Kworld Review

It’s been a little while since I posted properly, but hopefully I can start to set up a routine now that my exams and my first year of university is over now.

However, I wanted to drop in today because a year ago (today) I started this blog~ I’m really grateful for finding such great blogs and such lovely people. And I don’t really know why people come here, but I enjoy writing recaps and hopefully I can expand this blog more over the next year as well and I hope you all enjoy my posts as well ^^

I hope you are all having a great day (currently it’s raining in England… all morning… it’s meant to be Summer… ah England haha ^^”).

Thank you for reading~

Small Synopsis:

JoonMan (Kwangsoo) is forced to work for a gang boss as a loan shark when his wife comes into debt. He starts to struggle with his job and differing true personality. When he must collect money from a hockey coach, JoonMan must join the team.

Disclaimer: This is just a post full of my thoughts, I don’t really touch that highly on the plot and I’m no great reviewer… I’m sorry ;-; However, I just wanted to put this post together because they have been sitting in my drafts for so long that I have no motivation or desire to recap the two episodes (I may in the future, but it looks unlikely…).

Oh and there will be spoilers below!

Episode 1

I am so happy that I saw this being written about, because this episode was honestly fantastic and just wow!

The way the comedy is pieced into this very hard hitting drama about a man forced to harm others as a loan shark (because of his ex-wife’s debt), so that his boss doesn’t harm him, was phenomenal. It was kind of quirky humour which I think went so well with the content, as it can be flipped so easily to change the mood of the scene.

The acting was great! KwangSoo, that adorable giraffe, can do humour and serious all in the same frame and I just love seeing him act, especially as he is so different to his Running Man persona and he just looks and acts so sexy throughout this, but there are still times when he looks a like a giant awkward idiot haha

The rest of the cast were great as well, both of the “villians”, JoonMan’s boss and the member of staff who wants the team to disband, both have these idiot qualities, but at the same time there is lurking evilness, in the sense that they are bad people.

This drama was very focused on people and especially those who have or are suffering because of money, but also the things that led them to get the loans in the first place. I think the one that intrigues me the most is the woman who cooks for JoonMan each time he visits. I think there is something to do with her mental health situation, because she seems very dissociated, and then the scratching and the way she carries herself. I don’t know, but I do like her and his budding relationship.

I also really love SungShil, I think SooHyun is doing a great job! I love her attitude and how she is so involved with the team and how she doesn’t take anyone’s bs!

I think it is also shot really well, some of the framing and transitioning has been wonderful. I honestly could just rave on about how much I loved this episode for as long as possible haha ^^” I was not expecting to enjoy it this much!

Episode 2

I love it when you are watching something and some of the topic does not interest you at all, for instance ‘ice hockey’, but the characters are so well thought out and character interactions are an integral part of what you are watching, that you sit and watch so much ice hockey and you are just waiting on baited breath for that stupid little black puck to go into the tiny little net! And for about 20 minutes nothing could bring you greater joy than that finally happening!

This was such a powerful little 2 episode short film/drama and I just loved every single moment of it and I thought each character was written very well, especially given the time limits. I wish it would have been longer, because I still have so many questions, but I was very satisfied with the ending. Everyone loves the underdog coming out and winning, but that doesn’t mean life just miraculously gets better and I think that is the main message of this drama. Don’t give up, because there will be days when you can ‘breathe’ and feel alive, but we have to keep living through those tough times to reach them.

There were a lot of great performances from the ‘adult’ actors, KwangSoo being the best. I mean that man displays so much emotion on each end of the spectrum. When he smiles I feel happy and when he cries, my heart hurts! He needs to be a lead in a drama! (which as this post is months after this aired, that is happening!).

I also found Lee SiWon as Ga YeoEun (the woman who cooks for him) so compelling. I thought she really played this role so genuinely and naturally. Her character was adorable and tragic at the same time.

I also thought that Kwak DongYeon’s performance was great, I really want to look at his other works (which are only a few as he is 18years old).

These are the kinds of things that make me super happy that I was introduced to Kpop and that my obsession led me to Kdramas. I think my life would be simultaneously more organised, but not as happy without them hahaha :p

Thank you for reading~

Hello! It is now the month of June! Which I super crazy, I mean where has the time gone?! (more…)

25.04.16 – 01.05.16 “Summer Term is on the Horizon”

Last week I made some changes to what I would do and I think this may be my last weekly blog update. I’m thinking of doing them every 2 weeks, or even 1 once a month. At this point in time I feel like I get disappointed in myself when I look back and I don’t do as well as I had hoped. And if you aren’t new here, then you know I have a habit of setting myself more than I can do… ^^” Summer term…

Plans Have Gone Awry…

This week has not gone as planned and I may not have internet for the next few days, therefore my blog update on Monday won’t be the same. (more…)

18.04.16 – 24.04.16 ‘Dramas > Socialising’ ^^”

Last week I managed to do everything I had planned, just not on the days I planned them! Not realising my sister didn’t have wifi for a few days threw off my plans slightly, but yesterday I went all out and got several posts done ^^ This week is going to be a lot more relaxed and normal for dramarambles, so here is what I have planned: (more…)

11.04.16 – 17.04.16 “The Term Is Over!”

Last week, I actually managed to do everything that I had planned, which made me super happy. Although, I did neglect my essay… that is due on Wednesday… sshhhuuusssshhhh! haha ^^” I’m fine. I’m fine… *manic laughter* Anyway, the term is technically over, which means for a little while, I will have some time to catch up on at least one of the dramas I am behind in ^^” So, my plans for this week…

I swear I will stop moaning once this week is over haha ^^"

Last week was terrible, in both my studies and this blog… And it looks like this week will provide the same pain, if not more. I hate tests and looking at my emails, I now have both tomorrow… and I have yet to prepare for the essay as I thought it was Wednesday… Someone run me over please… haha ^^” However, this academic term ends on Wednesday! So I have that to look forward to haha ^^” Which…

Just a small blog update this week~

This post would have been posted yesterday, but it turned out to be a busy (though unproductive day in terms of study or blogging ^^”), but here it is! Last week I managed to do everything I had planned and I really enjoyed making the 3 posts that I did. (more…)

I hope you enjoy~

EXILE ATSUSHI ＋ AI / Be Brave

This song is by two Japanese artists which I randomly found myself listening to and I fell in love! ♥

At first, I found Ai’s voice a little strange, but I’ve been listening to this and a few other songs they have done and her other work and I am now fully in love with it. Ai’s voice also goes very well with Atsushi’s.

From what I can gather from the English lyrics in this song, this song is about not wanting to give up. The song seems to be on a dual perspective, where someone is having a hard time, and the other is telling them that they will be there for them and they can be brave together. I may be completely wrong, but that’s a sense that I get from the song.

I really love listening to this song because both voices are so powerful and beautiful and I feel empowered listening to. I don’t want to give up.

The video is simple, it’s the pair singing in the studio and shows us behind the scenes.

Lee Hi – “한숨 (BREATHE)”

Lee Hi is one of my favourite soloists and even though I wasn’t exactly sold on this song when I first heard it, listening to the album ‘Seoulite’, and several live performances, my love grew.

The song, from what I interpret, is about how this song is supposed to support others who hear it and it tells people to let out a breath/sigh and ultimately making mistakes is okay and to go on. Knowing that SHINee’s JongHyun wrote this song did not come as a surprise, the only surprise was that a YG artists was singing a song written by an SM artist. Tablo Fighting!

The MV is very beautiful, the colours and shots are rather simple, but the atmosphere is wonderful.

The thick black lines… they haunt me everywhere, and I may be going crazy, but they change… the thickness and they slant…

  Lee Hi – “손잡아 줘요 (HOLD MY HAND)”

I love this song!!!! It’s so cute, fun and Lee Hi’s vocals are great! I missed her so much! Anyway, this song is about how you feel when you want someone to come back and for a relationship to start again.

The MV is stunning and I love the video game concept so much! It really adds a very stylish and creative element to the video!

Lee Hi’s stylist team really know how to choose outfits! I want all of them! Oh and I loved that we got a little throwback to the teddy bear from It’s Over.

This song is sure to make you dance!

Cui Zi Ge and Peter Sheng – 可念不可说 (Miss You But Can’t Say)

I have been listening to this song a lot! Until now, I didn’t know who the female singer was, nor what the title was… it’s time like these that I wish I was multi-lingual!

Anyway, I couldn’t find English lyrics, but I from the title and some of the scenes used, it’s not exactly the happiest of songs. Even so, I love ballads and this one made me feel so much and I love that. I’ve never really listened to a lot of Chinese music, but I think I may have to have a look into it.

This is basically an MV for the drama, so there are several spoilers for scenes that will occur (I’m not even sorry for watching it, but I know some people don’t like to spoil themselves ^^).

I will also like to point out that I have also been listening to the whole Seoulite album by Lee Hi, especially Fxxk wit us, that’s definitely my favourite!

What have you been listening to and loving this week? ♥

Thank you for reading~

It's "Hayleigh makes weekly plans that she probably won't go through with" time... haha :p

Last week, I managed to get 2 posts done, and I planned to get Go Princess Go ep 2 recap done this morning, however, I really do not feel well ;-; And when I am not well, the little motivation and time management that I have goes completely out the window! So, what I put in this post is what I want to do, and not necessarily what I will do (but isn’t that what it’s always like?!… maybe… haha…

I hope you that enjoy it (oddly this was pretty fun for me to make) and any feedback would be much appreciated! ^^

This week has turned out to be very busy, therefore I didn’t have time (nor motivation tbh) to review that song… *hangs head in shame* BUT! I’m going to slot it into this post, right….

here:

WINNER – BABY BABY

So, from watching this I see that this video goes before I’m Young… whoops. Anyway, I do enjoy this song, I think it has a very mellow feel to it and the cinematography that is used in this MV is very beautiful and matches well.

Basically, we see the members of WINNER involved in the high life of celebrity-dom (just go with me haha ^^”), however, when it all comes down to it, none of them are happy with that lifestyle. They always end up alone, and even if they aren’t *cough* Mino *cough*, then they at least are lonely.

At the end of the MV, Taehyun has had enough with reminiscing about the woman of his past, and leaves. I thought everyone watching the fireworks at the end was really beautiful :3

(My only issue, was the huge black strips at the top and bottom of the screen… but I guess they do add a little ambiance right?). 

AOA 크림(CREAM) – 질투 나요 BABY(I’m Jelly BABY)

This song is so cute and fun to listen to! I ended up listening to this song on a whim. I like AOA’s music, so I thought I would check it out. This is a subunit, consisting of the members: Yuna, Hyejeong, and Chanmi~

The song is about the jealousy one has when the person you like/are with is looking at other people. This concept, mixed with a rather ‘Sailor Moon’ magic/transformation and several little skits was super cute and well done.

Plus, it helps that the outfits and the fact that mostly everything was a pastel colour, made my eyes very happy! ♥

The vocals are great and the chorus will easily get stuck in your head!

Eric Nam and Wendy – 봄인가 봐 (Spring Love)

Next up I have another super cute song to talk about! I really like Red Velvet’s music and though I haven’t listened to much Eric Nam, I love his collaboration with Amber and he is hilarious on After School Club!

This song is from the new “Station” platform that looks to be forming collaborations with SM artists and range of other non-SM artists, which I really like the concept of actually.

Spring Love is “a medium tempo song that conveys the feelings of love between two friends on one spring day“ (thank you description box for putting it so nicely~). Although, maybe I have seen too many kdramas, but this video looks like an adorable date ♥

The scene transitions and the effects used in this video were great in highlighting the cute factor and was just a lovely way to differentiate and give it a sort of scrapbook kind of feel. It definitely has a fresh feel and this duo’s voices work really well together! I hope we can see more collaborations between Wendy and Eric in the future~

I mean look at these cuties:

Lucky J – No Love

Taking it away from the cuteness, we have Lucky J with No Love. This is my jam (do people still say this?… haha ^^”). I loved their song Can You Hear Me and they have done some great covers on music programs, so I was super happy to hear about this comeback! And I just can’t stop listening to this song! I also feel really cool when I listen to it haha

The members are J’Kyun, Jessi, & J-Yo. Jessi, of course, is most known from her appearance on Unpretty Rapstar and I think that she is good at rapping, but I really love her voice when she sings. With this song, it is a mixture of the two. J’Kyun both raps and sings, while J-Yo is in charge mostly of the vocals. The mixture of these three voices and styles really compliment each other!

From what I gather, this song is about letting go of someone you loved or thought you loved. It’s going to be hard for you, but you can and are willing to do it now.

I thought that this MV was pretty simple and sometimes that is what works best for the song and the group involved. I thought the styling was amazing, Jessi had some great outfits, as did the men. My only qualms would be the red-ish scenes were a bit gaudy compared to the other, softer scenes.

The little strips of black were small, so I don’t hate it :p

I hope this was enjoyable, thank you for reading~

07.03.16 – 13.03.16 “How Are We Already In March?!”

Hello! Last week I managed to complete what I had planned (even if one was late… deadlines are not my friends, especially self imposed ones haha ^^”). Also, it amazes me how quickly time goes! It’s already March… that’s so crazy to me! ^^” Anyhoo, here is what I plan to do this week and for a few weeks to come: (more…)

01.03.16 -06.03.16 “Returning to BlogLand!”

Hello!! And I hope March is treating you well~ I can’t believe we are already in March, wasn’t it New Years just a few days ago?! Haha~ I had a tiny hiatus and I am back and raring to go, however, I will be making more reasonable to-do lists because of university and my sanity ^^ (more…)

23.02.16 – 28.02.16 “Hides In Corner”…

Last week was not a good one, both emotionally or studying-wise. Normally this means I use this blog and dramas to hide from all my problems, however, even that didn’t help and I wasn’t able to complete anything… (more…)

Episode 7 – “Chiyomi Needs Me”

I was so happy when Shunichi said this. It was unexpected, especially how fervently he said these things. Chiyomi needs him to protect her and it shows such a shift from the firt half of the drama where he vocalised that she was a burden. Here Shunichi is realising for himself, not for anyone else, that he wants to protect Chiyomi.

Episode 7 – “Smooth JoJi~”

I loved this scene so much!! If someone asks me to marry them like this, then I’m pretty sure I would accept! It was so sweet and this couple were hilarious when they argued, but there was such a sweet undertone to them that made this scene really heartwarming ♥ Not to mention that I love unlikely couples haha ^^”

Episode 8 – “You’re Not Lost Forever”

I was torn, in this episode, to choose between this scene and the scene at the end where he tells her not to leave him because her place is by her heart. However, I kept thinking about how she couldn’t hear and he was smushing her against his chest haha ^^”

Anyway… I really loved this scene. In this episode, we really saw Shunichi struggle with the idea of not having Chiyomi with him and not knowing if she was safe. So, when he saw that she was safe, the face he makes really highlights his love for her. I really commend Taishi for his acting, because his facial expression were so wonderful, especially in relation to Chiyomi and he most likely had a ball or something to act with, instead of a real person to play off.

Episode 9 – “Sunrise Confession”

To be completely honest, this whole trip was rather adorable ^^ However, this scene was so lovely. Chiyomi is worrying about whether or not it will work and Shunichi steps up to reassure her. I felt that this was a lot more poignant than the first confession. It’s a far more private moment and Shunichi is sure of himself. The whole atmosphere of this scene was really beautiful, and amplified, for me, this sweet confession.

Episode 10 – “Proposal”

This scene made me so happy, even happier than watching the wedding part (mainly because that part was so unexpected haha!). I loved it because it was so beautiful and simple and really brought this whole drama in a lovely full circle. I also love the fact that this whole aesthetic looks like it comes straight out of a fairytale and who doesn’t love that!

What were some of your favourite moments? I would love to hear some, so don’t be afraid to comment below~

Thank you for reading~

15.02.16 – 21.02.16 “Revision and Essays Rule This Week”

Hello! I hope everyone is having a good day ^^ Last week I did a little more than I had planned, but at the same time, didn’t really do what I had planned… In that I completed the last two recaps of My Little Lover (I miss this drama so much!), but didn’t touch the mv/song review side of this blog… (more…)