The Secret Garden syndrome: either you fall in love with this one and then it gets really hard to get over it if you manage it at all, or you hate it.
The synopsis usually leaves you completely uninterested, so don't read it. The real value of the drama is the addiction: once hooked, be prepared for a 20 hours ride.
As for the strong woman falling for the rich guy who just constantly pursues her, blowing hot and cold on a daily basis, I can safely say that it is nothing but realistic. Yes, she is strong. But she is still a woman and he is rich, always after her, slowly sacrificing everything for her... Of course she falls for him!
The part that you may find unrealistic is actually why on earth this "I have it all" guy is so obsessed by a regular stuntwoman with almost no sex appeal (cause really no make up and short hair are not a strong suit for Ha Ji Won)? And that is what I loved about this drama: it actually has an answer for that. So overall if there is one thing this drama is, in my humble opinion, it is actually CONSISTENT.
If the story (and the hot scenes that send your heart flying, hence the infamous sit ups scene) was not strong enough, there is always the huge laughs and cries you get over the frequent swapping bodies (even though it looks weird and lame it actually is well brought and extremely funny) or the perfect amount of second characters who for once actually bring something to the story instead of just forming the usual foursome which drags on forever even though you knew the ending from the first few minutes.
Towards the end, SG returns to the classics of Korean Drama with the unusual amounts of hospitals meant only to make the watchers cry but at this point in the drama you are usually so completely into it you can't help but actually feel it for once.
Add to that a realistic ending, a strong plot, good acting from both parts and a huge chemistry all throughout the 20 episodes and you get what I consider to be the best drama I ever go to watch.

Leggi di Più

So I finally managed to end this drama (I stopped for so long but there is not much to watch at the moment) and I must say I am a little disappointed.
At first I really like the storyline and I love the main cast so I figured this had to be good...
Unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. I don't know if it was because of the lack of chemistry between the lead couple or just the fact that I got tired of hearing one cheesy line after another but I have to say I did not get into it.
Simple as that: the story is pretty good but I just could not feel any of what was going on in the romance.
The cast is good, the supporting roles too, the music is pretty, the script is full of beautiful declarations and confessions but there are no exiting situations that gets your heart jumping just because of the events and make you want to scream "Kyaaaa" very loudly (like the infamous sit-up scene in Secret Garden, the "Caught in my room" scene in Itazura Na kiss or the whole living together part while disguised as a boy of HanaKimi).
I guess it depends what kind of romantic drama you like but in my case, actions speak louder than words and love declarations are just not enough to get me going crazy for a drama.
So I would say it is a good distraction but far from being a roller-coster for my heart which is usually what I look for in rom/com dramas. Only my opinion of course.

Leggi di Più

An awesome drama, in the same line of Hong Gil Dong or City hunter, very heartbreaking and beautiful.
Though sad hence not my usual cup of tea, it had been very long since I watched a drama as good as this one.

The storyline is really good though predictable in general (especially regarding the ending), it keeps you constantly hanging and manages to even surprise you sometimes . I especially loved the historic facts incorporated, very revealing of the atrocities committed during the colonization of Korea by Japan.

The acting was spectacular in my opinion, Joo Won is mind-blowing in this Korean version of Zorro, truly touching from the first to the last episode. A real discovery to me, and an actor to be followed, definitely!
Park Ki Woong is also awesome as the villain, both heartbreaking and hateful. All the second roles were incredibly played too and I was very impressed by how good the cast was in general.

The Music is also very powerful, especially the italian chorus of Bridal Mask recurrent theme.

Overall, a really good drama for those who love those historic/tragic dramas, really worth watching.

Leggi di Più

I have a soft spot for this one. Everyone kept telling me how the Taiwanese version was supposedly better but I never managed to get past how ugly and stupid the girl looks in it.
In this Korean version of the manga, both lead are actually hot: Oh Ah Ni is silly but cute as hell and Baek Seung Ju is just... Well I never thought myself as a masochist until Playful Kiss!
The best part of this drama is definitely the two leads, Baek Seung Ju being a selfish arrogant son of a *, horribly frustrating on top of being freakishly hot (not to mention that this role was just PERFECT for Kim Hyun Joong) and Ah Ni so cute and adorable in her misery and gullibility...
But overall it is actually quite childish and the supporting roles are often really annoying (when re-watching it, I always skip those parts) so don't expect something too perfect. I think the drama was stopped before it could run its course and that is why they made the special episodes that are actually the rest of the manga and as important as the rest since for once you get to see what happens AFTER the happy ending.
Now PK makes the top 5 for me because of the intensity of the chemistry and tension between the two leads (so important when watching a romance drama) but others might consider it too childish. In any case, it is still a very good one for school/romance/comedy fans.

Leggi di Più

Ok so it has been a while since my last review but I had to write about this.
This drama is a remake of an old JDrama that I did not like so much the first time, and there are also a Tawainese version that was pretty popular and a Korean version that personally I adored.

So I started watching because I love the story line of Itazura Na Kiss and after the Korean version I am always waiting for some kind of "encore". Well I am pretty happy with this new Jap version, and here is why:

Storyline: the story is pretty faithful to the manga, maybe more than the Korean version which means that some details are a little different and therefore keep your interest going even if you have seen the Korean one before (if you're like me, you could not manage to go on with the Taiwanese version after the first 2 episodes so no comparison possible).

Actors and main characters:
Kotoko (Honoka Miki): Well here I was quite happily surprised.
I expected some kind of "Baka" like in the Taiwanese version where she was soooo dumb that I just could not find her innocent or pure, just plain stupid and exceedingly annoying to the point where I was siding whit Irie and just wanted her to be bullied for being that idiotic.
Well in this version she IS dumb but much more in a pure/innocent way that I feel is the main attractiveness of Kotoko and Oh Ah Ni (Korean version) so it is more bearable. She is cute is her way (although less strong than Oh Ah Ni) but also surprisingly perceptive sometimes and infinitely prettier than the Taiwanese version although it was hard for me to get adjusted the the very large ears of the actress, Honoka Miki, and the obvious will of the drama producers to show those as much as possible (I am living in Tokyo at the moment and for some reason I just can't understand, many Japanese girls with uncommonly large ears like to show them off with tail, braids or headbands...).
So as far as the first 4 episodes go, I am quite satisfied with this Kotoko who in my opinion might just be even better than the Korean counterpart, Oh Ah Ni who tended to be quite childish sometimes.

Irie Naoki (Furukawa Yuki): Getting to what is, in my humble opinion, the whole point of this story wether it is the manga, the anime of the severals dramas, the lead male character, Irie Naoki (Baek Seung Joo in the Korean version).
For starters I must admit it took me some time to find the lead actor, Furukawa Yuki, attractive. His features were somehow too girly and there are so many better looking actors here that I was a little disappointed at first. Until I saw his interpretation of Irie.
Ok I have to say that I was in love with the Korean version, Baek Seung Joo (Kim Hyun-joong) for a very looooong time: he was such a cold hearted bastard sometimes, such a sadist and so distant that at some point I could totally understand Oh Ah Ni's feelings of rejection for I could not believe he had any feelings towards her.
Well this Irie is also a coldhearted bastard (I mean that is why this story is sooo good) but he is much softer than the Korean version and you can actually see/feel him get more and more attracted to Kotoko although evidently fighting it. Furukawa Yuki's face is so inexpressive and cold sometimes and at others, very good as to show Irie-kun's feeling quite successfully, Im currently very found of him.
From the first 4 episodes, I think this drama is going to focus more on the romance story between the 2 characters, showing how both grow closer together, rather than just the one sided love that was displayed in the Korean version where it was so difficult to guess what Baek Seung Joo was actually feeling. And I like this new perspective although it may be a little less thrilling, it is also much less frustrating and more satisfying.

Second roles:
So in the Korean version, I could not stand the stupid second characters getting on my nerves so much, especially Bon Joon Gu (Kinnosuke) who was at first so irritating and quite useless to the story. In this version, Kinnosuke is actually bringing something to the storyline, as he is forcing events, bringing the 2 leads together in spite of him and is not so annoying as the Korean version so far (although there are only 4 episodes yet). I really like Kotoko's father in this version too, very manly but a little awkward towards his daughter. And as for the rest of the Irie family I found all of them quite good though I must admit I like the korean version of Naoki's mum better for she was insane ^^.

Location: well the story is in Tokyo which is very pleasing to me as I am currently leaving in this city so I get to walk the same streets and it feels quite good ^^.

OST: I kinda of like the opening although very girly and childish but so far nothing too noticeable in my opinion, although some funny sounds are quite close to the Korean Version.

Overall, I have to say I am quite taken by this new version and although I thought it would be hard to come after the Korean version, Playful Kiss, I must admit that so far this drama is doing pretty good and it is definitely worth waiting for every week.

One more thing before I end this very long review: what's up with the school's uniforms? I mean did you see those pants? Seriously? There wasn't any fabric more odious for the costumes?

Leggi di Più