Review of the Week

Ghost/Phantom

The Love of So Ji Sub Continues

**********Warning Spoilers**************

Title: Phantom/Ghost 유령

Network: SBS

Episodes: 20

Starring: So Ji Sub, Choi Daniel, Lee Yeon Hee, Uhm Ki Joon

Aired: May 30, 2012 – August 9, 2012

I am going to be very honest and admit that the only reason I started watching this drama was because of So Ji Sub. Obsession, I hear your name loud and clear. Ghost, unlike the title would lead us to believe, is a drama that deals with political intrigue in the digital world. For some odd reason, the title, ahem, I thought this was a drama about the main character being able to see the ghosts of dead people, I could have sworn there is a drama with that premise out there, and no not the Master's Sun or Oh My Ghostess, but I digress. It is a drama about how money and power corrupt and how easily one can either destroy or be destroyed by a simple click of the mouse. And although, this drama contained no romantic storyline, one side crushes and potato crushes aside, I kept watching episode after episode and enjoying each episode tremendously.

The heart of the story revolves around the friendship of two very different people. Kim Woo Hyun and Park Gi Young met when they were both in the police academy wanting to make a difference by becoming police officers with a focus on cyber crime. Through a series of events during their time in the academy, Kim Woo Hyun becomes a lieutenant in the police department while Park Gi Young seemingly switches sides to become a hacker known as Hades. They both start looking into the apparent suicide of a well known actress and stumble upon corruption at the highest levels of politics and the police department. As we watch Kim Woo Hyun investigate the death of the young actress, we wonder which side is he really on. How does he know the murderer and most importantly why is he not arresting him. Early in the drama there is an explosion involving both friends, of which only one survives.

Through a series of circumstances, the survivor is mistaken for the other, and so for most of the drama we have Hades walking around with a police officers face. So Ji Sub does an excellent job of playing to characters brilliantly, and one of those playing a character playing a different character. And I'm not only saying this because of my massive hard on for So Ji Sub.

Park Gi Young pretending to be Kim Woo Hyun must find out the truth about his old friend and all the secrets he was keeping. With the help of the rest of the cyber unit, except for the fucking bastard traitor, Gi Young takes it upon himself to clear his friend's name and bring down the man behind the corruption.

Ghost does an excellent job of exploring that very thin line between evil and doing evil things in the name of good. Hades, Park Gi Young, by all extents and purposes is a criminal, even when he is pretending to be Woo Hyun. Even that pretense can be seen as wrong, especially when one takes into account that he is pretending to be his dead friend to his dead friend's child. But, in his mind, he is doing these things to right all the wrong caused by Jo Hyun Min, the evil behind everything.

Does the end justify the means? Park Gi Young would like to think that it does, but as a viewer I'm left with the impression that good men who do evil things are tinged with that evil. It's not something that can be washed away or forgotten. One can pretend that he didn't cause the death of Hyun Min, but it doesn't change the facts that lead to that death. This is the first Korean drama that I watched that was not a romance, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. But, fucking shit, a kiss between the main characters would have made it much better.

Oh, My Venus -- A Biased Review

Oh, My Venus

The Wonderfully Mediocre Drama

*******Warning Spoilers********

Title: Oh, My Venus 오 마이 비너스
Network: KBS 2
Episodes: 16
Starring: Shin Min Ah, So Ji Sub
Aired: November 16, 2015 – January 5, 2016



Can I first reiterate just how much I love both Shin Min Ah and So Ji Sub? I am going to be the first to admit that this love is completely and totally shallow and based on nothing more than physical appearance because honestly when I saw Master's Sun I wasn't too blown away by So Ji Sub, but man oh man, darker hair, a better haircut, and an almost naked bath scene does so much to change a woman's mind. And Shin Min Ah, is just beautiful as always. OK, enough gushing. Well, just a little bit more.

I found this drama to be completely entertaining from the first few opening scenes to the last few scenes. I loved the main characters and their chemistry. When the two leads where on screen together, it was truly magical. This drama had some of the best casting ever. Not only where Shin Min Ah and So Ji Sub wonderfully cast in this drama, but how freaking adorable is Henry Lau?

Watching the first episode, I loved the premise of the drama. A thin, beautiful woman succeeds in life and on the journey there she gets fat. Shin Min Ah plays Kang Joo Eun, who fifteen years after she was know as the Venus of Daegu, finds herself woefully unhealthy and overweight. The years have not been kind to Joo Eun who although she succeeded in becoming a lawyer she has let her health, her relationship with her high school sweetheart, and her waist go. After some life disappointments, she decides to take back control by giving her health and weight loss care over to three of the hottest men in Korea, fuck yeah, where do I sign?
The first few episodes left me smiling and looking forward to the next, and that kiss in episode 6. Swoon.

I even overlooked all the boring business part of it, why? Because Joo Eun and Young Ho were just so perfect. But shortly after the kiss, my interest began to wane. Don't get me wrong I still religiously kept refreshing DramaFever every 15 minutes on Mondays and Tuesdays hoping the new episodes were up, but the refreshing wasn't as zealous or enthusiastic as it had been the previous weeks. Maybe, I'm not meant to watch currently airing dramas. That week between episodes is enough time to make my mind wonder and become interested in other things. That's one of the main reason I don't watch all that many English shows. I forget that I liked them and was watching them. My brain really doesn't do well when given a little time to wander off on it's own. The biggest issue with the drama, for me, at least, was that I really didn't give a flying fuck about any other character. Im Woo Sik with the now ultra thin Oh Soo Jin never really grabbed my attention. And the whole, who shall take over the business, evil step uncle ahhhh, that shit never grabbed me. The best thing about that whole ordeal was Chief Min. I am not even going to get started with the whole clusterfuck that was the grandmother and her former son in law's wife.

The biggest reason I kept watching the drama was because the chemistry between the two leads was so hot. I did find the whole dimple, kiss thing rather annoying and childish, but when they were acting like the adults that they were, slay me. Of course, like any good Kdrama worth it's air time, this one had a last minute catastrophe, that needed to be solved in the last two episodes, why oh why do they do this. Here it was a car accident involving Young Ho, his uncle, what's his face, and his father's wife, or you know stepmother. The acting around the accident was superb and heart breaking. I don't know who I felt for more Jang Joon Sung, who was the first to see Young Ho hurt and broken or Joo Eun.

Of course, like any good drama this issue was resolved in a timely manner since the drama is only sixteen episodes long. The whole will he or won't he walk took Young Ho away from Joo Eun for a year as he recovered by himself because it wouldn't be manly if he, you know, look for emotional and mental support from the person her professes to love. Fucking asshole. The fact that he proposed with a ring that was hidden in a ball of yarn, hanging from a scarf he knit himself made me a little bit jealous. As a knitter, I would melt in a puddle at anyone's feet that would do that for me, and if that person was So Ji Sub the puddle would be of my own making.

The ending irked me a little. After not seeing her for a few months, finding out she's pregnant with twins, one of the first things out of his mouth was exercise??? Dude, she's about to pop out two tiny little human beings, fuck off and let her enjoy herself for forty weeks.
When I think about it, I think my biggest issue with Oh, My Venus, was the waiting between episodes. It was gripping or exciting nor did it have enough conflict to sustain my enthusiasm for more than the two days it was on. I think if I had waited and marathoned it, my preferred way to watch dramas, I would have liked it much more. I think I'll give it a re-watch later this year to see if that hypothesis is true.

2015 Year in Review

2015 Year in Review – Korean Dramas

First post of 2016, and it will be a look back at the dramas I have watched this past year. Most of these were released prior to 2015, but like I do with most things in life I procrastinate my Kdrama watching, it's part of my charm. I watched most of these dramas in the first quarter of the year and then I took a very, very long break before I started up again when Oh, My Venus, starring Shin Min Ah and So Ji Sub, started in mid November. Apparently, my girl crush on Shin Min Ah is alive and strong and I must of missed how incredibly sexy So Ji Sub was when I watched Master's Sun because damn that boy man is all kinds of steamy.

I watched twenty-one dramas in 2015 not counting the two web dramas I threw in there just for shits and giggles. Seventeen of those I watched from January to April, and then my hiatus from Kdramas began. During this time, I watched some American television. Caught up on some old favorites, Teen Wolf and Supernatural, and realized that American shows don't hold the same appeal as Asian dramas. I mean who in the holy hell has 10 years to devote to a show, well almost 12 now with Supernatural. I got so spoiled by dramas that were all neatly told and finished with one season that waiting to see will or won't they just no longer appeals to me. Sure, I'll still catch a show here and there, mostly once they've been canceled, so I can marathon that shit on Netflix, but I'm no longer excited or looking forward to shows that air in the U.S.

So, with a giddy heart I began watching Oh, My Venus, and promptly remembered how much I fucking hate waiting for new episodes. To fill the time between new episodes I watched some dramas that were already finished and easily available, hello Hulu. Starting from the beginning, in 2015 I watched:

1. A Witch's Romance

Cute and entertaining, older woman, younger man. Not too many cliches and a very satisfying ending.

2. Pinocchio

Park Shin Hye finally learned how to kiss. A very enjoyable drama starring one of my all time favorites, and a new one.

3. School 2013

Speaking of new favorites, Lee Jong Suk along with Kim Won Bin make this bromance drama.

4. Healer

This drama was everything I wanted City Hunter to be.

5. Master's Sun

Way better than I thought it was going to be; the only downside is that fact that So Ji Sub doesn't have black here in this one.

6. Full House (Thai)

Dare I say, better than the original.

7. King 2 Hearts

I loved everything about this drama except for the fucking villain. I wish M would go choke on some donkey balls.

8. Heart to Heart

This might just be my favorite drama of 2015. I found the first episode annoying, but it pulls you into the story and by the end you want just one more episode of the two protagonists.

9. It's Okay, That's Love

A drama that dealt with heavy issues without getting weighed down.

10. Good Doctor and 11. Emergency Couple

Two medical dramas, both of which were meh.

12. I Need Romance

A drama so bad that I couldn't make myself watch the next two installments, although they feature completely different casts.

13. Let's Eat

Yummy food and zany characters. I still can't make myself watch the second one.

                                     

14. Marriage Not Dating

Entertaining without ever becoming boring.

15. I Hear Your Voice

Another older woman, younger man drama. There might be hope for me yet.

16. Love Myself or You

The only Taiwanese drama I finished in 2015, although I tend to enjoy them, for some odd reason I have really hard time getting into Taiwanese dramas.

17. Cunning Single Lady (Sly and Single Again)

Regardless of what you call it, this drama was pretty entertaining, but just boring enough that it started my almost nine month break from Asian dramas. So, maybe it wasn't all that entertaining.

And then, came November with the start of Oh, My Venus, and I was hooked again.

18. My Love from Another Star

Why??? Why did I wait so long to watch this wonderful drama. Yeah, it was everyone was fucking saying how wonderful it was and I didn't want to me disappointed, Kill Me, Heal Me.

19. High School; King of Savvy

This would have been an okay drama if it wasn't for the characters. I don't understand why they had to give the main heroine the brain and emotional maturity of an elementary student. She was such a weak ass person I just wanted to slap her.

20. She Was Pretty

She gave me the biggest second lead boner. Seriously, who wouldn't pick Choi Siwon???

21. Oh, My Ghostess

Funny, and romantic and at time suspenseful; this drama was such a great watch.

So, there are the twenty-one dramas I watched in 2015. I also watched Dream Knights featuring GOT7 and EXO Next Door. This were shorter web dramas less than 15 minutes per episode, so like a movie just divided into chapters. I really enjoyed both of those because they were light and fun, and because both GOT7 and EXO are a bunch of cuties. And, I may have become a bit obsessed with So Ji Sub, but look at him. Can you blame me?