Ms Temper and Nam Jung-Gi - KDrama

Office politics are rarely something to be excited about and that’s simply because it encompasses a place where work is done and (most of the times) dreams go to die. However, that’s not to say office life isn’t at sometimes interesting and engaging. I mean, it kind of has to be considering the average human spends 90% of their life at work. In any case, it takes a lot to show one the appeal of office life but one thing that strives to do this is Kdramas, believe it or not. After all, if it’s not a medical drama, law drama or school-esque drama you can be sure that somehow, in some way, office life is integrated and relevant to the drama world as it influences the storyline and characters. Such is the case with a recent drama that has caught my fancy, after much deliberation.

Ms Temper and Nam Jung Gi is your average drama that takes a look at the lives of those working in a cosmetics industry and explores the whole concept of superior and subordinate. A very interesting concept to ponder on indeed, one that has made me frustrated and reflective on the idea of ever entering a company or just throwing in the towel and becoming a freeloader, just like the male lead’s brother, all in order to avoid the hassle and inevitable struggle to protect my pride and livelihood.

The story follows the timid and self-proclaimed ‘defensive pessimist’, Nam Jung-Gi, who would rather avoid conflict than face anything head on as he tries to launch a new product he has come up with, the adorably named ‘Pat-Pat’ serum. Unfortunately for him the person who he is reporting his new product to is the fiery tempered Ms Ok Da-Jung who can’t stand his type. Our lead female who has been divorced three times and is known for her sharp tongue doesn’t care for what others think and unfortunately for Nam Jung-Gi and his colleagues their first meeting goes horribly wrong with some hilarious consequences.

Needless to say things go slightly pear-shaped for Nam Jung-Gi but things don’t end there as fate brings these two mismatched individuals together again as Nam Jung-Gi discovers who his new neighbour is. From there on things become even more interesting as Nam Jung-Gi becomes indebted to Ms Ok creating a baseline for all the fun scenarios to dance upon.

The show is surprisingly good and I say surprisingly because I had very low expectations for it. I never expected an office drama to yield such interesting characters and such gripping storyline, though I’ll admit to being more than frustrated with a few things but that could just be because I dislike the unfairness of the world and how people with power work and always win…but that’s a deeper issue I should address elsewhere.

The characters are well developed and you can see them change and grow as the drama unfolds. The plot is also pretty interesting to keep track of, it’s not exactly a love story but it is somewhat a romance in many ways. Confusing don’t you think? To be more precise, the romance lies within the human struggle of these ‘subordinates’ who strive to work and keep their dignity and pride not just in themselves but in their work too, all the while as bigger and uglier predators try to take them down simply because they feel so inclined to do so.

Don’t get me wrong, there seems to be a love blossoming between the two leads, but what I like about it is that it’s a mature kind of love - one that takes time and recognition. Though I won’t lie and say I wasn’t sitting through episode five and thinking ‘so when are they going to kiss?’ I’m totally guilty of that.

Over all I think this drama is highly underrated. I mean they are basically complaining about everyday office troubles and here I am, with my own life and drama to worry about watching them and finding it all fascinating. You have to give props to that.

Musaigen no Phantom World - Anime

The imagination is an amazing place. So much so that sometimes I wonder if it should just exist outside of where it already is….those are the kinds of thoughts I thought I was the only one to have until this anime came along and delighted my world with its existence and told me, someone else thinks the same way I do. You know how relieving that is? Of course you do, you’re the internet.

Musaigen no Phantom World is an interesting anime. It follows the activities of a group of students with special abilities who eradicate troublesome phantoms. Theses phantoms exist along with many others dues to an outbreak that infected humanity allowing them to see into, arguably, another dimension.

But that’s not all it did as it allowed some of the younger generation born into the infected population to gain special abilities. It’s these individuals that help ‘contain’ the phantoms that threaten of go out of control as people seemingly go on with their lives living alongside the phantom infested world.

The group we follow is those gifted with abilities. However, they remain quite low in their success rate of phantom containment, with regards to damages done to private property. But their luck changes as they acquire new members with relatively powerful abilities and grow closer with other classmates who join their little group.

The characters are fun to watch, from the book-ish artist who seals their enemies through his drawings to the fiery fighter whose sexy jutsu make it almost cringe-worthy to watch her bring forth the elements from within herself, make the show entertaining and enjoyable to watch. I also don’t mind the little crush the cute phantom-eater has on the fiery warrior leaving room for many yuri* innuendos. It’s plain down adorable-ness.

Another thing I like about the show is the psychological problems they address in the storylines. Dealing with such things in such a fun and understanding way is something I can deeply respect and love. Sure it’s light-hearted and not overly serious but still, it’s addressed in a way. So, props to the creator and sponsors who brought this awesome to our eyeballs.

Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm - Anime

There’s just something about watching a sporty anime that gets you all hyped up, don’t you think? This seems to hold true regardless of whether the sport in question even exists in reality as it whizzes through our imagination and comes to life off the screen and into our lives. Funny enough I find this phenomenon doesn’t necessarily ring too true for me with average sport like that stuff that regular people watch…. strange I know, but then I am an otaku so I’ll except my oddities.

In any case, the recent anime I have been watching seem to have a sporty theme to them but the one I’ll review today is the cute harem-esque anime that has a group of at least four girls and two noticeable guys flying around in the sky and no, this is not quidditch I’m referring to.

Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm takes place on an island where it seems the norm for people to easily get around using these things called ‘Grav shoes’ which allow the people to whiz through the air with nothing but the clothes on their back and these cool tech shoes that seem to grow butterfly wings out their ankles as they take off into the sky.

The story follows a seemingly ditzy pink haired girl by the name of Kurushina Asuka, who has just moved to the island and is fairly new to the idea of flying around and is introduced to it with quite a bang as she gets into her first ‘flying circus’ match within her first few days of getting her own shoes.

Basically what flying circus(FC) is is a prestigious game that uses the grav shoes on a whole other level than what a beginner would be able to do. Luckily for our ditzy, fly-fish-lover newbie it would seem that Asuka has a natural talent for being in the sky and pulls off pro-level techniques that surprise not only those around her, but even herself.

Needless to say she joins the school’s dying FC club, along with a few other members who have just as intriguing stories as Asuka and off we see them go joining competitions and doing battles like a real school club.

The show is pretty decent in terms of storyline and the whole idea behind the technology is interesting for me personally, so that’s pretty cool. Admittedly the whole newbie with ready-to-go talent isn’t new, but the way they integrate it into the story is pretty entertaining, so that’s a winner. Ultimately I have to say I’d recommend this to a newbie with a slightly pervy side, because obviously there is the group of girls flying around in their tightly worn, yet cutely styled outfits. So yeah, a good show.

Please Come Back, Mister - KDrama

There must be something in the air at the production studios that has them working so hard to create such enticing soundtracks that have you engrossed and close to tears when you hear the song come on in the background as the scene plays out. Because honestly first there was the amazing OST from the Descendants of the Sun (hereafter DOTS) that had me swooning over the characters and now there’s this OST that has me near tears as it connects me on some level with the characters of this next drama that has me intrigued with its storyline that is quite hard to predict the outcome of to be honest.

Please Come Back, Mister is an interesting Korean drama that started the same time as DOTS but seemed to receive less attention yet to be honest the storyline attracted me more in terms of its supernatural quality. But I guess that’s a personal preference on my part. The story follows two men who have died recently, an overworked and underpaid man by the name of Kim Yong-Soo who seemingly committed suicide and the other man, Han Gi-Tak who died tragically in a car accident.

As luck would have it the two unrelated men meet on a train in the afterlife and become relatively close to one another, or as close as two people can get in the span of a few minutes on your way to the end of your life. However, things take a turn for the strange as Kim Yoo-Soo realises he isn’t ready to go just yet and decides to jump off the train. Due to various reasons Han Gi-Tak joins him and the two find themselves in a dusty room with a very lovable character, Maya, who has come to arrange for their return to earth with a set of specific rules.

Upon their return the two men discover they have awoken in different bodies to their original ones and we see Kim Yoo-Soo in a very handsome reformed shape that even he himself can’t help admiring, while the tough and rough Han Gi-Tak finds himself in a whole other situation that he is not pleased with. One where he has lost his fighting muscle which has been traded in for a petite and very feminine body he has no idea how to handle.

The hilarious results that come from their discovering how to handle their new selves is pure entertainment alone but more fun comes from their discovery of each other and the various situations they get themselves into while trying to see how things have progressed since their death. 

Honestly it’s hard to imagine how the storyline will go as each surprise and twist gives an intriguing dilemma to the reincarnated duo that have a limited time to deal with their unfinished business before their time to hop back on that train comes and they have to be off for real into that lovely sunset in the sky.

I have to admit that it does seem almost too extreme at times where there doesn’t seem like the story is going anywhere. But overall I like how they also don’t make it seem like the dead duo are invincible as the villain wins every now and then, however I’d like to see a few wins just to keep my interest in the show at least, this is just a drama after all you know…

Anyhow, for a supernatural rollercoaster show it does deliver in giggles and eye candy, it just needs some work in moving the story forward in a more faster pace, or maybe I’ve been spoiled by the fast pace of DOTS, I don’t know, whichever it is I can’t say this show isn’t worth a watch, because it is. At least that is my humble opinion.

The feels on this track tho~