KDRAMA High

**This review contains spoilers**

I'll start off this review by saying that I absolutely loved this drama. It was so funny and endearing that I was even able to convince my sister to watch it with me. Thankfully she enjoyed it as much as I did, which makes me think that this drama is a great suggestion for any K-Drama newbies.

There were so many classic K-Drama elements to enjoy from the evil mother/vice chairman to the inevitable and sometimes painful-to-watch love triangle. On top of that it had a pretty spectacular cast that included Jang Geun Suk and IU. What more can you ask for right? I'll be honest, not every single moment was a hit, but overall it is a drama worth watching.

WHAT I LIKED:

The very first thing I enjoyed was IU's character Kim Bo Tong. She was exactly like any K-Drama fan imagining life with one of their favorite actors. She was special (in a good way) from the start and thankfully she never really lost that even though she did mature throughout the series.

I also liked the relationship she had with Ma Te. I know most people would disagree with my sentiment of her creepy obsessive stalker mentality being cute, but it worked on her. One reason why it worked is because Ma Te let her do it and he showed the audience that he cared for her even if he didn't love her. At first I was worried that their relationship would be him taking advantage of her feelings for him and her letting him, but it developed into a pretty meaningful friendship that then developed romantically (which we all saw coming).

I like Jang Geun Suk's smile. As pretty men go Mr. Jang is one of the prettiest, however I wouldn't say he is the prettiest man in the world. For much of the drama I refuted that claim when I saw him. However, when he smiled he looked so great. He's definitely his prettiest when he's smiling.

Ex-Girlfriend Club was sadly cut by a whole four episodes, from 16 to 12. However, the sudden ending didn't seem empty and I got what a wanted, a happy but still funny ending.

I was really looking forward to this, mostly because of the cast. Song Ji Hyo seems to act in something like once a year these days so I really needed to see this show to support her. Also, this is Byun Yo Han's first leading role since enchanting us in Misaeng so I had to support him too. However, they were only two of the many acting jewels that were a part of this production.  For the full cast list CLICK HERE. Now let's get into the review.

Synopsis: A film producer, Kim Soo Jin, and a manhwa (comic) writer, Bang Myung Soo, who were once inseparable friends meet up again after a long break to make a movie based off of the comic. Everything seems to be pretty standard but Soo Jin's company is in danger of going under and if that wasn't enough Myung Soo's exes want a say in how the movie goes. Obviously this will result in some frustrating but also hilarious situations. 

Things I Liked:

1. The relationship between Kim Soo Jin and Bang Myung Soo. They're friends! I know it seems impossible but at the beginning of the show these two are adorable friends that reminisce about good times and fight like only real friends do. That adorable friendship or at least elements of their friendship remained to the very end and that made for a very enjoyable and realistic show.

2. The ex-girlfriends. As irritating as it would be for your exes to come out of no where and try to control you, your friend, and your project years after breaking up, these were not your usual exes. All three women were tough in their own right. The three exes had strong minds and strong opinions and they never missed a moment to share them. It was also really hilarious to see how three exes of the same man interacted with each other. There was a bit of cat fighting but also a bit of understanding and encouraging.

3. Kim Soo Jin. I don't think Song Ji Hyo plays weak characters. If she has I haven't seen it so it's no surprise that as cute as her character is she wasn't going down without a fight. Kim Soo Jin was the perfect example of what most women are like in real life. They can be sweet, but they also have their own standards and expect the people they hang out with to uphold those standards to a certain degree. Soo Jin was sweet most of the time but she definitely didn't stop herself from getting angry if need be. Toward the end of the show her character was mostly on the sweet side, but if things start to work out how you want in your life wouldn't you be on the sweet side too?

4. Bang Myung Soo. He wasn't the super mean jerk or the sweet pushover. He was a normal guy with normal feelings and it was great to see him get attention. Like Soo Jin, Myung Soo was like an actual human: he was sweet, he was outspoken, and he was hilarious. I guess it was the webtoon writer in him but he had a lot of comedic sense which also made the show very enjoyable to watch.

5. Understandable villian(s). There may have been more than one antagonist depending on how you look at the show. However, none of them were so bad that you were hoping someone would come out of no where and just kill them off. They were normal. They became mean because of understandable situations and they were a tolerable amount of mean. It all made sense! 6. The theme song. One of the best theme songs I have ever heard. It's a folk and synth mix that is bouncy and playful and perfect for the show as well as summer. Check out Variegated by Jannabi. What I Didn't Like: Basically my main complaint with the show it that it was cut short. I felt that the cut didn't completely harm the series overall but it did have some effect on it. The flow in the last few episodes became really weird. It wasn't a major problem nor was it super obvious but as a fan of the show I could see that some things were altered from the original plan. I really wish that the show could have kept its run despite the low ratings. It was such a great show and for it to be cut like that was really frustrating.

I think the keywords for this drama are normal, sensible, and funny. The drama wasn't an epic melodrama or anything but it had a lot of good moments and a good cast that made it enjoyable to watch. It was perfect for the sweet days of spring and the dog days of summer, and if you've been wanting to watch it fall isn't too late. 

OG COMEBACKS 

From g.o.d to Jinusean, many K-Pop originators have been releasing new music putting the youngsters to shame with reminiscent tracks that not only attract the older K-pop fans but also excites the newer generation.

HIP HOP/R&B

That's right, this has become a trend in K-Pop. Though a lot of K-Pop songs have always had a rapping portion or some sort of R&B influence, these days that influence is getting stronger and stronger. Whole groups have been composed with the main members being rappers instead of singers. Also Hip Hop and R&B singers that long dwelled in the underground indie scene are starting to get a lot more attention.

90's THROWBACK

A lot of songs these days have a 90's sound to them. However the 90s sound isn't exactly from Korea, instead it's more in the vain of American 90s R&B and Hip Hop. Though there are similarities between the two countries, 90's American R&B and Hip Hop has a more grimy street vibe where as 90's music from Korea has a lot of pop twisted into it. Either way, there are a lot of great songs that have taken on this sound. One of my favorites is Life by Rubber Soul. 

SINGLE SUB-UNITS

These days instead of someone being the featuring artist, artist are creating sub units for one single. The trend seemed to pick up serious steam after Soyu's successful collaboration with Junggigo for Some and now the collabs won't stop. The most recent example of this is Jimin N J.Don of FNC. Of course, who can forget GD X TAEYANG, one of the best collabs of 2014.

SOLO ALBUMS/PROJECTS

A lot of talented group members have been flying solo. Some even have solo tracks on their group's album. With the formal introduction of band members' stellar talents many fans have been impressed over and over again by not just veterans but also rookies.

Friend

Year Released: 2001

Cast: Yu Oh Seong, Jang Dong Gun, Seo Tae Hwa, Jung Woon Tae

Where I Watched: Hulu

One Sentence Synopsis: Old friends become enemies as they get caught up in the gang life.

Mini Review: I couldn't pass up on the chance to watch a classic movie that people are still talking about. It was a good movie but it wasn't as fluid as I thought it could have been and some moments made me uncomfortable but that's what I get for watching an R-rated movie. Anyway, it was a good gangster movie and a good show of friendship and how it can change in a second.

My Tutor Friend

Year Released: 2003

Cast: Kim HaNeul, Kwon Sang-Woo

Where I Watched: YouTube

One Sentence Synopsis: A college student becomes the tutor for a high school student that is the same age as her.

Mini Review: This movie was bit hard to digest, part that might have been from the horrible quality while watching and part of it might be that it was adapted from an internet series so the movie writers decided to smash as many events as possible in the time allotted. Anyway, the pacing of events was a bit off to me, however the events that occurred were entertaining, so I think it's a movie worth watching. 

Please Teach Me English

Year Released: 2003

Cast: Jang Hyuk, Lee Na-Young

Where I Watched: DramaFever

One Sentence Synopsis: A woman falls in love with a man in her English class, but can't really get him to take his focus off their foreign teacher.

Mini Review: It was funny with just the right amount of romance added in. It was also interesting to see the process (however exaggerated) of learning English as a second language.

200 Pounds Beauty

Year Released: 2006

Cast: Kim Ah Joong, Joo Jin Mo, Ji Seo-Yun, Sung Dong Il

One Sentence Synopsis: A romantic comedy that takes a fat girl to a skinny pretty girl with a lot of plastic surgery.

Where I Watched: Hulu

Mini Review: It was funny and endearing. It also gave thoughtful commentary about the pressures to be thin in the entertainment industry despite being talented.

My Tutor Friend 2

Year Released: 2007

Cast: Park Min Ki, Lee Chung Ah

Where I Watched: Hulu

One Sentence Synopsis: A Korean college student tries to tutor a foreigner living at his dad's boarding house in Korean.

Mini Review: For the most part this was a cute and funny movie, there was only one event that threw it off for me. Park Min Ki's character, Jong Man, is supposed to have been a really great boxer but gave it up. The event that kind of hindered the flow of the movie, to me, was when he returned to boxing. It was a bit out of place, other than that I thought it was a fun movie. 

Crazy Waiting

Year Released: 2008

Cast: Son Tae Young, Jang Geun Suk, Jang Hee Jin, Danny Ahn, Yu In Young, Kim Sam Ho, Han Yeao Reum, and Woo Seung Min

Where I Watched: YouTube

One Sentence Synopsis: Four couples try to stay together as the men serve their mandatory military service.

Mini Review: This was another movie that I felt lacked flow. I know that it was in the anthology style focusing on multiple couples at one time so it wasn't going to be the most fluid movie, but I still feel there was a way to make the movie less choppy.

19-Nineteen

Year Released: 2009

Cast: T.O.P., Seungri, Huh Yi Jae, Kim Young Ho

Where I Watched: DramaFever

One Sentence Synopsis: A coming of age tale of three teenagers accused of murder.

Mini Review: I consider this a good starter movie and Big Bang fans will be pleased with T.O.P and Seungri's acting skills. I thought it was well written and I thought it was very relatable. I am no longer 19 but I still feel growing pains as I am moving into adulthood. I thought this issue was addressed in a very creative and suspenseful way.

Mr. Idol

Year Released: 2009

Cast: Park Ye Jin, Ji Hyun Woo, Kim Su Ro, Lim Won Hee, Jay Park, Jang Seo Won, Kim Randy

Where I Watched: Hulu

One Sentence Synopsis: The pains of becoming an idol condensed into a movie. 

Mini Review: It was pretty predictable, but I still enjoyed watching it. It addressed common place problems within the music industry in Korea, so the situations that came about and how they were resolved weren't necessarily shocking but the movie was well written and the acting was pretty good. I wished they would have addressed the stories of the other boy band members a little more.

My Girlfriend Is an Agent

Year Released: 2009

Cast: Kim Ha Neul, Kang Ji Hwan, Jang Yeong Nam, Ryoo Seung Ryo

Where I Watched: Hulu

One Sentence Synopsis: Two exes meet again as enemy agents.

Mini Review: This movie was hilarious. I laughed the whole time.

The Man from Nowhere

Year Released: 2010

Cast: Won Bin, Kim Sae Ron, Kim Hee Won, Kim Sung Oh, Kim Tae Hoon, Lee Jong l, Thanayong Wongtrakul

Where I Watched: DramaFever

One Sentence Synopsis: A girl gets kidnapped by gangsters after her mother is killed, and he next door neighbor starts kicking butt to get her back. 

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Heat is about a real estate agent who wants to use an entire town for one of his clients. In order to buy up the town he becomes a volunteer firefighter so that he can become close to the residents and buy them out. I thought of this as a second coming of a Bitter Blood and started it right away. There are many similarities between this show and Bitter Blood (Partners by Blood) - action packed, funny, and a full cast of characters that are just as important as the main lead. So far, the main lead, Tatsuya Ikegami, is a self-centered workaholic and it's clear that he does not care about actually doing the job of a volunteer firefighter correctly. However, as episodes go on and hi-jinks ensue you can see him start to understand the importance of being a firefighter and hopefully as time goes on he will start to act more like one before someone really gets hurt. The only thing I am unsure of at this point is if there will be a romance in the show. Right now there are two potential matches for Tatsuya: Sakura Azumi and Eri Yuki. Even though it seems that he has a relationship with Eri Yuki, there seems to also be room for him to care about Sakura Azumi too. Right now, that is not the focus of the show but there's always that underlying plot, isn't there? I've only seen two episodes of the show so far but it's very entertaining and endearing. I am looking forward to watching the remaining episodes of Viki.com.

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