W - Two worlds - KDrama

The age of sci-fi is upon us, or at least in the kdrama world this is true. Where dramas come out with stories that hook you not only with their intense and adorable romances but with their intriguing plots that may or may not be completely immersed in the fantasy or science fiction section. But I will not complain, in fact I will rejoice and encourage the makers of these dramas silently in my corner as I hope they continue like this for a long while as I am an avid fan of these genres. Because let’s be honest, in a world that’s getting a little bit more crazy as the days go by, it helps to have a little bit of fantasy to distract you and remind you that there are still things to be wondered at and amazed of.

The drama that has indeed fulfilled this need and recently ended is ‘W’. This story follows the life of Kang Chul who has a rough life where he gets accused of murdering his family and has to struggle through his childhood to become a very successful man who tries to solve the cases the police aren’t fully equipped to deal with. What makes Kang Chul even more fascinating is his very keen self-awareness and ability to realize that something is amiss with his life. This nagging feeling of his is both intensified and given an interesting twist with the lovely doctor Oh Yeon Joo entering his life suddenly and unusually.

Oh Yeon Joo is a resident doctor still finding her feet in her profession while spending her free time reading her favorite manhwa that just so happens to be written by her father, Oh Sung Moo. One day when he goes missing our curious doctor goes in search of him and suddenly finds herself dragged into another world and not just any world, but that very world of her fascination where her favorite, as well as millions of other people’s favorite, character Kang Chul resides. Before she even has time to register this event she finds herself constantly coming to our lead character’s rescue, changing not only the course of the story but her own reality as well.

Needless to say things become weird as the increasingly aware Kang Chul learns the truth of his existence from the strange girl he can’t stop thinking of as he also begins to see the world around him crumble as it struggles to keep up with the seemingly unplanned changes to his universe. It also starts getting interesting as we see the supposedly ‘real’ Oh Yeon Joo slowly becomes a part of the storyline and thus becomes bound by the laws of another universe, unable to control when and how she travels between the two worlds.

The story gifts one with a whole new fresh and intriguing storyline not fully explored by the kdrama universe and adds enough twists and turns that make it impossible to predict what is to happen and where things are going. It keeps you hooked and waiting for every step with bated breath as you follow the action-packed, romance-filled plot. Though they pull a somewhat interesting backtrack in the middle there with the clichéd amnesia card, it is easy to see where this is justified as writers try to keep the story on a smooth and intelligible track.

The acting was also on point as you watched the irresistibly handsome Lee Jong Suk display many versions of his character that show just how versatile he can be while still retaining an image you can’t look away from. The lovely doctor also held up her end of the stick with those expressions and actions that have you at first wanting to be her (as who wouldn’t want to fall into a comic book?) to cheering her on as another lead character in the story.

This drama proved to be a highly recommendable drama if only for its fresh approach to a whole new type of drama that Korea needs to invest in. It’s hard to dislike the show, (unless you watched it during the Olympics and hated that a new episode had to be delayed due to viewing schedules). In any case this drama did many things to me and dragged out many feels and I feel it was worth every moment watching it.

Orange - JMovie

Again movies about friendship just have something really ‘tear-jerky’ about them that make you take a second look at your life and those around you. In my recent venture into watching such movies I came across a Japanese movie that was brought to life from manga. After watching this movie I can see why it grew so much and became something that had to be shown in other forms of media.

Orange is a movie that somewhat caters to two of my current favorite genres as it covers a bit of sci-fi and romance and creates a curious story that is relatively simple in nature though it actually has a powerful impact in terms of message and feels. At least that is my humble opinion. The story follows Naho Takamiya who has received a strange letter that that seems to be from her future self. In the letter, it details various things that surprise and slightly scare poor Naho who isn’t sure what to do with it at first, but slowly begins to take it seriously as she realizes that in the letter are the regrets her future self has and wants her younger self to change, if possible.

Amongst those regrets Naho discovers that Kakeru Naruse is amongst the most present in all she wants to change and as she slowly begins to learn more about him and eventually, as the letter predicts, falls in love with him she decides to make sure she clears all the regrets around him. It is here she discovers that Kakeru has an ominous future that creates many regrets for her and her group of friends who venture to take Kakeru under their wing.

It is upon finding this out that Naho and the others strive to change Kakeru’s fate as they work to create various memories and experiences with him, in hopes that they can change the future that the letter predicts. However, things don’t always go smoothly as things seem determined to stay the same as predicted and the group of friends struggles to find various ways to stop it. Especially Naho who refuses to let Kakeru go as she realizes how much of a regret it is as it affects her after so many years later.

In the process we see as these teens work to change the mind of a troubled young man who hides his pain and tries to struggle forward without letting others see as he thinks he needs to do everything on his own. Seeing the change as he begins to rely and trust the friends he has pushed aside makes for quite an interesting change in psychology as you witness what a few little things and experiences can do to change one’s mindset and potentially stop them from making very stupid decisions.

I like that the story turned out to be one where active help was sought for a troubled and depressed mind that was growing wary and dejected. Sure it could be seen as a bias way of looking at things as we see things not from the troubled man’s point of view but instead from that of Naho who is effectively a random third party that only gets introduced into his life after things have gone south. Still I feel it’s a relevant point of view as it shows us that those afflicted with their troubles aren’t the only ones who suffer silently and greatly.

The actors did a great job portraying that characters and the mood of the film stayed light and altered accordingly as the story moved along giving you the appropriate idea of how things were meant to be felt and experienced.

Let's Fight, Ghost! - KDrama

There’s nothing like a good supernatural story that has the right amount of scary and still doesn’t take itself too seriously. That is what I found in the kdrama I recently finished watching. If I can say one thing about that drama, it’s that even as it brought about a few predictable clichés it still came through as an enjoyable scary romance that I personally think anyone should watch if they love scary and fantasy genre stuffs.

The drama, Let’s fight ghost, was a rather surprisingly good story that followed Park Bong Pal who has the ability to see ghosts and uses this to be an exorcist at a somewhat pricey cost as he tries to raise funds in order to have surgery on his eyes. An isolated individual due to his ability we see a smart and withdrawn guy get dragged into some interesting situations where ghosts are troubling people for various reasons. One such situation has him meeting a rather unusual ghost, a high school girl who is in search of her name and who she was.

Enter Kim Hyun Ji who has roamed the earth for the past five years unaware as to who she is and how she died. Not much of a trouble maker we see her run into Bong Pal and immediately the two start fighting. Witness to this are the most lovable duo ever, who are in search of filming ‘real’ ghosts. Choi Chung Sang and Kim In Rang are just your average ghost seekers scared to death of seeing anything undead but determined to catch it on film and make it big.

This interesting group come together and formed a sort of ghost Extermination Company run by the special leader Chung Sang and funded by the highly skeptical grandmother of In Rang. Of course the anti-social Bong Pal is manipulated into joining while Hyun Ji does so simply because she wishes to hang around Bong Pal who has already unlocked some of her memories from the past.

As the story progresses we see Bong Pal grow as a person as he falls in love with Hyun Ji, who slowly comes close to the truth of the circumstances around her death. Making things more interesting is the events that lead to the realization that Bong Pal’s life is also in danger and that that danger is something Hyun Ji also needs to be wary of.

The story keeps you hooked as it develops smoothly, never dragging out the obvious for too long and ensuring that the clichés and predicable storyline plots work for the story as opposed to against it. The cinematography is pretty decent and the ghosts are bound to give you a chill or two as they prove to be more gruesome and bloody than you would assume a romance to allow, especially a kdrama romance.

The acting, though not perfect, was good enough to keep you interested in the characters and allow yourself to fall in love with them, imperfections and all. Of course not all acting was like that. Some acting, such as the adorable stupid duo, was quite brilliant. I mean one can’t watch In Rang and not feel all fuzzy inside.

All in all I liked how the story went and though I found the ending a tad soft and maybe a little incomplete, I guess I can understand why they would do that. So if you’re into science fiction and horror, I would definitely suggest this drama.

Unforgettable / Pure Love - Kmovie

Friendship is an amazing thing. However there are not many people who are privileged enough to fully experience such things, or at least that is how they see things. Still stories about these kinds of ideal friendships make for very entertaining and heart-warming experiences that have you cheering and balling your eyes out all at the same time. It’s these types of stories that have graced my screen recently as I jumped into watching a few movies from both Korea and Japan.

The movie I’ll speak of is the definite tear-jerker movie from Korea that follows the story of a few teenage friends and their one summer experience that changed their lives and had echoing effects into their adulthood where the movie starts and slowing begins to reveal. The movie was named Unforgettable (internationally) but is also known as Pure Love and though it seemed like a romance from the poster and many hints throughout the movie, it turned out to be a movie about relationships and those people we never can forget who shape us and change us into who we are to become.

Starting in their future we see as Bum-Sil, a radio host begins his interesting show about talking on other’s lives and their memories and as he begins the most recent story, he unknowingly begins to talk about his own past. The movie then shifts focus to a few listeners who follow his retelling of the past and they just so happen to be the friends he speaks of, all who have moved on into different directions in their lives.

The moving story focuses around the group’s one friend who seems to be the anchor that keeps them together, Soo-Ok, a bright and happy girl with a limp that limits her movements greatly. We see how these friends still enjoy their youth and time together despite Soo-Ok’s disability and we experience the memories they make that summer, unaware of the ominous things to come.

It comes across as your average teen drama that even has a low-key love triangle that affects the lives of these young souls, while also showing us some carefree messing around that makes you want to join in on the group’s fun as you see their bonds form and grow. But like kdrama law demands things don’t stay all sunshine and roses as the group have a minor fallout due to misunderstanding and miscommunication and soon drift away from each other at a critical time for the innocent anchor of the group, who gets devastating news that takes her to the edge.

Before you know it reality slams into our teen’s lives and tragedy strikes, scarring the group for many years to come. Move forward many years later and we see our group crying as their friend tells the world of this friendship that suffered great loss in their youth. But low and behold closure comes in the form of a simple, old-school, tape. It’s this incident that has our group, though older, gather again as they reminisce and say their greetings in that old backwards village where they spent their summers so many years ago.

The story is very meaningful as it covers the dynamics of friendship and all the emotions that are associated with it. The experience of the group is very raw and brings home the reality that not all memories we hold consist of the sunny days and happy moments of our youth but also the sad and ugly things that just happen. But despite that we should treasure each moment and the people that are with us while we have the chance.

The acting was brilliant and the mood of the movie very subtle and real. I think it was a very good movie, especially if you love the stories about real relationships and how they pan out. I won’t lie though; it brings out your emotions as it has you crying at the unfortunate turn of events that occur to these innocent youths who just weren’t ready for what the world was to throw at them. But it’s very moving watching how they deal with it and how it changes them as it reminds you of your own life and youth.

My Love Story - JMovie

If it’s one thing I’m a fan of it’s the adaption of manga into anime and if you’re lucky enough (and under the right circumstances) the adaption of anime into live action. There’s just something satisfying about watching still figures come to life and the voices in your head be brought out into reality, even if they sometimes sound slightly different to what you’ve expected. Of course this isn’t to say it’s ultimate satisfaction all the time. In any case this time for me it most definitely is.

My Love Story (Ore Monogatari) the live action movie was probably one of the better adaptions from anime that I have witnessed in a while and I must say I’m glad I stumbled across it, without even knowing it existed. The innocent love story of a boy/man-bear that blossoms on the screen was beautifully brought to life in the movie and while there were similar scenes pulled through from the anime, it still was able to hold its own with a little original flair here and there as it stayed true to the overall journey that the adorable Takeo Goda goes on.

Following the same storyline we see as our kind-hearted, monkey-looking teenager saves the life of a girl from another school and promptly falls in love with her, only to have his affections dampened as he suspects the girl to be in love with his cool and handsome best friend who always seems to attract the girls. Though he struggles with the conundrum he has placed himself in we see how truly a great human Takeo is as he sets himself aside in order for the one he loves to find happiness with another someone he cares for. Honestly, such self-sacrifice is rare and admirable but in this case possibly the most sweetly foolish thing our hero could have done.

As reality would have it, the girl, Rinko Yamada, is indeed in love, star-struck even, but not with the prince-like human that our brute suspects. Instead, we see the story unfold in a way that has us, though at first suspecting, eventually confirming that she is smitten with Takeo. Of course our two leads are overly ignorant of the obvious, even when it comes to simple conversation, and it takes his good friend, Makoto Sunakawa, to show Takeo what is really happening.

The movie is lovely and a joy to watch, especially when you realize the overused- love triangle thing is nothing more than our lead’s imagination and not a plot device to fully influence the story as most dramas tend to push. What makes this story stand out is the appreciation it shows for good friendship and the sweet progress of innocent first love.

Even more brilliant is how well the actors brought to life their anime counterparts, a feat not very well done in many adaptions in the past. So it becomes a pleasure to see the natural way the actors portray the characters that once only seemed fictitious before being made just a little more real. A very well done job in the casting I would say.

My favorite scene though, and I doubt I’m the only one, was the one you had to wait to see at the end of the credits. This scene, so highly anticipated from the anime, was no doubt cringeworthily worth every second it played out. I honestly look forward to possible sequels, though I’m skeptical it’ll have any. Either way, this was a movie well worth my time and feels.

Mr Baek - KDrama

Have you ever felt so uncomfortable yet equally satisfied with something that you just became so very confused with yourself? I have, just recently upon finishing a kdrama that I had on my backlog, all the way from 2014. It was an intriguing experience that I don’t quite know what to make of it just yet. One thing is for sure though; I have watched something good but don’t know how I feel about the realistic applications of the outcome.

The drama that has me so troubled is Mr Baek, an interesting story revolving around a grumpy old man who has the rare opportunity to turn back the biological clock and relive his life a little differently. Following Chairman Choi Go-Bong, we meet a 70 year old man who is less than pleased with the world but finds himself convinced that he is all that as he carries on his life without trusting or acknowledging anyone around him. However things begin to change once he meets the young lady, Eun Ha-Soo, whom he eventually addressed rather sweetly as the ‘the milky way’, a play on her name that makes more sense in Korean than it does in English.

Anyway, after their fateful meeting our grumpy old man finds himself standing on death’s door but like most humans he finds he still has much to do and has no desire to leave just yet. Luckily for him though it seems someone is listening up there as he gets a strange transformation where his biological clock turns back a few decades, leaving him a healthy and active 34 year old man.

Not sure what to make of his situation he tries to get back into his old life in order to fix the many misunderstanding that had been left as he ‘died’. Thus we see him successfully presenting himself as his own son, Choi Shin-Hyung, a revelation that takes many of those around him by surprise, especially his one and only true son, Choi Dae-Han.

However, things don’t go as he plans as things keep forcing him out of the business he thought he was still busy with and instead he finds himself constantly coming across the cute and naïve Eun Ha-Soo who he slowly starts falling in love with. Of course Eun Ha-Soo also finds herself attracted to the strange and rather rude Choi Shin-Hyung, while having not the slightest clue who he really is.

Along with the sweet romance that blossoms between the two leads, we see Choi Shin-Hyung also begin to develop a relationship with his estranged son, the only other family member who actually seems to be missing him, while the rest of his family fight over the business he started and grew. Their relationship grows stronger as they face the evil Jung Yi-Gun, who Choi Go-Bong had always favored without knowing his true colors.

The story is very interesting and can get you pretty engrossed. But I must admit the relationship between Eun Ha-Soo and Choi Shin-Hyung had me just a little disturbed when I thought of the little details of who he was and how old he really was. I know age is but a number, but that number was just a bit high for my comfort levels. It was especially weird when they introduced the classical love triangle and his son, Choi Dae-Han, was the other competitor. I felt awkward rooting for the main couple when this happened. This kind of theme seems to suggest many disturbing things about our society, especially where old men are concerned, for example should it be okay for a 70 year old to be dating such a young woman? I mean its love right? Even still my brain was having some difficulties justifying why I got so excited for their romance.

Of course my troubles could only have been so great because the acting in this was amazing, especially where the actor who played Choi Shin-Hyung was concerned. The way Shin Ha-Kun portrayed being an old man, while also learning the things he was so surprisingly inexperienced with was adorable and worth watching. The relationships between the actors felt so real too so that has to be acknowledged too. Indeed the actors and actresses did a brilliant job portraying their characters.

All in all it was a good drama and I’m glad I spent 16 hours of my life watching it. I also admit that I will be looking for more works with these actors in. I’m very interested in seeing Lee Joon (aka Choi Dae-Han) in a lead role where he actually gets the girl. This drama definitely left me with many memories and feelings, along with a possible change in perspective when it comes to love and the limits of what can be considered an ‘okay’ age gap between couples.

Boku no Hero Academia - Anime

Good long running anime are becoming hard to come by, but luckily enough there still exists those few that have enough potential to stand with heavy weights such as One Piece and Naruto. Of course they are but fresh little baby anime still in their prepubescent stage, not quite fully grown, so it’s understandable when you come across a few hiccups here and there.

The anime I speak of is Boku no Hero Academia, an awesome adventure shounen manga that has recently been made into an anime. One could argue maybe even too recently as the manga holds not as much plot revealed as any anime would need to be considered as ‘long-running’. In fact this might even be why the season itself is shorter than what veterans would expect from an anime with such potential. Still one can’t deny that it’s good, though its general plot may seem as if it draws on previous work. But shouldn’t that be okay, after all inspiration is born from something already there (arguably) so it would be inevitable that the story would seem familiar as it follows a formula that is already known to get in the views.

In any case, the hero-based story follows young Izuku Midoriya, a normal middle school student with dreams of one day becoming a great hero like his idol, the symbol of peace, All Might. However, in a world where superpowers are the norm and are gifted to many people as they reach puberty, we see that our unfortunate lead is not one with the supposed genetic marker that would allow such gifts to be bestowed on him. Crushed by this reality at a young age we see a resilient little boy power through such a depressing situation and become someone who is almost always documenting every hero he encounters or has an interest in, which in his case tends to be all of them, an obsession that will serve him well in future.

It is while he is documenting such a hero that he falls into a very unlucky predicament that allows him to actually meet his idol in person. But things don’t go as planned and secrets are quickly revealed as young Midoriya discovers his hero might not be as invincible as he portrays himself to be. Still those revelations don’t phase our lead, it also becomes an historical meeting as our ‘quirk-less’ young boy is given the opportunity to become what he has always dreamed about, along with the encouragement and support of his ultimate role model who bestows on him something impossible.

Having received the ultimate gift we see as Midoriya now has a chance to attend a place that is meant to guarantee his rise to heroics, the legendary UA, where heroes are taught from young on how exactly to be heroes. Gathering with other young potential candidates who show great promise, Midoriya begins his high school life living up to his dreams as he learns that having a ‘quirk’ is harder than it looks, especially when it’s borrowed.

Like all coming of age stories and adventure manga that promise a fulfilling and eventful journey, Boku no Hero Academia, shows great promise in what it can and will offer its audience if we stick with it long enough. No doubt fans of Naruto will find this interesting, though maybe a bit ‘re-hashed’ if you think too much on how it all plays out, but meh…. Still worth a shot I think.