Hwayugi / A Korean Odyssey (20 Episodes)

((summary taken from Viki))

When a human woman can give great powers to any demon who devours her, how can she stay safe? 

Jin Sun Mi (Oh Yeon Seo) is a successful real estate CEO who has the ability to exorcise demons from bad-luck properties. But to the demons living on Earth, she is known as Sam Jang, who carries the irresistible scent of a lotus flower and can give great powers to anyone who eats her. 

When Sun Mi was a young girl, Son Oh Gong (Lee Seung Gi), a trouble-making deity, tricked her into releasing him from a castle where he was imprisoned and made a contract with her to always appear and protect her whenever she called out his name. But he tricked her again by removing her memory of his name. In modern times, Son Oh Gong freeloads off of Woo Hwi (Cha Seung Won), another deity known as Woo Ma Wang who works as the CEO of an entertainment company and enjoys more fame and adoration than some of the celebrities in his company. 

Son Oh Gong is intent on finding Sam Jang so that he can eat her and become the most powerful god. His friend, top idol star P.K (Lee Hong Ki), wants just a nibble for himself. When Song Oh Gong realizes that Sam Jang is Sun Mi, he at first protects her from attacks from other demons to save her for himself. But with the help of Woo Ma Wang, will Sun Mi find a way to force Son Oh Gong to serve as her protector?

This is based (loosely) on the famous Chinese novel, Journey to the West.

Watch Online: Netflix 

Hana Kimi ~ Hotties Paradise (Japan)

EPISODE 01-12 & Special Episode

((summary taken from dramawiki, edited by me))

Hanazakari no Kimi Tachi E / ikimen paradise

Based on the popular manga of the same name by Nakajo Hisaya, Horikita plays the protagonist Ashiya Mizuki, a Japanese American living in the U.S. who one day sees the young athlete Sano Izumi (Oguri) compete in the high jump on television. She begins to idolize him, and after learning of his desire to give up the high jump, decides to move to Japan and attend the same school.

However, Izumi goes to an all-boys school, so Mizuki disguises herself as a boy to achieve her dream of being with her idol. But can she convince Sano to return to the track team? And how long can she possibly keep her gender a secret? And then, there's Nakatsu: the hot-blooded soccer player who finds himself strangely drawn to Mizuki, despite his penchant for liking women... what's a straight guy to do when he starts fearing he's falling for a man?

(This is the second adaptation of Hana Kimi: In 2007, Taiwan did their own version)

Download: Jdramas at Livejournal , SilentRegrets
Watch Online: Aznv.TV , MySoju , DramaCrazy

My Mighty Princess

((summary taken from azntv))

무림여대생 / Murim yeodaesaeng

Hailing from a celebrated martial arts family, So Hui (Shin Min Ah) is the darling of the martial arts community with her superhuman strength and high-flying prowess. But being a martial arts prodigy isn't much help when it comes to getting handsome brooding hockey player Jun Mo (Yoo Gun) to notice her.

Much to the dismay of her father (Choi Jae Seong) and longtime friend Il Young (Ohn Joo Wan), So Hui decides to quit martial arts and join the college hockey team. While So Hui's pining after Jun Mo who's pining after an older woman, fighting breaks out in the martial arts community as a decades-long conflict comes to a head. So Hui may be the only person who can subdue the evil Black Tiger and solve the mystery surrounding the strife.

My Sassy Girl director Kwak Jae Yong strikes again with the delightful romantic action comedy. Taking Kwak's sassy-heroine formula to another level with Hong Kong-style wirework, My Mighty Princess delivers action, laughter, and pure popcorn entertainment.

Directed by: Jae-young Kwak
Cast: Min-a Shin, Ju-wan On, Geon Yu

Spy Girl

Wow. Not even Gong Yoo could save this movie. The story was sooo boring… and there wasn’t even one real conflict throughout the entire movie! Even the way it was narrated was disappointing: it begins from Go Bong's point of view, and not even half-way through the movie, suddenly switches to the spy’s perspective instead. (You’d think it would be more interesting that way… but surprisingly enough, it's not!)

Normally, I'd be okay with this type of shift, but these characters are both so dull that jumping between their narrations is unnecessary, distracting, and pointless.

And, really! How can a spy be so uninteresting? Even her mission lacks everything that makes a spy intriguing... there's no danger, no mystery, no suspense. This is a movie, isn't it? Even if spies aren’t that interesting in real life, writers and directors are allowed to ‘spice it up’ for entertainment’s sake, right? I mean, there’s only so much espionage that can go down at a Burger King...

For a majority of the movie, she’s so wrapped up in her boring undercover-role that we rarely get to see her being kick-ass and cool (something She's On Duty accomplishes continuously and without effort). I think she goes into spy-mode perhaps once or twice throughout the entire film… and even then, its not impressive. She’s a good actress (I’ve seen her in several other things—including the drama, Taste Sweet Love/ Snow White) but in this movie, she really doesn’t have much to work with.

(If spy movies were always depicted this way, I think the espionage profession would dry out.)

As for the romance… I’m truthfully at a loss… there was no chemistry whatsoever. This alone is very rare, since Gong Yoo is known for making his co-stars shine when it comes to romantic scenes (of course, this film didn’t really have any, so it’s not really his fault). We’re talking about a character whose entire idea of romance involves buying his girlfriend a tube of lipstick… and then telling her shyly that he wants her to put it on and then kiss him. I just found that weird and almost fetish-like: next thing you know, he’ll tell her he just wants to smell her feet…

Gong Yoo is SOOO much better when he’s playing a cool character, like in She’s on Duty. Here, Go Bong (his name being one of the only funny jokes in this movie) is so average and uninteresting that anyone could have played him. Don’t get me wrong, the acting here was still great… but the characters, the script, the directing… everything was so bland, it didn’t matter. Nothing could have saved it!

It’s a great concept… just horrible execution.

So in conclusion, don’t waste your time with this movie.

There are many more just like it that are better written, have interesting characters, and involve an actual plot. If you’re a fan of Gong Yoo and just want to watch this for him… go ahead, but don’t expect to be constantly swooning. The opening scene alone shows him on a toilet, taking a dump—and not many of his other scenes will make your heart race, if you know what I mean. Though he does look cute when he's dressed like a spy. ^_^

My Rating:

The Twins Effect

((summary taken from AsianMediaWiki))

Ace vampire slayer Reeve (Ekin Cheng) tracks his arch-enemy, the Duke Dekotes to Hong Kong. The Duke is hunting for Kazaf (Edison Chen), the fifth prince of the vampire nation. With Kazaf's blood and the ancient vampire bible, the Duke will bring a new age of darkness. On arrival, Reeve learns that he has a new partner, a feisty but inexperienced young beauty named Gypsy (Gillian Chung). Matters are further complicated when Reeve's innocent younger sister, Helen (Charlene Choi), develops a romantic relationship with Kazaf. With all the odds against them, our heroes get some unexpected help in the form of high-kicking paramedic Jackie Fong (Jackie Chan). In a high impact final reel, Reeve, Gypsy and Helen join forces to fight the Duke and his minions¡K Horror, comedy and high impact martial arts action collide in 'The Twins Effect'.

She's on Duty!

This movie is just as awesome the second time around. I just love it to death! It has the perfect blend of action, comedy, and romance, and I just can't seem to get enough! Of course, I'm probably the only who thinks this, but I don't care. I can watch this over and over again and never get bored. Bare with me, as I try to figure out what it is about this movie that I like so much... ^_^

Yes, it is very cliche, and the plot resembles just about every other movie in this genre... but it just blends it all together so perfectly, that I don't seem to care. Think Miss Congeniality meets Never Been Kissed, and you'll have a pretty good idea of what this movie is like. But at least in this version, there's no cheesy message at the end that's supposed to make you feel all warm and fuzzy.

The acting, of course, was top-notch. Then again, Kim Sun Ah is one of my favorite Korean actresses, so I knew she wouldn't disappoint. Plus, as an added bonus, she's one of those actresses who isn't afraid to kiss on screen, and make it look realistic. I don't know how many movies and dramas I've seen where the main characters are supposed to be sharing this passionate, intimate kiss... and the girl is just standing there, looking uncomfortable, lips tightly closed. Grr, it completely ruins the moment. Kim Sun Ah is one of the rare exceptions, so I always know that at least as far as romance is concerned, I won't be disappointed!

And I never even realized that Gong Yoo played No-Young! That made me like that character even more! (As if I needed a reason to like him more than I did, lol). He was awesome in Hello My Teacher, so now I'm curious to see him in other roles.

Another thing I loved about this movie were the fight scenes. Honestly, I don't know much about that sort of thing--what constitutes a good fight scene, as opposed to a bad one--but I LOVE the ones in this movie, regardless! Maybe it's because the main character is a female protagonist, as opposed to a male, so you get to see a girl kicking butt for a change. haha, and she just does it so well--she's very nonchalant, and almost business-like. I guess there's just something about a girl taking on 10-15 guys at once (and winning!) that makes it all the cooler.

I also have to point out how awesome the music is. Any movie that has the guts to play an Irish song during a big, pivotal fight scene, has my respect. And I really liked the ending song... and since there are very few movies that can keep me listening throughout the credits, I felt I had to mention it.

The only problem I had with it, was the fact that we never really got to find out the name/history of one of the main characters. I would say their name, but I don't feel like putting up a spoiler warning for something so small, lol. Besides, anyone who watches it will know who I'm talking about...

Jane is just an awesome character... and I think that's the reason I like this movie so much. She's very no-nonsense, and just very, very cool. And her chemistry with No-Young is fantastic... them together, is the other reason I liked this movie. ;)

Anyway, to sum up, I adore this movie. It has the perfect balance of everything I love, keeping me hooked from beginning to end. This isn't the type of movie that will hook everyone-- especially if you're looking for something original or artsy. But if you're just looking for something fun, entertaining, and funny, to pass a couple hours... well then, you can't go wrong with She's on Duty. Either way, there are definitely worse things you could be watching. Plus, this is actually the second time I've watched this, and I'd happily buy it/watch it again, so I simply must give it top marks.

For me, this is another version of a perfect movie. And I don't care if everyone else thinks I'm insane for thinking so (which many probably do). She's On Duty is awesome... and nothing they say can make me change my mind. So there! :P

My Rating:

올드미스 다이어리 (Old Miss Diary)

This is a great movie! It's funny, realistic, and the comedy is top-notch. All of the characters are extremely likable (although Mi-ja can be a little frustrating at times), but they're all very easy to root for. You really want them to succeed!

Of course, the real draw for me was the love story between Mi-ja and Director Ji. It was cute watching them bond over their hatred for their mutual enemy. And her interpretations of his actions was very funny... the fact that she was actually right, made it even funnier! Even if their romance wasn't the sole focus of the movie... it was really sweet. I really wanted him to turn you to be a nice guy, and for her to finally prove her statistics wrong.

On another completely unrelated note, I had no idea that this was based off a Korean sitcom. Now I really really want to see the television show. Please! Someone sub it!! ^_^

The three old woman were hilarious. One of my favorite scenes was when they were shopping for colored underwear, and then after buying it, they started strutting down the street. LOL. Such a funny scene! And the older guy, who lost his money to the bank, and kept returning, intending to rob it... who would have thought something like that could be so funny?! I laughed every time he was on the screen.

My only complaint is that the transition from comedy to drama happened way too fast. It happened so quickly that I hardly even realized it was happening! I kept waiting for the joke to come, for the character to just start laughing... but it never did. And it wasn't like it was just one huge dramatic element that hit one of the main characters--it was like a bunch of separate problems hit each of them individually! I never really had time to recover from one depressing situation, when another one would come cropping up.

Luckily though, it managed to deal with the problems swiftly, and return to the comedy that most of the movie is known for. In the end, it was like none of the bad stuff even happened, and we're just left, smiling and happy, knowing that most of the characters will be happy.

Another thing that bugged me, was the fact that I had trouble figuring out how Mi-ja and her family were all related. They mentioned it in the beginning of the movie, but I had trouble following what the old woman was saying, since at the time, I didn't know who any of these people were. Then, when I did, I had forgotten how she said they were all related. I know that the three older women are sisters, and that one of them is Mi-ji's grandmother... but I still have no idea how she's related to the other men in the house. I think she called one of them an uncle...

I guess people familiar with the sitcom, would already know, so they didn't feel the need to dwell on it. ^_^

Also, I just have to say: every time I watch a movie now, it's like I recognize someone from the K-drama, Bad Family. I had no idea they had such popular actors in that show!!

Anyway, to recap: very cute movie!

My Rating:

구미호 가족 (The Fox Family)

Wow. This was a very messed up movie, lol. Luckily, I expected that, but still, I must say I was disappointed. I really didn't like this movie that much. I suppose I was expecting something more like The Happiness of the Katakuris--an extremely funny musical, that combined horror and comedy. I thought that this may be the Korean equivalent... but it wasn't. There were only two songs I really liked, and the humor was more perverse than laugh-out-loud funny.

Plus, there were just so many things that didn't make sense: the motivations of several characters, the "love" story, the history of the foxes (although that may be something that the intended audience would already know). And the ending was so very disappointing... it made me wonder why I wasted time watching this if nothing was really resolved. Not only that, but the big "mystery" was obvious: the killer was easy to spot right away.

That's not to say that there was nothing good about this movie. There is. The characters, with their naivety, is endearing... and watching them try to "fit in" with the humans is really funny. And I liked the young fox girl--her character was very cute. Also, it was cool how they made the youngest member of the family, the one who seems most indifferent to becoming human... she continues to act the most like a fox, and never quite fits into the human role she's been given. Then again, it's often normal for the youngest generation to "rebel", and since all the others were consumed with the idea of becoming human, I guess, in a way, her behavior makes the most sense. But really, it was the only part of the movie that I wasn't able to call ahead of time... which is probably why I liked it.

And their hunt for human victims was amusing... even if there were hundreds of better ways they could have gone about it.

Overall, it was amusing, and the story was interesting enough to keep me watching till the end. But I was expecting much more, so I'm still a little disappointed... it seems like they could have done a lot more with this story and these characters, than what they did. And most of the (perverted) humor, just wasn't in my taste.

I walked away knowing one thing: The Happiness of the Katakuris this is not.

My Rating:

Nodame Cantabile (Episodes 01-11)

EPISODE 01-11

THIS is what dramas should be like.

Insane characters? Check.

Riveting story? Check.

Amazing soundtrack? Check.

Hilarious, over-the-top moments? Double check.

No wonder I LOVE this drama!

I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life. Several times, I laughed so hard, I cried!

Nodame Cantabile is based off the manga of the same name, and though I've never read it, while watching it, you can tell. I mean, things happen in this show that you just don't expect to see happening in the real world: people being pulled off a giant rock with no concern for human safety, and then physically dragged away; someone being punched out of nowhere and sent flying; a homosexual with an afro who intends to express his overwhelming feelings of love by playing the timpani.

And of course there's also a rock-and-roll loving violinist, a mongoose-wearing piano player, a talented musician who can't study abroad because the thought of air-planes AND boats, sends him into a near-seizure; and a crazy, perverted maestro who seems to prefer chasing women than actually conducting.

Yes, folks. THIS is my kind of humor, lol.

Yet, despite all of this, there IS hidden depth to this drama. It may seem silly and exaggerated at first, but if you stick with it long enough, you'll discover that there really is a touching story beneath the gags and jokes. These characters DO grow and mature throughout the course of its 11 episodes, and it's amazing and inspiring to watch it happen. And of course the soundtrack compliments it beautifully (and I'm not even a fan of classical music).

All of these characters are easy to love--which makes them even more fun to cheer for--and there's not one of them that you don't wish to see succeed.

As for the romance... I wasn't disappointed with it at all. There are cute, sweet, moments scattered throughout the episodes, and though it may not "officially" happen until later in the series, they're such a perfect couple and compliment each other so well, that I really didn't mind the wait. Plus, they're freaking hilarious together! I've definitely never seen another couple like them before, in dramas or in anime. I'm just so glad they adapted this manga--I can't believe I'd never heard of it before!

Some of my favorite scenes were when they were performing in concert. Whether it was the orchestra, or just one of the piano competitions, while watching it I was deeply moved--and I know next to nothing about music--I couldn't even tell you if they were playing it correctly or not! But the passion they have for music... it's just amazing. You can almost feel it when you're watching them play. Some of my favorite moments was when Nodame would be inspired after hearing Chiaki perform, and she'd run off, desperately searching for a piano so she could play too--soundlessly miming the piano movements in the air as she ran.

I envy someone who can be so passionate about something they enjoy. Any drama that can successfully blend humor with realistic situations and characters like that (and in such a strange, believable way) deserves 5 stars.

I highly *highly* recommend it. I'm definitely adding it to the list of my favorites!

My Rating: