Witch Amusement (16 Episodes)

EPISODE 01-16

Chalk up another finished drama to my list of accomplishments! Two down, three more to go!

Overall, Witch Amusement was a cute, amusing drama. It was one of the shows I was watching that was being subbed almost simultaneously as it was airing in Korea. I really liked the premise, and kept watching mainly to see what would become of the OTP. Moo-Ryong's character alone was enough to steal the show... it's not often you see a thoroughly likeable character that you wouldn't mind dating in real life! I wish I had a maid like him, who would clean and cook for me, lol. He was so sweet, and really complimented Yoo Hee's character perfectly. Without him, she would have forever been a witch! The fact that he also has a girlfriend at the beginning of the series, just made it that more unique, and made it seem a little more realistic. After all, a guy that awesome CAN'T be single! Plus, he was played by Jae Hee who was also in Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang (another favorite of mine). So really, he can do no wrong! ^_^

I'll be honest though... I've never been a huge fan of Han Ga In. I've seen her in enough dramas/movies to have formed an adequate opinion of her (A Tale of High School, Super Rookie, Dr. Kkaeng, Witch Amusement) and I've decided I definitely don't like her as an actress. She's not exactly bad... there's just something about her that rubs me the wrong way. For one thing, she always has this huge, doey-eyed look, where her eyes get HUGE--and no matter what drama she's acting in, it's ALWAYS present. It annoys me to no end for some reason. Plus, she's terrible at kiss scenes... and in a romantic drama, you really want the romance to be believable, and to get lost in their story. I can't do that when I see her kissing Moo-Ryong: all I see is how stiff and uncomfortable she looks! Of course, this is just my own personal opinion, so others might not (and probably won't) feel the same way. It all comes down to personal preference I guess...

But really, despite my dislike for the lead actress, the story was interesting and engaging enough to keep me watching. Plus, with so many handsome actors, (Dennis Oh, Kim Jeong Hoon; aka, Yul from Goong!) I had more than enough motivation to stay tuned in.

The only other thing that stopped me from giving it a higher rating (up until episode 15, I was planning on giving it a solid 4) was the last two episodes. I don't know what the writers were thinking at that point... but all of a sudden, the big climax was filled with korean cliches that you can see in any drama!

The "break up" scene: check.

The spurned-lover's accident scene: check.

The airport scene: check.

The sick parent in need of an operation: check.

Honestly! The only thing missing was an incurable disease! For such a fun series, I really wonder why they ended it the way they did. It was very anti-climatic, in my opinion. And the last 10 minutes, was just a lot of "evil" characters seeing the light out of nowhere, and pushing the main character to be happy. I was like... "WHAT?!"

So again, it was a good, cute series... but the ending (though ultimately happy, don't worry) was a huge disappointment. To be honest, I guess I expected more considering its lead-in.

My Rating:

Hello! Miss (16 Episodes)

EPISODE 01-16

Well, I finally finished one of several dramas I was watching!

Again, the primary draw was the main couple, Soo Ha and Dong Gyu. I loved both the actor and actress, and thought they did wonderfully with what they had to work with (Lee Da Hae will forever be awesome since she was in My Girl; and Lee Ji Hoon is so cute, I really hope he shows up in more dramas). The story, however, left much to be desired. It was interesting seeing a main character who is tied so closely to Korean history, culture, and tradition... but it also made the story somewhat slow and dry.

The entire plot revolves around Aegisshi (Soo ha) who is trying to keep her ancestral home from being sold to an ex-servant of the estate who has grown rich and influential. Problems arise as she slowly (and I mean very slowly) starts to fall for his oldest grandson, Dong Gyu. All of the characters are tied to the estate in one way or another... and the story very rarely diverges from it. I think I would have liked it better if the series had been shorter. Towards the end, the episodes really started to drag, and I only kept watching to see what would happen between Soo ha and Dong Gyu. I'm evil, lol. I really couldn't care less what happened to the house.

There were a couple unresolved parts though, that left me a little confused/annoyed:

SPOILERS

1. In one scene, they show a flashback of Hwang Man Bok before he'd stolen the cow. It makes it look like his "girlfriend" is cheating on him or something; thus prompting his theft and departure during the night. Yet, every time the "jilted lovers" meet, they make it seem like it's all a big misunderstanding that will be cleared up at the end. After all, why would she constantly accuse him of leaving her behind, if she had truly cheated on him and loved someone else? Yet despite all this, the big confrontation/resolution never comes. So what was the point of all those flashbacks and accusations anyway...?

2. I couldn't stand the sudden change in Man Bok's attitude towards Soo Ha. First, he tells his grandsons that whoever marries her will get to inherit the business--the next, he's accusing the "favorite" grandson of choosing Aegisshi over him and the company, and forbids him from ever seeing her again. It just seemed like a convenient plot devise to keep them apart... one that didn't make a lot of sense, considering all the dialogs/actions that came before. Besides, Chan Min still continues his pursuit of her, so why can't Dong Gyu? If Man Bok's going to constantly change the rules of the game, he should at least notify all the players! Plus, what should he be angrier about: that his youngest grandson lied straight to his face and betrayed him, or that his eldest went to his "girlfriend's" after getting kicked out of the house? Seems like a no-brainer to me... so why was I wrong?

3. This complaint is more of a pet-peeve than anything else: Why were the elders and Soo Ha so willing to allow TOP group to take their dumpling recipe and market it? They're so protective of anything having to do with their estate, so why are the family recipes any different? If it was any other company offering to market it, I could see it maybe being possible... but they're supposed to hate TOP group, so why was this any different? Again, this seemed like another convenient plot device; not to mention, forced and unnecessary. And honestly, it's something I've seen again and again in other dramas... so what's the point?

SPOILERS

In the end, I thought it was fun and cute, but ultimately forgettable. I really do hope to see the main actor and actress in more dramas though--especially Lee Ji Hoon, since I think he has a lot of potential--all he needs is a strong script to work with. Unfortunately, a strong script was not one of Hello Miss's strong-points.

My Rating: