what we associate prison accommodation to look like.
It was a really good series. It kept you guessing, and while you kind of know it’ll all end up ok in the end, the constant twists and turns and cleverness of the plot does make you doubt it occasssionally. There was zero romance subplot, which is rare, but you really don’t miss it, and I think anything of the sort would have totally ruined the key aspect of Jeong Woo’s character. I enjoyed the comic relief of the cell mates, and that they all got their happily ever afters - apart from Seong Gyu who I actually think I had a bit of second male lead syndrome about, in that while he was only a supporting role, I did root for him hard.
I just can’t fault it, really.
Tldr
It made me cry - like a fair amount. That means it’s good.
You should watch it, but maybe only if you’re a non squeamish adult.
I’d totally watch it again, but would wait a while to forget it first.
Having said all that, I don’t think it will knock any of my Top 5 off the list. It is probably safe in my Top 25 though.
Luckily, I finished this and only had to wait a day until the finale of Encounter came out and was subbed, so expect that review shortly.
Saturday 5 January 2019
Reply 1988
This drama has sat high up on the rankings for long time, yet like Six Flying Dragons, is one that I have avoided. I don’t really know why, it just didn’t appeal to me, which is surprising when a few of the main cast are actors I’m familiar with. However, I decided to trust in the high ratings and watch it.
Essentially, Reply 1988 is about a small neighbourhood and the families that live there, namely five childhood friends going through the end of their high school years and growing up. Deok Seon seemed to be the main character, being the only girl, and is kind and bright, although she struggles in school. Sun Woo is a model student and perfect son to his recently widowed mother. Taek is the baby of the group, somewhat spaced out and clumsy so that the others all feel protective about him, although he is a child prodigy baduk player. Jeong Hwan and his family became rich overnight, and although he may seem emotionless, he is really very sweet. Dong Ryong is a geek more interested in girls and having fun than studying. Together, they are the closest of friends, and all their lives intertwine. Taek and Jeong Hwan both have a crush on Deok Seon, but she likes Sun Woo, who is actually in love with Deok Seon’s sister. There is a nice side story about Jeong Hwan’s brother and Deok Seon’s best friend getting together, and lots about their parents and their friendships too. It was quite funny, although jokes being punctuated with goat bleats was weird to start with.
Firstly, the episodes are long. Like, 40 to 50 minutes longer than normal. That’s basically like watching a whole other episode. It took me a long time to get through the series because of that, because I would often have to split the time up, taking me two or three days to watch an episode.
Secondly, I think this series isn’t really for international audiences. It is filled with references that made absolutely no sense to me, although sometimes I could get it when they talked about western imports, such as Hollywood films. For the most part though, a lot of the humour was centred around reminiscing about Korea in the late 80’s and early 90’s, from adverts and comedy shows, to home life and politics. Much of it went totally over my head. Although I did enjoy their little tribute to Secret Garden, which made prefect sense, being a show that aired in 2010 ...
Thirdly, the Rui Effect was strong in this one, and totally confusing as to who was actually the second male lead. I thought for sure that Deok Seon and Jeong Hwan were going to end up together at the end, and that Taek was the Rui in this case, but apparently not. Also, side note, I was not bothered at all about Jeong Hwan until I saw him in his Air Force uniform. Thinking about it now, I’m kind of angry that Jeong Hwan didn’t end up with Deok Seon from how much I was sure that he would, although I think I would have angry whatever. There was just no winner in that scenario.
I feel like Dong Ryong was sort of the forgotten main cast member as his story didn’t get padded out nearly as much as the others. It seemed like he was thrown in for comedy value, and to prevent all scenes of the boys at school just being of Sun Woo and Jeong Hwan studying like the good kids they are. I also feel like they forgot about Jeong Hwan a bit at the end too, instead focusing more on Sun Woo, Deok Seon and Taek. The last episode tried too hard to be sad and sentimental, and while we all know how much I love a series that makes me cry, everyone at a wedding getting all happy emotional just doesn’t do it for me. Also, while we are talking about negatives, why is it called Reply 1988 when most of it happens in 1989, and fair portion of it in 1994 and ending in 1996. I think there was more screen time of the flash forwards to Deok Seon and her mysterious husband in 2015 than anything in 1988.
TLDR
Although it was good, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I were a 35 year old Korean person.
Don’t be put off by the long episodes - so much happens it’s easy to break them up.
I would watch it again purely for a couple of the kiss scenes and Jeong Hwan in his uniform.
Essentially, Reply 1988 is about a small neighbourhood and the families that live there, namely five childhood friends going through the end of their high school years and growing up. Deok Seon seemed to be the main character, being the only girl, and is kind and bright, although she struggles in school. Sun Woo is a model student and perfect son to his recently widowed mother. Taek is the baby of the group, somewhat spaced out and clumsy so that the others all feel protective about him, although he is a child prodigy baduk player. Jeong Hwan and his family became rich overnight, and although he may seem emotionless, he is really very sweet. Dong Ryong is a geek more interested in girls and having fun than studying. Together, they are the closest of friends, and all their lives intertwine. Taek and Jeong Hwan both have a crush on Deok Seon, but she likes Sun Woo, who is actually in love with Deok Seon’s sister. There is a nice side story about Jeong Hwan’s brother and Deok Seon’s best friend getting together, and lots about their parents and their friendships too. It was quite funny, although jokes being punctuated with goat bleats was weird to start with.
Firstly, the episodes are long. Like, 40 to 50 minutes longer than normal. That’s basically like watching a whole other episode. It took me a long time to get through the series because of that, because I would often have to split the time up, taking me two or three days to watch an episode.
Secondly, I think this series isn’t really for international audiences. It is filled with references that made absolutely no sense to me, although sometimes I could get it when they talked about western imports, such as Hollywood films. For the most part though, a lot of the humour was centred around reminiscing about Korea in the late 80’s and early 90’s, from adverts and comedy shows, to home life and politics. Much of it went totally over my head. Although I did enjoy their little tribute to Secret Garden, which made prefect sense, being a show that aired in 2010 ...
Thirdly, the Rui Effect was strong in this one, and totally confusing as to who was actually the second male lead. I thought for sure that Deok Seon and Jeong Hwan were going to end up together at the end, and that Taek was the Rui in this case, but apparently not. Also, side note, I was not bothered at all about Jeong Hwan until I saw him in his Air Force uniform. Thinking about it now, I’m kind of angry that Jeong Hwan didn’t end up with Deok Seon from how much I was sure that he would, although I think I would have angry whatever. There was just no winner in that scenario.
I feel like Dong Ryong was sort of the forgotten main cast member as his story didn’t get padded out nearly as much as the others. It seemed like he was thrown in for comedy value, and to prevent all scenes of the boys at school just being of Sun Woo and Jeong Hwan studying like the good kids they are. I also feel like they forgot about Jeong Hwan a bit at the end too, instead focusing more on Sun Woo, Deok Seon and Taek. The last episode tried too hard to be sad and sentimental, and while we all know how much I love a series that makes me cry, everyone at a wedding getting all happy emotional just doesn’t do it for me. Also, while we are talking about negatives, why is it called Reply 1988 when most of it happens in 1989, and fair portion of it in 1994 and ending in 1996. I think there was more screen time of the flash forwards to Deok Seon and her mysterious husband in 2015 than anything in 1988.
TLDR
Although it was good, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I were a 35 year old Korean person.
Don’t be put off by the long episodes - so much happens it’s easy to break them up.
I would watch it again purely for a couple of the kiss scenes and Jeong Hwan in his uniform.
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