Bride of the Century (2014)

Serie che sono riuscita ad apprezzare non poco, a modo suo. Diversa dai drama recenti, del resto risale a una decade fa, mi ha ricordato per certi versi serie romantiche come "The King - 2 hearts" (anche questa dello stesso periodo, sebbene punta di diamante in confronto). Riprese, angolazioni, scenografia, sceneggiatura... Hanno un sapore diverso rispetto alle serie odierne, ma non mi sentire di definirle migliori o peggiori. Diverse, con i loro pro e i loro contro. La commedia propone temi abbastanza classici, tra i quali la fanciulla povera che incontrerà il ricco rampollo, piuttosto che la questione dell'identità nascosta (ho poco apprezzato l'idea di due sosia identiche non consanguinee, situazione già riscontrata nel drama cinese "She who is dangerous to me" e anche lì risultata al pari di una nota stonata). Molte le scene tra i protagonisti, siparietti classici dove però, a differenza di produzioni più recenti, la capacità di coinvolgere ed emozionare è ben presente. Bravissima l'attrice protagonista, capace di offrire contemporaneamente due ritratti diametralmente opposti: quello della ragazza ricca, cinica e viziata e quello della giovane schietta ma di buon cuore, povera ma con una propria dignità e valori morali. Il protagonista passabile, ma non incisivo al massimo, soprattutto nella seconda metà della serie l'ho visto un po' ingessato nella recitazione (del resto se fatto il paragone con The King 2 hearts, lì c'era un formidabile Lee Seung Gi che catalizzava l'attenzione al pari di un magnete... Prestazione difficile da eguagliare). In conclusione, una visione che consiglio, perchè piacevole e perchè offre una boccata d'aria diversa dal solito che aiuta ad staccare dalle serie fatte con lo stampino.

Leggi di Più

When I watched the first two episodes of this drama, I fell in love. I believed it would end up being one of my favorites and I was really impressed with the characters. The first eight episodes were amazing, I dare say perfect. But after those episodes, I didn't like it as much as I liked it before. The first episodes made my expectations waayy too high and so that's why I must've felt disappointed. The plot became less engaging but it still continued as a good drama.

Story - Overall, it was pretty interesting. There were things that kept you wanting to know what happened even though the romance element was predictable at times. It wasn't draggy at all and that was a great thing for this drama. The pace wasn't too slow but not too fast either. Most of the twists in the drama were also well done, the fantasy was what wasn't predictable at all, I didn't see those twists coming. There were definitely some parts that felt out of place in the drama, like the beginning of the last episode was a little too surprising for me... can't spoil it though. ;D

Acting/Cast - When I first started this drama, I wasn't expecting much out of Lee Hong Ki. I thought it was odd he was playing a 29 year old man when he looked so young that I couldn't believe he was even 24! But I'm glad to say, it played out pretty well. A haircut and a change of makeup can do wonders to enhance your age! His acting was impressive and it exceeded my expectations by far. Yang Jin Sung was great too, before this drama, I had never heard of her before. I was surprised that this was her first leading role. The difference in personality was so clearly shown with Yi Kyung and Doo Rim. Not once (except maybe the ending) did I confuse them even though they were being played by the same actress. Lee Hong Ki and her had tons of chemistry, they did good kiss scenes LOL. Everyone else played their role well as well, I didn't see any flaws in the acting. (:

Characters - Kang Ju, who seemed cold and rude in the beginning naturally became softer and more understandable. I loved Doo Rim so much at first, I adore strong female leads. I like how at first she disliked Kang Ju but naturally began understanding him and liking him rather than clinging onto him annoyingly from the start without considering how he treated her. Doo Rim remained true to her character until she fell head over heels for Kang Ju... honestly, this is like the one of the things I really disliked about this drama and it bothered me a lot. Like, all of a sudden she was crazy about him and wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. The development felt unnatural to me. How the relationship started wasn't that realistic but after a while you forget about it and just enjoy the cute moments. After she admitted to her feelings, her tough character didn't show as much as the previous episodes which kind of disappointed me. At first I really hated how horrible the antagonists were. The very people she trusted were lying and deceiving her for their own gain and she was completely oblivious to it all. When she finally did find out, she hardly even cared. It was a good thing that the antagonists end up becoming better people and admitting their wrongs. Another thing that bothered me was Yi Hyun. It's weird how he falls for Doo Rim, who looks exactly like his half sister, Yi Kyung. I don't remember this ever being explained though... Roo Mi, who was initially the usual evil second lead actress, became so much better naturally. It wasn't at the very end where they go on about how they reflected on their actions but it was pretty early in the drama when she changed for the better. My favorite characters were the ghost and Doo Rim's grandmother. The ghost was a important part of the story and added mystery to the drama. I loved Doo Rim's grandmother because she was so adorable and so funny xD

Music - I loved the music in this drama. I never got tired of it and there was a nice variety. Lee Hong Ki has a really nice voice, I really liked the OST he sang for the drama ~

While there were some flaws in this drama, I liked it overall. I'm glad they didn't try to extend the drama because the fact that it's not draggy is really enjoyable. There are so many cute moments that will make you laugh too. A good length for this drama and if you want to watch it, I'd definitely recommend it.

Leggi di Più

I'm not sure where to start off with this drama. This drama is like so many other dramas in one way but in another it has it's own originality to it which is one of the reason I adored it.
If you're looking for flaws in this drama then you're going to find it but as they say when you fall in love with something/someone it becomes perfect to you, I fell in love with this drama so to me I didn't see any flaws.

The acting was really good, Yang Jin Sung actually did a great job, you really love her as Doo Rim and want to strangle her as Yi Kyung so I'd say she was successful in her acting.
Lee Hong Ki was also really good and all the supporting acting was great too.

One of my favourite things about this drama was the character developement, I love Kang Ju's character from the begining but at the end I loved him even more because you can really see how he's changed and opened his heart, another great character developement was Roo Mi, you really dislike her in the begining because she's like every other second lead but as the story progresses she actually becomes pretty awesome ^^

The music was lovely, I really loved Words I Have Yet To Say, and Come Into My Heart was nice too :D

The story was really interesting, I started watching this when only the first 4 episodes had aired so I had to wait every week for the last 12 and it had me crazy waiting till next week so it was really interesting for me, although I will say that over half way through the show when you find out something about the plot it does seem less interesting because that aspect of the drama isn't really there anymore (people who've seen it should know what I mean) but nonetheless it still get's interesting in other ways.
I really loved that it was all the female characters that caused everything in this drama haha, they were the ones playing the males ^^
I'm really going to miss this drama, I just finished it and I already miss it :( I have already watched this show twice (expect the last episode since It just aired) and I actually watched the whole thing without subtitles and was proud of how much I understood :D
Anyway If you haven't watched this, you really should give it a try, it might suprise you, as I said it's like your typical drama but like something really new at the same time. I really can say that I loved and enjoyed it but of course there was moments that annoyed me but that's to be expected, the ending was satisfying, although it could of been better but at least it tied up everything, anyway you should defintiely watch this, for me it's the best drama of 2014! I already miss Kang Ju and Doo Rim! :(

Leggi di Più

From the beginning of this drama, I was hooked. I LOVED the storyline- and I think if it had been any longer it wouldn't have been as good- and I found each episode a pleasure to watch.

I thought the cast were brilliant- at no point did I find their acting wooden etc and I thought the two main leads were fantastic. The last drama I had watched Lee Hong Ki in was You're Beautiful, so needless to say he was much better in this drama. The same went for Yang Jin Sung, as the last drama I watched her in was City Hunter.

I loved the music in it- especially Lee Hong Ki's song!

I don't tend to re-watch dramas, but I definitely will re-watch this one again sometime, hence why I gave it a 7.

I really enjoyed this drama, and I enjoyed all aspects of the show- from the romance between the two leads, the incredibly cute grandma and the ghostly backdrop of the curse (as well as the lovely ending). This is the best drama I've watched so far this year. :)

Leggi di Più

It's been a while since I picked up a drama that has already finished airing and it took me exactly 3 days to finish Bride of The Century. At surface it appeared to be a ghost drama and in that area it surely didn't fail. But there was a cute romance and a lot of shocking revelations throughout that made the plot even better. Everybody had agendas and everybody was hiding something or the other. There is a curse in the family but you see various people taking advantage of it in their own way. And yet, you find the lead couple, being sweet and completely unaware of the typical mother-in-law schemes.

The actors were pretty decent. The lead actress did a great job portraying a double-role. It was pretty awkward seeing the sweet old Jeremy portraying the cold-hearted chaebol. I'm not saying he did a bad job, I loved him in this drama. It's just that some characters just stay with you forever and Jeremy is one of them. So it took a little time getting used to Lee Hong Ki playing this type of a character. The second leads and supporting characters were great. Especially Doo Rim's grandma. She was awesome! I loved Jin Joo and Secretary Kim's little side-story.

The music was good. There is this one song I can't get out of my head. It seems like Lee Hong Ki sung it but I'm not sure yet. I'm going to download it tonight. I might rewatch the cute scenes but there won't be any suspense and mystery the second time around.

I think it is one of the few dramas that left an impact on me in a rather-dull 2014. It's a cute romantic-comedy and then it's so much more.

Leggi di Più

Just finished the drama and all I can say is a really good story plot and a perfect ending. How do I define perfect ending? An ending in which all the threads are untied without any knots left hanging - all the mysteries in this story plot were unfolded perfectly.
I was actually impressed by Hongki's acting from the start till the end of the drama. Usually I do not have high expectations on dramas in which kpop idols are involved in the main casts. However, Lee Hongki showed me his impressive acting which made me awed.
Yang Jin Sung also awed me with her acting skills because she could actually show her emotions very well. Acting two totally different characters at a time is really difficult, yet she could portrayed the two characters perfectly and made me loving the sunny Doorim while hating the dull Yikyung at the same time.
What I didn't really like about the drama - I wasn't really convinced about the part when KangJu was suddenly so in love with DooRim in episode 6-7. They didn't show how KangJu starts to think of her everytime and how he has already regard her as part of his life. I mean, is like, I can't really imagine how he actually from disliking to loving DooRim.
What I love about this drama - The numerous story plot twists in almost every single episode. Thus I was kept wide awake from the start of the drama till the end, without even giving me time to breathe at all. The story plot isn't draggy too.
I love the character development especially KangJu. A cold guy who was afraid of loving people, who only cared about himself and the company, to a warm person who is willing to take the risk for the woman he has loved wholeheartedly, to someone who is willing to sacrifice the company for his loved ones. Roo Mi is another one whom has changed drastically, from someone who is very selfish to someone who is willing to give up her loved one.
I would highly recommend this drama and I should say that this drama is one of the best story plots I have watched in 2014. (:

Leggi di Più

To me, watching Bride of the Century was like watching two completely different shows. One show was a typical K-drama romance, which I enjoyed, and the other was a revenge ghost mystery, which I hated.

I'll start with the romance, which is what stopped me from dropping the show. It's another basic arrogant chaebol meets quirky girl cinderella story. If you're a fan of this type of drama, you know exactly what to expect (jealous 2nd leads, family feuds, evil moms, hilariously cute fights, love triangles/squares/pentagons...), but what makes this drama different is that the main love triangle is between two girls pretending to be the same person. This part of the story only works, and works well, because of the lead actress Yang Jin Sung. She plays both characters so distinctively well, that I could tell who was who just based on their expression. Not many actors could pull this kind of role off, and she definitely does.

Then of course there's the leading man, Lee Hong Ki, who made me cry in "You're Beautiful", this time cast in a more mature role. I think he was great, and looked completely different without the bleached hair. He's strong in emotional scenes, as well and likable in lighthearted funny scenes, and together they made a perfect match. I loved their chemistry, and although predictable, I liked their story. If this was strictly a romance, my overall score would be higher.

What I didn't like about this drama was the ghost story. To be blunt, I thought it was poorly written, dragged out way too long, and then was rushed at the end. I was initially intrigued by the mystery, but I soon grew bored with it. Then, out of nowhere, in the last few episodes, they rush through explaining everything in the story with epic flashbacks. I honestly wasn't interested in the backstory at all, which seemed thrown together. They did their best to explain everything by the end, but a lot of the explanations were uninteresting, and even silly, to me. There are also a lot of 'time filler' scenes at the end. Again, it was the great cast that stopped me from skipping through these scenes. I thought the story was bad, but the actors who played the characters made me want to care more than I did.

Another issue I had with the writing was how some characters seem to have complete changes in personality without reason, or explanation. I loved Na Doo Rim's fighting spirit, that allowed her to even fight grown men, but all of a sudden she couldn't even take on a middle aged woman, or run without tripping. She made some choices toward the end that made absolutely no sense to me, and became a weaker, less interesting character as the show progressed.

Speaking of badly written characters, I see that I am not alone in thinking that Jang Yi Hyun's feelings for Doo Rim were a little creepy. I also had a huge problem believing that so many women were so desperate for love that they would sacrifice their life for it. Really? That idea seemed a little too one-sided, and sexist, but maybe that's just me. Giving up your lifestyle, sure, but actually giving up your life? That just seems a little too over-dramatic, even for K-Drama.

Overall, I am torn between the good acting, and bad writing. If this was Kang Joo & Doo Rim's love story, and about 4 or 5 episodes shorter, I would recommend it. If you are a vengeful ghost mystery fan, which I am, I think you will be very disappointed. I liked a lot of moments in this drama, but I couldn't see myself watching the entire thing again. There were times I couldn't wait for the next episode, but by the end I was forcing myself to complete it, because each hour felt like a century.

I guess, if you're between dramas, and lower your expectations, there is enough in Bride of the Century to probably keep you entertained.

Leggi di Più

Just right on the episodes, thank goodness! This drama followed the footsteps of fantasy /rom of MS yet with a more backstories & younger actors. The chemistry between leads was heartfelt (often missed in kdrama land). The lead female did well portraying two personalities on screen effectively. While the male lead was just cute to watch growing up. The side stories sometimes were like gnats flying around fruit yet they filled space & storyline. The last two eps felt rushed with a glut of explaining the real purpose of the 100 yr love, and curse of destiny. Lots of holes in the story yet we got a nice soft landing on this drama. This was easy to watch & re-watch if you keep your expectations in check and want a story with a soft-predictable landing.

Leggi di Più

This show is amazing! It was categorised as a melodrama which I was a bit worried about but it's nothing of the sort, it has all different themes in it I admit, romance, comedy, supernatural, fantasy and drama but its not depressing. If anything it kept me on my seat the entire way through! You really can't skip or not pay attention to bits you think are a bit boring because it really doesn't make sense otherwise...!

I was looking forward to Lee Hong Ki in this new role since I saw him last in You're Beautiful and whilst I do miss Jeremy and it was a weird seeing him in such a different character it was good! He played his character really well and I love how you could tell the gradual changes throughout the drama, brought in my the female lead. Who, I hadn't seen in a drama before but my gosh she's good! She plays 2 characters who look identical but with completely different personalities and I honestly got sucked in into thinking they were two different people!!

I love how the drama came together, it didnt lag and the writers story from beginning to end was very thorough there wasnt really any holes in the plot either which I liked and all the ends were very well rounded up at the end! It definitely is one of the more unique dramas, at the baseline yes, its a typical kdrama but then it isnt at the same time, theres so much more to it thats different and better.

It kind of reminds me of Rooftop Prince, the revengeful drama with the funny sweet moments, the whole cast is very together as their sideline stories are interesting too!

This drama made me on the edge of the seat the entire way through, gave me tears from laughter and the sadness, kept me in suspense and trying to figure out all the little mysteries, it definitely is worth a watch...and a rewatch! The OST isn't amazing compared to my other favourite dramas nor is it very extensive but it suits the drama and makes me well up each time! I like that Hong Ki lent his voice for it and Cho Ah's female version sounds really good too!

I hope you do decide to watch this! I definitely wasn't disappointed! Excuse me whilst I go fangirl on Tumblr!

Leggi di Più

I watched this drama simply because the story plot intrigues me, and also I wanna see Lee Hongki's acting. If your reason is as same as #1, you won't be disappointed. But if your reason is #2, well... just don't expect too much :(

This drama story plot is quite neat, since every 'problems' presented here come to a conclusion in the end. Even my recent favorite drama, You Who Came From The Stars, has so many loops and holes in its plot.

What I really like about this drama is how complex every characters are. Everyone has their own motives / point of views, so not everything is pure black or white, something I value the most in k-dramaland because it always makes things more interesting. However, one of the most substantial flaw in this drama is lack of chemistry between the main characters! I get easily bored when watching this drama I don't even know why :( Too bad because I'm really enjoying the story, but it took me so long to finally finish it!

Overall, if you're looking for a drama with good story plot with a little bit of ghost story, this drama might be suitable for you. But please be noted, this drama might bored you (or not) a little, from middle to the end. The good thing is, everyone has their conclusion in the end, so it's quite worth the patience. Sadly, this drama does not leave 'strong' impression that makes me want to rewatch again in the future.

Leggi di Più

Sometimes you need to forget the stupid scenes and just remember the happy moments in a drama, and that's what I have done. Yes truth be told some of the scenes in this drama were unnecessary and sometimes it felt a bit thrown together. But I can honestly say I enjoyed this drama. Its not groundbreaking but it was enjoyable and fun to watch. The main leads had great chemistry, the female lead was able to portray two different women very well and the story for the most part made sense and interested me enough to keep watching. If your looking for a drama that is cute with some drama in-between and some evil mothers this one is for you!!!

Leggi di Più